ECN Electrical Forum - Discussion Forums for Electricians, Inspectors and Related Professionals
ECN Shout Chat
ShoutChat
Recent Posts
UL 508A SPACING
by ale348 - 03/29/24 01:09 AM
Increasing demand factors in residential
by tortuga - 03/28/24 05:57 PM
Portable generator question
by Steve Miller - 03/19/24 08:50 PM
Do we need grounding?
by NORCAL - 03/19/24 05:11 PM
240V only in a home and NEC?
by dsk - 03/19/24 06:33 AM
New in the Gallery:
This is a new one
This is a new one
by timmp, September 24
Few pics I found
Few pics I found
by timmp, August 15
Who's Online Now
1 members (Scott35), 369 guests, and 17 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
#25251 05/02/03 06:52 PM
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 55
T
Member
hello to all,

glad to have found this forum.

i'm 48, been in business 14 years now.

most of that time i've had as many as six fulltime people. at first it was fun. i didnt much care if i made anything, i was just glad i wasnt working for any of the lunatics i used to.

well the good times came and went when i realized most everyone will steal from you eventually. and a fair percentage of customers want you to do work with no intention of paying in full, if at all. and no matter what you do for an employee, its never enough. my motto became, 'no good deed ever goes unpunished'.

anyhow, in the last 18 months business has come to a halt. people still call but i rarely bother to answer the phone since i lost my best help in early 2002.

i think about starting back up but i seem to have lost all motivation. i really dont care if i ever crawl in another attic, hire or fire someone, have to sue someone, etc, etc.

has anyone else experienced such burnout. i'm thinking about changing occupations real soon if i can find something i enjoy.

thanks for letting me vent.

Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 110
W
Member
Quote
has anyone else experienced such burnout. i'm thinking about changing occupations real soon if i can find something i enjoy

Yup.
Sometimes it just aint worth it and those times seem to be more frequent than not.
I remember an old saying. it goes : Be countientious, do a good job and you will get your reward,, Yeah right.. Non-payment, slow payment.. or " Oh and by the way we hired somebody else" or we stopped payment on your check.

Know exactly what you are saying.. maybe it time for the kool-ade
Wm.Colt

Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,716
R
Member
First of all welcome.

Yes, I have experienced exactly what you described. I think we each have different ways of overcoming it.

I didn't have the choice to get out and take a break so I just trudged along. I don't really know what happened but it just got better, even though the same problems were there. At the risk of sounding dramatic, don't let depression take over, if you must, by all means find something else to do or get help through friends, family, church, etc...

And you can always vent here. [Linked Image]

Roger

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,392
S
Member
I hear ya targetshootr

My doors have been open over 5 yrs now, i've had a good winter depite it's harshness here.

I'm leapfroggin from one job to the next 6-7 days a week now, always on the go, always scoppin' out parts,plans& payments along the way.

pros and cons?

sure........, too bad someone hasn't kept an ongoing list in this forum because it's members have certianly touched on them all.

thing is, it's the only thing i know to keep the roof over my head, so out the door i go every morn.

attitude is everything......

Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 47
F
Member
targetshootr:

Let me say I do understand where you are comming from. Although I have passed all the tests for a electrical contractor's license, I am still employed by somebody else. I have been doing this trade since 1990 and I have also lost interest through the years. So much so that I quit the company I currently work for about 2 years back and took a job with the local school board for a while. I really enjoyed that job, no overtime, no rush jobs, really friendly people to work for, great boss. Only problem was low pay, I was having trouble making ends meet. My old boss called me up and made me a good offer to come back to work for him. After thinking long and hard I decided to do it again. After learning from my mistakes things are going better this time around. I don't have to travel anymore for months on end, got a new service truck, and a raise. What I needed was a break, that's all. Although I am not an employer, as you are, I still see the same things that you probably do- unmotivated help, constant deadlines, and the unhappy customer. I went through 3 helpers in the first 6 months that I was back. The last one that I lost was one of the best guys in the company. I went to the boss and got him a raise to try and keep him on. The guy that works with me now is really motivated and wants to learn. He keeps asking me questions, which keeps me on my toes, and proves to me that he is interested, not just there for a paycheck like a lot of the others.

I know that you will be getting a lot of replies from many other people on this board. I have been on here for a little while and from what I read the guys here are a really caring bunch.

In answer to your question: yes. I think a lot of us have felt this way from time to time. You will have to make a decision for yourself if you will want to continue doing this line of work or to try something new. I have already read other posts on this board where people have made job changes and things have worked out for the better. The decision is yours to make, I think the only advice I can give you is to look at everything carefully and wish you luck. Keep in touch, and let us know what happens.

[This message has been edited by fla sparkey (edited 05-02-2003).]

Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 440
Likes: 3
Member
Shootr,
I can testify to a bad case of "stinkin' thinkin'". More importantly, I can testify to the fact that it can be overcome. I don't want to talk about me, because this thread is really about you, and hopefully the membership can encourage you to get up and move back into the place where you are the winner that you were born to be.
Check out this thread, and I'll post more later.
Click here

Sincerely,
Doc


The Watt Doctor
Altura Cogen
Channelview, TX
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 55
T
Member
thanks for all the replies so soon, and the link to doc's thread was enlightening.

i thought i was the only one who had been through the crapola that comes with electrical contracting.

i will heed all the wonderful advice and update you all once things start looking up.

i truly miss working but these days i look at every possible job as a trip straight back to all the bad things that have ever happened.

Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 558
G
Member
Welcome targetshootr,I have problems with clinical depression at times, so far I've resisted medication. I went through one of the worst depressions of my life the last month or so. It seemed to be work related, or rather a lack of work.Some days all I wanted to do was stay in bed.Financial situation was bad and getting worse. Gradually,things are looking up. Still borrowing from Peter to pay Paul,but it's getting better. Thought about another line of work,butdecided to stick it out,and am glad I did. Why not try working solo for awhile? Service calls and small jobs you can do yourself maybe. In any event find something that makes you happy,be it electrical or diggin' ditches.The folks here at this forum will offer encouragement and help,I know, they've done it for me. Russell

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 4,116
Likes: 4
Member
Shootr,

Welcome to ECN!
You're going to find that you're not alone, not by a longshot!

Do me a favor though, ... don't call yourself old!
I've got my reasons, if you know what I mean.

[Linked Image]
Bill


Bill
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,392
S
Member
2nd that (i forgot my manners) [Linked Image]

so is it the 'dealing with people' end targetshootr?

i've tried hard to cultivate that aspect to some professional level, but find myself simply hiding behind a plastic smile quite often

i hear many end up crappin' blood that way?!

Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5