Retired Veteran - I need help to decide - money or family? - Tennessee (TN) - Page 3 - City-Data Forum

RETIRED AF VET · 08-01-2007, 01:26 PM

Tony, The best answer to your question is: your decision is the right one!! No one else can decide for you. As for me, I am retired from the military and live happily and comfortably here in North Alabama. AND AS FOR THE JOB MARKET, IT IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT. I retired and went to college for a couple years...then got a parttime job setting up an office computer system... at 4.25 an hour. (This was in 1988.) In January of this year I decided that it was time to spend more time with family and grandchildren, so I left that 4.25 job, which paid me over 60 Thousand last year.. same company, just moved up, little by little, year by year. SO if you want to develope some marketable skills by attending college, you can have it very well in this part of the south. You didn't mention what your career assignments were in the military, but you may have al the skill you need now. One thing I can say with a great deal of certainty, money isnt everything. My wife and I are living quite well on less than your retirement today. We both have new vehicles, live in an upscale area of the city, and come and go as we please. The advantages to living in an apartment or condo are many... just lock the door and leave. It's there when you get back and someone else has taken care of all the maintenance while you were gone! One email to the postal service and one call to the local paper takes care of everything else! Of course it wouldn't be quite that simple with kids in school, but they will soon be graduates and you will join the throng of "empty nesters". That's when you will really appreciate NOT being tied down. I know I am rambling and won't waste any more of your time. But I did want you to know that all you read on this forum is not accurate!! Welcome home and good luck.

Tony1790 · 08-01-2007, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlisonL

Those of us who advised you to go back to your family were only offering our opinions, which you asked for. In a nutshell, its a decision that only you can make. Good luck with that.

I'm very appreciative of all the advice that I get on here, my wife is flying in on friday for a visit and I'll be talking with her about what's best. Her view is that she quit working, move where I'm at and I keep working for the railroad.

Anywho, I'll make a decision eventually, I'm just kind of going with the flow right now, money is not everything, but it sure helps at the end of the month

Tony

hiknapster · 08-01-2007, 03:30 PM

I like your wife's view.

LookingToGetOuttaAZ · 08-01-2007, 07:06 PM

hiknapster... you said that your husband is a mechanic and had a hard time finding a job? Why wouldn't anybody give him a chance? Is he ASE certified? Sorry about all of the questions. My husband is also a mechanic in AZ and we are thinking about moving to Tennessee, so this is a bit disturbing.

Thanks for your help.

hiknapster · 08-02-2007, 02:35 AM

I wouldn't be too disturbed.

He was hired right away by a Yankee, and worked for him for about a year, for decent pay, but the guy turned out to be kind of a shyster to the customers. My husband left, and I think the guy is now in jail. No kidding!

Then he had a tough time of it. Went to every shop around. Every one. He worked for $10 an hour at one point. Then he got a job offer that was very low, but better than the one he had. He negotiated to work for low wages for one month and then wanted his price. It wasn't huge, but better than what they offered him. We were pretty leery that they wouldn't come through, but they gave him his raise after three weeks.

He's now up to $90 more a week, take home, and is shop foreman.

It can be done, it just takes awhile to prove yourself.

When he was looking for a job here, he got a lot of, "We don't pay that kind of money here, like in Florida." Cut me a break. He wasn't making huge money in Florida, either.

But they really do need good mechanics here. There are not a lot of them. Shop owners are used to paying less, because the quality of the auto techs is not very good. My husband has had to teach a lot of the techs that come into the shops where he has worked.

Now, he gets lot of job offers.

I hope this helps.

AlisonL · 08-02-2007, 08:43 AM

Is a Yankee mechanic moving to Tenn. apt to be hired and get paid decent wages? Or he is going to be looked down on because he is a Yankee? Which is going to make a bigger impact on employment, experience or being from the northeast corridor of the US?

LookingToGetOuttaAZ · 08-02-2007, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I wouldn't be too disturbed.

He was hired right away by a Yankee, and worked for him for about a year, for decent pay, but the guy turned out to be kind of a shyster to the customers. My husband left, and I think the guy is now in jail. No kidding!

Then he had a tough time of it. Went to every shop around. Every one. He worked for $10 an hour at one point. Then he got a job offer that was very low, but better than the one he had. He negotiated to work for low wages for one month and then wanted his price. It wasn't huge, but better than what they offered him. We were pretty leery that they wouldn't come through, but they gave him his raise after three weeks.

He's now up to $90 more a week, take home, and is shop foreman.

It can be done, it just takes awhile to prove yourself.

When he was looking for a job here, he got a lot of, "We don't pay that kind of money here, like in Florida." Cut me a break. He wasn't making huge money in Florida, either.

But they really do need good mechanics here. There are not a lot of them. Shop owners are used to paying less, because the quality of the auto techs is not very good. My husband has had to teach a lot of the techs that come into the shops where he has worked.

Now, he gets lot of job offers.

I hope this helps.

Thanks hiknapster. That does help. A couple questions for you. Was your husband looking at independent shops or dealerships? Is he ASE certified? Sorry for all of the questions.
Thanks for your time in advance

emailvasally · 08-02-2007, 09:18 AM

Tony,

My 2 cents. go with you and your wifes gut feeling. Some people need "money" more than others and as someone else pointed out there are lots of ways to spend time with the family for little or no money. as long as you have the money to make ends meet.

My situation. recently moved from VA to TX. hubby took a job making a lot less money. He used to travel all the time and worked some long hours. in a nutshell made very good money but wasnt around much. our kids are 11 and 5 lived in a very nice 5 bdrm/2 1/2 bath/ 2 car garage home on over an acre of land. To make all of this work we drive older but reliable vehicles and bought a very basic 3 bdrm 2 bath home in a good neighborhood with good schools. We will have less money but we camp and take advantage of coupons and free entertainment. We also shop around and get the best "deal" on anything we buy. Having extra money is a personal thing. The 2 of you need to decide what is more important nice things and keeping up with the jone's or having the basics and being together.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

sally

AlisonL · 08-02-2007, 10:25 AM

Right on Sally. Money is nice but its not everything. His situation was different as he was home on weekends, but the costs of him working away were high, we had to pay our expenses at our home, plus his costs while on the road. The company only paid so much per day. He missed out on our daughter's first words, first steps, ect. To this day he still regrets being away when she was so young.
I think Tony and his wife will make the right decision for them. Best of Luck.

hiknapster · 08-02-2007, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LookingToGetOuttaAZ

Thanks hiknapster. That does help. A couple questions for you. Was your husband looking at independent shops or dealerships? Is he ASE certified? Sorry for all of the questions.
Thanks for your time in advance

He does not work at dealerships. He is ASE certified. He was a shop foreman at his previous job. Had worked there for about four years. He has been doing this for about 20 years.