I am in a field now that I have enjoyed for twelve years (since I joined the Army at 18), but the field has changed drastically in the last few years for the worse. I am a Telecommunications tech and engineer, but my industry has shrank a lot in the last few years, I have spent most of my career working on long distance networks, and there just isn't much money to be made in that anymore, the companies who provide LD service no longer see it as a viable revenue source so have scaled back thier support of it, meaning that there are very few jobs in the field aymore, and lots of highly experienced guys looking for them (I am one of them).

I am interested in working as a mechanic, I am a fairly good shade tree guy, I actually graduated high school through a VO-Tech program where I trained for three years in High School to be a mechanic, but after graduating went into the Army and began a telecom career. I don't mind starting out working cheap, and doing mundane tasks until I have proved myself. Financially I am in a position where I don't have to make much money to get by, my home is paid for, I only owe a few car payments, and don't really have any other bills.

I have lots of electronic training and experience, so working with computers and electronic test equipment is second nature to me, I have a good understanding of engines and suspensions. Iguess my questions to you guys is, do I have a chance as a 31YO white male, of getting into this field without spending a year in tech school before I can get a decent entry job? Is it a field that an intelligent hard working person who doesn't mind getting dirty can go into and make a career out of, or is it the kind of industry where youget sick of it after a few years and move on to something else (I am not a person who changes jobs often, I have never left a job that I didn't like except one where I left because the new employer was doubling my pay.

Also I have a decent collection of tools, almost all of them are Craftsman and Snapon, I would guess I have about $2500 dollars worth of hand tools, not including telecom specialty stuff that wouldn't be of much use for an Auto mechanic.

Fixed so as not to appear to be any more of an idiot than I am, and to avoid being tautned anymore.

Thank you, know that I can properly spell it maybe I can get one. Other than the obvious spelling issues that can make me look like a maroon, do you have any thing more usefull to add?

I have a feeling your going to be in the same position as your current field.

Not so much that the market for cars is downsizing, there's just alot of mechanics out there.

I like to work on MY cars, but I personally couldn't wake up at 6am to work on someone else peice of shit everyday.

At least that's how I look at it.

I don't mind going to school, it just isn't an option right now, the work I do has gotten real slow lately, and it is getting hard to make ends meet (I am a contractor, so when the work is slow I don't get paid). In my AO there is actually a fairly large pool of electornic technicians (Ft. Gordon is here in Augusta, and there are tone of Retired Army Signal guys with lots of training and experience).

I am not looking to get rich, just make a living, I have no real interest in owning my own shop.

Quoted: I have a feeling your going to be in the same position as your current field. Not so much that the market for cars is downsizing, there's just alot of mechanics out there. I like to work on MY cars, but I personally couldn't wake up at 6am to work on someone else peice of shit everyday. At least that's how I look at it.

That is what I am fearing. I don't have any particular love for working on cars, I don't mind it much on my own, but learned in high school that it isn't nearly as fun doing it for somebody else is not, but I feel the same way about my current field, I like working with electronics, but I would do it for other people only because they pay me. I have never had a problem working a job that I didn't particularly enjoy, as long as I can take pride in my work, that is my driving force, no matter what i am doing I want to be good at it, and that becomes my driving force.

Quoted: Fixed so as not to appear to be any more of an idiot than I am, and to avoid being tautned anymore.

FYI - it's "taunted"  

- the Spelling Nazi.  
Damnint, some days I just can't win, type, spell or proof read! Maybe going back to school is a good idea. Remedial English anyone?

I think I may look into the power generation side of things. As far as electronics and Electronics training goes, I began taking electronics courses in High school, and got a lot of electronic theory and prinicple training in the Army (spent a good long time at Ft. Gordon), and a lot of training since then, of course most of it was specialized training, but not all. I have worked around generators since I started in the military, as the private on a switch site, you are garaunteed to learn how to service a diesel generator. On civilian switch site the Generators get real big, and are an important part of your backup system. I really don't know much about diesels (other than how to operate them) as a matter of fact that is one of my biggest regrets is never learning more about Diesels, and what makes them different than gas enginves (I know the basic but that is about it).

Thanks everybody who has posted, I am getting a lot of insite and ideas that would have likely never came to me on my own. This is a dificult thing for me, as I have never thought of changing  before, and in my family it is just not something that is done. My father was an Army pilot, until he retired, his hearing had suffered some loss and he chose not to continue flying full time after he left the Army, but still instructs part time, my grandfather started as a pipe fitter in a chemical mill at teh age of 16, he did this until the day he fell down crippled from a strokewith his entire right side paralyzed for life ( he took a few years off during WWII where he was a aerial gunner, but went right back to the mill after the war).

At this point it isn't so much that I am leaving my chosen field, but that the field is disappering, I have already switched from LD and local to wireless, and the picture isn't much better on this side either. This used to be a well paid field, as a lead switch tech I used to be able to count on making right around 70K a year, but now that same position is paying closer to thirty five, and the positions are few and far between, and virtually non existant in my area, even on the wireless side thier are no switches where I live the switches are in Atlanta and Jacksonville. The local providers have replaced many of thier small town and rural CO's with unmanned remotes that feed into larger COs who need fewer techs than they used to.

Actually the wife and I have talked about installing a good generator back up at the house.