Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Gaffers on 04 February 2012, 11:35:46
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I am in a quandry at the moment. As I have discussed with some of you if I dont convert my commission later this year I am out of a job in Aug '13. This is looking highly likely. My initial thoughts were to go in to IT Security Management in the US where salaries are high as well as the stress levels no doubt. The plan was to build up a nice little fund to eventually find our way to my wife's home in Hawaii (the dream)
Now it's no secret on here I have IBD (crohn's, hence the name 'Guffer') which is fairly well under control with medication. High stress, poor diet and environmental factors can trigger flare-ups and my worry is that I may find myself in DC or Chicago and be unable to complete my work to a satisfactory level due to my illness.
At the same time I love building, fixing and fitting out boats. I love it, the challenge, the accomplishment, the therautic nature of the work. There are no shortages of boats to work on in Hawaii. But local business can be difficult to break in to.
So now I am wondering if I should miss out the middle phase and go straight to Hawaii and work on boats. I would need to get US recognised qualifications and certification (about $2k) plus a van and some tools ($?) My wife has familiy out there who could help with a spare room and the like while I get established and she can transfer to LA or something and work there for a few years commuting for trips. I have a small amount of cash saved up which can be used to set the business up and there are immigrant business tax breaks for the first 7 years, but I need to check if I qualify.
I would not be earning as much but the quality of life will be much better and I dont want a fortune, enough to live comfortably on in 'da islands' will do. There is risk in both options and there are so many factors. I am very tempted to say lets just do it and make the best of it but I am worried about failure.
Like I said, decisions decisions...... :-\
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Not quite the same scenario as you Matt but I made the decision 6 months ago to change my life. I went for quality of life which also meant i've been on the bones of my arse but its the best decision i've ever made and once I get a proper job things will be fantastic. Good luck in whatever you choose to do :y
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Can you convert your commission - what options here? Plenty of boat work in UK near to you - Cornwall maybe good and at least you have the medical back up.
Knew a guy who left City to work on boats in Helford Passage area which worked for a while but costs defeated him (restoring/building river boats) at finish I think
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Your health, your happiness and state of mind mean more then pounds, shillings and pence Matt.
Believe me, I know ;)
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although working on boats doesnt sound easy to me, personally it would be my preference..
IT jobs , dont bring money as there are lots of students doing it part time for peanuts.. :(
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You may have mentioned it, but have you considered the costs of medical care across the pond? My last memory when I worked there was "exorbitant"!
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Can you convert your commission - what options here? Plenty of boat work in UK near to you - Cornwall maybe good and at least you have the medical back up.
This was my first thought. Relocating to Hawaii and starting up in business in a new area are going to be tough challenges to face simultaneously. Perhaps better to tackle one at a time?
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I'm in a beneficial situation with regards to health insurance, I can go on the wife's work policy for very little extra cost :y
I don't fancy starting a business here and then doing it again in another country, the idea is to make enough to live on the Hawaii if I can. A lot more research is required first though.
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I would not be earning as much but the quality of life will be much better and I dont want a fortune, enough to live comfortably on in 'da islands' will do.
Think that is the really key, I would personally say go for it.
Otherwise you will also look back and think what if?
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Wherever you decide to pitch your tent should you leave M the only thing I can say is do it sooner rather than later.
I can speak from the bitter experience of having worked myself into the ground, into ill-health (now resolved thankfully) and into a state of emotional turmoil as a result of my service.
Peace of mind and a life (of real meaning) with your wife should be the goal in my view.
Had I known then - when I was the 'man' - what I know now, I would have jacked it in within the space of a heartbeat.
Self-denial and a disregard for one's inner voice will always come back to bite one in the arse - mostly at a time one doesn't need it.
The very best of luck – working on the simple principle of warm seas = good and cold seas = bad, it would be aloha’s all the way for uncle Denny. :-* :-* 8)
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This is a difficult one, Matt. Whenever you ask a cross-section of people for advice there will be those who tell you to follow your heart and others who advise caution. My simple advice would be to discuss it long and hard with your wife. Try to work out what would happen if things did not work out as expected. Formulate a 'plan B' so that you have an alternative if you should need it. It may not be as exciting as just 'going for it' but, at this stage, a bit of insurance may just give you the courage to proceed. Good luck.
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Steve :-* :-* :-* :-*
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Steve :-* :-* :-* :-*
'ello darlin ;D
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No one ever lies in their death bed and thinks 'God, I wish I'd spent more time in the office...' ??? So follow your dreams Guffer!! :y
You sound like a resourceful chap with different skillsets, so if it didn't work out in Hawaii, you can come back/go somewhere else and do something different! ;)
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If you're heart says yes, go for it. If it doesn't, or you have any reservations at all it will not work as well as you've wanted. Remember not to confuse what your head says with what your heart, your inner self, is saying. If you are not yet 100% comfortable with the idea, it ain't the right
time yet. It will probably come though. Good luck
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I would agree with your earlier statement about more research needed. Target market, how well is it currently served, the locals may object to a new comer, in various ways. For example can you make enough to grow and expand, and build up a pension ?. Its no use just surviving in the good times, when bad times come along you need to be good to survive. The dreaded cashflow is very important when starting off, you need plenty reserves to keep going until you become established.
However if the sums add up............
Ken
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Go for it mate,I used to be a toolmaker working shifts in a factory and repairing cars as a hobby in my spare time,It suddenly dawned on me that I didn't want factory life until retirement so I jacked it in and started doing my hobby for a living.23 years on its still my hobby and my living and strangely enough I still enjoy doing it...........mostly ;D ;D
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Can we have a reality check here please? You're wondering whether to set up in HAWAII??
What's to think about mate? No seriously, if I was in that position, you wouldn't see my ass for dust - I would quite literally kill for an opportunity like that.
Best of luck making your decision :y
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Whatever you decide Guffer, I sincerely hope everything goes well for you and your family in every way :y
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The 19th century British prime minister Disraeli said: Youth is for exuberance, adulthood for hard work and old age for regrets. :y
My advice would be to put together a business plan for your income, your labour and expenditure and most importantly, how you are going to get that income. How you are going to get that income is down to researching the market. See if there are any boat trade associations and ex-pat websites, in Hawaii, where you can ask appropriate questions. Always be very conservative on income and timescales to get the business established as it is very easy to be unrealistic here. Expect it to take at least 12months to establish the business, so you can start to make money in the 2nd year. If you can reach the point and confidence where you can say "I know know what I need to do to make this work" you are in with a fighting chance of making a successful business.
You know the old army saying: "the plan goes out of the window with the first shot, but your training doesn't". It is the same with a business plan, if it is well researched and you've made some good contacts, this is equivalent of your training, so you know what to do or who to ask to know what to do when things go wrong.
The is a global shortage of good IT security specialists, so an alternative lower risk plan might be to see if you can get a job in Hawaii to use this knowledge and at the same time pursue your boat building business. The key as I'm sure you know for working in the IT business is up-to-date knowledge, if you tried hard with the boat business for a couple of years, but had to give up it would be much more difficult to get back into the IT industry, where as if it took a year of two to get the boat business up and running part time, so it was a going concern, you could then leave the IT job.
Finally, you need to look at your personal circumstances and make sure your business will fit in with these not only in financial terms, but also personally as it is very easy to end up working very long hours, when you start a business, talk this through with your wife, so you have her full backing on your plans, as your wife's support especially when things are tough in business makes a massive difference.
I wish you every success with what ever you decide. I started my first business exactly 30 years ago this year and have no regrets, where I've worked for myself ever since. Life is an adventure and this has been a great adventure, some bits exceptionally good and some not so good, but I wouldn't of missed it for anything. :y :y :y