I wasn't exactly sure where to post this, but thought this would be the best place. I came here because I have a question for you guys who have been operating for a long time. Basically, I went to an operator school a few years ago and got certified. I didn't get to find any work because I had to undergo some pretty major back surgery. I have 10 vertebra fused and two rods screwed in to fix my kyphosis and herniated disks. Just recently I had them go into my neck to burn my nerves to shut them down. So my pain is under control, and I'm not worried about that part. I can ignore it. I did fuse at about 95%, which is pretty good. Running iron is what I've always wanted to do, and it's one of the few things I actually love to do and am good at. Over the past two years I have been going back and forth about entering the industry, or looking elsewhere for a career. So I'm looking for some advice from those who know more than I do. In your opinion(s), do you think my hardware would hold up to the abuse? I had the surgery done by one of the best in the country, so I'm sure the rods are in there pretty good. He told me that it should be fine, but has a chance to mess up the hardware. I figured you guys could give me some advise on this. Thanks for taking the time to read.
I personally don't believe it's worth it. Tears up your knees and back after years of climbing up and down and getting rattled. Seats and cabs are getting more operator friendly, however being an inexperienced operator they probably aren't going to give you the latest and greatest equipment. Woukd you want to go through all you been through again?
I have thought of that. I don't particularly want to lol. But I also don't want to spend 70k on a degree and end up working at McDonalds either. I'm trying to weigh the risks. Either risk having medical problems after I retire, or take a chance at college for something that might not work out or I hate. Spend the money now when I don't have it, or spend the money later when I do. Then I see the advances in medical tech since the 90's to now. By the time I'm older they will probably have an easy fix. Thanks for the import. I still have time to figure it all out.
I'd start looking for something else. What you have done they have been doing for years and it hasn't advanced much in years. Doing an internet search shows that no one is looking at a major breakthrough anytime soon. So you could go to work as an operator and not make it more than a year or 2 and then be totally disabled until they come up with something new or for life. So looking at it from a risk assessment point of view NO!! As far as going to college for something who ever said you have to like your job? A job is how you make a living. Life is what you have on evenings and weekends. A good paying job that you don't like lets you buy toys and do thing while you are enjoying life! A poor paying job that you love doesn't give you any money to enjoy life with. It's the difference between sitting in front of the TV watching a guy catch fish and sitting in a boat fishing. Rick
Yair . . . IronZail With all due respect I disagree entirely with some of oldtankers comments. There is more to life and living than money. All you need is enough . . . there is nothing more soul destroying than having to get up each morning to go to a job you dislike or even hate. If you can work your way into a job you actually like it ceases to be "work" and, provided it gives sufficient income to be comfortable, will result in a happier life and relationships with others . . . nothing like a hated job to drive a wedge into a marriage. Assess your priorities, figure out the things that interest you and see if you can plan a career around the things you like to do. From what you have told us it seems to me that heavy equipment operating would be well down the list of desirable occupations and for what its worth I had a mate in much the same predicament. We rode together for a while and he got busted pretty bad off a bull and ended up with a back and pelvis screwed and bolted so no more bouncing around on scrapers. He did a course on small engine repair and ended up with very healthy business . . . all bench work, some of it sitting and nothing too heavy. Cheers.
You mind me asking what you have done for work before you went to school to be an operator?
My point is that it's more important to make a decent living that allows you to enjoy life than it is to love your job. I loved my job in the Army. When I retired the first couple of jobs I held I hated not because they were terrible jobs but because I felt like I wasn't doing anything important like I did in the Army. Then I came to realize that between my job and my Army retirement I was making a pretty good living and really enjoying life in general. A good paying job that isn't much fun is way better than loving to work in fast food a learning to say "do you want fries with that?" then going home and deciding who you are going to short on payments this week. Loving your job and not making much takes on a whole new meaning when you get hitched and start having kids too. You soon learn to hate that job because you ain't making no money. At lest that's how I see it. I'll add in that that there are lot of folks out there that went to school and have huge student loans to pay back for a career field they really like that are learning how to say "do you want fries with that?". All because someone convinced them that they should train for and find work they really like. Far better to train for a career field where they are actually job openings. Rick
What type of operator job are you looking to do. If you are setting in a newer, large, tilting cab crane, complete with oiler, I would say go for it. If you are getting jostled around in a large crane,its to late anyway, its on the way over. A scraper, skid steer, and some other like machines, you probably wood not have a chance of surviving intact if working at the wanted production. A hydro all terrian crane, probably not an issue unless you are dragging heavy matts and rigging your self. What are you good at and what oppurtunity do you have open to you. Choose wisely and I wish you the best of luck. I know you just used it as an example but IMHO the madhouse of fast food would be the worst possible place to try to survive with a back injury.
Yair . . . Gotcha oldtanker , I understand where you are coming from. A case in point though is what I call the "Ringer syndrome". In Australia a "Ringer" or perhaps "Station Hand" is roughly the equivalent of the US "Cowboy". He is expected to be able to do most everything on a cattle station, horse work, stock work, run dozer scraper and grader, fix and build fence, drive a stock transport and increasingly these days fly a chopper. Such jobs are not particularly well paid, but usually come with a comfy house, power, meat, (increasingly rarely) milk and sometimes a vehicle. It is away of life and not a "job" and I have seen fellers leave and take jobs running haul trucks and whatnot in mines for a hundred grand plus a year and they only last a while. They become homesick for the station lifestyle and end up back where they came from . . . they can't hack the crap and carry on of protocol and bull$hite. Just my thoughts of course. Cheers.
This.
There are very few machines that do no have the potential to shake you around all day. I think you would be asking for trouble. If you are really set on heavy equipment, maybe think about parts, sales, or rental positions for a dealer.
Honestly, I was still trying to figure it all out. I was mainly working part time minimum wage jobs. I went to school when I was 21 (I believe) I'm 25 now. Well, I've never operated any kind of crane to be honest. I was looking at trying to get into one of the mines up here in Michigan running a rock truck or excavator. And yeah, I actually had problems before the surgery working at Micky D's. Tore some muscles and that's where I herniated one of my disks. I get what everyone is saying. It's giving me a lot to think about. I don't exactly want to go back to how I felt working my last job. Although I had three herniated disks I was able to keep working. So I mean I can deal with pain. That's nothing, and it's no where near as bad as it was. But like you guys are pointing out, I could go fully disabled before I am able to retire then I'm back to square one. I get what both oldtanker and Scrub Puller are saying. You have to find the balance between doing something you enjoy and being able to live comfortably. Thanks for the advice. I have a few months to continue going through it before the mines open back up in the spring.