Ever Dropped Everything You Knew And Started Over?

Gussie... I'll try to give ya a call tmrw, but heres my abriged version:

You have a rather fortunate situation as I see it. At this point, you hopefully have some coin set aside and can afford the risk of shooting for achieving your own success, whatever that may be. At the very worst, you can turn tail and regroup with your Dad's impending ventures if you fall flat.

I fully understand your disdain for auto sales... its a most difficult business for genuine auto enthusiasts (like you and I). I sold cars for just about a year right after college, and it was certainly a learning experience... I learned just enough to realize I never want to make a career of it.

I suspect you will always regret not making a personal attempt if you choose to stay with your Dad, even if you make a financial killing with him. Give it a whirl on your own while you still can!

Bottom line... I wish you all the best, whichever choice you make!!!

 

I’m coming from another direction here as I never had a family business to fall into after college. Also, no responsibility to my parents, no college loans to pay, no kids to support, etc. Instead I have done almost exactly what I wanted, and at the beginning, for little pay. It sucked being poor but I never dreaded going to work. I built a career on a solid foundation & now am about at the top of the game. The best part about it is, “Damn, I LOVE this job!” My point being: money is good, there are always tradeoffs, follow your heart, but use your head. Oh yeah & as Nike says, ”just do it.”

 

I sorta had the opposite situation. I went from working from someone else in the auto business to working for my family's business. This took some getting used to. I had to go back to college and attain yet another degree as well as state licensure etc etc etc. The move also meant more hours and less money initially but I REALLY REALLY REALLY was at a point that I didn't want to go to work in the morning.

I am now an equity partner in my family business and things are going rather well and I LOVE my job. This is the most important thing because if it ever gets to the point that I hate my position again I would not hesitate a second to sell out and do something else. Hating your job will affect your whole life and you won't enjoy anything else. That being said heed the other advice that you have a little something in the bank to rely on for the next couple of months while things shake out.

 

Hey man...Anything I can do just lemme know! I'll be here on hold!

 

You know a few things about Fishing, Ducks, 328s, Porsches, Pork Chops, Camden, Negra Modelo and Movies. Why not put 'em in a blender and see what happens?

 

Through a pair of 80's sunglasses? Not me!

 

DARTHS PHONE IS ALWAYS ON HOLD, I CAN NEVER GET THRU...

 

Gus -

I'm doing exactly what you describe. Relocating is disconcerting enough - imagine moving a family of four. However, like Hutch, I answered the draw of the Carolinas. It helped that I had a specific opportunity, so I knew where I'd be working once I arrived, but it still feels like a true clean slate experience. I drove down January 1st, and will move the rest of the family down in mid-February. I'm commuting back up as much as possible, and just accepted an offer for the house up here, the proceeds of which will finally allow the F-Car dream to come to fruition.

As far as locations are concerned, I do recommend the Carolinas solely for the cost of living/quality of life equation. Coming from the Northeast, it's alarmingly cheap to live well in this part of the country, and areas like Charlotte and Atlanta are boom towns where half the people you deal with are transients anyway. The variety of accents would surprise you. Take a look at Yahoo! Real Estate for different regions of the country, and you'll see how far your money goes. For the price of a condo in NJ, CA or FL, you can get waterfront down here. Plus, as a car afficianado, remember that NC is home to an incredible array of motorsports opportunities.

Wherever you end up, geographically or career-wise, I think it's highly unlikely that you'll regret moving on. On the contrary, in reading your current state of mind, I think it's a certainty that if you stay in your comfort zone you will always wonder about the road not taken.

Biologists have extrapolated that we regenerate every cell in our bodies over the course of approximately seven years. If it feels like you're a different person now, it's because you truly are. Embracing change makes you feel truly alive. Plus, think about it - you're not burning any bridges. If you move on and actually fail to the degree that no one here thinks you will, do you actually think your family will not welcome you back?

Good luck, buddy!

 

http://www.aimstesting.org/

Gus,

Give these guys a call. I have been through their program and recommended it to several friends, all of whom had good results. They can help you sort out the types of activities that will provide you the most satisfaction in your life. It appears that you are smart enough to succeed at most anything. This means that you have many strong aptitudes. Frustration and dissatisfaction come from failing to use your strong aptitudes. AIMS will determine what those are then provide counseling as to which types of careers use your strengths.

I took their tests 25 years ago and am still finding out how right they were. When I was about 38, I became very frustrated and even depressed about my work life. I went back to the AIMS materials and found that based on my aptitude profile what was happening to me was exactly what they predicted. I was very good at what I did but it had gotten boring to the point of making me self-destructive. I walked away from what most people would consider a dream job and have not regretted it for a minute.

Good luck

 

I was once part of a prisoner exchange. Does this count?

 

I did something like what you're contemplating not so long ago - gave up a good career and certain income for something I enjoyed more that is less both less glamorous and less rewarding monetarily, but which I enjoy more. About the only thing I'd add to the advice here is that changes, while good, are almost always compromises. While you're figuring out what you might want to do, be sure to consider things like how important money is to you and your lifestyle, where you want to live, etc. Otherwise you could well wind up lamenting what you gave up not too far down the road. I definitely miss parts of my "old life" but there is enough good in the new that I'm happier now than I was.


Good luck with your change, AJ.

 

Drop everything and change career? Lots of times.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86899

covers one career change.

What did I learn?

Always go to something, as in being pulled, not away from something, as in being pushed. You end up a lot happier.

Are you being pushed now? Can you change that into a ‘pull’?

Good luck!

 

I think CMY and jimwalking hit the nail on the head. You mentioned several times about wanting to try something on your own, but you are only doing it now because you are being forced out. Welcome to reality. I am in IT and when our market got clobbered a few years ago, I had many friends and coworkers that had to change their careers, locations, lifestyles, etc. I was lucky to be able to keep myself working. To me, your situation doesn't sound scary at all. It sounds like you can pursue something that you believe you are good at and give that a go. If that doesn't work out, you can probably see if your father needs help in his new business....and if his new business isn't working out, your family connections in the car dealership business can put you both back where you started. At least you have options. There are millions of people that don't have that luxury.

Well, so did Thomas Edison...but do you have the persistance to fail and try again like he did? Just because you have the skills you listed doesn't mean you will be successful. To be successful in anything you need persistance and confidence...and some people can only take failing for a short period of time. You have to ask yourself if you have the drive, the energy, the gonads, etc to actually start a successful business.

To be honest, only you know what will truly make you happy, what motivates you, and what you are really capable of. If you are truthful to yourself, the answer will probably come to you sooner or later. Good luck with whatever you do...

Glenn

 

Gus,

I don't know you, but I've heard of you....only good things too.

I hate to borrow a line from a movie, but maybe we don't have a destiny, perhaps we're just like a feather being blown & tossed around by the wind (or something poetic like that).

Consider this; if you look at all the famous movie stars & musicians today and then went back in time some 30 years and started things all over again....how many of those same stars would be as popular today? How many others who now work regular jobs would be famous instead? A lot of people found their way to where they are today by luck, chance and circumstance.

Yes, some things happen by freak chance and some things happen due to people's determination & drive. Some of the smartest people I knew in college have done well and gone far...others have not. Many people found themselves in careers they never anticipated or planned on. In my case, why do some contractors find themselves working out of their truck and living from one job to another...whereas another contractor has a huge company and only comes into the office between golf games?

All you can do is hoist the sail, keep a sharp eye and see where the current takes you. If you are clever, hard-working and really stay focused....you can pretty much figure you'll end up somewhere well-off. Ask yourself what interest you and then head in that direction...keep a sharp eye, aim towards it...the rest, perhaps, is destiny.

In the end, I think it's human nature to always wonder....what if I lived in a different city? what if I had married a different gal? what would it have been like to have pursued a different career? The unknown is intimidating, exciting and scary. You now have no choice but to choose something. Consider this: every combat soldier in almost any war would love to be you right now AND never before in the history of mankind is so much opportunity available. The glass is very full Gus...step up and have a drink of experience, I know you'll be fine!

 

I ran into a couple while on Water Island, USVI last week who were both attorneys from New Jersey. They had came down for a visit a few years back and liked it so much they flew home, shut down their law practice, sold everything they owned, and bought a small hill top villa. They bought an industrial size golf cart and set it up to sell hamburgers/hotdogs/beer ect...and now spend their time on the beach selling their goods to tourist...

 

Gus, if you love the cars but hate the business, change the business. Sell the cars you want to sell (328's and Porsches? ) and sell them the way you want to sell them.

There's a guy in Dallas that sells used Jags out of an old warehouse. He sells them near wholesale, one price, no haggling, no pressure, no pushy sales people. If you have a question, they'll help, but they otherwise leave you alone. I've watched him turn hagglers away after telling them "The price is the price, if you don't want to buy it, someone else will". The potential didn't understand the concept. Want to take a test drive? They make a copy of your license and ask when you'll be back. They're only open 10-6 Monday thru Friday. He's moving 50+ cars a month.

 

I have some friends, a couple - the wife was in computer software and the husband construction mgmt - they sold everything and bought 1 acre of beach waterfront near Chetamal, Mexico. He built a few small villas and a main restaurant/lounge/home for themselves. It's www.mayanbeachgarden.com ... talk about a dream life, eh!?

 

I once called on a Dr's office for business, that was almost on the beach in Cali. I guess the docs, had a few surfboards in the back of the office ?



Sure would be fun, to become a ski bum in northern New Mexico.

 

For me it's always been opening a bar on the beach in the Caribbean.