burnt out and ready to sell out...

[arbor pro]

My dad passed away a couple years ago. He was that guy that always worked 7 days a week. Leave at 5am come home at 4pm leave at 6pm come home at 9pm and go to bed. He still found more time to play with us and go out with my mom then most of my friends dads. In the end he vocalized his only regret as being "not spending more time with his family".

I started down the same path but quickly realized it ain't worth it.

If your "second" job takes care of the bills, I'd get rid of the "third" job and spend more time on your "first" job being a husband and a father. I am just learning to do this and the rewards are priceless! Got a fourth child on the way and most are looking at me like I am crazy because of the economy and how little I make now. I figure God gave me these little gifts, He will provide as well

Amen. I have 4 kids and most of my relatives and friends have at least that many - some 7 or 8. When someone asks me if I'm 'done yet' I just chuckle and tell them to ask God and my wife 'cause I really don't have much say in the matter...

 

[treemandan]

LOL - it's the 'good' clientele with the money that I find to be the most stressful to work for...

I figured that out too.:msp_sad:

I am afraid to talk to those people as they think I will now walk on water... for free!

 

[R2D]

Amen. I have 4 kids and most of my relatives and friends have at least that many - some 7 or 8. When someone asks me if I'm 'done yet' I just chuckle and tell them to ask God and my wife 'cause I really don't have much say in the matter...

100% agreed. I fought it for a year on this last child.... then I said "ok Lord, It is up to you". Three weeks later my wife bought size 1-2 diapers. I told her she made a mistake.....our youngest is in size 6. She said, no I didn't :msp_biggrin:

I make my living off of the wealthy. I figure it is job security in such an economy.

 

[BCbound]

Hope this isn't too much of a derail. We have all probably felt like pulling the pin on tree work at times. So what else would you do?

Where could you go with all your skills/experience? I'm getting older, still climbing strong but feel the days. Always wondering what else I could do with out throwing the last 17 yrs out the window.

Landscape design, municipality work(gov employee), maybe something totally different ............feel free to add some.

 

[defensiblespace]

Hang in there bud. We all have less than stellar days. I ask myself why I do this all the time. Bottom line is it is because I can't think of anything else I would rather be doing. Don't let the bad days get ya down. If your body is beat to hell, hire accordingly and spend more time on the management front. Just my 2 cents. Cheers.

 

[rmh3481]

I hear you. You need a break. Take a weekend off, head to the shore. You can swing it with the day job. Put a couple days together and go. Leave Thursday morning and come home Sunday afternoon. Take the Wife and kids along. Spend a couple bucks, stay at a nice place and have a good time. If you have to, use your credit card. When you come back your disposition will have changed and you will be in a better position to decide which way to go.

 

[arbor pro]

Hope this isn't too much of a derail. We have all probably felt like pulling the pin on tree work at times. So what else would you do?

Where could you go with all your skills/experience? I'm getting older, still climbing strong but feel the days. Always wondering what else I could do with out throwing the last 17 yrs out the window.

Landscape design, municipality work(gov employee), maybe something totally different ............feel free to add some.

A gig in government is what took me out of full-time tree and landscaping work. Initially, I left the private sector to go out of state to get my master's degree so i could teach landscape architecture. I could have gotten a teaching job away from my home state but family illness brought us back home and I found a job in state government. I now work in local government and do tree work on the side. Pretty good setup really.

As I see it, a strong work ethic is more important than work skills. Work skills can be taught to anyone who has a good work ethic and is eager and willing to learn. However, a person with a poor work ethic (lazy and nonchalant) is going to be pretty much worthless in just about any job setting you put him into as the motivation and drive to better one's self has to be learned through life lessons. Give me a guy who's clueless about tree work but has a strong worth ethic and I'll take him over a lazy experienced tree guy anyday.

I guess what I'm saying is, I wouldn't worry so much about what a 'retired' tree guy could do once retired, rather, if you have a good work ethic and can demonstrate that to an employer who's willing to train an eager learner into a position, you'll do just fine.

AP

 

[groundsmgr]

That was me last season. I have worked at my jon as staff arborist and head groundskeeper for a school district in nh for the last 11 years.. Then I was diagnosed with cancer. I spent 9 months with chemo and 3 surgery's. I have been back for a month now I was hoping to be good as new and ready to kick butt. Maybe have some passion back., but at 38 years old and have been doing this since I was 10, I want to walk away but cant. I am cancer free for now. But I have no energy or ambition any more. I just want to walk into the woods and disappear.
Scotty