I highly recommend retirement.

 

Yeah? have you tried that?
I retired may 2019 and have worked harder than before.

 

Yup. I’m retired now and I have more projects than ever.

 

You guys are doing it wrong. I'm retired and lay around like a lazy dog and do what I want, when I want if I want.

 

You’re not married nor do you suffer from PMS, do you?

 

The difference is you are working on things you want to or things that enrich your life or the life of your loved ones.

 

I would definitely say I have it pretty easy, especially for a 28 year old. I get assigned projects and do them at my leisure. So I rarely work 40 hours at my job, but do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life. Although the Baatz farm takes a lot of my "free" time, granted it's by my choice. I've enjoyed being a self employed contractor.

 

LOL, says the guy who has never worked on a cattle ranch....nothing BUT work on those. But yes, I hear what you're saying and heard it said before. Interns would come out for the summers and say that kind of stuff. The old timers always chuckle.

 

some, but some customers won't accept that I am retired. just finished a no start 6.0l ford today, have a 04 cummins intermittent no start to work on next. last week was injectors in a friends 7.3l.
I do however keep the ranch as a customer (50 plus trucks) 3 Kenworths and 5 trailers 1 Peterbuilt water truck and 1 ford dump truck that all get annualed every year, $270.00 per annual and about 15 ranches that I get to hunt and fish on.

 

Man after reading thru these and the experiences you guys have had, I feel like a little kid.

I grew up on ranch basically. My grandma lived there and we work it and run cattle. Its not a large operation at all, about 100 head. I still help my dad out with the work when I can, but life gets in the way alot. Man I used to cuss that ranch and the work when I was younger. I really hated it. In high school I began to understand and it kept me out of alot of trouble and gave me the work ethic I have today. It also taught me what hard work was. I wish I could have my own ranch one day, but its mostly a rich mans game, especially in NM. Grazing land goes for 1k an acre which I think is nuts and unaffordable. You can't even pay the mortgage by working it with cattle.

Anyway, I went to the local community college for Diesel Equipment Technology and met my soon to be wife at about the same time in 2009. I knew I was going to marry this girl and needed to do something with my life, but I just wasn't sure what that was yet. I realized after a semester of diesel school that this wasn't it. I wanted something with good benefits and started to look at the forest service. I thought I could get my foot in the door without a bachelors degree by becoming a wild land firefighter. I started to get my certs to do that and realized that structure departments are where its at. I mostly completed my associates for Fire Science when I applied for a department and got hired. Ive been here for 10.5 years now. I started out knowing nothing and having zero interest in EMS to finishing up Paramedic school a few years back. I just recently promoted to Driver/Engineer, and I'm not certain I want to go further up the ladder. I feel at home and this is what I wanted to do in the fire service since I had been in school and learned that Driver was an actual position. I just had a few career goals I wanted to accomplish first. Now I just need to start figuring out what kinda business to start or transition into. If we leave NM I may even just join another fire department. Who knows.

Here's my truck kinda dolled up for a twinkle light parade. I was given two hours notice that they entered us in the parade, and its a competition with the cops...Marshall (Paw Patrol), up on top, was a hit. I wanted to leave the truck like this, but was over ruled.

 

oh I've definitely put my hours in on a ranch or cattle "farm"

 

I see what you did there. Even if it wasn’t intentional.


Great thread guys. I’ve really enjoyed reading these. So much knowledge from all ends of the spectrum. We have the collective experience to accomplish anything!

 

Started wrenching on a Chevelle, have photos somewhere at the age of about two.
Drafting and Wood shop in high school.
Spent 10 years in The Navy. Most of the time in the Engineering Plants and eventually qualified Engineering Officer on FFG shortly after becoming a Second Class Petty Officer, then latter on MCM's. Learned plumbing, welding, ship fitting, electricity, electronics, carpentry, fiberglass work, composites, building radios... The list goes on. I get bored easily.
Navy retired me with 10 years as I played waaaay toooooo hard with almost 7 years in the Persian Gulf area.
Went back to school while recuperating and worked towards a Masters in Aviation Management and Professional Pilot. Mostly teach company owners how to fly and manage their aircraft or fly it for them. Also do local flight instruction.
Fix Flight Schools.
Drove a truck for a couple years.
Also PADI Dive Instructor.

I think I mentioned I get bored easily. Also do not sleep much.

Jimmy

 

I was thinking the same thing. There's a really interesting set of backgrounds here.

Mark

 

Unintentional!