Here I go, don't know where, but I AM GOING!!!

Pennsylvania just granted me $4000 in the WIA program for job re-training. I used to be a composite material (carbon fiber, fiberglass) fabricator for a large helicopter repair facility. Earlier this year the facilty was purchased by a competitor and most of our jobs were eliminated and outsourced over seas. 18 years later (only company i ever worked for as an adult) I am out of a job. Tried real hard to find work in my old profession, just couldn't do it.

Fast Forward 9 months.

Pennsylvania finally grants me WIA (workforce investment act) money to seek out new job training. Except I really have no clue what to use it for. I spend hours of every day for 2-3 weeks researching and looking into the certain opportunities available to me. Its not like i could use the money to become a doctor, the available programs are limited to a list based on your geographic location. I am in south eastern Pennsylvania 1.5 hours outside Philly.

After the first few days, I wonder back into the WIA offices over at the career link totally confused, and ready to give up and go work at walmart as a greeter, spend the next 40 years giving out smiley stickers, saying hello, growing old and dieing.

When I was in the waiting room, I ran into an old co-worker who was in the same boat as me so to speak. He was there to turn in his paperwork, so his check could get issued to the school of his choice. I asked what he was going to go and do and he told me Class A CDL, he was going to go learn to drive a truck. I asked a few questions, about what his wife thought, what about his kids....he said he gave it a ton of thought, and he has some trepidation, but this was what he was going to do. He gave me some info, we made small talk, and he went into office to finalize everything. While I was waiting my turn I used my smart phone to look at Truck Driving as a career on the internet. WOW, lots of companies hiring, benefits, TOP PAY!! and that was just on the google search page. OK, well this looks weird, but I made a promise to check it out when I went back home.

I got called into the WIA office, told her my difficulties, we talked for a bit, and for some reason I blurted out about the truck driving thing. She looked at me, smiled, and told me look at this. She pulled out a chart showed me that Truck Driving is a Critical Demand job here in Pennsylvania, with several companies all over the state hiring local residents to do everything from hauling water at the Marcellus Shale Oil Range out west, to Long Haul Over the Road driving with several national companies.
There were other Critical Jobs listed, Paramedic (no fricking way am I dealing with blood), Nursing Assistant (again the blood thing and I am really not a huge people person), and some office type stuff (nope, if I cant see the outside world I would go nuts trapped in an office). Long story short, since critical jobs received expedited money, I would at least look into this truck driver thing.

So I researched, I read a ton of stuff all over the place, this forum was BY FAR the most helpful. I included all the significant people in my life in the process....well that was actually only ME and my Goldfish "swimmy" (i know, awesome name right). I am a 38 year old divorced(8 years) single again guy. Both of my kids are in college ( i started young ex-wife had our oldest when she was 18, I rent a 1 bedroom apartment from my older Brother which is above his Barber Shop, basically If I died tonight, no one would notice until my brother smelled the stench of my decaying body down in his barber shop days later.

I am a realist, Is Truck Driving the right fit for me....theoretically yes. Will I succeed? Who the heck knows, everybody sets out with good intention, thinks they are going to be the best and be doing it for forever. I could end up dead, on my ### broke in the middle of nowhere, OR I could put in 15-20 years, be really dang good at it, and retire felling like I am success. Nothing in life is ever guaranteed. But with limited options, a grant that I need to use quick, and the boredom of unemployed life, I have chosen to seek out CDL training and venture down the path of becoming a Truck Driver.

Again, I'm not the type who will sit here and tell you this is a life long dream....it isn't.
Not going to tell you I want to drive otr, ltl, local, regional, team, solo, flatbed......I have no clue, Let me get started wit my training first. (i do have questions about that but will post them in another thread)
I read some of the newbie stuff on here and crack up with all the dreams and ambition. This time last year I would have spit my coffee across the room if you told me you were from the future and in that future i was a truck driver, or hell even considering truck driving.

Again, I am a realist. This is the path I have chosen. I will do so with an open mind, with all of my heart and soul, and I will give it my all. When I succeed I will do so knowing this. If I fail, I will pick myself up and try try again.


Just needed to write all this down somewhere, Thank you for reading, and a future thank you to any advice you might be willing to throw my way. I will do my dang best to keep up with you guys answer any questions you might have of me, and of course whenever I have a question I will post it here or somewhere. I look forward to our conversations


Geo_

 

Swimmy will have a good home, He'll go right downstairs to my brothers Barbershop. He'll probably like it better since all the old guys who hang out down there are much better at conversation than I am.

 

Never really thought about Liking or loving driving, always been a point A to Point B kinda guy. I guess once I start driving a truck its the same thing just on a larger scale.
Solitude, pretty used to it now, besides I am never alone as long as my mind is still with me, lol.
Limited Diet, I do all my own cooking now, been reading the cooking in the truck thread, I definitley see myself as a cook in truck guy only because I had a super nasty experience eating some fast food a few years back and can honestly say I havent eaten out since...wait, I ate "out" at a couple of weddings and a couple of work functions, but I am always cooking for myself....this is another long story I can get into later LOL.
The driving in different parts of the country Appeals to me, I take a lot of photographs, so It'd be nice to Photo new and different things.
Tight Schedules, did that for 18 years, never enough time, never....found a secret to dealing with it. Work to the best of your abilities, never cut any corners, and give it 110% of your effort all the time. I found out when you do this 95% of the time you get the job done when it needs to get done, and when you didn't, you knew why it was late, and worked to improve so it wouldnt happen next time,
The toilet and the pee...I guess I will just have to experince those for myself LOL