What shall i do with my career?

i handed in my notice at work today as i am off to New Zealand for a while.

when i return i can either return to my job in composites making F1 car parts or get back into stonemasonry and carve stone for beautiful houses, churches and cathederals.
it is hard to decide as they both have their good and bad points.


Composite pros;
                                                                                                      
great buch of lads that i work with                                                                              
very good pay(lots of over time in the winter)                                                             
close enough to ride my mountain bike to work                                                            
can make bits for my golf for free                                                                              
make bits for F1 championship winning cars(5 so far)                                 


Composite cons;

bit of a dead end job
highly cancerous dust
cant really live anywhere else in the world
16 hour days for 5 months of the year over winter
my work will only last a few races if ithat



Stonemasonry Pros;                                                                                                  

real feeling of satisfaction when you finish a stone                                                       
my work will be there long after i'm gone                                                                    
the respect i get from old people when i say i'm a stonemason                                     
makes me big and strong with all the lifting                                                                 
possibillity of running a masonry business with my younger brother one day                  
can work all over the world
my family will be pleased                 


Stonemasonry cons;

it is far from my house(so would have to drive or move)
alot less pay
cancerous dust(not as bad as carbon though)
alot harder work than composites


I really enjoy both and i am very lucky to have the option of being able to choose but just dont know what to come back to.
I'm 25 and i think it is time i started thinking about the future and other grown up stuff.
i feel my skills are a bit wasted in composites as there are not many english stonemasons left.
the difference in pay is quite big and i have no savings as i spent my wages on the golf, nz tickets and paying for everything whilst my girlfriend went to college and wasn't earning.

if i turn the masonry job down, there is no possibility of working at this company in the future.
if i turn the composite job down, i will be poor for many years.


here are some pics of my work from each job;

G60 cam cover


Mark Webber's race car



hand carved ionic capital (portland limestone)


hand carved tracery window (great tew ironstone)


what would you do? thanks

Rich

I would choose whatever I enjoy the most. Although pay is a big factor Id rather do a job that I enjoy but pays less than a job I wasnt happy in just because it pays more.

When/where are you going NZ? Im going there in March after doing Thailand and Aus!

money really isnt everything…to be able to say i enjoy what i do for a living is worth more…
as a stone mason you will be out and about in different places different people and it will keep the brain ticking

by the sound of it you have already answered yourself or you wouldnt be doubting what your doing now or asking this question

what ever you decide i wish you all the best but remember happiness is worth more than money

When/where are you going NZ? Im going there in March after doing Thailand and Aus!

december and january. we'll go all over. my GF is a kiwi so she is really excited that i am going over there. i'm looking forward to it! would love to go to aus and thailand but couldn't afford it this time
enjoy your trip!

money really isnt everything…to be able to say i enjoy what i do for a living is worth more…
as a stone mason you will be out and about in different places different people and it will keep the brain ticking

by the sound of it you have already answered yourself or you wouldnt be doubting what your doing now or asking this question

what ever you decide i wish you all the best but remember happiness is worth more than money

i enjoy both. i enjoy everything though to be honest.
i should have mentioned that i am a banker mason so i wouldn't be going out on site so much. just carving in a workshop and sending the work off to get fixed.

it is a tough one, this. i'm 50/50 at the moment.
if i become a mason ill be sad that i'm poor.
i i stay a composite technitian ill be sad that i'm not really a mason anymore.

That masonry work is absolutely stunning and it must be such a satisfying method of craftmanship 8)


Is there no way you could work full time at the composites company and keep the masonry to the weekends as a little side-earner?

Stonework is stunning  8O .

There are a lot more houses and churches out there than F1 cars for a start, so thats a good point.

Why not go self employed?, advertise in specialist magazines, set up a web page, drop business
cards off at sites where work is being carried out etc.. .

You dont always have to work in the cold, you can always rent a unit in the future and do
comission work, your work looks stunning, and im sure there are plenty of people out
there that would pay good money for quality craftsmanship.

Obviously its down to you, either way you will make the right choice  :wink:

Cheers

Dib.

I think stonemason , in years to come your work will still be around , maybe use it to travel around the world, even maybe  show of your work to your grandchildren ,, …….money is good , but not everything ,  end of the day do what you think best …….beside as a stonemason you get free beer ? ?

If you want to make money you HAVE to work for yourself in construction you will never make good money working for someone else

do the stone work set up your own business it will work out have no worries there will always be demand

I dont know to much about the carbon stuff but it looks like the kind of thing that looks like it would take no where near as much time to be good at compared to the stone work to me its a no brainer.

thanks for your input guys. and thanks for the compliments of my stonework.
i am very proud of those particular pieces.
the tracery window is in st michaels church in witchford i think. i dont know where the ionic capital is. someone stole it

you are right jim, legaly, masons dont have to pay for beer! no pub land lord ever believes me though

still undecided as of what to do.
i'm thinking stay in composites and save up as much as i can for a few years? the money could be used to start a masonry business in a few years?
in the mean time, do as sugested and do stonework on weekends and evenings?

any one want a stone mk1 for their garden? lol

I am in a similar situation mate, albeit not with stone masonry and composites!! I am at uni doing a history degree and currently in my first year, but I also absolutely love agriculture. All my friends in ag think I should be doing that but all my friends at uni think its stupid. I have no idea what to do either!

Good luck in making your choice, I'm sure either way it'll turn out how you want.

stonemason i would like to learn how to do that

Evening mate,
Had the same choice thrust on me a few years back, this is how it panned out for me,
Worked at Epm technology in draycott, for 6 years doing anything asked, hours, laminating, ect, ect, then one fatefully day they layed off 3/4 of the staff, so had to find a job,
Went contracting at Lola, living in me caravan in the works yard, great fun,
Then believe it or not got the chance of 2 jobs, traffic warden, or security guard for Wilkos, done guarding before, company layout expectations ect, so did took that.
Then,
Got s phone call out of the blue, offering me another job, now this was where my hard decision came, stay as a security guard, leading a mundan 8-6 existence, or,


Go back shoe repairing which is what I did when I first left school, and got to admit,

The shoe repairing, probebly not that highly thought of nowadays, but I've got to admit I love it, and for the first time in my life I've got flexibility in my job.

So really, regardless of money, location, and dho you work with/ for, there is only one person who can tell you where your life and work is going, but I can honestly say I don't miss the dust, hours, and temperamental arses I had for managers one bit!!!!

Probebly no use to you but that is how my work/ life has panned out, hope you get everything sorted,
Craig

We had a stonemason on one of our sites one time. He told me he made a fortune working in the USA. Apparently good stonemasons are in short supply over there.

Some sites to look at :


http://www.visabureau.com/australia/jobs/stonemason-job-australia.aspx

http://www.visabureau.com/newzealand/bricklayer-and-stonemason-jobs-new-zealand.aspx

its a tough one Rich as you say you love both, personally id stick to the carbon so you can make me some fancy bits    

but in all seriousness you can earn more cash to save untill you can start out your own mason business 8)

looking at the pics you are highly skilled in both crafts, stone work looks amazing :wink:

Thanks very much for all of your comments/links guys.

i have made it official at work. i told them that i will return after the holiday. work hard and save up as much as i can. possibly make a few more bits and pieces for my engine bay.

my brother is thinking about leaving his masonry job and coming to work with me in composites next year as a trainee. it is a better wage and closer to home.

if we weren't in a recession things may have been different. bills to pay and all one day i may move to New Zealand, ship my golf over and get a job as a mason over there. need to save up first though!

thanks again for all your comments. you all made good points to think about and it helped me come to my decision.
i wont forget how to work stone so i'll always have that to fall back on.
i think i am doing the right thing.