A Line In The Sand Of Life

Today I made the decision to change my life.  I know that sounds dramatic, but I believe this will change everything.  So far, education has not been good to me.  I received both my A.A. and B.A. from HCC and USF, but I haven't really done anything with them.  I received my Luthier's Certification, and realized that if I want to build guitars I should live in Korea.  I then decided to get a Truck Driving Certification, and then found out they don't want anymore drivers from Florida.  Namely, look at any company on the East Coast, and you will see that half their drivers are from Florida so they don't need anymore.

So what job can I do that I can make a lot of money, can stay in Florida, and will never go out of style in Florida?  HVAC.  That's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.  I decided to go down to the Employ Florida building, and talk to some people.

I already knew about the HVAC program at Erwin Vo. Tech.  I just wanted to know what they thought of it.  They said that it was the way to go, and a lot cheaper than the for-profit schools.  Something that I didn't know, and was glad to find out is that, I am eligible for financial help/ scholarship.  In fact, they may pay for all my schooling. 

The new semester for the HVAC class starts in January of 2017, so I got the early jump on it.  The tough news is that, the class lasts for 15 months.  So I will have to find a new job that will mesh with school.  I hate to give up my maintenance gig, but I have to look at the long term.

The good news is that Erwin Vo. Tech has job placement.  I was worried since so many of the HVAC job ads I've seen want two years experience or more.  But I'll be glad to finally get a career that actually pays a livable wage.  That, and I will be able to stay in the bay area.  The one thing I hated about truck driving is that, I had to go out of state to drive. 

So this is about drawing a line in the sand.  About finally being able to make a living wage, and get my life together.  Also, not just about having a job, but having a career.

Tough Choices, Evil Empires, and Black Gold

Job hunting is tough all over.  Except for one place.  North Dakota.  Why you ask?  Simply put, black gold, also known as the new oil boom.

The evil empire known as Haliburton has invented a new way to drill.  Instead of drilling from the top of a mountain, they can go in from the side.  They then frak the rock, and suck the oil out.  And there's a lot of oil.  How much?  In twenty years they believe North Dakota alone will out produce Saudi Arabia. 

And that's where I come in.  Or should I say workers from across the United States come in.  Let's be honest, North Dakota is kind of sparse, and doesn't have enough workers.

And they need workers.  Lots of workers.  Heck, even the fast food employees are getting $12-$15 an hour.  And they need truckers.  Lots of truckers to move that black gold from the oil fields to the refineries.  But it is a dangerous job.  I actually had to stop and think what driving a semi truck in North Dakota would be like.  Something like this I suppose.

Ok, hopefully it wouldn't be exactly like that.  It would be more like this.

Then there is the fact that I would be working for Haliburton or one of their underlings.  And we all know what Haliburton means.  It means Dick Cheney will try to shallow your soul.

And with oil comes oil spills.  And no one wants cute animals to die.

But let's get back to talking money.  Yes, it's easy to make $1500 a week, but what are the expenses?  First off, since there are very few people in North Dakota there is very little housing.  What housing there is takes half your paycheck.  And then there's the matter of food.  Food and all other goods have to be shipped in.  They can run quite a bit of money since North Dakota is so far out.  So even if I make a good amount of money, after expenses I don't know if I would have much left.  And I would still have bills to pay. 

I'm not going to make a quick decision on this as I don't want to work in North Dakota during the winter.  Once it hits Springtime I will think long and hard about it.  Different companies up there have options as far as housing and food go.  I would just have to find one that would be a good fit for me.  Oh, and one that would let me keep my soul instead of letting Cheney suck it out.