Serious Lots of Questions, Lack of Answers

blakstang98

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Lately, I've found myself in this conundrum. I find myself having questions about real life things, and answers aren't exactly popping up. I'm a person of resolve, so having a lot of unanswered questions has been getting in the way of my mind going to sleep, which makes me not sleep well physically.

For the last few months, I've been looking for a new job. It's time to move on. I've been looking on job search sites and I'm taking advantage of this in that I'm trying to find a place of employment that's closer to where I live. Driving for an hour to work everyday, and another hour home is grating on my nerves after 6 years. Surprise, surprise, with the booming economy in the States, that wealth hasn't been spread to my area because the people that run the state suck. I've probably applied to like 7 or 8 jobs total in the last 5 months or so. I have plenty of manufacturing experience and even some CNC experience, but a lack of experience in the industries that tend to be hiring most. It's very frusterating.

One thing I've had on my mind for the past 6 or so months has been wanting to start my own business. The problem is, I'm not really good at anything. I've always been a versatile type but never a specialist in one particular thing. A nice asset for a company to have as I can do many different things well, but aren't the best at any of them. Jack of all trades, master of none, as they say. And if I could successfully do this, that solves the job search problem. But there is plenty of risk involved in starting a business and with a family and a mortgage, I really only have one chance at that. I've thought of doing something as more of a side business, this way I'm still generating income from the regular job, as to not get screwed if it doesn't work. I feel confident that if I can find the right business idea, I can make it work!

And I'm in a point in my life that I need to start putting away money for the kids for college. This is something that I'd like to get started as soon as I can, seeing as how my oldest starts 1st grade next month, and college isn't cheap. And the positive income we bring in, just isn't enough to really start with that. Again, would be a big help with a new job and/or a successful business.

So all of these unanswered questions has my mind unsettled. And the lack of rest as a result, is frustrating. I feel like there's a very good solution, I just can't find it. What do you think?
 
I think it's definitely quite difficult to feel like you've been stuck in a rut when you know you want to, and can do better for yourself and your family. Especially when your family is involved.

I know you're someone that takes responsibility very serious, sometimes having a hard time to relax, to that side I can relate, a bit too much perhaps. I think sometimes we tend to look too hard for things we really want to be there at the current time, and the best we can do is stop trying so hard to find it. I'm not saying if you stop looking, it'll find you, I think that's such a cliche, but I think when we over obsess on things we think we want and need we forget about the little things going on in life that made us who we are, brought us where we are and continue to make us strive for better.

I wouldn't say that's advice, but give your kids an extra cuddle, your wife some reassurance, and most importantly yourself as well. Sometimes, things really do play out the way they're supposed to.
 
Hi. Very late here. No one may even read this, but I'm in the middle of schoolwork so I'm in a talkative mood.

Whatever you choose to do, whether getting promoted, getting a new job, or starting a business, you have to realize that you are gonna have to go through some PAIN. Hard work and dedication is painful. Sacrificing leisure is painful. As a matter of fact, it may very well become the worst nightmare of your life. And that's okay.

I'm in college right now and college life is kicking my sorry butt. To give you an idea of what I go through... Math teacher is proud of me and French teacher is fascinated by me. And despite that, despite doing well on those 'harder' subjects, my easiest class right now which literally is just a class that teaches you basic college skills like note-taking techniques and checking email, is lagging far behind and my teacher in that class is getting worried for me, which in turn had ME worrying. Just when I thought I'm doing great, I'm not. But it's a process.

No one can escape that kind of pain. And life is nothing but several phases of pain. Even people in Eulmore have to go through Miqo'te diabetes despite having the most pleasurable lifestyle in all of Norvrandt.
 
This might be one of those situations where you have to try a handful of things at once and see which works the best.
Have you researched unions for your field? Have you considered doing some contract manufacturing work for private firms out of a garage workshop on the side? It'd certainly take tools and I imagine your capacity would be limited to those tools and your experience with manufacturing such products, so maybe try to find a middle ground between products you manufacture, and products you WANT to manufacture, and slowly start building a workshop at home for contract jobs. If you build yourself up enough with doing contractual manufacturing, you can look into writing it off on your taxes for a tax return on a business expense later and then you can charge/garnish commission on a 1099 contract form as a private contractor using your manufacturing skills, which you can probably acquire a Hardship License for which will give you a tax exempt license for tools for your workshop aside from your day job. This is just me thinking out loud of some different ideas. It's a really scary time to invest into anything right now, so if I had a family I'd try to invest into a business that I can start at home in the garage and later build up to making it bigger. While unions might take a chunk out and do some dicey stuff, even without being in a union, just talking to union workers in your field might help you drum up some ideas. Usually, those guys are of the same mentality about trying to start their own business. Again, I'm just kicking around some ideas, I'm in a similar boat, only I don't have a background in manufacturing, I have a background in operations management and consultation.
 
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