Would you leave a city job to go logging?

[cubanator]

So I have a little dilemma... A good friend of mine has offered me a decent hourly pay ($23hr) and a vehicle to drive to come run buncher for him. I'd be working out of town but home early fridays and home for weekends. I've operated equipment since I was a kid and have always wanted to go run equipment in the woods. Problem is, I currently work for a local city. I'm home everyday at the same time, good pay, great health care for me and my family (expecting kid number 3 in a few months) and a ton of vacation and sick leave built up. I'm just bored with the slow pace of city work and the lack of actual equipment work. What would any one else do if they had this problem? Forgot to mention this is his second season logging but he's had his own dirt/trucking company for 10 years or so...

 

[wilko]

Hmmm, a cush job with great pay, benefits and pension or work like a dog until the market collapses (again) and then be unemployed and broke. That's a tough one.

 

[Poohbear55]

Gov't job home every nite, health care ...Stay where you're at dude...

 

[mitch504]

I would see if I could move to where the logging is tomorrow. But... that's just me. I worked for a small city in the '80s, and quit because I wasn't willing to move near the city.

I would do about anything to avoid the city.

 

[cubanator]

Hmmm, a cush job with great pay, benefits and pension or work like a dog until the market collapses (again) and then be unemployed and broke. That's a tough one.

Yea, I know I shouldn't be losing sleep over an easy decision like this but like I said it's a close friend...

 

[wilko]

I think that working for a good friend could get awkward. If he's in a pinch maybe you could use some vacation time to help him out, although learning to run a feller buncher would take a while. I agree with Mitch about staying out of cities, but unless you're in King County, Washington is pretty livable.
I grew up in a logging town and when I look around the guys who have their own company are maybe doing okay, but an awful lot of guys live a boom and bust lifestyle and by the time they reach retirement age they can barely walk and can hardly afford to live. Sure wish I'd got a boring job with benefits and a pension.

 

[CM1995]

Personally I would way the total money and benefits between the two jobs. The biggest question being health insurance. Now I don't want this to get into a political discussion (then I would have to ban myself ) but this is reality and something that needs to be considered.

Will your friend/new employer be able to provide the same health care coverage you have now? The wife and I pay for our own health insurance due to being a small business and our premium jumped $5K this year. Now this will vary with your States laws, insurance and so forth. However, it's something you need to consider, look into the total picture before you make your decision.

 

[old-iron-habit]

I grew up in a logging family and it has always been in my blood. I build hospitals for a living but all winter I am in the woods every hour I am off. This is in the best logging weather. I own and run equipment that I purchased and rebuilt that was state of the art when I was young and we couldn't afford it. Now the money I earn in the woods goes into my toy fund. When I think of the upturns and downturns in the logging industry over the last 30 years, it would be a no brainer to figure out that the wise financial choice would be to stay where you are and collect that nice pension benefit and healthcare benefit and get a pay check every week. What only you can decide is, do I want to raise my family here? Does my family want to be where the logging is? Personally if my mind was made up to give it a go, I would take a six months sabbatical from my current job and go try it for six months. Do not do it at the premium logging months, go in the worst logging condition months. Then at least you got an idea of what you are in for, both financially and reality.

 

[cubanator]

Thanks for all the replies. As far as this "city" i work for its a town of 18k and add some 10k college students during the school year so its by far no Seattle!. I bought a house 10 mins away from work in the town I was born in, population 250ish, and I'm 10 mins from the end of pavement to play in the woods I grew up in also.

 

[Graham1]

If you're about to have your third child I'm afraid boring and safe is the only responsible way to go. I you were young free and single it would be a different matter.
Graham

 

[Hallback]

Your buddy isn't Josh by any chance is it...???

 

[cubanator]

Your buddy isn't Josh by any chance is it...???

No sir. We are from the east slopes of the Cascades :drinkup

 

[Ronsii]

Yeah like most people say stick with the security of the city job... I know logging is booming right now and companies are having trouble getting all the help they can to get things done, we even took on a couple logging jobs but you still can't make as much as working in the big city... although the pay drop is worth it when you don't have to spend 2+ hours driving in seattle traffic each morning

 

[Vigilant]

I say, wait until you retire from the city before you start your adventures. I believe one day a pension and free medical insurance (I assume they provide this with retirement) will be priceless. That's what I am going for, and I plan to stay there until I can no longer certify. Hopefully that will be many years down the road. In my case, I love what I do, for the most part.

 

[Jdigger4130]

Well I just left a salaried steady gig w lots o bennies and "easy" day to day ops to build A vineyard in my area and I do not regret it per say but being A carpenter and ALWAYS wanting to work in the mountains on heavy machinery…. I am 4 weeks in and 143 hrs and run an excavator 17 of those… No harm as I am getting laborer fit again but hell… The pay is less than half and REAL WORK IS HARD! I haven't had "teen" in my wage since teen was in my age and if things don't start looking more like excavator/ D6C related…. I can find an easier way to make A living. If the guy wasn't so cool Id a been outta here A while ago. Not saying yer pal is gonna put ya ay the bottom… But my guy sure did

 

[winterax]

Any chance you can get a leave of absence and come back if it doesn't work out?

 

[cubanator]

Went and had beers with him last night... He even admitted he thought I was stupid for thinking about leaving the city to work for him... haha That's why we are friends.

 

[Fastdirt]

Yes.

 

[CM1995]

Went and had beers with him last night... He even admitted he thought I was stupid for thinking about leaving the city to work for him... haha That's why we are friends.

That's a good friend and I understand that!

 

[Hank R]

I was like you in the 1980's. Drove truck from 70 to early 78. Then got laid off got a job with the school district and worked 12 months a year for almost 32 years and now my pensions are $900.xx a month less than I was making before I retired. In the mid 80's I had many good job offers I listened to my dad and sure glad I did 3 or 4 dollars more was tempting. My truck driver friends and loggers are not so lucky very little for pension and no benifits . I made the right choice