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I love being a UNIX sysadmin and there is nothing else I've ever wanted to do. However, if I were in your position and didn't want to do this work I think I wo

by rsync 4y ago

I love being a UNIX sysadmin and there is nothing else I've ever wanted to do. However, if I were in your position and didn't want to do this work I think I would either get formally certified as an electrician and do electrical work or I would get certified as a paramedic (not merely EMT/EMR) and work as a firefighter. I think electrician is an easier route - especially if you are not very physically robust - but the firefighter route typically has a very good pension 20 years later.

SoftTalker 4y ago
Apprentice electricians need to be in good shape. You'll be out on job sites, in buildings under construction, climbing ladders, pulling wire (long runs of wire are heavy, etc. possibly in cold or windy or rainy weather, etc. This is true of most trades, except maybe machinist. That is what I'd look into, personally. If you're a programmer, you can still continue that by learning CNC programming. I honestly don't know how easy it is to get into trade work in your 40s with no experience though. I think most people in those jobs start straight out of high school.
- javajosh 4y ago
  I enjoy some machinist porn, especially youtube.com/mymechanics. That guy is amazing. I'd be curious to know how he got to where he is, because that gear and those skills didn't come to him overnight.
jrnichols 4y ago
I'm a current Paramedic that is also fire certified, and was a unix system admin previously for quite a few years. I was a part time EMT while working as a sysadmin, then moved into EMS full time, became a paramedic, and finished fire academy as well. the pay in fire/ems is not always as high as people think it is, outside of some big cities. getting into a pension firefighter job after age 40 is extremely difficult. Some manage to do it, yes, but it's an uphill battle from the start. In some states where many of the fire jobs are civil service, you cannot even apply after age 36 and the law has upheld this. it's frustrating to say the least.

by rsync 4y ago

SoftTalker 4y ago

Apprentice electricians need to be in good shape. You'll be out on job sites, in buildings under construction, climbing ladders, pulling wire (long runs of wire are heavy, etc. possibly in cold or windy or rainy weather, etc. This is true of most trades, except maybe machinist. That is what I'd look into, personally. If you're a programmer, you can still continue that by learning CNC programming. I honestly don't know how easy it is to get into trade work in your 40s with no experience though. I think most people in those jobs start straight out of high school.

javajosh 4y ago
I enjoy some machinist porn, especially youtube.com/mymechanics. That guy is amazing. I'd be curious to know how he got to where he is, because that gear and those skills didn't come to him overnight.

jrnichols 4y ago

I'm a current Paramedic that is also fire certified, and was a unix system admin previously for quite a few years. I was a part time EMT while working as a sysadmin, then moved into EMS full time, became a paramedic, and finished fire academy as well. the pay in fire/ems is not always as high as people think it is, outside of some big cities. getting into a pension firefighter job after age 40 is extremely difficult. Some manage to do it, yes, but it's an uphill battle from the start. In some states where many of the fire jobs are civil service, you cannot even apply after age 36 and the law has upheld this. it's frustrating to say the least.