OT?-Willing Young Person Looking for Summer Job

alskdjfhg · Feb 24, 2015

I turn 18 in May, so I figure it's time to see about finding a summer job.
alonzo83 offered me a place in his shop, but due to distance I'm probably not going to be able to accept unfortunately.

I'm no John Oder, but I know my way around manual machines.
Following safety rules isn't a problem, and I'm not addicted to a phone.

So the question is, are there any shops in the Houston area that may be looking for a shop gopher or anything?

SigurdACVW · Feb 24, 2015

I think you put on a clean pair of jeans, be polite, be upfront about the duration that you can work, and honest about your skill set, and visit a few shops in person.

alskdjfhg · Feb 24, 2015

SigurdACVW said:
I think you put on a clean pair of jeans, be polite, be upfront about the duration that you can work, and honest about your skill set, and visit a few shops in person.

I'll be doing that too.

Going to make a list of all the shops in a certain area and just see what happens.

motojoel1 · Feb 24, 2015

Travel.

If at all possible.

ewlsey · Feb 24, 2015

As a shop owner, I like hiring a summer guy. We're always busiest in the summer, and it's nice to know it's not going to go on forever.

I think you'll have no trouble.

macgyver · Feb 24, 2015

I agree with considering the travel or short time move if possible. One of the best things I ever did was to work at an internship at a global mfg for a summer in college. Enjoyed it and learned alot, both what I did and did not like about it. Decided huge companies were not for me, nor the location.

You probably want/need to stay home this summer to build the barn and get machines under cover, but seriously consider doing an internship in some other place so that you can learn more than if you stay in one spot. I really enjoyed being the gofer at my first machine shop job, got to check out other places while doing deliveries etc. Learned a bunch just doing that. With the direction you are going, you will want to get into as many shops as you can so you can see as much as possible.

As for official internships with the university I worked at, they were all paid positions of course, but we even set it up so that many were paid extra for housing and some even provided housing. This was the only way some of these farm kids from middle of KS were ever going to get talked into trying out something else. Had a bunch go to DC, Chicago, TX and all over the country. They came back to class with a new perspective and were alot more grown up.

alskdjfhg · Feb 24, 2015

Well I want to stay in Houston so I could at-least have a chance to work with my own stuff.

But that brings up something else, when I start talking to shops, I wasn't going to mention the big stuff. I was just going to say that I have a toy lathe and toy mill in the garage (Sheldon and Wells-Index) and omit the other 47,000lbs of machines at the farm.

What would your knee jerk reaction be if a 18 year kid old walks in the door and says they have a 40x293 lathe and #5 mill?
I went to a shop that is selling out last weekend to look at some stuff. The old guy liqidiating the remains, asked what machines I had, he about laid an egg when I told him the size of the overgrown Hendey.

adammil1 · Feb 24, 2015

Bring yourself some photos of your shop and the work you have done in it and knock on doors. That is what I did when I was that age and it worked out quite well, landed two jobs that way for the summer and learned a lot. I guess the key question is what do you want to do with your life? Are you going to school for engineering or trying to build up a machine shop?

Traveling isn't so bad either watch craigslist and try to find a college area, lots of college kids go away for the summer and you can easily sublet, depending on where in the country you go this shouldn't cost more than a few $100 a month. Heck when I moved to a new area I found a room mate on Craigslist and lived with him for 6months till I got married. 5years later we are still pretty good friends and get together from time to time. So don't be afraid to travel and look for places on craigslist.

This forum is one of the neatest resources you can find. You have a whole life ahead of you to build up that shop my advice is find the neatest place to work on the most interesting stuff you can find wherever that may be. If it means traveling do it! Sounds like soon you will have a lot of iron to anchor you down with so if you come across someone who makes you a good offer for an interesting job on this site I would say grab it!

6061Mike · Feb 24, 2015

There was just an ad here for a job in Houston, right? They are looking for skilled help, but might consider you as a summer hire, who knows???

plothoundsman · Feb 24, 2015

Wish you where near Black Mountain NC , seem to have great enthusiasm , and the BIG plus is , your on a crazy ass site like this !

barrelroll · Feb 24, 2015

Sent you a PM, the company I work for has a couple service centers in Huston and we run bigger manual machines.

alonzo83 · Feb 24, 2015

If i was in your shoes I would sling myself to the other side of the globe and be asking for a summer job in England or Australia. . .

Pretty soon wife, kids, car payments get in the way of such things like exploring the world. Just my 2 cents.

alskdjfhg · Feb 24, 2015

Thanks for the comments guys.

barrelroll said:
Sent you a PM, the company I work for has a couple service centers in Huston and we run bigger manual machines.

Thanks, I did a bit of reading about them. They look like a pretty serious outfit, but I'll see what they say.

alonzo83 said:
If i was in your shoes I would sling myself to the other side of the globe and be asking for a summer job in England or Australia. . .

Pretty soon wife, kids, car payments get in the way of such things like exploring the world. Just my 2 cents.

I see what you mean, but I would like to work on my own machines and get the farm on it's feet.

Other Brother · Feb 24, 2015

Stop by Hartwig and see if you can get an interview. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Hartwig 4727 South Pinemont Drive, Houston, TX 77041

barrelroll · Feb 24, 2015

Semi random question what are you planning on doing in the fall? Going to college or do you have a year of high school left?

alonzo83 · Feb 24, 2015

alskdjfhg said:
I see what you mean, but I would like to work on my own machines and get the farm on it's feet.

I get that, Once that shop is set up you will be up to your neck in jobs for every farmer for 50 miles.

That kinda ties your hands a bit.

Wipe the ways down on that big ole L&S with some iron clad, pat the headstock and battle it another day.

Edit, a book I bought today.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764541714/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

alskdjfhg · Feb 24, 2015

Other Brother said:
Stop by Hartwig and see if you can get an interview. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Hartwig 4727 South Pinemont Drive, Houston, TX 77041

Thanks a bunch, I'll put them on the list.

barrelroll said:
Semi random question what are you planning on doing in the fall? Going to college or do you have a year of high school left?

This is my last year.

I'd like to go study mechanical engineering, but UT and A&M didn't accept me for their programs. Waiting to hear back from some other schools though.

I'm #6 in my class (out of 150), 6.499 out of 6.5 GPA (all A's, but the school messed my GPA up), with 1950 SAT score.

alonzo83 said:
I get that, Once that shop is set up you will be up to your neck in jobs for every farmer for 50 miles.

I wish I was up to my neck in paying customers, would love to the boatachors working towards paying for themselves.

Dad thinks I also need to make a business card and if I don't get a job at these shops, try to pick up overflow work.

Spyderedge · Feb 24, 2015

Take pics of your work with your phone, in the making and finished. Don't be afraid to share them, they might just show your skill-sets better then a resume.

CWB · Feb 24, 2015

Shucks, almost 18 and just getting started in the local shops? Whattaya ben doin dis hole tym man?

Just bustin your balls, hopefully youre not offended easily bc in most shops you will be eventually.

adammil1 · Feb 25, 2015

alonzo83 said:
If i was in your shoes I would sling myself to the other side of the globe and be asking for a summer job in England or Australia. . .

Pretty soon wife, kids, car payments get in the way of such things like exploring the world. Just my 2 cents.

Alonzo I think you win for the best suggestion out there! If my memory serves me correctly I think the OP likes to work on a lot of the antique equipment like hit or miss engines. I wish someone had given me similar advice when I was his age as rather than being a parts feeder on a CNC lathe I would have just hopped on a plane and gone to England. Seriously if you like historic machinery that is the place to go! Over there the stuff most Americans view as rusty old junk is worshipped and revered! If it were me I would try to email the Severn Valley Railway or a similar historic place that employs a serious full time restoration shop and see if you can spend the summer working for them. Maybe you can get them to hook you up with free room and board and a plane ticket in exchange for working for them? You have your whole life to work the farm, and build your home shop, I am only 10yrs ahead of you and if I wanted to go work for 3 months on the Severn Valley with a house, wife, real job and bills it just wouldn't work. So find what interests you most in the world and go do it!

Something else you may want to do is look up and call Brian and Versamil that guy does some neat stuff and if I weren't married and tied down I would try to apprentice for him!

OT?-Willing Young Person Looking for Summer Job

Diamond

Aluminum

Diamond

Cast Iron

Diamond

Stainless

Diamond

Titanium

Hot Rolled

Cast Iron

Aluminum

Stainless

Diamond

Hot Rolled

Aluminum

Stainless

Diamond

Titanium

Hot Rolled

Titanium

Similar threads