BudgetPlan1
Active member
Spent the first 25 years of my so-called adult life in Technology...support, software development, hardware. Remember when the Internet was first starting to get popular w/ text-based apps like Gopher, Lynx, Pine & Elm and finally the first graphical web browser, Mosaic; 1mb of RAM back then was $50.
Legal Publishing conglomerate I worked for (West/Thomson/Reuters) decided in 2010 that the work done at our Cleveland satellite office was better done in India so they shut us down in late 2010, didn`t really feel like going back to corporate America and it`s cubicles, TPS reports and what not. Too early to retire, started looking for something I wanted to do instead of something I hadda do so I weaseled my way into a swimming pool service and repair company in 2012, after doing nothing for about 2 years (good severance package).
Technology to swimming pools??? We had a little, basic in-ground pool built at home in 1998 and I always found the mechanics and water chemistry interesting (rarely actually go IN the pool anymore) so I kept bothering swimming pool companies in the area until one of them finally hired me as a Pool Tech in late summer 2012. Spent 3 glorious months riding around in a van, sunglasses, shorts, flip-flops cleaning high-end residential and commercial pools...it was wonderful! Also got to be a Certified Red Cross Lifeguard for a few months one winter at an indoor facility we staff; quite interesting. Plus side of a mostly seasonal business is sometimes you can grab a month or two off in the winter if business needs allow.
Then they apparently actually read my resume, pulled me into the office where I`m now stuck doing Technology, running the Warehouse & Purchasing, only occasionally running into things with a tow motor. Plus side is a heated warehouse in winter and a fleet of Ford Rangers and Work Vans (2008 thru 2016) upon which to practice the detailing arts with no worry about really gooning anything up.
Obviously Swimming Pool $$ < Technology $$ but I`m a lot happier doing this than that cubicle nonsense and the internal household BudgetPlan Theory pretty much got everything in place and growing before I left corporate America (small, house w/ no mortgage, Retirement accounts proceeding nicely, good, reasonable healthcare at Pool Company).
Never gonna be rich or even moderately wealthy but I can live with that. :B)
Legal Publishing conglomerate I worked for (West/Thomson/Reuters) decided in 2010 that the work done at our Cleveland satellite office was better done in India so they shut us down in late 2010, didn`t really feel like going back to corporate America and it`s cubicles, TPS reports and what not. Too early to retire, started looking for something I wanted to do instead of something I hadda do so I weaseled my way into a swimming pool service and repair company in 2012, after doing nothing for about 2 years (good severance package).
Technology to swimming pools??? We had a little, basic in-ground pool built at home in 1998 and I always found the mechanics and water chemistry interesting (rarely actually go IN the pool anymore) so I kept bothering swimming pool companies in the area until one of them finally hired me as a Pool Tech in late summer 2012. Spent 3 glorious months riding around in a van, sunglasses, shorts, flip-flops cleaning high-end residential and commercial pools...it was wonderful! Also got to be a Certified Red Cross Lifeguard for a few months one winter at an indoor facility we staff; quite interesting. Plus side of a mostly seasonal business is sometimes you can grab a month or two off in the winter if business needs allow.
Then they apparently actually read my resume, pulled me into the office where I`m now stuck doing Technology, running the Warehouse & Purchasing, only occasionally running into things with a tow motor. Plus side is a heated warehouse in winter and a fleet of Ford Rangers and Work Vans (2008 thru 2016) upon which to practice the detailing arts with no worry about really gooning anything up.
Obviously Swimming Pool $$ < Technology $$ but I`m a lot happier doing this than that cubicle nonsense and the internal household BudgetPlan Theory pretty much got everything in place and growing before I left corporate America (small, house w/ no mortgage, Retirement accounts proceeding nicely, good, reasonable healthcare at Pool Company).
Never gonna be rich or even moderately wealthy but I can live with that. :B)
But it feels fine until I drive for a couple hours.
Yeah...the look absolutely *WORKS* for me too, and I simply loved the interiors (from the op-art fabrics to the later leathers), but even my stock ones were just such heartbreakers though...