So I was TIG welding for a small sheet metal shop for the past couple of months. Enjoyable at first but slowly started becoming like fingernails on a chalkboard after awhile. I finally left last month under a healthy parting. So no hard feelings and a good reference to use later. I've been relaxing at home for the past month and a half and actually registered at UBI for the professional repair/shop operation two week course this July. Today I was offered a full time mechanics position at a shop in town that I dropped my resume off at last week. So I'm holding off on the course for now. I don't want to drop two grand for a two week course in place of paid training and five months of full time experience from working at the shop. The owner asked me if I could push the course back to fall but he said I would most likely have everything covered from what I'd learn in the course and it wasn't a big issue if I didn't take the course.

But I'm super pumped to be paid to do something I love doing finally. Also I'll be able to work full time year round which is another bonus. Working full time year round back in Wisconsin would of been pretty difficult so I never really went for it. It's a decent sized shop with two locations and I'm only 12 miles away round trip from the shop I'll be at so it'll be a nice little ride I can get in to and from. I didn't ask to see what kind of discounts I get but it's not a big issue for me. I'll be wrenching on Trek and Cannondale everyday but the other location has a Campy tool kit so it all works out in the end. lol.

Yay!

Now I can pick up a jig that a local fellow has for sale and dust off my framebuilding skills I aquired two years ago. Double yay!

Exciting! Congratulations on the job. I started working part time at my LBS a few months ago and have learned so so much

Good for you! The employee discount is nice, but if they take trade ins thats where you find the good stuff!

Congrats!

Great stuff Henry. Congratulations on your new gig.

Good for you and perfect....the best shops have guys who can weld and braze....who else would repair the broken weld on the rack or braze a Dropout into place?

I'm in month two of my new job as a bike mechanic. I know exactly how you are feeling! I really enjoy the fact that I am learning how to build wheels and do some of the more obscure maintenence stuff.

Took me a while to efficiently work on the newer stuff (i.e. threadless headsets, hydraulic brakes and dual suspension etc) but the learning curve wasn't too steep and I've actually been teaching the mechanics there a lot about vintage bikes. Congrats on the new gig, Henry. You'll love it.

also, the discount isn't a bad perk either.

The discount was an occupational hazard. I worked in shops for 4 years and spent a lot of money on bike parts. now I refuse to buy even mid level stuff for myself and I no longer have the discount...

Goes hand in hand with n+1 as well. We bike lovers are doomed to forever ride broke.

My wife was said I'm not even going to bring a check home now with working at a bike shop now. Honestly though my projects are finished and I don't really want anything right now. Modern production bikes don't do a single thing for me and not to mention modern Shimano or Sram make my eyelids feel heavy which I see 99.9% of the time. I'm just excited to work on other stuff then my own. I can only adjust and dial in my four bikes so much. lol.

Also I'm just excited to stop playing Mr Mom for the past two months I've been home and get back to grind. Don't get me wrong I love my kids and wife and have to give credit where credit is due what she gets done while working from home.

Exactly. I've spent far more on trade-ins than discounted stuff. Ordering through QBP and such is pretty awesome too.

congratulations! And good news on the jig too, I'd love to see what frames you'll come up with.

Congrats. It's great being able to work in your field of interest.

Congrats Henry on the new shop gig. And to you too Bryce! Got to say, I enjoyed the work at the bike shop the previous 6 months and acquiring old parts or bikes was a perk. The discount didn't hurt too.
Basically being paid to do your hobby. It was cool and fulfilling to be the C&V expert and fixing what others wouldn't touch. And the appreciation of the customers is rewarding.

I started a new job this month and left Bicycles of Scottsdale, I miss it already.

Great move! Working as a mechanic is the best training out there, and scooping a trade in or two along the way will provide some nice hobby money!!

The other great part of this move is you can try the job out for a while, see if you really like it, BEFORE dropping serious $$ in the training. What if you don't like it? Better to know that now. And there is always the slow time of year to get that training under your belt. And actual wrenching will make the training that much more relevant.

Year round bike wrenching job = SCORE

Great gig, Henry. You'd be my go-to guy, for sure.
Now you can find those ShimaNO 600 decals.

A poet once said something like:

"The difficulty in life is the choice.

Take care to do what you like,
or be forced to like what you do...."

Good for you Henry!

- The only real downside is, you'll have to work on some cf/brifter bikes now and then.

Congratulations. Hope you enjoy the new job!

+1. I have a hard time "working from home" when I'm watching my daughter. My wife is much better at it. Women, in general, are better multi-taskers.

Thanks, Will!

I called the owner up this morning to figure out my schedule and asked me if I could come in today. I said I could be there in an hour! Made a lunch and tossed on my backpack and rode to work. It felt so surreal to be pedaling to work and knowing I'll be wrenching on bikes all day. I caught myself a few times at work just thinking wow I'm actually here and this is really happening.

No more coming home blowing out black snot rockets and looking like I just crawled out of a coal mine. I had my trail mix right at my table and didn't even really stop at all today to take a break. The guy next to me was working on an Art Deco carbon Colnago but he's a mtb and didn't see any enjoyment in it. Poor guy. Lol. I worked on some crusty carbon bike...it seriously was crusty. I think the guy painted it himself and the bike felt and looked like something Walmart might sell.

Best part was when a younger guy came in and asked us if we had any banshees? We finally figured out he wanted a Bianchi as they used to be a dealer for them but dropped it and had a few townie bikes left over. That was pretty funny and had us all scratching our heads at first.

Congrats Henry. Sounds like the boss is working with you. If you learn the technical stuff in the shop and get paid for it the two grand for the school becomes your own bonus. This gives you a tie in to find the right kind of customer looking for a new custom frame builder too giving you some extra side money. Job market in SoCal is getting better but it hasn't grabbed me yet. I'm just looking for something for the summer before fall semester starts.