Should I start again?

[tommyboy1289]

Good Afternoon/Evening guys,

Little background on me, I was doing a plumbing apprenticeship and was doing really well, around 10 years ago, right near the end of the Level 2 course I went a bit doolally and made some terrible life choices, nothing bad but basically jacked in plumbing.

Now my biggest problem was I got the certificate from the college saying I had completed said course, but never received the City and Guilds one.

Since then I've been doing various jobs but always helping friends out with their plumbing problems, just general stuff no gas work, and regard myself as fairly confident, never had a complaint ect ect.

But around 18 months ago I passed my Class 1 HGV course, and have been driving trucks since then, I've just got my P60 through and earnt a smidgen over £31k last year.

Recently though I've been thinking about plumbing alot, I can't really afford to take a paycut at the moment (paying off my doolally phase of life), but I'm wondering if it's worth starting the ball rolling and starting to go self-employed, start off with a few days plumbing and a few days driving until I've got the customers built up to do 5/6 days a week.

My theory is if I can do this for a few years then look into a gas safe course (when I was an apprentice I was forever working on gas with my employer watching over my shoulder and checking/signing everything off).

So given my situation what would you do? All comments both positive and negative appreciated.

Thanks

Tom

 

[Rickster123]

Id keep trucking. Always fancied that for a job. Sipping Costa and eating crisps and doughnuts all day. Do you really think you'll earn over the 31k plumbing?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

as above you would take a major pay cut if you went self employed about 1/2-1/3 i would say with start up costs etc

 

[tommyboy1289]

Id keep trucking. Always fancied that for a job. Sipping Costa and eating crisps and doughnuts all day. Do you really think you'll earn over the 31k plumbing?

Haha at £3 a go for costa and £1.50 per doughnut (at service areas) I really don't go for that, and as for the £31k that's one of the reasons to this post, I don't know the average wage, don't expect anyone to disclose their personal finances either.

as above you would take a major pay cut if you went self employed about 1/2-1/3 i would say with start up costs etc

That's what I was afraid of.

 

[GQuigley67]

Stick with the trucking mate

 

[jtsplumbing]

Well I started off in the plumbing industry meny years ago, Left it to do what your doing Class 1 driving for over 10 years and now been back in this job for 20+ years again, Big mistake, have done nothing but pay out Courses/insurance/Gas safe the list go's on, If I could I would go back driving again, and 31K is a very good reason to keep doing it.

 

[zzzjim]

99p for a cold sausage roll from Gregs, not allowed to heat it .. Motorways -Pah
(breakfast from road side caravan , YUM )

 

[Millsy 82]

The average wage on the books around me is around £24-26k and that's with gas. I've worked in the industry for 18years and the highest I've been is 31k so I would stick to driving, a few years back I did look into going into driving but never bothered wish I had now though.