Make or break - Any advice gratefully received folks

[very simple simon]

Bit of a serious one now...hope I don't drag the tone down

At the minute I am an office wallah, and have been since I broke my thumb in July. My boss took me into the office and taught me how to do valuations, estimating and basically all the admin that a groundwork company entails (ordering, matching invoices with delivery tickets, takeoffs from drawings etc. etc.) He recently asked me if I wanted to carry on doing this after Chrimbo. I said I would think about it.

However, I am only 20, and am sick of sitting here at a desk getting rounded shoulders and eyestrain. I want to go back on the tools, and I have had an offer from another firm locally. My boss is unwilling to give me my old job back, because he knows now that I can do estimating, valuations etc. and he has spent time teaching me these things. I don't want to leave him in the lurch because we are really busy, he is a good bloke and I get on well with him, but at the same time I want to go back to work that I enjoy doing.

The way I see it is that I have plenty of time to sit behind a desk when I am older, and rain, cold, muck and getting up at 5am is not a problem, it does not bother me. What bothers me is the fact that I am now just another office eejit, and when I left school, I said that was not what I wanted to be. I would not say that I am at my wits end, but I have been thinking about this a lot lately. That's why I had a week off last week (my pics from germany) to have a think about what I want.

Any suggestions, pavingexpert agony aunts?

[James.Q]

You only have one life, and if you enjoy the job you're doing it doesn't seem like work. Even if you're wet thru, freezing cold mid winter I think it's still better than polishing a seat in an office!
i too had an office job last year only lasted 4 months started to go stir crazy:p

[DeckmanAdam]

If you get on with him well speak to him tell him that as much as you appreciate him having you in the office while your injured, you want to get back out on the jobs and to show your appreciation your telling him your ultimatum rather than just going elsewhere for the work.
If he point blankly refuses then go to the other firm.
Just my opinion.

[Dave_L]

Be thankful for the experience he has given you - be honest and tell him your situation and feelings. As has been said, really.

You're a rare breed - those who don't mind being up at 5am, out in the rain and wind and prepared to work hard.

Having an idea as to costings etc would also be useful on site......

Only you can make your own mind up!

[Rich H]

Do you want a job?

Seriously, you might be on to a good opportunity here. I hope you won't think I'm patronising if I say that one day you'll want your own firm and it won't matter how good you are on the tools if you don't know how to run a business expertly. I don't know about the rest of you but I reckon I get to spend around 30 hours a week on the tools, 10-15 hours on the phone, liasing with clients or running to bm's, then another 10-20 hours on the evenings and weekends doing estimates, quotes, books, admin, etc. It's those 10-20 hours that really make the difference between a professional, profitable firm and scratching around from month to month.

[lutonlagerlout]

true rich ,but when i was 20 i wanted to do all the dirtiest hardest jobs all the time
its called youth!
now i am like the grizzled veteran in the premiership( teddy sheringham,gary speed) who has to pick and choose his moments and use experience to save the body!!!
lol
loads of blokes i know are great builders but are skint because they cannot correctly price a job
be grateful you have the kop on simon
give it a while in the office,till about march i would say
LLL

[matt h]

dont burn yr bridges too soon. talk to your boss and maybe there could be some compromise? An extra estimator two or three days a week could bring in bonuses for both of you imho:D

[seanandruby]

let your boss know you are unhappy. set a date to go back on site to give him time to hire someone else. then I'm afraid you have to stick to your guns. i wish i had a boss as accommodating because i have also been off with a bad thumb. i was supposed to have 8/10 weeks off. but was allowed back after 2 weeks to do light duties.... ha ha ha ha ha. only 3 weeks and i have been shuttering etc. hand is f****d now.

[very simple simon]

grizzled veteran in the premiership( teddy sheringham

you got chucked by Miss GB then too eh LLL?

big thanks for all the advice everyone, took it all in had a good old rub of the two brain cells and a chat with boss.

your no 1 lout is spot on, as per usual. 20 yrs old, since I was little I have looked up to people who can do things rather than have done for them, only natural I want to get my hands dirty.

spoke to "capo de tutti capo" yesterday...he said hmm I knew you werent happy, have you got something else lined up?

I said maybe (fingers crossed behind back, now offers from 2 firms)

he said what about more money, mobile, fuel card etc?

I said no, you could pay me £50k per year and I'd still not enjoy office work. I always used to manage with pay as you blow & petrol here & there

fine by me ok...but not happy the words "throwing it back at me" were used unfortunatly

I am unwilling to go back on the tools at same firm, it would just be too awkard working under same boss after being in the office with him. also awkard cause its not that easy to chop and change "office w*nker" is what the foremen say to me now, just jesting, but I can see what they mean. A clean break is probably best off all round

fingers crossed I will know for defo what is going on by end of this week...boss wants 2 weeks notice which is fair enough really touch wood I'll be back out on the tools again this side of Chrimbo earning a bit more than 6.50/hr that I'm on now

p.s how did you knack the thumb sean...somebody dropped a 8" roadform on my hand which was on edge of trailer...chipped bone, nasty hole and scar now, still tender and I did it in july. good job it wasn't my darts hand is all I can say :laugh:

[seanandruby]

......wear and tear. to many drills, jack hammers, heavy lifting and the odd right hook down the years. had to have a bone removed because cartlidge wore out, very painful. to everyone stick to the times on power tools, or pay the price.

[James.Q]

very cold very wet pissed off . thank god im not in a office