Change of Jobs

[bigcol]

well, after a long hard think about it, I have thrown in the Towel on FiFo
(sick of missing family do's, working public holidays, not able to fly home because of rain, eating crappy dodgy camp food, etc)

so I am now starting out again - back as a humble Storeman -

4 days so far, see how I go with the traffic (why do tossers get onto Tonkin Hwy and sit on 80 in a 100 zone.....?)

less money, but home every night..........

 

[dagree]

Try heading south towards Perth at 06:00 on the Mitchell Carpark

Good to hear you found something so quick :encouragement:

 

[Bluey]

well done big col time with family is priceless

 

[bigcol]

hours are supposed to be 8am to 4 pm
but I leave at 6
Roe and Tonkin to Forrestdale...............

 

[dagree]

Any traffic in the metro area on the main roads is disgusting these days

 

[chartrock]

Big step @bigcol but as you say it is worth it to spend more time with the family.

 

[Bluey]

don't know where that is but it sounds far I leave at 530 got home today at 630 leave early to beat traffic and im working in city 20 mins from here digging a base for 37 story apartments at the moment I come home mentally exughsted every day with my life and the lives of others in my hands it can be very scary and draining but after nearly 25years its what I do , and is that 2 hrs ot every night rack it up if u finnish at 6

 

[bigcol]

dont get me wrong
it only takes 35mins in the morning and 40 mins at night to travel 75kms round trip

but, as I get up early, I dont mind leaving early and arriving early - sit around drinking coffee while others start at 7 is fun.....

 

[Capt. Gadget]

Way to go Col , Fifo is not something I have ever considered , for all my bitchen n whingen about the missus n kids I do love em to bits and couldn't bear to be away from them for that long

 

[dagree]

When I finished my apprenticeship I looked into mining etc but, back when Adam was a boy there was no fifo.... just live on site at Pt Headland and Kalgoorlie!
Several years later when there was a boom I looked into it again but Mrs Dagree was in the club with daughter #1 and was told in no uncertain terms that it was fifo or her (Damn that was a hard decision )

Kids grew up, left home, and looked into it again and most times basically got told "Too Old!!!!!!" and the competition was out there.

Now, personally, I'm glad that the timing was wrong for me as I would have missed out on the kids growing up and now seeing the grandkids grow up

$'s would have been good but I've had the advantage of the family life...... Even went to Grandkid #5's first day of school this year

In short....... Make the most of what you have!

 

[expanda]

Not fifo but spent a fair chunk of time last year abroad and it certainly does put a strain on the family.

Don't even want to comprehend fifo as that was and is difficult enough.

Money can't restore lost memories when you are not around and the kids are only young once.

Ironic but isn't that why we all camp?

Enjoy it!

 

[bigcol]

I only went to the FiFo as where I was working (16yrs) I was under valued and no help from management
got offered a Job on a mine site so took it
previous job they then had to hire 4 people to do what I was doing

Job satisfaction was the main reason for going into it in the first place
yes the money was good, but..............

 

[Smergen]

Nicely done mate. As I always think when it comes to career moves:

"You can always make more money, you can't make more time"

 

[Meanderthals]

FiFo? You're lucky. In the early 70's we were DiDo (nothing to do with the Singer) and not mines related. Drive out in to the country Monday morning to start work about 180 miles away, put in the full 40 hours plus 8 OT then drive back home Friday afternoon. Did that for 15 months then moved on to a more distant (280 miles) location for another 15 months. I know it did put a strain on relationships. Staying in Motels/Hotels and eating/drinking out all the time, many workmates just wanted a home life for the weekend and definitely home cooked meals whereas their partners wanted to socialise over the weekends. The younger married guys had pressures from partners as to what was feared that they were up to while away, and rightly so in some cases. Many of those workmates had already been doing this kind travelling for years already, and to far less hospitable places than I was sent to.
After that I was shanghaied North to Darwin with the same Company, but that's a whole other story.

It was that early country driving that part explains now why I wrote about preferring driving to flying in another thread.

 

[bigcol]

yeah, in the late 80's I up-rooted my wife and Baby and myself and went to Karratha to live and work
always wanted to get one of those "mythical" jobs on the Burrup where they paid ridiculous money

ended up working for a couple of different places with lots of travel in the Job
Monday - Shay Gap
Tuesday - Goldsworthy
Wednesday / Thursday - Onslow
Friday - Cape Lambert / East Intercourse Island.........
Saturday - Karratha / Wickham

same in away as you @PhilD love touring the Pilbarra, love touring West Aust as well.........

was a good lark for a couple of years, came back to Perth for a "normal" life.....................

 

[Meanderthals]

yeah, in the late 80's I up-rooted my wife and Baby and myself and went to Karratha to live and work
always wanted to get one of those "mythical" jobs on the Burrup where they paid ridiculous money

ended up working for a couple of different places with lots of travel in the Job
Monday - Shay Gap
Tuesday - Goldsworthy
Wednesday / Thursday - Onslow
Friday - Cape Lambert / East Intercourse Island.........
Saturday - Karratha / Wickham

same in away as you @PhilD love touring the Pilbarra, love touring West Aust as well.........

was a good lark for a couple of years, came back to Perth for a "normal" life.....................

I ended up spending 12 years basically on country jobs living in Motels/Hotels in SA & the NT on Travelling Allowances. Can't beat a work lifestyle holiday like that. Good while it lasted. Only ruined/ended by marriage and getting our own home up here.

 

[DRW]

After my apprenticeship I started driving semis interstate, Sydney to Brisbane twice a week, carting steel up and general crap home, all gates, tarps and ropes or chains back then, when wife number one fell pregnant it was her or the hi way, I chose her so I went back to the trade this time on the sunshine coast, she decided to move back to Sydney in the end anyway?? Started travelling for work, met my current partner in Darwin doing refits on gulf trawlers over the christmas shutdown, she moved down a year later and for the next 25 years I travelled all over the country wiring boats in most states before working a FIFO job in China, now I work for a chinese company from home and look in the mirror and wonder where my life went, kids all grown up and only see them once a year at best, it just aint worth it!

 

[ShaneT]

I did the flfo, a year of 3 and 1 doing 84hours a week, then 2 years of 2 and 1 doing 98 hours a week.
Now I work 20min from home doing 36hours a week, lost 40k a year but will never go back to fifo.