By Kevin M with Larry McMahon, Elevator Repair Specialist

If you have a knack for repairs and you’ve been thinking about a career change, you might want to look into elevator repair…seriously!

Every contraption known to man eventually needs repair or replacement, virtually guaranteeing there will always be work available for the repairmen of the world. But the best opportunities are in fixing the equipment we don’t commonly think about, maybe because not nearly as many people ever enter the fields.

For starters, a college degree is not required for elevator repair. I did a web search for “elevator repair schools” and “elevator repair programs” and came up with nothing each time. Per Larry, on the job training is the only way in, and with so few people aware of the field, the line at the door isn’t all that long.

How Do You Get In?

So who gets in and what qualifications are needed? Larry didn’t grow up wanting to be in elevator repair, so his early career life took some turns that didn’t exactly look as if his future would land him where it did.

He took auto repair courses in high school, planning to become a mechanic. He never did become a mechanic, but spent several years working in plumbing and heating with various employers. While neither the auto repair courses nor the plumbing experience trained him in any direct way for elevator repair, they did provide a background in basic repair and troubleshooting, as well as the knowledge of tools and what they can do—all solid foundations.

So how did Larry get in? “I just applied for the job. It sounded interesting, but I had no referrals inside or outside the company I applied at and no background in anything electrical—which is pretty basic. It looked like a long shot. But they called me in, and here I am many years later. I started as a helper, which is where everyone starts, but now I’m one of the guys doing the hiring.”

And what does he look for in candidates for hire? “There is no one type of person we look for. Some of the people who seem most qualified don’t make it, and others who seem completely unqualified up front work beautifully. A background in anything related to mechanics or electrical is a big plus, but apart from that we look at attitude and willingness to learn. A person can learn mechanics and any other skill, but attitude and willingness to learn are something you have to walk in the door with.”

As to advance preparation he recommends taking a course or two in either auto mechanics or electrical. Electrical is especially important because it develops an understanding of circuitry.

Apprenticing can take several years, but the pay and benefits are solid in the meantime, and it can be done in two to three years if you’re really motivated. Before being turned loose, you will need to pass a test to be an elevator mechanic. You have to be sponsored by an employer to do this, and you can take courses while you work.

Larry advises that working for a smaller, non-union firm that will give you more exposure to the various aspects of the business and enable you to learn faster than if you start at a bigger company.

Because elevators are technology based, and technology is in a constant state of change, training is an ongoing process. The training is typically provided and paid for by the elevator manufacturing companies.

Why Elevator Repair?

Money is always a big motivator, and the pay in elevator repair is well above average, and even above what most people earn in college norm occupations.

While pay varies somewhat from one region of the country to another, in Larry’s neck of the woods, helpers (entry level) earn about $26 per hour, while seasoned mechanics can go up to $37 per hour. Benefits are very generous and there’s as much overtime as you want to work. Heavily experienced, well traveled repairmen can make even more.

Some jobs are unionized, others aren’t, and there isn’t much variation in pay between the two. Work in skyscrapers typically is handled through union shops, but non-union shops tend to take on a wider variety of jobs, thus the training and experience are more comprehensive and offer higher pay and greater employment security in the long run.

Beyond money are plenty of intangible benefits. As Larry puts it, “Elevator repair skills are transferable—your skills will be in demand where ever there are elevators. The work is full of challenges and never boring! You’re always learning, and companies tend to hire and promote from within.”

The Affect of the Economy on Elevator Repair

How much affect the economy is having on elevator repair depends on what part of the business you’re involved in, but in general the field tends to be recession resistant.

There are four basic areas: maintenance, modernization (or “mods”), new construction and repair. Maintenance is responsible for keeping elevators operating on an ongoing basis, which includes periodic servicing and troubleshooting; mods handle replacements and upgrades; new construction installs systems in new buildings; repair fixes what’s broken.

The maintenance and repair areas are in constant demand, and are unaffected by the state of the economy. Mods and new construction tend to pay better, especially during economic booms, but suffer when the economy sinks, such as now.

Still, Larry stresses that an elevator repairman who has any level of talent can move up quickly; there are hundreds of companies in the business who are always on the lookout for good people. The key is to learn and grow and not be afraid to take on the tough assignments.

What are the Stresses?

Larry advises that elevator repair isn’t a career for the faint of heart. You will be working in elevator shafts, which carries an obvious element of danger (a good head and mature attitude are also considered valuable attributes!).

“You never know what the problems will be on any job so you’ll need to be flexible and patient. Not only are problems demanding, but so are customers: an elevator building is typically filled with people who need to get somewhere and the pressure to make that happen quickly can add to the stress of challenging repair issues.”

By Kevin M

A news story on CNN last weekend caught my interest. “Backyard Chickens”. You just have to stop and watch a segment like that, if only to answer the nagging question, what’s up with that?

Now in typical TV news fashion, the segment moved quickly, from one bullet point to another, spending not a whole lot of time on any. The story focused on a humble looking gentleman by the name of Andy Schneider, chicken farmer-at-large (or so it appeared) and a vocal advocate of chicken farming everywhere. And I mean everywhere.

But it was obvious that what he was talking about wasn’t your grandfather’s chicken farming, not by any means, and I needed to find out more. All I was able to retain for contact purposes were his name, “Atlanta”, and the title, Backyard Chickens, all of which I quickly scribbled onto a napkin for future use. A web search Monday morning turned up information on Andy, but as it turns out, Backyard Chickens was the tile of the news segment only, and not as an entity name associated with his.

The nuggets of information I collected were enough to locate Andy and arrange an interview. He and I both live in the Atlanta area, but as anyone familiar with the Atlanta traffic situation knows, you never do anything face-to-face that can be accomplished by phone, so that’s how we handled the interview. As it turns out, not only do Andy and I live in the same metropolitan area, but we also live in the same town. (A guy raising chickens in his backyard in my town? The city fathers would never allow it!)

Andy is an accommodating person and an incredibly articulate one, but more significantly, he is a man with compelling message: YOU can raise chickens…in your backyard. He goes about the state, and increasingly the country, conducting training programs and offering private consultations to help people get started.

What I found most interesting is that raising chickens is much simpler than most people think. To raise six chickens–which would provide enough eggs to feed a family of four, plus extra to trade during the mild weather seasons–requires only a coop (starting at $100), some chicken wire fencing and an area of your yard about the size of typical bedroom. The chicks run about $4 each. Once your coop and yard area are set up, your only real expense is feed, which runs about $11 per month for a 50 pound bag. The bigger the fenced in area, or if you have the ability to allow them to graze your back yard for insects and foliage, the less feed you will need to buy.

Why Would Anyone Want to Raise Chickens?

Think of raising chickens as a hobby with benefits. You’re raising them on property you already have, you’re getting organically grown food, you’ re producing your own food (how many people do that these days?), and you have something to trade–more on this point in the next paragraph. In addition, the chickens are pets in a very real sense; you’re raising and caring for them as you would for a dog or cat, rather than as livestock to eat. Also, if you can allow them to graze your yard, they help to control the insect population by eating them, which also saves money on feed.

Now back to having chickens as a source of something to trade. There is a boom in suburban chicken raising going on throughout the country, so much that there’s now a waiting list to get chicks. Andy is quick to point out that the state of economy is driving this. People who have lost their jobs, or are facing the threat, are looking for ways to cut costs, raise income and provide sustenance; raising chickens meets all of these needs. As an example of saving money, eggs are a protein source that can reduce the need for costly meat.

A small number of hens can produce an enormous number of eggs on a regular basis. If six chickens can meet one family’s egg demands, a dozen can provide for two families, or even three during peak season. You’re producing all the eggs you need, plus a decent number that you can trade for other things you need. A person who can barter for what he needs always has a job.

But What Will the Neighbors Think?

You might be thinking–as I did–that’s a great idea, but not for where I live. The usual arguments surface quickly: chickens smell bad, they make noise, the city won ’t allow it, the neighbors won’t allow it. As Andy is quick to point out, few of these issues stand up to reality.

According to Andy, chickens only smell if they’re neglected, which is true of any animal, even a dog or a gerbil. Cleaning out the coops a couple of times per year is about all it takes to keep their area clean and fresh smelling Side note: I’ve accidentally been in Andy’s subdivision many times over the years, and never smelled anything that hinted of chickens.

As to the noise, most of it is generated by roosters. If you’re raising chickens for eggs only, there is no need to have a rooster. Absent a rooster, it’s unlikely anyone will hear much out of your chicken coop.

Never assume chickens are illegal where you live. Municipal ordinances vary from one community to another, but according to Andy many communities are more chicken-friendly than most of us commonly believe. What most people don’t know is that many communities across the country once harbored chicken farms and chicken coops only a generation or so ago. In many communities, there are no written restrictions prohibiting the raising of chickens for eggs for personal consumption (commercial is of course another matter entirely).

I grew up in a “well to do” suburban bedroom community, less than 25 miles outside Midtown Manhattan, and there were two families in my neighborhood raising chickens, one right up until the late 1980s. And of course, Andy and some of his neighbors are currently raising chickens in the backyards of their homes right here in a prominent Atlanta bedroom community. Andy and the groups he is affiliated with have had great success in demonstrating to city councils in a growing number of communities that anti-chicken restrictions are more about perception than reality, clearing the way for people to raise chickens even in the type of suburban neighborhoods where it doesn’t look like you could.

Neighbors are a different issue, and most of what matters here is how well you get along with them otherwise. Working cooperatively within a neighborhood can make a difference. In Andy’s neighborhood, several residents are part of a local web raising chickens and planting vegetable gardens from which they swap production with one another. Mutual benefit can be all it takes to make peace with even the most difficult neighbors. Often too, all that ’s needed is a bit of education. Most people have a negative idea of what raising chickens looks like; once they can be shown how benign it truly is they often change their opinion.

One caveat Andy did raise is in regard to Home Owners Association (HOA) neighborhoods. It is easier to raise chickens in HOA subdivisions if the HOA is relatively informal, such as one with voluntary annual fees or an absence of recreational amenities. In many older HOAs the covenants and restrictions have even expired. But in the newer, compulsory, amenity-heavy HOA neighborhoods, raising chickens probably won’t fly.

In Case You Want to Take the Next Step…

There’s too much to this story to cover in this article, and I’ve only hit the highlights here. For more information on raising your own chickens, please click here for a more comprehensive report on my interview with Andy.

If you wish to arrange a group presentation, or need private consultation, Andy can be reached through the website americaswebradio.com.

By Kevin M

It’s no secret that careers related to information technology are one of the surest paths to success in the 21st Century economy. If you’re fresh out of college with a degree in information technology, or if you obtained your degree years ago and are now a seasoned professional, you’re probably looking at solid employment prospects, even with a weak economy. But what if you couldn’t afford college, or if you’re working in an unrelated field and wish you could get into IT—are you simply out of luck? Well, maybe not!

Tyson Woods is an IT contractor, well traveled, working for some of the biggest name firms in the country and—as the title of this essay reveals—he has no college degree. Not in IT, not in anything. His previous career experience: mall photo shop manager.

IT contracting is a broad field, and the term can mean different things to different people, and in different industries. Over the years he’s taken part in a wide variety of projects, working with a broad range of programs and software systems. What he does more specifically involves work with different components of IT, including process and workflow design, system support, training, system security, and web design and administration. More recently he’s been working as a Share Point Administrator, designing custom portals and managing rights and permissions.

It’s important to recognize that IT contracting is a fluid career, so what you’re doing does change frequently.

Before you get discouraged with the long list of technical sounding functions, Tyson advises, “Let me stop to tell you that I learned nearly all of these skills on the job—I don’t even have a college degree, certainly not in computer science! In fact, my career beginnings weren’t anything you’d normally associate with a future in IT. And I’m a young guy; if I can do it, you certainly can.”

So what raw skills do you need to bring to an IT career?

“Most of it’s pretty basic: a logical thought process, ability to understand workflows, ability to work with people in different capacities, willingness to do things differently, affinity for and the ability to embrace technology, and a large degree of creativity. It can be confusing if you’re looking to enter the field since IT is so diverse. What it really takes is mastering a niche, then building upon it, one niche at a time. There’s more to that niche thing than space permits here, but I can provide just about as much information on that topic as you can stand if you’re serious about pursuing a career in the field.”

There are a large number of reasons why he loves this career, why anyone would love it.

“For starters, there are always new opportunities, which include not only new technologies, but also new industries. Nearly all businesses need IT professionals, which means I have a chance to work in a virtually unlimited number of different businesses. It’s hard to get bored! “

“Something I like personally is being on the cutting edge in a technology driven world. As long as you learn and grow with the technology, there’s always a job for you somewhere.”

While we typically think of IT as being mostly a technology application, there’s also a strong element of creativity involved. If you have that creative streak in you, as Tyson does, IT is an excellent career field to work in. So much is new, or can be modified, that creative opportunities abound.

The money isn’t hard to take either! Incomes in excess of $100,000 are not uncommon with a decent amount of experience and a willingness to take on more challenging assignments. But even apart from earning six figures, the number of job- and business opportunities are so abundant that just making a living is more secure in IT than in most other fields.

The secret, according Tyson, is to continuously acquire more skills. No one can know all that is involved with computers—which is actually a big advantage to a new entrant to the field—but the more you know about more systems and components, the greater your value in the marketplace. As Tyson is quoted above, it all starts with a niche—one area of the big picture that you can focus on and build upon. Become an expert in that niche and you have the foundation of a new career. Where you go from there will be limited only by your willingness to learn and master more niches. Adding formal training along the way can only speed your progress.

Some of the qualities that make for a good IT person are less related to technology than you might think. An IT person must be able to work with a wide variety of people, making people skills a high priority. He needs to be able to understand workflows and be capable of integrating the various tools and systems. In addition, he needs a sense of functionality—that is the ability to make a system workable for non-computer types, and how to make it look good in the process. These are skills that are required in many jobs outside technology as well.

Tyson offers this bit of advice, which should be of great comfort to a new entrant in the field:

“Not many people in the field are real experts; they don’t know the flow, how to troubleshoot or how the end product should look.” That should give rookies plenty of reason to hope!

A detailed career program will be available in this space in the very near future. Stay tuned.