Hi all,
I am currently considering trying to switch from an existing career, to a career in woodworking, and I would be very grateful for any advice or suggestions that people could offer based on their own experiences. From my reading of this forum, I get the impression that some people may have made such a career change themselves. I would be interested to know whether fulltime woodworkers found it difficult to get started. The market that I am aiming at is the Irish one (directly relevant to a minority of posters here, I think) which might be quite different from the UK market, but I am presuming that many of the hurdles will be the same.
Some of the more specific things I am wondering about are:
- Did you first get any kind of qualification, and if so did it help?
- Did you start your own business or start as an employee of an existing business?
- Is age a factor (I am in my mid-30's - do employers in the woodworking industry have a reluctance to employ the less-spotty non-teenager)?
More generally, and purely out of curiosity, I would be interested to hear whether people have been happy with their choice of a woodworking profession (e.g. have you found that having a woodworking day job has ruined an enjoyable hobby for you).
In an ideal world, I would like to set up my own small workshop, so I wouldn't be aiming for the mass market. I believe this probably puts me well and truly in the Arts & Crafts area. I currently have no woodworking qualifications whatsoever, and limited skills, but I may do (if I earn a place) a 2-year furniture design and manufacturing course starting in September. The college providing the course say that employment prospects are good, but I'd be curious to hear from people that have direct experience in the big bad world of having to earn a living day to day.
Any advice/suggestions/warnings are very welcome.
Thanks.
I am currently considering trying to switch from an existing career, to a career in woodworking, and I would be very grateful for any advice or suggestions that people could offer based on their own experiences. From my reading of this forum, I get the impression that some people may have made such a career change themselves. I would be interested to know whether fulltime woodworkers found it difficult to get started. The market that I am aiming at is the Irish one (directly relevant to a minority of posters here, I think) which might be quite different from the UK market, but I am presuming that many of the hurdles will be the same.
Some of the more specific things I am wondering about are:
- Did you first get any kind of qualification, and if so did it help?
- Did you start your own business or start as an employee of an existing business?
- Is age a factor (I am in my mid-30's - do employers in the woodworking industry have a reluctance to employ the less-spotty non-teenager)?
More generally, and purely out of curiosity, I would be interested to hear whether people have been happy with their choice of a woodworking profession (e.g. have you found that having a woodworking day job has ruined an enjoyable hobby for you).
In an ideal world, I would like to set up my own small workshop, so I wouldn't be aiming for the mass market. I believe this probably puts me well and truly in the Arts & Crafts area. I currently have no woodworking qualifications whatsoever, and limited skills, but I may do (if I earn a place) a 2-year furniture design and manufacturing course starting in September. The college providing the course say that employment prospects are good, but I'd be curious to hear from people that have direct experience in the big bad world of having to earn a living day to day.
Any advice/suggestions/warnings are very welcome.
Thanks.