My second career in life is mechanical engineering. I graduated right before the age of forty. I made the decision because I have always been a mechanically minded person. My first career took me from contracting decorative painting, building furniture, and finally carving and gold gilding art frames.

My path in engineering has led me to military aviation overhaul of jet engines. What concerns me the most happens to be a modest strength of mine. The repair workforce is lacking in the basic skills to accomplish the task of repairing and rebuilding aging military equipment. And on top of that they don’t have a base layer of skills to rely on so they are very timid.

I grew up building things so I am not afraid to try something new. However, it is very hard to fight against the crowd/management. It is a constant source of struggle and one I’m not sure is going to go away.