Quick update since I find myself sitting at work, bored on a Saturday night. They said it would take a year, I set a goal of 6 months but I am already running my own shift at just 4 months in. It's a new company record and I was rewarded well for it.
I am still happy with my decision to leave my last job and take this one. There's been some days where I question my decision, especially around pay days, but overall it has been a positive change for me. The money will come back soon enough and it won't take long before I am making as much if not more than I was at my last job. Even working weekends, I still don't put in near as many hours at work or on the road as I was before.
I still find it very interesting and challenging but it has elements that are very repetitive and mundane. The older I get, the less that bothers me. It's actually been nice to sit back as a newb on a team rather than be the lead go-to guy in every scenario. When my shift ends, I get to go home and know they got it covered. It's the first place I've worked where the entire team is hard working and capable and I'm quite enjoying working with a group of my peers.
Working shift work again has been the hardest part of the whole change. I traded a 150 mile/3 hr daily commute for a rotating shift where we work an 8 1/2hr shift for 3 weeks at a time. Each has it's pros and cons but I still get more time at home with my family than I was before.
Normally we are not allowed to take pics but here is one they recently approved for release.
This is one of our robotic riveting machines working on the fuselage section of a Boeing 787 at the Spirit AeroSystems facility in Wichita, Kansas.
