would you rather lose the game, or.......... not even know you were playing the game!

 

Yeah, it's tough trying to figure it all out. There are as many options as you imagination will permit. Depends what you're looking for.

early on, I tried to simplify the choices and break it down into two categories: working with people or working with things. Since I perceived myself as a people person, it seemed an easy choice, teaching kids/handicapped or the like. This lasted for about 6 years or so. But something kept telling me I was a "driver"(I always loved driving cars and then motorcycles}. Sounds stupid huh? that's what i thought too.
So, I changed occupations. I had never been in a semi, but yet i knew I was a driver, hmm. I gave quit notice, bought an old beat-up Freightliner cabover with no money down (probably the first sub-prime loan), that the owner told me he would teach me to drive. the joke was on me!!! He took me on a 4 hour run and told me to watch what he did, then took the bank's 9 grand and cut me loose with the truck. Long story short, I had to go to the library and get a book to find out how to shift that dam thirteen speed. Learned the trial and error method(no CDL), and this is the proverbial school of hard knocks(read:guaranteed to cause pre-mature aging).
That said, going across I-80 one day I remember well, 10 degrees outside and 20 degrees inside(no heater, snow mobile suit, mittons and ski hat. You could look down and see the road thru the cracks between the doghouse and floor, CB dancing on the dash, noise loud enough to warrant earplugs(had none), and stupid me had a smile on my face a mile long, feeling that this had to be the greatest job in the world. Twenty years and 3 trucks later, i was still loving it, Stretched out A-Car, 48' trailer, tracking narrow bermless two lane roads, coast to coast and up and down, everywhere, any weather. Just like the bike riding feeling! Not good money, long, sleepless days, multiple licenses and fines, rebuilt engines, changing out parts in the winter outside in the snow in my driveway, often after dark. Definitely lots of work to keep an old Autocar with 1 1/2 million miles on it, and athe spead-axle dropdeck on the road. To late to look back, no choice, i chose it, and wife and 4 kids depending on it. Shut up and just keep on gettin it>

long term assessment:

1) Just as I thought, I was really a driver.
2) However, 2 decades in a truck changed my perceptions of self and hence my preferences relative to working with people or things. I now undoubtedly prefer to work with things more than working with people, with the possible exception of kids.

Relative to your aspirations, in PA, being a state cop is a gravy gig--will allow you to retire in 20 years with 2/3's of your end salary and full benefits for life. unbelievable? that means that you could be making $40,000 plus AND benefits for life, retired @ 42-45 yrs. of age, and then do whatever you want with the rest of your life. Contrast 20 years to 45 years plus for many who end up with less for more. The FBI's pretty much the same deal. And......... these occupations are less dangerous than riding your superhawk on the roads everyday.

hope that helps you.

nathan

 

Hey Nathan,

I got a couple of laughs out of your story ( especially when you bought your truck and were learning to get acquainted with a 13 speed) thats good stuff. But those are some veyr interesting and enticing statistics on cops. PA s right around the corner from Ohio so hopefully Ohio is the same way. I actually had lunch with the police chief last week and he also had a lot of encouraging things to say. Anywho, thanks for the advice and good luck on the road!

 

hey you're welcome gtrain! I donated more money to the Ohio State Police than any other state in the country. Fortunately, they didn't have reciprocity with PA or my trucking career would have been severely and abrubtly shortened. They really want truckers' money, definitely not related to safety. I got several tickets for under 5 mph over the limit(one for 56 in a 55) while four wheelers flew by at 80mph unmolested. Ohio pike was the worst. I got so many lame-*** tickets that I flipped and got to the point of making it a personal challenge to get across the state as fast as i could rather than creeping along watching the speedodometer and still getting busted for 2 or 3 over. Between the CB, radar detector, personal experience, brass *****, and a specifically adopted "I don't giva **** attitude", I put the hammer down, jake brake on, and flogged it all the way across. Cop coming, slow til past him, and immediately flog it like a man possessed. I always planned to stop at the last service plaza to eat and get some coffee to allow my toll ticket time to catch up since I was doing such a good job. It turned utter boredom into envigorating bonzai runs which actually resulted a serious dimunition of inequitable donations to the Buckeye revenue collectors.

All the cops in the Buckeye do not suck revenue off truckers, but the ones working the pike definitely are.

If you do become a cop, you can do a good job without becoming a braindead revenue collector in a copsuit.

thanks, nathan

 

Hey I wanted to be a forest ranger to when I was growing up. If I were to get a job it would be a pharmasist - for obvious reasons.