Hi guys
I need a bit of advice from the wise heads on here. I’ve been enjoying my GT40 hobby for the past few years now while working professionally as a digital art director in the world of website design which is a world away from car building. I really enjoy my job and am very good at what I do but have also become hugely passionate about building/working on/restoring cars and have realised that as I get that bit older I’d like to get more involved with cars at professional level and try and turn my hobby into a job. Has anyone got any advice as to how I could make the transition and areas I might be suited to or is it a non-starter/dead end?
The first idea would be to look at buying, fixing up and then selling cars as I’ve done this in the past and am currently just finishing the restoration of an 1963 Ford Anglia which I plan to sell when done. I like the idea of working for myself and this something I could do from home or hire a workshop etc but to commit to doing something like this would require doing it full time otherwise I’d have too many projects that I just couldn’t juggle at weekends. There is also a high risk involved in trying to generate a profit from each car to make it a viable business.
The next thing I did think about exploring would be maybe trying to approach a manufacturer/restoration company to see about the possibility of working in an agent or sales and marketing role where I could combine my digital/web background to try and build up a customer base online for a company that perhaps still operates in a more traditional way. This would allow me to apply the skills I currently have while continuing in my full time job but get more involved in an area I am passionate about. If this were successful then I guess I would have the flexibility I to increase the amount of time spent on the car side and maybe reduce my number of days in my regular job making a transition easier.
The final area I thought about looking at would be to get more involved in the building/engineering side of the car business as again this is something I really enjoy but I certainly don’t have the knowledge required to get involved at a professional level. Therefore I would perhaps need a company to take me under their wing and help train me by perhaps offering to work for free or help out at weekends etc. Or potentially look at engineering courses etc to build up the skills I need to start working professionally. The problem I guess with this route would come down to money as I’d effectively be starting from the bottom and I guess with the current economic climate and the state of engineering in the UK this could be a risky route to explore.
These are just a couple of ideas I am throwing out there so what would you suggest I look at or focus on and can anyone give me a little guidance? Any advice from anyone in the trade or that has experience in changing career paths would be much appreciated
Thanks
I need a bit of advice from the wise heads on here. I’ve been enjoying my GT40 hobby for the past few years now while working professionally as a digital art director in the world of website design which is a world away from car building. I really enjoy my job and am very good at what I do but have also become hugely passionate about building/working on/restoring cars and have realised that as I get that bit older I’d like to get more involved with cars at professional level and try and turn my hobby into a job. Has anyone got any advice as to how I could make the transition and areas I might be suited to or is it a non-starter/dead end?
The first idea would be to look at buying, fixing up and then selling cars as I’ve done this in the past and am currently just finishing the restoration of an 1963 Ford Anglia which I plan to sell when done. I like the idea of working for myself and this something I could do from home or hire a workshop etc but to commit to doing something like this would require doing it full time otherwise I’d have too many projects that I just couldn’t juggle at weekends. There is also a high risk involved in trying to generate a profit from each car to make it a viable business.
The next thing I did think about exploring would be maybe trying to approach a manufacturer/restoration company to see about the possibility of working in an agent or sales and marketing role where I could combine my digital/web background to try and build up a customer base online for a company that perhaps still operates in a more traditional way. This would allow me to apply the skills I currently have while continuing in my full time job but get more involved in an area I am passionate about. If this were successful then I guess I would have the flexibility I to increase the amount of time spent on the car side and maybe reduce my number of days in my regular job making a transition easier.
The final area I thought about looking at would be to get more involved in the building/engineering side of the car business as again this is something I really enjoy but I certainly don’t have the knowledge required to get involved at a professional level. Therefore I would perhaps need a company to take me under their wing and help train me by perhaps offering to work for free or help out at weekends etc. Or potentially look at engineering courses etc to build up the skills I need to start working professionally. The problem I guess with this route would come down to money as I’d effectively be starting from the bottom and I guess with the current economic climate and the state of engineering in the UK this could be a risky route to explore.
These are just a couple of ideas I am throwing out there so what would you suggest I look at or focus on and can anyone give me a little guidance? Any advice from anyone in the trade or that has experience in changing career paths would be much appreciated
Thanks