Bigtrouble,
Hey, I was just pragmatic. After competing with the smartest guys anywhere in school, I knew I didn’t have what it took to be a superstar R&D guy. No way. But I did have the stomach for sales. As for the mentor, he was just an older guy that I met, already in the industry, who was nice enough to listen to my questions and offer some advice. Just one surfer to another while changing wetsuits at the car. On your friend’s advice, he is correct. My oppty currently is with another firm, leveraging my current status to jump a little higher than the next rung in my current company would be. Luckily I found an even bigger (by market cap) company to move to. I expect that at some point the real pot of gold will come with a smaller company that wants someone trained in an F500 environment.
Cardiff,
You and I are pretty much the same age. I was in your wife’s shoes about 10 years ago, and went back to finish my engineering degree, which launched me to where I am now. Best of luck to you and your wife. Your memories of coaching youth baseball are worth more than any amount of money. You are helping children develop character, discipline and a work ethic. When my children are old enough I fully intend to coach or somehow be involved with their youth sports.
