Day Job
#24
Talk to the cabinet shop and see what kind of work they do. Is it cookie-cutter production-type cabinets or custom cabinet work? If it's the former, you may find yourself just doing one operation day after day (e.g. running a power feeder or making mouldings). If it's the latter, it could be a lot more interesting.

One other thing to consider is that cabinetmaking as a job can have it's ups and downs in business volume as the housing market goes. So, having a job for a couple of years might be great, but if construction declines, you may find yourself out of a job.
Still Learning,

Allan Hill
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#25
(05-06-2022, 09:51 AM)Hank Knight Wrote: I was a trial lawyer for almost 40 years. I retired 8 years ago to get away from the stress and long hours. Woodworking has been my hobby fort most of my life. It was my refuge during the many difficult days in my law practice. It is still my refuge. It clears my head and the creative process is very rewarding. Many people have asked me why I don't take commissions or sell my work. My answer is that working commercially transforms my hobby onto a business with all the stress and worry I left when I retired. I'm not interested in getting paid for my work. I do it for relaxation and enjoyment. It exercises my brain and hopefully keeps dementia at bay. Nobody supervises my work and I don't have to please anybody but me. Woodworking for profit would compromise all of those aspects that make my hobby enjoyable. I prefer to keep my hobby as it is. I don't need the money to make it rewarding.

My sentiments exactly.  Do really look at why you enjoy woodworking, and whether you would continue feeling that way if you turned it into a job.  For example, for me, it is the unbridled creative aspects and lack of schedules that I gravitate to. I thoroughly enjoy walking into my woodshop whenever I like because it is my decompression zone - no clients, no bosses, no deadlines - which can be viewed as the polar opposite of my most 9-to-5 jobs.  I can enjoy woodworking on my own time, and there will be months in between where I dont even power up the tablesaw, but it is as enjoyable as ever and always puts a smile on my face when I do.

I would put the decision of making your hobby into a career in the "be careful what you ask for" category. After working in a cabinet shop all day, will you be eager to get home to work on the adirondack chairs your wife was asking for? Sure, it does work out for some people, but for others it was the best way to dislike what they previously loved. My 2 pence.
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#26
(04-08-2022, 12:03 AM)bmich Wrote: Should I quit my day job and become a cabinet maker?  There is a local shop hiring,  I currently have a backyard shop where I do it as a hobby and to clear my head after a long day. 
But, my job has been stressing me out and I am thinking of a career change.  I travel 75% of the time now and this would be a big change. 

What concerns me is that would I lose interest in woodworking because its my job?  Also, what is usual starting pay?  I guess I could show them my original furniture designs and what I have made over the 20 years.

Everyone here who has written about woodworking as their hobby and refuge from the stresses of the world may be correct but are not answering your question. The decision (to pursue this job) is also not one that we can answer for you. That is your choice, your responsibility. It is also not the issue.

The issue is that you are feeling burned out in your present job, and that something here needs to be adjusted or changed. By all means explore a different job but, if you are prepared to changed work environments, first explore the situation with your current boss, and perhaps also take some leave. 

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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