What is your DREAM JOB, or you have it already!

Fellow Enthusiasts: Just a basic question. Are you still in pursuit of your dream job where you can keep engaged your passion; whatever it may be?

The reason I ask this question, is because I'm getting ready to transition out of the Military (Retirement) after 20 years of service. I just turned 40 a few weeks ago and for the last 20 years, I have been wanting a job that rotates around the automotive industry. Ever since I arrived at my first duty station (Japan, 1993), I was involved in the Automotive Industry. I met a successful Exporter that took me under his wings and allowed me to visit the Auctions with him and purchase cars that I could sell to G.I.'s stationed in Japan. I had a lot of fun doing that and it also supplemented our income as a young 22 y/o Airman with a wife and with a young child. After 7 years in Japan, I moved. Since then, I've tinkered with cars, done several HPDE's, Autox's, member of clubs, etc..

FFWD: May 2012, I'm doing the military transition courses. The focus is Government Service, or the Private Sector in some sort of Management/Intel/Security Ops areas. Jobs are out there, but I don't see them as my passion. October 2012, I retake the transition courses and then send out resume's to the Airline Industry and a few Fortune 500 Companies, etc..

Last month, my Cousin informs me that his wife is good friends with a Director of one of the big Auto Remarketing Firms HQ in Atlanta, GA., and I should see what they got to offer. He believes that this industry is right up my alley. I see a few jobs that I can do with them. I find one that I can use my "Business Intelligence" background and also my Military Leadership qualities. I apply on Wednesday of last week (28 Nov), I get a call from a recruiting firm on behalf of the company on Friday (30 Nov). Phone interview for about 15 minutes, and I'm recommended to the Hiring Manger. Yesterday (3 Dec) I get a call from the Company's Talent Acquisition. I'm scheduled for an interview this Friday (7 Dec).

I never thought I would be able to apply all my passions in one job.

Wish me luck!

I'll update Friday PM..

Congrats and best of luck.

What does " Auto Remarketing Firms" mean.
Is this another way of saying "large used car retailer" (used car lots) or is this possibly "salvage - junk yards" or "salvage-auction for rebuild"?

Or maybe he's in charge of trying to cover up E36 M3-salads like the 2012 Civic when the manufacturer screws em up.

I think half the people on here are gonna say "pro driver"

Either that or automotive designer / engineer for me, some of the most unattainable jobs on the planet. I'd be okay working a boring job with decent pay that gives me a decent amount of free time, so I'll call that a more realistic dream. I'm far from it.

Am I pursuing it? Perhaps in the same sense that I'm pursuing a date with Scarlett Johansson. I don't see how the hell it's ever gonna happen.

I'm pretty much where I want to be. The aftermarket parts supply industry is a ton of fun, and I really enjoy the minutiae of the job. The fact that I get to play around with Porsches and Porsche parts every day is just a bonus.

One day, I'd really like to be the owner/manager of a high end restoration facility. Something on the level of Bruce Canepa or Gunnar Racing. Somewhere with a clean room for engine assembly. An attention to detail that is second to none. I'd like to gain the sort of trust and notoriety that we get to restore vintage racing cars, and high level collector cars. I want to travel the world searching for that missing part, and visiting other original cars for research purposes. I love detail work.

I get paid to go to car shows, test drive cars, talk to car nuts, and give my opinion on the automotive world. So yeah, pretty much my dream job.

There is a bunch of office stuff that goes behind it. I do a LOT of analytic type stuff as we live and die by numbers around here. I also solve problems (you can call me Mr. Wolf).

My dream job would just be adding to my current position. I get a lot done with a small department, so I'd love to get a few assistants and really knock some stuff out.

Good luck with the interview. Is it at Manheim or AutoTrader?

Dream job? Selling metal hoses, expansion joints, and pump connectors?

slefain wrote: I get paid to go to car shows, test drive cars, talk to car nuts, and give my opinion on the automotive world. So yeah, pretty much my dream job. There is a bunch of office stuff that goes behind it. I do a LOT of analytic type stuff as we live and die by numbers around here. I also solve problems (you can call me Mr. Wolf). My dream job would just be adding to my current position. I get a lot done with a small department, so I'd love to get a few assistants and really knock some stuff out. Good luck with the interview. Is it at Manheim or AutoTrader?

Do you need anyone in MN? I can pm you further details if necessary.

I think I know of this Mr Wolf you speak of

In reply to M3Loco:

Very cool to hear. Keep us up to date.

I have had some cool jobs before and look forward to more cool jobs in the future.

The current position I'm in is okay, not a dream job. The current job offer in Texas comes close to a dream job. If there is something like "running a GT team" would probably be my dream job.

Working on it as I type.

JohnRW1621 wrote: Congrats and best of luck. What does " Auto Remarketing Firms" mean. Is this another way of saying "large used car retailer" (used car lots) or is this possibly "salvage - junk yards" or "salvage-auction for rebuild"?

Think auctions, but not salvage. They do have salvage, but most units are in halfway decent condition and are less than 7 years old.

I am a remarketer with a bank. People don't pay on their car/boat/rv loans, we reposess, then I deal with the auctions. I set a minimum price, accept bids, approve repairs, deal w/ insurance (surprisingly they'll keep current on their insurance but not the loans), etc. I really really enjoy what I do. I don't see making a complete career out of it, but as a first position out of college I love it.

I'm actually dealing with the company you're talking about right now, trying to work directly with them and cut out the middle man. Can't really say much right now though.

slefain wrote: Good luck with the interview.

Thanks!..

Oh yeah, good luck! Knock em dead and all that.

Because sometimes you gotta wreck the truck to get the insurance money to make the truck payment.

• Larry The Cable Guy.

I'm much closer to where I want to be.

I've wanted to design cars since I was a kid. I ended up going the Engineering route because I figured that if I would have to take a specialized design program anyways, I may as well get the Engineering background first.

4 years into my auto-x "career" I have to say that my dream job is becoming harder to define. One the one hand I still want to design cars, but on the other hand I'd love to be involved in professional motorsports.

Maybe I just need to get a job designing race cars :P

Since my first job in 1977 as a bicycle mechanic, I've ruined practically every perfectly good hobby I've had by deriving a revenue stream from it.

Then around 2000 I got The Opportunity - a position as a designer / fabricator of proprietary lab robotics which grew into all manner of prototype instruments. From this gig I've remained continuously employed designing stuff, making prototypes, dealing with manufacturing concerns, and generally leveraging a life of making things.

I've done much "side work" generally related to my expensive hobbies and trying to make them less so. But it invariably diminishes the enjoyment of said hobby, so I've sworn it off.

My dream job, when I was doing what was ~nearly~ my dream job would have been to do whatever sort of design-fab work I was doing except for someone NOT funded by venture capital money.

Working for VC funded companies in the start-up/grow/financial trouble/death throes/layoffs/last man standing cycle sucks, and I did it over and over.

Then in May of 2011 I got a call from my old colleague at The Opportunity from about 12 years ago. This lead to me taking a renewing contract position at the N.I.H. doing prototype lab instrumentation and automation design and fab, much of it in my machine shop at home.

The best part is that it pays the same as my last super-stressful gig but in 108 billable hours a month.

So I got my dream job after only a short 35 years of trying.

Well, no one ever offered me a spot on a pro BMX freestyle team, so I got into manufacturing and logistics. There was a production analyst opening at a local Bilstein factory nearby...I sent in my resume and stopped by a few days later in person to follow up. I dont speak enough German (or any really), so I was thanked for my time, and promptly asked not to call them, but to wait for them to call me...

they never called

...le sigh

SNAP back to reality. Oh, there goes gravity. Oh, there goes Rabbit...

I have a rejection letter from Marussia F1...

I would love to do something automotive-related, especially as an automotive journalist, or work in the aftermarket performance parts industry for one of the big players. It seems that there is nothing like that up here in New England, so flush that stuff down the toilet. I don't have the background to really search out a position like that right now, so I'm not sure what I could do.

I also think it would be fun to be a voice actor. I make all sorts of stupid voices and do impressions just to get a kick out of family and friends, and getting paid to act like an idiot would be pretty cool. But again, how do you get into doing that?

I have my dream job.. working in entertainment means I meet all sorts of interesting people.. and it is fun to put on a show that people will remember for a LONG LONG time..

However, yesterday when I was assembling a christmas light show at work that included 100 20' strings of B lights.. I did not think it was such a glamorous job

SilverFleet wrote: I also think it would be fun to be a voice actor. I make all sorts of stupid voices and do impressions just to get a kick out of family and friends, and getting paid to act like an idiot would be pretty cool. But again, how do you get into doing that?

My dad specifically told me this was not a respectable career when I showed talent in this area.

GameboyRMH wrote:

SilverFleet wrote: I also think it would be fun to be a voice actor. I make all sorts of stupid voices and do impressions just to get a kick out of family and friends, and getting paid to act like an idiot would be pretty cool. But again, how do you get into doing that?

My dad specifically told me this was not a respectable career when I showed talent in this area.

I don't care if it's not respectable, it sounds like fun!

I did try and pursue my former dream of being a rich and famous rock musician, but being paid to make music is REALLY HARD. I was in a band for 6+ years, and we worked as hard as you could to make it. At the end, we were just starting to get some recognition, but our total profits for playing countless shows and putting out 2 EP's was $86...

...Split 5 ways.

I do miss being in a band, but I know now that when I get back into a band someday, I'll be doing it for fun.

I'd really love to get back into radio, but good music radio is pretty much dead. Maybe if I worked for NPR or VOA?

And Ms. Johansson hasn't returned any of my calls, either.

Race car driver.

SilverFleet wrote: I also think it would be fun to be a voice actor. I make all sorts of stupid voices and do impressions just to get a kick out of family and friends, and getting paid to act like an idiot would be pretty cool. But again, how do you get into doing that?

The local Junior College (Joliet Junior College) has a 1 night class on becoming a voice actor - I took the class and enjoyed but realized I didn't have time or the money to continue but they do teach the basics and was a really fun class.

The teacher was affiliated with these guys: http://www.voicesforall.com/

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