>>2861327Yeah, I'm in the US, definitely going to keep looking for openings as a tech. Having a mechanic background probably helps my chances too, if only a little. I'd love to work for a machine company or distributor and be the guy who sets up new installs, I like travel and that pays great, and it seems like it'd be fun when it's a small shop who are super hyped about their machine upgrade or whatever. I'm also in an area that's kind of isolated, has a very fast-growing precision manufacturing scene, and doesn't have ANY independent machine maintenance companies or anything so there might be an opportunity there too.
The flipside though is that I'm also considering just carrying my associates along into a 4 year degree in one of the Engineering Tech fields. That might only really be worth it for my ego and maybe for the softer job as I get older though (and I'm already almost 40 so that's a real concern) since I've heard a lot of bad stuff about job opportunities and pay for engineering grads, but I'm not sure how that applies to Engineering Tech, which might be more desirable.
fwiw I'm not awful at the laptop side of things either, I've got a decent amount of electrical and computer diagnostic experience etc. from my auto days (I worked at a race shop specializing in modern BMW, so lots of computer stuff) and I'm a way better CAD designer and programmer than I am a hands-on machinist, so it might not be the worst idea.