Hi everyone, I'm looking for some job advice for my partner.
His qualifications are in shipping/logistics, but he has now moved back to country Victoria (Australia) where he grew up, so there are no jobs in this industry nearby (inland). His passion is horticulture, and he enjoys building and fixing things. He is an extremely fast, efficient worker, and a quick learner. (I know I'm biased, but it's true!!)
The region, although a lovely place to live with a low cost of living, has high unemployment. It is virtually impossible to get secure employment unless you have good contacts. He found one permanent job on a tree farm, but it required pretty back-breaking work, which aggravated an old injury, so he had to quit.
He's now in his early 30s. He would love to do a trade, but once again, you really need the contacts unless you're <18.
He doesn't seem to know what direction he should take now. The mustachian way is definitely his natural thinking, so I was hoping you would have some good suggestions that we haven't considered.
I'm thinking he should just focus on finding bits and pieces of low-stress work, and develop his handyman skills...he doesn't seem to think this is a marketable skill, but the local paper has several people listed to do small home maintenance / repair work, and I think he'd be able to build a business up around this if he gave it a good shot. I think it's just a confidence issue. I've run my own business before (music teaching), so I know it isn't as difficult as it seems to someone who has only ever been an employee.
I will be (hopefully) working full-time from next year, after finishing university, and I know he will feel uncomfortable if he isn't contributing much money (even though he will always be growing food + doing useful things around the house!)
What are some ways you have gone about similar things? Have any of you made a big career change from high-stress full-time work to something else without FI / savings? Any suggestions for networking in rural areas/small towns?