Hello From South Carolina

[MechEngineer31]

Hello everyone, new to the forum & still new the Wonderful World of Horology despite always having had a major interest in it since childhood.  Well I'm 37 years old now & I'm trying to break into starting a new career in the industry as a watchmaker/watch repairer.  So any & all advice I can receive will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance to all.  

[Geo]

Welcome to the forum MechEng.

There is a great mix of both amateur and professional watch repairers here, I myself am from the amateur side of the fence. Hopefully some of the professionals will pitch in and give you some advice on how to proceed with your new chosen career.

[MechEngineer31]

Thank You so very much Geo for the warm welcome, I'm very excited & greatly looking forward to becoming an eventual valued member to & of this community & hopefully the industry as a whole. :woohoo-jumping-smiley-emoticon: Yeah, go Horology!!!

[lowcountry]

Welcome MechEng,

 

What part of SC are you at I am in the Hilton Head area, be glad to help you any way I can, been doing these for quite a while now.  Good Luck!

[lowtidebob]

Hello from Myrtle Beach

[lowcountry]

Nice area use to have my yacht docked at Grand Dunes Marina. Grew you coming there quite often. Glad to assist you any way I can.

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[swordfish]

Since you ask for advice...I don't know what your actual skill level is. It's possible that you don't either. I think it's unwise to start a service industry career if your skills are not yet adequate. I recommend your buying a few dozen non-working watches. If you can repair all of them in a reasonable amount of time for each (such that your time x desired hourly income for the work satisfies you) you could reasonably proceed. I advise you not give up your current job as you begin the new career. Realistically, there is a high failure rate in new careers. Instead, find a source of piecemeal assignments—for example, a kiosk where watch batteries are replaced may get requests for real watch repair, and could refer those customers to you (for a modest finder's fee). If that works, you could advertise cheaply in local newspapers, Craig's list, etc. Only if you find that you enjoy watch repair when it is a job, not a hobby, and the demand is eating into your other employment time, should you proceed to establish the new career.

It's a good idea, before you start, to define what is success and what is failure, in objective terms, to be measured at a pre-determined time. That reduces the risk of your getting carried away pursuing an ever-receding dream that will not be fulfilled.

It's because I wish you success that I give you this bracing advice. Good luck.

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