Profile For Mark F.

Hi Everyone, So I'm considering a career change and I'm trying to make a educated decision. I have been a Firefighter for the past 15 yrs and currently operate as a Engineer of the Ladder Truck, before that I worked for Coca Cola as a route sales man and there obtained my CDL , I have retained my CDL all these years in thinking that would be something I could always fall back on, as I'm getting older 38 I have thought more and more about becoming a truck driver for a second career for a couple of reasons I have always loved big trucks and can remember as a kid having a Uncle that drove dump trucks, I would go ride with him and thought it was the coolest thing ever, then I would back home and get on the lawn mower and pretend I was driving. Also the city I work for retirement isn't very good and I realistically don't see myself being one of those guys wasting there life away waiting on their retirement date, just so I can draw a pension (not a very good one at that), there has to be more to life than that, plus I will have to work till I'm 58 to be eligible for retirement but then would have to work an additional 10 years so I could Medi-care or whatever is in place at that time because we lose our medical on retirement . I've always said to the guys that when I don't enjoy the job any more that I would retire, that time seems to becoming more and more evident as there's no incentive to make more money or move up, the guys in management positions are there for the next 20 years, so I don't see much change in there and I'm to old to go to a different dept plus I don't think I really would want to, it' seems to be like that everywhere from the guys I talk too, I just feel that my season as a Firefighter is coming to a end and feel I need to be positioning myself for a different career over the next couple of years and driving a truck seems to keep coming up. So, this is what I've been thinking, I was thinking over the next few years I would start socking away some money for a truck fund, because I like the idea of being my own boss and own my own truck. I also was thinking I could withdraw my retirement money about $20,000 from the city and use that to purchase or put a good down payment on a new truck and put the rest away for a beginning operating fund. What are you guys and gals thoughts and suggestions ? Thanks Fillie