Little announcement

[FeelingTheBlues]

Greetings TRF,

I've been doing a lot of thinking these past months and I decided to make a little change in my life. I've been studying history for a couple of semesters now and must admit that through the classes I found it harder and harder to convince me it was the career made for me and especially my future job. I do enjoy history and have a passion for it but I got to realize that this passion was more of a student's than a possible worker's in this domain. Therefore I came to the conclusion that it was useless to try to convince myself otherwise and try to work in an environment in which I won't be happy and may not be as good as I'm supposed to be.

In the meantime (which may sound very recent but keep in mind that I thought about this for a long time) I came to another conclusion: I've always loved watches and I always will. Whether I was 7 and admiring digital watches full of gadgets, 15 and imagining myself walking around with a gold watch full of diamonds or 19 and getting to learn more and more about what's actually inside the case, I always found it hard to walk around without having a reminder of the actual time on my wrist (cellphone's clocks just don't do it for me).

Perhaps my Accutron is responsible for it! After all, had I bought a gold quartz watch instead of a tuning fork movement I wouldn't have realized there was so many different things that could tell us the time. It was this little problem of accuracy of hers that made me realize for a rather long time that a quartz watch was much better, it was also this problem that made me realize (although it took me a bit longer to actually buy a mechanical timepiece) that the inside of a clock, a watch or any time displaying instrument was such an amazing piece of art and craftsmanship. Furthermore, I also realized I needed to do something with my hands, I need my dexterity to be used (and perhaps developped) with the help of tools and knowledge to put something up.

I do realize the irony of such a statement coming from me but to mark my 5 000th post on this forum I would like to officially share my decision and my life change with the forum:

Ladies and gentlemen, I have the intention to study and find myself a job as a watchmaker.

I do not wish to sound like I'm pushing it but after such a long time of stressful thinking I'm very happy to say I came to this conclusion and am working on making it a concrete project. I am currently reading around a lot about the job itself, the studies and the schools that offer such a formation and am reading some useful advice from people who work in the domain. This decision of mine shall come with its load of efforts and sacrifices but I must say I'm much more happy now that I know I will get to be something I really want to be.

Thank you for reading such a long post, quartz jokes are more than welcome to celebrate!

[FremStar]

Holy cow!!! - If I could turn back the hands of time I would have ventured into the world of horology! My journey began with a simple Mickey Mouse Lorus watch my Mom purchased from me when I had a bad day in the 2nd grade (crazy how I still remember that). I have lost that timepiece and have looked all over the the net for that similar model to no avail. Carl, you are making a bold move, however, life is all about self fulfilment and enjoyment in your chosen profession! You have a panache for asking all the right questions and I am sure you will do well in your watchmaker venture. I took a little trip a few months ago to the Watch and Clock museum (https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=212556) in Pennsylvania and must say I was blown away by the craftmanship and skill it takes to create these beast we call precision instruments! I can go on and on about how much I love this hobby, however, you are making a wise move. Mike (kilyung) on this very forum would be a good reference to ask questions (something tells me you already know that ) I wish you all the best on your future endeavors nephew!

[threemonkeys]

Wooohoo!

Great news, Carl!!!!

[Rsvrider]

Congratulations! Not many have the chance to pursue passion. And even though I find mechanical watches intoxicating, I wear as a daily a quartz (they call it super quartz) my trusty Aerospace. So no jokes here.

[kareemthedream33]

Fortune favours the bold, my friend. Do what you love. Good luck.

[DCgator]

Sending best wishes your way.

[Lisa]

Very cool, and always a little thrilling to hear when someone's decided to follow their dream.

[afc333]

Wow! Good luck with that Carl, I'm sure we'll get updates as your trip down this career road unfolds... I'll be really interested to find out how it goes for you. I, like many other people would LOVE a job doing something they really enjoy, and you could end up getting that!

[HL65]

Interesting Carl-- best of luck with that and look forward to hearing about your studies!!

[BarkMaster]

It's about time!!!

My good fortune follow your choice.

[Art 1]

Thanks for letting us know.

[The Joker]

Congrats Carl

I am looking forward to buying a Carl Quartz watch sometime in the future. Boom Boom.

Oh and if I had my choices over again I would of got a Phd and been a surgeon or perhaps dentist. How are you supposed to know the high paying jobs when you are 15/16 and choosing subjects???

[johnbeth]

Carl I wish you all the best in your future studies and I am happy for you that you have followed a path that is your passion.

I just hope that the spark will still be there 10 / 20 / 30 years down the track and still enjoy what you do because once a hobby becomes a job, the enjoyment can disappear.

[TuonoRider]

Carl - congrats on your decision. It is fantastic to find something you have a passion for and truly enjoy.

[East Bay Rider]

Good luck to you.

[rfknauss]

Carl ..... wishing you the best in pursuit of your new career!

[cyglee]

Carl, keep us posted... give us the good, bad, and wishing it's all good.

[Numismatist]

Good for you! Can I send you my watch to be adjusted yet?

[Dr.Brian]

Good luck Carl!
Keep us posted.

[TheVTCGuy]

Great Carl! You can give me a good deal on all my services!

[wantonebad]

"little" announcement? I've seen shorter corporate releases... j/k good luck!

[cedargrove]

Carl,

This is very cool. I am truly happy for you, and wish you the best of luck. I am in Montreal frequently, so maybe I can bring my watches to you.

[eric23]

Go for it Carl! Congrats! You should start with this at home course to make sure you like it;

http://www.timezonewatchschool.com/WatchSchool/

I plan to take it next winter, when I have some free time, But just for my own interest.

[hdrazor251]

Best of luck Carl....follow the dream.

[Lion]

Carl, it's always best to do something you like and have a passion for as your livelihood it makes living bearable and enjoyable. But first get your undergraduate degree then pursue your dreams!!!

[rodrob59]

Best wishes Carl. Hope you have time to keep us informed on how you're doing.

[Gaijin]

Great news Carl. You will love it I am sure and be great at it!

[dbphotos]

Life is too short not to do what you enjoy! Go for it!

[KKB]

Originally Posted by eric23

Go for it Carl! Congrats! You should start with this at home course to make sure you like it;

http://www.timezonewatchschool.com/WatchSchool/

I plan to take it next winter, when I have some free time, But just for my own interest.

+1

A good way to see if you enjoy the nitty-gritty of working on watch movements before you make a major change in your life. We all appreciate fine mechanical watches but working on tiny, delicate movements as a career might not be for everyone.

[kilyung]

Big decision Carl!!! After completing the TZ lessons a few years ago I started reading about CW21. WOSTEP is a more formalized training program whereas CW21 is more self-study. There's also SAWTA but that doesn't seem to be gaining much momentum. At the rate I'm going, I won't have mastered the CW21 skills (I'm just now getting to working on chronos) for several more years. Unfortunately I'm too far gone in my career for a drastic change... maybe when I retire. In another life, I would have loved to study horology in Switzerland. You have a school very close by in Trois-Rivières, l'École National d'Horlogerie. I don't recall if they are WOSTEP affiliated. Call them up if you haven't already. Given your fluency in French, studying abroad in Switzerland may be of interest to you as well... nothing like jumping into the middle of the action!

I believe if you're passionate about something, success will always follow so best of luck to you! If I can assist in any way, don't hesitate to ping me.

Mike