What Do You/Did You Do?

[308Jeff]

I've been lead estimator/production manager for a fire/water restoration company for the last 17 years. Before that, I built JCPenney stores for 13 years. Got to see a big chunk of our country doing that. Other than a 6 month stint at an automotive performance shop, I've been in construction pretty much since the day I graduated high school.

What is/was your profession, if you care to share?

[slim1836]

I've been into civil engineering most of my live, currently an inspector for the Texas Dept. of Transportation.

Slim

[lightman]

Retired Electrical Lineman. I also hold a State Master Electricians License.

[prsman23]

Mobile developer. iPhone and android.


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[FergusonTO35]

My first career was as a car mechanic. Didn't make much money but learned valuable skills that serve me well and have saved thousands of dollars. During that time I earned a B.A. and then an M.A. in History because it is something I love. Got tired of the garage and wanted a predictable paycheck and benefits so I took a basic job as a criminal records clerk for a large police department. Did that for six years and then hit all cherries on the slot machine of job hunting. I went to work as an archivist at our court system's records storage facility which I really like and hopefully can retire from it.

[country gent]

I went to the Local Trade School in the Machine Trades program, Took my first job in a local job shop at around 15 1/2 years old. worked there thru high school then 18 years in a food plants can plant making cans and repairs parts. Went from there to Auto maker parts plant as tool and die maker for 15 years when I medically retired. Ive been a tool and die maker my whole career and really enjoyed it. I did a lot of R&D work at the food plant and new line set up at the auto plant.

[PaulG67]

Spent 40 years as a machinist, mostly for an aerospace forging manufacturer. Am now happily retired since 2014.

[BNE]

Ceramic Engineer from Clemson
2.5 years making spark plugs for Champion Spark Plug in Ohio,
8 years making the tubes for big screen projection tubes in SC for Hitachi
12 years and counting making technical ceramics in SC. Started as a Design Engineer, now the Operations Manager. Fun stuff.

I probably have 20 more years to go!! (At least I hope that is all that will be needed!)

[3band53]

Taught for 30 years many subjects but currently Physical Education.

[tigweldit]

Welder. For a very long time. I'm glad I like welding.

[woodbutcher]

:D Guess that I did a little bit of everything.Started learning mechanical work at 10 years old from my Father on our lawn eqp.Went from there to motor scooters,cycles,cars,light trucks and on to aircraft,marine and farm equipment.10 years doing security,investigation and bodyguard work.That was very interesting work.My primary carry piece was a 1911A1 .45 ACP.
Some retail work in there also,including assistant mgr at a local auto parts house for several years until it was sold.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[white eagle]

Machinist,Bricklayer
10 for the first 20 second now retired

[bob208]

spent first 30 years certified welder. 15 of that welding armor for the government. then learned tool and die making. did that for 10 years. retired now. have my own welding machine shop.

[richhodg66]

Did 24 years in the Army after college. I teach Junior ROTC now for five years.

[rockrat]

Been in the oil patch for 42 years, geologist for 39. Semi - retired, will quit when I die.

[Rufus Krile]

After a 3yr stint in Army Security Agency, I came back to Texas and went to work in the oilfield as a 'drilling fluids technician'. Retired in 2012 after 39yrs spread out from the Rio Grande Valley to Utah to Louisiana. I don't miss it.

[Bzcraig]

Ceramic tile setter, estimator, manager for 15 years, tile contractor for 22 years, police chaplain 7 years, now semi retired working 2 days a week.

[LaPoint]

After Vo-Tech school in the early 80's I worked for Sperry semi-conductor as a process development research tech for a few years. Then a couple more years with a small company that did all sorts interesting things with magnetic media (floppy discs). Since '89 a police officer. Middle School resource Officer for the last 10 yrs. Retirement is 3 bad days away. (Not necessarily 3 days in a row)

[wildwilly]

Aircraft pilot/US Border Patrol: El Centro Sector....retired 15yrs. ago.

[Taylor]

10 years Army (11B),25 years rural mail carrier,retired now.

[Lloyd Smale]

retired electrical lineman/line foreman. 8 years in the service before that.

[TexasGrunt]

Farm worker

Food service

United States Marine Corps

13 years selling hunting and fishing equipment

20 years as a professional blue collar street walker

Now disabled, retired, and casting boolits, reloading, making fishing lures, fishing, shooting.

[shaper]

Out of school into the Air Force as a aircraft mechanic for 8 years. Delta Airlines as a aircraft mechanic, non destructive inspector, pre flight inspector, foreman of the inspector department, retired after 31 years. Now I have a powder coating shop in the back yard and I try my best to get something to grow on this ridge and restore an old Chevy truck.

[smoked turkey]

1969 BSEE from Missouri School of Mines (MSM), then University of Missouri at Rolla (UMR), now Missouri Science & Technology (MS&T). Worked in the power industry for electric utility 30 years doing all sorts of transmission and distribution design and construction. Been retired 19 years. Best job I ever had. LOL.

[flyingmonkey35]

started out in high school selling shoes in my dads shop. joined the Army ntl grd as a MP wound up shooting Cannons.
did 16 years as Security in Casinos, hospitals with 3 working in a Jail.

For the past 9 I've been in computers. currently working for DellEMC. working on muliti million dollar storage arrays.



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[curdog]

I worked 25 years as correctional officer with Ill Dept Corrections. I am retired and I chase whitetail deer with a recurve bow and cast boolits and shoot a lot. The rest of my time I just waste.

[yancey]

Working on my 35th year as a Lineman Catv

[DougGuy]

Went to the shipyard (Ingalls West Bank, Pascagoula MS) lied about my age, time they caught me I was 18 they let me stay. 1st real trade was a burner (cutting with hand and machine torches), loved it, traveled all over the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Seaboard as a burner working in a lot of different shipyards, then went on to fitting, welding, finally pipefitting and pipewelding.

Most fascinating work: I built oil rigs on land at Brown & Root in Houston, went offshore and installed them on their jackets, welded in a pressure vessel shop that built the really heavy vessels, 4" wall thickness was common.

Most enjoyable work: Fitting and welding hi-purity stainless pipe in pharmaceutical plants around the Raleigh area. Clean, out of the weather, light material to work with, GOOD money! Plenty of overtime!

Most hated work: CCO certified crane operator working for KBR. They just ****.

In the middle of all the steel work I managed to play in bar bands 25yrs, toured paying bass with a national act, run my own guitar repair shop and owned a gunsmithing business doing mostly checkering and building 1911s and other specialized jobs.

Cancer took me out of the pipe trades in 2013 so I am mentoring another welder part time and doing some gunsmithing by request.

[Love Life]

Went into the Marine Corps straight out of high school. Been there ever since. 13 years and counting.

[blackthorn]

Raised on a small farm in central Manitoba. Left school at age 17 with a partial grade 11 (knew it all, dontcha know?). Had several short term jobs in the first year or so and then went to work in the plywood manufacturing industry in British Columbia. Married at 20, two boys by 23, active in the local gun club etc. Worked in the plywood industry for 32+ years, the last few were spotty due to company decline. In-between lay-offs, I set up and ran a center for assisting unemployed people with any/all problems related to being without work. This was a great job (but poor pay) because I got to write my own job description. This center, along with 31 others in the province, was initiated and overseen by the BC Federation of Labour but the assistance offered was extended to anyone, Union or not. I wound up managing 8 centers besides my own. My center morphed into a full blown food bank in addition to its prime directive. During this time I learned to represent people on appeal to various agencies such as unemployment insurance, welfare, Pensions, Worker's Compensation etc. I set-up and ran several placement committees for workers displaced through plant closures, as well as sitting as a labour interest rep on several community organizations. In 1991 I applied for and got a position as a labour rep on the Boards of Review dealing with appeals from decisions made by the Workers Compensation system. The last 15 years of my working life I wound up writing decisions with respect to appeals by workers and employers from our Worker's Compensation system. These decisions had to be well enough written to stand alone in the Canadian court system if they were challenged. None of mine ever were. Around the year 2000, I became a Vice Chair with the Workers Compensation Appeal Tribunal and I retired from that position in 2004. Six months later, along with three other retired Vice Chairs, we were re-hired on contract to deal with the large backlog of claims that had built up. I worked from home for the next one and a half years, at which time I retired again. A couple of weeks later I was asked to take on a short term contract advising/representing people on appeal to the Compensation system. I did 2 short term contracts and retired for good. Nowadays I do help the odd person who gets bogged down in the intricacies of the compensation system, but I do it for fun not for money.

[Wayne Smith]

I think we did this once before, ran on to 20 or so pages?

Licensed Clinical Psychologist, for the past 22 years I have been with Christian Psychotherapy Services in Hampton Roads, VA. We are the largest clinical agency in the area with five offices and over 120 therapists, including MD's. I have worked both clinical and forensic psychology and am now beginning to see winding down as a positive.

[Hickory]

Worked a GM iron foundry. If you own a GM product we probably poured the heads, crankshafts, blocks, rearend carrier, intake and exhaust manifolds, disc brakes, and calipers. And other small parts.
We no longer do Detroit Diesel, Toyota, Chrysler, or Honda parts.

[jonp]

We did do this before and I thought it was very interesting to see the varied and high skilled work reloaders and casters did or are still doing. Gun Nuts must be the most well rounded and trained people in the world. If SHTF I'm getting a group of reloaders and casters together. Between all of us we could form a pretty good nation and thriving economy.

Army jumping out of planes and visiting various interesting places doing stuff.

College and Environmental Consultant as staff Biologist and spent time doing that, cruising timber etc out west. I also helped write one of the 10yr management plans for the Grand Canyon which got me an all expense paid whitewater rafting trip down the Colorado and a paid summer camping on the North Rim looking for Goshawks and Spotted Owls

Got in a truck when the Consultant Company went out of business and 3,000,000+ miles later still driving.

Less interesting jobs were janitor, greens keeper, pulp cutter using both a skidder and a Belgium named Clyde, bricklayer/mason's tender, construction, dairy farm help, landscaping, lab tech doing DNA typing, working in an arboretum doing plant ID for expeditions from The Amazon/Congo etc, other stuff..

[Reverend Al]

I spent 5 years working for a local newspaper until it closed it's doors. Then I got my dream job ... I worked the next 38 years in retail sporting goods selling guns, ammunition, reloading equipment, and hunting related gear. It sure was nice to wake up in the morning and WANT to go to work! Been retired for 6 years this month and I have been trying to get in as much range time as possible, but some health issues have cropped up in the past few months which are now cutting into my shooting schedule. Hopefully my cardiologist will get it all sorted out so that I can get back to the range a couple of days a week ...

[Tom W.]

Mostly QC at a sawmill, with a stint as a sawfiler until the mill shut down, then a QA tech at two different chicken plants until my cancer came back. Now I'm retired and disabled and a CPA to my wife. No, that has nothing to do with bookkeeping.:bigsmyl2:
Early in life I worked at a printing factory making the tissue wrappers for toilet paper. Moved to Alabama and got a job installing monuments, later doing the work that is needed to engrave them. For a while I worked in a tire shop, selling, mounting and balancing them. Later I went to work for a bauxite company. Easy and high paying. It ultimately closed,which sent me to the sawmill. I used to get 60 lb. Ingots of pure lead and a lot of nickel Babbitt from our distributor. Casting was really good back then!

[Echo]

Musician in HS & Frosh year in ME, dropped out & joined USAF, was an electronics instructor on the Matador, our first cruise missile, studied and made FCC 2nd Class radio/Phone engineer, OCS, then computers. Communicator in Airborne Command Post system (Looking Glass, our bird was Achieve), back into computers after SEA, after a stretch as MaintCont for 31AD, retired with a new MEd in Psych, then got another MEd in C&G, did the work, including Neuro-Psych testing (Reitan battery), then QC (CQE, CQA, QSA) and international management consulting. Fairly retired, worked as docent driving a tram @ Pima Air & Space Museum, largest private air museum in the world. Totally retired now, casting boolits & chasing n00ky.

[starbits]

20 years in the Army,mostly EOD and ammo storage and supply. Used the GI bill to get a BS in Physics and went to work for one of my professors running his noble gas lab for 6 years. Retired a second time and am just enjoying life.

Starbits

[Biggin]

10 yrs doing concrete work last 16 electrical lineman

[308Jeff]

Apologize this has been done before. I didn't find it in a search.




I probably have 20 more years to go!! (At least I hope that is all that will be needed!)

Same boat as me. :-)

[lightman]

Not a problem Bro, its still interesting!

[OS OK]

Retired Electrical Contractor, specialized in installing factories to make corrugated board, box plants. When my company was young we wired every kind of machine you can think of, I enjoyed working along side with the Millwrights and steam fitters...they taught me a thing or two.
My specialty was AC DC motor controls and power distribution. Factory moves were a favorite. I've taken machinery out of 1/2 the US at one time or another and installed it on the West Coast.
Outside of a hitch in the USMC, electrical work is all I've done since 68 when I graduated HS. Roped houses and apartments back then...hated every minute of it.

[kodiak1]

Heavy Duty Mechanic, Truck Driver, Oilfield Consultant pretty much sums it up.

[dragon813gt]

Field Service Technician for a Swedish company specializing in air treatment. The product line is diverse and it's hard for me to explain it. To simplify it our equipment puts out air at the desired specs. Typically our units have desiccant wheels in them to control dewpoint. The industries that use our equipment is very diverse.

The patents the company holds makes for extremely efficient units. We're selling data center units to the tune of $200 million an order because of this. Lately I've been working on our VOC abatement units. These are predominately used in semiconductor production and paint applications. But if VOCs need to be destroyed our equipment will capture it and burn it up in the oxidizer.

I'm a factory representative that gets sent all over the world. I'm either there for a startup, scheduled maintenance or to troubleshoot. This job is way more fun then my previous one. Was a HVAC service technician for a local company. Served residential through light industrial applications. I don't miss residential customers one bit.

[Hick]

Summertime Forest ranger during my college years, Then Navy Nuc engineer, and 34 years engineering with GE (and 30 of those years I worked on the side as a Square Dance Caller). Degree in Chemical Engineering and not once in my career had a job that required chemical engineering. After retirement from GE taught High school Math and science, then retired again and taught Junior High math & science, then retired again (third time's the charm?). Casting and load development come about a close to chemical engineering as I've ever been. I'm finally actually applying my education to something worthwhile.

[MT Gianni]

My first paying job was at age 5 on the family farm where we raised and sold tomatoes from a street booth and hay and Dairy. Started milking at age 6. Got a town job as a paperboy from 14-15 1/2, then went to work for Dad cleaning sewer drains. At 18 I went to school to be a Diesel Mechanic, worked in the trade for a few years then jumped for a Plumbing apprenticeship. Left that to work as a Serviceman/Pipefitter for a Gas Utility. Stayed with that trade through two companies and 36 years then transferred to Gas Measurement for the last 12 years. I will retire officially July 13 but have been running out leave since April and won't need to go back to sign anything.
In between I volunteered as a Sheriff's Deputy/Search and Rescue, spent lots of hours cooking for groups and wired the house we just moved into. Been married 40 years this year with all the work that entails [probably a lot less than my wifes' efforts]. Helped plant fences, pulled calves, baled hay and just renewed the CDL, though I hope I don't have to use it.

[Spoonerism]

I currently work in a hospital moving patients from room to room. I might stay in the medical field for now, but I'm looking for better work and better pay. If anyone in North East Tennessee is looking to higher, I would be interested.

[JWT]

I have been working as an engineer with industrial machinery since 1989. I started in PLC control designing, supervising construction, writing programs, and starting up paint process, conveyor, and tooling equipment. Before I hired in at GM in 1995, I worked on automotive, military, food, casket, chemical, foundry, and construction machinery equipment. Since I went to GM I have been in the paint process and conveyor worlds. About 10 or 12 years ago I moved to the mechanical side of the business. I spent that time running large projects for GM. So from about 1991 to 2016 I was constantly traveling to wherever the project was. For the last 6 months I have been working on writing standards for GM and sleeping in my own bed every night. I figure I have about 15 years left.

[Moonie]

UNIX/Linux server systems administrator.

[Beagle333]

Big yeller school bus driver for 4 hours a day. The other 5 are with a University in their energy plant.... 'something or other to do with utility location and AutoCAD mapping of it.

[Harter66]

I did an apprenticeship 4 yrs for an airframe and power plant license then 4 yrs on my own . A yr on a car lot . Over that time I spent 9 seasons on AT6 race teams as well . In 95' I went to work humping ammo for Uncle ...... Well all the boys and girls in blue and green anyway . I've got less than a yr here then I can go do something else till I drop one morning putting my boots on .

[mold maker]

The first 8 years I tried everything available from inventory control at an auto dealership to machine operator, without satisfaction. The next 39.5 was spent as a wood carver/pattern maker/mold builder for a plastics mfg. The third week of training the dept supervisor quit and I took over. After retirement in "07 I've done what ever fun things that came along, especially grandchildren.
As life winds down, loading, casting, swaging, loading, and shooting my new toys, are a full-time occupation.
I couldn't have imagined a better life, and wish you all could enjoy its equal.

[jonp]

I find this type of stuff very interesting. The guys and gals that get into casting their own boolits are the very creative type that typically try many types of jobs most of which are figuring out how to get things done or make other things.

Everyone here that has ever said "That doesn't look so hard, I bet I can do that" raise your hand.

[KenT7021]

Twenty years working helicopter weapons maintenance in the Army;thirty two years as a machinist and gunsmith for a firearms manufacturer.Now retired.

[308Jeff]

Amazing diversity, and interesting the paths we've all followed to get to where we are now.


I find this type of stuff very interesting. The guys and gals that get into casting their own boolits are the very creative type that typically try many types of jobs most of which are figuring out how to get things done or make other things.

Everyone here that has ever said "That doesn't look so hard, I bet I can do that" raise your hand.

I do as well.

I'll raise my hand to that. But, although I have found some things to be intimidating before I tried them, I've somehow managed to figure it out.

[therealhitman]

I am a musician. I work regularly on projects of all sizes as a Composer/Producer/Guitarist. I enjoy the flexibility of working in many styles on my session gigs. In the last year I have produced and played on an acoustic project, several pop vocal band albums, a space video game soundtrack and a super fun Prog Rock concept album (featuring Vinnie Appice of Dio and Black Sabbath on drums) for a Sci Fi Publishing and Film Production studio. I still perform live with several bands around the Northwest for corporate parties, festivals, NBA games etc. Pay is always good on the top tier gigs, but the amps keep getting heavier every year.
My day gig also includes running the business at the brick and mortar music store/school I have owned for almost 20 years now. I still teach some guitar and mandolin classes so I find myself at the store for at least a couple of hours most days of the week. Usually when people ask what I do I tell them I play guitar and hang out at the music store all day waiting to be discovered. Wife just rolls her eyes every time.

[trails4u]

Delivered newspapers, Sold auto parts, pumped gas, worked as a machinist building engines for a while....went to school and got a forestry degree while machining, and now have worked the last 22 years in forestry, resource management and rural economic development. It's been a wild ride and I still have no idea what I want to do when I grow up!

[Rick N Bama]

Paying jobs? Grocery Store part-time during my HS years then full time in the store until I went into the USAF. I then worked in a plant where we made Water Tanks for 6 months finally landing a job with the Phone Company. I worked at that for 31 years retiring in '02. Shortly after my retirement I went to work part-time at a Farm Tractor Dealership. Then the owner of a local Computer business found out that I knew how to pull comm wire so I went to work part-time with him helping build his networks. Finally both jobs played out in '11 so now my job is to keep Grandma happy.

[high standard 40]

I'm now retired. I've worn a lot of hats through the years to get here and have a lot of respect for those who know at a young age just what career they want and go for it. Up until the day I retired, I still couldn't think of a job that I would love to do. That being said, I think I rose to the top at every profession I ever tried. Auto mechanic, auto parts sales, sporting goods sales (both retail and wholesale), chemical plant operator, lawn maintenance, and cabinet builder. For the last 15 years before I retired I ran a small "mom & pop" video production business from my home which required me to be a camera operator, sound technician, producer, director, editor, graphic designer, etc, etc. I did it all. So except for the short 1 year stint in the chemical plant, all of my years working involved meeting and dealing with lots of people. Now I don't even answer the phone unless my caller ID tells me that it's someone that I want to talk to. I spend most of my time in my workshop. Wood working, metal working, casting & reloading, and shooting as much as I can.......and hanging out with the grandkids.

[ichthyo]

I am trained as fisheries biologist. What a great decision I made when I decided to go this route. I've been working for 37 years and I still look forward to going to work. I'm at the top of the food chain now so I get to pick and choose what I want to do most days. Nothing beats going out in the field with my staff and working with the fishes. My favorite activity is electrofishing. You never know what will pop up in front of the boat.

[DIRT Farmer]

Started out on the family dairy farm, USMC, some collage [forestry, never worked there] tractor mechinic wharehouse help, carpenter, concrete work, Ag storage and live stock confinment construction company owner cop for 36 years, paramedic for 20 years, coronor for 4 years. I have held mutiple jobs at the same time, some jobs paired well. Through it all I farmed, So just a dirt farmer

[Nueces]

This is more or less what I posted in the other thread, which I can’t locate.

Academic, UT-Austin: BA-Mathematics, BS-Physics, PhD-Physics

Military, 24 years in the Texas Air Guard and Air Force Reserve: machinist, flight line weapons crew member, OCS Tac Officer, maintenance officer, fighter pilot (F-100, F-4, F-16). Retired as a LtCol.

Volunteer: deputy sheriff, director of exhibits at a children’s science museum

Small Time: maker of handgun stocks, tutor of college math and physics

Civilian Professional: Engineering Scientist at an aerospace outfit (yep, rocket science), commercial airline pilot at Continental Airlines (Pacific Rim, Europe, North, Central and South America)

Current: retired!

[MaryB]

37 years repairing/selling electronics from consumer to industrial. Last 6 years I worked were ata casino dong board level repair of the slot machines, rebuilding/upgrading all the signage to LED's, rebuilding the slot machine data room. All the machines sent accounting data to a central collection point, machines spoke RS232 to a RS422 converter that connected to data collection units that could handle 31 slot machines each to down convert the RS422 to RS 232 that went to the accounting collection server that converted it to encrypted Cat5 gigabit network signals that fed the accounting mainframe upstairs... in other words it was a cluster....

Now retired enjoying my hobbies of boolit casting, reloading, long range shooting, ham radio, gardening, cooking, beer brewing... latest project is converting the shed off my deck that used to house the lawn mower and snow blower into an outdoor kitchen/brewery. Thread on that in the Food and Cooking forum!

[reddog81]

Tax accountant for 12 years - specialized in transaction taxes such as sales tax, use tax and motor fuel taxes. Yes, it is exciting as it sounds.... at least it pays well.

I don't mind getting my hands dirty though. I do all my own car or motorcycle repair and maintenance along with loads of remodeling projects.

[Land Owner]

I am a Civil (Terraforming and Structural) Engineer for this Nation's Federal and Private Rocket and Space Programs. I cannot tell you what I have done for the past 30-years because the (Ghostbusters - Don't Cross the Streams) Proprietary Agreements I must sign prevent it. I have been investigated and cleared for security badging everywhere (so many times and in so many places) that it is a wonder why security professionals don't just SHARE their information. This Nation could save TRILLIONS of dollars in that service alone.

[opos]

Well, I always hesitate to answer these kinds of things for fear my friends and neighbors and family will find out the truth...they have all been satisfied that I played piano in a Bawdy house and I never told them different as I didn't want them to be ashamed of what I really did.

I sold voting machines...yes, Votomatic punch card systems...yes the 2000 Florida election type of system...yes, "hanging chads" and "dimpled chads"..no I didn't fix the election...yes I could have....Do I have any Russian connections?..no...Now you know198499

[jbutts6785]

8 years repairing consumer electronics, back when they were repaired. 33 years as a civilian Navy employee. Just put in the paperwork to retire at the end of this year, then I plan to spend a lot more time on the range.

[robg]

Tyre fitter /lorry driver/docker/plumbers mate/mechanic/past 30 years service manager/storeman in a motorcycle dealers.

[popper]

Stock/delivery/sales for light fixture Co. in H.S. MT/FT & telemetry for SAMs in Navy. Elec. const. estimator & Gi bill for the BSEE. 45 yrs developing electronic stuff for a lot of companies. She didn't want me kayaking after I got retired so I decided to shoot. Ammo got expensive so I started casting.
Stuff I got to do? Develop target acquisition for Harpoon, bunch of IR & laser guidance. Star tracker for Cloud Croft Sun Spot(got one of the 2 protos for a laser diode - told NOT to burn it out). Special radios for RCs & AF one. Walk through metal detectors, medical stuff and a bunch of other stuff. Laser experiment to go on the Challenger. Last stint was for 787, 747-8 LED lighting. Always interesting and a challenge. I just keep tinkering. My real interest was to be designing & building race (sports) cars. Like that would pay the bills.

[RGrosz]

Boy were do II start. In HS worked baling hay and shelling corn then worked as a secondary traffic checker. Got a job milking cows. Spent 1 year in collage, didn't make soph. and was going to be drafted. Joined the USAR for a time. They told me I'd be fixing radios. They lied. Sent me to school to run them. Then sent me to school to run a radioteletype machine
Was only going to stay my first 6 years. After 23+ they closed the unit and I lost my slot. I was running the BN, Commo section by then.
As a civilian I've worked as a construction worker, Meatcutter, LEO, Went beck to school got enough credits to get an AA degree in Electric Eng Tech, but didn't get my diploma because in didn't take enough English, Then got a job with a computer company worked at that for 10 years, till they got rid of me. Went back to what I did the second time in collage, and working as a security guard. I'm retired from the Army and drawing SS plan on retiring from work when the better half gets medicare. Been reloading on and off since the mid 70's Casting boolits since the early 80's on and off. When I stop working plan on doing more of that. Also enjoy hunting fishing trapping gardening and a lot of other things.
Rob

[daniel lawecki]

I build automated machinery for big companies around the US and South America. We use Fanuc Robots we put are EOAT on them are website at Kaufman Engineered systems. Check their website for videos.

[MT Gianni]

Tyre fitter /lorry driver/docker/plumbers mate/mechanic/past 30 years service manager/storeman in a motorcycle dealers.

You must be familiar with the old joke "Why doesn't Lucas Motorcycles sell refrigerators?


They can't make them leak oil.

[TexasGrunt]

You must be familiar with the old joke "Why doesn't Lucas Motorcycles sell refrigerators?


They can't make them leak oil.

Why do the English drink warm beer? Their refrigerators are made by Lucas.

http://www4.ncsu.edu/~mtmorris/index3.html

[kingstrider]

I am a dentist in the Navy. Before that I was a dental lab technician and before that I worked as an electrician.

[Snow ninja]

Worked as an EMT for 5 years right out of high school, went to work for a hospital, eventually leading into doing insurance billing for the next 10 (sitting at a desk in a basement for 8 hours or so a day- absolutely hated it) now I've been working as a merchandiser for one of the soft drink companies (won't say which one-don't want to start a fight on here- will say it is for the better one though ;-)). I now make just shy of double what I was at the hospital, and lost 35 pounds as well. Much happier now.

[smokeywolf]

Security, EMT, Bodyguard, Police Officer, Mechanical Engineer-Machinist-Purchasing Manager, Taught AutoCAD, Engineering Consultant

That's not all of it, but most of it. Also worked on a set lighting rigging crew on 3 TV shows and a Stallone movie.

Volunteer: Trained horses for the National Park Service.

[coloraydo]

Well let's see. During high school worked as a sacker at a grocery store. Went to work at a buddie's family construction company running loader, dump truck. Did a two year stint at Texas Instruments, ok but didn't like being cooped up. Insulation installer (hated that), then another const. co. running equipment. Spent a little time in a slaughter house. Went to work delivering drywall, eventually moved up to a manager at a drywall warehouse. When that job closed down, did a stint at a lumber yard then went to work for the county operating heavy equipment, where I started volunteering as a firefighter/EMT. Had the opportunity to go full time at the fire department, been there for the last 17 1/2 years. Another year or so till retirement.

[Hickory]

Sad end.
I mentioned in post #32 that I used to work in an iron foundry, last night was the end of iron production in the Defiance foundry in plant #1.
Here is a short video of the last cupola drop at the Defiance plant.

https://www.facebook.com/tom.taylor.12764/videos/10208131448838880/

[FISH4BUGS]

I am self employed, and proud to say I take money from lawyers! I sell and consult on legal specific pieces of software and have for 34 years. I do a little traveling to client sites so I get out and around. Remote connection software has made my life way easier.
I also manage my old condo building with 41 residential and 5 commercial units. That is actually a pretty easy job because I take the calls and dispatch the workers for repairs/maintenance. I have a great team of plumbers, electricians, contractors, etc. and just have to make a phone call.
Gardening, yard work and taking care of a house built in 1790 takes most of my spare time in the summer. Winters are long and hard here in NH so I cast and reload like a madman during the winter.
I work from home and consider myself a very lucky guy.

[leebuilder]

Worked as a clerk in a grocery store when i was in school. Became a machinist after school, work was slim so i joined the Navy. Served 22 years, seen most of the world and retired as an articifer. Been playing around a local boat yard as a mechanic for the last four years, not many hours now. I putter in my shop machining and fixing old "stuff" for pocket money now.
Not much motivation to work full time for peaple that don't respect skill and accountablity.
Be well

[StratsMan]

As a teen, worked at my uncle's Schwinn store. In college, found my way into the water ski manufacturing industry (albeit a small one), which led into other fiberglass manufacturing work for a few years.

Worked at an import company for a couple of years, which nearly filled up a passport with travel in Asia.

Ended up at a large airplane company for the last 20 years, where I currently build Flight Simulators...

[Smoke4320]

Started at 10 years old diving for golf balls from golf course ponds and selling them to Golfers
at 14 the course owner said I was cutting into his profits and hired me as a trainee to repair golf carts
left at 18 for college met my wife, at 20 started as a warehouse manager for a large regional plumbing distributor
started racing sports cars for a living (drive on the weekend reg job during week) the time before all the TV and sponsor work was needed during week .. Industrial accident, compression fracture of 1st and 3rd vertebrates ended the racing
spent next 10 years as warehouse manager , then 15 years as a Chem lab manager
since then its been running my own small gun shop and paintball fields plus designing and manufacturing upgrades for both fields plus selling powdercoating powders and 3D printed parts