Do you enjoy your job?

[Lineman North Florida]

Thanks for all the replies. I had no idea this would be so interesting when I started this thread. I'll elaborate a little more on my career.

I started working at 10 years old pulling weeds in rice fields, and worked my way through college doing that. I loved farming and wanted to be a rice farmer.

My first 2 years after college, I worked at the LSU Rice Research station doing research on rice fertilization. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot, but wasn't really happy there.

After that, I worked for 3 years as Farm Manager at the UL Lafayette model farm. That was fun too, but I really wasn't happy there either.

Then, I got a job at a large farm supply company and worked as a dispatcher and salesman for 5 years, then they moved me to manager of one of their stores in a small town. That was lots of fun too, but I was tired of working for others, and wanted to own my own business. So, after 16 years with that company, I bought an existing lawn care business.

Three days after buying the lawn care business, I figured out the business did not exist. I hired a lawyer and filed criminal charges against the seller, and ended up getting my money back. Then, now at age 43, I started knocking on doors and finding work for my lawn care business.

Now, 18 years later, I no longer mow lawns, but we still do a little bit of landscaping. Most of my work is with high schools, universities, and municipalities doing athletic field maintenance and renovations and construction. I call this my version of farming. I get to plant, grow, fertilize, spray the fields, just like if I were farming crops. The big differences in what I do vs. traditional farming, is that I can name my price. And I don't harvest anything.

I really enjoy my work now, especially when I can spend a day spraying fields, or laser grading on my tractor.

And I am rich beyond my dreams. I don't have a lot of money, but I have lots of happiness, and that makes me feel very successful.

Your last sentence is really what is important , that makes you so very fortunate.

 

[coobie]

Retired at age 56 from electric lineman work after 38 years.Went back as a contractor(25-30) hours per week) after only 3 months of retirement to the same company.Now at age 62 fully retired July 1st 2020..

 

[fried1765]

Do I enjoy my current job? YES, MOST definitely. I'm retired. My current job - entertain myself. I'm great at it and completely enjoy it.

Same here.
You have been doing it for longer than I though.
I am just beginning my 21st year, and very much enjoying working to perfect the concept.

 

[Hay Dude]

Same here.
You have been doing it for longer than I though.
I am just beginning my 21st year, and very much enjoying working to perfect the concept.

Could you jump into a cockpit and still fly?

 

[oosik]

Yes - we were EXTREMELY fortunate and I never forget that fact. We made an unrealistic profit on the sale of our house when we left Alaska in '82. We moved down here to the 80 acres that we already owned. The entire profit from the sale of our AK home was reinvested in the house and property here.

So...... seems like just last week but I've been retired 38+ years now. I was 40 when I retired. We had an opportunity at that time and it was either take the chance then or wait until I was 65. Obviously - I've never regretted that decision.

 

[Quroro]

To be honest, I really like my job

 

[MossRoad]

Could you jump into a cockpit and still fly?

More importantly, could he still land. :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

One of my first jobs was at an airport. There was something on the wall about old pilots never die, they just become tail draggers.

 

[dragoneggs]

I love my job... well it hasn't been so fun recently due to Covid as I travel globally extensively and that's not happening now! I am a degreed Mechanical engineer and spent 16 years at a very large aircraft company as a structural/stress engineer, went into management and started climbing the corporate ladder. Became disenchanted and unhappy with cubical life and moving further away from the actual engineering.

I finally got the guts to leave the security and stock options and joined a very small family owned aerospace speciality fastener company. I love working out of my house, setting my own schedule and travel... and have been doing this for 20 years. We have grown the company from 40 to 550 people in my time. Lots of incredible travel experiences and I have been fortunate to bring my wife on many wonderful adventures all over the world.

Figure I have 5 years or so before I try to hang it up if things go as planned. I have so many hobbies that I will never get bored. Woodworking, photography, welding, BBQing, landscaping (with tractor of course), shrimping, crabbing, wanna bigger boat... Only question is if I will have the money to support my addictions.

 

[bunyip]

Forensic Psychologist and semi retired, will work if coaxed and offered enough which happens when a major profiling job comes along, work one day a week if pushed but prefer my tractor and horse time now then cooking for the family, ye gods and little fishes I have turned 70 and should have pulled the pine years ago but the bastards won't let me go.