What Do You Do?

[kiotiken]

I'm sorry for the confusion...but I meant neglecting mention of education in the writeup. I did get a BS in Animal Science and a BS in Electrical Engineering during those years. Apparently I should have taken more classes in composition.

A thoughtful, hardworking man with a good mind can educate himself. It used to be the norm in this country many years ago. I have met folks with the intelligence, work ethic, and dedication to educate themselves. I wish I were that good, but I have to admit...I cannot walk THAT tall. I salute people like that.:thumbsup:

Interesting, that clears up a few questions I had with your original post. I was wondering how one goes from "Machine shop flunky" to "Sub station transformer designer" in one step!

 

[kiotiken]

I'm an independent IT consultant doing software application design and development, mostly web based. I started off 14 years ago as an employee fresh out of school doing Lotus Notes application development. I worked for a few different companies for a couple of years before the tech bubble burst shortly after Y2K, then went out on my own and haven't turned back. I've done work for a lot of big companies on both sides of the boarder as well as federal departments and crown corporations. I'm just finishing up 3+ years for CIPO (Canadian Intellectual Property Office - think patents, copy rights, trademarks, industrial design) for all the folks posting copy righted shop manuals :laughing: I'm planning to take the summer off to spend with my wife who's a teacher and my kids. Oh ya, I might be able to find a few minutes to go work (read play) on the tractor.

 

[EE_Bota]

Interesting, that clears up a few questions I had with your original post. I was wondering how one goes from "Machine shop flunky" to "Sub station transformer designer" in one step!

I may very well be the world's worst writer.

Even the phrase "machine shop flunky" was meant to make very sure folks would not think I was a machinist...since I have more respect for a machinist than to say that I can be considered one.

And that was a fabulous opportunity for me. I got to do a great deal of machining where real machinists took the time to check my setup and give me pointers, review my work, and teach me anything they felt like teaching.

 

[CAgnoli]

I've been an IT professional for almost twenty years. I currently work for Cisco Systems, as a Consulting Systems Engineer, and my primary responsibility now is training out partners in our collaboration (and video) technology.

Pretty cool gig, I work from home and use a 24" high definition video conferencing unit to interact with the partner community. As an added bonus, at 5:15 every day I just close the laptop lid and go outside to do some tractoring.

 

[roygage]

I own and manage a small, five of us, auto and light truck repair business. My daughter is the office manager, my son works in the shop. Nice business, been in it for 26 years. Everything paid for.

Rental houses and four pony's and two horses occupy my spare time.

 

[jimmyj]

When I was in high school I worked part time in a pet shop. I was the fish guy more than anything else.

After high school I got a job managing a pet food and supply store so I could save up for University or College. Well, I never left the place and went through a variety of jobs including store manager, franchisee trainer, region manager and so on right up to VP of Operations.

After 26 years of that I was burnt out so I quit and bought my own franchise and my wife and I really enjoy it. We like pets and dealing with people and just 1 year in we are about to buy our 2nd store location.

I probably would have been a farmer except my dad died when I was 7 years old and we had to leave the farm. My mother could not raise 2 young kids and look after the farm on her own at that time.

Cool thread.

 

[JDgreen227]

As for me, I listed my main vocation, the one I spent the longest time at and retired from. While I had a number of other jobs during high school and after graduation, I saw little reason to list them.

But if I did:

Lawn mowing

Bag boy/cart grabber at supermarket

Tree sprayer for power company

General labor doing digging, etc. for gas station sign and light installation

Car wash attendant

Scrap metal salvager

Postal clerk

Electronics board assembler

Picking up Goodwill donations from drop boxes

Rental clerk for Avis

Lube technican at Shell

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Grew up in dairy farming country and had teenage jobs working from cleaning out stalls to bringing in crops.
Father had a machine shop so I got hands on training with that.
Military decided I'd make a better data analyst so I did that most of the time; with side jobs of guard duty, and handling the unit's classified data.
Got my bachelor's, retired from the military, and went to work as a network and database administrator.
Got my Masters, and currently doing data mining and system administration for a hospital.
I garden, hunt, fish, and do honey-do jobs when I'm not "at work".

 

[flatpik6]

Spent most of my career in various forms of retail management. In Feb. of 2011 I started my own company and now I guess I am an entrepenuer of sorts. I own or am a partner in several companies but my primary activity is spent with our chain of Convenience Stores/Gas Stations in Florida. Always looking for the next fun opportunity.

 

[tommu56]

Ive been in maintenance mostly in the printing industry.
It's been electrical in the early years to electrical and mechanical repair and maintenance in the middle now on to plc / hmi programing and project planing and execution.

When we bought our first house the first day we were moving in the farmer next to me cows got out I put them back in and fixed the broken fence.

When he got home from work he came up and introduced himself and thank me while talking he realized I had been a volunteer fireman and had just joined the local company and he was one of the Asst Chief's and ironically a maintenance mechanic for a different printing company.

For next 25 years he was like my 2nd dad we worked together hobby farming his land pure enjoyment for me kept us in beef and fresh vegetables.

I was the first person his wife called for help whe he had a hart attack I was performing cpr on him till the ambulance got the and he didn't make it to the hospital the loss was just like loosing my dad all over.

I miss the hay season even with my horrible hay fever with him bailing me cutting for tomorrow and us throwing bales till dark.

tom