What Do You Do?

Baby Grand · Apr 6, 2012

I'm a design engineer in the aerospace industry, but knocked around for many years before finally settling into this line. Prior to engineering I was in Industrial Design. I've worked as a truck driver for building supply and moving companies. Worked a half year as a designer/fabricator/mover/installer/operator in the haunted house industry. Worked as a weldor in companies making industrial furnaces, drycleaning equipment and oil field/forestry equipment. Worked a lot of retail jobs and was a pretty good paperboy, back in the day.

What I learned is that no job is forever, so learn as much as you can, especially about things that can be applied in other fields.

Lately, very small scale farming is getting a lot of my attention.

We cannot have all things to please us,
No matter how we try ...

Soggy Bottom Outdoors · Apr 6, 2012

I grew up on a traditional Kentucky cattle and tobacco farm that has been in my family since 1824. Tobacco has fell away in large part so we switched to vegatables at a road side stand. I graduated in 1989 from Western Ky University with a degree in Ag Ed. Most of the years since then I have been involved in retail farm supply store management and recently have returned to education as a high school agriculture teacher. Still farming, several acres of row crops, several head of Angus X cows and of course vegatables. Hobbies, hunting, fishing, bowfishing, restoring antique farm equipment, geneology and civil war history related to my ancestors and my area.

RoyJackson · Apr 6, 2012

I've been in Quality Assurance (various industries) for the last 30 years. The last 3 years (after the 2008 Financial meltdown), I worked as an independent contractor (still the QA field). That's drying up around my area now, so I applied for and got accepted as a DoD QA specialist. That's still a ways down the road due to pre-employment requirements (clearance)...so, right now I just want a temp job to fill the time and pay a few bills. I did have one...got all pumped up for it, then it turned out the supplier I would have been working for lost the contract. That was a bitter surprise...

Bigfoot62 · Apr 6, 2012

I own/drive a tractor/trailer dump truck. That pays the bills so I can farm.

rsewill · Apr 6, 2012

I am a retired truck driver. Started when I was 16 working summers for an electrical contractor doing light delivery and moved to big trucks at 18 hauling sand and gravel. I've been in the trucking business in some form since then until I retired this last fall at 61. I did take a few years off in the early '90's to be a homemaker for our two kids. The kids turned out great but the homemaking part left something to be desired.

DKCDKC · Apr 6, 2012

Grew up on a farm that had been in the family 6 generations. It was a productive general farm with a brood Hereford herd, and lots of equipment. I foolishly ran away to college and majored in physics, but never used the science. Became a reporter then PR guy. Ended my career as a speechwriter and corporate webmaster. Retired to a municipal PIO job, loved it for 7 years. Retired again to write and manage the part of the old family farm I inherited. Love that even more. Don't know what I'll do next.

hardtack · Apr 6, 2012

Retired 10 years ago from the computer industry. Work most of the time for NCR configuring and installing mainframes and Mini's. Also, tuning and adjusting operating systems for performance. Specialized in retail and hospital systems.

Enjoying working outdoors in the woods and some wood working in the shop now. Much more satisfying.

dodge man · Apr 6, 2012

I am a land surveyor, and I've been licensed for about 20 years. My degree is in civil engineering. I've worked for the same company for 28 years. My company is also a civil engineering company, so about half my time is boundary work, and the other half civil engineering projects. We also do a lot of construction layout, so I've helped build some roads, bridges, factories, water and sewer plants etc. I've spent most of my time working in the Macomb Illinois area, but have worked as far north as west central Wisconsin, and as far south as the St. Louis area.

rmk700 · Apr 6, 2012

Grew up on a farm but became a Heavy Equipment Operator, mostly large trackhoe. Been doing this for about 25 years now and for the most part, still not sick of it.

Zebrafive · Apr 6, 2012

At 14 I worked for a retired farmer. He taught me to drive his car and AC WD45 tractor. I think he really wanted to mentor someone, more than needed the help.

At 17 I work for a motorcycle dealership, odd jobs, assembling motorcylces from the shipping crates.

At 19 I got a factory job, paper mill, making raw pulp to paper.

Then still at 19 I got an apprenticeship at GM. I worked there 37 years, all skilled trades, and went thru two plant closings. Not wanting to move, I did not transfer to a third GM plant, so I was laid off when the plant closed, then retired at 56. When the lay off benefits ended your choice was quit or retire.

Currently, retired, unemployed (not looking for work) and loving it!

trook · Apr 6, 2012

Police Officer and Deputy Sheriff the first 6 years, Court Administrator the last 13 years.

Rivertripper · Apr 6, 2012

Retired from the Coast Guard after 20 years of service. Now a technical writer for a company that manufactures laser aiming devices, thermal and I2 sights, and laser rangefinders for the military.

RPW · Apr 6, 2012

Retired from the Army 20 years, mostly computers, computer geek 24 years, mostly hardware/network and plan on retiring in another 8 years.

redsox1 · Apr 6, 2012

State Trooper going on 26 years now, contemplating when to retire and "work" full time around the house.

polo1665 · Apr 6, 2012

I've been working in a vacuum casting foundry since I was 21 (26 years now). The first three or four years as a furnace operator, since then a foreman.

Dutch445 · Apr 6, 2012

As many might know, I've been selling the toys we all play
with for 14 yrs now (same dealer).
before that, sold cars for 7 years, insurance for 4 years.

before that (back in the 80s), i was a factory worker that moved into
maintenance, and even the machine shop of one factory.
I always liked taking stuff apart, and now
i usually can get it back together again too!

glkingar · Apr 7, 2012

Like Bucktaker I am a former Aegis Fire Control Tech in the Navy. Worked as machinist/welder before that. After the Navy worked on the same stuff as a defense contractor for 12 years. After that went into data center support specializing in data protection and restoration. I am now disabled/retired and keeping busy as a handyman while building a house for my family. Many years ago I worked on my uncles farm. Am glad to be back in the seat of a tractor again even if it is a little smaller. I have one of the hilliest rock crops in NW Arkansas. It is so prolific people think I had it hauled in.

bigbull338 · Apr 7, 2012

lets see grew up in the dairy business.an did that for 16yrs till we decuided to sell the milk cows an quit.been running beef cattle for the last 12yrs,an a reg beefmaster herd since 2007.all told been in cattle for 47yrs.

RaydaKub · Apr 7, 2012

Officially, I farmed for 4 years while going to college. In reality, my dad did more work then than when I was home and in high school. But it helped pay the tuition bills better because of spreading the tax base.

I just passed 28 years with IBM as an electrical engineer, now doing mostly software testing.