Often in the links comment threads, Glibs mention various aspects of their employment lives. It got me wondering what all everyone does, and for whom.*
Do you work for a small, medium, or large company? Is it multinational or local? Are you self-employed? Are you government-employed? Student? Retired? Independently wealthy?
Are you a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker?
I’ll start. I am self-employed. I work as both a professional artist and I help clients solve various business and marketing challenges through my digital strategy company.
UPDATE! This was so interesting and something to which the community may want to refer in the future, so I’m linking it permanently in the website front page side bar, just above the Recent Comments section.
Thank you! I loved learning about all the interesting stuff everyone does and getting to know you better.
*Yes, I’m expecting many replies to be, “Fuck off, Slaver!”
Reservist and filthy, filthy contractor. Can’t seem to get Defense-related work outta my blood. Just a calling in one way or another, although I’d like to get more hands-on in a few years – get out from behind a desk and something in a shipyard or something similar.
To clarify a little further – previous Army Enlisted (active and reserve – intel type), previous contractor for Northrop Grumman, former Navy Officer active (SWO type), now Navy officer Reserve (still SWO type in a very non-SWO type billet) and contracting for another company that’s solid but which I will leave un-named for the moment.
What’s an SWO type?
Single white otherkin.
Surface Warfare Officer (I think. Not a navy type.)
Jesse will be disappointed.
I’m always disappointed
That’s awesome. That way, you’re never disappointed.
“That’s awesome. That way, you’re never disappointed.”
I can’t shake the feeling that you could’ve done better.
Yeah…generic “navy officer” – drive ships, try not to run into things (I was ordnance officer on one ship, fire control officer on another, and then an instructor before leaving active duty).
Do you live in NOVA?
Not any more thankfully – that was my first contracting gig. Cville now.
Ah, better, for you.
*Yes, I’m expecting many replies to be, “Fuck off, Slaver!”
Not from me. I run a small manufacturing company that has (happily) outsourced a ton of functions to partners. Tiny company but we do some pretty good numbers.
I love watching films about how stuff is made.
I can’t believe How It’s Made is still on – used to watch that a lot years ago.
Oh, I don’t know that. I should look for it. Don’t really watch TV. But I’d watch that.
Occasionally, the Science Channel will run a marathon that lasts a couple of days.
The best part is seeing all the crazy industrial machines. As a programmer of a totally different kind, I’m impressed by the programming that must go into making those things work.
I’ve done that type of programming, for about 10 years, fun stuff.
In my youth I worked maintenance at a factory for a short stint. The mechanics there were fucking brilliant. Even the guys that never dealt with computer controlled machines.
Quick plug for James Burke’s Connections (mainly series 1) on YT.
And for Day the Universe Changed, although I haven’t seen either one in twenty years.
It was a staple of my kids’ nap times.
I love How It’s Made.
You’ll love this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMJk4y9NGvE
Manufacturing porn. It never gets boring.
I’m an engineer at a manufacturer of high speed production equipment. Here is a video of one of our machines on How It’s Made. Disclaimer: this is an old machine, our modern machines are faster, cleaner, and more technologically advanced. So don’t judge me.
Law talkin guy. Small firm.
What flavor?
Likewise, but as a solo attorney. I get the following as my regular bread and butter: divorce/family law; criminal defense; neglect/abuse/child protective cases (defending! or representing the kids, never the state); real estate & estate planning.
I work for myself. Independent consultant (quality systems and compliance issues for medical device and biotech industries), author, lecturer, traveler & woods bum. Really looking forward to that nice deduction for pass-through businesses. All that on top of remaking the world in my image.
Mrs. Animal runs a small publishing company.
That’s all interesting. On what do you lecture? I’ve clicked over to your website a few times, but don’t recall a speaker reel.
If you’ve seen Saturday Gingermageddon, you’ve seen the important stuff.
Mostly cause analysis and failure investigations. My web site doesn’t have any of my professional stuff on it, I keep that separate.
Retired about a year now from one of the big defense contractors. Can’t lay claim to any $600 toilet seats,but I did get a design change in that kept us from building what would have likely been a $600 screwdriver.
Thank you! /taxpayer
I’m not sure. I work for a company that was bought by a national company, but we still seem to work independently. I’m not really even sure who my boss is, so that’s good. I get people high for a living.
Elevator operator?
You win this round! CRNA, in truth.
I had to look up CRNA. I didn’t know it existed. When is it appropriate to use an anesthesiologist instead of a CRNA?
“I get people high for a living.”
Pain management is no good to me, I need a 19th century cardiologist stat!
CNC programmer for a local manufacturing company. I’m one of approx. 300 employees spread between 3 facilities in North Dakota. We do contract work, but our bread and butter is oil field products. We have a good presence in western NoDak and we are currently expanding into other oil plays around the country.
Tell the truth. You’re a high-priced gigolo.
Well I can’t really talk about it, but let’s just say I have lady friends…who have a lot of money…and we sometimes get naked together…and they give me some of their money. That’s all I’m saying about that.
Mike on the way to work.
What brand CNC machines do you work with. I have done g code programming on Fanuc, Mitsubishi, and HAas machines over the years. I like fanuc. Most of the fanuc controllers I worked with were on Mori-Seiki machines.
A Haas mill and a Haas lathe. I really like them. And I have a ton of respect for what Gene Haas has done. It’s truly a great American success story and it should get more press than it does.
But I digress. I also program a Trumpf laser and a Cincinnati laser. But those you don’t really need to know g-code since the the software does it all for you.
Where I used to work, we had a very old and often problematic Haas milling machine. At some time before I worked there, a Haas service technician had come to my plant and worked on the machine. When he left, he left behind his field service technicians manual.
Holy shit, that thing was a gold mine. It was the most detailed troubleshooting manual I have ever seen. For the next couple years I worked there, any time that particular machine had problems, I would reference that manual amd have the machine running again in a matter of minutes.
I’ve never seen a field technicians manual, but even the stuff they freely give away is pretty darn good. The have a website full of “tips and tricks” in addition to a lot of standard reference material.
The field manual made troubleshooting so easy that a layman who could read a meter could do it. It was literally, if x problem occurs, pit you meter from terminal x to terain al y. if x voltage is read, then do y.
It was great. I didn’t even have to use my brain to troubleshoot it.
Jeebus. If I were a business owner, I would gladly pay thousands for that book.
I’m a deep cover alt right plant charged with stealthily swinging minarchist opinion into the ethno state camp.
And You will Die!
Wait, you get…paid for that?
I wish writing smutty novels and publishing others’ very niche literary works paid my bills, but it doesn’t, so…
I format ebooks, design print books, do a little cover designing, edit and proofread, and otherwise hold authors’ hands and walk them through the self-publishing process. I also have a couple of nonprofit clients for whom I run their publishing divisions, including managing their web storefronts. I very often have to tell my clients, “Cheap, fast, good: pick any two.” Fortunately, they usually pick fast and good.
Sing it, Sister! I have that sign on the wall behind my desk.
You would not believe how many times someone says, “You’re too expensive; I hired somebody else” and two months later, they’re in my inbox begging me for help.
Yes. Yes, I would.
That’s how a good business operates IMO
I do editing, too. Also, narration for audio books. Reading other people’s work doesn’t give me much hope for mankind.
Dude, we need to chat. I hate editing and proofreading in the worst way and I would like to be able to farm some of it out.
I’m looking to farm work out myself. Get people asking me to hook them up with work all the time. “But I want to do what you’re doing!” is usually the response I get from kids in their 20’s. Why would I hook them up with a job I want to do? I arranged for this guy to meet a publisher friend of mine, but when he found out he’d being starting on the bottom rung, he blew the meeting off without telling the guy. About six months later, he went to the company on his own and inquired about openings. Christ, what an asshole. They called me as a reference. “No. I don’t recommend that guy.”
What an ass.
I’ve actually tried to train people to do what I do to get some of this off my plate, but this is super specialized and I’m a shit teacher, so I stopped doing that.
I have enough fun proof reading my students’ papers.
You teach a real subject. Imagine the papers if you didn’t.
Are there more joint burns or beer stains on their papers?
Switched to online submissions years ago so avoid that.
I forget I’m old. Wrote my senior thesis in Uni on an electric typewriter.
Heh, yeah. “Online” didn’t exist when I was in college.
Same. ‘Doing a line’ did, though. So we had that.
Wrote mine on a wide-carriage Imperial 66, and hand-justified the text.
That’s one of those that would get the striking bars twisted up if you didn’t leave enough time between strikes, right? Think that is what we used in typing class in high school. That class was the most useful one I took while there.
*reads earlier comment* well if you stopped reading Mein Kampf.
Quick OT: a friend of mine found a signed copy of Mein Kampf in a bookstore in Moab, UT.
Signed by whom?
Schickelgruber?
Some small time artist.
I’d love to do the audio book for Mein Kampf.
Marketed as a sleep aid? I tried to read it once. Perhaps it lost something in the translation,
but from what I’ve seen from other sources, it was pretty turgid in the original too.
looking for a Heart attack? that’s how you get a heart attack
You know who else signed a book about a hardship in their life?
Rigoberta Menchú
God damn.
Richard Henry Dana?
One of my favorites.
Truly a classic. I have a 1927 edition with lithos. Plus a cheap paperback copy to throw in my sea bag.
Marlee Matlin?
It seems like the people I work with usually go with “none of the above”.
Software developer at a large, multinational financial services firm. I started in 1998 when my company was less than 100 employees and I was a temp in the mail room. That company grew to 1,500 employees and we were absorbed by Megacorp a few years ago.
Did they pay for your programming education, or was it something you already had or earned on your own? (Note: Education does not equal degree/certification in my book.)
Self-taught at home. I got out of the mail room into the Underwriting department but that wasn’t for me. A friend who went the CS route in college inspired me.
The company does pay for classes but nothing IMHO that approaches the depth (OK, obsessiveness) you need at the beginning.
That’s how I did it. Codeschool.com, O’Reilly publishing, and the fact that most of what you need to create web stuff is free. Scraping money together doing temp contracts for whatever I could talk my way into while I pursued a useless degree in political science eventually got old enough that I decided there was a niche I had some talent in that I might be able to do well at if I hunkered down and learned.
It’s infuriating when I hear from some people in the industry that they look down on people who are self-taught. I usually say something like, “Yeah, I know, right? As far as I’m concerned I won’t even speak to someone who doesn’t have a React JS certification from an accredited university.” That usually shuts them up.
I’ve never seen that. But I’ve been in “enterprise” my whole career. As long as it works in some half-assed fashion, nobody cares.
It might be more common among government contractors. Also, my exposure to it is through web development, which is a different animal in many ways. Every recruiter I’ve ever dealt with has cautioned me against using the phrase, “self-taught” and saying something like “on-the-job training”. I’ve taken to using that as something of a shibboleth; if that’s going to be a drawback for a potential employer, I’m not going to fit in there.
In my (limited) experience interviewing coders, official schooling means nothing. The most important thing I look for is a desire to learn new things. School has nothing to do with that.
Went to city hall with the wife the other day. Waiting and waiting. We look around and all the people working there are busy faking like they’re busy. “I bet they all went to elite universities.” My wife disagreed. Fine. I went up and asked three of them. 2, Tokyo University and the other Waseda. Total fucking waste.
Help desk surfer, and programmer, I work at a small company for case management software. I also run a very small start up app company, that is still under development.
Do you need investors? /destitute artist
Yes, and we are looking to set up partnerships with artists, though that still hasn’t been fully fleshed out.
Systems engineer at a very large corporation.
CEO of CompuGlobalHyperMegaNet.
That’s very impressive. I’d like to get in on that. What is your company’s ticker symbol?
$$$$
I got bought out by MSFT in 1998. There was a documentary about it.
a dramatic re-enactment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H27rfr59RiE
Don’t queer the deal!
Mailroom clerk as my stable, makes-rent job. Framing and drywall for spending money. Student for someday money.
I’ve done just about everything it seems. Currently doing database work, but would prefer to do systems architecture.
Have a law degree, and plan on getting a Wisconsin law license once my financial troubles are completely cleared up.
Working on a server oriented linux distribution with the intention of competing with redhat. Have semi-seriously
considered chucking it all and selling woodcrafts (spice racks, cribbage boards, jewelry boxes, that sort of thing),
but I don’t think I could really make enough money doing that. I’ve previously done many other things, but sometimes
it feels like those things were a lifetime ago.
I bet you’d make a killing on Etsy. Or at least vacation money.
I’d hit up the local craft type fairs and farmer’s markets too. I’d get a lot of play in Madison
with the whole “local” racket. I’ve got 10 board feet of some fancy african hardwood,
so I’m going to give a jewelry box a try.
Serious question: have you looked into writing case management software for law firms?
Every lawyer I know complains about whatever it is that they use….
I’ve thought about it. The main problem is I’m not very good at interfaces, since I can read, I’m happy with the
unix style of interface. Most lawyers, otoh, are functionally illiterate when it comes to computers. I’d
probably need an interface guy, and 6 months funding to do it right. Case management is essentially
(or should be) a very tightly integrated calendaring, document management, and contacts database
system. Not hard in principle, but I can see a lot of fiddly work filing down the rough edges between the
three.
My wife’s firm uses Clio. There’s gotta be something better…
Hmm. Maybe nine months. I’d like to spend three months interviewing
lawyers, paralegals, and legal secretaries about their existing software
and how it sucks.
Yep. Always talk to the area experts before trying to figure out the use cases.
There is. PracticePanther.
Most lawyers, otoh, are functionally illiterate when it comes to computers.
This!!! Most of my coworkers have STEM degrees and are still pretty much functionally illiterate when it comes to computers. We’re using a database that was designed in the 90s, and I have to manually populate my document templates because the DB doesn’t have an API, and I don’t feel like spending 40 hours writing a screen scraping program.
The USPTO’s system is even worse. Up until last year they communicated with us using unsearchable PDF files. They just upgraded to sending us Word docs.
If I weren’t slammed with legal work, I’d be writing automation software, because I could probably automate my secretary’s job and half of my own job with 100 hours of coding.
Man, you’d hate me. Not a lawyer, but I’m the guy that says to the IT guys, “I don’t really like this. Doesn’t feel right. Can you do it again?”.
Asshole and client means the same thing. Sure we can do it again, your money. Or maybe you’re that other guy.
Government worker. I’m really sorry to say this, but it’s not my money.
I remember you!
I’m cool with technophobes as long as they don’t get in the way of upgrading the tech. At the law firm I worked at during school, they were still working primarily by accordion folder, despite owning a system that made the accordion folder redundant. Why? Because the old fogy partners preferred to get their pens and dictaphones out and do it the old fashioned way. They wouldn’t let the firm upgrade to paperless.
At least at my current company everything is electronic. The hard part is administrative inertia. Every decision needs to be checked at 3 or 4 different levels of manager, so your really cool idea for improving the technology has a 6 month approval process prior to designing the rollout plan.
Oh you’re a patent lawyer are you?
I’m semi-retired, working part-time as a consultant for a decent-sized ($4bn in sales) wine and spirits retailer.
We’ll make sure to invite you to the next GlibFest!
Former UK Govt. Drone.
Former Packet-Switched/Satellite Comms Nerd in UK financial industries.
Former Tech Operations Director for Global Hedge Fund
Current Lead Technical Architect at a primarily US-Based Hedge Fund
Any experience with microwave towers?
Long time ago, specced and source a triangulated microwave P2P for our Zurich office, but the hardware’s come a long way since then. Other buildouts incorporated MW as a general peering solution, but my primary involvement was at the protocol level.
How many pigeons you wanna fry anyway?
This is a good read.
That dark network has been in place for a lot longer that HFTs have been around, but yes. Some of those links are (many times) upgraded versions of systems I was involves with. One of the issues with latency is that you just can’t get around natural artifacts such as rain fade, but I can confirm that – for example – London to Brussels over TANGERINE is under 2ms which is getting awfully close to the theoretical limit.
The 600lb gorilla in the room is, of course, that TANGERINE isn’t being used by HFTs. One of the keys is when you start grouping all the connections by the naming convention used. Then look at the end points and use some imagination. You have named ones like TAT-14, whicha re inevitably sponsored by and built out by national PTTs for general commercial use. You can see artsy-fartsy names – and intuit who came up with them.
One job I had was naming bearers in the early days, and my boss at the time wondered why I hadn’t come up with a consistent naming convention, so I had to point out that a naming convention implies a functional connection. Many of my names have become history, but a few persist.
Good luck with a microwave link over the Atlantic. Wouldn’t have to worry about trees growing in between the dishes at least.
That’s why all those microwave links terminate at Portishead and Burnham-on-Sea on the English Channel.
I’m not reading this thread because it will make me feel too insecure
Yeah, I’m already regretting it. DO ANY OF YOU PEOPLE THREE-DAY BINGE DRINK?
I do, but I don’t get paid for it.
On second thought I do, since I’m usually on PTO when I binge drink.
When I binge drink, I usually end up on PTO.
Yeah, if spreading it out over five evenings Mon thru Fri counts.
Three hour? Yes. Three day? Not even a little bit.
Yes.
Seriously! I bet the typical response on here is something like:
Own my own engineering firm, working on my latest novel, and remodel jets for extra cash.
Please. Most of us have been through the wars. I suspect the grind is what made us libertarians.
You might find one or two Buckaroo Banzai types, but they won’t be the majority. We’ve just been in the game long enough to fix the fuck-ups.
I just don’t play well with others, and I am utterly weaponless/helpless/hapless in the face of female office politics.
What, you never heard of a functional alcoholic. I ain’t saying it’s easy.
Only in Las Vegas.
Hey! Vegas is a family destination!
Pizza maker, tire warehouse, roofing, projectionist in movie theater, set worker for Broadway musicals, call center, bartender. That’s just to start. Working in the tire warehouse was the only job that was truly soul crushing.
Overnight hotel clerk is kind of soul-crushing – did that for years – although the frequent dealing with sketchy characters in rough neighborhoods will keep you on your toes.
You’re right. Dealing with weirdos is much worse. Physical pain goes away.
Not as soul-crushing as aluminum can recycling… because that’s soda-pressing.
Hey! I did that, too. One was at a hotel near LAX, one in West LA not far from UCLA, and one just south of the Sunset strip. Needless to say, the LAX hotel was where we got some sketchy characters. Yikes!
Once upon a time, after Uncle Sam paid for my education bills in return for some service, I was an AE/EE and worked on aircraft engines, and primarily did software modeling of new tech (F-22 engines). Left that employer after I decided to just go into software writing (I was doing more of that than any engineering) and after a couple of decades coding in all manner of technologies, I am now a tech lead/architect designing/building/implementing a continuous delivery capability at a large insurance company.
Self-employed video editor/producer, also work at a radio station.
I DJ for a pirate radio station (1 week a year).
Pirate Radio.
Where are you based?
Northern Wisconsin.
I’m very curious. I spend a ton of time there. A friend has a cabin in Gordon and land 15 miles east of Solon Springs. We hunt and fish there often. A number of relatives live around there as well.
Well, to be more specific, I’m more north central eastish, between Wausau and Green Bay, so not that far north.
Regional supervisor for a company that processes coins for armored car companies and the Dept. of the Treasury. We take bags of loose coins, sort them by denomination if necessary, then roll them and box them up to go back out into circulation.
So you’re the inside guy for our big heist, eh?
Before I landed the mailroom gig I was a teller in the cash vault for the same bank… not that I’d ever consider it, but it’s fun to fantasize about absconding with a couple Fed bags of hundreds, each of which were worth $1.6 million…
I probably processed over a billion dollars in my time there, easily.
Sounds familiar.
I was going to say be careful if Darrin from Bewitched works with you.
Also, The Question. Ever read Mr. A?
Heh, no.
do you get to steal the odd silver coin?
Not anymore. I do have a roll of NH state quarters wrapped in special U.S. Mint paper, and I have seen Civil War era pennies come through, and I had one employee find a Roman Empire coin from something like 370AD that I didn’t get to see.
Back in the 1970’s when I worked at a 31 Flavors I would find a silver coin or two weekly. One time I found 2/3 of a roll of silver quarters. My boss was good with me exchanging for clad coinage at face value. I occasionally got a silver certificate as well.
Gigolo, pornstar, materials scientist (for a megacorp), writer. For the last, not many dead-tree outlets left, but I managed to hook up with one on the regular.
I’m a secret agent man.
Ok, not really. I’m a contractor, but one of my client gigs is actually full time because it’s 28 hours a week. I didn’t know you could actually do that, but I found out when I learned of a couple other people doing the same thing. Working out good so far. I’m a software engineer. Before that was doing all 1099 contract work. Before that I was working full time gigs, doing the same thing. Before that I was a network engineer. Before that I was a computer tech. Before that I was working my way through my computer science degree doing whatever the fuck. Before that I was was a construction worker, musician, and part time bum. Oh, and I owned several businesses during that time. Now I would just like to retire and go back to my part of my roots, but as full time bum, only also full time husband.
Oh and the size, IT’S FUCKING HUGE! I mean like… oh, company size. Well, my biggest client is I think around 40,000 employees, multinational. The smallest is about 350 employees. local. I only have 3 right now, keeps me more than busy.
I own a very very small pet-care business – me and the occasional sub-contractor. I measure vacation time in minutes…
I’m a financial analyst for a small P.E. firm and a controller for one of our investments. Numbers and spreadsheets galore!
Grrrrr. For a “software engineer” I spend an alarming amount of time staring at numbers and spreadsheets. I hate it.
I had a conversation today at with that was themed around Excel being the devil
I will do spreadsheets over PowerPoint any day of the week.
spreadsheets can perfectly model how I think
I do everything professional and private on them
I just show up to feed the shop cat. Also, I’m good at drawing things 24 times bigger.
Was it you or Warren that’s an artist? Painter?
Artist, no. I just embiggen images with a sawed-off ski-pole.
I own a very Small HVACR company, S corp, not much to say, except Freedom from Bosses. The money is good, the Hours suck, and I’m always broke. until I’m not.
I can actually say Fuck off Slaver! and get away with it, so there’s that.
So Hovercraft, Vacuums and Roombas?
Your hovercraft is full of eels! I totally don’t know what that means, but I love it!
Like I said, Mike,
Fuck Off Slaver!
Are ya fuckin jealous? want a job?
/smartass
I’d love to work for you! Can I work remotely from approximately 2000 miles away?
i am a form of sex worker
Yeah, right, look at that hair, mister, you ain’t fooling us, that was in the 70s!
The solo form?
Planned Parenthood?
Abstinence counselor?
His face is.
Cam girl?
He’s the guy that wipes down the casting couch.
Obligatory.
Fluffer?
Cosplayer
Lets see Wal-Mart and later a DO at the county jail while I was a student.
USAF as a 3E0X1: Electrical Systems Craftsman. Specialized in high voltage overhead, uderground and airfield lighting systems. I was qualified for interior work but I was never into it.
I then got into healthcare compliance with the VA.
Got really tired of the VA and got a new job at an I insurance company. Medium sized, NYC based, but has branches in Europe, S. Amerca and China. Its a similar regulatory compliance analyst role.
I seem to remember a couple of Glibs running a distillery. Those are the guys I’m jealous of. Fuck, there has to be a distillery that needs a software engineer, there has to be!
Having spent most of my career (primarily systems design and software development) avoiding DoD work, I was sucked into it after two years post-dot-com/Y2k marginal employment (and post-9/11 defense budget mania). Which of course means I don’t actually do design or development anymore. Mostly, I try to convince people who aren’t very smart, but are very powerful, to do something intelligent, and I am usually not successful.
Was tangentially involved in one multi-billion dollar effort that I am firmly convinced will be a 60 Minutes segment some time in the next 5 years.
Oh yeah, unlike most everyone I work with, I was never in a service.
What the fuck is it with so many Glibs being software engineers? I want to be unique! Fuck you… you Tulpas!
Many Tradesman as well
Well, the rest of them are lawyers. I figured, why choose?
There is a lot of overlap, all professions in which excellence requires rational and systems thinking.
I was never a software engineer. A software engineer is someone who does software that actually makes physical things happen (robotics, software-defined radios, etc.). The rest of us are software craftsmen. Back when I actually did shit, it was a lot of database and applications.
That’s my job title but I’m kind of embarrassed by it. I haven’t “engineered” anything in years (by which I generously include, say, designing an app from start to finish).
I’m actually doing that right now. Almost 3 years this has been going on. Supposed to release in March, but the clients are about as close to impossible as can get, and have enough money to be that way. Oh well.
I’ve done plenty of things that ‘make things happen’, mostly making machines do things. But most people, as far as I know, consider building an app from start to finish, engineering, and programming just maintaining existing apps. I do both, as most developers do. Well, I mean there are huge corps who pigeon hole people and they only work on existing apps, I’ve never done that. The other thing I do is that I’m my own analyst and also offer consulting for anyone who wants to be given possible solutions. Don’t consider them a client until actually doing more long term work, but still get paid for it.
Earlier in my career I was more a jack of all trades. Creating websites, doing database apps, etc. Only recently do I feel stuck in a bit of a rut but even still my boss asked me if I want to stick with the current team (boring database shit) or move to more website dev and I was like yes please.
I’ve worked the last few years with a lot of embedded systems programmers that do signal processing (RF). That is a dark art (learned in the study of EE) – I tend to pick up at the baseband/IP layer. The other way I’ve distinguished programming is between people who work at the bit level versus those at the byte level.
Funny time that I was explaining some networking behavior to a brilliant signal processing guy and he was as baffled by that as I was when he talked about symbol structure/process in OFDM.
I started as a software engineer in 85, but made the transition to systems engineering in 94. So I haven’t done any constructive work in 23 years.
Started teaching myself programming in 84. Decided to make it career in 90 (no regrets), completed compsci degree in 97. but started working full time in IT in 95.
Pretty typical really, luge lessons in the winter and meat helmets each summer. I spent 30 years as an Army officer. I started in the infantry because that is what a degree with twin majors in Planetary Science and History leave you ready to do. I then went into Special Operations and spent the rest of my career in Special Forces and Civil Affairs (I was also a trained Psychological Operations Officer). For my last assignment I was a Garrison Commander aka the city manager for an army fort. So I had the police, fire, public works, logistics, computer networks, child care, stores, environmental compliance, ESA people, bar and restaurants etc etc etc. work for me. It was an eye opening job. Since I hung up my Soldier suit I have worked as a consultant for a well known company supporting the Army and Pacific Command. I spend part of my time reviewing and helping to write war plans everybody hopes will never have to be executed. The rest of the time I work with a team helping other nations improve aspects of their defense against irregular warfare threats.
Ok….. To spice this up a little bit…
What was the worst job you ever had? If there are some good responses, I’ll share mine. I guarantee you that I have you beat.
On Call plumber,i don’t do sewers, although at the time I had to, And the Master Plumber was no help at all.
Oh good gawd, you guys are going to have a hard time topping me on this, because I can’t pick just one.
During summers when I was in high school, I used to go down to my grandfather’s place to spend the summer and work for a tobacco farmer. Have you ever cut or housed tobacco? Because if you haven’t, I won’t even bother going into detail. Let’s just say it must be one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet in which no one is shooting at you, at least back then.
I once worked fora construction company building homes on the sides of large steep hills, or you might even call them small mountains. They were experimenting with a septic system called zero perk, because the the heavy clay would often cause a septic system to fail in short time. I did say experiment, because it didn’t seem to work most of the time, which resulted in us digging them up quite frequently, mostly by hand to prevent the backhoe from chipping the tank or breaking pipes. Have you even dug in heavy clay all day?
The only job that I have ever quit without having another job first, was the only time I tried working for a foundry. The first day I was there, some dude fell into an open vat of molten metal. Not kidding you. I was a pretty brave or maybe wreckless fucker when I was that young, but there were still limits.
My first night at one of those hotel jobs I mentioned involved me getting held up at gunpoint. Whee.
If I go that way, I hope I have the wherewithal to have my last words be, “Now I know why you cry.” *Raises thumbs up sign* That or, “My precious!”
I think pruning grapevines might be in the same league as cutting tobacco. Definitely teaches you the value of education.
Picking strawberries is up there too – at over 6ft tall, that’s a fuckload of bending over.
The first summer I worked doing that, one guy broke his neck and died pretty much instantly, several others with broken legs, arms, ribs, etc. And one guy ran a tobacco spear through his throat when cutting and nearly died. Saw him the next season, nasty scar from that. 3 bitten by rattle snakes or copperheads.
Teller
for the great SatanWells Fargo. Not a truly horrible gig, but i got a lot of flack because I refused to participate in their (literally) scandalous sales practices.I had to replace the float switch on a piece of sewage treatment equipment called “The Masticator.” Masticate means “to chew,” guess what it chewed.
Another time I was asked to watch “Betty.” She was a 300 lbs woman that was suicidal, which meant she had to be naked leat she hide a sharp object to kill herself.
If she’s 300 lbs, can’t she hide an awful lot even if she is nakers?
Yes…she was successful. Had to get the Indians to do some kind of ceremony to make sure her soul wasn’t haunting the rubber room. Otherwise we couldn’t book any of the Indians, who are plentiful in that part of AZ.
Grocery store checkout clerk. I know there are plenty of worse jobs but I hate most people and dealing with nasty people all day really took a toll on me.
More people should work retail. It can almost be used for sentencing reform. “You are hereby sentenced to 10 months at the paint counter at Lowe’s. Provided they will hire you.”
I’m a freak. I loved it.
Did 5 years retail at the campus computer store (part time during the year, full time in summers). Great experiences and learned a ton , but probably a LOT less stressful than most retail work. Nothing like trying to “sell” the mandatory laptops to incoming freshmen and their parents. Or trying to explain to a mac fanatic why the original imac was absolute garbage (CD-ROM, 2 USB inputs, no re-writeable media options and a USB to serial adapter for your old printer costs $90+).
I worked at a grocery store. It had its shitty moments, but it wasn’t the worst job I worked.
Worked one summer in a Wal-Mart. At least once a week there would be a cashier crying in the break room from customer treatment. So glad I wasn’t a cashier.
Cold-calling for donations at a scam charity.
Worst job – I worked as a nursing assistant at an “old folks home” in Arkansas. Literally, people sitting in excrement, bedsores, abandoned in hallways. I left after a few hours and received payment a month later for the <$10 pay.
Gah. I could not do that.
Done that. Also stockman at Wal-mart. The nurse’s aid was worse.
That’s the problem with that type of work. People like you, who I’d assume would be decent to the old farts, don’t want to do it and sadists would love it.
I’ll change the diapers of the people I’m raising, and the people who raised me.
See? We already had a social contract!
Worked at Goodwill, it was really corrupt and makes one cynical. I also had lots of furniture and a couple desktop computers thrown at me. People would not take kindly to their donations being rejected or our lack of a return policy.
How – out of curiosity?
Less of a charity and more of a tax shakedown with a charity mask. I can’t say all goodwills are like that because the goodwill name is licensed to a bunch of independent regional orgs but many of them are pretty shady I tell people to give to Salvation Army instead. They got tax payers to pay for people to look after mentally handicapped people while they trained them to dig through trash to look for scrap metal, lots of things in the budgeting designed to get gov grants often by setting up things to fail.
Wow. I ask because I’ve got a lot of crap I want to donate somewhere before I move again in the next year or five.
It felt like a totalitarian country sometimes you never knew who to trust and who was on your side and it was ridiculously vindictive for a charity/ thrift store. My manager had to go to court, her sister had been killed by a drunk driver years before and it was for his parole, she scheduled to go months in advanced so they scheduled her performance review for while she was gone. Just lots of petty things and paranoia over nothing.
Trashman/janitor in the dorms when I was an undergrad.
It wasn’t my main job but for a while I lived above a bar and the owner/operator would have me ‘cover’ for him, I drank for free raked in tips and learned that drunk chicks really dig bartenders for some reason….Oh wait that was the best job I ever had never mind.
My first paying gig was farm labor. I cut grapes and picked blue berries for far far less than minimum from age 11 to 16. My dad is friends with the local grape and blueberry growers. He told me if I wanted money, I had to work for it. Fair enough.
As an adult I appreciate the summers I spent in the fields. Not many people my age can look back on that kind of labor and say, Hey, my lot ain’t so bad. I could be cutting grapes in 100 degrees for about 3 bucks an hour.
Line cook at a popular bar/restaurant in downtown Annapolis. The line cook part wasn’t the bad part; I was working line shifts at another place up the street and it was great. At the horrible place, the head chef was a bitter, shitty human being who desperately wanted to be Gordon Ramsey. He and his sous chef protege were both salty as hell that they were making glorified pub food for tourists and drunk sailors. I once passed out behind the line during a brunch. I’d called in because I had the flu and was running a fever, and dude was like, “Come in or you’re fired.” Came to, finished the shift, and quit.
Oh, shit, how could I forget the week I worked as a telemarketer selling online advertising to real estate agents? Ah, yes, because it was so horrid my mind stored the memory in a deep, dark hole so that I can have a chance at not waking up in a cold sweat at night.
Room 101 eh?
They call it “cold calling” in reference to the feeling of icy dread that grips your heart at the prospect of having to call yet another person who thinks you’re the lowest scum on Earth for bothering them during lunch.
I know that feeling. Only had the job for a summer. But, good Lord, did it suck.
One summer when I was in college, I worked piece-work on a production line making these napkin dispensers. For months afterwards, I could close my eyes and do all the movements necessary to pick, assemble, pop rivet, apply decals, black paint on the pop rivet heads where necessary, apply feet, true up on flat surface, wrap in tissue, box, close box, stack in outer.
Noisy as hell for a light engineering place. The compressors had regulators on them to cut down the noise, but they’d reduce the pressure so the pop riveting took longer, so everyone took off the regulators.
The women were quite an education to a young guy like me who was taught that women were precious vessels of virtue.
I think we have China for that now.
When I were a lad, that’s what Japan was for.
Not sure where it came from, but my wife’s had one of those hand painted cheap ass Made in Japan thermostats hanging out in the garage forever.
Worked at a soap factory one summer. My first day (maybe two) I held a ten gallon drum under the output ramp of a machine that made the little disinfectant things they put in urinals. It made two at a time. I held the drum until it was filled, then paused the machine, carried the drum to a pallet, and started again. Slowest eight hours of my life.
You guys aren’t even in the right ballpark.
OK Mike Rowe. Let’s hear it.
I’m guessing color man for Cal games.
Racist!
It’s a conversation that would require a lot of beer. Er…. liquor, since I’m going low carb soon.
Jeez, what a shit job tease… ok, I’ll bite. Fluffer at the Crystal Cathedral?
Now I don’t want to know because that’s a great answer.
Firefighter/medic. Most disheartening decades of my working life, but also the most rewarding.
i never worked in one, but i spent a day volunteering in a fucking animal shelter.
they’re not cute when there’s 100 of them and it stinks like pee and death.
I worked as a grocery bagboy from ages 15-17. The job wasn’t bad… boring and tedious. The people were awful… absolutely no sense of personal space or boundaries. I’ve told the story here of the guy I got fired for sexual harassment. The 23 year old girl who helped me get him fired would hit on 15 year old me on a regular basis until she was fired for banging the assistant manager in the parking lot. Another coworker who was also a classmate had a thing for me and would try to hold my hand and snuggle up to me when we were on break. I had customers who would touch me in all sorts of ways, mostly innocuous if a little offputting, including one elderly lady who snuck her hand into my front pocket of my pants and said “I’m not trying to get fresh with you” while clearly trying to get fresh with me, eventually leaving a $10 bill in my pocket.
Not that I didn’t appreciate some of the female attention (old lady aside), but I had my eyes set on bigger things than grocery store romances, so everybody’s advances were unwelcome.
*takes notes for future plot point*
Sounds a lot like my time at a local chain grocery store in northern IL. A lot of the assistant managers were wannabe petty tyrants. Plus, anyone besides management had to join a union. Even then, at 17, I was disgusted at getting paid a high hourly wage with benefits for such a low skilled job. Of course, the union also used are dues for political lobbying. I fucking hated those union assholes.
My manger at Fred Meyer tried that shit with me when I was 15 . They had opted me in without my consent so I demanded my money back. They tried to convince me that dues were somehow good for me and I told ’em to pound sand, I was making minimum wage and, in Arizona, you can’t force me to join. The union boss was unhappy but there wasn’t really anything extra you could do to a guy bagging groceries as we already got all the shit jobs. In hindsight, I probably missed out on a great class action.
My stint as receptionist for a lawyer. I hate being yelled at, and nobody calls their lawyer for the good news.
During school breaks I would often go to a temp agency and pick up 2nd or 3rd shift jobs to make more money.
One time the temp agency sent me to a company that made plastic shit. My job was to catch newly made plastic tumbler glasses and stack them up in 25 ct. batches. put a sleeve on them and sent them down the line for sealing.
It was the most boring job I have ever had. I would last about 15 minutes and then sort of go into a trance. My hopper – like Lucy Ricardo – would then fill up and I’d be hopelessly behind. At that point the old gal on the other side of the line would come over and help me catch up. She would empty my hopper in about 5 minutes. Then she’d tell me that after 20 years, I would be just as good as her.
I left and never went back again.
Orderly in a nursing home. I had multiple completely demented patients assigned to me every day. First I had to lug them out of bed and into a wheelchair, then make the bed (which was always wet and soiled, and making the new bed always included several layers of absorbent ‘chucks’ pads between the mattress, each sheet, and the cover). Then wheel each person one by one into the shower, where I had to undress them, pick them up again, and lower them into a ‘shower chair’, a plastic chair with a big hole in the seat so you could clean the person’s bottom. Well, guess what every senile person thinks as soon as you put them into a seat with a hole in the middle? Yes, and they’d always immediately take a big dump on the floor as soon as they sat down. Some of them had amazingly voluminous dumps that would make a thoroughbred whistle.
I’d have to clean up the poo, then wheel the person into the shower, where I’d have to hose them down with a hand-held sprayer, then take a brush on a stick, soap it up, and scrub them all over. Final step was to run the soapy brush up the ass crack, which was always a magic signal for them to release another massive pile of shit onto the floor. So one more clean-up, one more scrubbing, a rinse cycle, then out of the shower for a good towel-down, and into today’s day clothes. Wheel back to their room and move on to the next person. Repeat x8 each day.
At least it was only for three months during summer break from med school. It did give me a very worthwhile perspective about medical care, and strangely enough, I really ended up loving all the old folks, and realizing how much bringing a little happiness and dignity into their lives each day meant to them on some level. I didn’t like the parade clown role with the shit shovel, but I guess everything’s a trade-off. Made $3.75 an hour!
At least the brush was on a stick! Thanks, OSHA!
Damn, I almost want to apologize for saying that no one could one up me.
Luxury! We used to dream of being able to use an ass-brush on a stick.
Office Manager Mohammed: I work in Retail, Retail Death to INFIDELS!
Alooallahloo!!
OT Time. 63 arrested for marijuana possession at party in Georgia
Barbarians!, I have less than 28 grams right now!
And you aren’t sharing with 63 people, are you?
i could….
Nice. Leave the lights up, please.
I make my own Light shows…..
/sweet MJ!
I made pizzas. Then I went to college. Then I went to grad school. Then I went to more grad school.
*5 year blank*
Then I left that field for *redacted*.
Now I’m a “Data Scientist” (glorified statistician/coder/number junkie) for a large multinational biotech.
IE: Like many of you I was a dirty, dirty contractor.
Same here. Domino’s. Skipped grad school to get other qualifications. Probably a bad idea in retrospect.
I too worked for the Monaghan’s, great job for a shiftless 19 year old. Loved it, drive around listening to music, eating junk, making pretty good cash, the characters I worked with were great , I still run in to a few of them damn near 30 years later. I half-joke that it’s my fall back career if the construction thing doesn’t work out.
Had an old friend from the pizza joint send me a message on FB out of the blue. Hadn’t heard from him in twenty years. “Hey, man. We’re looking for drivers. You interested?” I had no idea how to respond. Half insulted, but at least he had me in mind.
straff at his new job
https://imgur.com/uVBXvQS
Former violist, former rennie. Analytical chemist.
Currently doing failure analysis for the most advanced microchip fab on the planet. It pays the bills.
Should I short Intel based on the latest “unpleasantness”?
Since I make the chips of their competitors, I’d be biased.
Having said that, Intel is the only US company that can make anything smaller than 32nm. The other three are Taiwanese, Emirati, and Korean.
Also: Intel is idiosyncratic. Not quite as bad as IBM was (note the was, and also note how many chips IBM makes these days), but they get away with a lot of stuff just because of the vast amount of bedrock-deep expertise among their senior engineering staff. It’s a tribute to how good they are that they haven’t fucked up this bad before considering how antiquated their metrology and process integration techniques are.
Emirates? Seriously?
Yup. Buncha petro-hojillionaires decided they needed a new source of hyperwealth. It’s working out for them so far.
I am assuming, perhaps grossly incorrectly, that they don’t have locally developed talent in either design or production.
Or anything. ADIA, Abu Dhabi’s State-run investing unit is staffed with about 98.7% westerners in decision-making/management roles.
Now, you want a job herding camels, you’ll have some local competition.
You assume correctly. The bought all of their facilities and personnel. They bought Chartered semiconductor and the AMD fab in Dresden, then threw money at people to come to work for them.
It was… verrah nice.
What sorts of instrumentation do you use? My zoo here is FTIR, SEM, EDX, and GC-MS, so very basic. No NMR or LC or anything cool like that.
If you have flexible morals and a background in IT security, there’s a $500k/yr job waiting for you in Dubai right now.
I am just a bit short in both of those. My brother, post Viet Nam, was offered a mercenary gig in Africa – $80K/yr (’71) plus all he could steal.
Do they have any similar jobs for JD/MBA/Engineers?
Never a former Musician Bro
I’m a freelance developer, mainly working with 3D modeling and rendering software.
Patent attorney at large tech company. I skipped the whole law firm thing and now get to do the fun stuff without all the 11pm fire drills.
Most recently I was a supply chain project manager at Walmart. I made sure all the stuff for Back to School and Black Friday showed up on time while minimizing the impact on the day to day store operations. It mainly involved nagging people to write their orders correctly and telling the Executive Vice President of Whatever that the extra $20,000 dollars of crap being shipped to Puerto Rico is absolutely, totally, 100% expected and according to plan and they should go back to editing some power point decks and stabbing the Executive Vice President of Stuff in the back.
Wrote a lot of SQL queries and VBA macros for people, too.
Aerospace engineer — work on planes.
Dude, with enough capital, is there anyway you can build a star ship that will allow us to escape the progtards? *looks at available capital*
Good news — with some help, yes.
Bad news — Not in time
Cool!
More details, por favor. Commercial? Private? Composites?
My work is really not in the details — although I know them, but other than I’ve worked on some projects that people here have complained about I really shouldn’t say more. Sorry.
No worries. I’m almost as much of an airplane geek as a car geek.
I love learning how things get made, doesn’t really matter what — airplanes, cars, ships, history, food, literature, movies, the universe.
Yes. I am the same way. No way to ever get bored.
First job was a busboy in a shitty diner. There are no good jobs whose title includes the word “boy”.
Then did odd jobs on a farm. One of them was blowing dead needles out of xmas trees. Mind numbing.
Then Wal-Mart, which is where my derp research really kicked into gear.
Summer jobs during college included a vinyl siding factory, a loading dock, and attempting to help a professor with immunology research (I did make one useful discovery).
2 years as a math teacher in the Peace Corps. I liked that a lot.
3 years in various engineering jobs. I worked in factories for glass, bubble wrap, and plastic bags. Lame, lame, lame.
I’d say my lowest point was the 2 days I worked night shift in a liquor store in Chicago.
Been in the Army 2 years now and have been enjoying it. I’m a linguist.
Cabin boy on an Amazon trireme?
Fun fact: Amazon means “without breasts” in Greek. According to legend, they chopped their boobs off so they could more easily shoot arrows.
Only one boob, IIRC. And it was to launch the javelin (I was gonna say ‘pilum’, but that’s latin)
Cite this please or BS
I typed “amazon etymology” into the google machine and got this:
***
late Middle English: via Latin from Greek Amazōn, explained by the Greeks as ‘without a breast’ (as if from a- ‘without’ + mazos ‘breast’), referring to the fable that the Amazons cut off the right breast so as not to interfere with the use of a bow, but probably a popular etymology of an unknown foreign word.
***
As for the river, wiki sez:
***
From Spanish, Río Amazonas. It is common belief that the Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana fought a battle against a tribe of Tapuya natives, in which the women fought alongside the men, and that he derived the name from the Amazons in Greek mythology.
***
“referring to the fable”
there ya go
“Jeff wants to waterski!”
FLANK SPEED!
Pool boy in a upper class neighborhood full of cougars?
I’ve seen their recruiting videos…
I remember now, You went into the service back at TOS, your coming along in your time bro, Cool!
Oil boy on the Hawaiian Tropic bikini competition?
Two lucky guys
Stay at home parent/ on and off college student. My wife got back from boot camp 9 months later we had Twins. I was working at Walmart at the time and my job brought in less than the cost of daycare for two and second car. I know long term it is bad to have a large gap in my resume especially for a man but I have been taking classes at community college when time and money allows.
wait, you’re a Dude? what about you’re Avatar?
Lol, not me.
Yusef learns the sad truth about many libertarian “women”.
Thanks Yusef! Lost Leeloo Multipass and gained Dennis Nedry.
-1 dinosaur embryo
I also do some design/consult in the Building trades, repair Guitars/ Electronics and Electrical trouble shooting on the side.
CFO emeritus for $30mm manufacturer. Spend most days waiting for, looking at, drooling over, and day dreaming about the women that Q finds for us.
https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/top-heavy-girls-29.jpg?w=550&h=733
Academic (historian) at the urban campus (~ 20k students) of a state university system – so get paid by the taxpayer. Also trying my hand at short fiction – so far without success.
If I had my choice, I would start life over and become a historian. I’m peanut butter and jealous.
Well, maybe do, like long fiction?
I’m more of a short-term medium fiction kinda guy myself.
It’s a time factor: between teaching, admin, & academic writing, I have little time to write. So I try to do 30 minutes a day which helps me keep the plot together. AND, also hoping that if I can sell a few short stories, it’ll both motivate me to carve out to write something longer and get an agent. But, it’s kind of for fun right now so it doesn’t stress me a whole lot.
Software guy. Small company.
Recently I was at a local gun shop and I saw they had a “help wanted” sign up. I was tempted.
Gun store guys come in 2 flavors. Very knowledgable, and dumb as dogshit. It really ain’t hard to be in category A. This stuff ain’t rocket science.
Only problem is, you won’t get rich working a gun store either.
Gun shop/range is my retirement job
riddle me this
I was on a detail to do inspections and function checks on M16s a few weeks ago.
For checking semi-auto trigger return, they told us to pull the charging handle 3 times. I don’t see what good that does. The hammer cocks after you pull it once. Pulling it 2 more times won’t do anything.
It makes sense on burst mode since it fires 3 times per trigger pull in that setting. You must pull the charging handle 3 times to simulate the effect of 3 bullets being fired.
I think they just flubbed the instructions or thought it was easier for us to remember if we just charged it 3 times regardless.
I checked the manual and it says only charge once for semi auto.
Only reason I’d do that would be if I had a mag loaded with snap caps inserted, so I could make sure ejection was good.
Other than that – do as you’re told, soldier!
thought it was easier for us to remember if we just charged it 3 times regardless.
I find this this the most likely reason. Simplifies the procedure.
I’m not familiar with the inner workings of the M16, but this is probably the reason.
I used to do some military contracting writing software. Thinking more about why certain things were the way they were, yeah, that’s probably the reason.
The onlydifference between the M-16 and an AR-15 at Wal-Mart is the trigger group and the bolt is a slightly stronger steel to handle full auto/burst mode.
I think they just flubbed the instructions or thought it was easier for us to remember if we just charged it 3 times regardless.
Yes. Function check when I was a wee lad, as I remember, was pull charging handle to rear, rotate lever to safe, pull trigger, hammer doesn’t fall, rotate to semi, squeeze trigger and hold, pull charging handle to rear, release & hear click, rotate to burst, squeeze trigger and hold, pulling charging handle to rear 3 times, release & hear click.
That was one job during my 2 years mostly unemployed. It beat the hell out of doing nothing (other than looking for work). And as usually happens, I wasn’t at it all that long before something better came along. I had also worked retail sporting goods (including guns) during under-grad years, just never figured I’d end up doing that again.
He’s lying. DEG is a dancer at Oktoberfest. It’s true. I saw him. Dear Barbara the dancing was awful.
AT LEAST I WORK!
I’m an industrial electrician/mechanic/instrument tech. I work in industrial maintenance. I have been doing this since I was 19 years old. I have worked in plants that make electric motors, graphite electrodes, and most recently and currently-steel.
I fix shit for a living and take pride in it.
a day in the life of Lachowsky- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H8CfniSkLRI
I admire you Lach, You make things happen, and don’t guess, that get’s you killed,
Hvacr= high temp, high pressure, high voltage, Danger equals Fun, and Balls of Steel!
Thanks Yusef. I take pride in what I do and appreciate the recognition.
Yeah, I’ve always been kind of jealous of people who make/repair/maintain machines. I’m completely useless in those areas.
I’ve always been jealous of people who have an expansive knowledge of history.
I guess one can only do so many things.
I agree completely. I’m jealous of those who have gainful employment working in the history business.
Don’t worry Mike, all your aspirations of being gainfully employed as a porn star will come to fruition soon.
I want to be known as the Itty Bitty Titty Fiddler
Hey, pornhub’s got a small tits category…
And no I’m not linking to it you disgraceful perverts!
Kidney specialist at a private practice. Also a freelance pirate
Pirate as in Arrrg matey or as in Somalian?
Lots of bathtubs full of ice in third world hotels?
Can we do another twist? If you made a career change today, what would it be?
Well, I’m old, but I’d go for biotech and bio-mechanical engineering. How else can one upgrade their orphan army into super warriors to take over the world? No, I was being serious. Waiting on my Crispr kit right now, be afraid.
Ag or something ag related. I hate being a desk jockey, it sucks my soul. I’ve worked some of the most sought after jobs at some of the best companies, and it all comes down to the same issue. Sitting at a desk for 8+ hours a day pounding on a keyboard makes me feel like I’m slowly dying of boredom.
Been doing that for 20 years and I still like it better than dealing with the public in any way.
But if I had the talent, I would love to be a writer. Like, SF or horror.
I’d love to write as well, or be an artist if I had any talent. Damnit!
You do not have to try hard to convince me, I feel the same way now. As far as coding is concerned, I’ve done everything there is to do, except games and I feel I’m too old now to get into that. And then again, I feel like all other doors are closed to me now because of age discrimination. If I had enough capital I’d just say fuck it and start my own company, again, but I’m too old to risk my wife’s future. If it were just me, maybe I’d do something risky.
I still enjoy what I do, so not looking to change right now.
I’m 20 years now doing the same thing. But the money is too good and the risks too high to do much about it. Unless we win the lottery.
I’ve found that I’m very good at what I do, and I really enjoy parts of it. However, I get stuck in a rut very easily, so I have to seek out new experiences at work to keep my interest. That’s not a bad thing, I’m quickly becoming quite valuable to the company. However, I have to be very careful to not fall back into a rut.
Everyone I’m sure, experiences these ruts. I think my suspension needs replaced at this point.
However, if it’s comforting at all, I have many times hinted with clients and project managers that I’m feeling that way, and they never seem to notice. It’s just you feeling that way because you want to feel like you’re making progress, and I’m sure you are, but I 100% relate to this feeling.
Hyp, you mentioned up thread you have done industrial programming. I program a lot of allen bradley PLCs. Are familiar at all.
All the programming I have done, has been self taught on the job out of necessity. I have no formal training what so ever. I’ve gotten decent at it. I’m working on learning and understanding PID loops right now. any insight or direction you may have would be appreciated.
I am familiar with PLCs as that is most of what I was doing. Allen Bradley… that most definitely sounds familiar. I’ll have to look on my resume, it’s all there, it’s been about 10 years. Most of what I do now is research and business related. I’ll get back to you on that, though.
SLC500, PLC5, Contrologix. That’s what I’m dealing with.
I do the same- agronomist or soil scientist. I took a number of ag classes in college. Loved almost all of them. Fascinating work but glad I’m not a farmer or rancher too.
Hunting guide or maybe a rancher. As a wee youngun I lived on ranch and the life was hard work and not much money but I like worked outdoors. Watching the south end of a cow moving north isn’t scenic but working the land for long term production can be rewarding. I picked up a MS in Natural Resources Management in the early 1990’s and have only used that knowledge overseas and in my last job in the army.
When I was younger I wanted to pitch the army and work as a climbing guide, but at this age and broken body climbing guide is out.
I graduated with a Soil Science degree with an emphasis in Turfgrass Management. I was basically Karl Spackler for about 10 years. I went to school most days in work clothes because so many of my soils / botany / horticulture classes were outside no matter the temperature.
A friend of mine once advised me to quit my job, head out to Montana, find a simple easy job like pumping gas, and spend my time fucking farm girls.
+1 Dental floss Tychoon
Raisin’ it up
Waxin’ it down
In a little white box
That I can sell uptown
alternately +1 let me see your thumb
King of the Mountain.
My sister lives in Montana. If I went out there, I’d dig gemstones out of side of mountains and risk it falling on my head, like in that TV show. Or maybe that was in CO.
Hey — I’m going to Billings in two weeks. My secretary just notified me and booked flights today.
Nice place to be in January?
Beats Norilsk or Murmansk.
Hmm, I don’t think there’s ever a nice time to be in Billings. Riven may disagree.
Billings is in the MT banana belt but would not be my choice if I ever moved back to MT.
Butte combined my worst job and my favorite place to live.
My old indie film company shot a low budget thriller outside of Kalispell. When I visited the location, for some reason on the flight in, we had to fly into Billings and switch to a smaller plane to fly to Kalispell. Good lord.
Still, once I got to location, it was great. So damn beautiful. It was around Labor Day. Took a white water rafting trip with a bunch of the film crew during the holiday weekend. Same place they shot DELIVERANCE and THE RIVER WILD. Good times.
Jesus, why didn’t I just do that instead of law school…
Easy. I’d never ever take a job with the government again. Pay is triple the private work that I do, but I feel soiled. Now that I have a mouths to feed, it’s almost impossible to quit. I’ve been able to reach out into the private sector, but not there yet. Seriously, young’uns out there. Don’t take government work.
Sing it, brother.
I plan to never again do government contracting.
Cars. I was in the business when I was a kid but was too stupid to recognize how much I loved it.
+1
One of my best friends has been building engines & hot rods for over 40 years. He lives three blocks away from me, and we go for breakfast every saturday. If I was smart, I’d take the pay cut and go work with him.
I would do anything other than sales if it paid alright. I’m too much of an aspire and a goodly two shoes to convince people to buy things. I would want to tell them to go home and put money into some sort of savings. I guess biotech I as a kid I read the warnings of biotech capitalism in Jurassic park and thought that sound cool.
Sales, done right, is not a scuzzy job where you trick people into buying garbage. People want to buy things and your job is to make it pleasant for them to buy those things from you. I wasn’t a great salesman, but I knew that.
This x1000. If you are the right person, sales is a fulfilling and lucrative job. You will always be employed and you will always be busy.
Besides, everybody in an organization is in sales, whether they like it or not.
Yeah, I am totally not the right person for sales. Not the kind that involves strangers.
That’s my problem, could make a lot more doing what I do if only I weren’t so horrified of talking to strangers.
Good salespeople understand that they exist to make their customers’ businesses run smoother. Sometimes that means showing the customer a new product, but usually it means knowing what they need, when they need it, and helping them to avoid wasting time worrying about it.
The corollary is that bad vendors cannot support good salespeople. If you feel pressured to lie, or overly stressed about making some quota, quit and find someone better to work for, because your current employer is shit at business.
My time in sales reinforced one of my notions: my job is always to understand client requirements and deliver processes that robustly satisfy those requirements.
That doesn’t change from title to title. I’ve sat at most of the seats around the table by now; being the sales guy at a sales-driven firm is a great way to get the power to get the design, process, and logistics right…it’s nice to have the hammer.
You guys have sold me on salesman as not being anywhere near the worst.
I see what you did there.
What would be a good job to go into? I’m trying to figure out what to do next, . I’m thinking of either biotech or accounting but I’m not picky. The comments here make tech sound promising.
I was ready to give you some great advice, but then your avatar changed from a cute gal to Newman.
Should have held onto that multi pass for a little longer.
I’d be a history teacher if I could start over.
There’s no jobs in the USA for you, young man, sorry we don’t teach that anymore. What do you know about gender studies?
Gender is a social construct ano the patriarchal structure of modern society oppresses everyone who is not a white male?
I just passed the test. Where is my subsidy?
I’m on my career change career, actually, so this might be it. If I can’t be a Gentleman of Leisure, that is. That’ll be my retirement gig.
I think I would have tried to get out of school as quickly as possible and joined the French Foreign Legion. It was disappointing to see that my reward for doing well in school was…more school.
Nonetheless, I feel young me would be pleased with how older me turned out.
I think would have enjoyed being a fur trapper in the 1700s. Travel, hunt, learn the Indian languages…sounds fun to me.
Almost finished with the book A Life Wild and Dangerous, about the mountain men / trapper era in the Rockies after Lewis & Clark. It is an easy time to romanticize and one that I don’t think my soft ass could’ve hacked.
That is a good intro to the time period and industry. (Looking at my copy on the shelf.) I am with Derp that if there was any one period of US history I could go to that would be the time and place. It was a difficult and dangerous life but it placed a premium on skills, liberty, free enterprise, knowledge of your environment and business dealing with other cultures. There are worst places to die than the 1830’s Rockies.
I will probably return to the northern Rockies once I finish working my 2d career. That is my goal at any rate.
I wouldn’t change what I do, just how much I get paid.
Robotics engineer. I’m telling you gentlemen, in five years we would have a sexbot making our sammiches!
Being Florida Man, I would more expect you end up with a robot pegging you until you robbed a 7-11 for it.
Geologist.
I married into O&G once and was taught the first law of geology: the rocks won’t come to you.
Oddly enough, I would be a Ph.D economist. I did get my undergrad degree in economics with a minor in accounting, but when I graduated from college, I wasn’t in the mindframe to sit through another 5-6 years of school.
Retirement!
Locksmith. I’ve been interested in it since I was a kid. I’m actually in the midst of making an effort to learn it and possibly turn it into a career change.
Former molecular biology research scientist who founded a short-lived computer consulting business before being enticed to join a financial services startup…. as VP of Technology , grew that to a billion dollar company through one IPO and almost to the second public offering, when the finance crunch and federal regulators wiped us out, costing me all of my equity…
Currently on hiatus taking care of my young family.
New product development engineering at a mid size semiconductor company.
What a Bunch of Hi tech Geeks, don’t any of you work? Lawyers? WTF? next you’ll tell me we have GOV workers…… too late..
High Tech Gov Workers?
I am an economist at a think tank.
I always get you confused with “Not an Economist”.
Sr. Financial Analyst/Data Jockey for evil mega corporation well known by all (not the government) over 20 years. Prior to that, in construction HVAC, many hats. Spent younger days as a line cook at various restaurants. Still enjoy cooking much to my wifes delight.
My Mother told me “people need 3 things, food, housing and Medicine, do anything related and you will work forever”
Hospitals, Housing and Refrigeration, That’s the trade, I’m very happy to be an HVAC Master Tech, I make good money, and I help Society survive, tell me i don’t,
No A/C, No PC, no Glibs…..
Your mama raised you right:)
If I had it to do over, having seen friends in the trades, I’d have skipped college and gotten into HVAC. I have a friend who does commercial and he prints money. You don’t have to deal with the literal shit of plumbing, and you’re at least marginally less likely to electrocute yourself like electricians (such as my FIL). Or residential construction, but those hours…
I have worked on A/Cs over the years. My only problem with them has been-
Here I am sweating my ass off trying to make someone else cool.
Filthy dirty MONEY! though
She could add to that now, computers and security. You’ll never be out of work, unless you want to.
Thanks for your help on my MIL’s heat pump the other day. HVAC is important.
“The only difference between humans and monkeys is the tools they use”
-I don’t know, but I quote it often.
My company does insurance – you could add that to the list.
Wrong, in the long run, that was the point, shut off the power, I’ll still be in demand
oh… and this article about Justin Timberlake is a wow….
“There’s nothing wrong with a white artist expressing black influences in his music; still, the ease with which Timberlake can pivot to and away from blackness certainly raises some questions. Pop music is about reinvention, but only white artists are allowed the freedom to leap between racialized identities, depending on the whims of the market. ‘
“He’ll only have to live with himself for pandering to a whiter America.”
“only white artists are allowed the freedom to leap between racialized identities”
Uh-huh
Darius Rucker would like a word.
Hoo?
T. Hoo-tie.
Well, at least Michael Jackson never tried that. So, is Timberlake bleaching himself?
I swear there was a time when someone trying to pass off this nonsense would have been laughed out of the editor’s office.
I’m a web developer for the University of Maryland. Specifically for a branch of the UM Center for Environmental Science. But I work for them as part of an organization that’s made up of people from a bunch of state (various DNRs) and fed agencies (EPA, NOAA, Park Service) and some non-profits like Ducks Unlimited, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, so on, so forth, and a bevy of private contractors. I don’t want to get too specific because we’ll just say that I’m not a good fit there, politically speaking, and I really need the job, but if my current job hunt pans out I’ll do a full expose.
I managed to screw myself out of any internship with the EPA because i made a complete ass of a classmate’s father that works there. Stumped him on basic environmental quality measurements for the area he’s been monitoring for 30 plus years (it was the area my mom’s employer hired her to fix back then, so I had done a research paper on it for the class). The fact he has a doctorate in environmental science really made me look hatder at a lot of government backed data.
With the caveat that 99% of the people I work with are well-intentioned, responsible, and professional, there is a distinctly partisan political tilt to what happens in the ostensibly apolitical organization where I work, and I’d say that the EPA folks tend to be the guiltiest in that regard. The agency itself has had a lengthy history of ethical problems, specifically stuff like tailoring the reporting of data to fit a particular narrative. It’s so bad that the agency actually hired a third party to audit their processes, the results of which they addressed by sending guys to EPA offices to give a lecture about not lying, albeit with a wink and a nod. I don’t expect people to abandon any political opinions they might have the moment they start getting paid with tax money, but I do expect government agencies to remain above the fray. The EPA pretty consistently behaves more like an advocacy group with enforcement powers than an unbiased government bureaucracy.
I do operational reporting for a fairly good sized US company that has something to do with telecommunications.
If I were to change careers I’d probably want to do some sort of trade. I’ve always liked making physical things and/or fixing things.
I’ve always liked making physical things and/or fixing things.
Extreme male brain seems to be a common trait here. Am I the only extrovert here?
Extreme introvert
For the last 3 years I’ve telecommuted to my job so I don’t interact with my coworkers or internal clients directly.
I’ve lived in my current town for 2 years and 6 months.
In that time, the only people I’ve met that I would recognize around town are my immediate neighbors, and five couples that I’ve been exposed to through my wife.
Needless to say, I don’t get out much and thats fine by me.
Oddly, I show up as a mild introvert on most tests (INTJ), but the Jordan Peterson one shows me as a strong extrovert. I guess because I’m actually really good at reading people and make friends quickly, and I’m reasonably assertive, but most of the time I’d just rather sit at home without anyone bothering me. I’m good at people and there are a lot of them whose company I enjoy, but I don’t like being around them just for the sake of being around them, if that makes sense.
Well, MBTI and Big 5 are poles apart.
I’ve been put thru’ multiple professionally-run commercial MBTI assessments over the years, and I never test the same. I’ve had staff join my teams who are clearly not what they tested as.
As far as MB is concerned, I’m an Introvert too, but in reality, I’m somewhat extroverted. I’m not that convinced that MBTI is any more useful than a well-drawn horoscope.
Now, Peterson’s test is horribly accurate. The few deviations from my own self-assessment are relatively easy to understand given my current career trajectory. I posted my results a few months ago, but in short, I’m remarkably disagreeable, and horribly impolite. I’m conscientious, but not super-industrious. My enthusiasm is rock-bottom, and assertiveness is very high (ya think?). Very low neuroticism, withdrawal and volatility, and surprisingly (I think), low trait openness.
horribly accurate. It’s little turns of phrase that make hanging out with my UK buddies fun. That they’re mostly Sargon type cynical socialists (but I love capitalism, I just want nationalized healthcare) is annoying. Ah, well.
That’s funny. I’m terribly disagreeable, very compassionate but impolite. Very conscientious, orderly, and industrious. Extremely extroverted, exceptionally enthusiastic, and highly assertive. Moderately low neuroticism, very low withdrawal but high volatility. Openness to experience is moderately high, intellect is very high, but openness itself is moderately low.
Some parts are pretty accurate–I like to think I’m compassionate, I’m often enthusiastic, and I definitely trend volatile–but some seem way off. For instance, I’m actually known for being polite, I’m not terribly industrious, and I think I ought to be higher in the openness score since I do often lose myself in thought and listen to music that’s not particularly popular.
In that Myers-Briggs is pseudoscience and the Big 5 is merely social science.
I’m a middle-of-the-road introvert. I don’t like crowds of strangers, I don’t like having to entertain guests I’m not comfortable around, and sometimes I get anxiety before certain dreaded social interactions. However, I wouldn’t do well as a hermit. I like a small circle of friends and acquaintances, and enjoy meeting new people in more intimate settings.
I haven’t taken an introvert test but most of my talking to non relatives is here.
No.
I don’t like people. They mostly just seem to be waiting for their turn to speak.
X-Files: 7/10.
Retail. Supervisor for the cash registers at the kast chain bookstore left.
I get to see the variety of the human experience 3 feet away from me daily.
And tittay variety every summer in my face
Hey, Slammer. Long time, no see.
You too. Yeah, I took an internet vaca.
I need one of those.
I’m currently working as an Air Force support contractor. I work alongside the Air Force military/civilians in the system program office for the acquisition of fighter jets. I’ve been in this business for decades after 9 years as an Air Force Officer. I’d like to thank the taxpayers for my two degrees (ROTC scholarship & Grad Degree assignment) and the separation payout I took when I left active duty; also indirectly for the income I’ve made as a support contractor. I do believe I’ve provided good value – trying to help the Air Force spend system acquisition dollars smartly.
spend system acquisition dollars smartly
Hahahahahahahahahahaha
I said “trying to help”. Often I feel like I’m swimming upstream against the idiots.
Amen
On Topic – ish.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m preparing myself for a RIF at my firm and I’m starting to prep for launching my own consultancy. I was at an extended family gathering (not a pleasurable one) at which I met one of those three-steps-removed friends of the family who I’d never met before. Turns out he’s a 2nd tier manager at a financial firm, so we get down to talking and what pops up in the conversation but compliance and audit.
So, we get talking about immutable audit trails and security. Anyone getting warmer?
Finally, I start selling. Because that’s what my consultancy will be offering – a blockchain-based fund accounting system for mid-sized hedge/venture/private equity funds (among other things).
About an hour ago, I got an email with a request to do a white paper for the firm on how to roll out that kind of product, and an initial overview of the scope of a Phase 1 implementation. Budget is $3500, and I retain the rights to distribute the report in a non-branded format. OK, it’s an “inside sale”, but it’s assignment #2.
As a (grateful) aside, I’d like to thank Trashmonster who filled in some useful holes in my knowledge that have led to a better design for the blockchain I’ll be creating.
interesting- shortest Army AIT is 3 weeks
13C- Tactical Automated Fire Control Systems Specialist
Determine target locations using computers or manual calculations
Establish, maintain and operate radio and wire communications
Set up and loading artillery weapons
Prepare ammunition, fuses and powder for firing
Assist in the preparation of a computer center for operation and shutdown
Prepare TAFCS equipment for operation
Operate and performing operator maintenance on section vehicles and generators
I think there were a couple of guys in my basic training class that went to that.
My AIT? 95 weeks.
I did 11B as OSUT. There was no difference between basic and AIT. It was 13 weeks of basic.
I went from 10 years in financial services to owning a daycare. Well, it wasn’t direct but you get the gist.
I just wanted to be my own boss and needed a front for my orphan trafficking operation.
random thought
If there are languages which are truly harder to learn than others, that would be reflected in the age at which children raised in that language began to speak. As far as I know, all children start speaking at about the same age. Reading/spelling is a different story. There are definitely languages that are harder and easier there.
I’ve always theorized – without any “proof” whatsoever – that “hard” languages make up for being hard in some areas by being easier in others. For example, writing in Chinese is hard but the grammar is “easier” than English. English writing is easy but idioms and vocabulary are hard. Just my impression from trying to learn a wide variety of languages.
That’s something Chomsky refers to in his ideas about “universal grammar”. Basically, he believes that it’s because the human brain is wired to create grammars, and that there’s a sweet-spot in terms of age, I think around 4 to 7, when the brain will just take speech and turn it into language. If there’s already a grammar it soaks it up, if there isn’t it creates one, which is how pidgin languages become creole languages. IIRC Chomsky goes further than most developmental neurologists in saying that there’s an instinctual protogrammar that’s common to all humans, kind of a common kernel on top of which languages are implemented. It’s been a while since my last linguistics course, but I believe that’s the deal.
Me too. I have a BA in the damn subject but that was decades ago.
Linguistics was major #3, as I recall, on my winding path through racking up student loans while finding my destiny at some of the finer state universities in Maryland.
Me too. Earlier choices included architecture and geography. Settled, frantically, on linguistics and German in my fourth and fifth years.
Some?
Yeah, not counting community college (which was actually the best school in terms of education I attended) I went to UMBC and eventually UMUC.
Those other kids are just smarter.
Correct.
The difficulty of acquiring a language only makes sense when we’re talking about L2. As such, we can only speak of relative difficulty from a particular standpoint. For example, Arabic maybe considered difficult for native Anglophones to acquire, but a native Israeli speaker Hebrew might be able to pick it up just by hanging out in the Arabic Quarter of Jerusalem. There cannot be an universally most difficult (natural) language.
Basque
Former long haul trucker and currently building houses in and around Ithaca, NY. Also in the business of making certain agricultural products retail ready, so to speak.
No prospect of selling those agricultural products locally, since it’s Ithaca, right?
They go where they go, and I don’t care where.
Let’s just say the local farmers get a great deal of barely used, high quality soil from the operators whom I work with. Ithaca Farmers Market wouldn’t be without the various other clandestine markets around.
good luck with your side job. I hope that in the future it is less risky, legally speaking.
I don’t care for the vegetables you grow, but I wish those that do like them would have free access to them. Godspeed.
I’m building Big Brother.
I have been doing IoT development for the last 15 years. Programs I have written have gotten untold kids fired from various fast food joints (because they haven’t been actually doing their jobs).
I vacillate between small startups and large corporations and contract work. None of it is perfect, but I chase greener pastures.
This year started with me being laid off by a large multi-national corp. Don’t feel bad, I’m so fucking happy that it happened. I loved the people I worked with locally, but the Corp Suits were killing me.
I have several leads and a nice severence package to live on now. Don’t feel bad for me, I live in Sunny Minnesoda.
Never a dull moment, huh?
Never. Did well on Pike lake yesterday. A lot of decent pan fish. Tell your spawn.
Heard good things about Independence too.
Hey just to update things on my end so SP doesn’t Catt But me.
I got a job at a local company a mile from my house. They are all about school testing. They help large state level educational folks create and administer tests to K-12 kids. Then they run all sorts of reports on the data for the clients.
It is an interesting job so far and the people seem very laid back and cool.
I’m still sort of disappointed that I didn’t make it big on the pro ice fishing circuit.
Now I know why there are so many comments.
ALL THESE JOBS ARE MADE UP.
Don’t you work?!?!?!?!?!
/looks at watch.
Damn. I’m late for my shipment. Meh. They’re probably frozen by now given this weather.
I guess I’ll just stay in and make a samwich.
Uffda. You started the made up BS Rufus. Like the metric system is real.
I think in yards. I like to go to stores and ask stuff like: How many yards is that bureau?
Now I know you’re making things up. Bureaus are measured in FTEs and Dollars.
I am currently managing the top Yelp rated postal/shipping/mailbox rental shop in Long Beach. I kind of got into it part time, just to make some dough to pay for running shoes, guitar strings, and my bar tab. Turns out, I really like the owner and in the two plus years I’ve been there, I’ve been instrumental in increasing customer visits, revenues, and reconfiguring the store to accommodate the expansion. We have a great working relationship, and I do really enjoy the other employees, and about 95% of the cutomers.
I also am a real estate agent, and make money from referrals/deal building here in California. I also buy and rent rental properties in Cleveland and Cincinnati.
My near term goal is to transition into a career doing financial analysis for a corporate real estate developer, focusing on urban infill/brown field redevelopment for multifamily housing/mixed use projects.
Early jobs: Busboy/waiter, dishwasher, framer. When I was 14 I helped build cabins in a remote river valley accessible only by 4WD.
I dodged the draft by joining the USAF. We ran a communication site over HF to England and the US from the Azores.
During college I hung tapes at the computer center in the local airbase. After that I did EMP testing on military hardware, mostly jets. That’s where I found out about high voltage and pulsed power systems. We operated Marx generators in the 3-10MV range with risetimes on the order of 10 nsec.
I now work here doing pulsed power and power supply design. I’ve also worked on other projects here including another accelerator, a fuel cell for automobile project, and a laser fusion project. I even spent a couple of years doing network administration.
Mrs Hobbit (who has owned her own housecleaning business for about 20 years) and I are looking forward to retirement later on this year. I’ve had my fun, you kids can take your turn.
Worst job was no job. I spent the better part of three years looking for technical work as a contractor. I found some part-time work but spent a lot of time working at odd jobs.
… Hobbit
Currently unemployed. Am deciding whether to accept job at performing arts school or hang out my shingle again and do remodeling or some such. Maybe get into something more structural, it’s way less monotonous than remodeling and actually requires a little thinking. Or maybe make a jump into the tech world. I’m too old to join the French foreign legion.
One of the only two insane SJWs in my family went college for theater. She wasn’t that way before going. If you choose the performing arts gig, be prepared.
I minored in theater. There was one prof who was going to cancel class so everyone could participate in a lefty protest (it got cancelled, so we had class) but wouldn’t give me an excused absence for jury duty (which I’m pretty sure is illegal at a state college).
It would be building engineer, and occasionally I’d get to have fun helping build sets. It’s grade school with high school being built soon as so no college student craziness. Also, is charter school, so I feel these people may not be totally statist types. But man, with Denver growing the way it is, it like seems I’m leaving a fortune just laying there not to get into business for myself; the housing market is going insane.
Accounting work at a large company — more specifically, compliance and administrative work for mutual funds. Money is reasonable but not spectacular, hours aren’t awful but the work is dull. I’ve passed two of the preliminary actuary exams over the past year, but there’s still several more ahead, and although my study habits are thorough, they’re time-consuming, so we’ll see if I get through any more.
Network/telecom engineer would be the best description I guess, for a large telecom company. Somedays it’s interesting, some days it’s worse than the Maytag repairman. Been in the industry for close to 25 years to watch it go up, then down, then sort of sideways, then down. Previous work as a janitor, 11B in the guards in the late 90’s, Unix sysadmin, data entry.
I ran the HIM department of an acute care hospital in Los Angeles.
I became a financial analyst for a commercial real estate investment company–number cruncher for the portfolio and acquisition managers anyway.
I became a quality control analyst at a software company that did the billing and coding software for some of the biggest hospitals/hospital chains in the country. If I had my life to live over, I might have stayed there, converted to Islam, and married my Muslim girlfriend. But noooOOOooo. I had to be the next Sam Zell. (Nobody in commercial real estate wants to be the next Donald Trump).
I formed a real estate investment/development company with the acquisitions manager at the commercial real estate investment company.
Now I do other stuff, too. It’s pretty exciting. I’m not talking about it. Split my time now between LA, San Diego, and Las Vegas. Haven’t been able to get out of Vegas much lately.
My dream is to buy a huge piece of land, somewhere in Utah maybe, build a cabin, raise horses, and learn how to fly a Piper Cub so I can land it anywhere–like a bush pilot. Problem with the hermit dream is that you generally have to choose between either the hermit life or female companionship. I’m thinking maybe finding a compromise location, like the Nevada side of Tahoe. I’m also interested in exploring say Barlioche in Argentina and that area on the other side of the Chilean border. Place in a ski town both in the northern hemisphere and in the southern hemisphere–and it’ll always be ski season somewhere.
God only knows what I could be doing . . . three or five years from now. It could be anything.
If you move to Utah….. Learn to fly gliders.
Tjere is nothing to learning to fly a piper cub. My father older brother and I took an Aeronca Chief (an airplane extremely similar to a piper cub) that was in 1000 pieces and put it back together when I was in my early teens. It took us a couple years, but by the time I was 13 we had it in flying conditions. By the time I was 14 I could competantly pilot it. I’m sure a full grown Ken schulz can do what a 14 year lachowsky did.
“Now I do other stuff, too. It’s pretty exciting. I’m not talking about it. Split my time now between LA, San Diego, and Las Vegas. Haven’t been able to get out of Vegas much lately.”
So… Vivid or Evil Angel?
When I was a teenager I worked in my Dad’s general store in rural La. Pumped a lot of gas, $1 at a time (about 3 gal), and sliced a lot of baloney and pressed ham. Also sold beer, kerosene, nails (by the pound), rope, fan belts, some ammo, rat poison, bread, canned goods, honey buns, sodas, etc., etc. But no hard liquor because the store also contained a Post Office. Flash way forward; about 6 years ago I retired from a DoE nuke lab having done a variety of research, mostly PChem and ChemE type stuff regarding thin-film deposition. Consulted part-time for a few years, but that is winding down into 100% retirement/fun. Also spend some time lurking here.
Hey, Tulpa! Fuck off!
CVD? Sputtering? Inquiring minds want to know.
CVD/MOCVD, mostly III-V semiconductors
I’m a software engineer at a small video game company (just passed 100 employees). Probably going into filthy defense contracting for a major pay raise. Laid off from one of the other small video game companies in the state before that. Before that I did a stint working a congressional campaign, rolled that into aide work at the state Capitol which opened the door for private contracting as an opposition research video tracker (stalker). My big national client hasn’t contacted me about this election so that’s probably gone cold but I don’t need it to make ends meet any more. I had planned to do Air Force but I got a case of the sugarFree halfway through college.
Wait a second. Why sudden the interest in our jobs? So you know which box car to put us in?
Its for the informant forms she’s filling out.
I’m self-centered enough to believe this whole site is a sting set up to capture me. Or maybe it’s to get you.
My thoughts exactly. If I weren’t drunk so often I’d be a lot more guarded on here officer.
Why would they bother, we’re all just sock puppets of Tulpa, why not just grab him.
Procrastinating on a client project that I should not have accepted. Needed some distraction. 😉
Also, I knew the answers would be tres interesting. It seems as if there is not a field or specialty not covered by someone in our community! I really enjoyed this comment thread.
My personal thanks to everyone who replied!
Personal interest only? OK. The first attempt at the pie was edible but not photo worthy. Making the second attempt today. Pic if it turns out better.
YEA!
Really, you buy the ‘personal interest’ line? OMWC is clearly a plant. I met him, and he was old and had candy, people never tell the truth on the internet, it is clearly an undercover job.
But he didn’t actually offer you any. You’re a dude!
The old man showed me his candy, I was too traumatized to remember if he offered it to me.
Project / Program Manager at large laboratory company. Management projects and administer growth programs on the commercial side. Money and company are good but they just moved the office and turned my commute into a nightmare.
I’m thinking of at least looking around after bonus in March. But… my son is a Junior in High School, so I’ll probably hold off for a year then look for a job that gets me the hell out of New Jersey.
https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/flbp-57.jpg?w=500&h=747
http://www.barnorama.com/wp-content/images/2013/02/busty-flbp-boobs/39-busty-flbp-boobs.jpg
https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/sexy-flbp-38.jpg?w=500&h=666
https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/sexy-flbp-women-59.jpg?w=500&h=866
https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/chive-flbp-64.jpg?w=500&h=666
https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/hot-flbp-girls-18.jpg?w=500&h=666
And one of my all time favorites:
http://punchpin.com/thumbs/all_files/2016/04/18/169220_thechive.files.wordpress.com.jpg
Some good choices there. I wish there was a Twin Peaks nearby to give the Tilted Kilt a little competition.
Cute.
YAY!!!
shameless mercenary with land-grant engineering and finance degrees
will happily design, prototype, tool, produce and validate any business, equipment, process, or tool you need
I have direct, unbending opinions about everything, infuriate colleagues and superiors regularly
I have fond memories of 62 airports and have worked in seven countries
* worst employer in Graham TX (longest commute ever 100 miles one way daily)
* best employer HQ in Stuttgart DE
* flakiest employer HQ in Paris FR
* best product or service was for a firm HQ in Tokyo JP
favorite projects
* managed HVAC design/build project for a division of the world’s largest commercial vehicle firm
* industrialized chassis assembly for French automated mail sorting
* built bio-reactor to remediate ground water
currently building a chemical blending and packaging plant
I’m 95% certain that 2 + 2 lies between 3.96 and 4.04
100 miles…. holy shit.
I drove 90 today, got stuck behind a low speed pursuit. 5 hours in traffic… one way.
Infuriating.
Texans will pull off in the ditch to let you by, so it was pretty easy driving
the main problem with Texas is few folk there are Texans
100 miles!? Did you have a catheter?
Until this past September, I had a 70 mile one-way commute. I thought that was bad…
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
1月3日
I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 o’clock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!
The media has to show up to cover that. I’m speechless.
I love this so much. I couldn’t designed a better universe in a simulation.*
*totally not true, but good hyperbole
Literally, the best hyperbole.
You’ve never seen such hyperbole.
Rufus is correct — I do *not* work. I have been retired since age 42, going on 17 years now. Made my stash during Web 1.0 as part-owner of a software development company (ending approx. mid-2000, when I saw the writing on the wall and bailed) and have been gleefully faffing about ever since.
My wife joins me in splendiferous retirement at the end of January. I’ve been counting the days to this event.
Gotta admit to some jealousy. You looking to adopt?
Jelly! good for You!
There was some hard work, and an astonishing amount of dumb luck. Not as much as an acquaintance of mine from around that time, who sold his stake in AskJeeves! for a sum that had eight digits to the left of the decimal point, and that was in U.S. dollars. He bailed *just* before Web 1.0 collapsed in the 2000-2001 timeframe. He’s presently living on an island in the Strait of Georgia betwixt Vancouver and Victoria, and deigns to visit us mere mortals from time-to-time.
Oddly enough, I would not trade my life for his.
I am a structural test engineer. I break shit for a living and I am good at it. Currently breaking airplanes.
Worst job: food prep at a an all-you-can-eat restaurant. They made me cut my hair.
Weirdest job: I dug graves. I cleaned the grease trap at a commercial kitchen.
So how cold *is* a gravedigger’s ass?
(And welcome to the site!)
Wait…digging graves and cleaning the grease trap at a commercial kitchen were the same job?
Of course, what are you, new?
Interesting timing on this post. Shit just got real on the San Diego possibility.
It’s looking interesting. Potential boss (whom I have known for 17 years and is a solid guy) sent me an email at my private address pretty much asking me to name my terms and encouraging me to ask for a bunch. they want to fly me and the hubs out for a chat.
Coupled with the lack of future planning I perceive at my current workplace, it’s pretty tempting.
And the “anomaly” with the other guy is pretty damned irrelevant and seems to have been forgotten, so I think it’s simply a matter of reason at this point.
until you uproot and move there, and then.
How is it that I never heard this song?
You’ve heard this one, I hope?
That one I know.
I dunno, I just searched youtube for “let me see dem big ol titties”; which is surely something you search for hourly. It is quite catchy.
This guy may be my new favorite musician.
https://www.vevo.com/watch/wheeler-walker-jr/puss-in-boots/USG9K1700016
(NSFW. For real, don’t say I didn’t warn you)
God save the mother who’s young child likes the Dreamworks Puss in Boots movies and downloads this song for her kid to listen to by mistake.
Here he sings about work, so its fitting for the thread.
make sure to listen to the last verse, what a twist!
I’m starting to think it may be performance art, and he may be a glib.
Another NSFW nominee and patriotic to boot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPLtqT2_PQo
Drink!
Indeed. As if I need a Reason to do so anyway.
Just asking any Glibs showing up for Mr Splosives’ 60th on Friday (6 PM at Redstone grill in Maple Grove) just not even mention any of this. That would be greaaaaaat…
If I could play an instrument or song I might drive the several hours and play this song outta no where like mariachi bands in the movies, just because you protested and I like being an asshole.
Awww. How…Sweet?
Maple Grove, San Diego?
LOLZ. I don’t even know if a Maple can grow out there! It’s funny to me that we would be selling our lawn tractor and snowblower if we go. I can cope with that.
Mr Hayeksplosives has been tearing through the San Diego listings for the area of interest. I am coming up with a list of questions and terms for the upcoming negotiations/interviews.
I don’t know if I can cope with the insanity that is California politics and culture though. Trying to take my time here and breathe. I do believe that the niche I am in at my current company has little future after about a year, so change is in the air no matter what.
Ok wait. I guess I’m slow. Is this job/company still the same one that Shit Head works for and the guy who was inappropriate? Just because the newest guy you talked to…
Ok I’m too drunk to make a point, but if this is the same company that the jerk worked for, well take that into account.
Yeah, same company, but different group. And Mr Forward has been nothing but professional ever since, and frankly, I don’t think he even remembers the suggestions. In fact, the next morning, he was unable to attend the morning sessions due to indulgences the night before. The following week, I happened to see him on the east coast where he and I are serving the same customer but for different purposes and we met up and had a very normal dinner, like the old days. I think it can work, but definitely have my extra sensitive antennae up.
I can compartmentalize easily.
Well, you know the scene better than we do, but a guy who gets blackout drunk and hits on people would be one I’d stay well away from.
I should add the actual career info: electrical engineer with specialty in power, especially high voltage, high current “pulsed power” as it’s called. Defense.
I used to work in the utility industry. Formerly, I made targets. Now I make weapons.
Full time job: fixed income investments
Part time job: telling people that “such and such” is the Nick Gillespie of “something”
Also, I worked in development at a community organizing non-profit when I was in grad school, so….burn the witch!
You know who else was a community organizer?
Saul Alinsky?
Jesus of Nazareth?
Your part time job is the Nick Gillespie of jobs.
Thank you
Currently, I’m a student studying accounting. I have had a summer job/paid internship in the field, but I am still looking for a permanent job.
I do tax work at a public accounting firm and hate it. My best advise would be to avoid the tax route when you first start out and do a&a instead. It increases your private options when you get sick of public.
I am a nurse at a university hospital. Pretty nice gig. Lots of cute recent grads on my unit.
My wife and I are leaning towards homeschooling as our kid(s) get to that age. So might be adding teacher back on to the resume
I homeschooled my kids. I highly recommend it.
i am surprised that more Glibs aren’t builders in the physical sense, the one Commonality here is Intelligence, and many express curiosity, what do you guys want to build? We can help….
Want to try a new trade?.. We can help…. Bored? we can help,
Just Say’n
You are *not* Just Say’n. You’re the Nick Gillespie of Internet imposters.
I am Tulpa?
or does this please you?
OMM!
I’m a builder, and I think my libertarianism is structural and practical: most of the politics I’ve heard in my life was lies, unprincipled and self-interested BS posing as truth.
It never added up; it didn’t stand on its own two feet; it was inconsistent and insincere; it neither spun nor worked, so I became disenchanted.
Maybe the IT guys are the other way: remote, digital, portable? Maybe lots of them have seen the big Machine up close, the coming of Big Brother and SkyNet, and they were knowingly terrified by the centralized power?
I like what you said, makes sense
I’m a builder Don. I just build for myself. I build things around me that improve my life. I work in order to build.
Can he build it? Yes he can!
I am Bob the Builder, I build, My Helper is my Wife Wendy, she helps. To build is to live and grow, I drive around saying, I built that! it’s pretty cool,
Bob
“i am surprised that more Glibs aren’t builders in the physical sense”
Before I got into software, I built cabinets, and did finish carpentry. Cabinetry got me into CNC and CAD/CAM, which got me into 3D modeling and rendering, which ended up getting me into software development.
I do the construction/rehab around my house because I like power tools. Added a closet to my XX Tax Deduction’s bedroom during a rehab after a big water leak, and moved a bumpout wall. Last project was laying 1200 ft2 of tile. Current project is moving another wall.
I just realized that the majority of the founders did not participate in this post…hmm…
Everybody RUN!!!! It’s a trap!!!!
They are all old and were already in bed before it went live.
Et tu?
Would if I could. I have stories that will make you more libertarian than you are now.
I mostly lurk on this site but have posted a few times, never posted on TOS. A year ago I bought the company I’ve worked at for the last 13 years. We build components and do upgrades for ski lifts. I’ve been in this industry for over 20 years. My skills are mainly engineering and fabrication so the ownership/management stuff is new to me. Them more I deal with standards, codes and licensing, the more small government I get.
Glad your Here! and Gov reg, Yuck, I’m glad I’m Lead tech and not the Background guy, for that reason,
Yeah, I think second in command can be better than being the man. Some times it would be nice to go back to operating equipment but I am keeping two guys employed and providing work for my suppliers so there is that. I’m on a ANSI standard committee and try my best to hold back some needless requirements.
NO WAY! You own Doppelmayr????
I’m not arrogant enough to own a European company, lol. My company is Superior Tramway. Started by an ex Riblet employee and now owned by another ex Riblet employee.
Footage of one of HMs glib meetups?
OMG! it’s Sloopy!
One guy by himself?
Maybe this guy was there, excited to find a big black slimy thing.
I’m a back end software developer for a multinational technology company, and founder of a manufacturing optimization start up.
The average Glib wage is 1 millon dollars an hour,
The GDP of Glibs is 2.5 Billion a year,
We are all Rocket Scientists,,
We hate The Man, even though We are the Man,
Q’s theme song featuring Scott Baio.
A reply featuring Mr Belding, I’m in a rabbit hole now…
Not the wrong rabbit hole I hope.
That’s true art.
Are we not supposed to give the name of the company we work for?
Anyway, I drive a truck around rural Arkansas, selling frozen groceries. I am basically in a job doing the two things I am least interested in: driving, and selling.
It’s better than being a FedEx operations manager, I guess.
I drive too much and too long, I feel ya
Anyone can share the name of their company if they want to. No requirement either way, of course, but since many here are reluctant to share their Glibness with their employer….
I’m self-employed at my own small law firm. I practice probate and trust litigation. Most of my work is in southern California but I do some cases up north too.
Thanks in advance for all of the free legal advice you’re going to give us.
Always happy to help.
I’m a fullstack developer for a multinational law firm. Mostly I’m in charge of keeping the ServiceNow instance happy, while developing extensions for it and integrating it with other systems. However, because I handled the only cloud based app they were using, now that the firm is on a cloud kick I’ve gotten other random nonsense thrown into my plate as well.
Could be worse. I’d prefer to not live in Philadelphia, but since I used to live in Scranton, really can’t complain too much.
I work at a mail-order pharmacy that supplies medications to nursing homes, assisting living facilities, and other similar institutions. I’m in the department that is responsible for making sure that our system accurately reflects the facilities’ systems (as far as which residents are there, which ones have left, etc).
I’m just sitting tight for now, but I might move over to the billing section at some point because if you have a few years of that experience under your belt, a lot of jobs open up. I was thinking I might do well as a healthcare fraud investigator.
ADDENDUM: Every time I hear someone whining that American healthcare is “completely unregulated”, I invite them to come job-shadow me for a day (after I suppress my hysterical laughter).
I own a small lawn care and landscaping company. It’s pretty much the only kind of work I’ve done, aside from a few part time jobs, since I was 16. The first 10 years was working at 3 really nice country clubs. I helped build / grow in the last one after college. I realized I didn’t want to play the country club politics game, liked where I lived, so started working for myself 21 years ago.
During the first 10 years I grew the business to where I was basically just a manager and I hated it. I spent the next 7 years pissing away everything by partying excessively and running up huge amounts of debt. 3 years ago I decided to get my shit together and scaled back to 7-9 employees so I could get back out in the field doing the work again.
Now I spend most working days out in the field doing shitty, physical, dirty jobs and I love it again. Mowing, trimming, weeding, tree work, mulch, new landscaping, whatever. It doesn’t really matter as long as I’m outside most days. I absolutely hate office days. I’d rather run a weed whacker all day.
I like having a small business because it allows me to still do hands on work and not having to be managing 100% of the time.
Same here. I think I found my happy medium now. I used to have the mind frame of grow, grow, grow and make as much money as possible. All it did was stress me out and make me an unhappy person.
My previous job was a fucking miserable office drone position. It’s without a doubt the worst job I’ve ever had, and I’ve worked at McDonalds, a factory, and a prison. I would come home so fucking stressed and aggravated that I would go and do yardwork. I’d mow the lawn, trim all the edges with one of those scissors-on-a-stick dealy-o’s, go along the walkways with a step-edger, re-mulch the garden beds, pull out weeds, and trim tree branches… My lawn never looked better.
I actually started fantasizing about just getting a job doing lawn care. It sounded appealing to just work outside and not be a quivering ball of nerves every day. I don’t think the bad weather would even bother me – I get a sense of pride from toughing out inclement weather; that’s why I go jogging in sub-zero temps.
But anyway, I landed an office job that I actually like a lot.
There is a lot of satisfaction involved in doing yard work. I’m terrible at most forms of art, but I can make any size property look beautiful and it’s rewarding.
It’s great when you “get in the zone”. It’s almost like a form of meditation, especially when you are already exhausted. The weather doesn’t bother me either, unless it’s super hot and humid or 35-40 degree rain. I worked most of the day on Saturday when it was -9 with 20 mile per hour winds doing snow removal. Didn’t bother me at all when dressed right. Hard to stay warm all day though in that cold rain.
Hey, Pud, I’m stopping into Tenuta’s tomorrow. Can’t wait! Thanks for the recommendation.
Excellent! I dropped $230 there the day after Xmas. I’ve been living on ravioli, cheese shells, lasagna, meatballs, and Paielli’s Italian bread every day since. I’ll be sure to send you an e-mail real soon. Maybe we can get together this winter sometime.
The only Tenuta’s I know of is in Kenosha. I have been happily eating their food since I was a young kid and my grandfather would fill a suitcase with Italian food goodness when he flew out to visit.
That’s the one! I grew up in Kenosha and whenever I go back to visit I bring a couple coolers and fill up my freezer when I get home. The main thing I miss about there is all the great Italian food. Lots of Italians in town. A good percentage of my friends had last names ending in a vowel. I used to go to my friend’s Grandma’s house all the time after school and eat. She was always cooking something. To this day she made the best cookies I’ve ever had.
Work for the FAA…the filthy government that binds us. I work on radars, automation systems, and technically am a sys admin for said automation systems.
I’ma change my answer. What I’m doing tonight is what I do every night: try to take over the world
damnit
Aren’t you crossing the cartoon streams?
Wonderful show. It’s “parent” show, Animaniacs is superb.
Wonderful show. Its “parent” show, Animaniacs is superb.
OT since I’m about to go to work and will miss morning links: This weeks movie review: first for the year: https://youtu.be/iCEWyNwOOx8
I’m a wealthy man-about-town.
Actually I’m officially a “Sr. Business Analyst” for a mid-sized company that has several manufacturing plants scattered in Michigan, Ohio, and Texas. I’m the EDI Coordinator, sometimes project manager, general fixer of code, and customer coder. I’m on call 24/7 but have a high flexibility in my “hours” worked. ie – as long as things are working and projects are being finished, I can come and go as I need.
Looking to retire in a few years as my wife’s legal career continues to climb the ladder. I would like to start my own business doing stereo repair / upgrades, or just become a professional bum.
I’m a small business owner/manager in the construction equipment business. I started my career as an engineer and was working up thru the management ranks when I became disillusioned with corporate politics and decided to come back to run the family business.
I miss the technical stuff sometimes, but I don’t miss the bullshit of working for someone else or in a medium to large corporation.
Business wise, the most difficult thing I’ve done has been to reorient a listing enterprise without accumulating debt in the process. It’s a long, slow, slog and makes you hate the Fed for holding down rates as long as they have.
Reading all of these responses really brings home the fact that I’m punching way above my weight class on this site. I’m the smartest janitor in the tri-block area, so I’ve got that going for me, which is pathetic. Does that earn me some bonafides?
Fitting.https://youtu.be/hTWKbfoikeg
I’m a little more spry than him but I’ll admit to the “mop-dance” but with more spirit.
Actually this is what real diversity is about – not the BS SJW stuff.
Well, dang. Late to the party. Seems like we have a bunch of insurance industry folks here. Sounds like Mexican Shooter works for the same company as me. I do vetting, contracts, management and compliance for the vendors that our insurance company hires. We are a worldwide operation. This year was..busy. Begging, threatening, rewarding companies to help with the hurricanes after all their 1099s jumped ship after Irma; still finding and hiring for help in Puerto Rico. Launching a new product in Canada. And closing a deal to handle some things in Europe for Amazon.
I get to work from home, which alleviates the paltry corporation enforced limits on merit raises. Been here 16 years and I actually enjoy what I do, so not much to complain about.
I’m a software developer, mainly web apps. The company I work for provides software to schools in Indiana. So I get to see the inner workings of school administration and the influence of teacher’s unions. BTW, still looking for a new gig.
Can you send me a link to work you’ve done? I might need some help in the future. It would start as freelance, but it’s advertising (mainly healthcare) work.
Send it to emd2k3 at gmail dot com
Thanks!
On its way to you now!
Another latecomer here (as usual). I work as a Water Treatment Plant Operator for the county in which I live. I don’t feel good about working for the government, but I take some solace in the fact that we’re funded by revenue instead of taxation. The forced monopoly on water production/distribution is still immoral though, not least of all because our precious groundwater supply is being squandered due to artificial price controls, just as it is across the country (and the world).
Missed this post because I was busy WORKING.
Creative Director, advertising. Hoping I can convince robc to let me do work for his distillery!
Did you ever get the query I sent? I’ll take “Not interested” for an answer if that turns out to be the case.
Sorry, very late to this thread.
I work at Fox Sports in post production and operations management. Been here 12 years. Before that, I spent 10 years in low budget movies on the development/producing end. Before that I was in college in Chicago (worked various odd jobs throughout the years: telemarketer, bedroom furniture sales, market research, toll free # sales for a big phone company). First job was a bagger at a grocery store, before getting promoted to the dairy dept. Thankfully, it was my first and only union job (ended up working there 10 years during high school/college; quit when I moved to LA).
Almost forgot, during the first few years in LA, I moonlighted as overnight front desk clerk at a few hotels (almost no one makes enough $ in their starter film gigs to pay the bills, especially in low budget movies!).
Can I ask you to put in a word to them to get rid of that stupid swinging camera that makes every shot look like Madden? SP and I start screaming and throwing stuff at the TV.
Heh. I know the SVP of Field Operations and a bunch of other guys who work the remote shows. Alas, I think he’ll just laugh at me and say enough people like it.
To be fair, the guys who set up the remote truck operations do some incredible and amazing work.
Missed the boat, but I’ll leave this for posterity.
Work for a Caterpillar machines dealership in southern NY. Not bad work and a job in my field straight out of college was better than most of the people I graduated with. Pick up odd jobs on the side just to keep the money flowing for the race car. Ref soccer games, remodel rooms for people, work the street corners in a small town just south of the Catskills. The usual. Lots of options going forward, hoping to leave the desk life behind for good by the time I’m a little deeper into my 20s.
Just got home from work. Wife and kids have a snow day so we are lounging around prepping a prime rib for the rotisserie. I’m currently working overnights, stocking shelves at a supermarket. It’s likely the most Sisyphean task I’ve had since leaving the Army in the early 1990s. I spend hours converting 6′ tall pallets of pet food, cleaning products, and paper goods into several hundred linear feet of immaculate, Sleeping With The Enemy type displays of merchandising wonder only to return 15 hours later to absolute Bedlam. From Memorial Day to Labor Day I schlepp an ice-cream cart out onto the boardwalk here at Rockaway Beach.
I used to have a buddy that threw freight at a 24 hour grocery. I was working graves at that time too and I’d stop by from time to time and BS with him while he was using a boxcutter like a high speed scalpel and stocking. Good times. Every so often he’d take me into the back, reach into some random pallet of shrinkage and throw a handful of slim jims or other stuff at me.
I find it to be a surprisingly relaxing occupation when doing the actual work. It’s 8 – 10 hours of getting into a groove and wearing headphones. I’m working my way through The Jack Benny Program and Fibber McGee And Molly at Archive.org.
Since this thread is apparently still alive, dpesite the age and the subsequent links, I suppose I’ll give my resume.
I do IT work for the State of New York. I used to support a small agency where my job description was “Anything computer related not expressly belonging to another group”, so I ended up having a wide bredth of support when Andy went and said “transfer to the consolidated IT agency or be fired”. It means I have an odd portfolio in addition to my pigeonhole, because the battling walruses between Unisys and IBM don’t have a solution for most of the services I supported before.
Prior to working at the state, I worked the helpdesk at Xerox.
My first job was as a desktop support intern.
My worst job was the one week I worked the dish line at college. The managers couldn’t even remember what they’d previously said to line staff, and reprimanded me for doing what they themselves had agreed to, so I quit. It wasn’t the reprimand, it was the inconsistancy. I’m not going to accept getting in trouble for following the instructions of the person who issued the reprimand.
As for what I’d rather be doing – I’d like to support myself by writing my fiction. That’s why I need a marketing person to help me figure out how to reach out to potential audiences.
When you find one, let me know. I’m in the same boat.
The thread is probably dead but I’ll jump in anyway…
Manufacturing tech for a privately owned industrial sensor manufacturer in North Idaho. I mostly do SMT, die attach, and fine-pitch wire bond stuff. I’m trying to break into the information systems part of the company though.
There are people in North Idaho?
Dozens.
Also “Break into the Information Systems part of the company” might need a little tweak in phrasing…
I could see how that could be interpreted badly. But no, nothing nefarious. I thought I wanted to be an engineer, but eventually came to the conclusion that I’m just a computer nerd at heart.
I’m one of them.
Coeur d’Alene might be the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. If they need an engineering or R&D manager, I’ll get there at light speed.
We always are in need of engineers. Hit up my email if you are serious. I earlier tried to recruit Lord H to be my boss in IS, but he wasn’t keen on relocating. I guess I’ll have to get my motorcycle and boy-toy somewhere else.
I am and I will. Warning: not at all an IS guy, I do materials, processes, circuits, and test/measurement. LH will attest to the last two.
Ya, I understand. I work closely with the rest of engineering (sustaining and R&D). About half of my hours are chalked up as R&D at tax time.
Fair warning to you as well: this is a small company in a small town. Pay probably won’t be competitive . But I’m with you, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
Oh and a lot of people here commute from CDA.
R&D and new product development engineer for a large telecommunication components corporation, specialising in applied microwave theory and techniques.
I run a few side businesses of: an e-commerce product fulfillment house (we also have our own e-commerce CRM suite) and light plastics fabrication/product development. Also have an expertise in CNP credit card processing.
Missed it, dead thread, whatever.
I’m an associate attorney for a mid-sized national law firm. My practice is in M&A and securities law.
I shouldn’t have gone to law school.
Piling on the gangbang of this corpse…
I’m a “Senior Software Developer” for a small-ish agriculture company (we have 4 devs on the team). Mostly doing .NET web apps that fill in niches that the big enterprise software doesn’t cover (or doesn’t do well). Before this I spent 9 months at a startup after almost 5 years as an IT consultant.
Worst job: pipefitter’s helper at a construction outfit. Once spent the better part of a week running a 7″ angle grinder on the inside of a tank to clean it up for a new coating.
Career change job: I’d probably go into finance/accounting. Playing with numbers like that is…oddly soothing to me.
As for worst job, that’s a tough call. My time in the Army involved Operation Just Cause and required me to do some things which, while fully understand in the abstract, I found morally repugnant. The only job I’ve held that I’ve hated every single moment on the clock would have to be Statewide Fundraiser for the Republican Party of Florida. The RPOF was the first state party to try out computerized telemarketing to targeted donor lists so we were a fancy boiler-room call center staffed by a rapidly turning over group of ne’er-do-wells from FSU and FAMU. Endless hours trying to pry $36.50 per year (“Just a dime a day to keep the Democrats away.” our script read) from a diverse group of assisted living residents, belligerent retired Yankees, and new-money Florida Man. So soul crushing i quit and sold my plasma for a spell and felt it was a step up. I spent a couple years, a great deal of which turned out to be unpaid, toiling for a brilliant chef whose taste for the Peruvian marching powder saw us with too many post-lunch raids on the register followed by two days of no contact then bounced paychecks and subsequent late night surprise home visits to offer a pound of weed in lieu actual pay.
This is the first time I’ve been at work in a few weeks, so, therefore, this is the first time I’ve looked at glibs.com in awhile.
For my main gig I work in rural infrastructure financing – specifically for internet/communications/TV infrastructure. So those of you living in “flyover country” with local companies/cooperatives providing your internet services – its possible that I had a hand in providing the funding for the fiber wire that lets you access glibs.com. You’re welcome. 😛
On the side I serve as a board member and financial expert for a local charity that helps keep otherwise self-sustaining families off the street. We make sure that the family actually has a plan/is normally self-sufficient, but is in crisis (medical bills, car broke down, etc.) and we step in and help them pay the bills to get over the crisis and reach stability again.
I also run a small side business with my brother selling his art. Check it out: http://www.mammothwall.com
I get paid to manage people doing what the kids now call “offensive cyber”. It keeps me off the streets and out of trouble.
I am a research scientist in an obscure form of MRI based imaging which no one uses for fuckall. The problems in the field are awfully interesting to work on though. Alas this year I will probably switch to focus on a form of imaging that is going somewhere.
I’m in the market for X-ray glasses.
My two favorite jobs have been fancy craft services provider for television commercial shoots; the pay is stupendous and the work is very, very easy. Also, drunk-maker/mop-slinger/handyman for a 24/7 French Quarter bar; the perfect job for a hedonistic bachelor.
I think the closest label would be clinical scientist.
If you watch a commercial for a drug or medical device, you’ve probably heard the narrator say something like “In a randomized controlled trial, 60% of patients receiving treatment X demonstrated improved healing over 25% of patients receiving the placebo. Adverse events seen included X, Y, and D”. My job is to create and publish those studies the narrator refers to.
Essentially I analyze the data, write the manuscript, and publish it in a medical journal. As far as I know, none of the products I’ve worked on actually end up in tv advertisements, but the studies are used for things like regulatory approval and payer reimbursement.
I’ve been working for the same locally owned company for almost 19 years. My duties haven’t changed, but my title has changed several times. Office Manager, Project Manager, Manager, Director of Operations, and is currently General Manager.
I work for a large company but at a small department that doesn’t align well with the rest of the company.
My exact title is CAD administrator. What I do is program Autodesk Inventor to create standard models for the designers to start with and keep them from going out of bounds on their designs. I also run our Computational Fluid Dynamics software to simulate fluid flow of our mixer products and FEA to make sure things probably won’t break. I run admin type duties on our CAD database as well. Program CNC plasma cutters and whatever goofy things my boss wants done correctly.
I work for a Fedgov agency as a contractor for a GIGANTIC company. I do web content. It’s low-stress (so far) and pays well.
Professional race car driver. At least that’s my cocktail party byline.
I invent high-tech toys for auto racing (data, telemetry, safety, etc.). I own the company and pay myself to test my products in my own race cars.
I’ve been busy the last couple of days and just saw this — since it’s being flagged and someone might actually read it, I’ll weigh in.
I’m a tenured physical sciences professor at a midwest state university.
Been in academia my whole life — the only ” real job” I had was in junior high programming an NCR 500 computer for my dad’s company (nobody in the company knew how to use it and he thought it would be a good learning experience for me — which it was — I got $25 per program). This was late 1960’s and the computer took up a quarter of a room, input was via paper tape, and it had 400 bytes (yes, bytes) of RAM.
Mrs. Whiz just finished her first year as a county supervisor (third time running was the charm). The inside stories I could tell about the politics of it all might be worth submitting an article here.
Not that this is a live thread anymore, by any stretch, but…
I work for a large multinational online retailer. I also write in my spare time.
To be specific I am in the training department, I write and maintain documents and oversee training.
I am all over the place.
Another one of the Queen’s commissioned officer (2LT infantry officer; NCOs, feel free to make fun of me). The piece of paper is on the wall.
BBA in accounting from HEC Montreal. Yet not a CPA (Seriously who would bother with that??)
Worked in finance for a few years, was good at it, but didn’t like staying behind a desk. Screwed up when I tried myself in the sales part. Moved on, switched career.
The bests years I’ve spent was being an Installation Supervisor for a furniture company, it got me to travel all up and down the east coast. Liked it, hated it, screwed it, miss it.
I started 2017 working as a food worker in a grocery store. In March I was delivering tires for some other company until I hurt my back. Then, I got a nice gig to water Montreal’s trees in June. Got a job in another furniture company in September, lasted 2 weeks. Recently, I was part of a team that was to get out their new best amazing cryptocurrency but I couldn’t handle the fact that they were full of shit so I quitted a few days ago.
So right now, I am a bit unemployed. And drunk of course.
I guess I like to keep things interesting.
I am a mathematics professor and administrator (Associate Dean for the past five years and other positions from time to time before that) at a state university in Florida. I’ve been here for about 23 years. Most of my work right now is connected to the Dean part: I teach one class per year in HIstory of Mathematics. But I still am active in my professional societies and manage to get a presentation and/or article out once every great while. You know, the stuff I went to grad school for. Most of my time is evenly divided between (a) enforcing regulations and (b) figuring out ways to evade regulations.
Ever drive down a road, gaze over at some power-plant/factory/other industry, see those phallic smokestakes spewing toxic jizz up at the face of Mother Gaia, and wonder “I wonder how they measure all that capitalism and orphan tears (as a vapor) thats ruining the planet?”
Im that guy.
Yes, there is an entire industry devoted to climbing those things, in all sorts of weather, all over the US. And using the careful application of some very rudimentary chemistry, physics, the Merck catalog, McMaster-Carr, and the Boy Scout handbook, people like us (stack testers) perform the tests required by the US EPA to determine if said industrial process is in compliance with what they’re allowed to put into the air.
If you thought Glibs, or even most of the LP are aspie, introverted, and prone to substance abuse, Id like to invite you to meet my guys.
Got a coater in Columbus, Ohio thats blowing VOC all over the county? I’m your guy.
Got a boiler in Barstow, and CARB is on your butt for NOx emissions? I’m your guy.
Got too many curies of Am-241 coming from your calciner, in Pocatello, ID? I can be there in a day.
If its Pocatello it’s OK, nobody cares.
As a youngun rope swings, cliff diving and tree climbing was a big thing for me. Loads of fun. I once jumped 99 feet into water ( I dont recommend this) I hit the water so hard it tore my shoes away from the soles and pushed them halfway to my knees. Fun! Now I am getting old and am completely in touch with my own mortality. I have become a safety nut. I have seen too many people hurt doing stupid things in my life. Once I warned my stepson about some impending disaster that he didn’t see coming, something he was used to because I would do it all the time. He asked me “How do you always know what is going to happen?” Answer – “How do you think I know?” Then I would usually show him a scar.
Oddly, I have also developed a terrible fear of heights. You keep climbing those towers Tres. I sure as hell couldn’t.
Being a former paper boy, fry cook, fish bait entrepreneur, ski bum, sailboat delivery crew member, boat fabrication laborer, marina worker (think bottom painting), USCG Boarding Officer/44 MLB Coxswain, framer, sheetrocker, cabinet maker, finish carpenter, O&G exploration worker, and OTR truck driver, I now fix assorted broken things with an assortment of tools and try to keep my supervisor and members of the general public happy. It pays less than when I sold worms 36 years ago but at least it’s not as seasonal.
One more kick on the dead horse.
I’m buying out the old mans buisness he started in 82. We chase mobile rock crushing equipment around the northwest and resurface one specific type of wear part. Recently I’ve been ‘unemployed’ work is slow because all the plants must be crushing nonabrasive bassalt. I work weekends and holidays. It’s wonderful. Worst part of the job is having to deal with the federal DOT. I love regulations written by people who have never worked in the field they are writing rules for.
Worst job I’ve had. The Army. Man what a hot mess. Oberstaffed, under utalized, make work BS, and shaving. Seriously what’s up with the shaving? You’re going to die before you get your mopp gear on in a gas attack, you might as well die looking like a man.
I am sorry I missed this thread. SP, thank you for linking to it.
I think I have worked at nearly everything imaginable. Retired now but still growing trees. I like trees. We get along well. Except for goddamned giant weeds called sweetgum. Maybe just for fun, in case anyone is interested I will write up something on forestry – not the usual stuff you find in textbooks but stuff you just learn over time from experience.
I somehow missed this as well.
I’ve been an IT guy, a teacher, a video game designer, and a host of other things. Never had enough attention span to stick to a single field.
Currently I work as the head distiller at a small start up, making whiskey and bourbon. I also do occasional photography gigs, and I’m about to launch a pair of podcasts.
One more scientist on the list, walking the tightrope between physics and chemistry.
I missed this thread by a parsec. FedGov employee @ FAA. Work on all the radars (search, weather, beacon) and the system administrator for the Tracon automation system.
There are still some of us who check in here from time to time to see what everybody does.
Well this thread is still on the home page, and I’m always up for beating a dead horse. Was Army enlisted for almost 18 years, in a non-aviation MOS. Now I’m an airframe and powerplant mechanic at a community college flight school. Was attending school there, and just kind of fell into the mechanic job after I got my A&P and commercial pilot certificate.
I am a CO at a maximum security state prison. Not the most likely place to find a libertarian, but it is what it is. Before that, 16 years as a member of Wal-Mart Logistics.