Occupations

[Base]

I am blatantly stealing this off the political forum (don't worry, it isn't actually political!!!), cause it's a good idea for a thread, but I only recognised 2 names off it over there and I want to hear everyone here's answers. I'm going to extend it tho...

 

A - What is your current occupation?

 

B - What jobs have you done in the past?

 

C - What would you like to do for a living?

 

For me:

 

I'm a Senior Systems Analyst, means I sort out problems and run jobs and maintenance work on companies (not mine, various clients) software systems.

 

I've always worked for the same company doing something IT related (have also done programming, testing, etc) since starting full-time employment after Uni. Before that I worked in a kitchen, tho that tended to be mostly as a ceramic technician

 

I'd like to make a living as a photographer, maybe one day...

[Dylan Walters]

A) My 40-hour a week job is an IT professional setting up and supporting networks across North America. When I

[Lee Knight]

A - What is your current occupation?

I work for Newgen Corp. I maintain an IVR. An IVR is what plays back audio files to create full sentences of information over a telephone... like when you call your bank to hear your balance. 50% of my job is recording voiceovers. My voice and others. The other half of my job is a lot of head scratching and problem solving.

 

I'm also expanding into music production. It's actually starting to pay so I guess that's my job now too...

 

B - What jobs have you done in the past?

Professional Musician age 18-30.

Student

Audio Salesman

Audio Engineer

Termite Inspector (I hated that but my daughter was born and she had to eat, ya know?)

 

C - What would you like to do for a living?

What I'm doing now. More music though, less voiceover work.

[Rabid]

(A) - CIO and Risk Management Director for a not-for-profit regional mental health agency. Sort of like a health department for mental health and we cover 8 counties in rural SE Kentucky and have around 650 employees. I have 10 people on my staff, but I cannot find a good tech that knows about servers. At least not one we can afford. In addition to normal duties expected with those titles I

[Shars]

Intresting question actualy.

 

Well I was a Managing Director of my own company till recently but resigned that postion to do other things.

I'm now in the middle of setting up my own Tour Mangement company which is pretty hard work but its our retirement fund so to speak so I am determined to make a go of it like I did with my last company and make it as successful.

 

In the past what have I done...

Well I'm a qualified Nursery Nurse and I used to look after little kids of 3mths to 4 yrs old but got really fed up with it as it was long hours with not much pay.

I've also been a PA of a successful Security company, well till the boss decided he wanted to go insane and got committed and left me to run the whole show and then I had to leave due to working 18 hours a day to keep it going till he got better and then he went and blew millions on race horses and booze...dont ask but he was totally of his trolly.

I have also run the family buisness for many years not only have I got experience and knowledge in electrical installations but also Alarm Engineering and Design for the MOD, Fire Alarm Systems, CCTV and Access Control Systems.

 

Overall I have done pretty much everything I want to but I want to pull myself togehter now and do what I love best and thats working in the Music Business full time.

 

I also manage several bands which keep me pretty busy and I also run my own promo nights and events.

[rhythmonly]

Current occupation: Tech Support/Customer Service

 

Previous:

 

High-tech manufacturing (wafer processing platforms, industrial furnaces, RSC cabinets, emergency vehicle panels)

 

Fabricator (mild/stainless steel)

 

Sonar tech/Gunner's Mate

 

Electrician

 

Liquor store manager

 

House painter

 

Stockboy (back when we still had 5 and dime stores)

 

Dream job? Proof reader for a Sci-Fi publisher.

[Kendrix]

Well I got an undergrad degree in physics and stared out working as a physicist at Xer0x.

Over time my career evolved from:

Technology development to

Product Development to

Getting an MBA at night to

One year in Finance ( enough of that) to

Various jobs in product planning ( my favorite) to

Being a business & product strategy resident in our JV in Japan to

Managing our production business ( high speed machines) in Asia by working with/through our Japanese JV.

Its been a good ride.

 

Would love to slip into semi retirement form the big corprate scene and make a modest income in music production/engineering

OR

Do some work on behalf of animals.

Or

Win the lottery and just go surfing

 

BTW- the physics is totally relevant to understanding acoustics and recording technology.

[phaeton]

Termite Inspector (I hated that but my daughter was born and she had to eat, ya know?)

 

Your daughter eats termites?

 

I'll elaborate on my Political Forum answer:

 

- Currently Technical Support/System Administration for Wireless ISP and Colocation/Data Center. It started out as a mom-n-pop basement company which has grown to 4 guys and a dog. We have a few thousand dialup customers, a few hundred Wireless Internet customers, and have a server room full of colocated machines from all over the U.S., Mexico, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Australia and Soviet Canada. This week marks my 4 year anniversary. I don't get paid for overtime, and most everyone else i know that does the same thing i do makes 2x as much or more. But we shut the whole office down to go watch the Star Wars movies on opening day, so i guess there's the tradeoff.

 

I used to find computering, gaming, networking and programming very fascinating, but either i'm old now (turned 31 last week) or i'm burned out. I have little interest to do anything with a computer these days except hit refresh on a few forums I'd like to try something else next time around and see if I start to like computers and video games again, but unfortunately this is probably my most marketable skill

 

 

In the past i've done a lot of stuff. Some good some awful. My gf has a cow every time we talk about the number of jobs i've had. I've:

 

Stocked shelves at Wal-Mart (oh gawd)

 

Worked for the phone company

 

Worked for a Satellite TV Service Dispatch place

 

Done shipping and receiving in the world headquarters for a major credit card company (and after seeing the inside of that palace I'll never own a credit card)

 

Done same stuff as above for a major insurance and investment company.

 

Built travel trailers

 

Built doors in a door plant (where I got tendonitis)

 

Delivered auto parts and worked in a wrecking yard

 

Worked in a transmission specialty shop (i'm actually 'higher education' trained in this field)

 

Worked in an auto service center (I'm trained in this too)

 

And done a smattering of dumb stuff like flipping burgers, ringing up Toys R Us customers, growing pot and selling it and/or playing gigs for money.

 

What would I *like* to do? I dunno. Something technical and geeky, like nanotechnology stuff or designing electronics. As a kid I was really into all the sciences. Dunno if i've got the brainpower left to do that, though.

[flemtone]

I design the fiber-optic infrastructure for the largest cable company in the US, but only in the N.E. section of the country.

 

In the past, I've been a bartender, a computer systems analyst, a linesman, a paperboy and a door-to-door costume jewelry salesman.

 

I'd like to be a full-time musician, both recording and performing. I've only been able to achieve part-time status in this field so far.

 

Of course, I'd settle for 1-lottery and 2-surfing also

 

t from j

[Tedster]

I'm a meteorologist for the National Weather Service Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City. Our office basically prepares the aviation forecasts for North America, and a good portion of the globe as well. My unit is one of two in the world (the other being in Exeter, England) that prepares weather charts for international flights.

 

When you take off on any international flight, the pilots have a package of products in the cockpit. There's a good chance on any given day that I drew part of those charts...

 

In the past I've been a radio DJ (ugh)...moved furniture and appliances, done janitorial work...this, that, and the other thing.

 

My dream job would be something that could get me outside, and away from being chained to this desk and computer.

 

 

[Lee Knight]

TERMITES!

 

[linwood]

For the past several years I've been making a living writing/producing jingles. I do mostly radio sing/song type stuff. It's not too often that I get to score to picture. I'll hit just about every market you can think of within the year. You can visit my site and see exactly what I do.

I always played for a living. All over the US. I landed in Vegas in 1979 and had a house thing at Caesars and stayed there til '91. Great place and great folks to work for.

As strange as this might sound, I really love the jingle gig. It affords me to always be home with my family. The people that I work with are the nicest people you'd ever wanna meet. Honestly. I wish a few TV gigs would find their way to me, but I'm really thankful for the way things are.

[daklander]

After 35+ years in equipment maintenance I've switch gears and I'm now a real estate professional, still playing music on the side.

 

Oh, dream job? Playing gigs where ever and when ever I wanted with no thought as to money because I'd be wealthy enough to be able to do the gigs gratis, pro bono, or what ever else you call free.

[Kendrix]

Originally posted by Tedster I'm a meteorologist for the National Weather Service Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City. Our office basically prepares the aviation forecasts for North America, and a good portion of the globe as well. My unit is one of two in the world (the other being in Exeter, England) that prepares weather charts for international flights. When you take off on any international flight, the pilots have a package of products in the cockpit. There's a good chance on any given day that I drew part of those charts... In the past I've been a radio DJ (ugh)...moved furniture and appliances, done janitorial work...this, that, and the other thing. My dream job would be something that could get me outside, and away from being chained to this desk and computer.

 

Tedster,

In your spare time why dont you just figure out how to draw the chart and have the weather adjust accordingly? Use the chart as your control surface.

Id bet there would be big bucks in that.

[philbo]

Originally posted by Base I am blatantly stealing this off the political forum (don't worry, it isn't actually political!!!), cause it's a good idea for a thread, but I only recognised 2 names off it over there and I want to hear everyone here's answers. I'm going to extend it tho... A - What is your current occupation? B - What jobs have you done in the past? C - What would you like to do for a living? For me: I'm a Senior Systems Analyst, means I sort out problems and run jobs and maintenance work on companies (not mine, various clients) software systems. I've always worked for the same company doing something IT related (have also done programming, testing, etc) since starting full-time employment after Uni. Before that I worked in a kitchen, tho that tended to be mostly as a ceramic technician I'd like to make a living as a photographer, maybe one day...

 

A) Electronics design technician

 

B) All kinds of stuff - (in no particular order:) steelworker, musician, roadie, farmhand, factory worker, carpenter, janitor, college professor, sewing machine mechanic, truck driver

 

C) Write, record and publish my own music well enough to make a living at it.

[Tedster]

 

As a matter of fact, I'm working on such a thing to further my EEEEVIL mission.

[Mr. Botch]

Currently I'm an explosives engineer for Air Force ejection systems; my systems include the F-15, T-37, T-38, B-1, and as of yesterday, the B-2. I travel a lot to Indian Head MD, Phoenix, Sacramento, Chicago, and Monterey CA to blow {censored} up. Yes its a tough life. I'm also in the AF Reserves as a bomb technician, and teach a nature photography course at the local Community college.

 

Previous Jobs:

a. Reliability Engineer, Thiokol, space shuttle boosters

b. Nuclear weapon safety engineer, TRW, Minuteman missile

 

and as an Air Force Captain:

c. Officer-in-Charge, Tech Engineering, 321st Missile Wing (Minuteman)

d. Nuclear Weapon engineer, DNS, Albuquerque (best job I'll ever have)

e. Reliability Engineer, Radar jammer systems, Dayton Ohio

 

My dream job? My current job is pretty cool, although I wish I was still an Air Force Officer. If Mark Knopfler asked me to play keys on the road with him I'd accept in a heartbeat.

[Nighthawkdude]

Currently:

I'm a Systems Analyst with the State of Texas for the past 12 years. I'm in the pipeline for a financial analyst position with Dell, but they won't give me a start date due to a hiring freeze.

 

In the past:

Intelligence Collection Manager for 12th Air Force HQ at Bergstrom AFB in Austin, TX. I coordinated intelligence collection for counternarcotic missions in Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia. I also did a brief stint (10 months) as a "military advisor in El Salvador".

 

Imagery Interpreter/Targeteer with 8th Air Force HQ at Barksdale AFB in Shreveport, LA. I targeted nuclear weapons against targets in the former USSR.

 

Advanced Imagery Interpretation Instructor with USAFE, stationed at RAF Alconbury, UK. I taught NATO officers how NOT to shoot the good guys.

 

C-141B Aircraft Loadmaster at Charleston AFB, SC. Basically, a highly trained, poorly paid flight attendant/tourist. Went around the world 6 times and visited 59 countries in a three-year period.

 

Prior to the USAF, I was a professional musician in a semi-major touring metal band back in the early 80s.

 

Dream job:

Towel boy/body oil application technician at a supermodel convention. Quality-control inspector in a high-class brothel. Luthier. Own my own recording studio.

[drfuzz]

Currently:

Systems Manager and Senior Cadd Technician for a smallish Civil Engineering company. I keep the PC's happy, build new ones when needed, and help draft and design subdivisions, roads, utilities and golf courses around the world (latest golf course is in St. Kitts in the Carribean). Been there 20 years now...

 

Formerly:

Did yardwork all through high school, janitor work, day cook at a pizza place for a couple of years, sanded and finished tables and chairs in a furniture shop for a couple of years, worked in a metal shop sanding O-ring surfaces and sandblasting things...

 

Dream job:

Building guitars and mandolins and such - I call my wood stash my 'retirement fund'

 

Drfuzz

[MarkZ]

Current: National sales manager for a TV station. I handle all the advertising business that comes from NYC, Boston, Chicago, LA, etc., but mostly NYC.

 

Former: TV advertising salesperson, jack-of-all-trades at a small ad agency, air talent at a rock radio station, part time in a record store (pre-CD era)

 

Dream jobs:

Composing music for major motion pictures

Playing trumpet and "utility infield" for the Pat Metheny Group

Owner/chef for a small, fine dining restaurant (ex. Charlie Trotter)

[blackpig]

Currently I divide my time between local gigging as part of various Irish trad. outfits and working part time in a music shop (a complete pain).

 

In the past I have been a factory worker, a T.V. repairman, a car assembler, a furniture upholsterer, a male model, a storeman/forklift driver, a digger of holes in roads, an arts administrator (whatever that is), a folk music archivist but I've always been a musician.

 

I would like to make my living entirely from writing and playing my own stuff. There's nothing stopping me except me, really. I did at one time have the opportunity to thank one of my music heroes for the fact that he was partly responsible for me not being able to hold down a steady job. He was delighted too. :cool:

[KB Gunn]

Currently: Optometrist at Naval Hospital Camp LeJeune working in the refractive surgery program. We treat Marines and Navy personnel for free. Nice benefit. We do PRK, similar to Lasik without the flap. I also do some part time recording, not nearly as involved as I was up north a few years ago. I also perform original christian theme alternative rock music, though I have cut back on that considerably. Operate a christian website.

 

Previous jobs:

-Drug clerk

-fast food worker

-played in several bands through the years

-Caldor major appliance sales

-Good Humor Man in New Haven, CT

-Audiophile equipment sales in New Haven (Audio Showcase)

-amateur rock concert promoter in college

-camera salesman @ underground camera, Boston

-professional photographer

-recording studio owner in Vermont

-various waste of time attempts at multi level marketing

 

Dream Job: Good Humor Man

[audioguru]

As it seems that would be quicker...

 

Currently Market Manager for Recording & Broadcast @ Harman (specifically Lexicon & dbx).

 

Previous gigs include writing for various trade mags, consulting for manufacturers (e.g. Groove Tubes w/ ViPre and Glory), Product Mgr for Gibson Labs, Sr. Product Mgr at Alesis, Digital Systems Specialist @ Mackie, Studio Owner, Record Label Manager, Tracking & Mix Engineer, Production Director & Morning Show Host at Radio Network, even wrote & developed software for Tandy Corp back in the day. Played a few gigs in my day

 

Dream job? Other than Pro Golfer (mmmYeah. Right) I think I sorta dig what I do (most days): developing new concepts & paradigms for recording dudes and dudettes. At least... that's what I *think* I do.

 

TGB

[MDLMUSIC]

Current job - Principal for the Alternative Education department for a small school district in Southern California

 

Former jobs - Teacher, Purchasing Agent, International Buyer, Musician, Lifeguard, Assemblyline worker

 

Dream job - Play guitar in local clubs and get treated to free beer every weekend (Oh, wait, I'm doing that now) How about doing that and getting enough money to support my GAS habit?

[Miket156]

Unemployed. AKA as Musician.

 

 

Mike T.