Occupations

[Jeff da Weasel]

Originally posted by Base A - What is your current occupation?

CEO, President, Creative Director, Copywriter, Graphic Designer, Webmaster, PR Specialist, Accountant, and Janitor of my own advertising, marketing and public relations company for the music/audio products industry.

B - What jobs have you done in the past?

- Various marketing weasel positions
- Various sales weasel positions
- Recording and gigging musician (this still applies)
- Audio engineering
- LAN admin
- Mall rat
- Manual laborer

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

I does what I likes and I likes what I does!

- Jeff

[valkyriesound]

Cool thread...

Current: Audio Engineer: National Public Radio (National Network level)

Past: Independent engineer for various clients (see website)
Project Assistant Manager for Winter 2002 Olympics Audio

Dream: I love being an independent and running my own business... I hope to go back to that someday

Valky

[Counterpoint]

1 -

Computer programmer

2 -

Cover band bassist
Pizza guy
Tutor/Professor's assistant
Farm hand

3 -

Computer programmer with a bigger paycheck
Composer
Songwriter/Performer
Author
Screenwriter
Nature photographer
Lecturer
Filthy-rich world-traveling playboy

[cyanhue]

1. current occupation: studying for a masters degree in computer science / student position at intel programming drivers.

2. I haven worked in many places, I worked at a hotel before the army, then three years doing IT/systems work in the army , then university.

3. not really sure I have a dream job,currently I'm ok with what I'm doing, sure it could be better , but thats probably true about everything....

[rog951]

A) Currently: Sr. PCB Designer making little widgets for a wireless networking firm.

 

B) Previously: Well, the PCB stuff has been going on for nearly 20 yrs now, but before that I worked as a motor-winding coordinator for Black & Decker (Professional, Automotive and Industrial...NOT that consumer crap! ), a buyer for a frozen fish company (got to wear a hairnet and come home smelling like fish stix every day!) , and a mosquito surveillance technician (I didn't believe there was such thing either!). I was also a professional musician for about 45 minutes in 1988

 

C) Dream Job: 40 year old rock star!

[Perfessor]

Operator supervisor at a wastewater treatment plant.
Worked construction, had my own painting business, worked for the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture as the youngest meat inspector ever hired, worked in Lincoln, Montana at the US Forest Service.

[Counterpoint]

Originally posted by Kendrix Well I got an undergrad degree in physics and stared out working as a physicist at Xer0x. ... BTW- the physics is totally relevant to understanding acoustics and recording technology.

 

 

KEWL!!!!

[Counterpoint]

Originally posted by Tedster 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...

Be sure to let us know if you and the guys are having a bad day, okay?

Maybe you should move to Atlanta, get a job with the Weather Channel and introduce us to some luscious "weather babes!"

[MrKnobs]

(1) Current: Research scientist at the Univ. of Texas.

(2) Previous: gas station attendant, computer programmer, lab assistant, graduate research assistant, touring sound guy, TV repairman, amplifier tech, postman, thief, waiter, data entry business owner, recording studio owner, statistician, department store worker, senior systems analyst, photographer. (in no particular order).

(3) Dream job: faith healer, or perhaps intercontinental gigolo. I love to play music, but I don't want to be paid for it - if I was paid, they'd expect me to do it when I didn't feel like it and play stuff I don't like. You know - a JOB.

[blue2blue]

I'm a freelance web and database developer, mostly doing e-commerce and production/order tracking work. I've been doing database work since the late-mid 80s (although with a long layout while I was running a project studio out of my house). Before that I was the sales coordinator for a small radio communications manufacturer, moonlighting as a freelance engineer/producer. Before that I ran a small warehouse for a big company. I've also been a transcription specialist (glorified typist) for a private investigator specialising in aviation; a skip tracer/process server; a gas station attendant; librarian's assistant; a burger flipper; phone solicitor; etc.

Dream job?

Puttering around... You know, like Ozzie on Ozzie & Harriet... drink a little iced tea, shoot the breeze with Thorny Thornton, the next door neighbor, fish the football off the roof when Ricky and Dave kick it up there... make love with Harriet 3.2 times a week.

[zekmoe]

I'm an Oracle DBA. The snooty kind that manages 10's of thousands of tables, billions of rows and users with sub second response time expectations on 30 table joins for wildcard searches. Love it really.
The only other full time job I had was tv salesman for an out of business chain (Lechmere). I worked a Jack Hammer putting up tents, worked at Supermarkets and gas stations as a kid and was a professional musican for a short time. Thats it.

[dcwave]

1) Telecommunications System Integration Engineer - I basically architect telephony networks and hardware systems for financial companies' call centers; which requires me to have an indepth knowledge of just about every phone system out there as well as telecom and data protocols.
My job takes me all over North America.

2) I have been employed in the past as an operations VP in call centers, telecom salesman, telemarketer, 7-11 employee, and tire pressman for a forklift dealer.

3) I love what I do although, I would like to do what I do at my leisure rather than as an employee. I would like to derive 50% of my income from composing music for independent films, video games, and other multimedia projects.

[srsfallriver]

This is my first post on this forum. I'm on OJ and Backstage With The Band alot. Anyway:

I'm a full-time electrician/part-time musician

I've been a UPS supervisor, Diamond-tool cutter, salesman, Toys Are Us cashier/stocker/helper, prep-cook, dishwasher, bass teacher.

Dream: Physicist, accoustics engineer, or world renowned jazz bassist.

[deanmass]

1) Tech Coordinator for a small-med k-12 school

2) Everything (pizza delivery/waiter/field tech/commodities broker -oil futures-/retail manager

3) What I do now, with a couple more people and the opportunity to cut through the adversarial relationship developed between admins and teachers, and a standardized OS platform. I love what I do, but it is so frustrating being understaffed and a slave to the ebb and flow of politics. I would work for myself if insurance were nto an issue, but I truly LOVE what I do.

[UstadKhanAli]

A - What is your current occupation?

I'm a special education teacher. I have Blueberry Buddha Recording Studio mostly for my own purposes, although I do make some money on the side recording rock and experimental bands - and lately, ever since I got really nice A/D converters, doing transfers of audio from the Akai MG1214 to .wav or .aiff files.

B - What jobs have you done in the past?

I was a lifeguard and swim team coach for a summer camp for five years.

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

I'm happy teaching. If I could make my own hours, I'd be quite happy making a living recording people. Or continue teaching, but somehow teach for eight months instead of ten and then travel more (something like teach for four months, travel for two, teach for another four, travel for another two...). That'd be really ideal.

[Ed A.]

Originally posted by Tedster I'm a meteorologist for the National Weather Service Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City...My dream job would be something that could get me outside, and away from being chained to this desk and computer.

I'll trade ya . I'm a real estate appraiser (about 3 years) and I'm just about getting burnt out already. Previously, I was a systems analyst/computer consultant (about 15 years) where I much preferred sitting at a desk with my computer. What do you need to do to become a meteorologist and how's the pay?

[Rubber Lizard]

What a great thread! It seems we have many esteemed collegues!

A - What is your current occupation?

I'm a computer technician, sort of, for the local county government. Yep, I'm the Computer Guy, IT guy, whatever.

B - What jobs have you done in the past?

Programmer/analyst, Production Control (that's old mainframe stuff), Solderer, firefigher, commercial fishing.

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

Being the computer guy is great! Not sure I'd like to be a real musician (who depends on getting paid). I'd like to produce artists of my own choosing and not have to get paid for it. Money is the root of all pain-in-the-asses.

[Base]

Some pretty varied stuff in here, some of it I knew, but most of it is a revelation. For the dream jobs, just assume that you'll make enough money! For me, I'd rather keep music as my pastime, that's why I'd rather be a photographer (freelance, I'd want to mostly choose what I shoot)!

[Kendrix]

Some years ago i read an article that reported a high correlation between musical aptitude ( esp. related to reading music) and computer programming skills.

It was noted that both involve coding/decoding an abstract "language"

Judging from the distribiution of skills/jobs reported here there does seem to be something to that. A really large portion of forumites seem to be in IT.

Interesting.

[Tedster]

Originally posted by Ed A. What do you need to do to become a meteorologist and how's the pay?

 

 

Well, generally a degree in meteorology. It's actually a rather rigorous degree...full of math, physics...etc. I graduated from Florida State University in December of 1989 with a B.S. (and plenty of it). The pay is good if you work for the government. There are also private firms that hire meteorologists for a number of functions, TV weathermen, pollution control people for industry, that sort of thing.

 

One of the main drawbacks in government meteorology is the rotating shift work. The weather never stops, y'know...

[phaeton]

Some years ago i read an article that reported a high correlation between musical aptitude ( esp. related to reading music) and computer programming skills.


I have read that as well (in TNHD, actually) , and experienced it first-hand. About 80% of my hardcore geek UNIX friends are all musicians of varying degrees or plan on becoming one.

The rest are just weirdos.

[MrKnobs]

Originally posted by Kendrix Some years ago i read an article that reported a high correlation between musical aptitude ( esp. related to reading music) and computer programming skills. It was noted that both involve coding/decoding an abstract "language" Judging from the distribiution of skills/jobs reported here there does seem to be something to that. A really large portion of forumites seem to be in IT. Interesting.

 

 

I've noticed the correlation too.

 

But I think it's because both learning an instrument and learning to program are inherently asocial things, meaning they require a lot of alone time practicing or programming, and great attention to detail. Many people are too "people oriented" to put in the necessary hours by themselves. And a heck of a lot of people aren't interested in meticulous, detailed work.

 

Terry D.

[tdempsey]

A - What is your current occupation?

I'm a Multimedia Specialist concentrating in Web development and New Media

B - What jobs have you done in the past?

All my real jobs gave been consistently in this field - Computer Graphics for Fortune 500 companies

C - What would you like to do for a living?
If I could start all over I'd be a 3-D computer animator/character designer - I've been doing it off and on for years. Maybe not the tedious parts, but I'd certainly like to design the characters and hand them off..

if I won the lottery I'd buy Pixar, then they would have to let me work there.

[genERIC]

Self-employed for the past 10+ years as an Electronics Technician doing sales/service of 2-way communications gear.

 

1 year as a Tech/general nusiance (sp?) for a defense contractor.

 

2 years as an apartment maintenance guy.

 

.75 years as a Circuit board plater.

 

.50 years as a Night-stocker at a smalltown grocery.

 

4 years on an assembly line dropping differentials into tractor trannies.

 

.50 years as a piston-screwer. Yep- I was the guy who screwed the piston onto the rod in a hydraulic cylinder.

 

1 year as a silk-screen printer.

 

3 years as a prep-cook and later Sous Chef.

 

.50 years as a pearl diver.

 

1 year as a soda jerk circa 1978-1979. Best gig ever. My buddies laughed at me but I laughed all the way to the bank; I made $1.65/hour "student wage". My best check was $63.55. Not bad for a 14 y/o growing up in Detroit, though! And ALL my co-workers were older highschool gals. Highschool gals in their tight white polyester Baskin & Robbins uniforms..... Not to mention all the ice cream I could eat!

 

It's been one helluva ride.

 

I wonder what's next?

[Red Winger]

I think we posted something akin to this at the old place.

A. Current Occupation -- Attorney (Intellectual Property); Part-time musician

B. Past Jobs -- Full time keyboardist/guitarist; Communications Systems Engineer for Lockheed

C. Dream Job -- Lotto Winner.

Seriously, it's probably just a bit less on the attorney side and a bit more on the music side, but otherwise not all that far off from where I'm at.

--Mark