What do you do (or did) for a living?

[NTP2]

See the title. Also I’d love a nitty gritty explanation of what it is exactly that you do!

As for me I go to 9th grade every day, and they don’t even pay me!!!

 

[Hobie1dog]

A previous thread that is 6 pages long:
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/what-do-you-do-for-a-living.136416/

 

[NTP2]

A previous thread that is 6 pages long:
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/what-do-you-do-for-a-living.136416/

Ok never seen that. Still last post 2017!!

 

[2-0turbo]

I went and read through several of those pages. Amazing all the different things folks do to earn a buck.

 

[Azamiryou]

1991-2006: software developer
2007-2009: English teacher in Japan
2010-2017*: woodworker, penmaker, and 2nd generation silversmith
2017-present: stay-at-home dad

*still ongoing in very limited form

 

[NateB]

Here's a few of the more interesting things I have managed to get paid to do:

• Promote punk and hardcore concerts
• Ride Rollercoasters and amusment park rides
• Set up firework displays and make pyrotechnic effects
• Drive a firetruck
• Ride a pit bike around during motorcross races
• Sit on a beach and lifeguard a great lake.
• Build clay tennis courts
• And currently taking care of people while flying in a helicopter

And a couple of mundane things too:

• Make salads at a salad bar in the girls dorm
• Sell computers and TVs
• Bartender

 

[teepot]

I was in the golf business for 20 years. The golf business died in 2007/8.. After that I was a firearms instructor for five years. Then I got sick and retired. Spent a year and a half going to The Mayo Clinic in Scottdale. After hundreds of appointments the still didn't know what was wrong with me. But I have been felling like my old self since September.

 

[tsmmiller]

My first “job” was a door man at a cat house! Not really, growing up we had lots of cats. They liked to come and go. I was usually the one opening the door for them.
I spent 2 years working in the Challis National Forest performing everything from planting mahogany shrubs to pouring concrete slabs for warehouses. Every penny earned those two years went into the bank to pay for my A&P schooling.
2 years attending Idaho State University A&P school while part timing for a farm implements company where we modified the equipment for each farmers needs.
From there I lived and worked in Sun Valley, ID performing maintenance on heavy equipment an plowing parking lots and driveways during winter months.
After Sun Valley I chased helicopters all over the country. I enjoyed the work, not so much the travel. Living is squalid hotels in no name cities is really not a lot of fun.
From there I worked at a company that remanufactured aircraft engines to zero time engines. That was fun, and the variety of customers and people you met was really quite something.
While working there I also part timed at Portland Performing Arts where I got see many a Broadway show, many concerts, and listen to the Nut Cracker so many times that if I ever hear another note from it, it will be too soon! The highlight of working there was to have Grace Slick sing a song for me during a sound check.
In 1987 I snagged a job at my current place of employment. There I have performed inspections on all kinds of things for the planes. Trailing edge power drive units, angle gear boxes, transmissions, tracks, flap supports, landing gear beams for 737, 747’s and 777 as well as the 777-9. Horizontal stabilizer actuators, flap tracks and carriages for 747s including all of the units for all 4 Air Force One airplanes. The primary bulkhead for the 747’s, the item that the entire airplane was built around. Center Isle stands for everything from the KC135’s to 777. Control columns, auto throttles and more…..so so so much more.
For 37 years, I have seen the birth of several airplanes along with the “rollouts” and the death of the 757, 747 a few derivatives of the 737, and all passenger versions of the 767.
After I retire in 4 years my only plans are to stay home and possibly sit at the front desk and answer the phone, make appointments for the ladies coming to the wife’s salon.

 

[Hobie1dog]

20 years as an industrial HVAC/refrigeration/multi-craft mechanic.
7 years as a pipe organ builder.
7 years as a HVAC estimator.
The last year I worked for Sundown Audio building 100 lb subwoofer drivers.

Then in 2013 I got attacked by fire ants and within 6 months could not work anymore. I've been severely disabled ever since. The only good thing about being disabled is not being a debt slave anymore, working for people who are not competent in their jobs and are basically corporate stooges. Yes, I did not like work as I missed my kids growing up, working thousands of hours of overtime,( One year working 66 days in a row and having only 13 days off the entire year), chasing money that I have nothing to show for now. Consumed with regret over poor choices in life.

 

[tsmmiller]

20 years as an industrial HVAC/refrigeration/multi-craft mechanic.
7 years as a pipe organ builder.
7 years as a HVAC estimator.
The last year I worked for Sundown Audio building 100 lb subwoofer drivers.

Then in 2013 I got attacked by fire ants and within 6 months could not work anymore. I've been severely disabled ever since. The only good thing about being disabled is not being a debt slave anymore, working for people who are not competent in their jobs and are basically corporate stooges. Yes, I did not like work as I missed my kids growing up, working thousands of hours of overtime,( One year working 66 days in a row and having only 13 days off the entire year), chasing money that I have nothing to show for now. Consumed with regret over poor choices in life.

I understand that. My above post is just the most prominent things I can remember. Young and broke you take what is available. (Or at least we used to!) One stretch I had two full time jobs.
The first was at a place growing chanterelle. That was early morning 6 days on two days off. The second was late afternoons and evening as a janitor at a bank building. Monday through Friday. With that schedule it was every90 days before I had a “weekend off.”

 

[prfesser]

Spent 42 years that I'll never get back, teaching chemistry to students who (mostly) didn't want to learn it..... Had I told the students that a B cost $600 and an A, $1200....I'd be a rich man.

Had a student once ask me if I could be bribed. "Of course. But if your savings/CDs don't have at least eight figures before the decimal point, don't try; I'd be insulted. I'm easy. I'm just not cheap."

In my career I saved countless lives. Kept the idiots out of med school, dental school, etc. You're welcome.

EDIT: I made/make remarks like the above all the time just for fun, but I absolutely loved teaching and still do. [OTOH administrative crap-ola; preparing (and especially grading) exams/quizzes; dealing with The Chairb**ch...not so much.] Always got goosebumps when I heard "Oh...NOW I see!!" in the tone that meant they really did get it. Always.

 

[MikeT]

Meat Cutter / Market manager. Pretty much self explanatory.

 

[Capt. Eric]

See the title. Also I’d love a nitty gritty explanation of what it is exactly that you do!

As for me I go to 9th grade every day, and they don’t even pay me!!!

In HS summers I was a beach lifeguard, which was a lot of fun. Learned to work with the public, and got to know some good people.

Then I attended the US Merchant Marine Academy and after graduating I worked on ships as a deck officer for about 32 years. The last 16 years I sailed as Captain. I worked on all kinds of different ships, all over the world. A good chunk of years going to Africa with food aid cargoes, among other things. We also did a lot of work for the military in support of various operations and/or wars. My work schedule was typically 4 months on the ship and 4 months off on vacation (often with some training for a week or two during that time). But I did stints as short as 8 days, and as long as 6 months. Life on a ship is not always easy. We worked 12 hrs a day or more, at all hours of the day or night (no days off on a ship). But the money is usually good, and the time off is nice. And you meet lots of interesting people. Sometimes it's hard, physical work, sometimes it's more about knowledge, experience and taking responsibility.

I retired a few years ago. Just didn't want to be away so much, and the business has changed a lot. Plus I figured out that financially we could afford to not work anymore. Now I volunteer with the Red Cross, fix stuff around the house, and for the neighbors, and build lots of rockets. I stay busy, but don't have those pesky paychecks anymore. So all is good.

 

[techrat]

Went to school for Film/Animation, did some stuff for TV and movies. Played around with Computers in my spare time, but that eventually led to me and friend forming a company where we did early CDROM development for entertainment titles when PCs were just starting to come with CD drives and soundcards, mostly for NYC book publishers. This lead to being a web developer in the early days of the internet. This lead to being full-time IT guy when the internet crashed and burned around 2000. After my company broke up, I went to work for Bear-Stearns, which got sucked up by JP Morgan in the 2008 crash, again, still doing IT, but on Mainframe (zOS) systems. Was eventually let go in a mass head-chopping when JP decided to consolidate their real-estate, and now I do Desktop Support for a hospital, but I'm also semi-retired, as I tried to retire already and then got asked to come back. I have no "formal training" in anything at this point, but I've done a little bit of everything. My hobbies, which include Computers, Old (aircooled) VWs, Rockets and Ham Radio have been the main drivers of my career, rather than what I went to school for.

 

[dr wogz]

mech designer / pencil pusher / mouse driver..

"I make pretty picutres of machine parts"


In an older older threads, we tried to list all the types of Engineers.. We got to about 27 if I recall..

@NTP2 what do you want to do?

your dream career? what likely will do? and what your first job will likely be?

 

[Capt. Eric]

mech designer / pencil pusher / mouse driver..

"I make pretty picutres of machine parts"


In an older older threads, we tried to list all the types of Engineers.. We got to about 27 if I recall..

@NTP2 what do you want to do?

your dream career? what likely will do? and what your first job will likely be?

My guess is that he doesn't know yet and is looking for ideas. Good for him for asking the question. I usually don't try to explain what I did for a career, but I liked that he asked, so I did.

 

[Donnager]

ChE that worked from 1991-2007 for chemical plants.

Bought an HVAC construction firm that does metal fabrication and have worked that since.

 

[yorider]

I've been a professional home inspector for the past 26 years. Before that, going back to the 1980's I did HVAC estimating and sales, sold plumbing supplies and industrial pumping equipment. In the '90s, I had terrible luck with jobs. 3 different companies I worked for went out of business (not my fault!) I have mechanical skills, so in-between jobs, I worked for a builder, an electrician, a remodeling contractor and an HVAC company installing furnaces and AC systems. In 1996, I started doing home inspections as a side gig. You did'nt need a license then. I got a pretty good job in '98 selling pneumatic components used in automated manufacturing machinery, which was pretty fascinating work. I kept doing more and more inspections and by 2000, I was making more money from that than my job, which was going downhill due to changes in the industry and the market. In 2001, Sprague Air Controls closed its doors and I hit the street running. I have never sent out a resume' or sat for a job interview since. Licensing came in in 2001 and I was among the first batch of guys to get licensed. My son has been gradually taking over the business so I have a lot more time to build rockets and go fishing. I just wish that there was a high power field that was'nt 5 hours away!

 

[Sandy H.]

Machine design (paper machines and stretch forming machines) for the past 30 years. Last day at the day job was at the end of 2023 - decided to try to do something on my own for a while. Currently working with a niche hobby racing community doing shock absorber stuff, along with a few other fill-in roles from time to time.

Pretty sure I'm going to have to get a day job again at some point, but want to see if I really can do something on my own, as most people who I find to be the happiest work really hard for themselves vs. working really hard for someone else. We'll see. . .

 

[NTP2]

@NTP2 what do you want to do?

your dream career? what likely will do? and what your first job will likely be?

I am going to give the answer that you have probably already figured out.
I want to be an aerospace engineer, to be specific I would love to work on NTP systems. Hence my name .

 

[NTP2]

My guess is that he doesn't know yet and is looking for ideas. Good for him for asking the question. I usually don't try to explain what I did for a career, but I liked that he asked, so I did.

And thank you for answering! I actually wanted to do that sort of thing before I discovered aerospace!

 

[NTP2]

Spent 42 years that I'll never get back, teaching chemistry to students who (mostly) didn't want to learn it..... Had I told the students that a B cost $600 and an A, $1200....I'd be a rich man.

Had a student once ask me if I could be bribed. "Of course. But if your savings/CDs don't have at least eight figures before the decimal point, don't try; I'd be insulted. I'm easy. I'm just not cheap."

In my career I saved countless lives. Kept the idiots out of med school, dental school, etc. You're welcome.

HS or college?

 

[Rob Campbell]

I'm a retired USAF officer currently working for Torch Technologies, an engineering services company and I provide technical and programmatic support to the Air Force Research lab's Munitions Directorate.

 

[MALBAR 70]

Right out of high school, I got a job working a night shift at a QuadGraphics plant. I started as a bundler, the lowest position, on a two color web press. I eventually worked my way through all the positions in the department becoming a Journeyman Pressman on a six color web press after about ten or twelve years.
As a lead pressman, my duties were to oversee the efficient running of the press to maximize production. I was also responsible for setting the color of the work being produced, often with direct input from the customer at the press. These are just a few examples of the operators duties. I was also responsible for the other two guys on the press, making sure they understood what was required of them. I was lucky to have two very good team mates to back me up.

Eventually, the market for web printing began to dry up (due to the internet and cellphones replacing printed material) and my machine was shut down and removed from the building, along with the two other web presses in the building. I was transferred to the sheetfed press department. There I worked as a feeder/operator for a few years, but the work started to dry up there too. The plant was "resized and restructured" and began too lay off some of the employees. I was one of the ones to get laid off. That was after thirty years of working there. The plant remained open for another two years and was shut down entirely.

I was lucky enough to get a very generous severance package which allowed me to take almost the entire year off. Believe me, I used that time to build a bunch of rockets.

When it was time to go back to work, I decided to work at a residential home for four autistic adult men. I still work overnights(12am to 10am), but it's a sleeping shift (meaning that I get to sleep for several hours, before the clients wake up). I thoroughly enjoy what I am doing now, even my wife says I'm a lot happier.

 

[techrat]

I would love to work on NTP systems. Hence my name .

You want to work on Network Time Protocol?
Just kidding...
Well, Nuclear Thermal is the way to go until they come up with something better. I can't imagine Musk's fleet of Starships getting to Mars any other way. He's already done the math that they need to shuttle a Million Tons of supplies to even start a colony. Thats 1000 Starships, or 100 trips of 10, which is a bit more realistic. And if it's taking 90 days each way, that Million Tons will take a long time to happen. They need to halve that timetable. So without NTP, that's just not happening or it will take just too long (consider the logistics of having to refuel in space, even 10 StarShips -- not easy, since it's never been done yet).

 

[NTP2]

You want to work on Network Time Protocol?

how original…

Well, Nuclear Thermal is the way to go until they come up with something better. I can't imagine Musk's fleet of Starships getting to Mars any other way. He's already done the math that they need to shuttle a Million Tons of supplies to even start a colony. Thats 1000 Starships, or 100 trips of 10, which is a bit more realistic. And if it's taking 90 days each way, that Million Tons will take a long time to happen. They need to halve that timetable. So without NTP, that's just not happening or it will take just too long (consider the logistics of having to refuel in space, even 10 StarShips -- not easy, since it's never been done yet).

I agree 100%. has any of those asteroid mining companies done the math on what it takes to shove a 10km piece of metal into orbit!!!

 

[techrat]

has any of those asteroid mining companies done the math on what it takes to shove a 10km piece of metal into orbit!!!

Depends upon the timeframe since it's a matter of total impulse, not thrust.
A few Ion engines might be able to change the trajectory of a hunk of rock, assuming you're willing to wait 6 years for the result.
I believe that's the plot of this season of "For all Mankind" -- I think the show's writers have done the math, judging by how accurate the dialog seems to be.

 

[NTP2]

Depends upon the timeframe since it's a matter of total impulse, not thrust.
A few Ion engines might be able to change the trajectory of a hunk of rock, assuming you're willing to wait 6 years for the result.
I believe that's the plot of this season of "For all Mankind" -- I think the show's writers have done the math, judging by how accurate the dialog seems to be.

I wonder how the investors will like hearing “we can get it here in 6 years” compared to NTP which could probably do it in 3 or 2! Also I have to sit down and binge watch every episode of that show…

 

[prfesser]

HS or college?

College and university. Even (some, many) uni students in the US often would rather pay a fee than learn what's needed for their purported career. In the last few years of teaching literally HALF of the students---over 20 in a class of 48---in general chemistry failed, dropped, got an unsatisfactory grade (D), or changed from credit to audit because they KNEW they were going to fail.

Pre-vet in particular. Fully a third of the students. Owning a horse, cats, dogs, and loving them is not enough. If you can't answer "what's 4*7" without a calculator, you ain't agonna go to any professional school. Except maybe professional basket weaving.

 

[NTP2]

College and university. Even (some, many) uni students in the US often would rather pay a fee than learn what's needed for their purported career. In the last few years of teaching literally HALF of the students---over 20 in a class of 48---in general chemistry failed, dropped, got an unsatisfactory grade (D), or changed from credit to audit because they KNEW they were going to fail.

Pre-vet in particular. Fully a third of the students. Owning a horse, cats, dogs, and loving them is not enough. If you can't answer "what's 4*7" without a calculator, you ain't agonna go to any professional school. Except maybe professional basket weaving.

My dad teaches college and he had a similar experience, l think that they expect that because they paid for it they will get the degree!