Occupation's OT

[Hounddog]

After getting out of the Navy I now work in the Oilfield as a tech for a large oilfield technology corp.

Beats having to be gone for 6 months all the time.

[kbuhagiar]

Telecommunications Manager

[JIPJOBXX]

Self employed lotto winner Washington State! (I wish)

[yourpc48]

Self employed computer technician specializing in on-site services and making peoples computers work again when they make them not work or they (the computers) just fail. Used to work at a True Value hardware store for over 6 years so I know how to fix your house and appliances too. Work has been slow but I can almost pay the bills. Maybe I should go find stable work with changing schedules back at Staples

I also have a computer self help website at www.icompute.info coming up on half a million individual page views.

Edited November 27, 2011 by yourpc48

[Rusty O'Toole]

I manufactured fruitcakes for the Christmas trade. No kidding, I used to work at Weston Bakeries in Cobourg which makes 70% of the fruitcake sold in North America under 132 different brand names. If you buy a fruitcake, chances are we made it.

Actually that job only lasted a couple of months but it was fun. All the equipment dated back to the thirties and forties, but perfectly maintained and painted white. It was fun working on all that Art Deco machinery.

Other than that, worked in garages and body shops until my lungs played out. Also other factories besides Weston's.

On the side, invested in real estate. So now I have a pension from the Canadian government of $121.58 a month plus what I get from 4 free and clear houses I own, plus a stock market account and some precious metals stashed away in a safety deposit box, just in case.

Will tell everybody, do not depend on the government or your employer for your retirement. I think real estate is the best investment for most people, but if you don't like real estate get something else. Start your retirement plan NOW the sooner you start the easier it is.

Edited November 28, 2011 by Rusty O'Toole

[oldodge41]

Maintenance Supervisor for Steam Services at Penn State University for the last six months. 20+ years as an instrument tech and electrician in industry and construction. Lost my job of 24+ years to China. I have also run heavy equipment in a strip mine and driven semi truck for short stints. Power plant is all old cool stuff.

[JIPJOBXX]

Right now I work outside Safeway with a card board sign! Actually I worked for Uncle Sam ane retired as a Marine Machinist Foreman at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Interesting work and god gave the right career as I have a love for mechanical things and this was his gift to me. I even got a four year apprenticeship out of uncle SAM. Not bad for a guy who spent four years in the fourth grade. Jon

Edited November 27, 2011 by JIPJOBXX
x

[garbagestate 44]

I'm a cylinder filler in a gas house in Newark NJ. The only reason my job hasn't been exported to China is that if one of the big hospitals in NYC orders liquid oxygen, they can't wait 3 weeks for it to be shipped halfway around the world.

[1941Rick]

I have had a few careers in my lifetime......HD Mechanic, Tool Salesman, Partsman and finally before retirement Parts and Service Rep for a dealership that sold Hitachi Construction Machinery....like the T-Shirt says..."Bin Dar Dun Dat"

[deathbound]

I'll jump in this nearly 3 year old thread, since it was here before I joined. Started working in a warehouse shipping/receiving, then welding in a truck body fab shop, then got into swimming pool construction, then retail sales, then a commercial hard hat diver, now a union iron worker-this & the previous by far the most exciting. Went from working below sea level to way above sea level-welding at both levels.

[Don Coatney]

I'll jump in this nearly 3 year old thread,

The beauty of one thread, same topic, never ending.

[Dodgeb4ya]

Some one broke one of thread rules--AGAIN! Shame, Shame.

[stan's52]

I wasen't around either when this thread came out. I will make it a little longer. I started out on Dad's farm. Pay wasen't very good, but I did have three meals and a bed, and a loving Mom, and Dad. After the Navy. I ended up working for the Burroughs computor co. Now called Unisys computor co. I was a proto type machinist toward the end of my 36 years with them. I retired around 04. I now have a weed mowing business. Mostly for fire brakes, here in S Calif. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Stan

[Dennis_MN]

(snip)I ended up working for the Burroughs computor co. Now called Unisys computor co. I was a proto type machinist toward the end of my 36 years with them. I retired around 04.

I worked on the Univac, or Sperry side of the merger in the Roseville Mn plant

as a Manufacturing Engineering Manager. Now retired, actually got laid off when they closed the plant so I did contract computer work until late 2001. Now I play with my Dodge pickup in the summer and volunteer to do taxes for seniors and low income people. Amazing how I found time to work.

[Big_John]

I'm part owner of a Test Equipment Calibration company in Syracuse. http://www.calsource.com

We have 20 people working for us in one form or another.

I stay out of the management side of the business for the most part except for some upper management responsibilities. My real duties are as an onsite tech specializing in dimensional tools. Ever seen the guy that comes in and checks the granite surface plates? That's one of the many things I do.

Last year we had the chance to buy another company. http://www.uticametals.com/

We make cloisonné and champlevé automotive and motorcycle emblems and badges. If you own a Harley, a Jeep or a Viper, that's our badge! It hasn't been a money maker for us just yet, but it should pay off eventually.

[Mark D]

Graduated HS in '84 with a certificate in Electro-Mechanical Drafting. My first job was working for Raytheons Missile System Division, drawing nuts and bolts for the then top secret Patriot Missile Defense and Ballistic Missile Early Warning Systems. After two years of that I decided I'd drawn too many nuts and bolts, (not creative eough for me) so I went to Architecture school and eventually wound up creating a career in Facilities Design, Construction and Owners representation, as well as facilities management. My first facilities job was with DEC (Digital Equipment Corp) as a facilities planner, then I went on to a 16 year stint with BOSE where I built or renovated most of their Facilities around the globe, and now work for a large Mass based retailer and I manage about 1.4 million SF of facilities in Mass, Los Angeles, and NYC. But we're in expansion mode now, so I hear London and Toronto will be added to my plate soon. Technically I am wont be eligible to retire for 20 years. I think 67 is my target according to uncle Sam, however I've always promised myself a second career and its been on my mind alot lately. Not quite sure what that will be, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna involve old cars.

[JohnTeee]

Registered Nurse since 1982. I've been flying as a Helicopter Flight Nurse for over 20 years, flying full-time for something like the last 15 years.

I'm leaning against an MBB BK-117 Helicopter.

Cheers!

John

[55 Fargo]

Senior Federal Correctional Officer, Rockwood Inst, at Stony Mountain Penitentiary site....

[bobostski]

I'm an Art teacher in the largest high school in Dallas, 5200 students. I teach 5 ceramics classes with an average of 25 students in each class. We went through over a ton of clay last year. Our school is bigger than most school districts in the U.S. We have 9 full time Art teachers and 4 half time. 3 years ago we had 6500 student and over 350 adults in the school. My budget this year is $500. for clay and glazes. The football teams gets to spend more than that on pizza.

[kbuhagiar]

Some one broke one of thread rules--AGAIN! Shame, Shame.

What rule are you referring to?

[Dodgeb4ya]

I broke a rule by not carefully reading the start of this post!

[Dan Hiebert]

I'm still the Deputy Chief Patrol Agent for the U.S. Border Patrol's Buffalo Sector - the number 2 guy responsible for operations covering 341 miles from Pennsylvania to the Thousand Islands. (This is a small Sector.) I DO NOT work at a bridge (common misconception that Border Patrol (green uniforms) works the Ports of Entry (blue uniforms), we don't). I've worked in Brownsville and Fort Hancock, TX (lived in El Paso -where we got the D24), Carlsbad, NM, Detroit, MI, and now here in Buffalo (HQ is in Grand Island). Been doing this Border Patrol thing for 26 years, and despite the politicians catering to the special interest groups and getting in our way its been a hoot! Photo is on the Rio Grande River near Presidio, TX back during prohibition. Things haven't changed much - you just don't hear about it very often.

Edited November 28, 2011 by Dan Hiebert

[Captain Neon]

Now that this thread has been revitalised, I am now a Quality Manager at a newer facility with a similar number of employees to my last job. Some would say the biggest difference is that I work with hot filled refrigerated foods now, and others will say no more USDA FSIS to deal with. IMHO, the biggest difference is that this is a non-union facility.

An other big difference is that my current employer is expanding operations at our campus, while my last plant has been for sale for over 10 years and poorly maintained. No food plant should have plastic hanging from the ceiling much less in the same locations for over 10 years, and a QA supervisor should not have to spend 15 minutes of every hour checking to make sure a) no new leaks, and all plastic under leaks are not leaking them selves.

After being a QA Manager for almost a year, I wonder what my ex-boss does all day. He has three supervisors, a HACCP coordinator, and an audit specialist. I have a 2nd shift supervisor.

[1955 plymouth]

Run my own bike shop, specializing in H-D, after 13 years working for H-D dealers I branched out on my own after getting fed up with hearing the boss man complain about the economy, while I watched my service dept turn thru almost 2mil in a single year running only 4 techs!

I run the shop, my Dad runs the showroom & now my wife has a ice cream / espresso / lunch cafe in the same location...so I suppose I am self employed now for two years, not planning on turning back anytime soon.

www.eaglesinflightllc.com

[roadworthy]

I was in the Army for 5 years, got out pre-9/11

got a job at a hardware store which turned into an opportunity to be a union carpenter, been doing that for 10 years now

work is slow though, and I'm trying to land a job at a small motorcycle shop at least part time