What is/was your Profession?

[Howling]

30 years and counting with industrial automation and controls engineering, build and support. My business card has title as Wizard.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Any time I'm out to eat and I see firefighters or policemen eating ,, I'll get the waiter to get their ticket and pay it and try not to let them know who did it. My way of saying thanks for a job I couldn't do...

I get your sentiment and praise it, but you really should ask to pay for their meal, not because you need the accolades, but because in most states a Police Officer or Paid Firefighters can not except a free meal, It could be considered a bribe, so the waitress / waiter ends up with the paid meal money.

Wife and I do the same thing for veterans as well. Especially if they are eating by themselves.

How do you know someones a vet?

 

[Daren Todd]

I get your sentiment and praise it, but you really should ask to pay for their meal, not because you need the accolades, but because in most states a Police Officer or Paid Firefighters can not except a free meal, It could be considered a bribe, so the waitress / waiter ends up with the paid meal money.



How do you know someones a vet?

There's a couple guys in town that have given my wife and I there table when they've been by themselves. You see them wearing a battalion hat and strike up a conversation. Others my wife has recognized from when she worked at the VA Hospital. Then there is the active military folks in town that are obvious when they are dressed in there BDU's

 

[countrynerd]

Software engineer at GM proving grounds


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[PW1967]

22 years with the Colorado dept. of highways, started first 10 as a heavy equipment operator working the san juan skyway (or million dollar highway) as they used to call it, near Durango Colorado. The most avalanche prone highway in the US. Operated all the heavy snow removal equipment including 6 and 7 yard loaders, with blower heads, graders, dozers ect... I decided I want to live to see my retirement and took another job with the department. Ive spent the last 12 years as a dedicated lowboy operator supporting the maintenance crews throughout the state, I still maintain a class 1 explosives permit and get involved in heavy rock fall mitigation and hold a position of assistant gunner, and shell handler on a M105 Howitzer crew on an avalanche mitigation team. Looking to retire from this outfit in a few years at the age of 56, then will probably resume my career in trucking for as long as I can.

 

[Lil Foot]

Very enjoyable thread, keep it going.
I am surprised at the large number of people who have had multiple & varied occupations throughout their career. My job was always changing & varied, both with my responsibilities & needed skills & the differing areas of research, but always with the same company & in the same general field. Many of you have tried completely different careers through the years, and I find that both impressive & a little awe inspiring.

CaveCreekRay- High-speed heavy equipment operator for 30 years?
You crack me up.

 

[torch]

How do you know someones a vet?

They are wearing a white lab coat, stethoscope, rubber boots and a shoulder-length exam glove?

(sorry, couldn't resist...)

You do raise a good point about gifts to public servants, there are strict rules. We are only allowed to accept something of nominal value. So a cup of coffee is probably OK, but a meal would be crossing the line. Other departments might not even allow the cup of coffee.

 

[LovesDauphins]

Law Enforcement. ..18 1/2 years with a 1700+ member agency...1.5 years until retirement eligible. .not that I will retire. I still enjoy my job way too much. Currently a Sergeant in charge of a team that reconstructs/investigates fatal/serious car crashes.

Im also a commercially rated helicopter pilot - was a great source of secondary income for a while there...until I bought a historic house that I rebuilt(well, still rebuilding haha)


Prior to the cop route, I worked in a warehouse, installed swingsets, carpenters helper, and landscaper. My favorite as of late: being dad to my 6 month old son! Glad this thread was started - neat seeing the wealth of experience out there.

 

[CaveCreekRay]

Lil Foot,

Military careers are so odd that most people can't relate to a civilian counterpart for a military job title because their aren't any...

At 24 I was a Deputy Missile Crew Commander sitting nuclear alert in Tucson, AZ at Titan Missile sites. When I bought my first house, the loan lady asked...

"Employer?"
"USAF" I added...
"Job description"
"Global nuclear destruction. Or strategic defense. Take your pick."
"Uhhh... I'll just put down "missile duties."

When I was 25 and in Upgrade to Crew Commander, they busted into a simulator where we were in the middle of trying to fix and launch our missile in a "practice war..."

"Hey Ray, we just found out you are going to flight school in August! Do you want to continue with upgrade?"

"I answered, "Sure. I earned it didn't I?" I think they liked my answer. Missile jobs were the object of scorn and ridicule by much of the service because the job was deemed "unglamorous." I knew it was a stepping stone and, as a nerd, I though aspects of it was cool as heck.

After flight school, I flew the "Nav Bus" which was a 737 configured for navigator training. That was an incredible job and so much fun, in between the boring parts. We got to do things with the 737 that no airline would let you do. Flying with the hydraulics off, including putting the flaps out manually. Flying with one engine at idle simulating a dead motor. Turning upside down simulating unusual attitudes to practice recovery technique. Doing stalls in the plane to check repairs. That was the best job I ever had.

I flew the C-130H out of Abilene TX for 18 months before getting out. Hauled beans and bullets in support of the ARMY. Flew around Europe for 7 weeks and spent two of those weeks in Turkey which was a neat place back in the late 80's. Got to see some absolutely unreal locales that are forever etched into my mind.

Then the airline stuff for 25 years. Flying from A to B to C to D to E nearly every day at work. Made great friends. Got all the traveling out of my system forever (much to my wife's disdain).

I don't have to worry about food poisoning anymore. Or bed bugs. Or passengers getting into fights. Or any of the crap that came along with trying to get a microcosm of our society to their destination safe and sound.

Sometimes I was so rewarded by the good in humanity. (Austin approach in horrible turbulence with a full jet... We could hear the passengers through the cockpit door. When the bottom would drop out the women would all scream. Then the whole plane would bust out in raucous laughter. Then it would repeat. That lasted for about five minutes. Getting off everyone was laughing and hi-five-ing the crew. What a great bunch of folks! It was a Texas crowd...)

Or hauling human remains for fallen servicemen. We are all on the ramp at attention saluting the flag-draped coffin, tears streaming down our faces and when we turn around, the windows of the terminal are full of faces, with more tears streaming there too. There are a lot of good people in the world.

Other times I was shocked at the poor behavior of some people. But hey! Gotta be thankful for the good things in life and not let the bad get to you. My worst day was better than some people's best day. Gotta keep things in perspective and be thankful for everything we are fortunate enough to have.

I am glad to be retired but so very fortunate to have experienced what I did. Not that my job was any more important than any other job out there. I was just lucky to be chosen to do it.

High-speed heavy equipment operator makes more sense to people unfamiliar with the world of aviation.

 

[Wbk]

After high school I worked different jobs for a couple years then went to trade school and took auto mechanics, I did that for two years then specialized in wheel alignments. I wrote for my journeyman papers in 1972, by then I had started a new job doing trucks. In 1987 I bought into a very small alignment shop, in 1993 we built a new 10,000 sq. ft. alignment and spring shop then added a trailer shop a couple years later then a frame shop in a few more years. In 2007 two different out of province companies wanted to expand into our area, that doesn't happen every day so we sold and we both retired, now I watch the grand kids play ball in the summer and hockey in the winter.

 

[rkidd]

Started working for a construction company at 16 laboring on a paving crew. After high school went to work for the same company. Labored for 2 years, drove dump truck for 1 year, then became an operator for 36 years. I did mainly site work. I was in supervision over 25 of those years also. We did paving,building pads,footers,piers,parking lots,all types of utilities such as water lines, gas lines, storm sewer, and sanitary sewer. Roads and roadwork. I was fortunate to run all types of equipment including paver, roller, excavators from little minis to PC400, digging 2-25ft deep. From D-3 to D-8 dozers, graders, scrapers, loaders of all types, cranes, and alot of other equipment. Towards the end of my career, I had a friend who was the master mechanic at a nuclear power facility and asked if I would come work with him on some special projects. To try something different I said ya. After an unbelievable amount to training to work in a nuclear facility I was in. First project was dry cask storage which is taking spent nuclear fuel rods and putting them in casks. We had to get trained to run a VCT to move the casks to there final resting place on site as they weigh 351,000 lbs. After that I stayed on and worked for Westinghouse and did a refuel outage. I worked on the refuel floor running the Polar crane to disassemble and then reassemble the reactor. On my shift I got to make a 125 ton lift and set the reactor head on a nuclear reactor. I would have never believed I would do something like that in my life! It was a pretty good career except for all of the driving to get to the jobs.I sure do enjoy my retirement now though.



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[eipo]

Going on 16 years as a heavy equipment operator with the last 3 having surveying duties added on. All work is done on 1 of 2 sites for a private waste company.

We also design, construct and install our own gas collection systems using HDPE pipe.

 

[MikeyA]

I started working for my Father's motorcycle dealership when I was 12 years old and stayed there until it closed due to economic difficulties in 1986. Hired on with the Illinois Department of Corrections and spent the next 25 years working Security (prison guard) and had a lot of "interesting" education that came with it. I promoted out of security and went into supply for the next 3 years..finally had all I could take and retired after 28 years with IDOC. I should probably find another part time job, but I really don't want to deal with the public anymore, so I tinker around the place and occasionally get the on motorcycle for a few hundred miles of therapy...

 

[coachgeo]

"Coach" George.

Well I don't build Bus Coaches and I juggle children for a living. So yeah I "coach". Got 4 degree's in various fields of Edu. and MA study in basically Human Mechanics Engineering and Human Computer (brain) motor skill programing. (For lack of better terms that anyone can understand lol).

Started teaching Gymnastics sport(s) at 13yrs and basically never stopped, going on 42years now. Trained/competed thru age 26. Still play some in Acro Sports.

Love what I do but there is always a bad with the good sides. Income is now highest it has ever been.... but 1/2 what a TV cable installer makes whose been on job 1/3rds less. (just had an installer at the house). Kudos to that fellow and his family who worked hard for all those years. Oh well. Somehow will figure out how to pay for old age with smiles from years past Got some ideas on the works to take over after my body can't juggle anymore. Not for another 20 years I hope. (Will be 75 then)

PS- Basically no Gymnastic sports in American School Systems so it's all small neighborhood sport schools

 

[PHPaul]

cryptography ======>woodworker=========>general contractor =====> RETIRED=======>orange tractor operator

Cryptography eh? Hmmmmm.

Joined the Navy pretty much right out of High School in 1969, retired after 22 years as a Cryptologic Technician (Maintenance). Basically an Electronics Tech with a fancy clearance.

Spent the next 22 years trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. Mostly maintenance-related work. Installed comm gear for the government for a while, was a Novell Administrator for a newspaper, was the sole IT Support Weenie for the local school system for a long while, worked as a mechanic at an equipment rental outfit, was the Assistant Maintenance Manager for a cannery for several years. In between jobs I was self employed as a Rental Manager, did light construction and remodeling, hired out with my tractor, bushhog and backhoe, did in-home computer repair, worked as a contract armorer and small arms instructor for the Navy and after a long dry spell finished up doing in-store sales at a lumber/hardware outfit.

Then in 2012, I finally decided what I wanted to be: RETIRED!

Still fiddle around doing small engine work and light mechanical stuff, a little welding/fabrication and occasional gofer stuff for a local builder.

EDIT TO ADD: Oh yeah, somewhere in there between the Navy and Retirement I was a volunteer firefighter for 15 years, qualified Firefighter II, Maine State Fire Service Instructor and was the House Captain for one of our three stations. A "perfect storm" of personal issues, changes in the fire service and demands of my day job finally got to be too much and I decided to let the younger guys do it.

 

[sburns502000]

40 years in law enforcement.

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[cerlawson]

My cursory review shows a majority doing work requiring mechanical skills, so tractor ownership really fits in. Missing yet are high priced attorneys and medical professionals requiring a MD, etc. Why not? The doctor that straightened out my wife's knee with a replacement had to be on the ball to have it now looking and working normal.

I did see two so far in my field of civil engineering. At 88 I still get involved with those construction related jobs as a consultant.

 

[cmorris1]

My cursory review shows a majority doing work requiring mechanical skills, so tractor ownership really fits in. Missing yet are high priced attorneys and medical professionals requiring a MD, etc. Why not? The doctor that straightened out my wife's knee with a replacement had to be on the ball to have it now looking and working normal.

I am in Dentistry owning a dental laboratory, we fabricate dental prosthetics - call it micro engineering. Specifically i work with dental implants and assist in implant surgeries and immediate load pros.
Oh, and love my Kubota every time I can slip away and escape!!
c

 

[bxray]

I have been servicing dental equipment for 39 years.
Anything in the dental office.
I Have been specializing in dental ct and other 3d imaging for the last 10+ years.

Ray

 

[sheepfarmer]

Cerlawson, within a mile of me are 3 kubotas and 2 JD compact tractors, counting mine, all owned by folks with dvm's, medical degrees, or Ph.D's. We all have hobby farms, some are retired, but we all worked to pay for the little farms, never had enough acreage to make a living at it. Nearby are also "real farms" and tney have many bigger, and older tractors, and expensive stuff like combines. I think there are a lot, but don't spend much time on the forum until retired