Do you lke what you do for a living?

[photoman475]

I spent...well, wasted is a better term....8.5 years doing tech support for a large, well known fast food company. The shift kept changing, the hours were unpredictable, the company politics were terrible and the pay never got better the longer you were there. There was no such thing as weekends or holidays off, and forget about requesting them off, for the most part. And the mismanagement there can't understand why employees don't stick around. The only good thing to come out of it was that I was able to keep making the mortgage payment. I can't tell the stories about working with the various types of store managers; no one would believe they were the truth.

In my new job, I have weekends and holidays off, got a pay raise and a better retirement package, not that I expect to be able to do that! The people in the office are great to be with, the people calling in can be problematical. Overall, a much better situation, since it also meant I have been able to make more progress in the last 6 months on the model railroad than I had the previous 8.5 years. The wife isn't complaining about my hours either-which is a plus in my book. Overall, it's not the best job I've ever had, but after where I was, I'm much better off, and thankful for what I have now.

Photoman475

 

[CMMR]

I do CAD design for a wire harness manufacturer. Every day brings something new, as we deal with customers all over the world, and have manufacturing facilities here in Winnipeg, in China, and we are now setting up in Mexico. Some of our customers include John Deere, International, Honeywell and several solar manufacturers.

I love the design work, but can live without the politics of dealing with foreign plants and a corporate head office that is only concerned about the bottom line. First they set up in China when the labor was cheap. Now that labor and shipping there is going up they decide we have to set up in Mexico. Meanwhile the plant we have here in Winnipeg is way more efficient anyway.

Computers are great, but some days I long to go back to my first job, when there were 20 of us all on drafting boards. You took a lot of pride in your work, and everyone had their own individual printing and style that was instantly recognizable.

Showing my age I guess!

 

[Cjcrescent]

I'm retired now, but it wasn't by choice, it was for medical reasons. I'm a retired Registered Nurse with over 28 years experience in the Operating Room, (Surgery). I spent the majority of my time at 2 Level I trauma centers. We handled everything that came in the door from gunshots and car wrecks to cuts and abscesses. They found out that I didn't have a functioning Immune system, and that the patients were extremely dangerous to me. Although I put it off as long as I could, as soon as I had my time in with the retirement system I'm a member of, they retired me.

Did I enjoy the work? You bet your a** I did. Even though it has been over 10yrs, I still miss it, and would give anything to be able to do it again!

 

[Selector]

Carey, both the wonky immune system and the threat of having a curtailed career, say even too short for a pension, must have added a strong measure of stress to your daily work, exciting and appealing thought it was. I used to teach Stress Management workshops with a bit of theory thrown in. Chronic stress reduces the capability of the immune response. Elevated levels of cortico-sterols interfere with Interleukin II production, and that is a problem.

 

[Y3a]

I do high end desktop support at a Gov't agency. My customers are the Graphic artists, video editors, designers and book editors. I'm a "Mac Guy" . Currently I'm not disgusted, just tired of this line of work.
I've been in IT off and on since the late 1970's. I started as an IBM 360-370 Assembler programmer. switched to ARTEMIS relational DB /project scheduling/CPM for NASA Goddard working for Lockheed. Went to the FAA contract with Martin-Marietta.
Laid off in 1990, I worked as a desktop publisher for MITRE, supporting Goddard SFC.
Got sick of temping, so I started painting friends brass HO steamers for $$. Did that for 4 years and hated making my hobby a business.
went Back to IT support for an independent Mac Support/sales business. Hated the owner.
Quit and started my own gig. Worked for 2 years making a bunch of bucks, but lost that contract. Soon after, Got a job as a gov't contractor working at NASA HQ.

The worst part these days is the 1.5 hour commute ONE WAY home. DC traffic sucks like a shop-vac!

I wanna quit, maybe flip houses, build models for local TV commercials, or maybe just become a hit man....
Until then, I still apply weekly to the Redneck retirement Program (Lottery).

 

[Charles Smiley]

Carey... My mother was an US Navy 1-LT. RN from WWII days in the Pacific. After the war she was a VA hospital nurse at various places. She got tired of what she saw and the politics and became a plant nurse at a large electronics manufacturing plant. It was far less stress and fairly good pay plus due respect. That might be a possibility to keep in mind.

 

[Cjcrescent]

Carey, both the wonky immune system and the threat of having a curtailed career, say even too short for a pension, must have added a strong measure of stress to your daily work, exciting and appealing thought it was. I used to teach Stress Management workshops with a bit of theory thrown in. Chronic stress reduces the capability of the immune response. Elevated levels of cortico-sterols interfere with Interleukin II production, and that is a problem.

Actually Crandell, I was able to get my time in for my full pension. When we found out about the immune problem, which it turns out, I was born with, the administration let me finish my time out working in an office basically directing the rollout of a computer program that provided intra-operative records, and patient charges. My intent was to join the company that produced the software and teach it to new hospitals. Problem was, they had a replacement program, and although I was trained to teach it by that company, there was some questions about me teaching it, as I like to give a lot of individual attention to the students and the company actually didn't like that. They wanted it taught on a strict time line, and felt the individual attention I was spending on some students who were having problems "getting" the program was going to cost them too much money.

So we parted company, and after another round of central lines fighting off another infection, I had problems with some deep vein thrombosis in my chest. My Dr decided at that point that I needed to go on disability. Although that took almost 4 years and a federal judges ruling, I got 100% disability.

Carey... My mother was an US Navy 1-LT. RN from WWII days in the Pacific. After the war she was a VA hospital nurse at various places. She got tired of what she saw and the politics and became a plant nurse at a large electronics manufacturing plant. It was far less stress and fairly good pay plus due respect. That might be a possibility to keep in mind.

Thanks for the suggestion, Charles, but I retired my Nursing license 10 years ago. While I still miss what I did, and would give anything to go back to it, (you can't know the feeling of being part of a team that actually has saved lives through your own direct actions), I know there is no way. Not only is an infected patient a danger to me, but because most of my infections were due to MRSA, and I still carry that bug, I can't risk giving it to a patient, and possibly causing their death.

 

[mikeknuckey]

Hi guys, I'm 35 and I'm a field manager for a truck company in a contract with the largest cooper producer in Chile (Codelco), everyday I deal with lot of different things comming from my drivers and trucks. I live in a small mining town near the andes mountains which it was made by USA citizens 50 years ago.
Did I like it? yes, I'm tired, but yes.
Anyway, I've always tough that you dont necesary need to love what you do for livin, If it helps to make your trains run, your bike rost and your wife smile, its ok!

What I realy do for livin... or feel alive its to ride my Kawasaki KX500 everytime I can.

Regards

 

[photoman475]

Carey: I understand that sort of feeling. My dad was a volunteer firefighter and I was in fire apparatus & equipment sales for a while after college. (Hanging around fire stations IS addictive!) It's the only job I've ever had where I felt I could really make a difference, even indirectly, in peoples' lives. The gig didn't work out, which I still regret to this day, and it's been over 30 years since it ended.

Photoman475

 

[IowaFarmBoy]

Thanks for the suggestion, Charles, but I retired my Nursing license 10 years ago. While I still miss what I did, and would give anything to go back to it, (you can't know the feeling of being part of a team that actually has saved lives through your own direct actions), I know there is no way. Not only is an infected patient a danger to me, but because most of my infections were due to MRSA, and I still carry that bug, I can't risk giving it to a patient, and possibly causing their death.

I'm also one of the retired and I like my job.

I'm much too familiar with MRSA, Carey. And I am definitely familiar with the iv machine screaming its' unhappiness because there are air bubbles in the line and the vancomycin can't get through. Treatment for it was long term enough that a PICC line was put in my left arm.

 

[Cjcrescent]

Larry, I've had triple Lumens, Broviacs, Groshongs, Piccs, you name it I've had it. It was a Broviac that caused me to have a clot in my Innominate vein. That's the vein just above the heart that drain's the shoulder's and arms. Spent 10 day's in ICU getting that clot dissolved, so it wouldn't break off and go to my lungs. As a result of all those sticks, the neuro-vascular bundle that is part of the structure of the shoulders at that point has developed RSD, (sympathetic nerves are dying), known better as CRPS. The veins have become so torturous, in their route through the upper arms and shoulders I also have Post Traumatic Venous Disorder. They look like a bad road map of NYC.

I'm happy everyday I can get vertical in the morning!

 

[tootnkumin]

Life.......................It may be dangerous to your health.

 

[Cjcrescent]

Life.......................It may be dangerous to your health.

Toot,

Had a Surgical Oncologist tell me one night, that after almost 50yrs in the medical profession, that his research had finally pointed out the number 1 cause of death in the US. What was that cause????




















Birth!

 

[tootnkumin]

I've long reckoned that life starts at the wrong end.

 

[Creepy]

After spending many years in the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) as an aircraft engine fitter which I loved, I'm now a photocopier tech, (have been for 20 years) not as exciting, but it pays the bills and supports my hobby, (model trains) so you have to be happy with that.
Plus I get to live in one of the best parts o Australia.

Regards
Gary

 

[IronBeltKen]

I've spent the last 30 years of my life working as an I/T professional with relational databases. Sometimes I've developed software, other times I've managed the systems, and on a few occasions I even installed entire systems for small business clients. That was the first ten years; the past 20 I've worked for a university-affiliated research center, managing my department's primary business system.

"Experts" have always said that to succeed in the I/T field, you have to change jobs every 3-4 years or your skills get obsolete. Guess I've violated that one, oh well. This place has excellent benefits and I've developed a strong working relationship with many of my co-workers - and best of all it's a place I could retire from if I can stay here another few years (no guarantees in this age of budget cutting). I get the most satisfaction when I develop something that makes somebody's job much easier, or can quickly extract data they need on short notice to complete a mission-critical organizational project or satisfy auditors; and my least favorite type of work is writing documentation.

I guess I can say I like my job; the working conditions are quite comfortable, I can get time off almost anytime I need it, it has paid well enough to cover my bills and have a little bit left over for buying trains. But I'm really anxious to retire so I don't have to feel the pressure of staying current with the latest-and-greatest software technology.

 

[Charles Smiley]

Ken - "...pressure of staying current ..." I know that feeling. After 40 years I felt like a Hamster in the spinning wheel but I knew most of it was going nowhere. It was fun for decades but studying to keep current can wear you down eventually.

We called it the technology-treadmill effect. One other thing I didn't like much was a shift in the "sociology" in engineering. I always had the demeanor that the CEO could give me an assignment, give me few resources, and then just get out of my way. But in the last years it became more like a group-think bizarre where companies became paralyzed in ego-politicking and inaction and project flip-flopping as a result. Who could miss that?

 

[kenw]

Love what I do, but it took 30+ years to get there. Not to say I didn’t like all the interim jobs because they gave me the experiences I am now using. Some I loved, some I hated. Any job is valuable even if you hate it because you can learn what you DON’T like to do! And that's just as important.

I am officially a DFMA (Design for Manufacturing and Assembly) Engineer. I work with the design teams to help them design stuff so it can be built and serviced. I work with Electrical Engineers, Mechanical Engineers and just about anyone in the product design arena. I talk sparky, I talk gearhead (the native language of Electrical and Mechanical Engrs), but I'm not an expert in either. I learned a long time ago that experts come and go, but folks that can adapt and work with all types are most valuable. And hire-able.....

I’m as senior an engineer (job grade wise) that you can be, so I’m more of an internal consultant. I review designs, make suggestions for improvements, and do a lot of gentle arm-twisting…..

It’s not a job that you can do without about 25-30 years of experience. The last 2 jobs have been where folks come looking for me…..it’s good. Because I’ve certainly been on the other side: looking for a job. More than a few times. It ain't fun but often necessary.

but what i don't do is get upstairs in my trainroom often enough.

 

[Spiral Storm]

Well, I'm a writer (And occasional hiker) so I guess I like what I do for a living. But I don't have an actual 'day job' if this is what defines 'what one does for a living' so there you have it.

 

[Gary B]

I could leave my job tommorrow and never miss it. I test computer software. It's always something new to learn and figure out the impact of changes. Challenging, but as done at this firm not very rewarding. Seems the only time one get noticed is if something fails after it goes to production. The pays good and benefits great but very little personnel satisfaction. Fortunately, I'll soon be able to retire and hopefully apply my skills elseware.