# What do you do?



## Elan (Sep 1, 2010)

There are so many interesting people here on TUG, and although I know or have been able to make an educated guess at what many of you do for a living, there are many others where that's not the case.

  I'd like to ask anyone who is interested to post a line or two regarding their occupation, and another line or two that describes their job function.  No need to get specific with employer names, etc.  

  For you retired folk, how about telling everyone what you used to do when you were still a _productive_ member of society  .


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## scrapngen (Sep 1, 2010)

Wow! I know there's a big grin there, but, really - "productive" member of society??  Guess those of us who function in this world without a paying/paid  occupation should just go hole up somewhere as we are not "productive!"


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## DeniseM (Sep 1, 2010)

I teach pregnant teenagers, young moms, and their newborns, at a public high school.


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## Elan (Sep 1, 2010)

scrapngen said:


> Wow! I know there's a big grin there, but, really - "productive" member of society??  Guess those of us who function in this world without a paying/paid  occupation should just go hole up somewhere as we are not "productive!"



  Of course I was being sarcastic.  At the same time, I was attempting to keep the thread from degenerating into "I'm retired, I do whatever I want, whenever I want", as I don't find that particularly informative.


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## Pat H (Sep 1, 2010)

I spent 23 yrs as a Bank Fraud Investigator until I retired 9 months ago. I handled both internal and external investigations and at times also did physical security. Like any job, it had it's ups and downs but I had some very interesting cases over the years.


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## Elan (Sep 1, 2010)

I guess I should have stated what I do:  

  I'm an Integrated Circuit Design Engineer at a semiconductor company.  My job entails a mix of designing circuits and writing software to identify circuit design (logic) errors.


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## Karen G (Sep 1, 2010)

Before we started our family I was a high school teacher and I taught typing, accounting, and business law.  That was in the "olden days" before computers.

Now my husband and I are thoroughly enjoying retirement.


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## ricoba (Sep 1, 2010)

This is an intereting topic/question...thanks for asking it.  I'd like to hear about others and their pursuits 

My career has been one of wearing many different and sometimes wierd hats.  Some have been a great fit, whereas some have not been so comfortable. 

On my resume, I describe myself as being someone who has been in the "people helping" profession for most of my whole adult life.  

I graduated from seminary back in 1980, but church ministry jobs didn't open at the time, so I spent the next 12 or so years working in human/social services.  Most of my work was with dysfunctional youth and families.

In the 90's I was involved in sales for awhile (one of those not so great hats for me), then a door opened for me to go into minstry work.  So for the past 15 years or so, I have been working in small religious schools, churches and other religious institutions.  To make ends meet and to keep out of trouble, I have put on some of those uncomfortable hats, for example, I was a tour guide in Hollywood and Warner Brothers Studio's for a couple of years.

Currently, I am working with a small Methodist church in Pasadena, CA.  I started as a program associate/coordiantor and am now the church secretary!  But I prefer the term "Grand PooBah"!  

As well, a couple of years ago, I re-entered the educational world and am now half way through a Doctorate of Education degree.  This June, I will be bestowed an Educational Specialist (Ed.S) degree, which is in this program half of the Ed.D.

I look forward to learning more about others.


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## heathpack (Sep 1, 2010)

Veterinary neurologist/neurosurgeon.  I treat animals with brain, spinal, nerve and muscle disorders.  Mostly dogs.  Its very interesting.


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## pkyorkbeach (Sep 1, 2010)

What a great post..With our TUG ID name it is hard to guess what each member does.  I work for a school system doing Benefits....


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## Blues (Sep 1, 2010)

I'm a computer geek.  Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.  I've had a varied career, ranging from Bell Labs (named on patent for the voice answerback system that says "Please deposit one dollar and thirty five cents for the first three minutes), to being in on the ground floor of the microcomputer industry, designing first hardware, then software.

For the past 20 years, I've been a software geek for a non-profit oceanographic research institution (MBARI).  Yep, I write software to control robot submarines, collect data from instruments at sea and telemeter it back via radio or satellite, and control experiments attached to underwater cables 3000 ft under the sea.  It's so much more rewarding and interesting than writing another operating system or building another desktop application.  And they *pay* me to do it!

-Bob


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## PigsDad (Sep 2, 2010)

Another computer geek here.  I have been a software architect / engineer for 20+ years at a _very large _computer company.  I started out writing software for cutting-edge computer graphics systems (back when a single graphics workstation could run you $100K+), and that was a lot of fun.  Now I work on systems that will monitor most everything in a customer's IT environment to provide them with the highest system availability possible.  They don't let me out of my cage very often...  

Kurt


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## MuranoJo (Sep 2, 2010)

I am in Marketing for a global Tech company, and for 2/3 of my career reported directy into sales organizations.

Hubby is an early retired science/biology teacher, and I should avoid topics about what it's like to be married to someone who has taken early retirement while I continue to work.


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## MuranoJo (Sep 2, 2010)

DeniseM said:


> I teach pregnant teenagers, young moms, and their newborns, at a public high school.



Denise, that must be a challenging, but very satisfying job!


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## chellej (Sep 2, 2010)

I am a health physicist and currently work for the state as a radioactive materials inspector.

I worked a lot of years at the national labs - INEL, Los Alamos & Nevada Test Site. I have done  a good bit of emergency planning and response for nuclear facilities as well.


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## LisaH (Sep 2, 2010)

I was trained as a Molecular Biologist. For the past 8 years, I have been in technical sales for a multi-billion dollar company.


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## csalter2 (Sep 2, 2010)

I am a high school principal with over 3000 students. Yes, I have lots of fun. I really look forward to work every day.


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## suesam (Sep 2, 2010)

Great topic!
I am a social worker for an assisted living management company. My areas of expertise are dementia care and third party payments. Very interesting all of the time...very rewarding most of the time 

Sue


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## Zac495 (Sep 2, 2010)

Denise – I didn’t know that about you! Rick, what are you going to do? Principal? Wow – we have all sorts – geeks, techs (are they the same thing:rofl: ), vets, and more. I’m so impressed. I love this community. 

I’m a teacher. I spent the last 26 years in the classroom ranging from 1st through 5th grades. This year I got a new position – I am the elementary gifted support teacher (same district). I work with the AT kids (those students whose IQ’s are in the top 2%) and support all teachers with enrichment of all kids. 

So since I’m a teacher I will give you my spiel: 
1.	Mistakes are good, because they help you learn.
2.	Try, don’t cry.
3.	No one is smarter than anyone else. We’re all smart in our own way.
4.	Don’t say something’s easy. It can be hurtful to those who don’t agree.
5.	Always greet people with a firm handshake and eye contact.


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## Mimi39 (Sep 2, 2010)

I retired 4 years ago after being box office manager of a non-profit theater (Shakespeare, mainly) in the S.F. Bay Area for 25 years.


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## silverfox82 (Sep 2, 2010)

Retired 5 months before 9/11 from the NY City Fire Dept after a 26 year career. After that my wife and I owned and operated a seasonal clam bar/restaurant for 3 years and finally delivered art to shows around the NE US, saw a lot of motel rooms and interstate hwys. Now completely a man of leisure and loving it.


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## ctreelmom (Sep 2, 2010)

Before kids, I worked in event planning, marketing and PR, but I've always called myself a writer.  During kids, I worked  a little as a freelance magazine and newspaper writer/editor, marketing communications consultant and held a couple of part time gigs in retail.  Now, (it's not exactly "after kids" but now that they are older) I just started a permanent part-time job in customer service for a baked goods distributor--very different but communications skills are still key!  

My hubby (he's not on TUG) is a retired NYC Firefighter, currently serves as Chief of our volunteer fire department and his "day job" is a facilities supervisor at a local hospital.


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## caribbeansun (Sep 2, 2010)

Not an easy question to answer as I seem to be doing a lot of different things right now including business improvement consulting, business valuations, virtual CFO services and just for the heck of it customer software development and implementation.  During the downturn it's be challenging but also very rewarding as the companies I work with have done very well.


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## Dori (Sep 2, 2010)

After a 32 year career as an elementary teacher (20 of those in beloved Kindergarten), I retired at age 52. I still do a lot of supply work in Kindergarten and Grade One. I also have a small, home-based cake decorating business. The orders from family and friends keep me busy. 

DH and I travel quite a bit, and enjoy it very much.

Dori


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## LUVourMarriotts (Sep 2, 2010)

I am a techy.  After getting my Masters degree, I worked for Kraft Foods (Gevalia) and Avon Products as a Systems/Network Administrator.  Then I went to EMC to work with their Network Management Software (NMS).  I recently left there and now work for a start-up that is funded by 3 huge IT companies (1. The worldwide leader in storage (possibly already mentioned); 2. The worldwide leader in networking; 3. The worldwide leader in virtualization).  In my new position, I am a Solutions Architect for build and delivery of Cloud Infrastructure.

College eduction: BS in Business Management & Economics from Springfield College (MA) (please don't laugh, I know); MS in Telecommunications from Pace University (NY)


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## LUVourMarriotts (Sep 2, 2010)

PigsDad said:


> Now I work on systems that will monitor most everything in a customer's IT environment to provide them with the highest system availability possible.  They don't let me out of my cage very often...
> 
> Kurt



Kurt, which product are you using?  If you don't mind saying.  Are you designing/developing the product, or are you an end-user/admin of the product?


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## AwayWeGo (Sep 2, 2010)

*Born To Goof Off.*




Elan said:


> For you retired folk, how about telling everyone what you used to do when you were still a _productive_ member of society


There is room for debate about how _productive_ it is to be a full-time civil service bureaucrat.  However that may be, I signed on with the Interior Department as a GS-5 public information specialist in 1964 & retired from Interior as a GS-15 public affairs officer in 1998.  

I just got started, then -- 1 jump ahead of the draft board -- I enlisted as a buck private in the army in 1965.  I took an honorable discharge as a specialist E-5 in 1968.  During my 1 & only 3-year hitch, I played horn in the 75th Army Band (Ft. Belvoir VA, 1966) & the 214th Army Band (Ft. Richardson AK, 1967-68).  After that, I went back to my civil service job, which had been held open for me. 

My Interior career was mostly writing -- press releases, non-technical publications, speech drafts, articles, memos, letters, scripts, communication plans, talking points, & I don't know what-all.  Over the years, the job categories Public Information Specialist & Public Information Officer morphed into Public Affairs Specialist & Public Affairs Officer, as the political dimension of public agencies seeped deeper into the bureaucratic apparatus, giving an ever-stronger P.R. orientation to what earlier had been straight public information.  At the same time, bureaucratic red tape escalated noticeably in virtually everything connected with hiring & firing & evaluating employees.  

Every new political administration felt perfectly justified -- & who can blame them? -- for sprinkling its own variety of goo-foo dust over the whole bureaucratic establishment.  Each new crew of political appointees included many who assumed everything they saw was a deliberate manifestation of the political will of the previous administration, & therefore saw it as their bounden duty to try to change everything.  Fortunately, each new group of pols also included some who understand that it is the duty of the civil servants, in carrying out the programs & administering the laws, to be responsible to whatever constituted authority happened to be in charge at the time.  The buck stops with the appointed department head, not the civil service division chief. 

Both parties over the years included roughly equal portions of sterling professionals on the 1 hand & stupid incompetents on the other.  Neither party had a monopoly on public service ideals or raw ambition, on courtesy & professionalism on the 1 hand or on the other hand of arrogantly lording their political status over the civil service bureaucrats.  

Now that I am retired, I can goof off 24-7-365, which suits me fine.  So it goes. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## pittle (Sep 2, 2010)

I worked 29 years for a major greeting card company before retiring.  I worked in HR at one of the manufacturing facilities where I managed the employee cafeteria and gift shop in addition to many miscellaneous HR duties. My favorite responsibility was serving as the chairperson of the Community Affairs committee.  

My first job out of college was as a high school Home Ec (foods & nutrition) teacher.


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## Passepartout (Sep 2, 2010)

*Itchy Feet...*

I haven't been able to stay still for long. My father died when I was a teen. There was no money for school and I was much more interested in skiing or exploring the local mountains than school anyway. I beat the inevitable draft by enlisting in the Army. 

I served almost 2 years in Germany. Though I made $55.20 a month, I would buy a train ticket for as far as it would go every time I could get a pass then worry about getting back later. Mostly by thumb. Got to see a lot of Europe that way in the '60s. It gave me some expertise in traveling cheap. Went to Viet Nam. Not much fun there.

After I got home, I was a floor covering contractor until the doc said my knees wouldn't tolerate that and to find a new gig or end up in a wheelchair.

A family member took me under their wing on a moving truck. Together we hauled high value electronics and trade shows for several years. That was when a computer system could be truck loads. Now a young woman in a brown uniform can carry more computer power under one arm. 

I went to work for a mid-size family owned trucking company as a driver. They grew into the world's largest refrigerated carrier. I tested many new truck systems like satellite communication systems and anti-lock brakes, electronic engine controls and aerodynamic do-hickies, and special tires and other fuel-saving devices for our company and the various manufacturers. 

I spent a couple of years doing public relations for the trucking industry for the industry trade group in Washington. I appeared on many TV programs, radio interviews and spoke before numerous trade groups and service clubs.

I traveled all over the US, eventually logging over 6 million accident-free  miles in every state and Canadian province. I used to say that everywhere 2 red lines crossed on the map, and darn near every blue-line crossing- I've been there. That's not much exaggeration. When I left after 23 years, I was in the top 1/10th of 1% of seniority in over 4000.

After my mom had a stroke and was paralyzed in 1997, I was able to manage her care as well as trucking- though just in the Northwest so that I could be within a day from home to care for her. She eventually succumbed to another stroke.

I met the LOML, and lost much interest in being away for work. She enjoys travel as much as I do. We began going away for a couple of months a year. We were married at a castle in Scotland. I wore a kilt, she wore pants. It figures. When the recession of 2008 came on us, the family corporation I worked for changed the conditions for employment. Rather than going back to full-time, long distance trucking, I decided to retire at 62.

I had learned to cook from a mother who instilled a great curiosity for different tastes and the adventure of ferreting them out. The LOML has allowed me to build a comfortable home with a gourmet kitchen of which I am the master. She continues her family law practice and I am her support system, baggage toter, and chief cook and bottle washer. 

When asked, I used to tell people that I was a full time philosopher, but since it doesn't pay well, I drove the truck to pay the bills.

Looking back over the last few decades, school would have been a lot easier.

Answer to a later post- School: Not enough at Boise State. Post non-grad: Hard Knocks.

Jim Ricks


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## SueDonJ (Sep 2, 2010)

Wow, TUG sure is an interesting mix of folks!

My first full-time job was at John Hancock where I moved around from death claims to health claims to health policies.  When our Steve was born I left there and worked part-time as an administrative assistant for a local small law office, stayed there for ten years through his and Eileen's elementary school years.  We moved from that area when they were middle-schoolers, and that's when I began working out of our home as a seamstress.  I've been designing, constructing and altering bridal/formal fashions ever since, and I consider myself so lucky to be able to do what I love whenever I want.  I'm thinking I'll retire when I can't see well enough to do hand-beading.   

Don was serving in the navy when I met him, graduated from Northeastern shortly after we were married, went to night school for his master's while our kids were young, and through the years moved through public and corporate and back to public accounting.  He's now a Tax Partner in the Boston office of a national public accounting firm.  He'll retire when they boot him out or when he gets tired enough of the cold and snowy Boston winters, whichever comes first.


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## DeniseM (Sep 2, 2010)

muranojo said:


> Denise, that must be a challenging, but very satisfying job!



I love it!  Definitely my niche in life, and the reason why I have the patience of a Saint on TUG!


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## Cheryl20772 (Sep 2, 2010)

Hi everyone!  I retired after being a city letter carrier for 18 years.  Before that, while raising our 3 children, I did full time retail management.  My first job after we moved to Maryland from upstate New York was mortgage loan processor.  My husband is a PhD medical researcher with a team at the VA Medical Center in DC.  He's retired from his government position and continues on a part time consulting basis doing what he did for for 30 years.

Our kids now live in 3 different corners of the US (Washington State, Texas and Maryland); so we better enjoy traveling if we want to visit them  

Love reading all your wonderful stories.  The only thing missing is what schools we all attended.  Remember back when that really was "important"? :rofl:


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## pjrose (Sep 2, 2010)

*Professor and Geek*

College professor, doctorate in Mathematical Sociology (I know it sounds like an oxymoron).  Currently I'm working part-time, teaching Intro Soc and Social Problems, but my major areas are Statistics and Data Analysis and Research Methods which I used to teach frequently. (I have a knack for teaching them in a more user-friendly logical way than most of the dreaded Stats/Methods courses are taught.)

Previously I was a computer geek (well I guess I still am, but previously I was paid to be one), starting in the days with IBM cards and moving eventually to micros.  Worked for ~10 years as an academic computing programmer, consultant, wrote documentation, taught how-to classes, and eventually moved to coordinating academic computing at a college.  I preferred to be hands-on and didn't like writing long-range proposals and endless meetings about budgets and staff (of which I didn't have enough), so switched to teaching.

I keep my geek-side semi happy by doing computer stuff with my classes and enjoy figuring out glitches that the tech support people often can't  .  DH is also a professor, and teaches online - having live-in computer help makes it easier for him.

I also write textbook supplements - study guides, test banks, and so forth.  I have a few textbooks in my head, but haven't gotten them from brain to keyboard to publisher yet  

I have degrees in Soc and English and the coursework for a degree in Math, so I guess what I do fits all three   In response to the previous post - Schools = Beloit College (where I met DH the second week), University of New Hampshire, and Cornell University.


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## stugy (Sep 2, 2010)

This is an interesting thread.  I have been retired for 10 years.  (It sure went fast).  I have a Masters Degree in Social Work and spent the last 20 years of my employment as a renal social worker (dialysis clinic).  For the most part I loved my job until it became more paperwork than peoplework (state requirements).  I have to say while I enjoyed it, I now enjoy being retired and sleeping late and traveling.  
Pat


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## dgdbloe (Sep 2, 2010)

Currently  a cook for deli and catering

In earlier days prior to kids  and before kids hit school age was an ass't VP and husband worked nights
Then when wanted to be home days I worked nights as phone customer service for large mail order company and my husband worked days
As kids got older went back to same company as earlier VP days before changing to deli/catering to enable me to take care of elderly/ill parents


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## heathpack (Sep 2, 2010)

Cheryl20772 said:


> Love reading all your wonderful stories.  The only thing missing is what schools we all attended.  Remember back when that really was "important"? :rofl:



University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: BA in English Literature.  
My first love is modern poetry.  ‎"A book should be a ball of light in one's hand"--Ezra Pound

North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine: DVM.  No confusion though as to basketball loyalties.  GO HEELS!

Auburn University:  Rotating Internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery.  Um, why are all the restaurants closed on Sunday?  Because you're living in ALABAMA now.

University of Georgia:  Residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery.  Too bad I was too busy to enjoy Athens, it is a great town.

I also spent time at North Carolina State as an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery.

H


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## AwayWeGo (Sep 2, 2010)

*So If You Had To Know Brain Surgery To Figure Out Timesharing, You Would Be OK.*




heathpack said:


> I also spent time at North Carolina State as an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery.


I think physicians are just about the last remaining universally respected authority figures we have.  

Hats off to the doctors out there. 

Meanwhile, I was extremely fortunate to get as far as a B.A. (English), awarded August 1964 by the University Of Virginia.  I graduated just by the skin of my teeth, & it took 4 years + 3 summer sessions to accomplish even that.  What a doofus.  (Me, not you.) 

Now that we have identified a Brain Surgeon on TUG-BBS, I can't help wondering whether next a Rocket Scientist will turn up.  Wouldn't that be something ? 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## am1 (Sep 2, 2010)

I have been the owner/operator of [a resort rental website] for 3 years.  

During that time I also worked for 2 weeks in the International Finance division of Estee Lauder in NYC.  Makeup and the commute was not for me.


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## jackio (Sep 2, 2010)

I was a late bloomer in deciding what I wanted to be when I grew up, and got my RN at age 33.  Prior to that I had never worked in any one place for more than 3 years, then took several years off when my children were born.
I did telemetry nursing for 2 years, switched to pediatrics and then 16 years ago became a school nurse for a district of approx. 10,000 students.  I am glad I waited so that I can fully appreciate being able to love what I do.


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## classiclincoln (Sep 2, 2010)

Self employed Certified Financial Planner (that's why I always say timeshares are NOT an investment!).  Been in practice for over 15 years.  Wifey is a special ed teacher (that's how she can put up with me).  Hoping to have her retire soon; hate not being able to use all our weeks because SHE can't get time off!!


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## bullroc3 (Sep 2, 2010)

I taught Math along with Driver Education and Computer Science for 33 years in Pennsylvania. I retired in 2005. :whoopie: 

I have been volunteering as firefighter and EMT locally for 33 years and as my retirement job (yep, now getting paid), I'm an EMT on a neighboring paramedic ambulance.  

Time sharing is my second love. My first love is traveling in my fifth wheel camper.


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## alwysonvac (Sep 2, 2010)

*Another IT Geek*

I've been working in the IT Telecom Industry for over 20 years. My degree is in Computer Science. I started out as a programmer. I've worked as Programmer/Analyst, Application Development Project Team Lead, System Test Project Lead, Release Manager, System Test Manager and Senior Systems Business Analyst. I'm currently working as an IT Project Manager.

Phyllis


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## pianodinosaur (Sep 2, 2010)

I am a urologist. My wife is a pianist. 

However, as my wife said to me, "In the great vein of life, you are a hemorrhoid!!"  I guess she knows me too well.


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## DaveNV (Sep 2, 2010)

I'm starting to notice a little geekiness (ok, a LOT!) going on around here...   

I served in the Navy for 20 years, as a (you guessed it!) computer tech.  Operated, programmed, and repaired any number of civilian and military mainframe, mini, and micro computer systems over the years.  About 1980 or so I jumped on the desktop PC bandwagon, and haven't really looked back.

I retired from the Navy shortly after I served in Desert Storm, but I couldn't get computers out of my blood.  I stuck with it, and all these years later, I'm still in the industry, currently working on the IT support staff at a large hospital and medical center.  

I started my first classroom computer course on July 5, 1972.  By the calendar, that means I've been doing this sort of work for more than 38 years.  And you know what?  I still learn something new every single day.  That's a pretty cool (and terribly geeky) thing.  

Dave


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## BevL (Sep 2, 2010)

Currently I work at home transcribing court proceedings from recordings done in the courtroom.  It's work I've done for about 20 years part time while my kids were young, then to supplement our income when I started my professional practice, which I worked at for 12 years and sold in 2008.  My husband does the same thing - I taught him after his back went and he couldn't do the automotive work he had been employed at and he's been transcribing since about 1995.

Sold my professional practice because the market was right - hard to sell a professional practice - you ARE the business - and because I was commuting 2 to 3 hours a day with no end in sight.  Now I can type all days in my pyjamas if I want to and with Greg's health challenges in the last year, I'm thankful I sold my practice when I did.  My work is interesting sometimes, dull sometimes but I learn a lot of "stuff" from listening to people give evidence - everything from how the drug business in our community works to the mechanics of a shoulder injury after a motor vehicle injury.

When Greg and I were (a lot) younger, at times we did everything from janitor work to renovating houses to mowing lawns to get by.  

I'm a firm believer in it doesn't really matter what you do as long as you want to get up in the morning and do it.  Everybody has those don't want to work days, but I can't imagine doing a job I hate for years on end and for the most part I feel pretty lucky.


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## willowglener (Sep 2, 2010)

I am a demand planner for power supplies and batteries, for two more weeks. Forecast, production planning, etc. After that, I will be planning for ultra-sound equipment in a much much smaller company. 

LUVourMarriotts, you work at the same company DH works for. 




LUVourMarriotts said:


> I am a techy.  After getting my Masters degree, I worked for Kraft Foods (Gevalia) and Avon Products as a Systems/Network Administrator.  Then I went to EMC to work with their Network Management Software (NMS).  I recently left there and now work for a start-up that is funded by 3 huge IT companies (1. The worldwide leader in storage (possibly already mentioned); 2. The worldwide leader in networking; 3. The worldwide leader in virtualization).  In my new position, I am a Solutions Architect for build and delivery of Cloud Infrastructure.
> 
> College eduction: BS in Business Management & Economics from Springfield College (MA) (please don't laugh, I know); MS in Telecommunications from Pace University (NY)


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## pjrose (Sep 2, 2010)

classiclincoln said:


> . . . Wifey is a special ed teacher (that's how she can put up with me).  . . .



:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


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## Kal (Sep 2, 2010)

I recently made a career change. Previously I was a one-armed paper hanger, but due to current situations, just couldn't make ends meet. Now I am an inventor. My recent work is in muffler bearings. Still in the developmental phases but will soon get into full time product marketing.

It just proves the automobile is here to stay!


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## Fern Modena (Sep 2, 2010)

When I was young, and lived in LA, I was a taxi dancer   Honestly I was, for about two or three years.  

Later on I went to work as a streetcar driver.  My agency had 1863 drivers, and I was number 11 among the women.  I moved up the ranks through the years, doing street supervision, division dispatching, central control work (like 9-1-1 for transit), and then supervising central control work.  Along the way one of *my* trainers told me "there are no new mistakes," no matter what you do, you aren't going to be the first.  I found that very comforting.

I worked there 26 years, until I retired.  I met and married Jerry there.  We had our ceremony on a 1912 streetcar.

I made a report on the Quake of '86, and it is part of the official Archives of the City of San Francisco.  You can read about it here.


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## heathpack (Sep 2, 2010)

AwayWeGo said:


> I think physicians are just about the last remaining universally respected authority figures we have.
> 
> Hats off to the doctors out there.
> 
> ...



I have always felt like a bit of an underachiever because I don't have a law degree. I mean how hard could it be???- a little reading, a little thinking, a little arguing. The arguing I could do with 2 hands tied behind my back.  Plus you can punch that degree out in 3 short years.  Just talking about it, I am tempted again.

But then again, I'd hate to monkey with the "respected" thing. 

H


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## DaveNV (Sep 2, 2010)

Fern Modena said:


> When I was young, and lived in LA, I was a taxi dancer   Honestly I was, for about two or three years.
> 
> Later on I went to work as a streetcar driver.  My agency had 1863 drivers, and I was number 11 among the women.  I moved up the ranks through the years, doing street supervision, division dispatching, central control work (like 9-1-1 for transit), and then supervising central control work.  Along the way one of *my* trainers told me "there are no new mistakes," no matter what you do, you aren't going to be the first.  I found that very comforting.
> 
> ...




Fern, that is a great history!  My Mom always told the stories of riding streetcars in our little town north of Seattle.  By the time I came along, the tracks were all gone, or cemented over.  But if you pay attention to the streets in that part of our town, the routes where the trracks were are still visible, and it's easy to imagine what it was like.  Thanks for sharing.

Dave


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## MuranoJo (Sep 2, 2010)

pittle said:


> I worked 29 years for a major greeting card company before retiring.  I worked in HR at one of the manufacturing facilities where I managed the employee cafeteria and gift shop in addition to many miscellaneous HR duties. My favorite responsibility was serving as the chairperson of the Community Affairs committee.
> 
> My first job out of college was as a high school Home Ec (foods & nutrition) teacher.



Darn!  Wish I had known you when I designed and tried to sell my own line of (tacky humor) greeting cards many years ago.


----------



## MuranoJo (Sep 3, 2010)

pianodinosaur said:


> I am a urologist. My wife is a pianist.
> 
> However, as my wife said to me, "In the great vein of life, you are a hemorrhoid!!"  I guess she knows me too well.



Oh, man, too funny.  I need to borrow that one!  :hysterical:


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## glypnirsgirl (Sep 3, 2010)

I have been a lawyer for 30 years. 

I worked my way through junior high and high school as a telephone solicitor, newspaper deliverer, babysitter, grocery store checker, and my favorite job as a teenager: the ticket taker at the drive in movie theatre.

I went to college at Southwester University in Georgetown, TX where I started out as a chemistry major. Switched to economics and philosophy  when I found out that the business administration building was air conditioned - the science building was not and it get s HOT in Central Texas. I worked as a waitress and teaching assistant while at SU to pay my way through school.

When I graduated from college, I was a housewife, which my first husband said that I stunk at. He encouraged me to go to law school which I was not interested in. I had several friends that went to law school and they all hated it. I didn't have much of a desire to go. Fred (first husband) asked me to try it, he thought that I would like it. And I LOVED studying law. I am one of only two lawyers that I know that actually love practicing law. 

I started out as a night court prosecutor. I loved that job. I got promoted to the attorney for the water and parks departments, so I quit to open up my own business. I did that for a little while. When Jordan was pre-school age, I became the lead attorney for the attorney general's office for the DFW area and prosecuted child support cases. I loved that job, too. Eventually I quit and opened my own practice. One of the many great things about being a lawyer is that you can change your practice. I used to do a great deal of trial work. Once I married Ian, I found I no longer needed the excitement. I am now happy being a bankruptcy attorney. And I have limited my practice to that.

I have now started a second business which I am also enjoying.

elaine


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## pjrose (Sep 3, 2010)

heathpack said:


> *I have always felt like a bit of an underachiever because I don't have a law degree.* I mean how hard could it be???- a little reading, a little thinking, a little arguing. The arguing I could do with 2 hands tied behind my back.  *Plus you can punch that degree out in 3 short years.*  Just talking about it, I am tempted again.
> 
> But then again, I'd hate to monkey with the "respected" thing.
> 
> H



I really wanted to go to law school, but when I was in college 3 extra years seemed too long.  Instead I went to grad school where I spent 11 years  I still might get that law degree


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## pgnewarkboy (Sep 3, 2010)

pjrose said:


> I really wanted to go to law school, but when I was in college 3 extra years seemed too long.  Instead I went to grad school where I spent 11 years  I still might get that law degree



Law degree?  After 3 years of law school the one thing you are not ready to do is practice law.   There are many crappy law schools that spend all their time teaching you how to pass the state bar exam.  If you go to a good law school your law degree will mean that you have started to think like a lawyer.  After that you must pay your dues and learn how to practice law and continue to think more and more like a lawyer.

When most people think of a lawyer they think of a trial lawyer.  My comments are about the practice of trial law. The practice of law as a trial lawyer bares no resemblance to anything you have ever seen on TV or movie or even as a juror.  A trial is a formalized combat ritual.  The preparation for the trial is what matters.  For every 15 minutes in front of a judge or a jury there usually is hours and hours of preparation. Same for a deposition.  If you are any good as a lawyer, you must know the answer to every question you ask a witness before you ask it.  You must know all the relevant legal issues and researched them thoroughly BEFORE you step into court. You must also review thousands of pages (in some cases) of discovery documents provided by your opponent.  Quite often you must get experts in on technical areas of science etc. to help.   In almost all cases there are numerous pre-trial motions that require hours of research and writing.

There is an old saying " The law is a jealous mistress".  It is an understatement.  Getting a law degree allows you take the bar exam.  Then you must pass the bar and go to work learning your profession. If you are lucky you may be able to squeeze in a life outside of your practice.


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## Zac495 (Sep 3, 2010)

pianodinosaur said:


> I am a urologist. My wife is a pianist.
> 
> However, as my wife said to me, "In the great vein of life, you are a hemorrhoid!!"  I guess she knows me too well.



:hysterical: :hysterical:


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## Mosca (Sep 3, 2010)

A little of this, a little of that, and it adds up to lots.


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## Patri (Sep 3, 2010)

Newspaper reporter fulltime, retail parttime.
Started grad school last January. Hope to do it in three years. Met my advisor yesterday. He said I'm not too old to go for a PhD. too.
Who knows? I plan to work until age 65. Maybe beyond if I still feel as healthy and young as I do now. I plan to live for a very long time and towards the end work can fit around travel. Right now travel fits around work.


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## Larry (Sep 3, 2010)

*Retired*

Graduated from college and worked two years as “management trainee” in group pensions department of one of the largest Insurance companies in the world. I continued with second degree in accounting at night while working full time. 

Graduated with B.S, in accounting and went to work as an auditor for one of the largest CPA firms in NY for two years to get my CPA qualified experience.

Left CPA firm and started working as Tax Auditor for government agency. Again left after two years and worked for two large corporations in tax department in charge of tax audits by federal and state and local tax agencies. 

Recruited back to government job as corporate tax auditor and was then promoted to audit supervisor and then District Manager for the last 22 years. I worked for the government agency for a total of 33 years before retiring last year.

Had a great career including business travel to almost every state and always meeting new people and dealing with every corporate industry you can think of. 

Now it’s my time to travel to the rest of the world.


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## Rob&Carol Q (Sep 3, 2010)

Graduated from Miami University in 1983 (the real one, not that usurper in Florida)...I was a Marine option on a Navy ROTC scholarship...though mine certainly wasn't academics based, my GPA was a whopping 2.3...if you round up.

Married in 1984 to a fellow Miamian and we still get a Valentine's Day card every year.  Far and away, the best decision that she let me make.

Assigned to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii for three years, followed by three in Okinawa.  Finished my Active time at Norfolk, VA. where I was given my first chance to play in the Sandbox in 1991.  Yeesh...people get hurt doing that.  Earned a Masters Degree from Troy State during the evenings and weekends after my return.  I could see the writing on the wall...remember the big drawdown and peace dividend?  Well, I was part of that.  Left active Duty in 1994 with 11 years of service.

Work for the Air Force now (strange people...oddly fixated on comfort) started as a contractor in 1995 but 'finally' managed to join the Civil Service just last year.  Program Management...fancy term for "Fall Guy"...

Missed my Corps...not the BS but the Marines.  Joined the local Reserves because, as the prior service recruiter said at the time "who ever heard of an activation?!?!?"  MY RECRUITER LIED TO ME!!!  Well, not really but it makes for a fun "bar story" with fellow Jarheads.  I was activate for the Iraq invasion and went North with the mob.  Truthfully, I am still humbled by the experience.  Those kids are amazing and I am honored to have had a part. I am now a Retired Marine.

Four kids - eldest son is also a Jarhead and seemed to think I left something behind in that Sandy Place...he returned last November and confirmed that Iraq still sucked.  Daughter graduates from Ohio State this June as a Dietician with two job offers on her plate already.  Second Daughter started at Bowling Green just two weeks ago and youngest son is a 7th grader.

My Dear Sweet Bride is the Choir Director at our Church and acts as the President of the recreational Swim Team.  I double as the President of our local Rec Soccer League.

My Bride and I are planning a date with each other in about 6 more years...can't wait!


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## hvacrsteve (Sep 3, 2010)

I own a service company, we mainly do commercial and Industrial sights. We do HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical. We have about 70 employees currently.  I love what I do because I get to work in and on a lot of awesome places and buildings.  I also meet some awesome people.  We are in the top echelon of companies that do what we do, so we get calls from many of the top builders and Government.  I never know who may actually call us on any given day.  It can be surprising.  That is what I enjoy most.  I also am an expert witness related to construction and the trades.  I hold multiple degrees in my field. My DW is a retired lawyer.

I am not ready to retire and may never.  I love my customers to much.
I do take a considerable amount of vacation.
My secretary often asks if I still work here.


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## Beaglemom3 (Sep 3, 2010)

pgnewarkboy said:


> .
> 
> When most people think of a lawyer they think of a trial lawyer.  My comments are about the practice of trial law. The practice of law as a trial lawyer bares no resemblance to anything you have ever seen on TV or movie or even as a juror.  A trial is a formalized combat ritual.  The preparation for the trial is what matters.  For every 15 minutes in front of a judge or a jury there usually is hours and hours of preparation. Same for a deposition.  If you are any good as a lawyer, you must know the answer to every question you ask a witness before you ask it.  You must know all the relevant legal issues and researched them thoroughly BEFORE you step into court. You must also review thousands of pages (in some cases) of discovery documents provided by your opponent.  Quite often you must get experts in on technical areas of science etc. to help.   In almost all cases there are numerous pre-trial motions that require hours of research and writing.
> 
> There is an old saying " The law is a jealous mistress".  It is an understatement.  Getting a law degree allows you take the bar exam.  Then you must pass the bar and go to work learning your profession. If you are lucky you may be able to squeeze in a life outside of your practice.



_*Amen to that. You have stated this spot-on ! They never show the hours of mind numbing stuff on TV. I admire trial lawyers, but that wasn't my track.

Favorite practice quote: "A judge can hurt you, a clerk can kill you".

Me: Nurse-Attorney-NP/JD (27 as an RN/NP (MSN) and going on 2+for JD - haven't taken the bar yet as so far, it's not been reqired - the firm just uses me for the medical stuff and besides, I earn more and get more satisfaction as an NP, not to mention the law practice malpractice rates here in Massachusetts). I work for some Big-Pharmas as a consultant - regulatory stuff.*_  If I had to do it all over again, I would've been a geologist or similar.

Addendum: Elan, nice thread.


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## bankr63 (Sep 3, 2010)

*One more for the Geek squad*

I am a Project Manager (PMP), and run my own consulting business.  For the past 4 years I have worked primarily in the Health Care sector, but at the time I signed on here I was with one of the largest Credit Card issuers in the world.  Thus the username.  

The step to self-employed followed several years as Director of IT/IS for a handful of different companies.  Found out I was really good at dropping into troubled companies or startup companies and getting things going right.  The feeling of satisfaction of completing projects led to what I do now.  

My travel bug hit early.  In high school/university I held a job as a "Ramp Agent" for a small regional airline.  We worked all positions, so I drove baggage carts, pushback tractors, flagged in planes, and handled at least a million pounds of luggage.  We got a really good discount for flying on affiliated airlines.

When I left that job, I spent the rest of my time working through school (I had a several year hiatus in the midst of my schooling) as a bartender/bar manager.  Graduated as a Computer Engineering Technologist and have so far spent over 20 years (so far) climbing through the field.  I'm sure that I have at least another 15-20 ahead of me before retirement.  

DW is a School Teacher and Special Education specialist for grades 7-8.  She was also a late starter to the work world, preferring to see the world before settling into Teacher College and a career.  Her wanderlust is stronger than mine, so she keeps me moving on the vacation front.  

Today is first day back at school for her for the year.  She was feeling very sorry for herself getting up at 7:00 this morning after several weeks of kicking me out of bed and rolling over to sleep in a bit.  For some reason, I wasn't feeling much compassion.


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## Passepartout (Sep 3, 2010)

Boy, if the educators and techie folks weren't participating, us mere mortals would sure be lonesome here.... Jim


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 3, 2010)

Rick is a Denver firefighter of 35+ years.  He has to be 60 to retire with full benefits, and he is 55, and so am I.  

We have owned a chimney cleaning business since 1983, and I run the entire thing from home, while Rick and our sons do the hard work.  I like owning our own business, but it keeps me next to the phone for about 12 hours a day.  If I leave, I forward the business phone to my cell phone.  

I was also a Realtor until February of 2009, when I quit Keller Williams because it was costing more money than I made in two years.  My license doesn't expire until March of 2011, and I have to decide if I want to keep it current or let it go.  I wasn't working very fulltime at it over the ten years I have had a license. 

My degree is in English, and I did work as a teacher for a short time.  I didn't like it, but it wasn't the work, it was the clashing of my ideals with the reality of what teaching junior high has become.  I struggled with loving the kids and both fearing and pitying them at the same time.  I saw a lot of disturbed children who needed their parents more involved.  I was already a mother to kids their ages and didn't have the stamina to mother a bunch of kids with social and behavior problems.  They had serious, serious problems.  I was overwhelmed and shouldn't have purposely chosen a school in a bad area.  Lesson learned.  We inherited a substantial amount of money about the time I was trying to decide whether to continue to teach in a different environment, and the money helped me determine that I didn't want to teach.  

It's a good thing we have our own business because our oldest is a civil engineer and hasn't worked his profession for two years.  There are no civil engineering jobs around, and now he has lost his advantage, because he hasn't worked in 2 years.  He doesn't even get interviews.  So he is cleaning chimneys and going back to school part time to get his MBA.  He loves school and always excels.   Maybe it will help him land a job, but this economy is scary.


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## senorak (Sep 3, 2010)

I teach world languages in a junior high.   My main focus is Spanish, (first and second year), although I occasionally have a French class, as well.  I LOVE my job and (most of) the kids I have in class.  Junior high, (8th and 9th grade), is at times frustrating & challenging, but never boring.  I've led student tours of London, Paris & Madrid several times, though not in the past few years, due to the poor economy and my own children getting very involved in school/community sports.  
Looking forward to starting the 2010-11 school year on Tuesday!   

Deb


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## John Cummings (Sep 3, 2010)

I have been fully retired since December, 2006. My wife is a homemaker so she will never retire.

Basically I am a computer geek but have had quite a varied career. I left Canada in 1959 at the age of 19 to go to electronics school in Los Angeles, CA. I also went to college while I was there. I was on a student visa so I had to return to Canada briefly to get an immigrant visa for the US. While waiting for the visa, I worked for the CBC TV in Vancouver where I was on the remote crew that covered sporting and other events. I was on the crew that covered the Grey Cup football game in Vancouver in 1960. I was a TV camera assistant down on the field between the player's benches. Four months later, I got my visa and was off to the US.

I was a hardware engineer at various companies in Oregon, Arizona, California, Florida. I migrated toward software and became a computer systems engineer. I started jumping back and forth from software to hardware and back. I worked on mainframes, minis, and micros. I worked at all levels of software from Operating Systems Design to applications to firmware.

In 1977 I moved to Florida and specialized in real-time data acquisition and process control. I designed and implemented the computerization of the City of Wichita KS water system in the early 80's. I did it by myself and had to design and write all the software from scratch as there were no "off the shelf" packages at that time.

I then moved to Venezuela with the same computer company where I was the sales and service manager for their Venezuelan operation. I also worked at Vera Cruz Mexico on real-time systems at an aluminum plant.

I then moved back to San Diego California where I worked for 11 years as a principal systems programmer at a research company. I worked there on the nuclear fusion international research project under the Department of Energy.

I did a lot of consulting work during my career and started my own software design consulting business in the early 90's and went into it full time. I specialized in real-time embedded systems. I had a variety of clients from small startups to biggies like Cisco Systems, Kaiser Aluminum, Sandia National Laboratory, etc. Most of my  clients were in the SF Bay area so we lived there as well as San Diego, going back and forth. My wife always went with me. I would only accept clients in areas where we wanted to go. Kaiser Aluminum was in Spokane, WA. I was able to do some of the projects from home

I started a consulting business in Mexico in the early 90's. Our initial project was to computerize Tijuana's water system. However that got delayed because of politics so I essentially left the business to my Mexican partner and I concentrated on the US business. Doing business in Mexico is not an easy task.

In 2002 I set everything up to retire but then was offered an exciting project so I took it. However, I didn't need to work so it made it that much more enjoyable.

My wife and I owned a Mexican Restaurant in San Jose California in the mid-70's. We lived in Mexico for 4 years.


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## LUVourMarriotts (Sep 3, 2010)

willowglener said:


> LUVourMarriotts, you work at the same company DH works for.



Really??  I assume you mean the new company, and if so, what a very small world!  From your screen name, I think I know where you are from.  I think there are only 6 or 7 "official" employees from that area, since we are still pretty small.  Unless of course the new ones have not been added to our contact list.  Very interesting.  Well, theres only myself and one other from my neck of the woods.  My initials are below.


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## falmouth3 (Sep 3, 2010)

I went to SUNY at Cortland, a teacher's college at the time, but I didn't want to be a teacher.  I ended up becoming a Medical Technologist, then got my MS in Clinical Chemistry at Rochester Institute of Technology.

I am now working for a large international company as a regulatory affairs manager.  I prepare the submissions describing our products for FDA (and other international agencies) for them to review before the products can be sold.  

In my last job, sometimes the job was particularly satisfying when I had the opportunity to get several special emergency approvals to keep babies alive before our heart pumps were available to the "general public".


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 3, 2010)

pianodinosaur said:


> I am a urologist. My wife is a pianist.
> 
> However, as my wife said to me, "In the great vein of life, you are a hemorrhoid!!"  I guess she knows me too well.



My granddaughter, bless her 3 1/2-year-old heart, asked Mommy what they were going to do today, and our daughter said, "We are taking Oliver (our 8-month-old grandson) to the urologist."  So Evie comes back to the phone and tells grandma and grandpa, "We are going to MY ologist." :rofl: You cannot make it up.


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## pjrose (Sep 4, 2010)

pgnewarkboy said:


> Law degree?  After 3 years of law school the one thing you are not ready to do is practice law.   . . .



I still think law school would be interesting, but after reading your post maybe my 11 years in grad school was ok after all!  I was never interested in trial law, really more interested in contracts.   Anyway, I'm reasonably happy, have a pretty flexible job, tons of autonomy, and nobody breathing down my neck.    I don't think any of that would have happened in Law.


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## heathpack (Sep 4, 2010)

pjrose said:


> I still think law school would be interesting, but after reading your post maybe my 11 years in grad school was ok after all!  I was never interested in trial law, really more interested in contracts.   Anyway, I'm reasonably happy, have a pretty flexible job, tons of autonomy, and nobody breathing down my neck.    I don't think any of that would have happened in Law.



pjrose, you are my alter ego in the world of mathematical sociology!  I am convinced law school would be fascinating, but the trial lawyer gig does not appeal.  I would gravitate more towards public policy.

But I've done plenty of dues paying already and I would not go down that path again lightly.  After all those years of training, it is great to finally be the one who sets the pace.  

H


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## tompalm (Sep 4, 2010)

Life of constant change:

Started out working construction when I was 16 years old and got a degree in Construction Management and a General Contractors License.  But, when I was 22, decided to travel and see the world so became a Navy Pilot and did that for 20 years.  We moved every two - three years and lived all over the US, but mostly in FL, CA and HI.  Also, spent two years with the surface Navy as Air Ops Officer on staff and spent a lot of time on Destroyers, Frigates as well as the carrier USS Kitty Hawk.  More than a couple deployments and a lot of time overseas in the Philippines, Japan, Diego Garcia and time off the coast of Eastern Africa.

Out of the Navy in 1997 and unable to get a flying job, I worked in Property Management in charge of 10 high rise condos and worked with the Board of Directors for each building.  Most of the time was spent contracting large jobs for each building like painting, elevator maintenance, Reserve Studies, budgets, etc...  Also, was a CMCA and had a Realtor's license and worked on getting a Master Degree in Information Technology.

In 2000, I got a job flying for Aloha Airlines and did that for eight years and was lucky enough to be a Captain of four years.  Aloha shut down and I got a job flying 737s in Japan and did that for about a year.  Japan's economy went south and that job ended.

Back to Hawaii in June 2009 and looking for work for the last year, but it looks like I am on the early retirement plan at 55 years old.  That is, unless I want to go back to Property Management, but that is too brutal.  Ya, I am retired, but just not ready to admit it.


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## saf512 (Sep 4, 2010)

I'm a registered vascular sonographer and my DH is a HVAC engineer.


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## pgnewarkboy (Sep 4, 2010)

pjrose said:


> I still think law school would be interesting, but after reading your post maybe my 11 years in grad school was ok after all!  I was never interested in trial law, really more interested in contracts.   Anyway, I'm reasonably happy, have a pretty flexible job, tons of autonomy, and nobody breathing down my neck.    I don't think any of that would have happened in Law.



I practiced law for close to 40 years.  Most of it as a litigator.  I started out as a prosecutor and became a criminal defense attorney.  I have also done a great deal of civil litigation "first chair" which means lead attorney on a team.  In criminal cases people lives are at stake.  Literally.  The pressure is intense and a furious battle is fought.  It provided the most exhilarating experiences of my professional life.   I will tell one "war story" to illustrate what I mean.  It is the practice in undercover work for police officers to go "under" for an extended period of time as they develop numerous cases.  When they come "up", all their cases are tried. That means they take the stand in a court of law to prove their cases under the direction of prosecutors.  It is extremely hard to win cases against these cops.  Most of them know what they are doing and are pretty honest.   There are exceptions.  In one particular situation a dishonest undercover cop started to have all his cases prosecuted and nobody could beat him.  Contrary to public belief the courts side heavily with the police and not many people are released on technicalities.  I guess you know why I am bothering with this story.  Trapping this cop in his lies and exposing him before the jury resulting in an acquittal for my client was a great moment for me I will never forget.  It was a moment that can only a  good criminal  trial lawyer can experience. This experience and many other experiences make me very glad I took the path I took in life.


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## mpizza (Sep 4, 2010)

I manage the global real estate portfolio of a high-end retailer.   I love so many things about my position - I work for a great company with creative co-workers on interesting transactions.  Since my specialty is a small community, over the last 20 years, I have made many social friends in the industry.  

It's a good fit for me because I am controlling (a/k/a mentoring the staff), plan ahead (a/k/a troubleshoot),  persistent (a/k/a get the deal done no matter what), and responsible (a/k/a take the bullet when things go awry).

Maria


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## Elan (Sep 4, 2010)

As the OP, I'd like to request that we keep this thread on topic and allow other TUGgers to briefly share their occupations.


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## ricoba (Sep 4, 2010)

Elan said:


> As the OP, I'd like to request that we keep this thread on topic and allow other TUGgers to briefly share their occupations.



Thank you for starting this thread.  I have found it very interesting.  

While some threads wander a bit, (as most TUG threads do  ), I think overall people have kept to the intent of the original post.  

Again, thanks for asking this question, it's fun to learn about TUGGERS, non-TS life.


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## Rose Pink (Sep 4, 2010)

Passepartout said:


> Boy, if the educators and techie folks weren't participating, us mere mortals would sure be lonesome here.... Jim


I invented the internet.


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## Patri (Sep 4, 2010)

Rose Pink said:


> I invented the internet.



:hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: 
Then you must be wealthy beyond means.


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## Rose Pink (Sep 4, 2010)

Actually, I am wealthy but not with money.  I have a husband and three wonderful children, a grandchild and  another on the way.  I live in a nice community with good neighbors.  While we aren't millionaires, we don't have to go hungry, we have a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs.  We vacation.  I don't live in Afghanistan.  (That is my reminder when I start to whine about my life being less than perfect.)

I graduated with a B.S and worked as a clinical dietitian (R.D.).  I found working outside the home interferred with raising my children and I opted to be a stay-at-home mom*.  From time to time, I'd get a call asking me to come back to work and I would for awhile but I don't enjoy working in the hospital and so I think I've quit for good.  I tried substitute teaching for the flexibility it provided but the pay was awful and I didn't really like that job, either.

I've worked as a volunteer for my children's schools, for my community  and for my church. 

*I don't know why it is called "stay-at-home"  mothering since I was almost always in my car driving the children here and there and running errands.


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## margieann (Sep 4, 2010)

Registered Radiation Therapist


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## hefleycatz (Sep 4, 2010)

I'm a stay at home working mom.   I have ran a small day-care in my home for the past 15 years.  Although my children are now grown, I still love it very much.  

 I was in corporate america from the time I was 18 until 30 and I will probably never go back to an office job.  

 I now have all teachers children, so I get several paid holidays and vacation breaks during the school year and have the summer off (not paid).   I get to wear comfy clothes and  I don't have to worry about traffic, my work is brought to me and I am just excited about snow days as the kids are.  

lee


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## jmzf1958 (Sep 4, 2010)

I worked as a court reporter for the Unified Court System in the State of New York from 1978 to 2001, when I took a disability retirement related to my work (carpal tunnel and back and neck problems.)  I started out in the local justice courts, went to Family court, then to Syracuse City court, and my last 18 years I worked as a senior court reporter for the court system in County and Supreme courts.  Despite my disability, I'd do it all over again.  I had a front row seat to some great cases, murders, drugs, malpractice, contract, divorce.  I was never bored. (okay, maybe on some of the contract cases!) I made a lot of wonderful friends along the way.  My son was ten and my daughter was 14 when I left my job, so I was lucky enough to be able to be a full time mom for quite a few years.  Also, my parents were ill, and I was able to be there to take care of them and spend a lot of time with them in their final years.  Right now, I'm at the cross roads - empty nest (almost) - and I'm trying to decide to do with the rest of my life. I'm 52, so hopefully I've got a long way to go.  I've volunteered through the years and will continue.  I'll definitely continue taking some great vacations!


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## Timeshare Von (Sep 4, 2010)

After nearly 20 years in retail management with the "then" major retailer in their respective categories (department stores and later convenience stores) I stumbled into the association management profession.

Like most, I never aspired to be an association executive, but went to work for an organization for which I had a passion . . . and a career blossomed.  Since that first not-for-profit position in the bowling industry back in 1994, I have since managed associations serving funeral directors, agricultural economists and youth soccer players.  Today I'm the executive director of the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association . . . 55k players, 130 clubs/leagues and over 10,000 volunteers including coaches, officials and administrators.  It's fun AND challenging.

Professionally along the way, I had to learn about human resource management (not many NFP's can afford an HR manager type) and I've acquired my professional certification (Sr. Professional in Human Resources) to go along with my Certified Association Executive credential.  In 2004 I started a consulting business to work with small volunteer based NFP's that cannot afford a paid staff.  I do some side work when my "real job" isn't keeping me too busy.

I would still love to find a way to make a living traveling, but alas at 53, that's not very likely.


----------



## 3kids4me (Sep 4, 2010)

I have an MBA and for many years worked in consumer products brand management for companies like Nabisco and Pillsbury.

Now (for the past two years) I do pharmaceutical marketing research and consulting for a small consulting company about 20 minutes from where I live.  I work mostly on chemotherapy and cancer support drugs, and other infusion therapies.  While it's not as fun as working on consumer products, I have found that I have a talent for learning about new drugs (and their associated medical conditions) quickly (and have become an "expert" on certain classes of drugs within the company) and so the job is stable, and I also have a lot of flexibility there and am often able to work from home.


----------



## memereDoris (Sep 4, 2010)

I was a corporate tax specialist till a few years ago.  I couldn't handle being locked in an office anymore.  I am now the manager of a bulk fuel station.  I get to spend half my day outdoors.

My husband was a service supervisor in a diamond mine till 2 years ago.  He is waiting for spinal surgery (long waiting lists in our province).  I really hope he never goes back to work.  I enjoy having him home.


----------



## CatLovers (Sep 5, 2010)

I am a recovering professional accountant who spent 14 years as a senior financial manager with a multinational oil company, right after I got out of school with my freshly-minted MBA.  Nine years ago, I left the corporate job to follow a passion ... I am now a professional speaker and author and the principal at a leadership development practice.  My work takes me to virtually every large city across Canada and the U.S., plus worldwide locations in Mexico, China, Singapore, India and Australia.  Somehow  , my DH always seems to find time to join me before or after the speaking engagement for some R & R at the best of these locations!

I truly am very lucky ... I have the best job in the world -- I get paid to talk (which I would probably do for free, but shhh, don't tell my clients) AND I get to travel to incredible locations.


----------



## pgnewarkboy (Sep 5, 2010)

Rose Pink said:


> Actually, I am wealthy but not with money.  I have a husband and three wonderful children, a grandchild and  another on the way.  I live in a nice community with good neighbors.  While we aren't millionaires, we don't have to go hungry, we have a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs.  We vacation.  I don't live in Afghanistan.  (That is my reminder when I start to whine about my life being less than perfect.)
> 
> I graduated with a B.S and worked as a clinical dietitian (R.D.).  I found working outside the home interferred with raising my children and I opted to be a stay-at-home mom*.  From time to time, I'd get a call asking me to come back to work and I would for awhile but I don't enjoy working in the hospital and so I think I've quit for good.  I tried substitute teaching for the flexibility it provided but the pay was awful and I didn't really like that job, either.
> 
> ...



With all that you do it is amazing that you found time to invent the internet !  Congrats!


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## Rose Pink (Sep 5, 2010)

pgnewarkboy said:


> With all that you do it is amazing that you found time to invent the internet ! Congrats!


Well, I had a little help from Al Gore.


----------



## geekette (Sep 5, 2010)

don't s'pose you'd believe I sell mens underwear??  

Nah, geekette.  

I'm one of those people that never knew what they wanted to do (still not sure I know), so have had many very interesting jobs in attempting to find my place in the world.  I remain a free spirit, and considered ditching IT a few years ago after a particularly nasty stint at a badly-managed company.  

Went to a state U since I was footing the bill.  It was a top 10 biz school at the time so I went biz.  graduated during a recession and had low-level jobs to have a job at all and worked as many of those as I needed to in order to survive.  one lucky "word processing" job at a whopping $6/hr turned out to be my path to geekhood.  

I came up on the data side in imaging and eventually had to figure out how to write software to do everything I wanted to with the data.  I was fortunate to be among people that were willing to share their knowledge since I had zero tech background (one class in Fortran doesn't count!), but a decent head for it.   I found early that I don't like proj mgmt so have avoided it and much prefer doing data architecture and working with clients from requirements to delivery.  I can't have a job that is just "pound code in a cube all day every day" and have managed to find roles with the variety I need and the challenge to keep me interested.   

I love small companies so have mostly made my career in small app development.  A recent work is being patented, which I'm excited about.

currently pursuing an exciting new job which would have me doing data a whole new way and getting back to hi-tech.  I just need one more long term job to get me to retirement, and I think this one is it.

If not this job I'm perfect for, another great fit will come along.  With the job market in the crapper, IT is not a bad place to be.


----------



## salpal (Sep 5, 2010)

I spent 35 years in the motion picture business as a property master


----------



## MommaBear (Sep 5, 2010)

I am a nurse practitioner- spend half my time as a hospitalist in inpatient medicine and about half my time in the ER. I am super lucky to have found the perfect job in my 50's. I worked part time as an RN while raising my three (wonderful smart talented) children, then went to grad school when my second child started college. My wonderful and longsufferinghusband of 33 years works as a planner for a shipbuilding company working on NATO ship building projects. We are hoping to go into part time intermittant work in about 3 more years.


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## Banker (Sep 6, 2010)

I am an unemployed banker after 12 1/2 years with the same bank.  I just could not get quite enough referrals to the financial planner for the past two quarters.  I tried...but I guess it was not good enough!  Overall in banking for about 23 years.  I am 55 now and thought I would keep on working for retirement, but they wouldn't let it happen.  I had a lot of wonderful customers who I still see around and they all say it isn't the same without me...it makes me feel great, but alas, some of them are also jobless or have no good contacts for me.  I am open to almost anything at this point, unemployment money is just about run out.  But I keep my chin up and keep on networking every day....I was great at so many things but it does not seem to help me now.  Husband is still working, he is a supervisory electrical engineer.


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## AwayWeGo (Sep 6, 2010)

*Prominent Bankers Convention.*




Banker said:


> Overall in banking for about 23 years.


Click here for the _Prominent Bankers_ gag. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Beaglemom3 (Sep 6, 2010)

heathpack said:


> University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: BA in English Literature.
> My first love is modern poetry.  ‎"A book should be a ball of light in one's hand"--Ezra Pound
> 
> North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine: DVM.  No confusion though as to basketball loyalties.  GO HEELS!
> ...



Elan, I know I am veering off, but need to ask.................

Hi,
  I have a friend who taught there, but I won't post his full name.
  Did you have the pleasure of working with Dr. David R. - radiology oncology?
  I went to his wedding in Fuquay Varina and visited the N.C. Vet School Campus.
  Small world.
  B.


----------



## heathpack (Sep 6, 2010)

Beaglemom3 said:


> Elan, I know I am veering off, but need to ask.................
> 
> Hi,
> I have a friend who taught there, but won't post his full name.
> ...



Oh yes.  What a character.  I mean that in the best possible way.

H


----------



## Beaglemom3 (Sep 6, 2010)

heathpack said:


> Oh yes.  What a character.  I mean that in the best possible way.
> 
> H



So we don't hijack further, please PM me if you'd like.
Thanks !


----------



## JoAnn (Sep 6, 2010)

stugy said:


> This is an interesting thread.  I have been retired for 10 years.  (It sure went fast).  I have a Masters Degree in Social Work and spent the last 20 years of my employment as a renal social worker (dialysis clinic).  For the most part I loved my job until it became more paperwork than peoplework (state requirements).  I have to say while I enjoyed it, I now enjoy being retired and sleeping late and traveling.
> Pat



Pat....thanks for being a renal SW.  Since DH & I are both dialysis patients (DH hemo, me PD) I talk to our SW quite a bit.  We couldn't do without you!


----------



## Kona Lovers (Sep 6, 2010)

DW and I are both school teachers.


----------



## RDB (Sep 6, 2010)

Retired Videographer/Electronics Technician.

Details may be found in my RESUME under tripwest of my signature, below.


----------



## MelBay (Sep 6, 2010)

Try not to go to sleep before you finish reading this.  I work for an employee benefits consulting & actuarial firm.  My title is "Knowledge Coordinator".  I manage the intellectual capital generated by our consultants and catalog it so our consultants can (hopefully) find it and benefit from someone else's invention of the wheel.  I'm sort of an online electronic librarian, but it's a little more complicated than that.  The best part is I get to work from home.  We have offices all over the country (world, actually) and since I work with everyone everywhere, it doesn't much matter where I physically sit.

I've been with this company since 1984.  I was a paralegal until six years ago, when I was lucky enough to land this gig.  I hope to make it another 18 months so I can at least consider my early retirement options.

Great thread!


----------



## luvsvacation22 (Sep 7, 2010)

Rose Pink said:


> I invented the internet.



:hysterical:  Too funny! Thanks for the laugh!


----------



## Pens_Fan (Sep 7, 2010)

Rose Pink said:


> Well, I had a little help from Al Gore.



I thought that you were Al Gore.

I work as a systems engineer for a large defence contractor.

Specifically, I work on military radar systems.


----------



## Don (Sep 7, 2010)

Wow, There's a lot of people here with some really high tone jobs.  I was strictly blue collar.
At 19 1/2 I started an electrician apprenticeship at the naval shipyard in Portsmouth, VA. After graduating and working a year on the ships, I got a "position promotion". I left the ships and started working in the "Amplifier Repair" shop.  Here we repaired shipboard IC equipment like: intercoms, telephone systems, tank level systems, and air quality systems for submarines to name a few.
In 1982, I got a real promotion and went to work in the shipyard's public work department where I worked on and with a computerized environmental control system.  We wrote control programs for the computer and programmed chips to allow for stand alone capabilities in each building to control the heating and AC.  We installed and repaired all of the equipment for this system including making hardware repairs to the mainframe.  
Later, a computerized electrical and steam distribution control system was added in the shipyard.  And still later a computerized steam monitoring system was added to our responsibilities at Naval Base, Norfolk.
I retired in 1999 and moved to FL in 2000.


----------



## pianodinosaur (Sep 7, 2010)

Don said:


> Wow, There's a lot of people here with some really high tone jobs.  I was strictly blue collar.
> At 19 1/2 I started an electrician apprenticeship at the naval shipyard in Portsmouth, VA. After graduating and working a year on the ships, I got a "position promotion". I left the ships and started working in the "Amplifier Repair" shop.  Here we repaired shipboard IC equipment like: intercoms, telephone systems, tank level systems, and air quality systems for submarines to name a few.
> In 1982, I got a real promotion and went to work in the shipyard's public work department where I worked on and with a computerized environmental control system.  We wrote control programs for the computer and programmed chips to allow for stand alone capabilities in each building to control the heating and AC.  We installed and repaired all of the equipment for this system including making hardware repairs to the mainframe.
> Later, a computerized electrical and steam distribution control system was added in the shipyard.  And still later a computerized steam monitoring system was added to our responsibilities at Naval Base, Norfolk.
> I retired in 1999 and moved to FL in 2000.



I have worked moving crates in factory, cleaning bathrooms in a department store, and washing dishes in a cafeteria.  That is how I got through college.  Upon graduating college, the USAF put me through medical school.


----------



## heathpack (Sep 7, 2010)

pianodinosaur said:


> I have worked moving crates in factory, cleaning bathrooms in a department store, and washing dishes in a cafeteria.  That is how I got through college.  Upon graduating college, the USAF put me through medical school.



Haha.  Yes, I left out my more glamorous jobs.  My first job in veterinary medicine was cleaning kennels, but worse yet the CATTERY!  It was a very big deal at the practice to work your way up to the point where you would be allowed to give a dog a pill.  Also worked as a farm hand, cleaning horse and goat stalls, milking goats,  and feeding goats, calves, cattle, sheep and horses.  And no matter how fluffy hay looks, bales are actually seriously heavy.  It is also a little known fact that goats are smart and funny, while sheep are dumb and stinky.

In high school, I worked as the dining room girl in a nursing home, slinging 6 varieties of pudding on any given day.  That was a great character-building type of job- the type that teaches you to be very kind and patient.

One summer during college I worked for a defense contractor troubleshooting why one specific part of a radar system did not work (yet all parts had passed inspection at every step of production).  The answer turned out to be simple, interesting and frustrating all at the same time.

What a great thread this has turned out to be.

H


----------



## Rose Pink (Sep 7, 2010)

Pens_Fan said:


> I thought that you were Al Gore.


DH will be _very_ surprised when he finds out.:hysterical:


----------



## susieq (Sep 7, 2010)

SueDonJ said:


> My first full-time job was at John Hancock where I moved around from death claims ....



My first job after High School was also in the Death Benefits Division at John Hancock. _Real interesting work!!_  ~ NOT!! I left there when DH & I were married...........



Passepartout said:


> I served almost 2 years in Germany.........
> Jim Ricks



Then we moved to Germany, Nelligan to be exact (outside Stuttgart), compliments of Uncle Sam. Our oldest Daughter was born over there. When the kids were all in Jr. High, I went back to work part time in the bookstore at Dean (local college) and put myself through school part time there. I have a degree in Computer Science (for all the good it does me!) I've worked as a Dispatcher/Biller/Office Manager and Chief Scapegoat for a local trucking company for the past 16 years.

The best part of my job is that I get to tell the guys where to go and how to get there all day long!!:whoopie:


----------



## geekette (Sep 7, 2010)

MelBay said:


> Try not to go to sleep before you finish reading this.  I work for an employee benefits consulting & actuarial firm.  My title is "Knowledge Coordinator".  I manage the intellectual capital generated by our consultants and catalog it so our consultants can (hopefully) find it and benefit from someone else's invention of the wheel.  I'm sort of an online electronic librarian, but it's a little more complicated than that.  The best part is I get to work from home.  We have offices all over the country (world, actually) and since I work with everyone everywhere, it doesn't much matter where I physically sit.
> 
> I've been with this company since 1984.  I was a paralegal until six years ago, when I was lucky enough to land this gig.  I hope to make it another 18 months so I can at least consider my early retirement options.
> 
> Great thread!



It sounds fascinating, actually, and I really love your title!


----------



## pjrose (Sep 7, 2010)

*Job history....*

Prior to Professing and Computing, I worked as a college cafeteria dishwasher, campus security dispatcher, "girl friday," and auto mechanic (more specifically, I did front ends - and I heard "hey baby, wanna line up my front end?" more than a few times  ).  It was after that last one that I decided to apply to grad school.

I guess like a lot of TUGgers I paid my dues on some less desirable jobs!


----------



## geekette (Sep 7, 2010)

yeah, I've had my share of jobs but only one career.  

Baby sitting and lifeguarding from the time I was old enuf, atheletic facility supervisor, Rax, head chef at canoe outfitter camp, dorm cafeteria, kitchen staff for nice restaurant,  retail,  2nd shift fuel coordinator for trucking company, radio ad sales, resume writer, ...

Glad I finally found my groove.


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## vacationhopeful (Sep 7, 2010)

Don't know which of the jobs I have had, that I had the most fun at.


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Sep 7, 2010)

I run a telephone handset sanitizing business. I go into people's homes and offices and wipe down the mouthpieces and earpieces with disinfectant wipes.  With the growth of cell phones, I think I need a new business plan.  Maybe I'll go on tour.


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## JudyH (Sep 7, 2010)

Who needs handset sanitizers?  Things that don't kill you make you stronger.

I am a child psychologist.  I have a home office, and I share an office with two pediatricians.  I see children and teenagers for all kinds of issues.  I have been working with children since 1969.  All of my degrees after my BA in English got paid by the agencies  where I worked.  Sometimes the clients drive me crazy, sometimes it is very rewarding.  This past year, I had 5 teens that I saw off and on their whole lives graduate high school and go on to college. These were kids with major LD, deceased parents, and in lousy schools.  I am so proud of them

If I went to law school, it would be to become a special education lawyer and advocate.


----------



## hvacrsteve (Sep 7, 2010)

When I was 12 I was cutting grass, digging ditches and had 3 paper routes in my spare time!
Then by 14 I was helping my auto mechanic neighbor repair cars and the body man down the street repair dents.
I also learned how to engrave placards!
I alos loaded loaded watermelon trucks in the summer along with plowing fields on the farm.
I fished in my spare time.
I worked at three different restuarants to put myself through school.  I did every job in a restuarant there was.

I paid my dues and have had no loans or any help from my family.
I paid for it all myself.
I recieved one scholarship but that was it.
I never had time to spend any money and basically got to eat at all my jobs for free.
I had a plan and worked my plan.


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## laurac260 (Sep 7, 2010)

My husband has a small carpet cleaning business in receivership; and I'm drawing a salary from a deferred bonus from two years ago. We've got fifteen thousand left on the house at eight percent.


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## sfwilshire (Sep 7, 2010)

Most of my last 23 years have been in low level management type jobs with a technical side. Operations, but working closely with the Engineering groups to test software and systems, plan enhancements and develop implementation plans. Lots of internal customer support. Prior to that, I taught electronics briefly for a community college and worked 12 years in radio. 

DH is a farmer, musician, Mr Mom.

Sheila


----------



## Hawaiibarb (Sep 7, 2010)

*Another RN*

School:  Johns Hopkins for basic nursing, Hunter College (in New York City) for my BS, then University of Colorado for my MS, then went back there to their Nurse practitioner program.

I've taught, had several management positions in nursing, both in acute and long term care.  But now I am an Advanced PRactice Registered Nurse, and as such, I am the Clinical Nurse Specialist  in Geriatrics and a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner for a large hospital in Honolulu.


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## RDB (Sep 8, 2010)

Not that it matters much, but I have been wondering if anyone bothered to read the RESUME (post #102)?


----------



## DeniseM (Sep 8, 2010)

RDB said:


> Not that it matters much, but I have been wondering if anyone bothered to read the RESUME (post #102)?



Yes, it's, uhhhh, very, uhhh, long....


----------



## sfwilshire (Sep 8, 2010)

salpal said:


> I spent 35 years in the motion picture business as a property master



My dream job. Either that or I want the guy's job who buys all the stuff for Cracker Barrel stores. Or the fellows' on the tv show about picking antiques.

Sheila


----------



## Don (Sep 8, 2010)

heathpack said:


> Haha.  Yes, I left out my more glamorous jobs.  My first job in veterinary medicine was cleaning kennels, but worse yet the CATTERY!  It was a very big deal at the practice to work your way up to the point where you would be allowed to give a dog a pill.  Also worked as a farm hand, cleaning horse and goat stalls, milking goats,  and feeding goats, calves, cattle, sheep and horses.  And no matter how fluffy hay looks, bales are actually seriously heavy.  It is also a little known fact that goats are smart and funny, while sheep are dumb and stinky.
> 
> In high school, I worked as the dining room girl in a nursing home, slinging 6 varieties of pudding on any given day.  That was a great character-building type of job- the type that teaches you to be very kind and patient.
> 
> ...


I, too, left out my teen age jobs.  At 16 I worked for a summer as a movie theater usher.  The next summer I started working as a stock boy at a local pharmacy, that lasted a year.  In Dec. I worked for three days at a new KFC cooking chicken.  Three days was all I could take. A couple of months later, I was selling shoes at Thom McAn (which was next door to the KFC).
Overlapping this, I had an apprenticeship making orthopedic appliances; leg braces, back braces, etc.  When I got the job in the shipyard, I stopped in to give my notice to quit and I was told not to come back except to pick up my pay check, so I guess I was technically fired.


----------



## LUVourMarriotts (Sep 8, 2010)

My teen jobs were mostly fun.  When I was 16 I worked at a nursery (plants not kids) and was a grunt.  I did everything like unloading trucks, sales, watering, cleaning, loading customer cars, wrapping christmas trees, loading christmas trees onto cars (I learned quickly to put the top backwards because my first one flew off the car about 100 feet down the road  ).  Then at 17, I worked at a horse racing track on the maintenance crew.  We swept up all the losing tickets between races, waxed the floors on off days, fixed broken seats, cleaned the disgusting jockeys locker room, etc.  I worked in a restaurant as a dishwasher and occasional cooks helper.  I delivered pizza for Pizza Hut during my college summers.  Made some pretty good money doing that.


----------



## Cool Breeze (Sep 8, 2010)

Education: B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Occupation: Network Engineer
Distractions: 2 kids, traveling, and a pilot for 14 years now

DW's a Physician


----------



## 89MustangGX (Sep 8, 2010)

I manage a crew that functionally tests Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner.

Adam


----------



## RDB (Sep 8, 2010)

RDB said:


> Not that it matters much, but I have been wondering if anyone bothered to read the RESUME (post #102)?



The OP asked we retired folk to tell everyone what you used to do when you were still a productive member of society.  I wanted to comply without taking up many pages on the thread.  

Yes, the write up is lengthy (basically taken from a 50 year resume), but I thought that somebody may care to read it, so stuck it to where the curious could find it.  

I was only curious if anyone took a look at my write up.


----------



## Kona Lovers (Sep 8, 2010)

sfwilshire said:


> .... Or the fellows' on the tv show about picking antiques.
> 
> Sheila



I think it would be so fun being a picker.  Sounds like a great activity after retirement.


----------



## John Cummings (Sep 8, 2010)

RDB said:


> Not that it matters much, but I have been wondering if anyone bothered to read the RESUME (post #102)?



I read it. It is very long and much too detailed. You need a title and opening section with your highlights. Do a search on "resume writing" and you should be able to get a good template for it. If you have Microsoft Word, there is a wizard for writing resumes.


----------



## Rose Pink (Sep 8, 2010)

RDB said:


> The OP asked we retired folk to tell everyone what you used to do when you *were still a productive member of society*. I wanted to comply without taking up many pages on the thread.
> 
> Yes, the write up is lengthy (basically taken from a 50 year resume), but I thought that somebody may care to read it, so stuck it to where the curious could find it.
> 
> I was only curious if anyone took a look at my write up.


Yes, I did.  Sounds like an interesting career.  FWIW, even though you are retired, I consider you a productive member of society.  I enjoy reading your posts here on TUG.


----------



## geekette (Sep 9, 2010)

RDB said:


> Not that it matters much, but I have been wondering if anyone bothered to read the RESUME (post #102)?



nah, I'm not currently hiring


----------



## lll1929 (Sep 9, 2010)

Interesting reading about everyone's career.

I too am somewhat a computer geek.  I have a BA in Computer Science and Masters in Mgmt.  

I worked for a telecommunications company for 19yrs as a programmer, tester, supervisor and project manager.  Unfortunately, the company downsized.  

I have been blessed with a job as a project manager for a major financial institution building out new compute host platforms in various datacenters.


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Sep 9, 2010)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> I run a telephone handset sanitizing business. I go into people's homes and offices and wipe down the mouthpieces and earpieces with disinfectant wipes.  With the growth of cell phones, I think I need a new business plan.  Maybe I'll go on tour.



Not many Spinal Tap aficionados hanging out here, I presume. 

I'm actually an environmental engineering consultant.  Worked for quite a few years as a principal in one of the large international environmental engineering firms, then for a smaller firm located in the western US, and for the last nine years I've been self-employed.  

Many people want a career that will take them to bigger and bigger things. I guess I've done the reverse.


----------



## Ridewithme38 (Sep 9, 2010)

Wow...All of you have such diverse and interesting career histories!!

I'm almost ashamed to admit since College all i've done is work as a Property Claims Adjuster...I need to get out there!


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## vacationhopeful (Sep 9, 2010)

Ridewithme38 said:


> i've done is work as a Property Claims Adjuster



Is that as a Public Property Claims Adjuster or directly for an insurance company?  Bet you have some weird stories, eh?


----------



## geekette (Sep 9, 2010)

vacationhopeful said:


> Is that as a Public Property Claims Adjuster or directly for an insurance company?  Bet you have some weird stories, eh?



might need a new thread:  share your weirdest Work Stories!


----------



## Kal (Sep 9, 2010)

John Cummings said:


> I read it. It is very long and much too detailed. You need a title and opening section with your highlights. Do a search on "resume writing" and you should be able to get a good template for it. If you have Microsoft Word, there is a wizard for writing resumes.


 
It's not unusual that a resume will only be looked at for maybe 20-30 seconds and only "read" much later in a decision process. You have to remember there will be a stack of resumes and the reviewer will want to screen that stack down to a very select few. You MUST be brief and highlite critical points as that's about all that will be read.

I did check out the OP's resume, but got tuckered out after about 4-5 sentences and didn't go further.


----------



## annettewink (Sep 9, 2010)

*Very Interesting*

I love this thread. Such a diverse mix of people. No formal schooling here, all my degrees come from SHK.

Worked for my father in his custom slaughter/butcher shop.
Waitress/bartender, which led to restaurant/lounge management.
Poker dealer which led to casino management.
Currently, I am semi-retired practicing surface design.


----------



## suzanne (Sep 9, 2010)

Ten years in banking in Oregon, before moving to Florida. I now work part time in cash office counting money for BJ'S Wholesale Club. I am fully retiring next May. Hubby is already retired after 35 years with Weyerhaueser as shipping dock Supervisor.

Suzanne


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## Karen G (Sep 9, 2010)

RDB said:


> I was only curious if anyone took a look at my write up.


Yes, I looked at it. I also looked at some of your photos from your trip West. Beautiful shots. Looks like you had an amazing trip. Thanks for sharing about it.


----------



## AwayWeGo (Sep 9, 2010)

*Money Money Money.*




suzanne said:


> I now work part time in cash office counting money for BJ'S Wholesale Club.


I'm guessing BJ's takes in major serious cash money.  

For counting, I hope the office is equipped with 1 of those little_ flippity-flippity-flippity_ professional paper-money machine-counters like the ones down at the bank.

Too much tedious work to hand-tally all those 1s & 2s & 5s & 10s & 20s & 50s & 100s. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


----------



## suzanne (Sep 9, 2010)

We do use coin and currency counters.  I don't want to wear out my fingers counting all that money by hand.. 

Suzanne


----------



## BarCol (Sep 9, 2010)

Great thread!
I have a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from University of Waterloo awarded in 1973 (yes, I remember not only Hurricane Hazel and Howdy Doody but also the Beatles the first time they came to North America) and have worked in various public sector agencies in Southern Ontario for the past 37 years, now a Manager in a Regional Planning Department - i.e. an urban planner with others who let me think I supervise them .

My husband went to Waterloo U as well and retired from a senior management position in urban planning 2 years ago - so now he is a stone mason, a gardener, a gourmet chef, a dog walker, a cheerleader for our kids and for me  , a painter, a laundry guy, and a much, much happier person than 2 years ago..

I'll probably have to think about retiring in a few more years to give some of the "youngsters in the office" a chance to move up , but I'm still having fun at work.....


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## easyrider (Sep 9, 2010)

If I say what I really do, no one would understand. If you did understand, you would not believe me.

Just kidding. It just seems that way some days. 

General Contractor since 1980. DW is our property manager, book keeper  and the person that gives me my allowance.

I like to catch fish, hike, snowmobile, dirt bike, shoot stuff, go fast and play hard. DW like to eat fish, snowmobile and take care of me. We both like to travel.


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## Kel (Sep 9, 2010)

I'm a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analyst and my husband is a General Contractor.


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## RDB (Sep 9, 2010)

Kal said:


> It's not unusual that a resume will only be looked at for maybe 20-30 seconds and only "read" much later in a decision process. You have to remember there will be a stack of resumes and the reviewer will want to screen that stack down to a very select few. You MUST be brief and highlite critical points as that's about all that will be read.
> 
> I did check out the OP's resume, but got tuckered out after about 4-5 sentences and didn't go further.



The OP asked what retired folk did while productive in society.  I was being a bit facetious posting all that and calling it RESUME.  

That was some of what I've done. I was not searching for a job.  

I basically asked if anybody read it as I figured if someone did, they would have commented... like... WTH!


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## normab (Sep 9, 2010)

What a great topic!  I think I am a geek too--just not an IT geek.  I am in good company!

I am a chemist by training, but after 8 years in a pharmaceutical lab I switched to quality assurance, and then to the technical side of regulatory affairs, for a total of 30 years in the pharma industry.  I am a liason between the company and FDA regarding everything associated with the manufacture and quality controls of drug products (medicines).  We are governed by laws and guidances which we must follow, but there are so many "grey" areas, and I deal alot with those grey areas.  

I mostly get involved in problem solving.  My goal is to keep both FDA happy and our manufacturing guys happy too.  FDA, and the law, of course come first.  Some days it's easier than others to make everyone happy but I love the challenge and am lucky to have my job!  

Norma


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## EZ-ED (Sep 9, 2010)

Joined the Marine Corps right out of high school and spent four years on the green team during the early part of the Viet Nam era. 

After my military discharge I went to work for the Federal Aviation Administration as an Air Traffic Control Specialist in the Tracon (radar room) at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport then transferred to Las Vegas Mccarran airport Tower/Tracon where I was medically retired at 30 and spent 5+ years recovering.

Then came a Computer Science degree from Idaho State Univ. followed by 20 years in the IT field starting as a mainframe COBOL programmer, mini-computer programmer, pc network admin, internet access and firewall security and just recently retired as Senior System Integration Analyst.

My DW graduated for Utah State Univ. 

She then spent some 25 years as a trainer or supervising trainers.

She moved on to become a Human Resource Supervisor with an SPHR designation. 

She retired about 3 years ago and now spends some of her time as a volunteer in the local visitor center and as a volunteer coordinator at our local university (BSU a recent victor over VT).

Timeshares, cruises, a summer cabin, moving my IRA account in and out of the market (currently out) and Habitat for Humanity take up most of my time now.


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## M. Henley (Sep 10, 2010)

*A Bit O' This and a Bit O' That*

I retired as chemistry department chair from Murray State University, got into the industrial warehousing business (was already in the manufactured housing park business), then ran for state representative, where I am in my 6th year and running for reelection.


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## pointsjunkie (Sep 11, 2010)

i run a theatre camp, it is the best 8 weeks, the kids are amazing and we just have so much fun. can't wait til next year.


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## riverdees05 (Sep 11, 2010)

I am an engineer and worked for 34 years for a major comsumer products company in Manufacturing, Project and Construction Management in the midwest.  My wife was in education for 28 years starting in Jr & Sr High and retired as a full professor at a regional university in Southeast Missouri.  We raised five daughters and now have 7 grandchildren and one great grandson.  We have been retired 5+ years and enjoying it.  Relocated from Missouri to Tennessee and keeping busy with our timeshares, cruises and visiting family - when did we ever have time to work!


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## Elan (Jun 14, 2011)

Mods, I'd like to resurrect this old thread so that some of the newer TUGgers can fill us in on what they do, if desired.

  Thanks!


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## wptamo (Jun 14, 2011)

I'm a Sr Systems Analyst / Programmer analyst... ya a computer geek since 1984. yikes!!!


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## timeflies (Jun 14, 2011)

I'm a retired US Army Combat Medic.  I have been around the world a few times and shot at numerous times   I know there is this thing about women in combat but don't believe it for a minute. I went to Iraq during Desert Storm and then again (3 times) for Operation Iraqi Freedom. I have been on peace keeping missions in Kosovo and other places.  As a medic I have helped give vaccines to children in many third world countries.  We helped build schools, etc.  The army isn't always about blowing stuff up.  I loved the army and miss many things about the service.  We don't live too far from post so the helicopters still fly over.  There are times I wish they would drop a rope down  .

Now, I'm a special ed teacher.  I teach kids with severe disabilties such as autism.  It is challenging and I'm rarely bored.  Now, I see where our education system has gone wrong.  People want to blame the teachers but the biggest problem lies at home.  Parents need to actually parent.  That's as much as I'm going to say about that subject.  Love the kids, hate the paperwork.


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## Texasbelle (Jun 14, 2011)

*Always busier after retirement*

I taught first grade, worked at a department store, then bcame a "domestic goddess" [Roseanne Barr quote].  That's right, a homemaker never retires.  Husband worked for an oil company for 35 years--"Born married and working for Shell."  His goal is to collect his pension for another 35 years.


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## ada903 (Jun 14, 2011)

I missed this cool thread back in September, thanks for bringing it up, I enjoyed reading it.

I am 34 and I have been in school till age 29. I work as senior budget and policy analyst for the local county government.  PHD in political science.  I lived in five different countries in the past ten years with graduate scholarships, but thank God I am out of school, settled, and a productive member of society.


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## timeflies (Jun 15, 2011)

It's interesting to see what all our fellow tuggers do or did for a living.


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## judyjht (Jun 15, 2011)

I own a Promotional Products company in Boston.  I can put a logo on anything you might want.  Fun business.  I have been doing it for 18 years - I cannot believe it!


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## Arnie (Jun 15, 2011)

*Bookmaker*

Well for 36 years I was a bookmaker, then I figured I would get out while the getting was good.  Actually the plant closed and I went to computer school. Got a job at a major insurance company as a service tech. did that up to retirement in 2005. Now I do seasonal tax work for the Block people, working from Dec to mid April. Maybe go back to bookmaking again huh? 
Inflation proof for sure. IMHO Try to do my timesharing from May to November.:whoopie:


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## BevL (Jun 15, 2011)

Arnie said:


> Well for 36 years I was a bookmaker . . .



I'm glad I read the rest of your post - I had visions of someone hanging around the track all day - LOL.

But sounds like you're a person of many talents.

Bev


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## Htoo0 (Jun 15, 2011)

Wow, missed this while dealing with my F.I.L. who finally lost his battle.

I'm a 'Maytag' repairman for full-motion flight sims. When people ask me how long I've worked here I tell them, "about 6 months."  The other 15+ years I've just collected my pay.


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## MOXJO7282 (Jun 15, 2011)

I'm a full-time IT Consultant for a Fortune 50 company and a part-time TS rental agent.


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## Free2Roam (Jun 15, 2011)

*Another IT Geek here...*

I worked my way thru school as a waitress (started my senior year in high school.)  I enjoyed it so much I worked the dinner shift after I started my career...that lasted about a month.  

For the past 18 yrs I've worked in IT for a national newspaper (thankfully the company has expanded to digital...since newspapers seem to be going the way of the dinosaur, or maybe just the bald eagle?  )  Prior to that, I was a programmer for a non-profit org for about 7 yrs. About 15 yrs ago I did a stint in retail (sales associate) during the Christmas holiday to earn some holiday spending money. 

Thru all this, I've raised three kids... now that they're grown, I'm "raising" my mother.    I think she waited for the kids to move out so she could move in!! 

Now that the kids don't need me as much, it seems my part-time (unpaid) job is TUG'ing.  But spending time here keeps me away from the idiot box. 

BTW - thanks for bumping this thread... I recently discovered the "New Posts" link at the top of the main page, and now that's the first thing I check on the site.  Previously, I limited myself to a few sub-forums...now I get exposed to much more fun.  I also enjoyed the thread where people posted pictures of themselves and their families... I stumbled upon that a few months back.


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## slip (Jun 16, 2011)

I'm 47 and an Inventory Control Manager for Baraboo SYSCO, a foodservice distributing
company. Been there 27 years last April. DW is 52 and is a Infant Teacher at a daycare 
at our local hospital. I always tell her I wouldn't make 
it 5 minutes in her job taking care of 3 to 5 baby's under 2 years old. 
How she does it I don't know.


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