What do you do?

[LUVourMarriotts]

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?

 

[AwayWeGo]

Born To Goof Off.

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.​

 

[pittle]

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.

 

[Passepartout]

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

 

[SueDonJ]

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.

 

[DeniseM]

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!

 

[Cheryl20772]

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:

 

[pjrose]

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.

 

[stugy]

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

 

[dgdbloe]

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

 

[heathpack]

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

 

[AwayWeGo]

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

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.​

 

[am1]

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.

 

[jackio]

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.

 

[classiclincoln]

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!!

 

[bullroc3]

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.

 

[alwysonvac]

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

 

[pianodinosaur]

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.

 

[DaveNV]

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

 

[BevL]

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.

 

[willowglener]

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.

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)

 

[pjrose]

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

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

 

[Kal]

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!

 

[Fern Modena]

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.

 

[heathpack]

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.​

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