What do you do for a living?

[TheinsanegamerN]

I started working at 17, did some recycling work and got a job in IT at 18. Been doing that for a decade. Do PC repair on the side, and also have dabbled in warehouse, HVAC, and low voltage electrical work on overtime.

The important thing I have learned is that work is work. Having a job you like is nice, but dont fall into the trap of defining your life via work. I once wanted to be an overachiever, get into higher paying jobs and be a boss, now I'm just happy to have a job that has meh pay but great benefits. I still work OT for the extra cash, but if its nice out? Nope, see you monday. Bought a house at 23 (at under market value, that needed repairs) and it's going to be paid off very soon. Once that's done, I might do some traveling, or play with investments, the last 2 years I've focused on just hanging out with friends and doing things like group trips to museums. I leave the high pay high stress jobs to others. I've thought about changing my profession a few times, if anything happens to this job I may go into trucking, or into HVAC. Both would be fun.

I feel this hard. One side of my family is stacked top to bottom with overachievers, spouses included.

As for me, I work in product design. Any more specific than that and a body could check my profile and figure out where I work without even needing to think very hard.

Got to my current position just climbing the ladder starting from the production floor. Manufacturing's not a bad gig IME, as long as you've got a decent boss (absolutely not guaranteed) and coworkers (decent odds). Shops like to hire for non-management openings from within, so if the production floor ain't for you, odds are good you can find your way into a support position in a few years, possibly sooner.

My father suffers from this, his wife's family is FULL of people who work their tails off and are millionaires by 40. But my GOD is that lifestyle exhausting.

so long as I have enough money to cover my house and food costs, and internet, I'm pretty happy. I dont need luxury goods or the latest fashion. Dont let your life get derailed by the Joneses. So long as you are happy with your life, be it through a personal achievement, or hobby, or passion, who cares if you could have more money? You cant take it with you in the end.

I tried coding at around age 17 or 18, visual basic. net just one class I took on it, and I hated my life. I don't know how anyone can stare at lines of code for 8 hours day and keep their sanity. Not only that it just hurt my head and my eyes.

Same, tried basic coding in high school and short circuited something. Couldnt imagine doing it full time.

A PC? Oh yeah. You can bring me any PC made in the last 30 years and I can fix whatever is wrong with it in about 5 minutes. Diagnosing hardware problems? I can do that without even thinking. Mechanical item? I can rebuild it while eating a sandwich and having a conversation on international finance at the same time.

Ask me to write Hello World? You could time me in years and I couldnt get it to work, assuming I didnt run out of the room screaming about "The Numbers Mason!".

 

[Keullo-e]

Can you not sign up and make some money to serve extended time? If you enjoy it you should do so. See what they will pay you for a 1 year contract or something. I don't know how it works there.

I would first need to go for NCO training, I'm only a private. Not even a lance corporal, at least not yet.

 

[stinger608]

Been in building construction for about 35 years. Finally semi-retired.
Still have an active computer repair business and been doing that for about 15 years. Most of the locals around this area have systems that are 10 to 15 years old and wonder why things to run properly anymore. Hell, I still have people that have old Socket A computers as daily drivers. However, I'm "downsizing" and getting rid of a lot of the used parts locally and going to close the doors on the shop the end of September.
The wife and I are going to do the "snowbird" thing. We are going south for the winter and coming back up in the late spring to the north.

 

[Delta6326]

31 years old, I'm a contract killer...

For real I do kill, but it's pest control I'm VP of a company, have been doing pest control since high school and hope to stay in it till the day I retire. I've worked construction on the side to make more money during the winter months. I always have enjoyed tech, but I can't stay in one place for long. Everyday is different and you're constantly problem solving how and where are the pests getting in etc. The hours constantly change as your schedule revolves around the customers, some days might be 4hrs or 14hrs long... It's important to stay fit so you can climb around attic's or crawl underneath homes etc. I've seen some spectacular homes and some absolute messes, I've meet amazingly kind and scummy people. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's got job security covid was a boost as people where home more and noticed pest problems. AI and robots can't do this job, most chemicals we use are much stronger and longer lasting than you can pick up at any store. We try to create a connection with each customer so they know we truly care and are there to help solve any problems.

I always thought I might get into tech, but I decided I like it as a hobby and not a carrier. I'm able to buy the things I want and play the games I want whenever I have free time.
I've learned everything I know on the job never went to college, I've thought about going and taking night courses to learn a few skills for business, but seems you can learn most of it online or just on the job from keeping good people around.

 

[A&P211]

I'm 43yrs old.
I started as a massage therapist when I was 18, the school was only 6 months. I enjoyed that for 3yrs until a doctor told me that I had early stage carpel tunnel syndrome in my hands.
I didnt work very hard and I had no life expenses, I mostly dated women much older than I was, 20-30yrs+ and with money so I lived expense free. The last few months I started getting pain in my right hand, I told my then female friend/girlfriend about it. She sent me to a doctor that she knew, I was told the bad news of carpel tunnel syndrome. The doc told me to stop doing massages if I wanted to life a pain free life. So I stopped and took a break for a few years while still taking some online classes in general education.
By the time I turned 30 I knew that I wanted to work in aviation but I didn't know what, so I took a flight dispatch course, worked as a flight dispatcher for a small airlines out of Denver, CO. I only lasted 1 year there, it was fun but I didn't like sitting all the time. So one day I asked one of the airline mechanics if he can give me a tour of the maintenance facilities. At the moment was when I knew what I wanted to do, A&P mechanic (air-frame and power-plant).

Today I've been a A&P mechanic for 10yrs at a major US airlines. I really enjoy it and it pays really good, and union. I can finally say that I work nights instead of overnight (graveyard), I work 4on-3off, 40hrs. I hated working graveyard but since getting your work schedule goes by seniority, I finally got enough seniority to bid for nights.
The department manager wants me to train in troubleshooting and/or installing avionics but I keep turning it down. It does come with a small 10% pay increase but I'm already maxed out on the pay-rate according to the union contract. My work today is 80% paperwork and some quality control inspections, if I train in another field, I would most likely lose my department seniority and/or become a ground grunt again.

Today, I enjoy flying, I got my private pilots (PPL) license and the instrument add-on last year, I am planning on building my own experimental home-built airplane next year that will take a few years. I'm not planning on furthering the flight training, its mostly a hobby instead of a new career Once I get enough flight hours, I do want to get the commercial pilots license (CPL).

 

[mama]

I've been a lawyer for 25 years and continue in that vocation. In the early years I was the IT guy of the firm as well as the commercial law litigator. Now I pay others to do the IT. I know Macs back to front as that is what the firm uses and am a relatively recent convert to PC building and Windows systems. Maybe one day I'll dip my toe in Linux.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Facilities Maintenance. Highlights of the week: Leaking AC unit, installed a new door, replaced a broken coffee maker, and somebody shoved a mystery queen size mattress in the dumpster. The building isn't a housing unit. All dealt with, and right as rain.

 

[Space Lynx]

For real I do kill, but it's pest control I'm VP of a company, have been doing pest control

I noticed @80-watt Hamster gave a like and not a laugh to your post... gee whiz I wonder why...

 

[Icon Charlie]

Facilities Maintenance. Highlights of the week: Leaking AC unit, installed a new door, replaced a broken coffee maker, and somebody shoved a mystery queen size mattress in the dumpster. The building isn't a housing unit. All dealt with, and right as rain.

I made an effing fortune with a business dealing with building maintenance/general cleaning/property management/income investment properties. Yup over the years I have a wide skill set that got me ahead. Working in maintenance can give you a great skill set to take care of your own properties.

Like I have done in the past.

There is nothing wrong working in Maintenance. I'm living proof that you can make real money on that career.

 

[wolf]

Age 36, role title: ICT Customer Relationship Manager, in a state government agency.

Basically? someone who knows and understands ICT, quite specifically our work environment, SOE, relevant contracts, upcoming projects etc across all of ICT, but that actually has people skills to talk to and help our 'customers' about it. We have some very highly skilled techs in this office, all the way through to architects, but ones that are also excellent communicators and 'people persons' can be few and far between.

I always grew up thinking my people skills were average and everyone had them, which is actually really far from normal it seems. I'm a natural mediator, negotiator and listener and it's really helped me find my place in the workforce. IT is not only a hobby but I've been a tech before, and I much prefer helping people understand, procure etc rather than the actual nuts and bolts of it all - which I save for my hobby time because I frikken love hardware.

 

[ratirt]

41 here and I could brag about titles and achievements but if you have lost your focus with jobs and you don't know what to do or where to continue, get a family and kids and you will no longer have that problem because every decision or everything you do will be for your family. Also, it is a good motivation tool for you to keep going and strive for better. Willing to take the leap you know.
As one of the advises about jobs, oil industry is here to stay. Humans are to reliant on gas and oil to stop production. It is also interesting how things are being done so maybe that could be your direction?

 

[AusWolf]

I'm 33 with a Bachelor's degree in English language and literature. I worked hard to get the top grades ever on my thesis and final exam (which I did) to make sure I'd never have to work at a warehouse or factory in my life. Then I didn't have money to start my Master's, so naturally, I ended up working at a warehouse. Then I switched to another warehouse that treats people a tiny bit better. Now I'm a trainer at the same warehouse. It's a job that comes with a little bit of responsibility (not too much), and a little bit of money thanks to me doing night shifts. Unless there's gonna be an opening in some admin areas, or the place closes down (doubtful), this will probably be my last job. When cliché no.1 comes up "where do you see yourself 5 years from now", my answer is "on the beach with a beer in my hand".

Seriously though, I have no intention to pursue a career. All it gets you is way more responsibility, less free time, and a chance to die of a heart attack. Thanks, but no, thanks. As long as I don't die of hunger, and can support my hobbies, what would be the point? I don't want to be the next Steve Jobs anyway. Steve Freetime, more like.

As for cliché no.2, "you should do something you truly enjoy", erm, no. Work is work, whether you enjoy it or not. If your hobby is your work, it's still just work, it's still mandatory, and it kills all enjoyment after a while anyway. I love cooking and building PCs, but if I had to do either of these as a profession, I'd probably cut my own veins after cutting the one millionth onion. As for cliché no.3, "you need to be self-employed to be your own boss", again, no. When you're self-employed, the market is your boss. I'd rather have stability in my life with low-to-no risk, and not worry about paying back the loans I took out to start my business.

My goal right now is cutting my budget a bit to put money into my pension pot so I can retire 5-10 years early. Nothing else interests me job-wise in the slightest.

Have I mentioned that I'm not sour? Once you accept the fact that the job market is a hostile place, and all you need to do is survive, you'll do exactly that, and you'll be happy.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

41 here and I could brag about titles and achievements but if you have lost your focus with jobs and you don't know what to do or where to continue, get a family and kids and you will no longer have that problem because every decision or everything you do will be for your family.

How I wish this were a universal truth. It's is lovely sentiment, and one I share. Too many selfish pieces of crap out there with their kids paying the penalties for it.

 

[Sithaer]

Seems nowadays instead of hard work being honourable and smiled upon, it's like you're a peasant scrub.............poor view in my oppinion.............probably why so much uncertainty and bouncing around these days............if there was lifetime jobs with good wages right out of high school I'm sure there would be a lot less bouncing around job to job.

I have a similar experience, since I've been mostly working labor type of works ever since I've graduated. 'its what I can mainly do around here and what I'm used to anyway'
Like a few years ago when I was working at that historical dig site we had an elementary school class reunion and ofc everyone was curious what everyone is doing/up to.

I was asked too and I told them that I'm between jobs now cause we just finished a dig site work and an old friend gave me a meh look and said: But, thats physical work.. I would never do that.
Then he tells me that hes programming cnc machines and whatnot, yeah well figures he wouldn't do what I do.
Later that day a girl at the same reunion made fun of me telling me oh what a great success/pick you would be.

Bus driver , love it. wage is awesome and no boss to look over your shoulder at all times. But alot of responsibility on you

Not so much in my country I guess, its not uncommon here that when you buy your ticket the bus driver asks you if you want the ticket or not.
Cause if not then he will take less money from you and just simply pocket it for himself to add some extra money to his wage. 'I was traveling a few days ago and I was asked again but since it was a 1+ hour long bus drive I didn't want to risk it so I asked for my ticked and paid full and he even made a comment about it like aigh if thats what you want'

 

[A&P211]

I made an effing fortune with a business dealing with building maintenance/general cleaning/property management/income investment properties. Yup over the years I have a wide skill set that got me ahead. Working in maintenance can give you a great skill set to take care of your own properties.

Like I have done in the past.

There is nothing wrong working in Maintenance. I'm living proof that you can make real money on that career.

Maintance is where the money is that but you have to do it correctly. I should have become a aircraft mechanic right after highschool.

 

[ratirt]

How I wish this were a universal truth. It's is lovely sentiment, and one I share. Too many selfish pieces of crap out there with their kids paying the penalties for it.

It still is a universal truth. The problem is, if you pursuit money, you will never have them or have enough. Pursuit something that has a meaning and a value beyond material and you wont have to worry about money.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I love cooking and building PCs, but if I had to do either of these as a profession, I'd probably cut my own veins after cutting the one millionth onion.

I cooked professionally in my biz back in the last millennium. If you have a busy place and a good crew cooking is a fantastic way to earn a living. You work hard sure. But times FLIES. You don't have much stress in your life either. I come home tired and satisfied at night. I slept like the dead. Life was simple and wonderful.

It still is a universal truth. The problem is, if you pursuit money, you will never have them or have enough. Pursuit something that has a meaning and a value beyond material and you wont have to worry about money.

You are missing the point. Which is - Selfish losers are not motivated to do things for their families. In fact they often resent them, abuse them, etc.

 

[ratirt]

I cooked professionally in my biz back in the last millennium. If you have a busy place and a good crew cooking is a fantastic way to earn a living. You work hard sure. But times FLIES. You don't have much stress in your life either. I come home tired and satisfied at night. I slept like the dead. Life was simple and wonderful.

For me, cooking is a hobby and a way of relaxation. Also helps me think Feels creative too, making something out of variety of things.

 

[AusWolf]

I cooked professionally in my biz back in the last millennium. If you have a busy place and a good crew cooking is a fantastic way to earn a living. You work hard sure. But times FLIES. You don't have much stress in your life either. I come home tired and satisfied at night. I slept like the dead. Life was simple and wonderful.

That sounds cool.

My other problem that I didn't mention in my post is the working hours. The missus works a regular Mon-Fri job, so I'd rather do the same (I've got Sun-Thu on nights now). Because, as a wise man once said:

It still is a universal truth. The problem is, if you pursuit money, you will never have them or have enough. Pursuit something that has a meaning and a value beyond material and you wont have to worry about money.

My meaning is the time with my girlfriend, family and friends, the time with my PCs, and the time in the kitchen at home. Work has no meaning for me other than making sure I have the means for the above.

 

[FoulOnWhite]

I have spoken to a few of my friends about work, some of them work a lot and have money but no life. I kinda prefer having no money now, but lots of free time and no stress. Working can really take your life away.

 

[ratirt]

I cooked professionally in my biz back in the last millennium. If you have a busy place and a good crew cooking is a fantastic way to earn a living. You work hard sure. But times FLIES. You don't have much stress in your life either. I come home tired and satisfied at night. I slept like the dead. Life was simple and wonderful.


You are missing the point. Which is - Selfish losers are not motivated to do things for their families. In fact they often resent them, abuse them, etc.

I dont think I am missing the point and that is why they are considered losers due to their selfishness aren't they?

 

[DAPUNISHER]

That sounds cool.

My other problem that I didn't mention in my post is the working hours. The missus works a regular Mon-Fri job, so I'd rather do the same (I've got Sun-Thu on nights now). Because, as a wise man once said:

My meaning is the time with my girlfriend, family and friends, the time with my PCs, and the time in the kitchen at home. Work has no meaning for me other than making sure I have the means for the above.

You ain't kidding about the hours. I worked 14.5 hrs 6 days a week back then. Didn't take a holiday for over 8 years. Loved every minute of it. My girl, later wife, was working the 40hr week, but also going to college at night. Her company reimbursed her for the classes. We both grew up lower middle class so we rode the struggle bus to get where we wanted to be.

 

[AusWolf]

You ain't kidding about the hours. I worked 14.5 hrs 6 days a week back then. Didn't take a holiday for over 8 years. Loved every minute of it. My girl, later wife, was working the 40hr week, but also going to college at night. Her company reimbursed her for the classes. We both grew up lower middle class so we rode the struggle bus to get where we wanted to be.

As long as you both got where you wanted, it was worth it, I guess.

My goal is being somewhere, not going somewhere. I want to be happy, not become happy. Generally speaking, focusing on the future makes one lose grip of the present, which to me, is infinitely more valuable.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I have spoken to a few of my friends about work, some of them work a lot and have money but no life. I kinda prefer having no money now, but lots of free time and no stress. Working can really take your life away.

My kid says his friends are all either rise and grind or wake and bake.

 

[arnold_al_qadr]

Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting, 35 years old. Hope to never work until retirement..