What do you do for a living?

In my spare time I drive a school bus but my real job is mom to my 3 kids, a set of non-twins which are what we call our girls born 3 years to the minute apart and a 14 year old son. The girls are both in college and on their own. I was able to home school each of the girls from K-12 and they are doing very well in college, thank you very much. My son is also home schooled and will be starting his high school work next year. He is a work in progress. I am a “right wing wacko who clings to my guns and my religion” I work hard to pass those values on to my kids. I pray for the president and our country. Lisa

Retired electronic/electrical & mechanical engineer from the paper industry went to school in the before transistor days. Currently self employed hardware/feed store owner and Harman dealer

I'm a machinist! I left a job shop during the summer where I was using new state of the art cnc machines to a job where I am using mostly antique equipment making timing screws for the packaging industry. The new job is much more fun!

Clockmaker. I have a small clock repair/restoration business.
I retired in 2006 with 28 years in product development and engineering management with a major motorcycle manufacturer.

Al

hang on this is going to be long winded, took a look at what I do for a living and couldn't explain it properly without going back a ways. Sorry
Spent my high school years being mentored by a man who could do just about anything, besides maintaining anything and everything at the school we bought surplus equip from the Portsmouth Naval yard for school use and sold a few pieces to raise money, had everything from a B-52 tug with a 6-72 2 stroke diesel to a Gallion road grader. A good deal of the school had burned down and we had to rebuild 7 buildings, even had a saw mill for the lumber (it was all post and beam construction). During that time I learned welding, machining, carpentry, logging, plumbing, electrical, heavy equip operator/mechanic, farming, too much to fully list. Out of high school no one would believe I could do the stuff I had learned so off to A&P school I went (for FAA airframe and powerplant mechanics license). After getting the license I went to work for a commercial satellite builder in Calif. Then moved from Calif to Kennedy Space Center for integration/test/handling of payloads that go on the shuttle and un-manned rockets. Worked on everything from Hubble Space Telescope to Space Station in jobs from technician and engineer to mgt. Now I work at a Helicopter company designing ground support equipment to keep the birds in the air. In my spare time I mess around with a number of things including motorcycles, cars, coal boilers/stoves/furnaces/etc in the belief that we need to stop throwing things out in this country and refurbish and reuse. So even though I make my living sitting at a computer (with precious few hours spent in the shop) I wouldn't be here without the thousands of hours spent learning through hands on activities.

A big salute to all those out there who make their livings as tradesman and those who have hobbies that involve same!

I am a self employed machinist/gunsmith. Before that I was in charge of sterilizing surgical instruments at a hospital. May be getting back into healthcare soon.

I am a carpenter and bricklayer. I used to work for a residential general contractor doing new construction and remodeling. We always did the complete job, no subs, footer to ridgecap, so I picked up some electrical and plumbing experience along the way. For the last 5 years I've been in commercial construction doing primarily structural concrete and flatwork. Better pay , but many more miles

I am a humble merchant, I own and operate a retail garden center. We also push TOO MUCH SNOW in the winter months.
Started selling coal, looking into selling coal stoves.

I'm currently a handyman for a wealthy family. I had to begin supporting myself in high school. I've had over 30 jobs in the past. Good at getting hired, good at getting fired. I worked in a handbag factory, electronics factories, dunkin donuts baker for a week, roofer, plumber, siding, construction laborer. I worked in a foundry sanding aluminum castings all day long. Interior/exterior painting, home repairs, odd jobs. Went to welding school, did that for a while.
I've restored a dozen motorcycles and a few odd cars such as the Fiat X 1/9.
I worked for Universal Instruments in Binghamton for a year- I'm a champion at screwing up good opportunities. That company made the most amazing electronic component insertion machinery and they would have sent me to school for free. It's now gone to China of course. Speaking of champion, I worked at Champion Dairy Pak, which makes 200 million milk cartons a month.
I have a floor refinishing machine, done that. Power washer. Ceramic tile installations.
I'm much better with things than I am with people. I'm an egotist with an inferiority complex.
I worked in a production machine shop and quit after I almost lost a finger.
Transmission installer, automotive charging system technician.
House painter having done dozens of houses with my partner. I painted the wealthy family's trim on their 13,000 sq./ft. mansion with my partner 7 years ago, they found out I am handy. They have been giving me work ever since. I repair their broken ceramic doo-dads, and their chimney tops. ( One got blown apart by lightning on their 5 million dollar trophy house on Barnegat Bay a couple years ago.)
The woman is a prominent decorator and I have assisted her with complete decorative installations at other wealthy clients giant status symbol homes. (Beware the suburban rich bitch.)
I've made a few pieces of custom furniture for them and a lot of custom carpentry.
If they piss me off, I walk out of their houses and don't return their calls. Then cavemen come in and screw things up and rip them off. Then I come back.
I'm being really nice to them now due to the economy, they still need their properties maintained. They appreciate my prices and above all my honesty. Just gotta watch my Irish temper.
Dan's Repair Service

Teacher.

traderfjp wrote:Teacher.

Nice!..What Grade/Subject?

I teach 5th grade in a public school. I teach 5 subjects a day. On the weekends I collapse. (:

Financial Consultant.....32 years as of Feb 24th...not a handy bone in my old body but I can keep a coal fire going for a full season....dog training, bird hunting & trout fishing....with a little golf thrown in....in my spare time....
life is good....

traderfjp wrote:I teach 5th grade in a public school. I teach 5 subjects a day. On the weekends I collapse. (:

Good for you!

Thank you for your service to this nation!

Programmer since the late 60's so my first editor was an 026 keypunch. No one is more surprised than me that I'm still getting paid to program; it has changed so much, especially in the last 20 years.