So many servants of Uncle Sam! I am also a 'trained monkey' working on weapons in Minot AFB, North Dakota. I have been in for 3, and have tested for being an NCO, non-commissioned officer in the US Air Force. I am building a BN empire in my base house, modular so I can take it with me! All you folks in undisclosed forward deployed zones fighting for our freedom, I salute you! Happy Memorial Day, eveyone!
I'm an electronics techonlogist. Unfortunately I'm currently an unemployed one. I'm kind of toying around with the idea of starting my own business. Model RR related of course.
I work for The Salvation Army as part of their Admin staff covering the whole south west corner of the UK (Cornwall, Devon, Somerset & Avon, with bits of South Gloucestershire). I also volunteer for them & help with various things such as kids camps & run a youth club. I've worked there for about 2 years now. Before that I temped for Oreck, the vacuum cleaner folk (no I don't know how to mend them! ), before that in a Travel Agency (which was cool!), before that an airfreight forwarders (who were a bunch of crooks, politely put), before that a maternity cover job at Swissair's Heathrow cargo office (they never went bust when I worked for them ) before that I temped for a health insurers, before that I did 6 months for a store in London, and my first job after school was with Swissair again in their central London offices. Whew! No wonder I get tired!!
Did you celebrate Twinkee's birthday this year?? We have a Oldies but goldies radio station in INDY WGLD 104.5FM. While I was still working 3 years ago this station had a fact of the day with some quircky music at 3AM. It usually was some inane event that happened on that day. They announced that on that particular day it was Twinkee's birthday. I started singing happy birthday to Twinkee and the people I worked with thought I had lost my mind. Every time I see one of the guys I worked with I start singing Happy Birthday Twinkee happy birthday to you. Don't want him to think I have recovered. LOL LOL [ 30 May 2002, 07:46: Message edited by: leghome ]
I spent 30 years teaching Geography to 11 - 18 year olds here in the UK until they offered me early retirement last year. Now it's nice to able able to spend time with my family and my modelling David Milburn (North Yorkshire, UK)
I work for a place that does accident investigation, forensics, fire investigation and graphics. I mostly do surveys of accident scenes and all the cad work here. It's really a cool job to have most of the time. Joe
I recently made an evaluation of my life and decided that being the Director of Marketing for a construction company sucked. The money was good, but the daily routine and the hours and stress were just not worth it. So I took a 15% pay cut and increased my one way commute from 30 mile to 75 miles, and I now work for my State's Department of Transportation in the Rail Services Section. I am an analyst charged with reviewing statistics for over 5,000 highway-railroad grade crossings and appropriating funds to make safety improvements. Our program coordinates federal and state money to help communities make their streets and railroads safer by funding enhancement projects such as installation of flashers and gates, interconnecting warning devices with traffic control signals, renweing signs and pavement markings and a host of other beneficial activities. I could not imagine a better job.... the secret is to ask yourself early on: "am I happy when I go to work and when I come home, and in 20-25 years will I be able to look back and be pleased with what I have accomplished?" Maybe that's a lot to digest, but here's my advice: get your college degree, sample a few jobs while you're doing it and then do something you love to do... money doesn't mean anything if you hate what you do for 50 hours a week. If you love trains the way I do, find a way to be involved with them - you'll be glad you did.
Am a Legal Executive employed by a firm of solicitors (thats a "law firm" to you Yanks!) in the City of London - have worked with the same firm for over 21 years since changing careers from being a local authority town planner (a local government officer). Since most evryone on here seems to love their jobs I can tell you that I hate mine; it either terrifies me, stresses me out completely or bores me but I don't know how to do anything else and I'm trapped with a family to bring up so have to have the money; hopefully I can retire in 12 or 13 years time but lets hope I'm not too knackered to be able to enjoy myself; hope I don't die in the saddle like my dad did just before he retired. Ben
Started work as a telephone equipment installer in 1964, later worked as a tel. eqpt. customer engineer. Then 10 years as an over-the-road truck driver. In 1985 I got back into telephony as a PBX service technician which I still do today. Never long enough with any one company to retire though. Since I'm old enough to be your grandpa I think I'm qualified to offer a little advice. 1. If you can't get the job you'd love, learn to love the job you get. 2. Join a church, attend regularly and tithe regularly. 3. Open a Roth IRA and put another tenth of your income into it. 4. Learn to live on the balance of your income.
Well I can say I love my job, because it includes two of my favorite hobbies. Computers, and hobbies. I work for a large paint and model manufactuer working in the Marketing Dept. I design and write up the instruction sheets for many of the model kits we produce. I was in Customer Service in the Hobby field for three years, and hated it. I moved to Marketing last fall, and love it.
I am currently managing a group home for six mentally retarded adult males....plus, tend to my ever-increasing bald-spots (from pulling my hair out due to perpetual staff shortages resulting in my working close to 70 hours some weeks... )
Sounds like good advice to me too! I'm just a saddlemaker so I at least get to spend time with my other interests, Horses and cattle. Blake
I am a Purchasing Agent/Contract Administrator for a large school district in South Florida. As a Government Purchasing Agent over the last 30 years, I have worked at local level, county level, college level, state level and federal government levels. At one time, I incorporated and formed a government consulting company and we made lots, but I was constantly freaked out due to uncertainties in the economy, our workforce, the tide of business and other factors--I preferred a regular salary and paycheck. Now I have the "dream" job of a lifetime. My job is to select architects to design schools and contractors to build them, and negotiate their fees and bids. I never thought I was qualified for this position, but the school district "recruited" me from another public agency to work here. I have loved every minute since. My father convinced me while I was in college that I was eminently qualified spending other people's money, which is why I pursued Purchasing after I graduated!!!! I still get a huge rush signing a Purchase Order to a company to construct a new school for $11 million. There seems to be plenty of job security as we currently have a five year plan, and as this county grows will never finish building or remodeling our schools. My wife handles all of our home finances, but we both team together to control our costs. While it is my responsibility to monitor and control large project budgets, I couldn't even manage our checkbook as well as she can. Our last cost control measure was that her and my hobbies would be financed by the enterprises within our hobbies themselves, and only a small budgeted amount from income would go for our fun. Although I thought my financial resources for trains would decline, quite the opposite, I am fortunate to be able to sell or trade and I have made more acquisitions over the past 12 months than any other similar period in this hobby. Ken "Steamguy" Willaman
There's no such thing as "Just a saddlemaker", Blake. When I was a young pup working on the King Ranch down in Texas, I spent many hours watching an old Mexican gentleman making saddles. It's definitely an art form.
Thank you to all who have replied. Your advice and careers were not only insightfull but interesting as well. On another though, talk about the thread that keeps going and going and going, just when you think it's done with. LOL The more posts the merrier as far as this topic goes...... Thanks again everyone!
I worked for Central Television in the film editing department until I was made redundant. I now spend my time looking after my disabled wife and our five year old daughter Daisy, and I'm happier now than I've ever been; and, of course I get more time with my trains. ConrailPete Conrail lives on in the UK
