What do you do for a living then?

[Jake]

Went to uni in London, dropped out, became a motorbike courier, then back home, spent a dreadful (working) year and half washing dishes in the 1991 recession, then got a job in a community care home for the last people out of the mental handicap (as then termed) hospitals - so spent three years or so woking with "people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviours". Burnt out a bit and got bored, went back to uni, did a masters to put off work for a bit longer, snagged a job with the firm of solicitors I still work for which paid for my professional training, still here 8 years later, working on very large scale commercial litigation in the week, and doing up a victorian tip at the weekends (building in as much woodwork to that as I can...)

 

[bobscarle]

Spent the last 31 years working for BT, initially as a Telephone / switchboard fitter. For the last 7 - 8 years I have written software for them. Not very exciting, but I work at home so I can spend my dinner hour doing bits in the shed, and the commute home from work takes very little time!!

Bob

 

[dickm]

Another one-time academic here. Did first degree and PhD in agricultural things, worked in research and teaching ever since. Finally more-or-less retired 3 years ago after 35 years on the central staff of the Open University.
Brought up on a farm back in the 1940s, so fencing, repairing things and generally bodging to save money was second nature, and given the steady erosion of University salaries it's been useful ever since. Also found that working with my hands was a good way to shut out the deadlines and politics of the day job.

But like others have said, doing woodwork as a real money earner, as opposed to a small saving, would just spoil it for me.

 

[NickWelford]

I started as a field engineer with Burroughs Computers, went into work study then into Barclays as a trainee programmer in 1973. Stayed, rising to a development manager/IT project manager with Barclaycard until they 'let me go' in 2000. Took up turning whilst there as a stress buster. Went to AMP Pearl Assurance as an IT Project Manager but they were asset stripped and badly let down by AMP, who outsourced IT to Tata India and 'let me go'. Bummed around for a while and now work as a travel consultant for a very small tour operator, mainly walking tours and bespoke trips to nice places for wealthy people.


Just think - amongst us all we could create one **** of an agency!!

 

[greggy]

like byron says, this place is bursting at the seams with brainy folk. i must be the only thicko (academicaly) on this fourum. mind you i have had my hgv since 1973 and never had an accident or been flashed by a camera. this thread is brill and interesting :lol:

 

[Johnboy]

Technician aprentice with Ford's in the 70's, then design draughtsman for an electrical heating equipment manufacturer. Went to South Africa in 1979 as automotive component engineer and returned in 1985. Contract design engineer ever since mainly for Ford's in Essex but have had spells in Turkey, USA and Germany. Not much work locally lately and I can't be bothered with working away from home now, just want to put my feet up at home now. Currently setting and operating machine to put holograms and signature strips on credit/ID cards.

John

 

[Scrums]

Apprentice Instrument maker AWRE Aldermaston - late 60's
Sold soft furnishings for John Lewis Partnership
Gunner - Royal Artillery
Got married
Production Planner - engineering
Got divorced
Taxi driver
Pub manager
Dossed around......
Got stuck in traffic in London in a Ford Cargo
Dossed around......
Got married
Taught Pottery at Broadmoor
Ran (badly) own Catering business, almost went bust
Became an economic migrant to the frozen North and opened a one man woodworking business, which is doing ok, in a small, one man and his dog sort of way.

Chris.

 

[kafkaian]

This is what I like about this site; from PhD to apprenticeship, tertiary education to the University of Life, in the main there is a lot of mutual respect regardless of background, position or qualifications based purely on one common denominator, the love of wood and the intrigue surrounding its manipulation.

 

[Argee]

1960 - left school to work in a transport company (haulage and coach hire)
1962 - production control for a furniture factory in Porchester
1964 - motor mechanic in large chain in Portsmouth
1965 - moved to small garage at Winchelsea, East Sussex
1967 - got married, production controller for Deans Rag Books and toys
1969 - articulated HGV driver (and licensed for Class 1 PSVs)
1974 - joined Sussex Police
1978 - detective
1980 - Sergeant
1985 - Inspector
2004 - retired from HQ (including running the Driving School, teaching Advanced Drivers)

Began fiddling about with wood when I got married (out of necessity - couldn't afford to employ anyone). Took a more serious interest when I could afford some decent tools.

Ray.

 

[AndyBoyd]

I am a Physics PhD in Quantum Optics
Worked in between measurement physics research and control and automation jobs for a large oil company in the UK, US Oman Malaysia and the Netherlands, finally ending up a Global head of Automation and Control. I now do part time consultancy (very part time) and am a visiting prof at the London School Of Economics in the realm of the economics/project management/risk management on mega projects.

But really I dropped out of the rat race before it wore me out to bring up the children woodwork and relax a bit.

 

[Anonymous]

What a fantastic thread this is becoming. However, I feel like a complete caveman compared to all these researchers and scientists!! It's interesting though to see some really high level careers and almost everyone has stated they would prefer woodworking, I find that quite fascinating and a little sad that the woodworking industries aren't more healthy in this country, the passion is obviously there.

Very interesting with such diversity and that many are unhappy in their jobs. Not all of us though :lol: :wink:
I would not give up teaching and scientific research (I love science) for woodworking even though I try to build furniture in every spare moment

 

[Sgian Dubh]

General self important and opinionated curmudgeon and know-nothing. Slainte.

 

[DomValente]

We know that S.D. tell us something we don't know

25 years in the restaurant and bar business, but somehow found time to be a serious hobbyist(woodwork)

Retired aged 42, travelled the world for a year, spent the next year doing God knows what.

Last 12 years have built a new business and learnt a new profession in furniture making just so I wouldn't go nuts and now find that the pressures in this business are just like any other.

Life is good. Try everything once(well nearly everything) and regret nothing, the knowledge will always be useful.

Dom

 

[ike]

In order , (constantly interpersed with casual woody bits)

centre lathe turner
welder/fabricator
QA inspector on sub-sea oilfield well heads

then Self-employed drystone waller
Agricultural/HGV mechanics
builder

then vocational teacher/general mr fix it in Belize for 6 years (VSO).

then CAD draughtsman
technical author while doing an OU degree for 6 years

presently product design engineer for electronics company

 

[promhandicam]

Well, on leaving school did an engineering technicians apprenticeship and ended up with an HND in mechanical engineering and a job as a design draughtsman for a specialist vehicle manufacturer in the UK. Left when a graduate fresh out of Uni was brought in over me and the engineering director had the nerve to ask me to tell the new guy everything I knew about the bus chassis part of the business!

Worked for a small company doing design and office refurbishment work in London. Whilst there came to the conclusion that I wanted to use my skills for a better cause and went to work in Zaire doing logistics and maintenance for a rural mission hospital.

Evacuated from Zaire in '91, married in '92, worked in Albania in '93 and back to Zaire from '94 - '99.

Since 2000 been working for Christian Blind Mission as National Coordinator and project director in Cameroon and for the last 6 months in our West Africa regional office, in Lome Togo, as Capacity Development Officer

Always enjoyed doing things with my hands and in recent years that has mainly been wood.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

We know that S.D. tell us something we don't know Dom

Ok then, -----and humble. Slainte.

 

[DomValente]

We know that S.D. tell us something we don't know Dom

Ok then, -----and humble. Slainte.

Uhhuh :lol:

 

[SammyQ]

Late 60's early 70's, still at school, farm labourer, shelf packer, delivery boy.
1974, first taxable pay, £17.74.....
'74-Sept '77 Lab tech/part time fireman - the reactor fire was scary (not nuclear; toluene di-iso cyanide)
'77-81 Biology and teaching degree, caught up on pulcritude in a big way.
81- present, labouring at chalk face in educational emporium made famous by Samuel Beckett: "I taught the cream of Ulster society....rich.....and thick"
Mountain leader training, graduated '89 or so, trips to Snowdonia, Lake District, Glen Coe, Torridon, Arrochar Alps, Glen Affric, Kintail, Cairn Gorm plateau complex (scary -especially Goat Track in ice), Bavarian Alps, The Rockies (twice), Donegal(!), Peru, Tanzania coming up 2008.

Found time to go on 110 mile blind date, married 20 months later; No1 son now taller than I am....

Got into this lovely business when I had to demolish and rebuild part of my first home; as £'s were scarce, I did a lot myself, including roof timbers, floors (dry rot too), built in's, kitchen fitting, bathroom installation and tiling, window replacement, hanging doors.

Sold it 24 months later for twice what I paid for it, started all over again in No2 abode. 14 years later, same list completed - just about.

I haven't touched a splinter in anger for about a year, health problems, diagnosis just taken place, relief, it's treatable, "I'll be back...."

Wish to Gawd I had pressed GP for more rigorous investigation 3 years ago. Murphy's Law eh?

I could drivel on like this for ages.....

 

[Woody Alan]

Somewhat reluctantly not sure why

'76 left school with grade "A" woodwork and a few other irrelevant "o" levels, "bored out of my mind" desperate to do something other than sit on my backside doing A levels etc so I joined GPO/PO/BT as apprentice and the *****'s sent me on GPO courses and block release city and guilds. Suffered that for 3 years.
Muddled my way through all sorts of stuff (too much to list entirely)
Electromechanical comms systems
pseudo electronic comms (reed relays and a few transistors)
MOD defence special systems @neatishead and Coltishall
Telecom red alarms systems processors
Digital exchange transfers
Transmission systems
Optic fibre splicing commisioning
American airbase structered cabling (rubbish real lowpoint)
Travelling the UK on loan doing whatever required and climbing a few hills at BT's expense (real highpoint no pun intended)
Getting ready for the 21st century network BT is going to install (what do you mean you haven't heard of it) only to find I have been pulled off what I do best to put ticks in Excel sheet boxes, dull dull dull.
No pressure, holiday whenever I want, nice manager, 4 day week, no overtime, thought I had been treated badly until I realised that I don't want to go back, I can handle this until I retire. I keep looking over my shoulder though. Hoping retirement is going to come calling early,
I never felt what I do is who I am (might make that my new sig)

Alan

 

[dlowry_uk]

Software engineer, specializing in speech recognition software for telecoms. All because I didn't want to start work after a degree in electronics, and stayed on to do a PhD in digital speech processing - lazy so'n'so!

Woodwork started out of necessity when we bought one of those "ideal for DIY enthusiast" houses. Now I enjoy making kids furniture for my 2-yr-old and her friends.

Drew