What do you do for a living then?

[Anonymous]

A few years back there was a thread that asked what the membership do for a living - always interesting to see the diversity and useful for us to know what skills might be available in the form of advice

Well, i got to thinking that many new members have joined us since then and maybe it'd be interesting to ask the question again.


To start the ball rolling - I started out as an electronics technician. Finished my degree studies and became a design engineer for about 15 years - mainly writing software and doing electro-mechanical design of specialist machines. Typically CNC machines, robots, automated assembly systems, production lines etc.

Work as an academic now doing research/teaching specialising in robotics and instrumentation and collaborating on any other science based research opportunities that arise



In many ways, the woodworking hobby is linked to the days before I became a design engineer when I actually built and fixed things for a living.



So what do you do?

 

[Slim]

Self-employed landscape gardener at the mo, but soon to embark on a new career as an air traffic controller.

 

[wizer]

i'm in I.T and I hate it. I think I may have mentioned it before.

 

[Buckeye]

IT project management Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Fizzy]

Hi

OK where do I start

15 Years working for Forte Airport Services as a Duty Manager/Operations

1 Year as a Financial Consultant for the Pru

and now work part-time for Royal Mail (postman). Don't know if I will ever go full-time again as I had a disc removed about 2 years ago after I put it out by Sneezing 8-[ yes I said Sneezing :-# . It can still be a bit sore if I do to much lifting Ouchhhhh !!
There was a few other jobs in between but only small things.
I now should have more time in the workshop and it's now complete as well .... I must get pics of it online soon (hammer)

 

[Smudger]

Teacher (history).

But when expelled from school at age 13 was told to become a carpenter. It's only taken 40 years!

 

[andys wood shed]

Manufacturing manager
for a large industrial compressor manufacturer

Woodworks my hobby

 

[Paul Chapman]

Retired Civil Servant. Joined the Board of Trade as a young lad. The Board of Trade later became the Department of Trade and Industry and then parts of it were split into Next Step Agencies.

I worked on a variety of things including export promotion; inward investment; efficiency and manpower; radio regulation. My last job was with the Radiocommunications Agency and I retired when it became part of Ofcom.

And yes, a lot of the time it was just like "Yes Minister" :lol: :lol:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[davy_owen_88]

I'm nearing the end of training to be an electrician which I decided on doing after realising there just isn't enough money in building custom guitars (which is what I started doing).

After collecting all the tools to build guitars I became more interested in general woodworking which is just a hobby.

Davy

 

[caretaker]

Well your not going to get to excited with my working life.
I started work putting up neon signs all over the country and did some in Soho on the strip clubs.
Worked on the railway became a relief signalman.
Drove articulated lorrys.
Wired up lorry's and trailers.
Worked in a tablet making factory, (got high most days).
Fork lift driver, van driver, lorry driver.
Store keeper.
Coco been extractor, that was the most rotten job going.
Worked in schools, as a helper.
Now I have the best job I have ever had, I work in a library, I read as many books as I like, I play on the computer, sorry teach, I chat to the public, I help organise advents, well give a hand.
All this for a low wage as well.
I am now working on a display for the children's library.
I have just started with woodwork as a hobby, am making a conservatory's, OK a lean to.
I have just finished the most bests M & T joint ever, I have now done 48 in total.
Oh I forgot, I was a crane driver as well.
Window cleaner, shop assistant, grease monkey, electrical assembler.

 

[seaco]

Ok I was run over by a double decker bus when I was twelve, two years in hospital stopped counting at 40 op's now medically retired...

"Advice" If you fancy taking on a bus, try a mini first to see if you like it...

 

[Fecn]

I head-up a three-man IT company. We do websites, hosting and networks.

I'm (un)lucky enough to have the office on the side of my house which means I'm never free from the hassles of work.. but the commute is bliss, and if I'm lucky, I can sneak out to the shed on a sunny afternoon to play with powertools.

 

[nickson71]

After spending nearly a decade as a registered University student........ Not being too lazy I did a 4 year degree in Biochemistry including a 1 year research placement at a hospital fertility unit .......... 1 year MSc in Biosensors (6 month intensive taught 6 months research). Following this I spent 3 years doing the practical side of my Phd on electrochemical sensors. Once this finished I spent the rest of the time a student writing my Phd thesis whilst working full time in research (not too easy working all day then getting home and writing about/analysing a totally different set of research)

the fulltime jobs were a brief stint at the clearblue pregnancy company followed by current job at a small company working on improving Super capacitors ....... been doing this for 5 years now

Part time jobs ........... lots of bar work, worked in a bowling alley, go karting track, car valeter, and more bar work .......... I did all these whilst I was a student, thankfully don't have to any more

Hobbies ......... DIY, woodworking and warhammer (Don't watch much TV)

 

[Dad]

Mostly IT (building a project management system atm) & (financial) number crunching.

 

[Dad]

Ok I was run over by a double decker bus when I was twelve, two years in hospital stopped counting at 40 op's now medically retired...

"Advice" If you fancy taking on a bus, try a mini first to see if you like it...

I took on a mini at 11 & still lost.. but not so decisively as you did with the bus though...

 

[CraftNav]

Left School trained to be a marine electrician worked mainly on yachts and RNLI Arun lifeboats.
Then started my own business as a 24hr emergency Locksmith, worked all the hours god gave (60-70hr weeks in the end) earned obscene amounts of money - Burnt myself out - sold the business
Now at the ripe old age of 40 I play in my workshop all day and for a bit of fun sell 'bits and bobs' on Ebay.

John

 

[Kirky]

Teacher (Special school)

 

[superunknown]

Cabinet Maker.

 

[Wood Monkey]

Started working for BT looking after telephone and dealer boards in the City of London.

Then transferred to the new fangled mobile phone division in 198... something.

Stuck with them until I received an offer I couldn’t refuse to go contracting for a very big American communications company. They sent me to China, Malaysia, Hong Kong and finally Australia. Spent a year working in Sydney and that was cool.

Moved to a mobile phone operator and promptly got sent to Hong Kong for the best part of a year. Have been with the same bunch now for 5 years looking after the testing and integration of new handsets and services. Get to play with, and break, every new mobile phone under the sun, but still prefer to go down to my workshop and make a mess in the name of learning about woodworking.

Jon

 

[Good Surname or what ?]

After taking a degree in Physics in 1978 I ended up working in the oil exploration business in Saudi Arabia. Came back to London in 1981 to work for an Oil company and drfted into interactive computer graphics for exploration. Moved to the IT supplier in question and after 6 years crossed to the darkside of sales.

Since late eighties I've sold variously software, services and super-computers (>$1M a pop), in UK, Norway, Malaysia etc. Currently with a medium size specailist software company.

.... on the subject of global warming even the oil companies admit burning fossils fuels contributes to global warming. Only ExxonMobil is still in denial for political reasons.