Okay so I had an hour drive home and the kids were asleep. The wife and I had a discussion about my job. She knows I hate it. We talked about what fun jobs would be and then she said you need a job like what you do at home (DIY, fixing stuff you know what most all of us do here) Then she said ask "your people" (Lumenlabbers ) So I am here asking what you do for money (legally) or if you are retired tell us what you used to do. Also answer in the poll.

well i'm a doctor and i absooutly hate it!

The hours are far too long and its far too stressful!

A nice diy job, or something that is a bit more creative would be ideal! Any ideas for a career move?

Im a tech merc for a government agency. Before that I ran the TS section of an ISP, then moved to software and quality management....before that...I was a psychologist.

My theory is that "I dont live to work. I work to live."

Teamwindsor, there is a reason docs get paid like they do, your life is simply not your own anymore.

Well this is interesting already. A doctor in the house. I am hoping "brainchild" will chime in since it seems he loves what he does.

Im a mechanical Engineer for general electric's new water proccess technologies and I love it! We have a very nice office location in bellevue, WA. We are Challenge through extensive 3-d design work that actualy feels creative and not mundane, and I feel like Im providing the world with a much needed service, slowly weening ourselves off the dependancy for fossil fuels and coal. and its not the fact that im doing mechanical engineering that excites me, because my last job i used my skills frequently, but because of the poor management and job settings, it turned out to be a nightmare. as long as i can get away with constant lumenlabbing, craigslisting, and ebay-ing. it'll all be good.

I'm a VP for general electric's new water process technologies and I hope your not using our equipment or billing time for all that lumenlabbing, craigslisting, and ebay-ing.

Actually I'm not. Glad to hear their is someone out there who likes what they do.

Hey, sdubb, was in a similar place a couple years ago and I actually do now use my DIY skills to make a living. I'm a real estate investor, which is the "pretty" name for a licensed realtor who works as a carpenter, plumber, electrician, etc. Right now the market isn't great so I represent the wealthy-who-continue-to-get-wealthier as the economy falls apart by being the "woman on the ground". I facilitate out-of-state investors in the remodel and renting of their properties. A big part of it is also advising and teaching. Men are generally "more okay" with a woman who knows more about houses than they do. Don't know why, I have suspicions of an alpha-male dynamic that leaves men with little capacity to accept that other men (especially men who work in blue collar fields) may know more about a given topic that is considered "masculine". Just a theory. As long as my most expensive clients prefer me to my brother, I don't care!

Extremely flexible hours and I name my wage. I will say this, unless you have savings you can depend on, now is NOT the time to get into real estate unless you find a property that will cash flow from the start. I hit a snag least year that took a lot to get over. Higher risk, better rewards.

But I will confess that playing on the trapeze without much of a net has me wanting something on the side that is consistent. I started work on my next degree last week, if that's any indicator of what it can turn out to be.

Duchess sounds like you are on the right track. I work in the construction area but not actually doing construction more CAD like but anyway I do not like it and with the market the money keeps decreasing and decreasing. I just threw this out there to see what others are doing and if they really like it. I guess its a point me in the right direction kind of thing or just point me in a direction to make me at least enjoy work and not dread it.

I am retired Navy (U.S.) and & on the side we ( the wife and I ) are part of a national business team doing some business with companies online like Barnes & Noble, Office Depot, and Bass Pro Shop, Orvis etc. We're helping companies transition to the net, and in turn they share the revenue with us.

The RET. part of life is ok, there was a trade off as you can imagine (I'm 35) however the business side of things is actually fun.

Im an importer/exporter who specialises in importing diapers and exporting potato chips.

I am a design engineer for a supplier of the Detroit auto-giants (hard to say that without laughing these days). I like what I do for the most part because I am encouraged to be creative with new designs and problem solving. I also work with a group of guys that have a great sense of humor and love beer.

I also do computer building/repair on the side....I usually take payment in beer, good beer.

My vote: I like it.

I suppose I can sum up my occupation as managing a plant molecular biology research laboratory. Working in a college campus environment is fabulous. In 20+ years I've learned much and had extremely varied duties. The lab started out somewhat different from what it has become. Nuff said.

Currently I am a Parts and Service Manager for the local Autozone (essentially an Assistant Manager). I hate it. I love the people I work with, but am totally sick to death of the corporate mentality. (employees as numbers, not living, breathing, human beings). Plus I'm tired of 'customers' (and I use that term loosely, for in my experience, those that seek free advice the most end up taking it an leaving without buying jack!) expecting me to tell them, in 30 seconds, what it would take a mechanic 2 hours and a $100 diagnostic fee to figure out.

Up until a few months ago I was an Custom Audio Video Installer. I built Home Theaters and did low voltage pre-wire for new construction. It was a sweet gig for a while. When the hours jumped from about 40ish to about 60ish per week, with no end in sight, it got old. A shouting match with my employer ended that job. Its funny in that I loved that job, but didn't like my boss. pretty much exactly opposite of what I'm doing now. I loved the pre-wires the most, no customers to deal with. I met with the builders before the job just to get an idea of what they wanted but for the most part they trusted my judgment and would usually say things like "5.1 in the living room with a plasma over the fireplace. Mutli zone in the study, master bed, master bath and patio. Cable phone and Net are marked. Wire the theater for 7.1 and a projector" then let me do my own thing. I've been toying with the idea of opening up my own shop and doing nothing but pre-wires, since I still have all my old boss' contacts I might even be able to steal a few away from him. The problem is I was never involved in the bidding, so I have no idea what to charge...

My poll answer: I hate it! Would rather [fill in the blank]

tell me about it. Theres nothing worse than getting your customer appreciation from a prerecorded message on while your on hold. or a sign hanging on the side of a gas station while you pump saying "WE Apprecaite Your Business".

Thanks a lot sign.. You know so much about me!

I swear, I had the best job this summer... I worked at Mcdonalds.

I'm a senior in high school, and I started applying to jobs kind of late into the summer, this was one of the only places left to work at. But, I was lucky enough to get 50% of the most healthy food in the world.

Now I gotta decide what I really will do the rest of my life by picking a degree and applying to colleges. Its probably entrepreneurship (I like the idea of having no boss and making my own hours) or maybe electrical engineering. Im so tired of school, I wish there was a college that just taught me the basics to running a business with out throwing all those general eds at me (and maybe give me a shiny looking degree so that I can get a loan ).

Current position
HR title: Computer Scientist
Reporting title: Senior Network Engineer Lead
Functional title: Network Engineer/Architect

Have been doing Information Technology work like this since the late 80's mostly for large corporate environments including Seagram, Tropicana, Pepsico, Wachovia, Aon, CSC

I have a love/hate relationship with my job. (I loved working for Seagram and Tropicana, because I got to design and implement some networks in Europe)

In many ways, I still love a whole lot of what I do.
Some days I don't love it as much.
Other days I really hate some aspects of the job, or really more the environment I am currently doing the job in.

Prior to being a network engineer I was a thermodynamic engineer, and prior to that I was an auto mechanic.

Although I have been working for over 30 years, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

okay that makes me feel better but I dont think its going to fly with the wife I guess I just need to go back to school.

I say go for it, IMO 30%-ish above materials and read Rich dad Poor dad. Click to view attachment to start.

just my 2c mind you

I am also Captain John Picard of the USS Enterprise.

click it

More people than I realize head back to school. About half the people in my night class are my age or older. It's fun so far because I've done college before and I used to teach so it's like, "Yeah, I got this. Cool."

Im a musician, and a male stripper (of paint on historical houses)

I try my best to keep it in that order, and when the balance is maintained, Im a very happy person.
Some day it might just be music, but truthfully I dont dig the whole starving artist lifestyle and mentality.
Some people can do it, but my musician parents bestowed upon me the great gift of shame:lol:

I didnt start college until I was 23, and at 28 I just now have my BM from Berklee college of music in film scoring, and performance.
Seriously though, I love music, but I like to get dirty, and see progress when I work.
This way I save money on that gym membership too

Well, GEE WILLIKERS! I guess I stripped just yesterday. Mmmm, baby, all that lead-based hotness.

That is very true. I love walking someone through a property at the beginning and the looks and questions like, "You sure you want to do this?" And later the same person coming back and saying,"Wow, I had no idea the old dump could become this."

Mod EDIT: TSK, TSK...Duchess, using the 'S' word....

I used to help my father in-law with his sign business. I was able to help make some pretty cool signage around town - and some are quite large ( car dealers , Energizer plant [ BIG pink wabbit], etc). I love to drive by and look at them. Just because I get the residual sence of accomplishment from them. That's why I like the DIY thing and our business. That sense of accomplishment is like a drug - you can get hooked easy.

going back to school made a huge difference for me. I worked as a contractor doing PC support for a big oil company and after getting laid off (I did not like my contract company at all and they knew it) I decided I should go back to school. I was able to pay for my school by working for a different contractor for the same oil company. By the time I was almost finished with school I had established a good network in the company and got hired on at the beginning of the year. It was tough as their degree/GPA requirements were pretty high, but now I've almost doubled my salary within the past 1.5 years. Because of it we'll be able to fix our house up how we want it and pay it off within the next 2.5 years.

oh..now I do application development/support .

[county bumpkin chagrin] Golly, Mr. Insertname, puhlease don't tell my Mah. She'll be awful sore 'bout me using rough language 'n' tan my hide till it's all the colors of them purdy iodined feathers the sahciety ladies wear in them their Sunday bonnets. [/chagrin]

I hope someone else enjoyed the irony of the edit as much as I did. Totally slayed me! After all the terrible, terrible things I've said on this board -- keyboard sopping from coital palaver -- the edit gets played for the "s-word"!

Which kind of brings me back to the topic. I started cursing several years ago to tarnish my far-too-innocent reputation after holding a position ("occupation" would imply I got paid for it) as a low level minister/religious educator.

I actually like what I do,,, I just wish I could do it it more.

I have been in construction all of my life, the rude crude and socially unacceptible side of carpentry most of the time. Work your butt off for 8 to 10 hrs a day then head straight to the closest watering hole. And close it down.

Life was good.

At 40 I decided to work for the county in the maint. dept. (I know alittle late to start worrying about a pension but better late then never) I enjoy the interaction between dept.s and would enjoy it more if I actually was able to work as the county carpenter but as a lead of the maint crew I have to do the "politics sugar shuffle" more then I want. I worked most of my life in the real world where it was A-holes and elbows only now I have to deal with workers that can't or will not do the work they were hired to do.

When I do get to use the skills of my trade, I am at my happiest.

what did I have to do with the edit?

Whoops! Sorry about that. It's just pretty much every other time I've seen an edit for language, the mod that edited it was the next to post. Airheadedness happens.

hey kinda of along those same lines, can someone explain my warning level next to my avatar? it saus its at 0 percent. what are warning levels?

start catcalling the mods - you'll find out

Its a Mod tool - a way for us Mods to keep track of members and the warnings they've received. You'll notice that you can see your bar, but not any other user's. We mods can see them all (and manipulate them as necessary...) If you had a warning your level would be higher and if you clicked on the bar you'd see the note that the Mod made when he gave you the warning.

And just in case, no, Duchess, I wasn't the phantom editor...

edited: you dont want to know...