What kind of jobs have you had? What did/do you like about them?

mjd

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Timenspace, I moved our conversation over here since it's a new topic.

That really makes me sad. Politics collecting political short sighted points has never done any good.
Those war veterans were going through unimaginable difficult service time, and they need a lot of specific support. Not all, but some obviously need institutions and care...it makes me feel so so sad they cannot get it...
It is horrible to take someone's life like that...is he in jail since?
Not being an expert, one could wonder, what if he got the care he needed, would she still be alive? And he deserved care. Saddening.
There are all kinds of stories of reintegration of war veterans...some are successful and role-model examples of mental strength, and all virtues, never easy, but doable.

So sorry about the hardships you had to go through. Great that you did college! Well done.
Are you a war veteran too? Or if not, what jobs did you do after college?

Yes, it is very sad. I think people would rather just not think about it.

I am not sure what happened to our neighbor (we didn't know him) after he killed his mom. I imagine he was sent to prison.

I studied math and business management in college and went on to middle management type positions. My favorites were in areas where I could help other people directly (ie. non-profits). I was also a volunteer child abuse advocate which involved helping families that were in the court system as a "voice" for the minor child/ren. That one was very hard on me. In another contract position I helped develop a program for men leaving prison to have a safe place to readjust to society. I did some work to help after Hurricane Katrina hit LA and oversaw the management of hundreds of volunteers as resources were moved in from around the nation. Now, I'm disabled and unable to physically do those kinds of things. From time to time, I find some opportunities to help out behind the scenes via the computer which is nice.

What kind of jobs have you had and how are things going for you and your family?
 
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I started work 6? Weeks before my 15th birthday, I said I was nearly 17. You couldn't work in a factory until 16. I was a sheet metal worker, I worked my way up to foreman of the welding grinding shop. We made freezers. Worked manually until I went into sales 9 to 5 in about 89? Then started my own business in 91, my company looked after my family very very well. I've been around the world with some places 3 or 4 times. Semi retired in 2018 but did some contract work for a year or two, basically nothing now except enjoy life and my grandkids.
I have a social conscience and gave back to my community, my kids are doing the same, coaching sports and involved with their kids schools.
I hope the cycle continues with our grandkids.

Russ
 
When I was perhaps, 9 or 10 years old, I took a summer job selling ice cream from one of those bicycles with a freezer box between two front wheels. There were of course, certain places where I could sell a whole lot of ice cream in just that one place.

One such place was a school yard and it led to an interesting event. I was almost instantly surrounded by kids wanting to buy ice cream of various types, popsicles, fudgesicles, dreamsicles, ice cream sandwiches and so forth. I was soon doing fantastically good business.

And then, this kid steps up requests "Hoo hujikos."

I looked into his eyes, confused.

He repeated "Hoo hujikos."

And then it clicked "Oh, hoo hujikos!" And I reached into the box and brought out two fudgesicles which I presented to this patron.

His face became a big smile as he took them in.

I then queried after payment "Hiffy hents!"

The kids jaw dropped and he pronounced "Huh?"

The crowd of kids who gathered burst out laughing.

I then read a sign on the gymnasium wall that the school included classes for the deaf and hard of hearing.

I smiled and forgot to get the fifty cents. But none the less, I sold out all but a couple ice cream bars in that one spot.
 
What kind of jobs have you had and how are things going for you and your family?
Those sound like good jobs. It is wonderful how much you were able to help.
I studied piano and music. My jobs were both music-related and non-music related. Office admin jobs, translating and then teaching and performing music. Volunteering for free concerts (playing and reciting poetry) was a thing I did in the past, even founded a non profit for it. That lasted several years. Briefly volunteered in an animal rescue center. Applied to volunteer for homeless, but Covid prevented it.

Loved the learning in them all. Love performing. And love the passing on knowledge to students.
 
Such a sweet story.
Both my parents are deaf. Completely deaf.
Besides helping them, I translated for the Deaf sports.
Did you know the Deaf handball team of Croatia is 4 times World champion?

Its ironic you became a mucisian. Similarly for me; my Mum was totally blind but my career has been in the visual arts.
 
Its ironic you became a mucisian. Similarly for me; my Mum was totally blind but my career has been in the visual arts.

My career has been in software engineering. However, I am very fond of visual arts and have been very involved, either as an adjunct to what I was doing career-wise or as a hobby interest. I get very theoretical and experimental with my visual art.
 
I've always worked in recruitment for software companies. I never thought I'd follow a career in HR but I quite like it.

When I finished high school, I knew exactly what I wanted to do for a living, and I was sure I wouldn't do it. I wanted to work in literature or languages, probably do research in language or literature. That kind of job doesn't exist in my country and even literature teaching jobs are scarce and not well paid. I wanted to be independent most of all, so I choose a degree that I felt would allow me to live comfortably. It's turned out well, and I was surprised at how much I enjoy what to do.
 
My best job ever was Senior Art Director/Photographer for two car magazines. I was part of the editorial team, so I had a lot of creative input. I also got to drive some amazing cars, and go to some amazing events, including the Monterey Historic Races (The US version of Goodwood), and the Pebble Beach Concours de' Elegance, the granddaddy of all car shows -- I've been there seven times.

The best part is the the manufacturers gave us cars almost every week. I took home some many cool cars, including two Bentley Continentals (a GT and a Supersports), an Audi R8, a Viper, a few Porsches, a few Mercedes, and many Jaguar and Land Rover models. I drove a Jag XK8R convertible/drophead on a road trip through Arkansas (fantastic roads in Arkansas), Took a Mercedes Benz GLS TDI camping in Palo Duro Canyon, Drove a Range Rover to my high school reunion in Port Arthur, drove around Dallas in a Challenger SRT8 six months before they were available to the public -- everywhere I went, I got surround by gawkers. It was a car nut's dream.

I also got to go on some first class trips, paid for by the manufacturers. I stayed at the Biltmore resort and took the Land Rover off-road experience (off-road driving school). I drove the newest Mercedes SL-AMG models around the San Bernardino mountains, and stayed in Palm Springs. I went to New York to drive the newest Challengers, stayed in a hotel overlooking the Statue of Liberty, wined and dined on prime steaks and beverages. On that trip, I also got a pair of Piloti driving shoes in Challenger blue, with the Challenger logo inside. Only 500 pairs were ever made. All of these trips included first class air travel. That's just a few of the trips.

Another part of my job was to review products for the magazines. The manufacturers sent me products, that I didn't have to return. I have a half dozen pairs of sunglasses, including Sarenghetti, Ray Ban, and Porsche Design -- free. I have a Porter Cable professional car polisher ($250), free.

All-in-all, it was a great job for a motorhead (petrolhead) like me. Alas, like a lot of magazines, the internet put them out of business.

CD
 
All-in-all, it was a great job for a motorhead (petrolhead) like me. Alas, like a lot of magazines, the internet put them out of business.
Sounds like golden dusted dream for car enthusiasts indeed...it is a pitty internet extinguished the magazine...

Do not drive a car. Like being driven, but hate driving. Have a licence, but have zero desire to drive. And zero cars.

I will google most of those you mentioned...altough of course the brand names are familiar...

Used to love interior decorating magazines, and just in comparison, net experience and the real paper experience, are Not the same, to me at least. I prefer the paper...

But, the market tells it differently...
 
Such a sweet story.
Both my parents are deaf. Completely deaf.
Besides helping them, I translated for the Deaf sports.
Did you know the Deaf handball team of Croatia is 4 times World champion?

I did some research on the psychology of people with disabilities, going so far as to buy books on the topic, particularly materials relevant to the deaf, mute and blind. It is these disabilities that effect communications, interpersonal and trans-group.

It is most interesting that the born deaf prefer the company of others who are born deaf, so much so as to isolate and show prejudice against those who go deaf, later in their lives. It turns out that being born deaf spawns a culture based upon communications skills which are specific to those born deaf. Someone who goes deaf later in life or by some other cause, never becomes conditioned in the same way and they do not fit in with the born deaf, except so far as the signing skills they learn to overcome the disability. There are then, two cultures of the deaf, not divided by language, but by behavioral norms.

I could not find similar material or studies that defined the same division between the born blind and the gone blind, or the born mute and gone mute.
 
Someone who goes deaf later in life or by some other cause, never becomes conditioned in the same way and theyt do not fit in with the born deaf, except so far as the signing skills they learn to overcome the disability.
My Goodness yes! Yes! The sports leader told me that! When we travelled to Deaf Olympics to Sofia, many y ago. He was born deaf, his wife born deaf, his daughter born deaf, but his son hard of hearing, which I can't really explain...genetics and all...and he explained how tremendously difficult schooling is for deaf. And how being deaf hinders communication in ways that we,hearing persons, cannot imagine.

My parents became deaf as toddlers or early childhood age, after an illness, Mom is born 1944, Dad 1939. Possibly Ww2 played a role...but unsure...

However, I did not notice the subdivision in their deaf community...it was a long time ago they really mingled with their friends...

I might ask them on Sunday, over Easter lunch...

Amazing that you did all that research!!
 
Amazing that you did all that research!!

At University, I was interested at one time, doing a thesis and perhaps directing my career toward computer and software adaptations for the disabled.

It never panned out and I went into some other, more generic aspect of software engineering.
 
My first job was the typical high school job around my neck of the woods: baby sitter. Did this for several years, and probably the worst "children" I ever sat for was at a family with two boys, and about five month old kittens. The boys were fine, the kittens had just discovered that the wallpaper in their house was fabric, and they could get their little claws into the fabric and run up the walls! Which they proceeded to do all evening long!!

Actually, my first job ever was when I was about six, and hired to walk the neighbor's dog once a day one summer to earn a quarter from them each time. They lived in the apartment across from our apartment. I enjoyed that - I'd be gone with the small pooch for about half an hour, and got to walk and explore mostly on my own. If this short career were available for a six year old today, my parents (and possibly the neighbor) would have been arrested for allowing their child to go "free range", especially with a dog who was about the size of a large cat, and had no protective genes whatsoever. There was a wooded area to one side of the building, across a street, with paths in it, and that's usually where I would take the dog. Mind you, this was in New York City, upper Manhattan. I found it rewarding to have an excuse to get outside, and would have done it with the dog even if I weren't getting the quarters.

When I turned 18, I spent two summers working at the accounting office at Seagram's, in New York City. Dad worked at the other building in NYC - by high school we'd moved out of "The City" and lived what we called "Upstate", and Dad would commute in. (Seriously, it really wasn't upstate, maybe 45 minutes to commute in on the train.) But those summers, Dad and I would commute in together in the smoking car - my hours started a half hour prior to his, and ended a half hour before his, but he didn't mind getting in early. My building was a bit closer to the train station (Grand Central Station), so I enjoyed window shopping on my way back to the station because I knew what train we'd both catch together, so Mom could pick us up at the same time at the home station. Working there was interesting - I spent my time coding invoices, and this was the days prior to computerization. I learned to do the numeric keypad left handed so my dominant right hand could write things down. Speeded up the process! (I always resented that personal computers, once they became available, almost always have the numeric keypad on the right!)

I guess the only work-related day I hated there was the one when a co-worker and I decided to go lunch outside the cafeteria together. We ate, then we stopped at a pharmacy that also sold makeup. She said, going in, "don't let the staff watch me, I'm going to lift some make up supplies". Scared to death, I was. I don't believe in shoplifting, and since she was a permanent employee who made more money than I did as a temp, she did not need to shoplift! Especially on non-essentials such as make up! I just hung around in one spot, not knowing what to do, and being a very shy and introverted teen, did nothing. Except I did decide that was the LAST lunch break out of the facility I'd EVER take with her!

In the evening, Dad and I would meet up at Grand Central, and take the train home - in the evenings I learned rapidly I should go in a non-smoking car, as I couldn't breathe in his smoking one. Smokers were far more "at it" on their commute home.

I had other jobs working at the college library as an assistant.... basically looking up reference material for some of the professors. Again, in the card-catalog days, prior to much of anything being computerized. I enjoyed that. Library environments are peaceful.

After finishing up with schooling, I kept looking for jobs in my field. I was mostly interested in doing environmental work, or medical work. (I did a variety of no-education-needed temp jobs in the interim, most of which were okay, as they kept me busy and my parents sort of happy... I declined to apply for a job at Revlon where I would have to apply toxins to live rabbit eyes, for the sake of developing - make-up. This might be a major reason I don't wear the stuff.... Medicines are essential. Make-up is NOT. Every woman is pretty enough without! Hmm, I guess a theme from earlier? At any rate, Mom was extremely unhappy that I refused to apply for the position.)

At any rate, I got a temp job that lasted two years at a pharmaceutical company. Learned to operate a small-scale MRI for analytical purposes, and learned to do analytical chemistry. Since my major had been in the biological sciences they didn't want to hire me as a full time analytical scientist.

Got offered two full time jobs the same week. One was in that same company, in the pharmaceutical department. They basically told me, "your interview is in two hours". I was on an experiment, no time to get home and dress appropriately. I was in ratty blue jeans - hey if you are working in a LAB, you don't want to be wearing your interview finest! So, I went to the the interview with my future manager, dressed as I was, explained, and was hired. I worked there 34 years as a full time employee and I loved just about every minute. Okay, not office politics, but that will occur anywhere.
 
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