"What do you do for a living?" Thread

[SymphonyXV]

I was just wondering what you guys do for a living. I work at McDonald's while going to school. I am trying to get a new job so I can ditch that rancid hole but no one seems to be hiring because of the recession.

 

[Meedleyx10]

I do the musician thing full-time.

-I have about 30 private students per week (mostly guitar, 2 bass) and do some group sessions
-gig 6-8 times a month between the 5 bands I'm in
-pick up work playing in pits for musicals/theater productions and such
-usually end up in a studio once or twice a week
-tech work.

Shockingly, I manage to support myself (no thanks to the fact that I am being raped and ravished every month by student loan debt )

 

[Kenneth R.]

I'm an A/V Engineer with an international company. We do global installations, demos and events. Our biggest customer in the last couple years is the government of China. We've got handful of multi-million dollar projects in HongKong, Macao, Yulin, Dunhuang, and the 2010 Shanghai Expo. Our primary focus is on planetariums, or as they are now called, digital visualization theaters. We're transitioning into a new era when it's not just about space. The systems I build can fly you through a DNA model in 3D, take you through a coral reef, or fly you literally outside the universe. All of our data is hard science. That means, when I'm at the controls flying to other galaxies, the positions of every object and their attributes come directly from NASA, ESA, and other researchers. We can even manipulate time. Resolution on the hemispherical screen for these systems can be as high as 8000x8000x3D, a feat that requires 12 projectors each costing more than a sports car.

Work itself involves precision calibration of optics (sub-millimeter at 50 feet), advanced geometric transforms, installation/termination of fiber optic cables, networking, video and audio cabling, speaker rigging, lighting, automation, programming, acute problem solving (can't stress that enough), frequent world travel (particularly Asia, Oceania, and Mediterranean), audio tuning, customer service, technical support, project management, inventory management, time management, and a not-easily-defeated attitude.

I actually really like my job, and I even like my boss too. I just loathe HIS boss, who runs the company. That's how the cookie crumbles.

The job

 

[CantoX]

Wow Ken your job sounds awesome! Meedly, what you do is quite a bit but is pretty amazing, doing what you love and making money.

As for me, I'm a student. Used to study engineering, but I sucked at it big time, and now I'm a mass communications major. I hope to go into the advertising or public relations field.

I have a part time job, which is I work at a motorcycle performance/repair shop and I help manage the place.

 

[SymphonyXV]

Have any of you ever worked at a fast food place?

 

[Kenneth R.]

btw we're hiring for this position too. don't say i didn't warn you that it sucks.

(never worked retail or fast food, the closest I ever came was doing remodel AKA destruction&truck driving for walmart one summer)

 

[ABQShredHead]

I manage an engineering department in telecommunications. I sacked groceries once, but never fast food.

I'll expand... My team and I design, build, and operate a cellular system. We're currently upgrading to 42 Mbps data speeds for mobile phones. I get to climb to the tops of mountains, the tops of buildings, and get access to special events to plan capacity. I get to spend tens of millions of dollars every year. I get to meet political figures and local business people. And I get free phones. haha

 

[Beelzebub]

Allow me to post my resume Ken style ;P

I worked at a coffee shop, that's about the extent of my foray into the food service industry.

I have since moved on to greener pastures. My official title is Project Engineer. I work for a consulting company specializing in plant controls system design. Our biggest client is the utility here in NYC, Con Edison. I work in project management. My responsibilities include but are not limited to helping to evaluate scopes/specs, walking out designs for projects, evaluating bids for materials, and money management. It's a lot of fun and I love it.

 

[SymphonyXV]

That's weird I wasn't expecting you guys had such high profile jobs! Fast food does suck hard.

 

[Beelzebub]

btw we're hiring for this position too. don't say i didn't warn you that it sucks.

(never worked retail or fast food, the closest I ever came was doing remodel AKA destruction&truck driving for walmart one summer)

What about the sandwich place?

 

[Liquid Tension]

I design and build camera systems for some really cool projects.

My newest project is the helmet camera that will be used at the Probowl this weekend.
Enjoy the east coast's snow and ice while I'm in Honolulu providing Tech support for the cameras.

 

[J-Dubya 777]

I'm titled as a Data Center Supervisor, but I do everything from network stuff, system administration/building, to running the Help Desk. The company I work for is a tech company, specializing in credit card processing.

I have been in the IT field for 25+ years, it's not what it used to be, but it pays (most) of the bills.


My favorite job is working as a guitar tech for the Prog Power USA festival, 4 days a year...

I never worked fast food, but I've made pizzas, bussed tables, washed dishes, delivered office supplies, worked one summer on a farm, medical courrier, delivered cars, even worked in a gas station back when places actually had full service, and cleaned your windows, checked your oil, and the air pressure in your tires.....

 

[1by4by9]

I have a restoration business and I also work for Sonera (a Finnish communications operator) by selling cellphones & web gear at the local store.

 

[Phanto]

I sit at home and eat potatochips and play games all day long.

 

[Wander]

I sit at home and eat potatochips and play games all day long.

More or less the same atm.

Finished my military service this month and have been doing absolutely nothing since. May get a job at the potato company of my relatives next month where I intend to work til' I start studying English at a university next autumn.

And oh yeah, if I wanted to, I could actually start doing that potato business shit for a living, but I have zero interest in it so there. Don't really have a plan about what to do for a living, but I guess studying English will get me somewhere. Atleast I'm sort of interested in languages.

 

[SymphonyXV]

You guys are very lucky! It would be very nice to not ever have to work too hard and just be able to kick it at home. Tragically I don't think that future is in my cards... You guys haven't lived until you'd scrubbed the scum off the McDonald's toilet.

 

[Wander]

I think shoveling rotten potatos in a storage with air full of dust and dirt is pretty shit as well. And it's friggin noisy with the machines going all the time as well. I've worked there for a few summers already.

And don't forget that I was in the friggin army for 6 months. I'm the first to admit that I'm really pretty much a nerd and running and jumping and shooting stuff in a forest in -25 celcius (that's -13 Fahreinheit for you Americans) wasn't exactly my thing. I think I've done my share of "living" for a 19 year old.

Besides, I couldn't really work at a McDonald's even if I wanted to, cause the closest one is 40km away

 

[Kenneth R.]

What about the sandwich place?

doesn't count yasminty, i was a driver.

since we're throwing the CVs around, not only can you have my job, but I'm looking to vacate it. So those of you in the tech field, ping me if you think there's an opening my abilities could fill.

 

[SymphonyXV]

I think it's comical how everyone says they are going to quit their jobs but hardly any of them do. I have heard every single last worker at my McDonald's say that they are going to quit and go back to school and be a doctor or something then they end up staying for another 5 years making the same wages as when they were hired. Damn the recession!

 

[Postulate]

I'm a student and work in a research lab. I don't support myself yet though. Hopefully in a couple years I will (18 currently).

I'm sorry for anyone who has had to work fast food. No one ever comes out of it saying they enjoyed it.

I'm an A/V Engineer with an international company. We do global installations, demos and events. Our biggest customer in the last couple years is the government of China. We've got handful of multi-million dollar projects in HongKong, Macao, Yulin, Dunhuang, and the 2010 Shanghai Expo. Our primary focus is on planetariums, or as they are now called, digital visualization theaters. We're transitioning into a new era when it's not just about space. The systems I build can fly you through a DNA model in 3D, take you through a coral reef, or fly you literally outside the universe. All of our data is hard science. That means, when I'm at the controls flying to other galaxies, the positions of every object and their attributes come directly from NASA, ESA, and other researchers. We can even manipulate time. Resolution on the hemispherical screen for these systems can be as high as 8000x8000x3D, a feat that requires 12 projectors each costing more than a sports car.

Work itself involves precision calibration of optics (sub-millimeter at 50 feet), advanced geometric transforms, installation/termination of fiber optic cables, networking, video and audio cabling, speaker rigging, lighting, automation, programming, acute problem solving (can't stress that enough), frequent world travel (particularly Asia, Oceania, and Mediterranean), audio tuning, customer service, technical support, project management, inventory management, time management, and a not-easily-defeated attitude.

WELL, I think that one pretty much takes the cake. Thread over, everyone.