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What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-24-2004, 01:14 PM   #1
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What do you do? What did you do?

As a group I would think one characteristic many of us share (putting it mildly) is

Our preference to do other things with our time than work at a job.

If your still working, What do you do?
If retired, What did you do?

Specifics not necessary just general type of work.



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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-24-2004, 01:42 PM   #2
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

I'm still working and about 7 years out from retirement.

Software engineer / architect / project lead - built some of the most bleeding edge tech and some more mundane stuff too. *Developed products and code that I think everyone here interacts with every day.
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-24-2004, 02:22 PM   #3
 
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

Quote:
Me - Retired - Software Engineer - Software Development Manager - V.P. Client Services software firm.

At one time I was a COBOLaSaurus just like in Dilbert.
Not quite sure what the data gathering would pinpoint but what the heck. Replace COBOL with Assembler and that's my CV. ER - Programmer - Project Manager - V.P.Software Development.
FWIW, my COBOL cohorts have been advancing up the corporate ladder faster than my Assembler cohorts but to be fair it is a rather limited statistic based only on my experience.
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-24-2004, 02:59 PM   #4
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

1966-1992, grunt mfg engr. aerospace - American SST(canceled), Skylab,Viking,Space Shuttle. Test articles,production start - mostly - flaps,heat shields, primer/foam, composites structure, etc. Make em and break em (test articles that is ) and watch the the number crunchers cry - heh,heh.

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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-24-2004, 03:03 PM   #5
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

I am a white collar worker in the banking and finance industry.

I asked this question because I had a hunch most early retirees had good jobs or well paying jobs. That's probably why they can afford to retire.

I have the Paul Terhorst cassette and I remember him telling a story about a guy working his tail off to achieve what Paul already had and was giving up.

I wonder if the desire to quit is stronger with certain types of work. You would think a porter would want out more than a lawyer,
but maybe not




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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-24-2004, 03:18 PM   #6
 
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

Nope GTM, I think it makes no difference if you are a CEO
(like me) or a shoe shiner. I gave up more money, more
prestige, bigger houses, newer cars, the country club,
my wife, yada yada...............You either have the right
attitude or you don't. and you might have $1,000,000
or $100,000, or even less. If you want it bad enough
and have enough brain power, you will do it your way.
That's the key. Not retiring or working. That's not it.
It's doing what you want, and not just for today.........
but forever!

John Galt
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-24-2004, 03:28 PM   #7
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

Hmmm - a while back we queried for INTJ's to confirm or reject the ER influence - posulated on REHP survey of personality types.
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-24-2004, 03:50 PM   #8
 
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

Quote:
I wonder if the desire to quit is stronger with certain types of work. You would think a porter would want out more than a lawyer,but maybe not
If you want a throw-a-dart guess, how about middle management?

On a broader scale, it's all about where you're in your career. ER is over-rated if you're enjoying and getting tremendous satisfaction from your job. OTOH, FI is never under rated.
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-25-2004, 05:54 AM   #9
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

I am a credit analyst covering financial institutions.
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Old 11-25-2004, 06:02 AM   #10
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-25-2004, 06:15 AM   #11
 
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

Hey! I don't think I ever posted this stuff before, but
if I did, please cut me some slack as I am old and
have consumed an ocean of "Old Stumpknocker".
(no, not this morning)

Almost my entire full time work life was in
manufacturing (1963 --1993 and 1994 -1998).
A variety of industries, but the last 10 years was
military and aerospace. CEO, COO, CFO, sometimes
in combination. Also, bought, started, ran a couple
companies of my own. Yep, I was a busy guy.

John Galt
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-25-2004, 06:40 AM   #12
 
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

And another thing................for those of you who are
wondering howcum with my employment history
I wound up with so little money, it's like this. I spent
most of it at casinos/horse tracks, on women and fast living. The rest
I just wasted

John Galt
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-25-2004, 06:45 AM   #13
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

When I was in school I interned as process engineer for chip and electronic parts manufacturer. Then after graduation I started working as junior power plant automation system designer. Then Intermediate power plant automation system engineer.

Our project structure is pretty laid-back. We do have project manager and project supervisor and then these people decide who should become engineering Project Lead. They usually pick someone who is at least Intermediate Engineer though so I got to "play" Project Lead couple of times (but no, no extra compensation for Project Lead).

Jane
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-25-2004, 09:11 AM   #14
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

Count one more for aerospace engineering/middle management satellite design.

Still working since my trigger is stuck.

For me, my career started as a hobby in electronic design but slowly deteriorated to monotony - well maybe not slowly, more like the first few days of work. There are some moments of mental stimulation from work, but not worth the loss of freedom 5 days a week (I simply refuse overtime days).

It would be good to hear some of John Gs fast living fast woman days - it almost makes me feel I am missing out on something (except for the gambling). That's almost a deterrent for FIRE.

notTwain
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-25-2004, 09:23 AM   #15
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

Millwright.
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-25-2004, 09:55 AM   #16
 
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

Hello Rock Miner! I doubt a connection between
engineering/software types and the tendency toward ER. I do think I see some affinity in the INTJ
personality type. I can see now (only with hindsight)
that I was destined for ER, a slam dunk unless I
found some employment that I enjoyed more than loafing. I firmly believe that might have caused me
to continue on down the yellow brick road of commerce.
Alas, I was pulled away from rolling along with the big wheels by the
siren song of idleness, or maybe it was just that those wheels had started to come off? (That was 4 metaphors in a row with a couple of literary allusions
thrown in for those of you keeping track at home)

John Galt
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-25-2004, 09:56 AM   #17
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

Did the software stuff for long enough to realize I needed to interact more with people, so went to business school (MIT) and then did product design/marketing in the world of financial information for a huge multinational. Bailed on that after 8 years and started two web firms, one doing web design in 1994, the second doing virtual classroom/distance learning software in 97.

WIth the VCs blessing, I left in 2001 to start ER and they also wanted the chance to find someone who could make sales grow faster. (They never found anyone who could!)

So my path to ER was software, middle management, entrepreneurship.

ESRBob



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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-25-2004, 10:56 AM   #18
 
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

I'm also an engineer, actually, an electrical engineer. My specialty is digital signal processing. I worked on digital video communication (compression) for many years. Started off with videoconferencing, then moved on to IP (internet) audio/video delivery. Over the years I've learned to be a software engineer, working on embedded systems and PC software.

Now I windsurf, and surf the waves around Maui.
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-25-2004, 11:41 AM   #19
 
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

For what it is worth.........I only know of one person
from my high school class who retired earlier than I.
As far as I could tell he never held a "real" job. What
he did have was a working wife and a very
"live off the land" bare bones life style. Most of our classmates are still working, but at age 60 neither of us being retired is all that unusual any more.

John Galt
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?
Old 11-25-2004, 11:50 AM   #20
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Re: What do you do? What did you do?

I was a teacher in London ON for 33 years. I'm an honours Geography specialist.

Been happily retired since 1997!

My family and I were on a teacher exchange to Australia in 1978.

I was president of the Middlesex teacher's union for a couple of years.

Mrs. Zipper, 5 years younger, works at the London Regional Cancer Centre.

*Note how Hyper and I spell centre.
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