Education level & occupation of ER

[Hiss]

[Just Ctrl C and Ctrl X your desired test inside the quotes and you will have it. ][/]

Thanks for trying to help me Cut-Throat, but if this didn't work, I'm un-helpable.

 

[Cut-Throat]

Thanks for trying to help me Cut-Throat, but if this didn't work, I'm un-helpable.

1.) highlight the text you want to quote -
2.) Press Ctrl and C key at the same time.
3.) Hit reply
4.) when text box comes up - click on 2nd to the last tool button on the second row.
5.) when the quotes appear on your screen. Click in between them
6.) Hit Ctrl and X key at the same time

 

[Hiss]

If you click it, a quote will appear on your text page. Just Ctrl C and Ctrl X your desired test inside the quotes and you will have it.[

Hey I got it! Sorry to waste space (if you can do so) and everyone's time from my trial and errors.

 

[Paul]

>>>
Originally I was in a pre-law program, but left after 2 years - It was hard to resist the Money I was earning in Software. 30 years of various positions in the Software Industry made me ready to ER.  I can now pursue my true calling of a Fly Fisherman
>>>>

Cut-Throat,

Thanks for the insight. Since you are from Minnesota, did you attend the U of M, William M or Hamline law program?

I am still waiting for the fishing openners to arrive. Recently the temperature in Minnesota has not been cooperating for too many outdoor activities, not even for snow shoeing or cross country skiing.

Happy retirement.

Paul

 

[sgeeeee]

Education level: PhD, Electrical Engineering
Pre-retirement occupation: coal miner, professor, engineer, engineering director

The coal mining was my occupation before I found out I could get money to go to college. Engineering was easier -- or at least it was cleaner.

 

[Paul]

Pre-retirement occupation:  coal miner, professor, engineer, engineering director

The coal mining was my occupation before I found out I could get money to go to college.  Engineering was easier -- or at least it was cleaner.

Salary Guru,

Which occupation did you enjoy the most if not for the money?

Paul

 

[John Galt]

Hello Paul! While salaryguru is preparing his answer, I thought I would add a little something.

Even though I spent most of my career in manufacturing,
I always loved real estate (investing, not selling).
When I was young, it was not uncommon for me to hold a couple of part time jobs, in addition to my full time
gig. Many times I considered going into real estate
investing full time. I loved it. I understood it. I was
good at it. Never happened. I made money and had
some fun just dabbling though. It was always my first love.

John Galt

 

[Paul]

Even though I spent most of my career in manufacturing,
I always loved real estate (investing, not selling).
...... It was always my first love.
John Galt

Hi John,

I assume that you are alluding to that fact that one should pursue work of interest as opposed to monetary reward and financial reward will follow when one engages in work of passion.

Paul

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Interesting question of preferred job regardless of money.

It might be better if I did it again to see how well it appeals, but when I was 17 and working 3 jobs (one of the first computer retail outlets for min wage, burger flipper at macdonalds, and dishwasher/bus boy in a high end deli in an expensive mall), my favorite, and that feeling persisted with me for some time, was the dishwasher job.

It was busy at times, but we also had plenty of slack time, the money was actually quite good because the waitresses shared tips with me for helping them, the food was great and I could eat all I wanted of it, there were no politics, and you knew you were done at the end of the day.

 

[Paul]

..my favorite, and that feeling persisted with me for some time, was the dishwasher job.

It was busy at times, but we also had plenty of slack time, the money was actually quite good because the waitresses shared tips with me for helping them, the food was great and I could eat all I wanted of it, there were no politics, and you knew you were done at the end of the day.

Hi TH,

This reminds me of an occupation, i.e., pharmacist, that I would have considered if I had to start over again. The pay is respectable, and you are not subject to annual performance reviews, project deadlines, unproductive meetings, politcs, and long hours.

Paul

 

[sgeeeee]

Which occupation did you enjoy the most if not for the money?

I really enjoyed being an engineer when I was an individual technical contributor most. Professor was too political and I was surrounded by prima donnas. And engineering director was also too political. It was more like being a spiritual leader than being an engineer and it was hard to quantify what you really had managed to do on a day-to-day basis. Plus, I found it difficult to keep from taking political and personnel problems home with me.

I enjoyed many aspects of being a coal miner. Not much politics and you had something tangible (a pile of coal and a vacant entryway) to point to as an accomplishment at the end of every day. And when you went home at night, there was not much fear that you were going to bring your work problems home with you. But it was hard, dangerous, dirty work performed 500 feet underground and it wouldn't top my list as favorites.

Like TH, I spent time washing dishes in a dishroom and I also worked on a county highway crew during summers in high school and undergraduate years. They were jobs, not careers since they were temporary. But I did like washing dishes for some of the reasons TH listed. I also met my wife in the dishroom. I slopped the dishes and she loaded the machine. It was probably my sexy apron and hairnet that made her fall for me.

But county highway road crew would top my list of favorite jobs. I only worked summers and walked behind a truck shoveling rock onto oil and asphalt patches. We'd walk 10 or 15 miles a day out along the beautiful Southern Illinois countryside. Once you got in good enough physical condition, you could go all day and carry on a pleasant conversation with your co-workers. At the end of the day you could look back on the miles of highway you had fixed. Your muscles had a mild, satisfying warmth from the exertion and you had improved your tan. I miss it just writing about it.

 

[Paul]

I really enjoyed being an engineer when I was an individual technical contributor most.

Salary Guru,

Thanks for the reply. I think engineering is great since you are actually developing products that are beneficial to society.

I was a dish washer when I was 17 during which automatic dish washers were not widespread. I had to wash them by hand.

Paul

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Oboy, if I had to wash them by hand I might rank that job lower. We had a big stainless steel one, you loaded the rack, rolled it in one side, closed the door, cycled it, rolled it out the other side.

I'm considering a career option that would blend the best of my money making skills and low aggravation (I think). My dad lives in a well-to-do golf retirement community. Everyone there has a computer and has a lot of handyman needs. He mentioned that the folks there often hire people to help with their pc problems/upgrades and do fix it work, and the "handymen" rip them off.

To wit, one guy across the street was "having problems with quicken". An "expert" was recommended who has so far charged him over $500 to "work on it". His computer is 10 years old. I think I see the problem already. Both of them. A woman a few houses over had a small tree blow over in a high windstorm. Charged her $500 to remove it. My dad had a similar tree blow over, I pulled it upright with my truck, we shoveled a little dirt on it, all good. Same woman paid $250 to mount a screen door on her house.

Seems to me that I could charge about a quarter what these guys are getting and have all the handywork I feel like doing, and turn a nice profit to boot. Here in CA you dont need any special licenses to do any work that is under $500 per job.

On the other hand, I'm sure there are a world of headaches associated with this sort of work.

 

[Paul]

On the other hand, I'm sure there are a world of headaches associated with this sort of work.

Hi TH,

You are right. I have a friend, a handyman, had a rough time to collect money from the customers. A lot of time, he had to put up money upfront to buy the material. In some cases, he actually lost money. I guest contractual skills are a must.

Paul

 

[BusyMom]

Lots of initials in these messages...the only ones I have are M.O.M. but it's great. Currently am working as an Real Estate Appraiser and will stay with this until ER. One could consider me a "job junkie" as once I had really mastered the job, I had to move either up or out. I can't continue spinning my wheels, need more challenge. Spent time in food service, bartending (my fave as $$ was great and immediate and, as earlier said, work was done when you punched out) brokerage firm, couple stints at WMT,usually had 3 jobs going at any one time. Then my husband and I owned a construction/development co., built some houses, then tired of self-employ and he's now @ a power plant-where he'll stay until ER.

 

[John Galt]

Re. the handyman comments, for all of my many skills
this is one I lack. I am usually pretty hopeless about
fixing stuff. And, I am impatient and very fussy, a
terrible combination for any DIY/handyman jobs.
The post about what the "experts" were charging older folks got me to thinking. Last summer, a neighbor dog
pushed out the screen in our porch window. I took it into a local window repair shop, but told them to call
me with a price before they started. They called. I told
them to just throw it away. We have lots of windows.

John Galt

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Well I can fix or build just about anything, and if I dont know how to do it I can usually find something on the net or a book to show me. Even in areas where I've had some trepidation I've found the results good.

Its just that I became so displeased with the quality of work the "pros" are willing to slink by on. If you dont watch them and question everything they do, you often get a sloppy job. *I* can do a sloppy job for heavens sake.

On the contracting, I think if I did it it would mostly be one-off stuff where I'd get paid on the spot. Remove that tree. Install this screen door. Replace my washer/dryer hoses. Tell me why my computer does this when I do that.

Only two things that would hinder me. I'm not too sure about any liability issues. For instance if the screen door I install whacks someone and knocks them down, how far away is liability on that one? Common sense tells me not to worry, but I know common sense doesnt apply to law in many cases.

Other thing is I'd probably get sucked into 80 hour a week total job offers. There are 5,000 homes in that retirement community and they share references on people who do good work cheap. From what i've seen the only people working in there are doing bad work expensively.

 

[Jack]

Hmmm... this is my first post on this forum so I hope it goes well, as I have weird sense of humor,
I'm honestly a high school drop out , punched the button half way through my senior year, I don't know if thats technically correct though as I was an honor roll student and got my diploma through the mail, either the principal was just tired of dealing with me or I actually deserved it. After that I joined the service (USAF) after my bike laid down on me and I needed a place to stay other than the shoulder of the road. They figured I had a head on my shoulders so they trained me as an EOD tech, during which I almost lost my head. When I got out (with my head still attached) I went into construction pounding nails, you can make alot of money pounding nails, if you can pound them fast enough, and I was fairly fast at pounding them, although I did pound one into my knee cap, (found it during a MRI!)
I was self employed for quite some time, then the IRS came along (those guys are better than average at their job) and I became employed,(you can be assimilated) so now I'm a super for a small construction company and we're retiring in just a few short years at age 46, My wife and I will have our magical number by then, 650k at the present. If thats not enough we have a couple of emergency plans in place, we figure that we can offer a full range of services such as Barn Raisings, Gospel Singings, Virgin Conversions, Software piracy, Revivals, Yard Mowing, Barn Burnings, House Cleaning and General Carpentry (she's a whiz at pounding nails and a good worker) . We have our retirement home paid for , canal front on Okeechobee, as I like to hang onto a big 'ol billy mouth bass from time to time and she likes laughing at me when he gets off. (Biggun's is what the 11year old stranger calls 'em)
Currently the biggest hang up to our retirement is that I don't have my Big "O" bass boat with a Kawsukionda 4 stroke as of yet, and we also have an 11 year old stranger still in the nest. We have regular board meetings, between labor and management, and as I represent labor, I've attempted to bring up the neccesity of these items in our annual budget (I also need an over and under Charles Daly 12 ga. and a complete set of Scent Blockers, not just the hat I got for Christmas)and the lack of funding for these projects, but to no avail. If any of you have any suggestions at better negotiating skills I'd love to hear from you.

Happy ER to All!
Jack

 

[unclemick]

Well - if you can keep a straight face threaten; to withhold sex, grow your own food, fish from a pirogue without a lifevest, collect AL cans along the highway, buy old boats to fix up and sell/trade (cars for lander's), and then there's old fashioned whining and begging. The - your toys/my toys budget item worked best. She laughed at with hold idea.

 

[unclemick]

Jack

You could hire and train the 11 yr. old as your labor negotiator-with a 401k and 3% employer matching fund.

 

[BusyMom]

Jack - you don't have a chance as she's on to you....has been on to you...and she's not gonna buy it. But if she's hung on this long, she'll indulge you. I'd give you some hints but if my husband were to read my postings, I'd lose all my power! You'll do just fine in ER as you've been hungry before and long ago learned the difference between need and want....

 

[BusyMom]

re:handyman stuff - the best $$ is in the little jobs. When we were in construction we wouldn't touch it since it took away from the big job. Re:liability - nothing is reasonable or common sense anymore. Do the work, have the homeowner sign an invoice/work order, whatever you want to call it that they are satisfied w/work, quality of work, etc. and cash the check.

 

[Gpax7]

I did the handyman thing as a second job for a while in the 80s. Never worked so hard in my life. Out the door at 6 am for regular job...in the door at 5pm Out the door at 6pm in the door at 11pm.
I was charging 10 bucks an hour and told people I didn;'t know how much their job would cost. But I'd fix it like I would at MY house.. Seemed to impress them. Couldn't give people a final price a lot of times because you weren't sure of what you would find once you got in.
I was always flexible on scope of the work.
I think I'd find it hard to do now though. There are too many people who really look down their noses as a blue collar person. Unless you are fixing their air conditioner. The scam artists and the incompetents in that trade are legion.
Is most trades you have to start as a young person .