What was/is your occupation?

[cardude]

Before college:
Mowed yards
Washed cars at a car dealership

During college:
Worked at a gas station pumping gas and changing oil
Welivered pizza
Worked on an offshore oil drilling platform as a welder's helper during one summer
Dishwasher at a girls dorm (pay was free food)
Waiter at a girls dorm (again, for free food)
Apartment complex rental agent for free room
Delivery driver for a commercial real estate broker/management company

After college:
Sales agent for a commercial real estate company
Car salesman at a couple of big dealerships in Houston
Car sales at family dealership
Service sales at family dealership
Bought out partners in family dealership and became dealer

Retired about two years ago......

 

[FinallyRetired]

Before college:
Washed elephants at a circus
Loaded Bordens ice cream trucks

While in college
Sold knives door to door

After coillege
Performed structural analyses on Apollo moon rocket
Did fire codes testing for URL

During military
Targeted missiles
Tracked satellites
Analyzed NATO force structure
Taught mathematics

After military
Tested rockets and satellite systems

After retirement
Trim lawn at golf course with irons
Study fluid flow on my boat

 

[bbbamI]

Holy smokes FR......my hat is off to you!

 

[FinallyRetired]

Holy smokes FR......my hat is off to you!

Thanks bbbamI but I'm really awful on the golf course.

 

[bbbamI]

Thanks bbbamI but I'm really awful on the golf course.

Ahhh now....when people refer to golf, they say "I play golf". We normally think of play as something a child does.

Do it...and everything else with abandon.

 

[bbbamI]

Well, it's been almost a year since I've revived this thread.

Any newbies want to add their occupations?

 

[Major Tom]

Well, it's been almost a year since I've revived this thread.

Any newbies want to add their occupations?

Holy cow, you've reminded me that it's been almost a year since I posted in this thread. It's scary how fast time flies

 

[bbbamI]

Holy cow, you've reminded me that it's been almost a year since I posted in this thread. It's scary how fast time flies

Mmmm..hmmm....kinda made my head spin as well.

 

[martyb]

FROM: 12-08-07

Lawn Maintenance Tech (mowed grass)

Equine and Poultry Maintenance Tech (cleaned stables and shoveled chicken shizt)

Worked at my uncle's septic tank & landscaping business on Saturdays

Burger Flipper at Hardee's

Chicken Flipper at KFC

School Bus Driver

Drawing Machine Tender in a textile mill in N.C.

Active Duty (enlisted) in USAF (Bomb Loader on F-4 fighter jets)

Federal Civil Service - Aircraft Ordnance Systems Mechanic

USAF Reserves - Simultaneous to previous job/similar job title

Century 21 Real Estate Agent (simultaneously pursued for 4 years at the same time I was doing the above two jobs)

Still doing ordnance work for the USAF as a civilian, and still a reservist. I will retire in 5 years/1 month. I'm currently sending out resumes in hopes of landing a job with DCMA (Defense Contracting Management Agency) in a Quality Assurance field. Whether I get a job or not, I'll still retire in 5 yrs/1 month.

Update:

I began working for Defense Contract Management Agency (a DoD agency) in August, 2008). My first assignment was in Wisconsin, at a defense contractor that makes ammunition related products. Stayed there 1 yr, then transferred to Texas and now am a Quality Assurance Specialist (federal employee) at one of the biggest US defense contractors that is producing electronics components for advanced missile defense systems. Retired from USAF Reserves in April, 2010. I'm now down to just 19 months till retirement from my full-time federal job, and all systems are "go".

 

[braumeister]

Haven't seen this thread before. I had some great jobs, despite being utterly unqualified for any of them.

In order:
Lifeguard at very small beach (summers)
Summer job as a counterman at Howard Johnson's (this was interesting because it was the last place actually owned by HJ himself. All the others had been franchised and were under the control of HJ Junior. We had an annual visit from HJ, and he seemed like a nice guy.
Telephone company lineman (summers)
Weapons controller (sitting at a radar scope telling interceptor pilots how to find their targets)
Logistics management for all the USAF radar installations east of Ohio and north of Virginia
Managing a very large data processing center in Vietnam
Logistics management for the Air Force Academy
Out on loan to Pan American Airways (remember them?) to upgrade their spare parts inventory systems
Long range logistics planning for military airlift
ROTC instructor at UCLA
Logistics management for all of Air Force ROTC
Military liaison with Brazilian Air Force (three delightful years in Rio do Janeiro)
South America desk in AF plans & programs at Pentagon
Project manager at small software company
Technical writer at large software company
Retired at age 55
Since then, just a little consulting to microbreweries and brewpubs, and judging at beer competitions. Life is good.

 

[martyb]

That reminds me...I was also a lifeguard at a family-owned lake/swimming beach. What a great job for a teenage boy! All the free sodas I wanted, an endless parade of bikinis around me...I never shoulda left that job...

 

[obgyn65]

Clinician.

 

[steelyman]

I do research in high performance computing (supercomputers). For now

 

[Ally]

I don't think I've answered:

Short stint as a telephone solicitor
Babysitter
Gift store sales clerk
Toy store sales clerk
Waitress
Mystery shopper for a hospital
Substitute teacher
Child Care Center Director
Program Director
Executive Director of Nonprofit

 

[Aiming_4_55]

Ok, I'll play - alot of interesting jobs out there.

Prior to completion of college (mostly part-time)

• Chinese restaurant – order taker, food packer, cashier (started at age 10)
• Chicago downtown messenger - walking
• Retail stock guy, cashier, and customer service
• Private investigator – workman’s comp (internship/part time job)
• Retail security (internship/part time job)
• Resident assistant – college dormitory

After college

• Corporate security, physical security, security system admin (started at age 22)
• Part-time landlord / cheap labor handyman (started at 24)
• IT security, IT audit, IT compliance
• Hubby and dad
• about 6 - 8 years, then full-time slum lord ;-) with very part time hours I hope

 

[Jammer]

I'm a full time teacher as well as a wedding photographer many weekends. I'm retiring from teaching next year but will probably continue with the weddings.

 

[kcowan]

I was a business process re-engineer. That took the form of many jobs from Process Engineer to CEO over 35 years.

 

[Katsmeow]

Library page (high school)
Library clerk (college)
Kelly girl (one summer)
Legal Researcher (during law school)
County Attorney
Attorney in private practice (Full time until ESR about a year ago, since then very part time)

 

[Ally]

Wow, between all our various occupations, we ought to be able to give advice on any topic.

 

[braumeister]

Seems to me we already do. And a little of it is good advice.

 

[Nords]

Wow, between all our various occupations, we ought to be able to give advice on any topic.

Seems to me we already do. And a little of it is good advice.

And, of course, a lack of qualifications in a particular area would compel us to avoid giving advice on some topics...

 

[Grizz]

cut lawns (12-15)
dishwasher (16)
shelf stocker (17-22)
electrician (22-29)
business owner (29-42 and counting)

 

[Walt34]

And, of course, a lack of qualifications in a particular area would compel us to avoid giving advice on some topics...

Never slowed me down any....

 

[travelover]

Never slowed me down any....

On the contrary, I've found that the less you know about something, the simpler it is.

 

[urn2bfree]

Cancer doc.