What was/is your occupation?

[HFWR]

Mowing lawns
Pitching hay
Spinning records
Reporting high school sports
Pumping gas and changing oil/tires
Making cans
Sorting empty soda bottles and gassing delivery trucks
Cleaning offices and emptying trash cans
Bagging groceries
Making pizzas
Making specialized packaging (i.e. boxes)
Making car parts
Making two-liter soda bottles
Packing eggs
Bartending
Maintainance/repair
Electrical installer
Technician

Probably forgot a few...

 

[simple girl]

fast food (McDonald's)
AV (setting up films, etc. in college)
cocktail waitress
environmentalist at kid's summer camp
cashier at souvenier shop
recreational therapist
freelance writer
physical therapist

 

[grumpy]

Here I am at the end of my career. Amazing how much younger one looks and feels once retired!!

Grumpy

 

[Poundkey]

I suspect the ones who should be humbled are those who had "impressive" jobs and didn't fare as well at reaching FIRE as those with more middle of the road careers. IMHO, you should be very proud of what you've achieved.

Thank you for the kind words. I truely appreciate it.

 

[sgeeeee]

Thank you for the kind words. I truely appreciate it.

It's always nice to hear kind words. You clearly deserve them.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Here I am at the end of my career. Amazing how much younger one looks and feels once retired!!

Reminds me of some shenanigans at another forum site. The administrators, having gotten a bunch of negative feedback from their extensive advertiser net, made a rule that all of the "questionable" user profile pictures had to go...and that the photo had to be of the person posting.

Of course, photos allegedly of the poster at various stages in their early lives were quickly employed. Fulfilling the letter of the rule. Of course there was no obvious proof that the infant/youth pictures were actually of the poster, so perhaps not.

I survived for six weeks with a highly modified humanified looking photo of homer simpson.

But then again I used a security badge at work for almost three weeks that depicted my administrators nude bottom with a pair of groucho marx glasses on it and the name "butt face" on it before security caught me.

Dang, that made TWO bad notes from security in my permanent record, on top of the one where I refused to stop running in the hallway (late for a meeting)...

 

[laurence]

Don't you mean it is the final product of your favorite job?

We men do get the better end of this deal, don't we?

 

[Jarhead*]

USMC 1953 to 1957.

Professional Baseball 1957 to 1960.

Career ending Tommy John problem, before that surgery was possible.

Took Corporate Middle-Management job, after 3 mos. of self-medicating myself.

After marriage and two children, two failed side-businesses, at age 40, had a negative net worth.

Like an alcholic that thinks he can get away with just one more drink, had an idea for another business. Remember telling my wife that if this fails, I not only wouldn't blame you, but would encourage you to find somebody else that would better care of you and the kids.

My third try took off right out of the blocks. At age 45, I quit my corporate job, and devoted myself to full time on the business.

At age 49, I started looking for a "Greater Fool". I sold it, and with my wife's encouragement, we got out of Dodge and built a place in the Sierras.

As an aside, the guy that bought my business was a teammate of mine from years past. He has made a fortune out of the business, but after 20 years of playing golf, and fly fishing, he turns to me when he needs a lesson or two. (We're both pretty happy).

 

[kat]

babysitter
graded papers for 6th grade science teacher
college president's reception assistant
library assistant
law intern DA's office
pastoral counselor
associate at law firm
assistant DA
director of parish social ministry
lawyer
retiree

 

[bosco]

project engineer, bridge designer, marine engineering manager, coastal engineer, programmer/hardware interfacer, labor analyst, fisheries technician, clerk, electrican apprentice, pulp mill worker, green chain puller

how could I have forgotten salmon troller?

Here's a picture of me and family on the troller, circa 1993 (if I did it right)

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Professional Baseball 1957 to 1960.
Career ending Tommy John problem, before that surgery was possible.

That was my first career choice. Too bad I sucked once I got to college level. My only problem there was that I couldn't see the pitches, and they refused to slow them down.

What organization? What level (AAA?)? I'm forever jealous if you even played one inning and actually got paid for it.

 

[wabmester]

When I was 16, I was a professional skateboard slalom racer. It was all downhill from there.

 

[Jarhead*]

That was my first career choice. Too bad I sucked once I got to college level. My only problem there was that I couldn't see the pitches, and they refused to slow them down.

What organization? What level (AAA?)? I'm forever jealous if you even played one inning and actually got paid for it.

Rich: Check your PM"s.

 

[donheff]

HS: Delivery guy at a drug store; photographer's assistance (spaghetti man);
College: Janitor; Chicago cabbie;
Sub-teacher;
VW Service advisor;
Sub-teacher/janitor again;
Federal personnel dweeb - several specialties
Director of Employee Relations;
Director of Labor Relations;
Director of HR;
Deputy CIO;
CIO;
Happily ERd

Edit:

Currently volunteer

Photos: then and now from HS reunion (61,71,last work)

 

[unclemick]

mowing the Norwegian widow's lawn
pulling on the green chain
aerospace engineer
retired

 

[Linney]

(as for a picture -- that's me in the avatar)

Really? Can we get a larger version

Ah Lawrence, you're a sweetie but there are certain other posters who might take such a picture and put pancakes on my head.

 

[whitestick]

But then again I used a security badge at work for almost three weeks that depicted my administrators nude bottom with a pair of groucho marx glasses on it and the name "butt face" on it before security caught me.

Should we ask how you obtained the actual picture of your administrators nude bottom?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Ah Lawrence, you're a sweetie but there are certain other posters who might take such a picture and put pancakes on my head.

I'm quite flexible on the location of the pancackes.

Should we ask how you obtained the actual picture of your administrators nude bottom?

No problem. We were in the midst of the 14th useless security crack down after 9/11 - because as everyone knows, the terrorists would be very interested in attacking a subsidiary location of a high tech company located in the armpit of the universe. I made some comment that I could wear a badge of someones ass wearing groucho marx glasses with the name "Butt Face" on it and it'd be a while before any of our 'crack' security guards would notice. My admin said "I'll make one if you wear it", I said "okay, but it has to be laminated and look just like the real thing colorwise, etc". She said "No problem." That was around 10:00. By late afternoon it was in my hand and I said "Is that YOUR...?" and she smiled and nodded.

I could have shortened that up by saying that most executives have complicated relationships with their admins.

I still have that in a box somewhere...if I can find it i'll scan it in...that'd make a great profile photo!

 

[REWahoo]

...someones ass wearing groucho marx glasses with the name "Butt Face" on it...

I still have that in a box somewhere...if I can find it i'll scan it in...that'd make a great profile photo!

Money cannot buy set-up lines like this one.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

No, but you can demonstrate the fine art of appreciation...

Hey, I was "Butt Face" to about a thousand smirking co-workers who DID notice the badge...what do I care about a couple of thousand internet denizens?

 

[unclemick]

I'm quite flexible on the location of the pancackes.

Riiiiight!!!

T-Al's effort wasn't bad either.

heh heh heh - although the Jimmy Buffett shirt was blue more than red.

 

[tomz]

I'm a bit late to this party. There are a lot of interesting folks on this board. For me:

Public swimming pool maintenance
Janitor
Factory Assembly Line
Library clerk
Fast Food Ass't Mgr
Lumber Retail Sales
Tech Writer
Programmer
VP of Software development (in our 6 person company, 1/2 of us were VPs) :
Director of Hospital Info Systems
Regional Accounts Manager for software company
Director of Data Center for a consortium of Schools
Director Sales Force Automation
Director Business Systems
VP Business Systems

In 11 months, 3 weeks, 4 days - FIRE

 

[OkieTexan]

Gas Station Attendant
Delivery Service Driver
Counter Sales at Wholesale A/C Supply
Warehouseman
Electronics Assembly Line
Geophysical Exploration Crew
Clinical Engineer (in a Hospital)
Project Manager
Now: FIREd

 

[USK Coastie]

Dish Washer
Gas Pump Jockey
Fast Food
USAF Aicrcaft/Missle Maintenance
USCG Machinery Technician
USCGR MKC/CWO3
Residental/Commercial HVAC
Maintanance Engineer at milk plant
Boiler Operator/Chief Engineer University Power Plant
Plant Supervisor 600 bed Medical Center
Facility Manager Critical Access Hospital

FIRED in 4 months 25 days

 

[deserat]

So do we have a calendar's worth yet? Gotta have butt face in there!

Late to this as well:

Babysitter, Busboy, Floor girl, Salad girl, Hostess, Engineering intern for power lines, Air Force Officer....still am as a Reservist, did telecommunications work, space launches, ground systems, Biomedical engineer - did biomechanical research part of clinical team for artificial heart operations and neurosurgery, lots of medical technology assessment, implementation and investigations, Sys Admin for large computer network, back to clinical engineering, military acquisition, political-military analyst, medical informatics......still working - hope to retire soon - depends on how husband and keep the savings accelerating - goal is in 9 years, however, if we do keep on the same rate of acceleration, could happen in 5 years or less.

Deserat