What do you do?

[crusto]

For a living? Do you enjoy it? Is the money any good? Are you glad you chose it as a career? What would you do instead?

Answers to the above questions please, ill make a start......

I am an air conditioning Engineer, have been for approx 15 years all told.

No, I think its sh!t, it has ruined my back and you are treated like the scum of the earth by lots of people lots of the time .

It was pretty good yes, although the hours and work itself are very long and very hard. It took a long time and lots of graft but I would earn £500 net per week and would get £150 per day for weekends/bank holidays etc.

Honestly, no. I should have applied myself better at school and turned all those near misses into passes and got a job that doesnt 'hurt'

Well, ive had to give it up on medical advice and not really sure what to do now. Ive had a fair few knock backs already. But today I have suddenly decided that I want to be (dont laugh) a train driver . So that is what im going to pursue.

[noobish hat]

DO IT, MAN!

[crusto]

DO IT, MAN!

Ok, I will. But now you have to contribute. I will give you free tickets if you do

[sscott]

Director and lead teaching practicioner at a secondary school, quite high up I guess?!?

[alistair_thomas]

I was an 'actor' but now work as a teaching assistant in a reception class. I love it, but it's very tough and challenging at times as I work closely with a small number of children whose social development is severely lacking. The money isn't great, but the hours are handy (8:30 - 3:30 mon - fri). I'm hopefully starting a PGCE in Primary Teaching this September, which will be the start of my career as a teacher.

[sscott]

I was an 'actor' but now work as a teaching assistant in a reception class. I love it, but it's very tough and challenging at times as I work closely with a small number of children whose social development is severely lacking. The money isn't great, but the hours are handy (8:30 - 3:30 mon - fri). I'm hopefully starting a PGCE in Primary Teaching this September, which will be the start of my career as a teacher.

Good luck, been teaching 13 years!

[Joey]

I service and fill coffee vending machines like these...



Its ok i suppose, I get to drive to different places throughout the day and can start at whatever time i like as long as i do 8 hours a day.

[Mr_C]

For a living?

I'm a computer engineer by trade but at the moment I run my own IT services business.

Do you enjoy it?

Not as much as I used to. I find my love still lies with the retro stuff and I'm constantly rethinking my position.

Is the money any good?

As a computer engineer I could earn £25k+ a year basic depending on the sector and area. The money from running your own small business tends to be proportional to the time and effort you put into it.

Are you glad you chose it as a career?

I was, although after working for a couple of large IT managed services company I found there was no room for innovation or free-thinking in the bigger IT world anymore. I'm thinking I maybe should have stuck with my original career as a chef.

What would you do instead?

Either be a chef or something in the retro computing scene.

Ive had a fair few knock backs already. But today I have suddenly decided that I want to be (dont laugh) a train driver . So that is what im going to pursue.

Go for it. My old boss used to tell me that you're not supposed to enjoy work, you work to pay the mortgage but I've always believed there's no reason I shouldn't do something I enjoy. I get to live once, why ruin it with stress and misery?

[JetSetWilly]

I'm a baker by trade. It's enjoyable when the right people are in, as it's a bit of a laugh. Would I do something else? Maybe. Maybe a freelance journalist, or even a writer (i've made a start already with my book. Coming on in leaps and bounds )

[crusto]

I'm a baker by trade. It's enjoyable when the right people are in, as it's a bit of a laugh. Would I do something else? Maybe. Maybe a freelance journalist, or even a writer (i've made a start already with my book. Coming on in leaps and bounds )

A baker? Whats the dough like?


Sorry, couldnt resist.

[IronMaidenRule]

Cool thread!!

I am a Network Technician in a Secondary school, and yes I do enjoy it, love working with computers and all things technical, always new systems, products and software to learn, and there is loads of problem solving involved. The money is not brilliant as I am part of a team of four, so the wage bill is high to begin with, eventually I may have to move on if the situation does not improve. I am glad that I have ended up with this career, it is perfect for me and I am glad to say I have a career and job I enjoy, some people can't and that must be a horrible situation. When I left school I did further and higher studies in Music Technology and Production, so that would have been my preferred career and job, but I finished my studies just had Internet piracy hit it big and the record industry went down the pan, so a new career had to be sought.

If you want to be a train driver, do it!!! You are the only one who can makes changes for yourself in life, and who wants to be on there death bed and have regrets!

[Helensification]

I am a sterile services manager in the NHS or in other words I run a department that decontaminates the instrumentation used in theatres & clinics and on wards etc.

It is good pay but is very stressful. I didn't choose the career, it sort of chose me by circumstance. I was working in accounts admin and was seconded to undertake a costing exercise in a HSDU and ended up staying and being promoted to office manager and then deputy. After a few years of training, exams, etc I saw a manager opportunity in Wales and the rest as they say is history.

I do enjoy the job though the personnel side of it is a real headache. I prefer the compliance issues, logistics, engineering, budgetary and project nature of the role.

There have been other jobs that have interested me in the fields of project management, business law and electrical engineering but doubt I'll change now unless forced into it.

I do enjoy writing and maybe one day I will have the nerve to send one of my stories to a publisher.


Good luck Crusto with your ambition to be a train driver. I hope you manage it.

[crusto]

Cheers for that. I dont know why I chose it tbh. It just popped into my head and I thought why not! Then I checked it all out and was pleasantly surprised by the salary, benefits etc. Much better than I thought they would be, although I had never given it a seconds thought until today. Not particularly easy to get into from what I have researched so far but one application is in cyberspace already!

[JetSetWilly]

I'm a baker by trade. It's enjoyable when the right people are in, as it's a bit of a laugh. Would I do something else? Maybe. Maybe a freelance journalist, or even a writer (i've made a start already with my book. Coming on in leaps and bounds )

A baker? Whats the dough like?


Sorry, couldnt resist.

There's always one

[theantmeister]

Cool thread! I'm surprised at the diversity of jobs here.

I'm a computer programmer (or *ahem* software engineer ). I got started by doing a work experience and ended up working there full time after I left school. I really do love what I do (although I do moan about it, who doesn't?) and I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I suppose it would be nice to work on something more exciting, like games.

The one thing that annoys me about it is working with people who don't have any interest in programming. You see a lot of it these days, people who see those ads on TV and go into it for the money or whatever. It takes a certain kind of enthusiasm and way of thinking, programmming. If you aren't going to take an interest in it outside of work, you wont get far.