What do we do for a living?

[westfalen]

I suggested this on the 'Where do we live?' thread, and Bernard suggested I start a new topic. So here goes.

 

I drive these.

[Bernard]

I'm a producer of sport documentaries, with my specialty being the Olympic games.

Alvin - you are lucky... when I was in AUS during the Olympics I drove through some farmlands and I noticed the rails & trains that collect the crops were very narrow (like they could easily tip over) why is that?

[CaptOblivious]

Westfalen, you lucky git. They were fun to ride, I imagine they are fun to drive.

 

I' an academic (vs. Coffee house or bullshit) philosopher (albeit it in training). I write papers about the methods of causal inference biologists should be using and why.

[bikkuri bahn]

I'm a high school teacher.  The Saturday school days are compensated somewhat by the summer holidays- long hours of daylight to ride/photograph trains.

[Guest ___]

I'm about to be unemployed for insubordination for refusing to drive a half hour in to work during a blizzard. Saturday is mandatory, and we were told, failure to report to work will result in termination.

 

We are called for 16-24 inches of snow over the next 12-18 hours here in DC

[westfalen]

I'm a producer of sport documentaries, with my specialty being the Olympic games.

Alvin - you are lucky... when I was in AUS during the Olympics I drove through some farmlands and I noticed the rails & trains that collect the crops were very narrow (like they could easily tip over) why is that?

 

I spent the 2000 Olympics in the U.S.

I imagine you are talking of the two foot gauge sugar tramways up here in Queensland, there is around 4000km of track with trains these days up to 2000 tons and 1km long. I think the narrow gauge was originally to save cost and make the track more portable so it could be run right up to where the loading was taking place in the pre-mechanized harvesting days. This is a good site for Australian narrow gauge. http://www.lrrsa.org.au/LRR_SGRz.htm

[westfalen]

I'm about to be unemployed for insubordination for refusing to drive a half hour in to work during a blizzard. Saturday is mandatory, and we were told, failure to report to work will result in termination.

 

We are called for 16-24 inches of snow over the next 12-18 hours here in DC

That sucks.

[bill937ca]

I am semi-retired but currently working in a distribution center as a mail picker.  I'm on my feet all day racing up and down aisles with a cart pulling items off shelves. Up at 3:30AM and start work at 5:00AM.    I have previously worked in hotels and finance.  Finance put too much weight on me, mail picking is taking the weight off me.

[Guest ___]

I'm about to be unemployed for insubordination for refusing to drive a half hour in to work during a blizzard. Saturday is mandatory, and we were told, failure to report to work will result in termination.

 

We are called for 16-24 inches of snow over the next 12-18 hours here in DC

That sucks.

 

At the moment, I do the same as Bill does, I pick orders for a distribution center. It was all I could find after being laid off as a technical writer and plant photographer at bp solar thanks to our wonderful economy. On a related note, the facility that I use to work at, (bp) has laid off 200 workers (140 perm, 60 temps) this year and are in the process of tearing down a 200m expansion building.

 

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyID=99131

[Guest ___]

I'm about to be unemployed for insubordination for refusing to drive a half hour in to work during a blizzard. Saturday is mandatory, and we were told, failure to report to work will result in termination.

 

We are called for 16-24 inches of snow over the next 12-18 hours here in DC

That sucks.

 

At the moment, I do the same as Bill does, I pick orders for a distribution center. It was all I could find after being laid off as a technical writer and plant photographer at bp solar thanks to our wonderful economy. On a related note, the facility that I use to work at, (bp) has laid off $200 workers (140 perm, 60 temps) this year and are in the process of tearing down a 200m expansion building.

 

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyID=99131

 

 

[Martijn Meerts]

I do nothing that earns me any money right now =)

 

Studying to become an animal caretaker, but I'll need to look for a (part-time) job soon-ish, since the study doesn't get me any sort of financial support and I can't take up a study loan either.

 

Preferably, I'd go work somewhere related to animals, because I need to spend some 30 weeks working for a certified "learning company" as part of my study at some point. Would be nice if I could work part-time at a place until I need to work there full time. Not sure if that'll happen though.

[alpineaustralia]

I am a Financial Services Lawyer specialising in the law relating to superannuation (or pensions as they are called in the Northern Hemisphere).

[Lawrence]

I was in the Royal Air Force for 15 years as an aircraft electrical technician, worked in a paper mill, a studio manager for an in store music company and now sort of back with the aircraft thing as a military flight simulator technician as a civilian.  I too will be out of work in the near future 

[Bernard]

I'm a producer of sport documentaries, with my specialty being the Olympic games.

Alvin - you are lucky... when I was in AUS during the Olympics I drove through some farmlands and I noticed the rails & trains that collect the crops were very narrow (like they could easily tip over) why is that?

 

I spent the 2000 Olympics in the U.S.

I imagine you are talking of the two foot gauge sugar tramways up here in Queensland, there is around 4000km of track with trains these days up to 2000 tons and 1km long. I think the narrow gauge was originally to save cost and make the track more portable so it could be run right up to where the loading was taking place in the pre-mechanized harvesting days. This is a good site for Australian narrow gauge. http://www.lrrsa.org.au/LRR_SGRz.htm

You missed a great games, the Aussies were fantastic hosts! And that's the train, it looked it could derail under a strong wind.

 

Aaron & Lawrence - I hope it's not true about your jobs. In NY we've getting blizzard warnings every 10min, scaring the heck out of people predicting 12" to 14".

[westfalen]

So far we seem to have quite a variety of occupations, I too wish well for those whose employment prospects don't look good this time of the year.

 

As I type this there is a report on TV about the blizzards in the north east U.S. including some car crashes, I hope you all take care over there.

 

I wonder if there are anymore railwaymen/railroaders besides me. There are three or four of us at work with interest in Japanese railways, if you ask a couple of us the time we will pull out our Seiko pocket watch. I draw the line at wearing white gloves though.

[cteno4]

Im a freelance multimedia designer/producer. do museum exhibit design, content design, educational cdroms and the like. my training was in marine biology, then phd in molecular biology, but decided i didnt want to be a prof so took the left turn into computers and content presentation.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Fenway Park]

I work as a surveyor. Have done for nearly 40 years since leaving school.

 

The recession has been very strange. 2010 will be different as there is an election in May at the latest.

 

As our youngest will graduate in July 2010 there maybe time to build the layout.

[quinntopia]

Marketing / Advertising / Media Buying for a major software company.  I did spend a year on the Burlington Northern right out of college as brakeman....but the new contract and lack of seniority forced me to go work in a real profession (and get some use from my degree). 

[Darren Jeffries]

I work in Financial Services as a Commercial Broker for Insurance and Corporate finance.

 

At the moment the industry has been hit pretty hard by the recession and overal global climate, but our company is actually holding its own. We didn't get any annual pay rise this year but hopefully our jobs are secure. I have been doing this for 10 years.

 

Prior to that I was a Information Tech teacher for Swindon College. 16-19 year old students. I could not handle the attitudes of kids who were only there so they did not have to get a job and didn't really want to be there, so i left and changed careers.

[bikkuri bahn]

I'm about to be unemployed for insubordination for refusing to drive a half hour in to work during a blizzard. Saturday is mandatory, and we were told, failure to report to work will result in termination.

 

That's awful to hear.  Too bad you don't have the services of JR Hokkaido, operating in blizzards is a walk in the park for them- they even give passengers excuse slips if trains are late, to hand to their employers.  I'll probably see those slips tomorrow morning, as a big storm is expected to hit tonight- students are bound to be tardy as a result.

[Nozomi]

I’m a civil servant working for the tax office. My team is specialized in dealing with expatriates who work for Swiss corporations or work at a Swiss branch of foreign institutions. These tax payers could be investment bankers from Goldman Sachs in New York, Madonna giving a concert in Zurich or the construction site worker from Portugal. I get them all. My work is not measured in productivity but in activity. My personal hero is Sir Humphrey Appleby what should ring a bell with some of the British forum members. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Humphrey_Appleby

[to2leo]

I love to ask people to guess what I do because no one ever guess it right due to my East Asian heritage...even with other East Asians.

 

In small towns USA, Canada and most of Europe: a cook, laundry services and convenience owner.

 

In large cities USA, Canada and Asia: student, financial services, IT.

 

Maybe I should just stick with the consensus 

[cteno4]

I love to ask people to guess what I do because no one ever guess it right due to my East Asian heritage...even with other East Asians.

 

In small towns USA, Canada and most of Europe: a cook, laundry services and convenience owner.

 

In large cities USA, Canada and Asia: student, financial services, IT.

 

Maybe I should just stick with the consensus 

 

so we have to guess?

[Guest ___]

I'm about to be unemployed for insubordination for refusing to drive a half hour in to work during a blizzard. Saturday is mandatory, and we were told, failure to report to work will result in termination.

 

That's awful to hear.  Too bad you don't have the services of JR Hokkaido, operating in blizzards is a walk in the park for them- they even give passengers excuse slips if trains are late, to hand to their employers.  I'll probably see those slips tomorrow morning, as a big storm is expected to hit tonight- students are bound to be tardy as a result.

 

I'll know tomorrow. It's a crap job, and is a three rung demotion from my formal job as a technical writer for bp solar which IMO was a promotion from my years as working as a freelance photojournalist (photojournalism was my college major, but the changing technology has obsoleted my career field)

[grumbeast]

Well after teaching University in the UK, got a job at a college in Canada teaching Game AI, then a software company, layoff etc etc and now I'm an Academic Chair (fancy title for department head) at the Nova Scotia Community College looking after the School of Applied Arts and New Media and th e School of Business.  I confess I very much enjoy the job, and its a great place to work.  I understand Darren's frustrations with students and thier attitude to work, and sometimes I despair for the future but for every lazy self-important freeloader I see there always seems to be someone working thier buns off while looking after two kids as a single parent and still acing thier courses.

 

Then in whatever time I have left I work for my wife (she's an animator and storyteller) doing foley sound, lighting, set design, basically whatever she wants me too!  :grin

 

Graham