Your job...

[Emher]

I work as a sort of fix-it all handy man in my dads small company. We are 4 full time employees.

We do things like carpentering, painting, wallpapering, tree felling, tree trimming, lawn moving, window renovations, window washing, shovel snow, rake leaves, burn the leaves or trees we've trimmed, put the boat in for the season, take the boat up for the winter, throw stuff at the dump, help people move, clean for the showing of the house when it's to be sold, make sure the house is warm for the weekend, make sure the house haven't been infested by rats, make sure the rats haven't sold the lines on the black market, make sure the lines haven't sold the rats on the black market and all other sorts of small things you can think of that we have the knowledge and legal clearance for. All the things that people do not have the time, knowledge or strength for.

It's very varied work. For better and worse. I can honestly say that if I have become bored with a certain task, there's almost always something different to do.

Do I love it? Some days. Some days when I'm moving the lawn a beautiful summers day on a lot with a fantastic view of the sea (and there quite a few lots like that around here), and I'm just walking around building up a decent sweat and listening to some music...and then realizing I actually get payed for this, then yeah, I love it.

Most days I "just" really like it. And of course some days I hate it. Like when you shovel snow all day long and then gotta redo the next fucking day because there's more snow! But, I won't be doing this my whole life. I want do something a bit more aesthetically creative. But for now, and probably for a few years more, this will do quite fine.

Also, we have one of those old-timey rolling book ladders, which is awesome, and the printers are on my floor near my desk, so when I get board at work, I just pretend we're an old-timey printing press and I imagine all my coworkers with handlebar mustaches and visors and waistcoats and bussels and corsets and things.

I do say, that sounds absolutely smashing!

 

[kitamurafan]

I'm a part-time English teacher in Japan, as well as an author. I like my teaching job because it is often on-on-one teaching. But the pay is okay and I usually work nights.

 

[T'Preea]

My job is one of the most people involved ones ever! Well, maybe not ever; but I do deal with a lot of really stupid, rude and just flat mundane people. I;m a cashier at a grocery store. I have to remember tons of produce and grocery codes in order to ring things that have no barcodes. I have to remember where everything is in the store to help people that have shopped there for years find something they've never bought before. I have to clean checkstands and count down tills. I have to cash out lottery tickets and issue tons of refunds because they'll buy something and later find out that it's the wrong item.

Hey, the good side of my job is that I don't have to worry about what I'm going to wear to work every day like I used to when I worked in clothing retail. I wear a blue, button down shirt with our store name embroidered on it; black trousers and a black apron with our store name embroidered on it. I'm technically supposed to tuck in my work shirt, but I can't because it's a men's and it doesn't fit 'round my hips properly and I'm also technically supposed to wear black socks with my uniform; but really, who's going to see my socks? Besides, I don't even own a pair of black socks. I hate them, they're so boring it's not even funny.

I can't even begin to tell you how many cuts and scrapes I get during a normal work shift. Pineapples and artichokes are the worst produce to handle because they cut you up like it's no one's business. Butter boxes, beer cases; and bills people use to pay me with are equally dangerous. You wouldn't normally think so, but my Gods; if you grab them wrong, they will literally cut you to the freakin' bone. Some of my worst cuts I've gotten on boxes of butter, beer bottle caps; and our paper bags. I have one on my arm from the top edge of a paper bag that actually needed stitches. Of course, they had me perform a urine test; but hey, if you get hurt bad enough that you break a bone or need stitches, it's required. Thank Rassilon that I didn't have anything incriminating.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

I know exactly what you mean. As a student I had a weekend job in the stationary department of a department store. Paper can cause horrible wounds. A layman wouldn't believe how dangerous the stuff can be (weird, that paper isn't required yet to wear a warning message). I once cut my wrist and missed the artery literally by a few micrometers.

I'm a structural design engineer in the aerospace industry.

Ah! That explains the avatar

Now I'm at a crossroads of sorts, I'm moving a from Long Island NY to upstate NY near Syracuse. I'm going to loose all my video production clients

Couldn't you edit all those videos from afar? They could mail you the data and you mail them the edited version back?

 

[Infern0]

I work in retail management, it is an ok job but there are two major problems.

1) The "staff" you have to manage are usually always University students, they tend to be lazy and unreliable. They really don't want to be there and will do the bare minimum to keep their job and get paid. They push the boundaries to the absolute limit, and you have to be on top of them 24/7 when it feels like they really ought to know how to behave at work.

2. What I like to call "the glass ceiling"

The chain of command in retail is as follows.

Part Timer
Full Timer
Section Manager
Assistant Manager
Branch Manager

--------------------------------

Area Manager
And Above

I got to Branch Manager with two years of hard work, and hit the glass ceiling. It seems to be nigh on impossible to go beyond without a Degree from university.

For me it's annoying as I didn't have the option to go to university due to having to help support the household when my parents were in financial difficulty, however the company hires graduates with degrees which have nothing to do with their position, and no experience.

An example of this is the recent hiring of a sport and leisure graduate as "Online manager", as far as I can tell she updates the facebook and twitter page, and does some other basic tasks. A Branch manager could have easily done this position, but they wanted a degree, and it didn't matter what it was in.

I'm now stuck in a position where I either go to university for 3 years, or try to break the glass ceiling somehow. It's frustrating as I feel I have a lot more to offer, but I may need to go back to school in order to progress, two steps back, one step forward.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

How about telling the uppermost ranks exactly what you told us now? It shows that you have initiative, intelligence, inside knowledge and aim at the best for the company. It might impress them.

 

[Deckerd]

I mostly sit at a desk posting stuff on a messageboard. Sometimes I look after a website and most of the time just now I do video editing and multimedia stuff.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

I know exactly what you mean. As a student I had a weekend job in the stationary department of a department store. Paper can cause horrible wounds. A layman wouldn't believe how dangerous the stuff can be (weird, that paper isn't required yet to wear a warning message). I once cut my wrist and missed the artery literally by a few micrometers.

I'm a structural design engineer in the aerospace industry.

Ah! That explains the avatar

Now I'm at a crossroads of sorts, I'm moving a from Long Island NY to upstate NY near Syracuse. I'm going to loose all my video production clients

Couldn't you edit all those videos from afar? They could mail you the data and you mail them the edited version back?

I'm gonna continue with most of editing only clients but they don't make up the bulk of where my income comes from, its the Video Production side where I'm going to loose everything and would need to build up again in Syracuse. I have significant investment in cameras, lighting and other video equipment but from what I have seen the need for freelance video production up in Syracuse is very limited. I won't really know for sure until I get up there, so we will see.

 

[Admiral2]

Are you presently okay with your work? Maybe you really like it? Or are you having a difficult time?

If I could make a living doing the things I like to do I'd kiss my job goodbye and never look back.

All my superiors are "weak" in some way, and the weakness seems to increase at each higher level of authority.

 

[Q2UnME]

I'm gonna continue with most of editing only clients but they don't make up the bulk of where my income comes from, its the Video Production side where I'm going to loose everything and would need to build up again in Syracuse. I have significant investment in cameras, lighting and other video equipment but from what I have seen the need for freelance video production up in Syracuse is very limited. I won't really know for sure until I get up there, so we will see.

Consider branching out your sights to include Rochester, NY. A bit of a drive, but a much larger potential client base. Rochester is still home to some Fortune 500 companies and has a population of over 1,000,000+ people. More oppertunity there to explore if you're willing to drive an hour to get there.

Q2

 

[Gary7]

I like my job too. I'm a software developer. We're using some great technology and tools. It's a challenge but isn't overly stressful. No overtime required, and my co-workers are for the most part wonderful to work with. I couldn't really ask for a better job. It's what I love to do, and I can't think of a job I'd prefer more.

What company do you work for? Do they need any business analysts or quality assurance engineers?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I like my job too. I'm a software developer. We're using some great technology and tools. It's a challenge but isn't overly stressful. No overtime required, and my co-workers are for the most part wonderful to work with. I couldn't really ask for a better job. It's what I love to do, and I can't think of a job I'd prefer more.

What company do you work for? Do they need any business analysts or quality assurance engineers?

I believe mine does. PM me!

 

[Ood Sigma]

I like my job too. I'm a software developer. We're using some great technology and tools. It's a challenge but isn't overly stressful. No overtime required, and my co-workers are for the most part wonderful to work with. I couldn't really ask for a better job. It's what I love to do, and I can't think of a job I'd prefer more.

What company do you work for? Do they need any business analysts or quality assurance engineers?

We are hiring QA engineers... just sent you a PM with some of the details.

 

[Holdfast]

I really love my (main) job.

Largely because I was able to identify a niche within my field (medicine, psychiatry to be specific) that lets me pretty much pick & choose when I work, pays very well in terms of an equivalent hourly rate, and most of all because I get to do what I think I do best, and certainly what I enjoy doing the most.

Stripping away the jargon, I get to go into unusual/interesting (and occasionally tense/dangerous) situations, engage with people to build a swift rapport, figure out what I need to know to contain the situation & get the answers I need, and have to formulate a decisive & safe plan with colleagues, and communicate outcomes effectively. I get to interface with a massive cross-section of the general public, various emergency services and sometimes the legal profession, and it's always intriguing because of the mental agility/flexibiilty required.

Perhaps most crucially to my enjoyment, I then get to pass on the nitty-gritty of actually implementing the plan to someone else and don't need to deal with the long-term caseloads and mountains of bureaucracy that my more typically-employed colleagues do.

It's not a job for everyone, though. Some colleagues prefer working with clients over a longer period of time, or want more predictable hours and a steady salary instead of self-employment. They find what I do precarious, inconvenient or just plain unsatisfying. The funny thing is, I would hate to do their job; I'd find it frustrating, tiresome, dull, inefficient and overly time-consuming. That's part of the reason I left that career path a couple of years ago and struck out on my own. And without false modesty, I don't believe many of my more mainstream colleagues could do what I do as well (read: efficiently/effectively) as me. Some of that is practice, some is innate aptitude for the role. Certainly, for my mindset/skillset, it's absolutely perfect.

I think the above all highlights the vital importance of identifying what you as an individual do best at, and pursuing that and not going down routes that don't play to your personal strengths & likes. And keep your eyes open for niches you can move into that better utilise them.

I have a few side interests which have also developed into minor income streams over the years, with potential to develop them further. I do generally enjoy them too, but not as much as my main job.

 

[kirsten187]

I'm an administrative assistant at a local family run wholesale bakery and I love it (most of the time). We're in the process of updating our compter ordering / invoicing system at the moment, which is fun and games but it's actually not too bad. I can have a good laugh with the other staff, including the three directors.

I'm currently studying with the Open University but my degree is in early days. Don't know what it may lead to though.

 

[stoneroses]

I am an infographic designer for a national newspaper in the UK. Around 2million people a day look at my work in the paper and more on our very popular web site on in kindle and now on iPad. If I make a mistake complaints flood in so you have be as careful as possible.
Daily newspapers are exiting, scarey and sometimes funny places to work.
You go into work without knowing exactly what you will be doing that day. There are people who are a pain to work with but the job really gets your brain working. Almost every job/ graphic I do is started and finished on the same day including research. I even sometimes get to use my own photographs in my work.
I am now ready to become more freelance as I am set up with the full range of Adobe software.

 

[Captain_Nick]

Holdfast: Wow

Just wow.

 

[Garrett]

I really love my job.

I'm a build engineer for a team of about 40 engineers developing embedded firmware. Most of my job has been implementing a fully automated continuous integration system, including providing our dayly and weekly. We're almost there, but still have some hiccups. I also sometimes play Git guru.

We're always learning, which is a lot of fun. As is the day to day problem solving in implementing new processes or fixes to those already existing. Personally, it's also been great for forcing me to come out of my shell. There's a lot of internal and partner customer support that goes with the job. Plus presentations and that sort of thing.

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

Currently, i'm unemployed - but last week I started tafe, as i'm studying it (networking). I'm yet to decide where I could work, but learning new things like Linux and Cisco is great.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I really love my job.

I'm a build engineer for a team of about 40 engineers developing embedded firmware. Most of my job has been implementing a fully automated continuous integration system, including providing our dayly and weekly. We're almost there, but still have some hiccups. I also sometimes play Git guru.

We're always learning, which is a lot of fun. As is the day to day problem solving in implementing new processes or fixes to those already existing. Personally, it's also been great for forcing me to come out of my shell. There's a lot of internal and partner customer support that goes with the job. Plus presentations and that sort of thing.

That sounds a lot like my job. PM me if you want to compare notes sometime. I've learned a lot in the process of setting up my current workplace with continuous integration and git source control. Been doing the whole tools/process improvement thing for about 10 years now.