How do your earn your living?
- Thread starter Rutgers
- Start date
For many years I had my own business... fixing broken businesses. My most recent client became a full time job. So, I am running a business that make parts for turbine engines.
I'm amazed at the talent we have, true artisans/milling experts. It's a stressful profession but it's rewarding when the business gets fixed and the people thrive once again.
My dream is to be a teacher one day.
I'm amazed at the talent we have, true artisans/milling experts. It's a stressful profession but it's rewarding when the business gets fixed and the people thrive once again.
My dream is to be a teacher one day.
Scott Bell
Active member
Ed L,
I have to laugh at your spelling of engineer, because I always tell folks I have an Injuniering degree (we only had to take one english course out of 130 credit hours). These days, I teach computer science at a small university. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to make use of the summers though.
There is an impressive amount of talent around these parts!
I have to laugh at your spelling of engineer, because I always tell folks I have an Injuniering degree (we only had to take one english course out of 130 credit hours). These days, I teach computer science at a small university. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to make use of the summers though.
There is an impressive amount of talent around these parts!
Ed Auman
Active member
It's been a long time since I have posted here. Hello again to all you guys. I have been here reading a lot about building myself a bbsb and I know this is the place to get a good feel for what type I want to build, how to go about it etc..
At 46 yrs old I have been a builder/carperter since 1983. Before that I built Sea Ray yaughts down in Florida. I have worked for two builders and myself for the last 24 years. Just recently after 5 years at my brother in laws company I got laid off. I started with a new high end builder (brother in laws competition) here in Kennebunkporta week after he laid me off. After 3 months.. I was just offerd a foreman's job with the new company (as of this past week) So I'm doing a lot of thinking about the offer this weekend thats why this thread kinda hit me. I like banging nails still but I think I might have to take this new position. More money in the bank account is a good thing for the family, but I hate that type of stress. We are lucky to be busy, many around here are not. It seems to me the mega rich aren't yet that worried. We have lined up for this winter two of the biggest houses I have ever been associated with. One is 15,000 sg.ft. The other 12,000. Plus a few very large remodels right on the ocean. After 24 yrs in Maine working the winters outdoors is getting to me. I have in the works a new dog boarding / dog day care business on my property. This lovely economy has put things to a grawl as far as fundings go.. The bank wants me to have 50 pecent down. But there are many other things that I'm moving foward on. Permits, zoning, surveaying the land. etc. It keeps the dreams a live and gives me something to look forward to in the future. Good post Paul... I'll be checking back to read more on what everone here does, its very interesting to me all we are from all walks of life but we all have a common thread / bond. ducks /decoys/ boats hunting and the great outdoors.. Ed
At 46 yrs old I have been a builder/carperter since 1983. Before that I built Sea Ray yaughts down in Florida. I have worked for two builders and myself for the last 24 years. Just recently after 5 years at my brother in laws company I got laid off. I started with a new high end builder (brother in laws competition) here in Kennebunkporta week after he laid me off. After 3 months.. I was just offerd a foreman's job with the new company (as of this past week) So I'm doing a lot of thinking about the offer this weekend thats why this thread kinda hit me. I like banging nails still but I think I might have to take this new position. More money in the bank account is a good thing for the family, but I hate that type of stress. We are lucky to be busy, many around here are not. It seems to me the mega rich aren't yet that worried. We have lined up for this winter two of the biggest houses I have ever been associated with. One is 15,000 sg.ft. The other 12,000. Plus a few very large remodels right on the ocean. After 24 yrs in Maine working the winters outdoors is getting to me. I have in the works a new dog boarding / dog day care business on my property. This lovely economy has put things to a grawl as far as fundings go.. The bank wants me to have 50 pecent down. But there are many other things that I'm moving foward on. Permits, zoning, surveaying the land. etc. It keeps the dreams a live and gives me something to look forward to in the future. Good post Paul... I'll be checking back to read more on what everone here does, its very interesting to me all we are from all walks of life but we all have a common thread / bond. ducks /decoys/ boats hunting and the great outdoors.. Ed
Lee Harker
Well-known member
I don't do anything...just ask the 8 employees that expect a paycheck every week. I run our family owned Lumberyard. It's been a tough couple years keeping things going with the rotten economy in this area. As anyone who has been in this business for more than 20 years will say...it's in it's ten year slump. Seems every ten years it goes to hell for a couple years then takes off again. When new construction tanks you make up for it in the remodel area. It's really neat to see what everyone else does here.
I started my working career in junior high school (7th grade) fixing and maintaining all the equipment for a rental business. You know, the rental store where one can rent anything from party supplies, to lawn equipment, to camping equipment, to backhoes and crawler dozers. I learned to tear down and repair most anything mechanical. I worked in that business from 1964 till 1979 when I got into my present career.
I now work as a "tool room machinist" for a major "design and build" machine shop. Our company builds the equipment, which the car maker or furniture maker or washing machine manufacturer uses, to build the product which he sells to you and I. The gear case in the washing machine you have in your home was very likely built on our equipment. The hypodermic needle at your doctors office may have been sharpened and assembled on our equipment. If you buy a "Pella" brand window or door to put in your new home, that door or window unit was manufactured with equipment I and my fellow coworkers built.
It is a very interesting line of work and it is neat to see how things have changed of the past 29 years. Everything we build now days is very computer controlled and built for high speed production. If thirty years ago a machine was expected to be able to produce "x" number of parts per day, that number is now 10, 20 or even more times that!!
Sometimes that is for the better but sometimes I wonder at what cost. Things that used to be bolted together (which makes it repairable) are now riveted or glued or heat welded because it's faster to make that way and lowers production cost. Bad thing is those parts now have to be replaced "as a unit" rather than rebuilt because there is no way for a repairman or mechanic repair a sub assembly.
At any rate, I hope my next career is "full time grandpa".
I now work as a "tool room machinist" for a major "design and build" machine shop. Our company builds the equipment, which the car maker or furniture maker or washing machine manufacturer uses, to build the product which he sells to you and I. The gear case in the washing machine you have in your home was very likely built on our equipment. The hypodermic needle at your doctors office may have been sharpened and assembled on our equipment. If you buy a "Pella" brand window or door to put in your new home, that door or window unit was manufactured with equipment I and my fellow coworkers built.
It is a very interesting line of work and it is neat to see how things have changed of the past 29 years. Everything we build now days is very computer controlled and built for high speed production. If thirty years ago a machine was expected to be able to produce "x" number of parts per day, that number is now 10, 20 or even more times that!!
Sometimes that is for the better but sometimes I wonder at what cost. Things that used to be bolted together (which makes it repairable) are now riveted or glued or heat welded because it's faster to make that way and lowers production cost. Bad thing is those parts now have to be replaced "as a unit" rather than rebuilt because there is no way for a repairman or mechanic repair a sub assembly.
At any rate, I hope my next career is "full time grandpa".
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Lee
I guess I'd have no reason to doubt them. hehe
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Lee
I guess I'd have no reason to doubt them. hehe
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bvullo
Active member
Man, all you guys do good stuff. I went into the Air Force at 17 and di my 21 years as a Civil Engineer? Heavy Equipment Operator/ Concrete and asphaly specialist. Now after being a foreman for Bombardier's train division, I'm the Amtrak Assistant Super. in Washington D.C, for the Acela. Love the hours 5a-2p, weekend off. Only drawback is holiday travel is aways heavy forcing us to work sometimes.
This is a pic of what I do for a living. I'm running the crane on the left, a Grove 120 ton all-terrain. The crane on the right is a Grove 175 ton all-terrain. This was taken at the Iowa City sewage treatment plant. We were lifting a floating lid out of a digester tank that was going to be torn down. The lid was 63' diameter and weighed about 60,000 lbs. I am the back-up operator for this crane, the crane I normally run is a Link Belt 50 ton truck crane. The thing I love about my job is some of the weird and interesting stuff I get to lift.
Jim S
Jim S
Craig F
Well-known member
I have a rather interesting career. I am a public/media relations assistant with the New York Giants Football team. Basically our dept. deals with all of the media requests and other communications issues with the players, coaches, owners, etc. for the team. What that means is all the articles you read about the team, interviews you see, etc. all, for the most part, are arranged by one of the 4 people in our communications department. Needless to say during the season it is tough to get out in the marsh, but I do my best.
Here are some shots from Super Bowl XLII:
(That's me in the top left)
Oh, just don't ask me for tickets ; )
Here are some shots from Super Bowl XLII:
(That's me in the top left)
Oh, just don't ask me for tickets ; )
Dave M
Well-known member
I have been a ToolMaker for 22 years , for the jewelry industry ,( dieing trade here on the east coast ) i am currently training to be a CNC programmer/ operater that i can use for my own bussiness someday . If that does not work i will be scraping bubblegum off toilet seats or something , who knows what is next
Dave M
Dave M
Patrick Enright
Active member
A few pics of my office since it seems to change daily. My favorite is the one with President George Bush - We manned the landing zone for his helicopter and he came by to say hello.
Ive spent the last seventeen years as a high school teacher... mostly history, political science, and economics. Recently taught AP political science and human geography. Taught mostly in the inner-city of Jacksonville where I got the honor of working with some truly great kids. Including one who's now a dedicated duck hunter and a member of this web community - our very own Dani.
This year I took the plunge and began teaching at our county's fine arts middle school... again, US history and geography... some amazingly talented students and a fantastic school....after teaching in the 'hood for so long, it was a culture shock... but as DB can probably vouch for, its probably added 10 years to my life... imagine that...a school where they actually let you TEACH !
Had some reservations about moving down to middle school, but with a five year old in the house, Ive redefined "young" students...
Glad to see so many fellow educators and former teachers on the boards. Cheers, James.
This year I took the plunge and began teaching at our county's fine arts middle school... again, US history and geography... some amazingly talented students and a fantastic school....after teaching in the 'hood for so long, it was a culture shock... but as DB can probably vouch for, its probably added 10 years to my life... imagine that...a school where they actually let you TEACH !
Had some reservations about moving down to middle school, but with a five year old in the house, Ive redefined "young" students...
Glad to see so many fellow educators and former teachers on the boards. Cheers, James.
Kevin Weir
Well-known member
Started my working life managing a couple of wieght lifting gyms, than started traveling, seeing what was on the back side of every hill I saw. Worked all kinds of construction, inspected pipeline construction, built railroad lines, carpenter building houses, apartments etc. Did some form work building parking garages and ministorage complexes. Then did some iron work and in the winter of 1984 found myself on a 3 inch wide beam with ice on it in January in Little Rock, 10 degrees, 120 feet up and I was sweating like a hot August Friday night. I made it down safely and 3 days later walked. Went back to school, became an RN and spent 10 years in ICU and ER. The last 10 have been mostly long term care and 5 months ago took an Oversight position for a company monitoring two different buildings, putting out "fires" as they develop and training staff.
My wife and I also have a business producing our own version of chunky apple sause. It has been put on hold after a move to another city but will go back into full production next fall.
My wife and I also have a business producing our own version of chunky apple sause. It has been put on hold after a move to another city but will go back into full production next fall.
Neal Haarberg
Active member
I'm a Manufacturing Engineer for www.Screamingcircuits.com Basically we we build prototype circuit boards real fast. It can be a wild ride since if we are day late to our customer it's half of and 2 days late its free. So my job is to make sure we are doing what we should be doing in an effective manner. The company has been growing at around 100% annually for 5 years.
P.G. Ross
Member
Paul and everyone else,
WOW...what a group of duck hunters! I'll throw my job out there too...I'm lucky enough to be a marine biologist...mainly doing research on oyster ecology. However, I was lucky enough to get some funding from the USFWS for this winter to study the wintering ecology of surf scoters and old-squaw...er long-tailed ducks...on Chesapeake Bay and the seaside of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The last couple of weeks we've been pinpointing foraging flocks and then going in using a grab sampler and collecting sediment beneath flocks. We'll eventually ID all the clams, worms etc. in the sediment. There are a few other aspects that involve stomach contents, but I won't go into the details here. At least some tax $$ is going into the natural resources I (and, hopefully, many of you) are interested in.
PG
WOW...what a group of duck hunters! I'll throw my job out there too...I'm lucky enough to be a marine biologist...mainly doing research on oyster ecology. However, I was lucky enough to get some funding from the USFWS for this winter to study the wintering ecology of surf scoters and old-squaw...er long-tailed ducks...on Chesapeake Bay and the seaside of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The last couple of weeks we've been pinpointing foraging flocks and then going in using a grab sampler and collecting sediment beneath flocks. We'll eventually ID all the clams, worms etc. in the sediment. There are a few other aspects that involve stomach contents, but I won't go into the details here. At least some tax $$ is going into the natural resources I (and, hopefully, many of you) are interested in.
PG
Well currently I work for the FL Dept of Law Enforcement as a staff assistant in the Organized Crimes Squad...basically I help work gangs. It's interesting stuff, definitely an education to our inner cities and the societies within our society.
Before that I worked as a lifeguard and a swimming instructor, with other odd jobs interspersed in there: baby sitter, coach, house sitter, pet sitter, private instructor, tutor.
I really enjoyed teaching the kids swimming. Most days that was a great thrill. It's always fun to see the kids learn something new...or torture the kids who are determined to be a pain in the butt for the class. Either way, everyone learns something.
And yeah...JMiller got the dubious honor of teaching me and coaching me in swimming throughout high school...hey...he stuck with me and introduced me to the arts of duck hunting so it's him y'all should blame for unleashing me on the unsuspecting society of duck hunting
Before that I worked as a lifeguard and a swimming instructor, with other odd jobs interspersed in there: baby sitter, coach, house sitter, pet sitter, private instructor, tutor.
I really enjoyed teaching the kids swimming. Most days that was a great thrill. It's always fun to see the kids learn something new...or torture the kids who are determined to be a pain in the butt for the class. Either way, everyone learns something.
And yeah...JMiller got the dubious honor of teaching me and coaching me in swimming throughout high school...hey...he stuck with me and introduced me to the arts of duck hunting so it's him y'all should blame for unleashing me on the unsuspecting society of duck hunting
Don't hate me for this, but I am a waterfowl biologist. I took these pictures on the job this week. Anyone recognize them?
