Tell Us About Your Profession

[05EnvoyXL]

I work in a service dept at a Audi Dealer in West Long Branch NJ. Been here since May 2003 to January 2007, Worked for a railroad in NJ for three years then went back to the Audi dealer in January 2010. Been here ever since. Audi cars are cool and ok, but doesnt leave a soft spot in my heart like a chevy or a GMC vehicle does. Maybe i should switch brands?

 

[northcreek]

I work in a service dept at a Audi Dealer in West Long Branch NJ. Been here since May 2003 to January 2007, Worked for a railroad in NJ for three years then went back to the Audi dealer in January 2010. Been here ever since. Audi cars are cool and ok, but doesnt leave a soft spot in my heart like a chevy or a GMC vehicle does. Maybe i should switch brands?

YES!...you should find a job at a Chevy or GMC dealership

 

[Gator]

I'm an Ironworker, been doing it for 17+ years. My favorite saying is I don't go to the office, I build the office. I'm a connector, so I'm the one up in the air putting everything together. If you are from central Ohio there is a good chance you have seen some of my work. Some of my buildings that I have connected include, Cardinal Health systems office in Dublin, The tower at National Trails Raceway, Whitehall Yearling Highschool, TS tech and trim in Pataskala, and Athens, Neuman Technologies in Mansfield. Have built onto Honda of Marysville and added on to the Honda Transmission plant in Russels Point. Currently finishing up a new BMW/Mini car dealership for MAG in Dublin. After 17 years the list can be quite extensive. I love my job, the pay is not bad. On the side I do some graphic design and hope to have my own shop one day. I'm also preparing to go back to school at ITT for drafting and design.

 

[The_Roadie]

I've mentioned a couple of times I'm an electronics engineer in the chip testing systems business. So I'm in the critical path now on THREE new design projects. A 100nS pulse power source with peak power of about 250KW (dump a LARGE charged-up capacitor bank into the device being tested and make sure it doesn't explode). A six-color LED illuminator (like a 1" diameter, 3" long flashlight) that can change colors in 3uS (10,000 color changes per second) to 2% accuracy over a 100,000-to-1 range of intensity that is six times more efficient than my retired predecessor's design (Tests ambient light sensors used in EVERY phone, smartphone, tablet, and TV set). And a 19" rack-mounted instrument (about the same size as a home stereo) chassis power supply, fan and harness design that has to rid itself of 1400W while it sits on top of a 400 degree C oven (designed by others) whose top surface is sitting at 60 degrees C. (I can't begin to explain what this puppy does until it's public.) First project's revenue is about $50K in the next quarter, then maybe tapers off, second one $500K over two years. Third one could turn into a $4-10M product line with a five year lifetime. Three years ago I was out of work, thinking nobody was going to hire a 58 year old tech support mgr with stale design experience and I might as well pack it in and become a Walmart greeter. I LOVE THIS STUFF! :wootwoot:

Offroading? Who has time anymore for offroading?

 

[DDonnie]

I work customer service for a mid sized national bank. Basically I'm a replaceable cog in an unforgiving machine. I hate this job.

 

[Grimor]

I do computer stuff, for money; or sometimes food... or boobs....

All aspects of computers/networking except application programming, mostly because I hate it.

 

[CaptainXL]

Three years ago I was out of work, thinking nobody was going to hire a 58 year old tech support mgr with stale design experience and I might as well pack it in and become a Walmart greeter.:

Thats when you know your about to get layed off.. When they put you into a position that isnt commensurate with your education.

Glad things worked out for you. 3-4 years ago a ton of people were layed off at once. Same here.

 

[BuzzCut]

Where? Local Anheuser Busch wholesaler

What? Beer delivery

Why? Good paying gig, everyone loves the Bud Man and AB-InBev and their affiliates are great to their veteran employees and current military.

How long? Been in the beer business with Budweiser for 7 years now.

 

[willn513]

I'm involved in a small restaurant chain. Family friendly, good craft beers and good wines, great food, great service. Moved from line cook all the way to running one of our locations. Basically the top dog at my work. Have a COO and president above me.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

I'm involved in a small restaurant chain. Family friendly, good craft beers and good wines, great food, great service. Moved from line cook all the way to running one of our locations. Basically the top dog at my work. Have a COO and president above me.

Which one? I could come check it out. I like good food and different beers.

I used to work in a fairly large restaurant myself and worked up from the "fry guy" to kitchen manager. Still miss it sometimes.

 

[willn513]

Which one? I could come check it out. I like good food and different beers.

I used to work in a fairly large restaurant myself and worked up from the "fry guy" to kitchen manager. Still miss it sometimes.

Trailz- pm sent.

-Will

 

[IllogicTC]

Where -Simonton Windows

What - Casement Line. You know those windows with the cranks to bring them in/out? Yeah, those. Or the ones that swing inward down in your basement? Those, too.

Why - Sure beats working at McDonald's while trying to find something better. Full benefits, $30/month insurance (Obamacare-approved, even!), discounts on building products.

How long - About 5 months so far, looking like this could be very long-term for me.

I get discounts on our windows (sometimes up to 60%/unit), Moen faucets, etc. etc.

Every one of you who buys Moen, Simonton, Thermatru doors, Masterlock, Aristokraft, Kitchencraft, Omega Cabinetry, Schrock, American Lock, Waterloo Storage and Organization, Decora Cabinets, Wood Crafters, Cabinetry by Diamond, Kemper, Homecrest Cabinetry (yes they have a big hard-on for cabinets I guess), Fypon, Vista Window Company, Jim Beam, Maker's Mark, Courvoisier, Pinnacle Vodka, Sauza, Canadian Club, Teacher's, or has invested in Fortune Brands.... thanks for paying my bills inadvertently. I get discounts on most things except the booze section there.

 

[mapanch]

I'm involved in a small restaurant chain. Family friendly, good craft beers and good wines, great food, great service. Moved from line cook all the way to running one of our locations. Basically the top dog at my work. Have a COO and president above me.

Might be down in Cincinnati in early February. Sister lives there so I might visit for her birthday. She is a teacher, so I'll have time to kill while she is working

 

[tbyoda]

I am a RF Engineer for a major wireless carrier. Been with them for 14 years now.

 

[Hypnotoad]

I work for a company called Loram. We build railroad maintenance equipment, and my job is an electrician. I absolutely love it. Mostly, we build trains that grind the railroad tracks and make them like new again. Here's a picture.

 

[blazinlow89]

That is pretty freakin cool hypnotoad.

I am still moving and washing bird poop off helicopters. Still love my job and still working towards becoming a mechanic.

 

[Hypnotoad]

That is pretty freakin cool hypnotoad.

I am still moving and washing bird poop off helicopters. Still love my job and still working towards becoming a mechanic.

Thank you. What kind of mechanic?

 

[blazinlow89]

Thank you. What kind of mechanic?

Helo, we have a wide range of options. I have some experience on the UH-1Y's and the AH-1Z's, also have worked on some of the Navy h-60 variants. Unfortunately we need a certain amount of logged OJT since I lack the military background.

You would be surprised how many helicopter mechanics don't know how to work on a vehicle.

 

[IllogicTC]

Helo, we have a wide range of options. I have some experience on the UH-1Y's and the AH-1Z's, also have worked on some of the Navy h-60 variants. Unfortunately we need a certain amount of logged OJT since I lack the military background.

You would be surprised how many helicopter mechanics don't know how to work on a vehicle.

I would imagine it would be the fact that one is an Otto-cycle ICE, and the other is a turbine engine. The disparity there may seem outrageously large to some, so they throw their hands up in the air and figure they'll pay someone to do it, in reality bolts are bolts and screws are screws and clamps are clamps, literally 5 minutes on the Internet and you can learn how to fix almost any problem on a good range of vehicles these days, thanks to communities like the one we have here.

 

[Hypnotoad]

Maybe it's not that they can't work on a cars. It's that they don't WANT to work on cars.

The last thing I wanna do after a day of doing electrical work is go home and do it some more.

 

[blazinlow89]

True, but I know some that really are intimidated by working on a vehicle. I can agree that turning wrenches is turning wrenches, whether it's an aircraft or a car. We generally do not venture into the internals of some components.

 

[Hypnotoad]

True, but I know some that really are intimidated by working on a vehicle. I can agree that turning wrenches is turning wrenches, whether it's an aircraft or a car. We generally do not venture into the internals of some components.

It's funny, I actually have friend that was a helicopter mechanic in the marines who won't work on cars. I believe most of what he did was preventative maintenance, and not actual diagnosing and repairing.

 

[blazinlow89]

It's funny, I actually have friend that was a helicopter mechanic in the marines who won't work on cars. I believe most of what he did was preventative maintenance, and not actual diagnosing and repairing.

Basically what we do for the most part, however we also deal in replacing/repairing major components. There are some things we have to send stuff away for mainly overhaul of components. Its funny because I know some guys are gear heads, other not so much. Thinking about it I guess working on stuff all day would make you not want to work on stuff at home, then again I find working on cars relaxing (until I F up, then wrenches go flying).

I will say though that the fist time I seen one of the Army mechs change a tube of grease was awesome. He was talking all this smack about how he was the best at this and that, the guys at the tool room gave him the grease gun and the new tube. He struggled for a second trying to figure out what to do and opened it on the bottom. He slides the new tube in and cant get the spring and everything else in. So I told him you need to remove the top. He pulls the top and then tries to slide the bottom back in. All 15oz comes flying out all over him. I could not stop laughing for a good ten minutes. It was funny not because I realized he had never changed one before, but hearing him cussing and saying but it looked so easy in the Army. Apparently they kept the guys in the tool room kept them full wherever he was stationed at. Ended up teaching him and a few others how to do it (right).

Honestly one of the best things I like is that most of the guys that we work with are prior military and have thick skin, so we can let out aggression without killing each other and no one is ever really mad. We do have the people who cry about everything too, but you realize who they are and just don't joke with them. It makes for some interesting conversations. Hearing stories of what most of the guys have done is pretty cool, especially since the guys who work the same platforms have crossed paths at some point and you get to hear different sides to each story.

 

[IllogicTC]

Maybe because if you screw up, it's something you've paid/are paying for that now won't work, and now you can't get to work.

If you screw up the helicopter, it's not your money getting affected and there's other guys already there to un-screw up the job you did.

 

[Envoy_04]

Currently: unemployed. I'm a student at WVU

Past (and sometimes still): Golf Cart Mechanic for Mingo Bottom Golf Club. Also operated a repair/restoration business for myself from home. I specialize in Club Car electric carts, 36 and 48 volt DC. I spent most of my time at the course patching up stuff in the front end that the drunk golfers would break by running over the big decorative rocks on the course - and also have "dried out" a couple carts that took a dip in the ponds. I also completely rebuilt a line of 93 model carts that the course had. I can still to this day tear down a cart to the frame, rework the major stuff (mainly bushings and front end stuff), get the electronics functioning, and get it all put back together within the space of about two days (8 hour days) provided I have a repainted body ready to go back on and reupholstered seats ready to bolt in. I used to keep both stocked one set ahead so I'd always be ready. Outside of that, the work at the course was pretty run of the mill, but the interesting stuff was what I did from my home business. Complete custom jobs from the ground up were what I loved to do and still love to do. It's amazing how many folks have golf carts to run around on and know nothing about how to work on them, especially the electric ones, and that is where I made my money mostly. Occasionally however, I'd get a guy who would want a whole cart done up: lifted, wheels, paint, rear facing seat, hotter electronics - the whole deal.

Here's my personal cart, a 93 Club Car DS with a custom wound motor and a high amperage (550 as opposed to the stock 225) DC motor controller, lifted 6 inches. I get 26-27 MPH out of it right now running on 36 volts, and if I wanted to go 48 volt I could and gain 33% in both speed and torque. 27 MPH on a golf cart, by the way, is hauling

Started as this: (Hey, it was free!)

View attachment 32131


Ended up as this more or less, I've since changed some subtle stuff (and yes, it IS the same cart, I promise)

View attachment 32132

 

[Fire06]

Nice

 

[glfredrick]

I have a dual job, by day I am a facilities manager for a K-8 educational building, the rest of the time I am an ordained Southern Baptist pastor, of course, both jobs have me on call 24/7 and I do work a lot of hours...

Before my current state, I have done a lot of different jobs and have survived major career changes multiple times due to recession, opportunity, returning for schooling, etc. I started out working on our family farm and working in our fireplace wood business, went to school for mechanical design and ended up in the hydraulics field (was awarded two patents during my stint there) until bounced out by the 1980 recession. After that, I drove OTR truck, rebuilt forklifts, operated an independent automotive shop (ASE certified master tech), and was a Safety Kleen rep in Milwaukee. Recession hit again and after living 2 years totally off-grid (was a prepper before there were such things...) I ended up working in the dairy business where I learned to make cheese first then gravitated to truck driving with a bulk milk route. I followed that by going back into the dairy plant where I worked in a very high tech dairy ingredients plant where we made all sorts of inovative products from the whey left after the cheesmaking process. I started into church work during this phase of my life and ended up as the senior pastor of a small Baptist church before selling all our stuff and going back to school in another state. While there I was a full-time student doing a bachelor's degree (w/3 majors!) and an advanced masters degree (125 hrs) and I am now just shy of my doctorate. To pay my way through school, I served as a maintenance manager, worked with hardwood veneers, had a Snap On dealership, and eventually got into facilities management with the school. From there we returned to Wisconsin (after 15 years) and I'm doing what I'm doing now. I have over 1.5 million miles logged as a pro big-rig driver, and a WIDE range of expertise including steel fabrication and design, woodworking, electrical, electronics, computer (been building my own computers since the late 1970s) and I read EXTENSIVELY (300 pages a day on average).

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