OT: What's Your Occupation?

[matt_H]

I'm a "research analyst" at a public policy research firm. Basically I am a statistican/ grant writer. I've been working a variety of projects and that keeps it interesting. My educational background is in sociology.

[LesnarsTXF5Diva]

I am going to school to become a hair stylist/makeup artist. I only have 4 1/2 months left, thank God

[Step]

I'm in a fairly low-stress job right now, working as a computer programmer. My work is on a mainframe, lots of what I do is the interface between the data stored with old applications on the mainframe, but accessed from new applications on the Web.

I have a degree in "Computer Information Systems" from a small college known for it's business expertise (accounting, marketing, entrepreneur-studies) and an MBA from a different small collge, known pretty much for the same stuff.

In the mid-90s I did a stint a software start-up and planned to be rich and retired on my stock options by now ... but NO, the company folded in 1997, just a few weeks after I went out on a leave to be home w/ my new baby who had just arrived from Korea.

[Jennelle]

I think everyone knows I'm a teacher. I teach fifth and sixth grade language arts (a fancy name for readin' and writin' )at a rural public elementary school in northern Mississippi. My degree isn't in education - it's in English. I would love to go back to school and get a master's in English (or American Lit), but it's going to be a while.

[1fralick]

What a diverse group of people
I have pretty much worked in the counseling field. I am an LPN worked in inpt. mental health unit and alcohol rehab. Became a credentiled substance abuse counslelor and worked in a men's prison. Now I transitioned from the counselor to the boss at an outpatient substance abuse clinic. Have my BS in human services and am now applying to a graduate program for my Masters in social and public policy.

[looosingit]

Wow! People have really interesting jobs!

I am a civil servant. I manage a program that provides funding to graduate students and Postdoctoral Fellows in the Humanities. I actually really like my job (which seems to be rare among civil servants in Canada).

I have a BA in History, but also went to college to study museology. I think that my education was useful - although not directly useful for employment!

[AngiKL]

I am a salesperson for a college textbook publisher. I used to work for them full-time and traveled a lot, but they created a position for me that I could do from home when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I decreased my hours when Elijah came home - I now work 23 hours per week - and they still give me insurance.

I love my company! They are very good to me.

[Lekker]

Lots of different occupations...very interesting thread!

I am currently doing my M. Eng degree in Mechanical Engineering, topic: robot contact parameter identication. My undergrad was in Systems Design Engineering (basically a 'mix' of several engineering fields), which I really, really enjoyed.

However, I don't know what I want to do after I finish my master's...I'm not sure anymore 'how much' of an engineer I want to be, and exactly what kind of engineering I want to be doing, or if I want to branch out into something different...you know that feeling of not being quite satisfied, but not being sure what is exactly missing?

[jiffypop]

lekker: what on earth is a robot contact parameter and how does one identify it???? sounds fascinating., i think.

[Charbar]

Lekker.. that feeling will last through out your 20's .. and for some of us into our 30's !

[jkfla]

i have become what i most dreaded in high school, something that was TOTALLY not in my life plan. i'm an overweight, single mom, with no job and very little education.
i am very appreciative of the working people because i know i wouldn't be able to do what i do if not for you all. but at the same time i feel like i'm the bottom life form. i am trying to support myself and two kids on the money we get for dillon since he has disabilities.

in high school i got a job right after i was old enough to work. i worked 5 to 6 days a week in a grocery store for a year until i graduated from high school. i had a journalism scholarship to a college here in oklahoma and a drama scholarship to a college in texas but i moved on to a full time secretarial job and worked there for about 5 months until i got sick and had to quit. then i worked at wal mart for 15 months while i was going to nursing school (LPN at the vocational center).
i got married right before i started school and ended up getting pregnant half way through and had to withdraw with only 2 months left until graduation. i was going to go back the following spring after dillon was born but with him being in the hospital and being so sick i wasn't able to go back. instead i got divorced and
got a job at a convenience store. ended up having to quit that job because dillon went back into the hospital again and it didnt work with my school hours -----> i went to college the following fall. went 2 semesters, switched majors from undecided to nursing (RN program)... got pregnant again (and finally discovered that nursing is what gets you pregnant LOL) had to take off from school because dillon went into the hospital AGAIN. now i'm on probation. if i can't get the decision
appealled i'll have to pay for it all myself when i go back. when i go back, since i didnt
finish all my hours, i'll be a third semester freshman.

i still don't know what i want to be when i grow up but i'm thinking something along the lines of medical social work. our first time in the hospital was a NIGHTMARE and the social worker we had SUCKED!!!!
i want to be able to help families in need during a time of crisis. i dont want anyone to have to go through what we went through.

[terrific pig]

Shelly, I'm amazed that you think of yourself as someone with 'very little education'! As my therapist is always telling me, look at your situation using your 'wise mind'. You have lots of education, you just haven't finished college is all. You sound like an extremely hard-working person and a good mother besides. Not only that, but now you're working on taking care of yourself - please be kind to yourself.

I could really relate to what you said about not knowing what you want to be when you grow up - I feel the same way. When I was a kid, I always thought that adults just automatically knew what to do in any situation. I guess my parents made it look that way. Now I find, as an adult, that I often don't know what to do. Luckily, I have good friends and family to talk to, as well as a supportive partner.

I bet you'd make a great social worker in the medical field because you understand what people need.

[jiffypop]

shelly., i've read your post several times, and keep coming back to it. there are a WHOLE LOT of things to say to you about this. so i'll start off slow, and come back to this a couple of times before i'm done. probably. depending on time.

first. a person who devotes herself to her children and who has worked so hard to get an education IS NOT A BOTTOM LIFE FORM. come on darlin. give yourself SOME credit. yes.. things sound DEFINITELY hard for you, but look at all you're doing!!!

second. i could NEVER figure out what i wanted to be when i grew up, either. and that's why i chose the major i did. it offered me the widest range of possibilities in fields i was interested in. and you seem to be doing something similar.

and i can't think of a better field for you, from what little i know of you, than nursing or social work. a visiting nurse helping shut ins or people with special needs? very hands on. sounds like YOU. a social worker who actually gets people the help they need? also sounds like a good choice. and here's a secret: YOU CAN DO BOTH!!!!

it sounds like you're overwhelmed and need some practical help in your area. wish i could help there... but i can't.

so shelly. you have goals, two beautiful children, education. maybe figuring out what you need to do to get where you want could help. in baby steps. something manageable.

you are an intelligent woman with a lot to offer. don't let them stop you!!!!

[jkfla]

awwww you guys are so nice. thank you for your kind words. i have been giving this a lot of thought. i know i can do both. i'm thinking maybe a bachelors in nursing (if i can get past chemistry LOL) and work for a while and then go back for a masters in medical social work. one of my main reasons for sticking to losing weight this time is so i can go back to school and not have my weight bother me so i can contribute more to my studies. when i went the last time my weight was a HUGE issue. it was soooo embarrassing to walk to class and by the time i got there i would be sitting in a sweat puddle. i can't wait to get this weight off and go back!!!!

[irishwings]

Hi everybody! How interesting to read everyone's occupations!

I am a full time church musician, you know, playing the organ, directing choirs, handbell choirs, working with children and youth. A little bit of everything, really! It can be very frustrating and completely time consuming, but also very rewarding.