100 lb. Club - OT: What's Your Occupation?

Sorry if this is too personal for anyone or if you don't want to share that's fine. But, since most people mention it once in a while anyway, I thought I'd just ask: what do you do for a living?

I'm currently a sophomore at Bucknell University working on obtaining my BS in Cell Biology & Biochemistry. Also, I work about 10 hours a week at the Campus Box Office.

It's a very stressful time, but I wouldn't trade any of it (except for the exams).

Apryl- College is so much more fun than high school... and much more accepting of all kinds of people. I've made much better friends here than I did in high school. :)

well, i wouldn't say i have an "occupation". i have a bachelor's degree in computer science, but it hasn't helped me out one bit. i have a shaky, "temporary" job as an assistant in a brokerage.

Got a totally useless degree in Anthropology that didn't open doors to many viable career opportunities (although I'm very adept at discovering and observing relics - mainly from under my couch cushions). Went back to school with the intent of learning something of interest I could actually put to economic use (especially once it became evident single-motherhood was in my near future). Didn't have the time, money or inclination to go to law school and chose the secondary route of becoming a law clerk (you know, the ones who do all the work the lawyers bill for ;)) I work in a fancy office tower downtown that has lots of stairs to walk down during a blackout (negative) and get to surf and post during office hours under the pretense of conducting "research" (positive). All in all it could be worse and I don't think I was really cut out to be the female Indiana Jones :)

So my user name is not really tacking a "j" at the front of "illegal" (although that has a certain appeal) but reflects my name AND job :D

I'm still figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. :)

Currently, I'm unemployed and caring for my aging father. Before I got laid off, I was a technical writer. During my employment and after I was laid off, I ran my own animal rescue and spay/neuter program (unpaid, of course). That was actually my most favorite occupation to date, but I gave that up when we moved to take care of my Dad.

I have a B.S. in Accounting and Finance (blech!) and I'm two classes shy of an M.A. in Technical Communicaton. Probably won't finish, but never say never.

I, too, agree that college is a lot more fun than high school. I still have friends from college and after, but none from high school. Since I'm now living in my childhood home, I run into people from H.S. a lot more than I care to.

I work as a Reports Analyst for a big callcenter (1400+ employees) here in Edmonton where I live. I do all of the reporting for Edmonton and Houston, TX for the contract that I am on (Yahoo!). Before transferring to the Yahoo! (yahoo.com) project a month ago, I did all of the reporting for Hewlett-Packard/Compaq in Edmonton and Kamloops BC, and I also oversaw a database for the HP team on Houston. I really love the work that I do, although I am still looking for a different job lol.

In August when I returned home, I got a job with "Dialogue Marketing". You could pretty much say "tele-marketing" because they do that too, but I work in the department that calls people in New York and New Jersey, who are previous blood, platelet, and plasma donors. We just call and see if they would want to donate blood again, and if they do, we set up appointments for them.

A lot of the people we call get so mad, because we call quite often, but hey, there's need for blood everywhere.

I decided to come out of lurking status! I am a microbiologist at a water plant. Basically that means I am responsible for making sure there is no bacteria in the drinking water.

I have a BS in Chemistry, but if I knew what the real world was like I would have gotten my degree in Chemical Engineering. Another interest was Public Relations or Human Resources.

I worked as a Validation/Research chemist and technical writer for 2 years then moved on to a food company where I was a bench chemist for 2.5 years (required way less skill and paid more, don't ask me:?: ) I was promoted into the Shift manager Group where my primary responsibilties are Enviromental, Health, and Safety excompassing the areas of Incident Command and Hazmat response. Secondary responsibilities include maintenenace prioritization, allocation of plant resources and contractors during shift, and reporting production issues. A fancy way of saying **** travels downhill and I am at the bottom, but I LOVE my job.

I find it interesting that so many of us are degreed, and obviously highly intelligent and yet we still struggle with our fattitude knowing full well energy to output ratios make the difference.

Miss Chris:cool:

For the last 7 years, I've been a stay at home mom. Before that I was an administrative assistant (fancy term for secretary, gopher, and basic catch-all person) for many years.

About a year ago I started my own web site company. I didn't know anything at all about e-commerce or building a web site, but I spent a long time doing a lot of research, and I started my own business, built my own web site, and have gotten great rankings in the search engines for it. I feel like I've really accomplished something because I didn't know anything at all, and now I beat out a lot of the major companies on Google for high ranking.

Of course my full time job is still as a mom to my 6 kids and 65 pound dog!

I have a BA in Business with a concentration in Human Resource Management.

I work in the staffing industry as a Staffing Specialist for a Nation wide firm.

I am a peon for a non-profit.

I am a computer software trainer for a family owned training company.

what a lot of smart folks we have around here!!

hmmm. BS in biochem. started a masters in immunology, but stopped when i realised i'd have to do horrible things to little fuzzy critters.

spent awhile in hospital labs, doing immunology and serology and bacteriology.

and then a long stint in medical/scientific publishing. some journals. some books.

then medical writing. and more editing. literature research. data analysis. epidemiology. statistics. assorted other icky [that's the technical term!] topics.

all leading to a position as: THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR of a ocmpany that does continuing medical education. a euphemism for pharmaceutical marketing.

what i'd rather be doing: making pottery.

All these people, we need to Network ladies sounds like we could rule the world right here ;-)

Miss Chris

LOL I agree Chris :lol:

Well I don't feel nearly as smart as most of you all, lol. But I'm in school for Elementary Education, I run a daycare center at a ski resort in the winter, sell cosmetics on the side, and am a wife and mother of 2 girls. So I'm a busy lady, lol.

I am a sales consultant for a college textbook publisher. I used to be a rep who traveled, but now I work 100% out of my home, mentoring reps across the country by phone and email.

I am the person everyone hates :devil:
I work as a customer service rep at a medical insurance company. I'm the one that says.. sorry.. we have denied your medical claim :lol: - nope, your hmo doesn't work in that area.

I have learned so much.. but being on the phone all day can wear on you. I just don't like it when people swear and yell at me. "hold please" :devil:

I also eat way too much chocolate :o at work!

When I did phones @ an answering service, Dana, they would let us hang up on the pottymouths. :D

So you are the one to say, "We won't cover your birth control pills. Nope, we won't cover meds for your cramps either. But we will cover a $10,000 hospital birth!" BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA, that is not technically you, it's CIGNA, but still. :p

Being on the phones for 5 years is how I gained 100#. :( That & a man who liked to take me out to eat.

Hey in a horrible past life I did telemarketing, the evil credit card sales! I was really good at it though and because I had to walk, talk, use my hands, I got a handsfree set. Now I hope the DO NOT CALL LIST is enacted.

Miss Chris

SuchaPrettyFace I'm a peon at a non-profit too!!!

I have done everything from vet tech to plasma center manager to financial planner to sales at a laser hair removal center! :lol: I learned early on that I'm really good at a lot of things.... but that doesn't mean I *want* to do those things. :)

Now, school's my most important thing. I'm going to school for film (my previous major was biology.... I don't know how I made the jump, don't ask! :lol: ) Film sounds like fun but right now I'm the assistant director for a miserable student film with two producers that can't get their act together! AHHhhhhhh!

I'm a telemarketer too. I raise support for the Special Olympics and some other programs for disabled individuals in several states.

Beverly

Wow you guys are so talented and intelligent too! We could totally take over the world! :lol::lol::lol:

Well.... as you all know, high school is my #1 priority right now... lol. But, I do spend a lot of time babysitting and I love love love it. I think I'll be a great mom someday. (Don't worry... like, 15 years from now!:D)
When I "grow up" I want to be a lawyer/prosecuter/D.A. probably in that order. Then maybe I'll be able to launch into politics and of course I want to be an author on the side.

Well for me i started into my education to be a reistered nurse and got side tracked with motherhood. Now once my kids are in school full time and my college bills are taken care of i will go back and finish school.

A nurse here ~ 25 years.

Gayle

I have a BA in Communications with an emphasis in Radio/TV, minor in Journalism. I work at a newpaper company that puts out 2 weeklies and 1 montly magazine.

Hopefully after Feb. I'll be able to be a full-time SAHM.

well i have no degree didn't do college and as of yet have no trade. :) but hey i'm doing ok for myself. i refurbish railroad cars. take out old stuff put in new cut and fit new carpets and lieno floors. little bit of cleaning and polishing too. i'm hoping to go to night school soon to study nutrition and eventually become a personal trainer.

This is an old thread - from October - but I found it and thought I'd answer. I'm a substitute teacher at the elementary school level. I've been doing it for 3 years now. The job market for elementary teachers here in RI is pretty competitive, so I haven't found a regular spot yet.

Going to school to become a teacher was a mid-life change for me. I got divorced 5 years ago after 17 years of marriage. I had never really started a 'career' job, even though I had a BA in English. Then when my son was born (Paul, now age 16) I became an at-home mom. When the divorce happened, I decided to go back to school and get another BA, this time in elementary education. I don't know if I'll stay in this field or not - if I had a classroom of my own, I might feel differently, but being a sub is often a pretty thankless job.

Anyway, that's my story. Maybe some new people who didn't get to answer this question back in October can post now.

Well, I don't have any degrees but does it count that I did go to college with a double major in education and psychology (even then I was striving to figure out what was wrong with me!)? I was two courses short of graduating, but I couldn't face the dreaded speech class which was mandatory at the college I went to.

That said, I've spent the last 15 years working in a sales/service office as the sole administrative galley slave. My duties include everything from HR, A/P, inventory, order entry, customer service and commissions to building maintenance (yes, I even replace the flush valves on the toilets when necessary!). I also get to travel some to train other slaves on the east coast.

Geez - kinda boring... :mad: Let's just pretend that I'm a brain surgeon. ;)

Melissa

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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! ;)

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.

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?

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

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

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.

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.

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!!!!

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!!!!

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.

:spin: