GolfHos

Comments in the Costco/Sam'sClub thread got me wondering ...

How did you end up in your current occupation?  Chance?  Parental pressure?  Role model?  Trying to get laid?  Or is it essentially what you wanted to do?

not good at anything else.
 :sad3:

You mean they don't have positions for professional forum-posting bots?

Mostly by mistake. Originally sought to be a lit prof. Dumb mistakes in my early 20s lead me elsewhere, when I returned to school, I decided to chase a paycheck instead of something fulfilling. Despite some aptitude in the arena, it's not a terribly good fit. I keep threatening to go back to school. Probably should do it sooner than later.

Math and Science came relatively easy to me through high school. We essentially had guidance counselors that would toss college pamphlets at the "good" students so they weren't much help. Dad didn't go to college and Mom was a teacher and I almost went that route.

Quite honestly, starting salaries of engineering students caught my eye. Everyone said since I was good at math and science it would be a good fit and it made sense when I thought about it. So that was that. Interestingly enough I did much better in chemistry classes in college. And I enjoyed the computer classes I took but I was too far down the engineering road to change directions. Or so I thought. Plus money for school was an issue.

Once I was out in the real world for a few years I realized that a technical background was really good for other careers. I also realized I had no interest in spending 40 years sitting at a desk designing stuff. So I moved into an Applications Engineering role 12 years ago and then into Product Management. So I've been on the business side of the company for about 7 years now.

My wife's story is better. Double major, Chemical Engineering and Education. Minored in Art History. Today she manages the fitness center at our local community center.

An electronics and computer tinkerer from way back.

Went to college for electronics, had a summer job after my sophomore year that exposed me to computer networking and I was hooked - went back to college and got two computer related minors in addition to the electronics degree, a misspent year of grad school in Computer Science, and a computer networking job on campus.  Got frustrated with civil service after a while and went into the 'world' - been doing it ever since.  My electronics skills have suffered extreme atrophy in the process.

started out as an apprentice pipefitter and just kept getting pushed upward by my employer. tuition reimbursement helps  ;) it's alot better than edumacation on your own dime. ;D

I dropped out of college because I was broke, so I got a part time job as a lab assistant with the company I am currently working for.  I tried college one more time, quit, and took a full time job with the same company.  

It certainly was not the career path I imagined, but the pay and benefits are exceptional for an uneducated man such as myself, and I have been fortunate to do a variety of jobs with this company, so even after 18 years, I still really like what I am doing. (though right now I am in limbo awaiting an overseas assignment, so I never know what I will be working on from week to week which gets old.)

Early on I suppose I wanted to be a professional sports person: golf, basketball and track and field where high on the agenda. Back in the late 80's early 90's I was in  :airquotes:discussions  :airquotes:with a number of colleges over there in the US.

A susbsequent sporting injury that sideline me for about 6 months so I ended up doing a degree here. Through the mid 90's I started a Record Label with some friends, and finally after an altercation with the Head of a Major Label I quit the music industry.

I dabbled in some other Business Ventures and also worked for many differenet organisations, getting into modelling and acting along the way before falling into the Insurance Industry about 10 years ago, and hence here I am.

I can still play some ok golf, I can still dunk it off a drop step, and track and field highlights are a fading memory, but at least life is good and I probably wouldn't change a thing.... ;)

So twoiron, would I know, of any of the bands/artists that you had on your record label.

Probably not, it was mostly Rap, RnB, Dance and some experimental stuff.

There are two things that have single handly *fudge*ed the Australian Music industry, one of them is a well known Music Industry (the same one I got into a dust up with), and Idol.....

I don't watch idol.

I know the judges are Mark Holden, Marcia Hines, *8==>*o and some other guy.

It's either *8==>*o or the other guy.

Which one, tell us all about it. ;D

In the fetal position, whimpering and crying.

Went to college for 1 semester and decided I was done with school. Went to a Navy recruiter and tested high so he persuaded me to take the Nuke test. Scored high enough to go Nuke. Spent the next 2 years in Naval Nuclear Power school. After 6 years of the Navy I had enough. Over the next 8 years I went through about 6 jobs from waiter to call center to field service. The last job was with some family and I got so sick of the BS and just plain ignoring my ideas and suggestions I just quit. 3 weeks later I landed a job at the place I am now.

Mine actually began with a lack of motivation in high school. By the time I woke up and smelled the coffee, it was cold. I took a job as an entry level machine operator, worked my butt off to learn every job in the shop, and worked my way into a nice middle management position wit a side job as the Safety Director. I held the management and safety director jobs for ~25 years. In July 2003, I reached 35 years with the company, and received a nice appreciation plaque. A month later I was told I was no longer needed. At 53 years old, I was out of the only job I ever held, (outside of two jobs in high school).
As I tested the market, I found that nobody was willing to hire me in the positions I was most qualified for. Nobody wanted to hire me for a lesser position, either, as they felt I wouldn't be happy in that job, or I would be a threat to the boss.
In September 2004, I decided to test the retail sales market, figuring that I might as well make a total career change, since my original one was in the *feces*hole. Being the last quarter, and with holiday time coming up, Sears offered me a sales position in the hardware dept. I found that I really liked helping people with their needs and did rather well. A promotion came rather quickly, and my skills working with people grew.
Thinking that the Insurance business was the next step, I took the plunge. I loved the interaciton with clients and prospective clients very much, but found I was spending way too much time away from home. I have since returned to Sears, and I'm happy with the job and the fulfillment I experience. The pay is quite a bit less than I received in my job of 35 years, but I am working, on average, less than 30 hours a week. This leaves much time for family, exercise, and golf. how much better could it be.
I hope I haven't bored anyone.

A really long story which begins with a possession of alcohol ticket in Sugarhouse Park and ends with a missed bus.  Typical, really.

My earliest memory of thinking I'd do what I currently do was as a 4th grader.  Everything I did since that time was directed to fulfill those dreams. 

So in college my dumbass that Business Management would be a good major.  I minored in Economics and really liked it much better but found out too late to change.  After graduation I realized that management is very broad and you don't get hired as a 22 year old to manage people with no experience.  This was during the 2002 recession and entry-level professional jobs were hard to come by in OKC.  But student loan interest rates were shockingly low.  So I went to grad school for a masters in Econ which I found out was basically the PHD track.  The first math class I found out that the business college sheltered me from 3 years of Advanced Calc and Statistics that I missed and my classmates received.  I didn't want to catch up that much so audited my classes and quit.  Enjoyed that semester as a Teaching assistant for a Macro Econ class though.

While most of my friends went to law school I decided to get a real job first.  Got in with my insurance company in the risk management department with the help of my father's friend.  Started as an underwriter tech and quickly got promoted to underwriter.  Then took the job as an analyst in the same department but now work with people I like.  But I still despise what I do so I'm about to change my career path as you all know.  Just waiting for my wife to get out of hair school and start her salon before I quit and go to law school. 

A slow diagonal from psychotherapy to organizational psychology...

from locked-up kooks to working crazies

Where I grew up your post high school decisions were limited.

Inherit the family farm.  Lived in town.

Go to college.  Didn't have the money, and according to the old man wasn't smart enough, and they wouldn't have me.

Work at the local fillin' station.  Again, possible qualification issues, but saw no long term growth.

There did exist however another viable alternative.  Enlist in The United States Army.
Met with recruiter dude.  "Let me get this straight.  I sign up, you train me in one of these 200 some odd careers, for free?  You pay me while I do it?  I eat, sleep, and live for free?  While I'm in, you pay 90% of college tuition if I go in my spare time?  Then when I'm done, you give me 17 large to go to college, and or continue what I started?

Hmmmmmmm.  What the hell.  So I tested out, and contrary to the old man's propaganda, I was fairly leonard, and could choose almost any job I wanted.  After much deliberation, and consultation we decided on 91Papa.  Radiologic Technologist. (Thanks, Dad.  :angel: )

I'll cut to the chase.  19 years ago I set out on that path.  A decorated Gulf War Army Veteran, Nationally registered technologist in all 4 disciplines of medical imaging, and pretty decent career later (advancing through the ranks and different imaging modalities)  Here I am.

Still, often I find myself lying back on the cool green grass, caressed by a Summer's breeze, tickled by bronzing drips of sun, in a barely coherent state of intoxication that can only be the result of a Saturday wasted on greens fees and beer in plastic bottles......wondering if pumpin' gas may have been better.

Unless Delusional in Sacramento gets that DeLorean up and running, we will never know.

After gravitating from college (married) with a basically useless B.A. in psychology, I went back to trimming trees to start to pay off the loans and maybe save a little to put to graduate school.  Got laid off (with enough time to collect unemployment), worked three under-the-table jobs.  Then, I got hired by *brown*.

Had a kid, fell in love with full benefits, had another kid, and here I am 29 years later, still pushing a *brown* truck around.

Would I change anything?  No, I love my two sons, my daughter-in-law, my soon to be daughter-in-law, and am totally happy with my life.

(Wish I would have started golf earlier. [sm_shock])

With a little more than a year left in college, I got a job selling furniture b-2-b to hotels, universities, etc..  2 years later, I still had 16 credits to go for the degree.  Another 18 months later, I was National Accounts Manager, with 11 credit hours left to complete.  2 years later, I took a job as National Sales Manager for a company based in NC (and forever quit worrying about finishing the degree, 11 credit hours short).

After 9.11, company policy mandated we not travel.  Rather than spend 60% of my time on the road, I got to spend it with my wife and little girl.  10 or 11 months later, I moved to Atlanta to become a manufacturers' rep for hotel furniture/furnishings.

Had I finished college, it would have been with a degree in English.  I would have then either gone on to business or law school. 

I'm very happy with my choices and feel fortunate.  I love what I do.  I work from my home office 3-4 days / week, and have appointments 1-2 days / week.  I average probably 60-75 hours working per week.  Other than the occasional tradeshow or overnight travel, I am home every night to see my family.  More often than not, I'm here when my little girl comes home from school.