What do you do for a living?

I started and worked at my current employer in 1994 for 10 year, through 2004. Then left for 10 years until 2014, and have been back since. I never burn bridges, as you never know when you might cross that bridge again.
 
fieldgrade said:
I read a survey many years ago, I mean a LONG time ago that said that the average American worker hated their job. I think the stat was 60%, or something. Maybe higher. Can’t recall.
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It's called "work". It's not called "fun".

If it was fun you wouldn't have to pay people to do it.
 
gc70 said:
My dad was great to work for (not with, but for). He taught me some invaluable lessons that were far more broadly applicable than just to the things we worked on:
- taking time on the front end to evaluate what needs to be done saves time later on a job;
- something that once worked can work again ... with enough replacement parts;
- having the right tools makes any job far easier, and;
- you may not remember what you are told, but you will remember something painful.
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Mine wasn't much of a teacher, although he really tried hard to be.
He hired a top notch layout guy when I was 18 and I learned more from him in 6 months than I did from dad in 3 years.
There was a lot to fabrication that I just picked up on my own easier than I could be taught, especially welding.
Dad was also cheap on tools. The standing joke was that we called a pair of vice-grip pliers a "Wayne Young Socket Set".
 
fieldgrade said:
I read a survey many years ago, I mean a LONG time ago that said that the average American worker hated their job. I think the stat was 60%, or something. Maybe higher. Can’t recall.

That said, I expect the number these days, in this climate, and with the folks just entering the workforce, might look much worse than that.

Every job I ever had was not one I was “called to", or longed after. They were jobs I could get an interview for, usually because I knew someone, had the basic qualifications for, was willing to do, and that paid the most.
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I never knew that I really liked metal fabrication until I quit dad and worked for another fab shop for a couple years. Before that, it was something that I "had" to do.

That shop had two sheet metal mechanics (layout guys)....me and a Yankee guy about the same age. Shop foreman really hated the Yankee and they finally locked horns
and the Yankee got fired, 2 weeks after I started. Then the foreman comes to me as says "the only way you're leaving here is in a box". He knew layout but was too lazy to work.
When I decided to open my own shop I waited till he left for lunch, and went to see the owner to put my notice in. The owner tried his best (with his wallet) to get me to stay, but
my mind was already made up.
Years later, that shop went belly up, and the owner came to me looking for a job. He was 74 then!....just wanted to work.
 
GoWolfpack said:
It's called "work". It's not called "fun".

If it was fun you wouldn't have to pay people to do it.
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I don’t think that is broadly applicable.

I used to enjoy building and the selection processes. I used to feel a sense of pride looking at a completed project and knowing that I had a hand in making it happen.

I don’t have that anymore.
 
fieldgrade said:
I wonder how many members have worked for the same employer more than once?

I worked for Sylvania for four years, got mad and left for a year and did something similar, came back a year later and worked there another five.

Then in my next career, I left that company to start a totally unrelated business after being there four years. That was clearly going to be a bust after four months, went back and stayed another nine years.
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I’ve been hired by Ma Bell four times. First as a part-time temp about the time I started my senior year of college. Took classes Tue & Thu @ NCSU, then drove home to Charlotte to work Fri-Mon (just a half day on Sunday after church, so 28 hours a week).

But they had a commit to shareholders that headcount would be XX at the end of the year, so they let me go right before Christmas, and then hired me back on Jan 2nd…but hey the official year-end headcount was what it was.

I worked PT until I graduated, then became a full-time temp (still no benefits) for the rest of the year. Let go again right before Christmas, and it took a month or so before they could get me back. Worked maybe two months and told them I’d had enough. I had a 4yr Bus Mgmt degree from NCSU and I wasn’t going to keep doing this temp work with no benefits.

There was a management job open on the floor I was working on, and I told them that’s the job I should have. They wanted me to take some tests and be a testing tech/electronic tech. Nope, no interest. So I left.

Worked ~2 months selling Nextel phones (I was horrible at it) right as they were getting popular. Then got a job at First Union in their temp department. Finally landed in a spot that had a full-time opening and took it. About two months later, BellSouth called me up and offered me the job I’d wanted that was still open. This was the same calendar year…think I left in Feb/Mar, and they called me back November 3rd.

I know the date, because they called me on a Tuesday, and I was getting married on Friday. It was a job I knew how to do, working for a company I knew well (my dad put in 30 with Southern Bell/BellSouth), and with people I knew. The kicker was I was making $28K at the bank, and my telco starting salary would be $45K. Yep, a $17K raise the week I was getting married.

So I told them I need to turn in a notice, go on my honeymoon, and give the bank a couple weeks. First official starting day was 11/30, a Monday. Funny thing was I banked at Carolinas Telco Fed CU, and we got paid a day earlier than normal banks. So on Friday 11/27, before I showed up for work, I got one day’s pay direct deposited. Figured that was a good sign.

So…first three were non-management:
Initial hire
Hired twice after being let go at the end of the year due to headcount games
Hired permanently as management. It worked out better that way because I skipped all the testing drama of being promoted from non-management to management.

Then when I’d officially been back three years, they recalculated my Seniority Date based on my PT work and time away…which bridged easily because I came back in the same calendar year. My date moved from my original hire date sometime in ‘96, to a calculated date of 9/9/97…which is none of the four dates I was hired. 🤣

So I officially hit 25yr on Sept 9th of this year.
 
Chuckman said:
And that's a shame. My current job, I love it. The only job I loved more was when I was a corpsmen. I feel very, very fortunate to be doing what I do.
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I love my job too, but I still wish I didn't have to do it. You can enjoy doing something while simultaneously wishing you could be fishing.

Every job is a balancing act between emotional fulfillment, financial reward and time off to do other stuff. Usually you get to pick 2, but sometimes like me you get a decent overlap of all 3.



concepthomes2 said:
I don’t think that is broadly applicable.
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I don't know man...

concepthomes2 said:
I don’t have that anymore.
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Kinda sounds like it is.



I enjoy what I do for money, but I enjoy a lot of other stuff a lot more. Wrenching on a tractor or turning over soil or selling syrup is more enjoyable than work.
 
GoWolfpack said:
I love my job too, but I still wish I didn't have to do it. You can enjoy doing something while simultaneously wishing you could be fishing.

Every job is a balancing act between emotional fulfillment, financial reward and time off to do other stuff. Usually you get to pick 2, but sometimes like me you get a decent overlap of all 3.





I don't know man...



Kinda sounds like it is.



I enjoy what I do for money, but I enjoy a lot of other stuff a lot more. Wrenching on a tractor or turning over soil or selling syrup is more enjoyable than work.
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Oh, yeah, I totally get that. If it was a choice between work and not work I would choose not work every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
 
I started in May of 97 estimating for a commercial general contractor. Bounced around through several companies and the last change, I ended up with a commercial roofing company. It's got old/boring, been debating if I want to go back the the GC world. But, I have 5 suppliers to deal with now and not depend on over a hundred subs to get a price put together on a bid job.

When I was in the 2nd grade, I started going to work with daddy framing houses. I went everyday that I was out of school until I graduated high school. I was ready for college. I actually miss it now, some. But I have some skills that nobody can take away from me. I have always been fat. I learned how to cut so I didn't have to climb. I hated climbing. I toted everything around the houses, poked up plywood, and did a little layout. I could run a circular saw better than most of the other boys.
 
My grandpa always said that if work isn't fun then you have to make it fun. What I used to do stressed me out sometimes, but it was fun due to the people I worked with like @Bull Durham . There was always a way to joke about how stupid it was. Once everyone that made it fun was gone it was really easy to look elsewhere which I did until my wife just said I should stay home.

I still work their part time as a grunt on infrequent seasonal work on weekends to keep continuous service going in case I ever need to go back, but there are many other things I'd look at doing first. The funny thing is when the part time guy ends up running programs because everyone else is too new on the jobs.
 
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ChickenHawk said:
My grandpa always said that if work isn't fun then you have to make it fun. What I used to do stressed me out sometimes, but it was fun due to the people I worked with like @Bull Durham . There was always a way to joke about how stupid it was. Once everyone that made it fun was gone it was really easy to look elsewhere which I did until my wife just said I should stay home.

I still work their part time as a grunt on infrequent seasonal work on weekends to keep continuous service going in case I ever need to go back, but there are many other things I'd look at doing first. The funny thing is when the lart time guy ends up running programs because everyone else is too new on the jobs.
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This right here is a critical management lesson, especially in restaurants. It’s not really that hard to hire new folks for front or back, but you can’t just think about filling a slot, you need to think about creating a team that works well together. These are generally crap jobs with meh pay, the only way to build employee loyalty is to build a good team, they’ll stay for the team, they won’t stay for the job.

Rant off
 
JimB said:
This right here is a critical management lesson, especially in restaurants. It’s not really that hard to hire new folks for front or back, but you can’t just think about filling a slot, you need to think about creating a team that works well together. These are generally crap jobs with meh pay, the only way to build employee loyalty is to build a good team, they’ll stay for the team, they won’t stay for the job.

Rant off
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My wife likes to sum it up as company culture not pay is why people leave. The place i worked was always toxic, but we were permanently stationed at a customer site. They didn't meddle until the last few years when it got annoying fast. It went from no news is good news to "you're too direct in your emails."
 
JimB said:
This right here is a critical management lesson, especially in restaurants. It’s not really that hard to hire new folks for front or back, but you can’t just think about filling a slot, you need to think about creating a team that works well together. These are generally crap jobs with meh pay, the only way to build employee loyalty is to build a good team, they’ll stay for the team, they won’t stay for the job.

Rant off
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People quit managers/leaders. I have left better paying positions because of crappy work environments, toxic, bad management, etc.
 
Chuckman said:
People quit managers/leaders. I have left better paying positions because of crappy work environments, toxic, bad management, etc.
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I have left because of management, but always seemed to get a better job.
My father left a crappy job for one he liked, but he took a 50% pay cut. He got a side job to make it up and would say that it was worth it.
 
I retired 2 yrs ago after 35 yrs of electronics HW engineering, then engineering management for the last 10 yrs (speaking of bad managers! :) )
 
Chuckman said:
People quit managers/leaders. I have left better paying positions because of crappy work environments, toxic, bad management, etc.
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I dunno man
I point to management for two of eight.
I've had a few people quit me, Lord knows I've tried to run some off, firing being difficult to impossible, but usually it's been pay, convenience, or following a woman somewhere.
 
Computer Operations since 1980, started in large data center in NYC commercial bank, they downsized a few years later so I worked at smaller companies, at least five or more years. Spend the last 25 at small department at NCSU until we moved to the cloud and I was RIF'd. I had a good run there on second shift, that let me have my part time day job at The Home Depot in Raleigh, had my 24 year mark last week. I'll find another IT job soon, just enjoying some time away from it.
My dad called me a button pusher because I sat at keyboards running IBM mainframes.
 
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GoWolfpack said:
It's called "work". It's not called "fun".

If it was fun you wouldn't have to pay people to do it.
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I used to tell people "find work you love to do and you will never have to work another day in your life"
I have found out there are only shaded versions of that truth, but it is true at the core, anyway.
 
I started my 2nd /part time job a few weeks ago...alot of onboarding computer training to start but the past two shifts I've been able to do the job. I really do enjoy the customer interaction/ really just BSing with customers about what they are working on or looking for. If it payed better (has killer benefits especially for part time) I'd probably ditch the "9-5"
 
Here’s my view this morning…

Currently de-modding all of the old systems and preparing for a Garmin G600 installation. This includes interfacing with existing dual GTN750 Comm/Navs, GTX345/335 Transponders, GMA35c audio panel, and KMH880 TCAS, as well as installing new dual GDC7400 Air Data Computers, dual GRS77 AHRS Computers, a brand new autopilot, and a new standalone GI275 standby indicator.

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The issue I have with the "do what you love" idea is that if it requires that you work for someone else then that love is part of the pay scale and benefits. Meaning they can pay people less to do the cool jobs they love. Do it for yourself and you might be able to make something of it.

People also underestimate the time required to get good enough to be at the top of your field. If you are unwilling to pay that cost, don't complain about those that did pay it making more than you. They gave up time you are not willing to give up for that pay. Got a lot of truck driving school graduates that want to make what I make but don't want to invest the time or don't want too/can't even do what I do.

As a husband and father it is my RESPONSIILITY to provide for my family. Nothing about that responsibility requires that I enjoy what I do. It requires that I provide for them. And if the job that does that is not one I particularly like, then it is what it is. A lot of things about my job suck. But the money and benefits don't. IMO it's not the responsible thing to give up those things to pursue something "I love". I get my personal satisfaction from what I do outside my job. Doing stuff with my family and my holster business. Same reason I don't try to go full time with holsters. It would take 3X the sales of my best year to even up my pay and benefits with my job. But I'm one of those rational thinkers like that.
 
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