Your Job, or what was your Job

[jdarwin]

We are both retired. The DW was an accountant for 40 years. I started in film/television as a writer/producer/director, then switched over to the technical side. I then went into IT as a capacity planner. My life took a different direction and I taught math and business to students with special needs until I retired.

[radargil]

Worked at a poultry place cutting chickens out of high school. I joined the Navy for 4 years as an aircraft electrician. Worked at an oil rig building company for a year and a half then worked as a railroad conductor for 35 years and retired 8 years ago. Volunteered at a Baptist camp for 5 years after retirement. Now full-time RVers.

[Pmedic4]

Well, retired 4 years ago. Primarily, when working, I was a IT consultant and part-time Paramedic (hence the name!).

Started as a paramedic on the local paid on call Fire Department, and then worked for a local ambulance company, and did that 25 years.

My DW was also an EMT on the department, and worked as a secretary at a high school.

[Bolo4u]

1986-1990 reserve police officer, while working security patrol for a private owned plot of forest land in northern California
1990-1995 Officer for the former California State Police
1995-2015 Officer with the California Highway Patrol
2015-2019 Sergeant with the CHP

Retired in December 2019 after 30 years with the State of California and ~34 total as a LEO.

Now figuring out what to do next.

DW is a supervisor with our county social services department, but she will "quit-tire" later this year as we are planning to relocate out of California.

[Laredo Tugger]

Originally Posted by Bolo4u

1986-1990 reserve police officer, while working security patrol for a private owned plot of forest land in northern California
1990-1995 Officer for the former California State Police
1995-2015 Officer with the California Highway Patrol
2015-2019 Sergeant with the CHP

Retired in December 2019 after 30 years with the State of California and ~34 total as a LEO.

Now figuring out what to do next.

DW is a supervisor with our county social services department, but she will "quit-tire" later this year as we are planning to relocate out of California.

You wont regret that move. Best thing we ever did. Yes tough to leave some friends and family but CA is not what it used to be, by a long shot.
Had a friend (who moved to NV) tell me there is a movement (surfacing again) that will let CA tax your retirement pension before they send it to you out of state. This was tried before and shot down. It would make quite a "mess" if this were to be put into law.
I found one of those "no income tax" states to live in. PM me if you want some info.
Good luck.
RMc

[CrazyCain]

Amazing occupations you all! Thanks for the response!

[Badbart56]

I enlisted in the greatest Navy in the world when I was 19 years old after working in the automotive business starting at age 15. I, like CW the man, was an AMH, but I was working on P-3 Sub hunter aircraft. I had it made in there being a VP (patrol squadron) sailor, I just didn't know it. I should have stayed. But I got out and went back to my automotive roots as a service advisor and asst. service manager at Chevrolet and Ford dealerships. I had a law enforcement bug though and got my state certification, working in local, state and federal LEO positions. Probably the most memorable job was working with the US Marshals, but the whole ride was quite exhilarating. I wouldn't trade it for anything! After retiring in 2011 I again dabbled in automotive, going back to work as a service advisor for Ford once again. But it took my time with my family away too much and my teenage sons were needing more of my attention so I got the whole family involved in a food truck/catering business for several years until all the kids (4) left the nest. Then, a little over a year ago, my wife and I got our class A CDL's and have been full time over the road truckers. And now, after a years experience and about 200K miles, we've been offered a job with a specialty hauler that pays stupid amounts of money! So here we are!

[Braysgrandpa]

30 years in the US Army. Retired in 2016 and now work as an educational aid for Special Education at our local high school.

[RubyCJ]

Well I had newspaper delivery and gas station attendant (when it was pumped for you, oil checked and windshield cleaned as part of the service) jobs early on. Then College for electrical engineering with a drafting job. Been working in the manufacturing sector for the last 49 years with the last 40 managing Plant Engineering departments. (That's facility/maintenance based not flowers and trees)

DW has been a dental office reception/scheduler for 43 years.

In 17 days we will both retire together and head to Florida for a couple months in a RV 55+ park. Then in July head out west for a while. Counting the days !

[GASMAN6674]

44 years in the LP Gas industry mostly on the equipment supply side.

[Harried Harry]

I started out by selling newspapers door-to-door when I was 8, then delivered papers until I was 18. The Army was my next calling so I saw part of the USA, then went to Okinawa for a couple of years. After I got out, I worked odd jobs while in college, then was hired by the Army to work as a management analyst (manpower). I did this for 35 years and retired due to micro-managers. I've been retired for ten years now and I raise pecans on the side while I try to learn how to fly fish. I travelled all over the US and then went to Germany for 3.5 years so I've learned another language (sort-of). I enjoy camping, reading, and off-roading in my Jeep Wrangler. Although I have a fifth wheel (Cougar), my kids have flown the nest so we use a truck camper (Lance) most of the time. Our biggest challenge is trying to stay healthy.

[BAPotter]

Medically retired after 9 years law enforcement. (ouch, that hurt.) 25 years designing/building one-off special ops vehicles for public safety and federal agencies. US and international. (Mobile Command Vehicles, SWAT/communications vehicles, counter drug intel vehicles, etc.) Lots of fun, great clientele, best job in the world if you've got to work. Now fully retired and loving it.

[Ghornet54]

I was Warranty Manager for years working on the consumer side of the business talking with the customers over the phone. Everything you hear about retail customers is true! It became so bad talking with the customers that I had to quit and get another job. I'm now a Warranty Quality Engineer only working in the automotive side of things. No longer talking with customers only the auto manufacturers that we supply. I will be retiring this year when I reach full retirement age in April. I plan to finish out the year and then call it quits. My wife is a staff accountant and has a few more years before retirement.

[CrazyCain]

I guess i should add to my Jobs my early days before my Paint Career, first Job was a paper boy, then worked at a flower shop, the went to work at a Restaurant washes dishes, then started cooking. Last Job before my coatings world was working for Marriott Corp. Worked the "fancy"" restaurant there as a Junior Chef. The place was located in the American Motors Corp Head Quarters building in Southfiled Mi. Got to cook for the exec's of AMC. Also got to test drive the AMC Pacer when that was just coming out. Got bored and went to work for Sherwin Williams Automotive Finishes and Industrial paints for 15 yrs, then Morton Int. in their Coatings Div, then Red Spot Paint in their Color Development Labs in Westland Mi. Went into the testing end of paint for Akzo Nobel for a few years before "soon to be ending my full time work life" at GST Automotive Leather in Livonia Mi......

[Stumpy75]

Went to school for forestry, and worked for Weyerhauser as a forester for about 5 years after school. Got laid off, and worked various jobs in the forestry industry for a few years, until I got tired of getting routinely laid off.

Then got a job in a water plant as a lab tech. This seemed more stable, and they had a position called a chemist/bacteriologist. Went back to school and picked up enough chemistry courses to qualify for that job. Worked in the drinking water treatment industry for the next 30 years.

Retired for the past 11 years (and loving it!).

[Bill-2020]

Project manager and IT admin. for electronics contract manufacturer., 30 years same company. Grew with the company from 12 employees in one small warehouse to now 5 facilities across the US. Retirement (401k and SS) is about 15 years off still. Long way to go, short time to get there. Camp and travel during the long weekends and holidays.

[Bob R]

I was given a choice of paths when I was 17, so with my parent's blessing and encouragement from other locals in uniform and robes I started my great USN adventure. They said Join the Navy and See the World, well I joined and they kept their word, 38 countries over 21 years. After boot camp and Aviation Electrician school I went to the USS forrestal for 3 years, then San Diego for 3 years of shore duty and then into the best job in the Navy, I became a P3 Orion Flight Engineer. After doing that for 12 years I did my twilight tour in San Diego as a crewman on the C2 Greyhound flying mail, people and parts to the carriers off of Southern California.

Then I moved to Vegas and was thinking Casino Security so I became an EMT, which then got me working in medical clinics and the rigs at Lake Mead. It was good but then for some reason I decide to become an RN so I moved back to Oklahoma, went to OU and got a BSN. Worked ICU, OB, Newborn Nursery and a slew of other things and settled into a looooong stretch of Trauma/ER Nursing.

I ended up in Eastern WA and the hospital I was working at needed to save money so they decided the best way was a 9% pay cut for everyone, I said BS and went travel nursing for a few years. Ended up back in Eastern WA and working in a VA hospital ER.

Eventually became the ER manager and got a Masters degree in Nursing Informatics and became a clipboard nurse. During that time I was treated for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and it is sleeping now. I am 4 months from final retirement and moving to Nevada with my wife, 3 cats, and our brand new Raptor 356.

I still have a few chapters left to write I hope.

bob

[kksfish]

Bob, good luck with the lymphoma..... I am CLL for four years.

[Phil Saran]

I worked in the scrap metal business (Titanium mostly) for the last 15 years of
my career as a Inventory Control Supervisor. 10 years in manufacturing as a
Inventory Control Supervisor and the 10 years before that was spent as a Service
Writer in car dealers.

I retired at 60 in 2008 and this last December I came out of retirement to work
for the local Hertz Rental office as a transportation driver. Fun work about 25 hours
a week and decent pay.

[RK1978]

Just to add to the list:
Grew up on the farm, oldest son, so was driving tractors at age 8 and doing field work a few years later, driving pickups about the same age.
Worked a few years at local fertilizer dealer after getting bored with college.
Went back to farming 1n '73, married a nurse in 78, about 10 years later realized I needed to be looking for something else, hired on at new Subaru plant in Lafayette, worked maintenance there until retiring 5 years ago. Kept farming until 2000, sold out and rented ground out, worked for tenant doing maintenance and driving semi part time until retirement, then full time until last fall when my wife's condition got so bad that I needed to be caretaker for her. Hoping we can figure out how to keep traveling with our trailer, there are lots of places we want to get to.
PR