Your Job, or what was your Job

[JRTJH]

Joey,

We found the same "movement away from camping" when our kids were the age of yours. In fact, we wound up not using our camper for about 3 years, sold it and didn't get back into RVing until the kids were in college. I can say that I'd give up RVing again to support the kid's activities, so no complaints about our choices, but it wasn't too long after the last one moved out for a college dorm that we were looking at RV's to fill the weekends during which we felt we were "stuck at home"....

[Willie & Bev]

Worked for a building contractor after high school and then tried the HVAC business for a while before going to work for the mine.
17 years in an open pit coal mine (commonly know as a strip mine) as an electrician and then 12 years in electrical maintenance for Alcoa in southern Indiana.

Willie

[66joej]

Some very interesting careers posted.
After high school in 1957 I served 2 apprenticeships. First was Red Seal Automotive Mechanic and then Red Seal Heavy Duty Mechanic (both are now called Technicians). Spent the next 20 years working in the oil patch and various heavy equipment shops as mechanic, lead hand, shop foreman and mechanical supervisor. Not sure I've worked on everything but "have seen a lot". This got tiring so I quit working and hired on with the Govt. of Canada. Retired from the RCMP in 1998 with a fat pension. This is coming up on 21 years retired and still on the green side and enjoying it.

[chuckster57]

Was red seal the precursor to A.S.E.

I’ve been wrenching “on the side” for a little over 40 years. When I retired from the state in 2008, I was going to go “legit” with my repair business. I looked into the test for ASE and couldn’t fudge the work experience documentation, and then there was the monthly subscription fees to “allData”.

I haven’t stopped working on stuff

[66joej]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Was red seal the precursor to A.S.E.

I’ve been wrenching “on the side” for a little over 40 years. When I retired from the state in 2008, I was going to go “legit” with my repair business. I looked into the test for ASE and couldn’t fudge the work experience documentation, and then there was the monthly subscription fees to “allData”.

I haven’t stopped working on stuff

I believe ASE to be the equivalent of our Red Seal. Red Seal means you are licenced to work on all types of mobile equipment in all Canadian Provinces.

[bsmith0404]

Retired from the Air Force after 25 years. Then i transported RVs for a while, been selling Keystone and Grand Design for the past 3 years

[Alpine]

"Long story...short". Started off in the foodservice industry at age 17 and retired in the foodservice industry at age 58. 35 of those years was driving semi for Food Services of America (now US Foods as of 2019). Delivered to Wendy's, Subway, Applebee's, Ihop, Hospitals, Colleges, Universities, Schools, Airport, Prisons, Old Country Buffet, Care Homes, Assisted Living, Ma-n-Pa restaurants etc, etc, etc. So 41- years total with the Teamsters! My wife retired after 25 years in Law Enforcement.

[travelin texans]

Worked from 16 to 26 years old in the grocery business starting as a sacker/stocker in high school & left as the assistant manager, the store roof collapsed during a blizzard & didn't rebuild.
Went to work with my grandad pumping oil wells, he spent 60+ years (from 15 to 76) in oilfield exploration/production, pumping 25 wells the day he died, so I learned from the best. My father also spent 40+ years (19 to 65) in e/p before retiring. From there I was hired by a major oil company in operation/maintenance of crude oil & refined products pipelines for 30+ years.
During our soon to be 47 years of marriage we've built one house ourselves & remodeled 3 others so retirement has been a welcome slow down, now just try to keep up with honey-dos.
After retirement in '08 we fulltimed for 10 years, the first 4-5 did part-time contract work for the company I retired from, then just enjoyed traveling this great country while spending time with 2 sets of grandkids half way across the country from each other before settling back down & selling the 5th wheel.
Not sure what's next.

[Jnich17]

I am a shift mechanic in the paper industry. I am by trade a machinist,welder,millwrite,and pipe fitter. Have been in paper industry for 38 years, always in maintenance. I was raised in welding fabrication shop with my dad and grandfather. Been dooing this all my life so to speak. In off time I enjoy building things both metal and wood.

[Jnich17]

Thank you for your service to our Great country.

[Big1]

Retired from Boeing and the Army.

[frankyb01]

I went into the air force right out of High school as an aircraft support equipment mechanic, AGE for you fellow air force vets, retired at 20 years. Then I worked at a rental equipment company for 3.5 years as a mechanic, then I got a job at the Delaware Veterans Cemetery as a mechanic, where I have been for 20 years 3 weeks and 3 days, (but who's counting, LOL). I'm retiring for good this Friday.

[flybouy]

Long story so here's the abridged version, after returning to college later in life than most and getting an engineering degree.
Last 30 years of my career were working for retailers and fast casual restaurant chains as a Director in the development depts. overseeing new construction, remodels, facilities. Adjunct faculty for a local college instructing labs and lectures for the electrical classes in an HVACR diploma program. Has to take a medical retirement at age 61 due to 7 cervical spine, 3 shoulder, 1 thoracic outlet, and 2 arm neuro surgeries (all a result of one "simple" slip and fall").
DW was a NICU nurse, Lactation Consultant, Adjunct faculty as a Nursing Instructor. She has more letters behind her RN than I can remember. She had to take an early disability retirement at the end of the last century due to illness that have only recently been identified as EDS ( Ehlers–Danlos Syndromes ).

So my current "full time job" is driving one or both of us to a medical appointment of one sort or another on at least a weekly basis.

[MN-Clark]

Retired now so my job is doing whatever I want!


Or whatever my beautiful bride says I need to do.


Graduated from college with a B.S. in Math and Computer Science in 1971. Worked with computers starting as a programmer ending as a mainframe systems programmer 42 years later. Held jobs at only four different places starting in private companies ending with state government. I've been told that just isn't happening with people any more.


Hopefully we'll be RVing for several years now.

[kksfish]

After HS worked in various mining and construction positions ..
Graduated from a police academy and spent the next 8 years working the streets in various capacities..
Went to work in the DAYLIGHT for an electrical contractor where I obtained my master electrical license ....
Began working for the DON on a Marine Corps Base as high voltage electrician/lineman
And then next fifteen years as an engineering technician for DON...
I taught fourth year electrical apprenticeship program part time for fifteen years!

Now I have Keep busy with the grandkids and I keep telling myself that my golf game really is improving!

[B-O-B'03]

My family immigrated to the US when I was 9 years old.

After dropping out of high school, during my senior year, I extended my part time job repairing TVs and electronics to full time. I was hired by some engineers from a large tech company/government contractor that had started a TV shop and pool supply/repair shop on the side, interesting combination, but it worked.

I became good friends with one of the owners and one day, at his suggestion, the girl that lived across the alley from him came in to apply for a part time job, cleaning swimming pools... I was struck and after a month I asked her out... we hit it off, lived together for 5 years and finally got married, our 40th is this May.

After I left the TV shop, my friend hired me at the tech company he had been working for and I stayed for 11 years, until he recruited at a start-up he had gone to. I worked there for 9 years and we were acquired by a large semiconductor company, after 2 years the company decided they were going to put our group on the block and I did not care for the new owners, so I took a package and left.

I went to another start-up, created by a bunch of us that left the semiconductor company and after 2 years we were acquired by a large network equipment company and I plan on retiring from them the end of this March after a combined 20 years.

It has been a fun ride and I have learned a lot, but I am really looking forward to retirement and dragging the wheels off of our little camper, with the DW and the dog.

This is the greatest country on the planet where you can accomplish so much, if you are willing to work for it. I am living proof

-Brian

[LHaven]

Took computer engineering in college, worked in the field 50 years, mostly for mainframe and mini manufacturers, everything from systems programming to technical sales. Did well in the dot-com (sold big systems to AOL since they were still Control Video) and "retired" in 1999. Bought our first trailer, did a 12-month great circle trip around the USA with a 10-year-old and a 100 lb. retriever, to decide where we wanted to move. Ended up in rural Arizona, where I almost immediately "fell out of retirement" to service several empty niches at the request of neighbors: Macintosh repair and assistance, wireless internet service, snowbird rentals, and a tiny transient RV park that welcomes under-55s, kids, and pets (Arizona is particularly tough that way). Sold the big commitment (internet service) just last June to officially re-retire... even though we still run the others. We just block out our park and rental dates when we want to hit the road.

[spade117]

During my teenage years, the days were spent running a crew for a local landscaping company, and the nights were spent as a cook at a local bar. Around 18, I got a job as a manual machinist working on bridgeports and speed lathes. After about a year, moved to another company setting up and running CNC mills. Worked at that company for a little over 16 years, and moved up through the ranks of group leader, cnc programmer, engineer. The pay was not really keeping up the increase in responsibility, so I decided to get a Bachelor's degree in Engineering taking online and night classes while working full time (and with 4 kids).

We also started early (16 yrs old) when we had our first child (built in babysitter for the younger kids). We had planned on having all of our children reach the age of 18 by the time we were 45, but we had one more that pushed that 48. After I finished getting the degree, the wife went back to get hers as well (in nursing). She got her degree and has been working as Assistant Nurse Manager in the Psychiatric Emergency Dept. for the last couple of years while also still finishing her Masters currently. This year will also be our 20th anniversary (purposely got married in 2000 so I would easily know how long we have been married).

I have been with my current company as a Manufacturing Engineer since I finished the degree and left the previous place. Most of my clients are military/DoD, so the work is always evolving and keeps the mind working. This place has been great so far in the 6+ years I have been here.

[Shasta Bob]

Retired from PacifiCorp ,

started as a meter reader 2yr.
Groundman on line crew 1yr.
line Truck driver 1yr
Plant repairman 11 yrs
Plant mechanic B. 10 yr.
Hydro Compliance Tech 14 yr
Retired after 39 years
now I do what I want, when I want, and when she says so!

[Carrottop]

I have a BA as a systems analyst and have worked in Hospitality my entire career. I have been a General Manager of large full service hotel for the last 12 years. 10 more to go and I will ride off into the sunset with my DW of 24 years. We have two daughters who are both have one year of university left and then it is just us and of course the DW's dogs.