Dayjobs

[Jon Cole]

For nine years I have been driving a minivan bus for transporting special needs kids to school. Before that, I did eight years in ball bearing assembly, clean room environment. Also did eight years pre-press (inc “stripping” LoL). Previously went to trade school to learn auto body, stayed in that for a few years.

[Junkman]

Ph. D. in physics, grad. mech. engineer, grad. automotive/vehicle/aeroplane/aerospace engineer, grad. foreign trade economist. Worked in the physical/destructive material testing and quality control equipment field, quantum physics, astro physics, nano technology.

Now I run a funeral home, an auto restoration business, I'm a technical advisor to a top fuel funnycar team and a BriSCA F1 Stockcar team, I'm an investigative journalist, political activist and writer, and a bandleader.

So strictly speaking, I don't have a day job. I work when I don't sleep. Keeps me from mischief.

Edited October 10, 2012 by Junkman

[eizzle]

You sir, need a hobby! Man, how do you find time to build anything but z's in bed???

[peekay]

Studied Grafic Design in the late 60s but spent most of the 70s on the road in NZ in rock bands - best job I ever had.

Came to Switzerland in 1981 and kind of lost the plot. A series of more or less dead-end jobs until a major health blow 3 years ago.

I've been in early retirement since then, minus one lung, but doing fine and enjoying life.

Edited October 11, 2012 by peekay

[mikemodeler]

I work in the Automotive Aftermarket field and have done so for the last 26 years. Before that I spent some time figuring out life and working at several auto dealerships (Buick, Mazda, Mercedes, BMW, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo).

I currently work for NAPA as a regional sales rep for their line of import replacement parts. The territory takes me from Washington DC to Augusta GA and all the way over to the Atlantic Ocean.

I got out of the auto parts business for nearly a year back in 2000 and worked in motorsports but it was a stressful and hectic life and I came back to the auto parts business. Some days are spent on the computer, some days are behind the wheel of my Camry, and others are spent working with customers either in their store or visiting their customers.

Nice to see how many others here work in the parts business.

[Fabrux]

What's the difference between a geological engineer and a geotechnical engineer?

That depends. A geotechnical engineer can be an engineer with a civil engineering background or a geological engineer, which has a combination of civil engineering and geology background. I'm more specialized in the geotech field than a colleague that took just civil engineering.

Also, I can register as a professional engineer AND a professional geologist.

Edited October 11, 2012 by kataranga

[Chuck Most]

I have a brother in law that is a manager (in the grocery dept I think) in the Jackson, MI meijer. Where is Dewitt?

It's about 50 miles North-ish of Jackson, in Clinton County. It's actually closer to Lansing- only a few miles north of Lansing on 127.

[SuperStockAndy]

Professional dishwasher on the weekends!

But it's a paying job though!

[Bruce Poage]

I spent 39 years in Kansas public education as elementary teacher, elementary/junior counselor. I retired in 2006 and then went back to work for 2 years as para-educator. Then I was asked to work as Facilities Administrator for a new and growing stand alone Bible church, Fellowship Bible Church. In just 4.5 years weekend atttendance has doubled from 800 to 1600. Too much for this old guy to take care of. I will retire again in December but have my eye on some volunteer locations. If all else fails maybe I can start to make a dent in the 132 models on my stash shelves. It's all been fun.

[B.DougBeck]

Thank you for your service, to all that risk your lives every day! I work as an manufacturing engineer building equipment that protects our combat troops from(insert things that explode here). I went in the U.S. Navy in 1986 as a Sea Bee. I have been married to the same lovely understanding caring woman for almost 20 years (together in bliss for 22 years). I still manage to undertake the occasional construction project, and I am a full time dad to 2 teens. I don't know why I cant seem to make time to build.......

[Nate]

For nine years I have been driving a minivan bus for transporting special needs kids to school. Before that, I did eight years in ball bearing assembly, clean room environment. Also did eight years pre-press (inc “stripping” LoL). Previously went to trade school to learn auto body, stayed in that for a few years.

It's all about ball bearings these days...

[dieseldog1970]

During high school, local convience store clerk, pizza delivery (fired from that one for driving too fast...but never got a complaint about cold pizza!) LOL

After leaving school..detailed cars at numerous dealerships, worked at a plant that made windows and doors, got my dream job at Western Star Trucks in Kelowna B.C. building Class 8 trucks for 6 years and 3 in the warehouse stocking, shipping and receiving...plant was shut down and moved to Portland. Ran forklift on nightshift at Home Depot for a couple years after that

Tried the tin bashing business...hard to raise a family and pay a mortgage on those wages!

Spent 5 seasons plowing roads on the Coq...during the summer I ran a water truck and helped build roads, worked at the City of Merritt for a couple years, just recently tried the cement truck driver gig....but since I ONLY got 2 days of training.....I was let go after 30 days cause I was not getting the concrete end of it????

So now I will be starting a new job running a hydrovac truck....plan to retire doing that.....HOPEFULLY!!!

If all else fails.....WIN THE LOTTERY!!!!!!

Edited October 13, 2012 by dieseldog1970

[MsDano85gt]

I see a re occuring theme, lots of people work in some way or how in the automotive world lol

My job is the same! I've had many jobs. From pizza places, to an uncle sam navy seabee, but my current job is by far the coolest!

I fix broken glass(rock chips) saflite glass company nationwide great company this past week got to pull around a 01' zo6 vette that was finished. Awsome! Get to work on and repair lot of cool vehicles

[kingiguana]

Over 22 Years in the automotive aftermarket. Started off doing electronic stuff, alarms, remote starters, power locks and windows, stereos, and the like for 16 plus years. That shop closed down, and I now work a a store that does all that and more. I now do truck accesories, caps, running boards/bars diesel performance/chips/tuners/exhaust. Hood shields, rain guards, vinyl graphics, driving/fog lights, ladder racks, tool boxes, transfer tanks, aux tanks, the list goes on.Been at this place over 6 years now.

Edited October 13, 2012 by kingiguana

[btapper]

I haul air freight from Pittsburgh to JFK, Newark, Philly, Chicago, and Dulles Airports. It's pretty interesting getting to haul just about anything using all different kinds of trailers.

[Scale-Master]

When I am not making models, drawing decal artwork, racing cars or fondling women, (I am my own boss and I do have the weekends off…), I work on real cars…

I took this:

And made it look like this:

No, it is not Photoshopped.

[Jdurg]

Justin, if you're within commuting distance to Worcester, there are a few companies doing medical trials around this neck of the woods and Framingham. Longish commute, but it might be worth checking out. In 1993, my dad had to take a job in West Haven, and the 248-mile round-trip from Marlborough, Ma. for eighteen months was no fun, but sometimes you do what you need to.

If you pursue it and need to re-locate, or simply decide to grab an apartment for the work-week, please let me know. I do a little real estate on the side, and would be happy to help you.

Charlie Larkin

Thanks Charlie. Unfortunately, a drive of that distance would be a bit too much for me. I live in New London County, so that would be well over a 1.5 hour drive up to Worcester. That means I'd have to be up at 5:00 A.M. every day to shower, get ready, and get into work by 7:30 A.M. every day. Then, with the long drive home, I would be physically dead by the end of the work day. With the need to meet doctor's appointments and have any kind of social life whatsoever, that would not work out.

I have looked into positions that are widely available up in the Cambridge area of MA as well, but they have all offered low salaries and a requirement to be in the office every day. I'm at a financial situation where I would not be able to afford relocating up there at this time. I only bought my house five years ago and there is a lot of work that needs to be done on the house before I could sell it. It's just not able to happen now.

Happily, I have got in contact with a recruiter for the clinical research industry who has found a company based out of Chicago who is VERY supportive of remote workers (as they don't have to pay for office maintenance for such employees, nor other costs associated with having employees in the office) and is shopping my resume out to them and other companies looking for people able to work from home. Having been unemployed since the end of July (and "officially" unemployed since the end of September as that is when I was taken off of payroll), I've discovered that not going into the office every day has saved me a TON of money. I'm no longer spending money on gas for the car, coffee at work, breakfast and lunch at work, and stopping for happy hour with colleagues after work. Seeing his, I realized that I could take a pretty significant paycut if I were able to work from home and still live the same style of life that I have right now. Even better, many of these companies that support remote workers will pay for land-line telephone services as well as internet bills. The one company I'm seriously considering right now would be willing to pay for the full cable tv/internet bill since I can only get internet if I have a cable TV account. I also fully paid off my car last month, and paid off my credit card in full which resulted in a significant savings each month. I received my severance check from my former company a few weeks back and have that in savings and just transfer over to my checking account the amount of money that I would get from my paychecks each pay-period if I was still working.

My hope is to get back to work in the next month so that I can have the severance check available for home repairs and pleasure spending.

[caine440]

I work a a supervisor/ QC manager/ tow motor driver during the day and at night a 2 month old baby boy destroys what little sanity I have left.

[MD528]

I am a mechanical designer (facilities HVAC and plumbing systems)at Lockheed Martin, South Denver. Been at it since 89 when I got my first drafting position. The dream is to own an automotive performance biz that designs and engineers parts/systems for diy'ers as well as offer complete builds. Maybe even hybrid performance?...

[robertw]

A very interesting thread, thanks for starting it.

After 32 years in education as a teacher and in-school administrator I retired six years ago to dedicate my life to putting a dent in my huge pile of unbuilt kits. Still put in some time each month as a substitute teacher but more and more I'm just enjoying my summers driving my C4 Corvette and my winters playing with plastic.

[Luc Janssens]

My first job was at Verlinden Productions, casting ceramic ruins, did warehouse duty proccesing orders from all over the globe and also casting resin items, an argument with the boss his son ended that.

Second job lasted over 20 years, General Motors Belgium (aka General Motors Continental and Opel Belgium) started working on the assy' line then moved on to pilot vehicles, building late prototype vehicle at the GM tech center in Rüsselsheim Germany, then pilot cars, pouring it into 80 sec (takt time) line jobs, training, pre-production, follow-up and through, linebalancing, etc..., the position I held before 80 or so years, of assembling GM vehicles in Belgium ceased, was checking the quality and conformity of our products and policing the Quality inspectors, both in and outside the plant

Now I rolled into HVAC as a maintenance guy, don't love the job, but it's less venerable to weak economic times and enables me to pay the bills....

Edited October 21, 2012 by Luc Janssens

[Lownslow]

CNC operator and fulltime student

[jamesed]

I do body removals for a local funeral home.

[eizzle]

I do body removals for a local funeral home.

Dude... Wow...

[SSNJim]

Computer administrator for the last 20 or so years, mostly servers and virtual machines. Before that, US Navy submariner for 15 years and logistician for 3 years. I served on SSN submarines, which is where got my board name.