What Jobs Did You Have Before Finding Your Forever Career

[Oldgator73]

I guess I started out like many did delivering newspapers. At 10 I was a hopper on a milk truck. At 14 I got a job, through my uncle, with Melweb signs putting billboards along the highways in Central Florida. At 16 I drove dump trucks and tractors for the county. At 18 I worked as a construction laborer until I joined IBEW Local 756 as a grunt on a line crew. I was later promoted to a Class B Operator. After that I got a state job working on a survey crew. We mostly surveyed borrow pits so the state knew how much to pay landowners for the dirt. I was also an inspector for construction of state highways. Then one night a friend of my wife’s came to dinner with her boyfriend who was in the Air Force. He made it sound pretty exciting so the next day I went to the local recruiter and joined. It was 1975 and I was 24 years old. I stayed in 24 years and retired at 48. But I still had to work so I got a job with a gas line inspection company. That lasted 6 months until I decided to use my GI Bill to go to school. Graduated from University of Florida and ended up in Delaware working at Dover AFB in the Education Office. Drove back and forth to Philly a couple times a week to attend Widener University where I got a Master’s in Education. Retired from the Federal Government as a GS12 in 2015. The End!

 

[Ray-IN]

My first paying job was pitching hay bales for 10 cents a bale, split between we 5 boys working as a crew between high school years.
During a school year I worked at the local A&P grocery store after school.
After graduation hired on at the Westinghouse Electric plant, attended their tool & die apprenticeship. Got drafted into the army @ $30/month. Came home, got my tool & die job back, got bored, rejoined the army.
21 years later I retired and re-hired at Westinghouse. ABB bought them out and closed the Tool room.
I then transferred to environmental manager in charge of decontaminating the plant after closure @ $50/hr. That ended when decontamination was complete.
GM called and asked if I would manage decontaminating a couple of their abandoned plants near Detroit, I declined and retired for the 3rd time @ 58 yrs old. Shut down my farm, now I just mow the fields for enjoyment and keep things looking neat.
Been traveling ever since, but at 80 it's time to stay closer to home and enjoy grand and great-grandchildren (27 total)

 

[John From Detroit]

Ever hear the song "When I was a carpenter" Read on
First: Grew up on a farm. Half Dairy, Half Swine,, So I've shoveled political promises by the ton. Both Parties. (Hog(Swine) Stinks far worse). You can guess (please don't) Which party is wich)
Also stacked hey in the loft, Shoeled grain and much washed a whole lot of milking machine "Dishes".

Then as I got older
I was a carpenter: Set carpenter in a theater. Also worked 7 years as a roofer
I was a Millers assistant, working in a feed mill.
Worked for Grinding Service (Sub set of the Tinker trade) Sharpening metal cutting knives and chain saw chains.
And a small engine mechanic (Same chain saws)
security guard
Sales man
Finally the State Police made me an offer and I got paid to tell 'em were to go.. I still get paid. Just dont' have to tell 'em where to go any more. (Retired dispatcher)

 

[Utclmjmpr]

As long as the old guys are checking in,, I guess I qualify.. Worked on farms until 17,, joined the Air Force ( in 1959 )and spent 6 months at San Antonio, Tx. for basic,, assigned to Grand Forks AFB for the next 3.5 years and hated it..One high spot,, met my future wife and hitched in 1962,, mustered out of AF in May of 63 and moved to California.. Worked as a professional certified welder for the Air Force and Navy military contracts.. Began to do construction work while raising a family and promoted to Vice President of a 20 million per year company serving Ca. Nev.. Az..During that time started flying for pleasure in 1972 went thru many "rates" and started flying part time as a corporate pilot,, got bored driving a bus and went into the maintenance end of aviation,, ended up as a director of maint. for two airlines ( part 135) and two helicopter firms respectfully.. Last 12 years of that work opened my own aircraft maint. business until retirement at 71,, 10 years ago...
Interspersed in all that I built competition engines for motorcycle drag racers and operated an automotive machine shop that I owned for 8 years,, moved to Utah and used my building contractors licence to build steel buildings at the same time I was in aircraft maint. Ran both businesses until retirement.. Had many motorhomes and boats during the family years and have been traveling to as many of the places I flew to, with an RV, to get a different prospective from the ground..>>>Dan
( began to travel south to Quartzsite, AZ. in 1995,, have consecutavly attended the "Q" scene now for 27 years this year..)

 

[Larry N.]

I mowed lawns as a teenager, then at 18 drove a bulk truck (sand or cement) in the oil fields for most of a year, then to a drive-in restaurant as soda jerk/stock boy/janitor. After about 8 months joined the Air Force where I learned about electronics and worked on bomb-nav systems on B-47s.

After getting out, I drove a cab for about three months, then hired on with AT&T Long Lines (long distance arm). After 33 years accepted a special retirement offer designed to entice lots of retirements. For a couple more years I contracted through a temp agency as a Unix system admin, then full retirement. For the last 22 years or so have enjoyed the final, "forever," job as retiree.

While with AT&T I used the G.I. bill to learn to get my instructor and commercial tickets, so I did part time flight instructing, along with occasional charter flying, banner towing and glider towing, using the proceeds to do some of my own personal flying. Sold the aircraft pictured in my avatar just a few months before the 9/11 thing, and haven't flown since, but RVing has been a good interest for some years now.

 

[markandkim]

USN 30 years.
That's it.

 

[winona]

Finding Your Forever Career? I retired before I found it I guess. Jack of all trades and maybe a master of some of them.

Municipal finance was the favorite. Got to buy road salt and fire trucks.

Funniest was working for a tractor trailer company in the finance office. Dept. head would give us a number on scratch paper to balance to for one of the other sites across the country. I’d work like crazy to have it balance. One day she was hauled out for embezzlement. No wonder it was so hard to get those accounts balanced!

 

[whiteva]

Worked on the farm for food and a cot growing up, always looking to the sky for airplanes. Dad traded 1/2 a butchered cow for my flight lessons, solo at age 16 the rest is history. Flying until a stroke in 2013 when I set the log books aside. (In review, the logs were better than having a diary) Worked side jobs along the way but will forever long to continue dancing in the sky.

Will I ever get my own wings?... I may have a lot of explaining along the way!
Cheers

 

[Rene T]

Started out maintaining a miniature golf course. Mowing and painting. Then a supermarket stocking shelves. Then a sheet metal shop as a spot welder. I hated that job. Then worked at a cutting die shop sharpening cutting dies, used in shoe shops, sharpening by hand with a file. Then went to a government shipyard as a apprentice in the outside machine shop working on submarines. Worked my way up to supervisor. Took a early out and then worked for a optical alignment company aligning paper machines and printing presses. Did that for a couple of years and then became the purchasing agent for the same company. Total of 8 years. Then got a call from a guy and ended up going back to the shipyard and worked in a engineering department for 13 years. Total of 40 years on the shipyard. 27 as a government employee then 13 years as a contractor. Then I retired,

 

[UTTransplant]

Unlike the guys here, I always worked inside jobs. I got my first paid job at 16 as an Emergency Room clerk. I had been a hospital volunteer for 2 years before that. I moved around to various spots in the hospital, and I ended up doing phlebotomy and lab assistant work. I was working as a chemistry store room assistant in college (chemistry major) plus some paid tutoring. Grad school saw me working as a teaching assistant and biochem lab assistant (biochem grad student who made up the “kits” for other lab classes). Worked as a medical research assistant after grad school, the moved to yet more grad school, this time as a Computer Science major. Standard teaching and research assistant jobs, then I taught in a university for a year. Moved to industry, and moved to multiple jobs in both military and commercial worlds, mostly deeply embedded comm and aircraft electronics. Standard progression from engineer to manager to program manager, Retired as a program manager 7 years ago. And no, I don’t know a thing about Windows or Unix, but if you want to talk distributed multi-tasking in real time safety of life software, I am your girl!

 

[Joezeppy]

Well, I'm 32 years working in the insurance industry so I'd say it's my "forever career". Before that...

• Paperboy
• Bagboy
• City playground supervisor
• Department of Public Works - primarily the tree crew but also did time pouring sidewalks, patching roads, picking up recyclables and when I got in trouble at home I rode the garbage truck. My dad was a city firefighter and would call the DPW boss to punish me! Once I became a dad myself, I finally understood the humor in that tactic!
• Boy Scout camp counselor and camp store clerk
• Liquor store clerk and delivery person (college town...popular job!)
• Convenience store clerk
• Pole barn construction

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Back in the late 1950's I worked part time in a neighbor's freshwater boating/hunting/fishing shop, doing installation of outboard engines & accessories, assembling boat trailers, and other mechanical tasks. Also worked in my Dad's auto body shop now and then when he needed extra labor, sanding cars and removing damaged parts. My summer job in my college years was in an automobile upholstery shop, where I picked up some more useful skills. Then I kind of stumbled into my career in computer systems when a job opportunity appeared while I was visiting a local factory (a copper rolling & tube mill). I gave it a try and discovered it was something I was good at and enjoyed. 16 months later I left to join IBM's development labs and also got married. Kept me busy for the next 30+ years...

Along the way I learned woodworking, pole barn construction, roofing, some electrical and some plumbing, mostly by helping out professional friends who already had those skills.

 

[Skookum]

I've mostly done healthcare IT, but I've worn many other hats. I've worked for car dealerships, various roles. I was a marketing intern for a motorsports company. Then I was a test pilot for prototype vehicles. At one time I was an insurance adjuster. I've been a vol FF/EMT. I've driven truck and worked construction. I've enjoyed some interesting roles over the years. Healthcare has been my heaviest investor by far so it just may be the forever career.

 

[House Husband]

I grew up being the neighborhood grunt. I.E. Washed windows, mowed grass, painted you house, dug new septic system by hand (lived in the sandy river bottoms). First time clock job was in a dress factory for 4.5 years (marvelous place for a young single guy to work). Served in the Army 3 years as a mechanic. After the army I worked as a mechanic for 11 years. Spent 3 years as a machinist. Then moved to high speed production maintenance (commercial bakery). Retired as chief engineer of an ink manufacturing facility. Still do some auto mechanic work, on a call in basis. Just can't my irons out of the fire.

Richard

 

[DonTom]

Well, I applied for only three jobs in my entire life and I got all three. All in radio electronics. The first two jobs, GTE Lenkurt and Delta Communications went out of business shortly after I left. They just couldn't survive without me.

But my last job with CCSF is somehow still getting by without me after I retired. That job I was an emergency radio systems technician for the City & County of San Francisco.

During my job at Lenkurt I got drafted into the army. Ho Chi Minh died the very day I arrived in Vietnam. I still wonder who told him I arrived.

Also, remember the first day Washington DC closed down? They were not sure at first if they were going to close down or not. That was just before when Tom & I arrived there coming back in our RV from our trip to Toronto.

Wash DC closed down right when we got there in Wash DC. They must have been afraid we were going to straighten the place out! Again, who told them we were coming?

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[nurseman57]

At 17 I told my parents I was tired of them telling me what to do so I was joining the Army. My WW2 vet father just laughed and laughed. Got out and worked for US Steel until the plant closed, and they paid for a retraining program so I chose nursing with the idea to travel. Always worked two jobs as I never knew when I’d be fired from either so I started a little business printing t-shirts, along the way worked for a govt agency for a few years- was not for me, and retired after 30 yrs. as a pediatric nurse. Still do some graphics work, signs, letter trucks and make Let’s Go Brandon decals. Still ride motorcycles. Great kids and grands. An incredibly blessed life.

 

[garyb1st]

The first was a caddy when I was 12 or 13 years old. Would ride the bike to the golf club at the crack of dawn and wait for the golfers. Played poker with the other caddies waiting for the first job. It was more fun than anything else. But the best part, we could play golf for free.

 

[Wizard46]

Gas station ( started at age 13 ), JP Stevens Woolen mill ( running Finishers), US Navy (4 years), Maintenance Electrician Uniroyal Corp (making Keds tennis shoes), Chalk Mine as Electrical Foreman, Grumman Aircraft Corp, ( Maintenance Electrician, Maintenance Foreman, Facilities Supervisor, 24 years to retirement)
Oh, forgot to mention a few months at Lowes, part time, didn't know how to retire, Wanted to go on a camping trip and was told I couldn't take the time off so I said BYE.
Now living the life

 

[Dan_Frisbie]

Mowed lawns from about age 10+
Worked at a Shell gas station at 10
Painted houses at 11+
Mechanic at Firestone dealership 14-16
Used car lot attendant 16-17
U.S. Navy 17-41
Offshore ROV operator/technician 43-53
Truck driver 53-55
Retired and started scholl again (for fun) at age 55.

Not sure what I'm gonna do when I grow up...

 

[Boat Bum]

Not counting as a kid, the jobs just prior to starting my career were bartender and dock worker.