This question rears its confusing head every time someone asks what I do/have done. I've almost lost count the number of times I've gotten running along one career path only to be thrown on the D/L list for a while due to persistent health problems. Then I'd have to start again, often in 3D (drastically different direction).

As I remember:


• Got a pre-med degree (never applied to graduate school due to my own medical reasons).
  
• Adjustments clerk at a mutual fund company.
  
• Development technician for a biomed startup.
  
• Test tech for a military sub-contractor (yes, I can accurately say I was a rocket scientist).
  
• Marketing manager for a nutritional supplement company.
  
• Series 7 registered stockbroker (I trained in a New York skyscraper that no longer exists).
  
• Insurance agent
  
• Freelance writer and proof-reader.
  
• Started my own engineering company in the firearms industry. Accu-something.
  

Wow, long list. Is anyone else like this?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: kkina,

And I thought you were a martial artist or something.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
And I thought you were a martial artist or something.

That's a whole 'nother thread, and just as long.

Not many compared with you sir. I did have a number of "jobs" but nothing I considered a career until I got into law enforcement. After got into LE, I knew I'd found the right line of work for me.

I had a lot of short-term jobs in high school and college--those don't count. However, my college degree was a B. S. in Chemical Engineering and when I was commissioned in USAF I became a Ground Electronics Officer (mostly supervising radar maintenance troops). I spent roughly 15 years in USAF working in electronics and then was tossed out for lack of promotion. I enlisted for 5 more years as a COBOL computer programmer, and when I got out (retired as a Captain) I then worked another 26 years as a COBOL programmer for a major semiconductor manufacturer here in Dallas.

I guess one could call that 2 major changes in direction.

flashguy

Just two.

• Electrician
• Insurance/Investments

Also was Subway Asst Mgr throughout college. Highschool did telemarketing, fast food, and electrical.

Only one "career", (electronic/electrical/mechanical maintenance) but many jobs. Couple of dozen at least.

Most of them I moved on for better money, a couple I got laid off or the contract was cancelled, a couple more I quit because I was tired of the bullshit.

One job in high school working for family business. A bunch of jobs in college. One career job after college graduation.

Growing up in a Veterinarian family, I did poop scoop to surgery and xray from age 10? to 25. About 16, started grunt work too, industrial equipment gopher, plywood mill flunkee, college age started part time security, and did intramural dept assistant for the AD at a community college for 2.5 years. Finally settled in to be a dept head for local govt for 46 years. Now retired.

Only one career occupation. I never wanted to do anything else.

CRTT – Certified Respiratory Therapy Technician

Journeyman Electrician

Service Technician on vacuum packaging equipment (ala Oscar Mayer, Hillshire Farms)

Project Manager for vacuum packaging equipment company

IT world – MCSE and other certs, managing virtual computing environments for a group of developers.

Still not sure what I want to be when I grow up.

John

Is it too difficult to write out the word "occupataions"? I looked at your post for some time before I figured out what you are talking about. Is it that difficult to make your subject line clear?

One

Ten years in school and right into practice. I am very well qualified to do a very limited task.

Twelve years Navy

Ten years Army

Government agency technician

Government agency consultant

Engineer at corporation – early retirement as Staff Engineer

LGS

Managed credit & collections, call-center, and service-center at corporation

Realtor

Luxury car salesman

Government agency consultant

LGS

Interestingly, last night I dreamed I went back to school to train for and entirely different direction in life. Mrs DF was one of my professors. As usual I didn't understand a word she was saying...

US Army 1969-1971 drafted
Banking 1971-1978
Healthcare Administration 1978-present

Sailing instructor (age 12)
Janitor (age 13)
Construction laborer
Shipwright's apprentice
Service writer
Clerk at an arms import/export firm
Government employee (photographer)
Camera shop salesman
Freelance photographer concurrent with being an EMT Paramedic
Digital artist (in the 1980s, no less)
Government employee (Environmental Scientist) concurrent with being a grocery store cashier and chemistry tutor
Government consultant concurrent with being a tutor, landlord, gun dealer, and shooting instructor
Private consultant concurrent with being a landlord, gun dealer, and shooting instructor
Government consultant concurrent with being a private consultant gun dealer, and shooting instructor

I'm sure this explains why I'm always tired.

Gold Miner

Big life change

IT

Software Engineer

Farm laborer
Marina worker; painting, hauling in/out repairs, etc.
Maritime college: various seagoing marine engineering positions
Sales engineer, small marine/industrial engine generator sets
Co-owner automotive quick lube shop
Back out to sea, more marine engineering
Another sales engineering job, motion control and power transmission equipment
Yet another (and last I hope) marine engineering position

ETA, officer in the Naval Reserve

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 6guns,

in general 2,
Convenience store lackey, cashier, manager, etc..
And Computer Geek.

In specific, that Computer Geek career has been just about every area covered by that general description. The local contracting/recruiting company says they had to change their query system because of me, no matter what they were looking for I'd pop up in the top 3 results.