47 years in auto dealership parts and until the late 2000’s I enjoyed what I did. Post GM bankruptcy with the corporate changes and for the last nine years working in a auto group store soured me on the busuness.

Retired at 65 but continued working in my part time vocation, parts in a Harley dealership. Well, last year the inevitable happened, the store was bought out by a dealer group. I gave it a year and decided it was time to go bye bye the middle of April.

Had been helping a friend that had a gun shop one or two days a week at the same time but he passed away in February so that ended also.

Anything I do is for the enjoyment at this time.

Retired for 8yrs now but put in 30yrs as a custom cabinet builder in shop time as well as on the road installations and deliveries. Some were multible states away. These shops were high end residential/industrial/commercial/hospitals/churches/schools/etc. ..... Loved everyday and enjoyed going to work...... Left 1 to join the US Army for 9 1/2 yrs service ...... Left 1 due to death of owner and family selling business... left 1 due to a major falling out with the shop foreman when he accused me of lying about some instruction he had directed to do but when I said I had evidence that would stand up in court that he was the one lying he said hit the streets which I did and 48 hours later was hired at another shop for more money and better benifits ...... Would love to still be doing this type of work but due to age (73) and do not have the physical strength for the heavy lifting. ................ Find a job that you love and you will never work a day in your life ....................... drill sgt.

So many interesting stories listed in the posts above.

I loved working as a machine tool mechanic/machinist. Quit due to an upper level management issue. I think they fired that person after I quit. Loved being a marine mechanic/yacht repair person for 15 years, but eventually went back and finished some additional schooling and now work as an upper cervical chiropractor. I love this as well, but like the previous work took me 14 years to get good at the system I use (NUCCA).

What I find most fascinating is the disconnect between what our medical system has been telling us/shoving down our throats, and what are the real causes of diseases. 80% of the auto immune cases are relatively easily treated. When you hear the term "idiopathic", it really means "we do not have a clue what is going on". Big pharma has really screwed up health care, far more than 95% of people realize.

Welder fabricator for the same company for 36 years. So, I guess I like my job, but I'm 61 years old and getting through a standard week is getting harder.

Graduated from HS after working in restaurants after school virtually every day but Monday and every weekend, wanted to become a chef and own my own restaurant. Went into the Army as a cook for the experience and to see the world and get the GI Bill, the recruiter was incredulous when he looked at my ASVAB score of 98 (out of 100) and I tell him I want to be a cook. “Okaaay…but that’s the job we give to people who can’t do anything else!” he says.

I insisted and did it and had a blast and did all sorts of cool stuff like working in an actual German restaurant in Germany as an apprentice, involved in numerous Army culinary competitions including going to Fort Lee, VA for the All Army Culinary Arts Show and competition and coming in second place in the entire US Army in their version of an Iron Chef-like live, timed cooking competition.

Got out and went to the West Point of cooking schools: The Culinary Institute of America and loved it, got selected to go to Aspen, CO for the Food & Wine Magazine Classic and got to meet Julia Child…who was cool as hell and Bobby Flay who was a giant douche. Worked in the cooking field for nearly 10 years until I got disillusioned and a bit burnt out and tired of working my ass off for low pay and no benefits.

Went back to school for computers and networking which eventually led to a BS in Business and during that time I got hired on by one of the world’s largest defense contractors, my Dad was in Facilities there and helped get me in as a Security Officer. Worked my way up from there to Shift Supervisor then Dispatcher then got hired by the current group I’ve now been with for 10 years this month; we handle all the access control, alarm systems, CCTV camera systems, Security databases etc. I love it especially the CCTV part which is growing by leaps and bounds and is really fascinating to learn about and work with. Will have been with this company 19 years this September and God willing will be for another 15 years until I can retire.

The schedule is amazing especially for someone from the chef world where you were expected to work EVERY weekend and EVERY holiday without complaint. With this job I work a 9/80 schedule with every other Friday off, no weekends unless there’s an issue and I can flex my schedule pretty much as I see fit as long as I’m getting the work done which is great with little kids.

quote:

Originally posted by goose5:
Welder fabricator for the same company for 36 years. So, I guess I like my job, but I'm 61 years old and getting through a standard week is getting harder.

You know how I knew it was time to retire at 65?

It wasn’t the “When I hate to go to work in the morning” thing but when I started to hate the drive home as I knew that 13-14 hours from then I’d be driving the opposite way going back in again.

I'm trying to make it to 67, but I'm not confident I'm going to make it.

I spent 15 miserable years in education and now the last 15 as the Director of Digital Graphics as the color scientist for an large architectural manufacturing firm.

I don't love my job, I'm just so good at it and I have a genetic abnormality that extends my color vision that it makes it stupid easy for me to do.

I'm in stupid high demand as the industry is changing so rapidly and the color control people of the printing industry have all retired after being abused and burned out from all the years. I'm the last of my kind.

It's not that I'm happy or anything, they just need me so badly they pay me well and every time one of the other managers do something stupid enough to try to run me off as they think they can control my department for their own career advancement if I quit, the boss gives me a "retention bonus". My department is so obscenely profitable, anyone controlling it will have enormous numbers to cover up their failures.



Hence, the new Omega in the watch thread.

I used to...
Didn't want to take vacation, was afraid I was going to miss something.
I got paid a good $ to play a kids game of "cops and robbers" with some of the best in the business.
I felt like I was stealing my paycheck, I seriously couldn't believe that they payed me to have that much fun.

26+years later...
Its changed so much, and very little for the better. There was some hope, but leave it to the CPD to fuck up a good thing.
Speaking about how they can fuck up a good thing, a few years ago they decided to promote me... (Shows you how low their standards are )
Most of the aspects of being a Sgt are great, some of it not so much.

I recently had to say "yes" when a friend asked me for a favor. I took over a Tactical Team. 3 teams in a District, 1 Sgt, 10 officers each. Mike, the Lt and I went through the Academy together, and have been working around each other since then. He's just a few years younger than me. I have uniform shirts that are older than more than half of my team. I was honestly working with one of my officers fathers the day when he was born. He gets to call me "uncle" instead of "Sarge" and it hurts my (old) soul every time he says it. I'm the oldest one in the office...
I'm still keeping up with the kids on my team, not on foot chases, but everything else... Showing them the little nuances, the tricks, how to get things done the right way...
That part is fun.

Dealing with all the other bullshit... Yeah, not so much.
If you'll excuse me, I need to hop on the phone and computer, I have some work that needs to get done. Like I was doing on Saturday and Sunday. Had to stick my head in the office yesterday...
Did I tell you that I started vacation Friday afternoon?

Veterinarian for 20 years and going. Greatest profession on the planet, bar none.

I love my job, I love the animals, I love the relationship I form with my long term clients and friends, and I especially love winning when I get to kick death in the taint. I love kittens and puppies and old dogs and adopted alley cats and watching the family go through the years from new puppy to saying bittersweet goodbyes to their loved ones as they age and eventually pass.

I hate losing a patient, I hate unrealistic expectations, and I hate internet ninjas whose vet degree trumps mine when they are paying me to fix their pet. But I'm thankful that 95% of clients are not those types, and that 95% of my pets don't wanna eat my arm off. And besides, puppy breath rocks.

Commercial photographer. No Wedding, no Bar Mitzvahs. Location lighting, architectural, corp in the work place, PR, product. Was a with the D.C. press corps years ago, had fun with that. 68 and Still working.

I absolutely LOVE my job. My avatar says it all...

^^^what erj_pilot said^^^

I dropped out of college in 1980, due to (1) had NO idea what I wanted to do for a living, and (2) became “academically indifferent” (flunked out) of college. Joined the Navy on a whim, in order to learn the craft of under water welding. God certainly saved me from an early/untimely death in not attaining that goal. Right before my EAOS, (HT2) got my private pilot license at the base Aero club. Graduated from a 4-year accredited college w/a B.S. in professional aviation about two years after exiting the service. I’ve been an airline pilot since 1989, with my current line since 1995, a global carrier w/ it’s HQ in ATL. Currently flying the Airbus A320/321 series. My WORST day at work was very tolerable. My best days at work were (IMHO) some of the best of what life has to offer. Pursue your passion.
Good luck in your search.

10000% I love what I do, I love the people I work with, I love 95% of my clients. The rest I ask them to find a new jeweler. Owning your business is stressful, it's relentless but it has rewards.

Systems engineer specializing in automation. Absolutely love the work.

quote:

Originally posted by DennisM

I also teach at the police academy-- law and firearms--

Temple?

I am recently retired from a long career in air traffic control. How did I get there? I was in college, paying my own way. I was working and had an apartment. In my fourth year, Uncle Ronny decided that SDI needed more funding and congress agreed. So, my federal Pel Grant was cut and I had to choose between staying in school, or keeping my apartment. Seeing as mom was not allowing me to 'entertain' ladies in her home, losing the apartment was not an option (remember, I was only 22...so stupid rules are in effect).

I took the ATC exam and scored high enough to get hired back in Jan 1988. In the first half of my career, I loved that job. I would have recommended it to those that had the aptitude for it. I enjoyed the fact that I was doing something that few people did and fewer understood. I went to a Christmas party at (my now ex) wife's job. The big boss was there and so forth. I hung in the corner and minded my business. That all changed when one of my ex's co-workers asked what I did for a living and next thing you know, everyone at the party was asking me questions for the rest of the evening. The next day, her boss told her (half jokingly) that I was no longer invited to company function because I took all the attention.

Fast forward to the second half. Now, I was not so enthused about the job. When people asked me where I worked, I told them I was a janitor at the airport. When you think about it, it was the truth: I cleaned up messes. When I was at work and not actively talking on the frequency with pilots or putting out whatever fire that had erupted that day, all I could think about was retirement. The job is for young folks. The schedule was brutal and if a holiday did not fall on my day off, I was working it. My older brother is in finance/commercial banking and he would give me shit about being "another one of those over-paid and under-worked government workers." I told him that he got to enjoy being home with his family and friends on holidays and did not have to work a messed-up schedule. He did not care and gave me shit about it frequently. That was until I brought him to work one day and had him sit with me for half of my shift. When it was over, he said "I could never do that job, I'll never talk shit about it again..."

I could go on and on; but the simple truth is that while the job paid well, however, that pay came at a steep price.

The good:

1) Pay and benefits.

2) Immediate job satisfaction -- > blending in two feeds that are coming in at two different speeds and four different altitudes into a single flow. Watching those targets follow each other in perfect lock step was very satisfying. You knew right away if you were doing a good job. Your peers would say so, and sometimes the pilots will also comment;

3) Talking with/working with/training the new kids -- > a lot of them were fascinated with talking to this old dinosaur and hearing stories about the old days of actually vectoring 'by hand' without all of the automated tools (SIDs/STARs/GPS/etc). Trying to impart knowledge, a sense of pride and respect for the job was pretty cool.

4) Having the respect of your peers... the old saying goes "Some folks you work with and some folks you work around." When the latter left for another facility (or retired), the attitude was 'don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out..." When I retired, they threw me an awesome going away shindig (in spite of COVID) that was very humbling.

The bad:

1) The schedule

2) immediate job dis-satisfaction -- > you knew right away when you did something wrong. Question was, was it going to be mildly uncomfortable, or, was it a moment where you prayed to God, Jesus, and whomever else was listening that the two planes weren't going to hit each other. I sat in my car crying uncontrollably for 20 minutes because I fucked up and almost put two together. Moments like that, to me, were soul crushing.

3) Talking to/working with/training the new kids -- > those same kids would whine about how come they could not have the same schedule or vacation days as those of us who put in many years (high seniority). They wanted the same stuff as the veterans when they were still wet behind the ears. It drove us nuts.

4) Dealing with inexperienced management -- > self explanatory...nuff said.

All I can say is WOW!!! What a broad variety of occupations and experiences. I have been reading all of the replies wondering how things might have been different had I chosen a different career in the Navy. I am not saying I would change anything currently in my life. My wife and kids may not have happened if I had a different career. It is interesting reading all of your stories, so please continue to post them. Good or bad.

And thank you, petr, for asking the question.

I'm enjoying reading this thread, too.

Nurse for 11 years now. I love being a nurse. The bonus is.... I get to work with our veterans every day. I was not able to serve in the military. I am doing the next best thing. "Serve those who served". Whenever we have nursing students come to our unit, I always tell them to give their 100% when they go to work. The day they DO NOT is the day they SHOULD NOT come to work. I will not trade it for anything else.

When I was young, I always wanted to be (and dreamed of) becoming a police officer. My father was a cop for 28 years. Few uncles and cousins who are also cops. But that didn't happen.

The only thing I dont like is having to deal with upper management who are non-clinical. Those types that just like looking at numbers on the report.