rangeroy is in the lead methinks!

Yup. Business Analyst (geeky though without the programmer chic). Earn above average salary which pays for bikes, fast cars, loose women 😯 and cat food. Flexitime. Good holidays. Varied work and all the stuff I do is interesting like working on our counter fraud initiatives at the moment – get inside the mind of a criminal…..??? Very much in charge of my work load. 25 mins cycle to work. A company that rates it's staff more than a PLC – we're a mutual. Dress down days on Fridays. Oh and final salary pension (well at the moment). Good grief almost forgot the indoor swimming pool and sports pitches 😀

Normally my job is brilliant. I'm the senior IT security bloke at a company with a couple of very large clients. Cutting edge technology all the time, proper hands on grubbing about inside computers and firewalls and stuff. Fighting off hackers, tracking down attacks, keeping ahead of viruses. Investigations and lots of secrets.

There's nothing better for me than walking into a room filled with panicking managers, rolling up my sleeves, hammering away on a keyboard for twenty minutes and then watching everyone breathe a sigh of relief as all the red lights turn to green and a load of indians on conference calls start shouting that things are working again. Brilliant!

But, it's a terrible job for the same reasons.

Pays really well, I reckon my job security is probably one of the highest in the company (of about 8000 staff – for the reasons stated above), hours are complete insanity, pressure is through the roof. I couldn't be doing this in ten years time.

Managing Director of Charity. Very stressful, tough in the 'good times' very bad now in the 'lean'. Not just problems with funders, but issues over reallocation of staff, issues with trustees, although in fairness they usually are very supportive to be fair. Issues with other firms – lack of imagination by local authority who we support, amongst others. Not good. Oh and greeney, meaney environmental do-gooders! Nothing but a bunch of self satisfied gits, when you have to deal with them day and daily. Achieve nowt in their mission to 'save the planet' namely from themselves and their ineptitude! Wouldn't miss that frankly!

Best job was forest management – would like to make welcome return. Had it's moments to be sure, but never as stressed as this. Steady, reliable, opportunities to mountain bike – stress relief wasn't pacing the office floor but taking a walk in the woods.

I've learnt a lot in the charity field, but my first love will always be forest management – it just makes sense to me

Countryside officer now building mtb trails for work! (and inspecting them on a regular basis of course) 🙂

Ts, I thought you were a flautist in a marching band?

That's my part time job; now away and knit me a new balaclava…..

No worries. Would you like an AK with that?

Hopefully no veggies on here: Butcher
😆

run my own shoe repair business, 5 stores , hardest part is staff

I Run my own property services firm. Do home improvements and refurbishments.
Every day really is different and I love it. I'm totally hands on and cover every trade. Electrics, plumbing, plastering, decorating, joinery, tiling etc.
Just done a basement conversion, current job is a £4k luxury en-suite, next job is a full refurb for a guy who just bought a house to rent out. Needs dpc, bathroom, kitchen, re-plastering and decorating throughout.
All my work come from word of mouth now and don't see myself doing anything else in the forseeable future.
Got a lot of property interests and always looking to grow, most of our income gets invested there for now for the future. All sensible long term investments.
Working in older houses is really challenging at times as nothing is straight or square, but looking at the finished project is extremely satisfying

I dislike mine, but it's low involvement, reasonably flexible working and doesn't impact my life outside of work in the slightest, which I think makes up for a lot of the downsides of it. I've done jobs I love before but I could never leave them at work, or just **** off and go for a ride, or whatever.

Stoner – Member

Mental stimulation is the most important thing to me so it's time for a change.
Think Im either going to end up as a builder or a motor boat service technician….whichever comes along first…

What the **** does "builder" mean Stoner ? Do you visualise "Taylor Wimpey Stoner", or Bodgit & Leggit Extensions ? And ffs don't tell me you're thinking of working on the tools – there's no work-related "mental stimulation" there mate. Which of course is the great attraction ….it frees the mind to concentrate on more pressing issues such as, how to achieve global peace and crush tyranny 8)

Air Traffic Controller.

Every day is different, a bit challenging when it gets busy, but in a good way.
Cheap flights, short hours, good pay and loads of time off. I worked around 150 days in the last year. My neighbours all think I'm unemployed.

Fire service here. Best decision i ever made, colleagues who are closer than friends, every day has the potential to be 'the day', i get to drive lorries and play with boys toys, and at the end of the day i've actually helped a few people to continue living happy lives where without me they might not. You'll never be rich, but you'll have job satisfaction and i think thats worth a hell of a lot more.

I love my job though it doesn't fall into the traditional idea of a fun/rewarding/morally upstanding career – don;t have a title as such but I'm a 'Software developer' for a fantastic small city trading house (I've been there 9 years so it must be good). It's hard work, stressful at times but I get to play with technology, have an immediate impact on the business and thankfully the people are all cool (there are no office politics for one thing).

Aside from the job itself there are decent perks – the money's not bad, I've a decent commute, the office is bike friendly (mine sits behind my desk) and I get to work flexible hours so get to see plenty of my two young daughters.

We're hiring if anyone fancies a junior position in my team – an interest in finance, IT and a decent brain is all you need (though judging some of the candidates we've seen so far that seems to be a rare combination)…

I'm a comedian and I love it. It makes me (and others) laugh out loud!

+1 Air traffic controller here. Loads of time off for biking, but shift work generally means less weekends riding with 9-5 mates
Pomona, where you based?

And ffs don't tell me you're thinking of working on the tools – there's no work-related "mental stimulation" there mate

"dont know what Im doing yet" = "mental stimulation"

When Im bored Ill do something else again 🙂
In the meantime, welcome to my classroom:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/northmalvern/BakehouseBarn

To me i have the perfect job…
I am a carer for my disabled wife…she needs care both night and day so the shifts are a bit long and the pay is rubbish.. but i get a stress free life and can go biking often as soon as i get her settled.
I can get to dalby to do the 23 mile red route twice a week with a couple of two to three hour road rides inbetween… bliss.
The big plus is that i am now a lot fitter than i was at the start of the year when i was working full time trying to fir a bit of biking in here and there.

I love my job, but don't want to mention it on this forum – I'd just invite the trolls in.

Am in business with an old college pal and we own a lift company.

We employ 24 fantastic people who I hope we reward well.

Its been a struggle to get where we are but is worth it more than I can describe.

and I get to ride when I want……………part from at the mo because my knee is killing me (I may have mentioned this before)

BitterBaldingFatty – Member
I'm a comedian and I love it. It makes me (and others) laugh out loud!

A comedian on STW! Well I'm shocked….. 😆

Senior software engineer. Write and desgn my own software to my own specifications for a national cultural institution in a grand building by the seaside. Cycle to work 5 miles away and work flexitime. Live 3 miles from a trailcentre and some of the best riding in Wales. Pay is good for the area. Final salary pension. Have a junior developer who also is an STWer. Work on interesting digitisation pojects. Still wonder what it would be like to be my own boss though. Sometimes ponder learning CNC and making bike components or setting up a fancy new web 2.0 style company. But in reality I am very lucky in my present job.

stoner – youu say youre thinking of becoming a 'builder'. Have you really thought about it? the construction industry is not great. Its dirty, physically tiring, stressful, metally UNstimulating… As an electrician, i find it ironic that alot of people want to do my job, yet by far the majority of electricians ive met hate their job.

I'm one of them, but unlike most, i'm making efforts to change that. As said elsewhere, the RAF is a strong contender. I'm also going to look in to the police force, and for something different, becoming a physio…

Police officer in a specialist team working on major crime. Soon to be heading back to the horrors of uniform policing after promotion. I do like my job however. Just hate all the utter sh*te we have to put up with from the government/certain client groups/press/know it alls ad infinitum.

lyons – Im being a little facetious.
I mean more of a builder/developer in business with a builder pal than a single trade jobber.

As for the grunt and dirt – I enjoy it, because its not my main job probably. Physically my body is slowly getting used to it, I admit Im not in good enough shape to do a full 8 hours of demolition. Even if I do more and take it to the next stage of business, I doubt it will be my sole source of income.

As for mental stimulation, I find learning stimulating. Learning about regs, building designs, plumbing systems, alternative heating and insulation systems, materials selection, micro-generation, SAP calculations, planning applications, space design, glazing systems. Learning about laying foundations, concrete slab floors, joist spans, certain tools, mixing different kinds of mortars, use of limes, underpinning, oak frames, protected species legislation and licensing. Project book-keeping, credit accounts, development finance (which is actually my current trade, but to do it for yourself on small scales – £200k rather than £200m – is more interesting) the list goes on….

The last time I "learnt" anything in my day to day career was about 18 months ago I should think.

woffle, I may well interested. 😆

this thread makes me want a new job!

Managing conservation contracts, more Hardhats, Hi-viz and Helicopters than beard, quiche and sandals. Lots of time on the hill and some weekends in the office working on tenders – like today. There again I can see Mam Tor from my desk.

I'm a teacher, I enjoy it, actually its great most of the time. Its just the workload that drags it down. Wish I could have been a farmer but if you are not inline to inherit a farm it seemed a bit too risky. Farm work was my favourite work of all the jobs I've done.

Vimto you need a new job! 😉

I'm a police officer and enjoy it. When it works its incredibly satisfying.

There are so many different areas to work within. You can find something you like and just stay there or move around and experience lots of different departments.

woffle, I may well interested.

Cool. Drop me an email – it should be in my profile…

Cycle Courier in london, has its moments for sure but overall v good fun, very interesting situations on occasion and keeps me well and truly in shape.

Makes me very aware of quite how mad a place london really is!

As an electrician, i find it ironic that alot of people want to do my job, yet by far the majority of electricians ive met hate their job.

I enjoy being an electrician, don't do dull domestic stuff however.

Millionaire playboy here. It' alright, I suppose.

Stoner – Member
lyons – Im being a little facetious.
I mean more of a builder/developer in business with a builder pal than a single trade jobber.

So I was right first time …………. you have dreams of "Taylor Wimpey Stoner" 😀

"As for mental stimulation, I find learning stimulating. Learning about regs, building designs, plumbing systems, alternative heating and insulation systems, materials selection, micro-generation, SAP calculations, planning applications, space design, glazing systems. Learning about laying foundations, concrete slab floors, joist spans, certain tools, mixing different kinds of mortars, use of limes, underpinning, oak frames, protected species legislation and licensing. Project book-keeping, credit accounts, development finance (which is actually my current trade, but to do it for yourself on small scales – £200k rather than £200m – is more interesting) the list goes on…."

You can't being to imagine how utterly soul destroying I would find all that.

.

The last time I "learnt" anything in my day to day career was about 18 months ago I should think.

Now that I can identify with. There isn't a single week I can spend on a building site without learning at least one new thing. Whether it's learning a faster or easier way of doing something which I have done thousands of times before, or whether it's doing something which I haven't precisely done before. The learning process simply never stops, and I have often considered how unbelievably knowledgeable I would be, if I could work for a 100 years. I have also thought how tragic it is that all that knowledge dies with you – if only it could uploaded onto someone else's brain just think how fantastic that experienced based accumulative knowledge would be !

ron jeremy, how about sorting out a discount for STW members?

im a bridge inspector, and a proffesional abseiler IRATA L3, combine the two and i get to work on some iconic Scottish bridges in the railway, i dont get to abseil all the time, but every day is different from the one before, on top of that im home based, which has its pitfalls with a young family
Downsides are the on call and weather, i get to abseil in some dismal weather, that makes things interesting

the first bridge i inspected was the Penang bridge in Malaysia many moons ago, but now its just Scotland and i get to see some amazing sights so wouldnt change it for the world