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For 25 years I worked as a Design Engineer and Drawing Office Manager - for a company that manufactures boiler cleaning equipment (aka Sootblowers). I retired early five years ago.
I really liked my job as I had relatively free reign to do what I thought was right without any real pressure from upper management. At one point I even managed to get a (joint) world patent on a new design we came up with.
However, at one point, late in my career, said upper management decided to appoint a Technical Manager to be in charge of me and my group. This person was a Fellow of the Instutution of Mechanical Engineers. Holy sh1t he was an ar5e of the highest calibre and a real disgrace to the engineering profession. His big contribution to the company was to change my job title from Engineering Manager to Principal Design Engineer. During his short tenure (he was sacked after only 1 year) his effect on my attitude was profound and was highly instrumental in my determination to retire early (I'd always planned to retire at 60).
Now I potter about with riding bikes, engineering stuff (still use Soilid Edge 3D CAD with a home license), fixing cars and bikes and making stuff on my lathe. Retirement has, so far, been fantastic.
Facial Animation supervisor. I strap cameras to actors faces and film them. We then track/retarget that motion to film or game characters
I run big trials for new drugs - or I used to, just been promoted: now I try to win contracts from pharma/biotech companies to run the big trials for their new drugs, and try to keep the project management teams on the straight-and-narrow.
I'm a generalist, but everything coming my way seems to be either covid or oncology at the moment - although having said that I've just won a big gout study, and one in a really interesting west-African infectious disease that I'd previously never heard of.
I'm based in Sydney so am working a lot with new biotech companies from APAC - which is interesting. Working with clients who have no idea what they are doing presents a new challenge (for those of us previously based in Europe) and I am getting quite good at telling people that what they are asking for is going to take twice as long and cost twice as much as they had imagined it would.
Mostly, it's just emails, phonecalls and the occasional powerpoint
Currently a twiddler of thumbs as I am waiting for a work permit in the USA. I would have thought the government would have handed those out quickly order to tax me. Formerly a Transport Assessment Manager for a large UK government infrastructure project. Basically we worked out how many trucks we need to build it, if that number will break the road network and therefore do we need to improve it as a result - or not in some cases as remedial works might cause more chaos than short term, but very busy construction periods. Let’s just say that I wasn’t a popular person at project events with the public.
Facial Animation supervisor. I strap cameras to actors faces and film them. We then track/retarget that motion to film or game characters
I did that nearly 30 yrs ago 🙂 along with the full body mocap for medical, film, games and sport. I got to stick markers on the T9000 himself
for some sequences in the terminator ride @ orlando (IIRC). We did a demo up at anglia tv in Norwich and the subject was an unknown young chap by the name of Andy Serkis.
Macro Data Refinement, or so I'm told. I don't really know.
I sometimes wonder how people ended up with their jobs.
I chose very carefully to be where I am. I wanted to be in upstream, but industrially linked research in which things I worked on would make a direct difference. I’d tried IT, pure academic research, Engineering and I’d tried industrial research, but all were a little limited in some way.
I’ve been offered MUCH more money to do more specific things, but I’m still here. Low paid, but pretty satisfied. Things I’ve directly researched, designed and manufactured are now in space, in the air, on and under the sea. Research I’ve started and industrialised has saved millions of tonnes of CO2. People I’ve identified and supported have gone on to do great things - there’s a good chance I’ll end up working for some of them. I’m still paid less in engineering than I was in IT 15 years ago 🙂
Would I like more money? Sure. Would I take it to do less? Nah.
L&D consultant in financial services and insurance.
Vaguely interesting to a small few, suitably dull for everyone else.
I will never have enough money to retire, and my dream job is to be a postman...(or at least the posties of my youth before junk mail became a thing)
I sometimes wonder how people ended up with their jobs.
As someone who was struggling with aspergers I took any job that I got offered as my interview abilities were shocking and managed to get a job where IQ testing was a big part of it and stayed in IT ever since.
It is not an exciting job and while I would not say I enjoy it I don't mind it and it does keep my brain going. It also pay very well so I have a good life outside of work.
For me pretty much anything becomes boring/dull after doing it for 8 hours a day for years on end.
I love messing around with bikes (fixing, changing parts etc,.) but would be bored of that after a week, I love riding bikes but having to get up and ride every day for hours would lose its appeal, I love playing guitar but doing it as a job etc, etc,
After my somewhat lighthearted response to the question, I have to say that the variety of peoples occupations is fantastic. Some hugely interesting jobs/professions that people have here.
I try and make houses less wet, dams less leaky, river more natural, coasts les dissapeary, slopes less slippy, developments more soakyuppy and moan about architects.
Thats right, I'm a civil engineer and and we mainly focus on sustainable and 'natural' solutions.
I also some times wander round scotland looking at railway bridges
Sell really really really old plants
Account manager selling fuel
It’s ok – I certainly don’t dread going to work, but I’d retire tomorrow if I had the means to do so…
I concur.
JAFO*
Offshore North Sea.27 years, only another 15 to go....
*(Just Another F*****g Operator)
Apparently you don’t have to grow up. You can spend your life playing with felt tips 😀
Yep TBH, playing with the Speccy in the bedroom at 14 and playing with the iMac in the bedroom at 50+.
Tape loadings more efficient these days thou.
Surprising how life goes full circle 🙂
However, at one point, late in my career, said upper management decided to appoint a Technical Manager to be in charge of me and my group.
...
Holy sh1t he was an ar5e of the highest calibre and a real disgrace to the engineering profession.
...
During his short tenure (he was sacked after only 1 year) his effect on my attitude was profound and was highly instrumental in my determination to retire early
I've had a couple of truly terrible managers, they really suck all the joy out of a job. Bullying, micro-managing middle people who simply wouldn't exist if the organisation trusted their workers. The move to remote working during Covid really highlighted how little some of these people do other than walk through the office trying to catch you out, trying their best to find you on Facebook or chatting in the kitchen or taking 1hr, 1 minute on your lunch break.
Didn't help that they were largely clueless about our roles anyway.
Yes, I am on Facebook (and Twitter!) thanks because social media is an integral part of my job, I'm not just sitting here updating my status. 🙄
Sorry, went off on a tangent there... 😉
Oceanographer/Research Scientist.
which in reality means 99% staring at a screen in office and 1% staring at a screen on a boat.
Engineering geologist / geotechnical pretendgineer. Just moved to a mid sized consultant and starting to finally do design work after years contracting and fieldwork. Mostly enjoy it and it's taken me to some cool places. Always dreamt of being a farmer though.
A Civil servant. I get no satisfaction from my job. But it pays the bills so I just suck it up and hope I will one day win the lottery so I can escape and do something that I enjoy.
<img src="http://[url= https://i.postimg.cc/TLFPRRFn/image.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/TLFPRRFn/image.jp g"/> [/img][/url]"
Former member of the SAS, indie legend, astronaut and secret agent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonny_Kim
If i had a hero, it would be Jonny Kim.
And i like to remind myself that hes a year older than me, so ive got scope to catch up, if i put my mind to it.
I'm a lab manager, maintaining the day to day running of a research group investigating the replication and immune system evasion of blood borne parasites like Leishmania and Trypanosoma species at Glasgow Uni. As part of my job I also run a sequencing service, where I prep and run DNA / RNA on Next generation Sequencing tech. I absolutely love my job. Every day really is a school day.
I've read some amazing job descriptions on this thread, there's some incredibly talented people here. For me though, the winner is @Kimbers. You keep checking folks colons mate. You're my hero. I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for dedicated professionals like yourself, the oncology teams and the rather awesome NHS.
B.
I help insurance and reinsurance companies understand their exposure to natural catastrophes across the globe.
There are some very talented people on here.
I mainly write software for phones. I sometimes write software for not phones.
JAFO*
Offshore North Sea.27 years, only another 15 to go….*(Just Another F*****g Operator)
# user name, Ninian Southern?
I'm an insignificant cog in the machinery of an international bank. The very definition of pointless. I often wonder if I just stopped working, how long it would be before anyone even noticed.
Mediocre in-house lawyer, though I don't really mind it.
I'm a professional mechanical Engineer. I spend my days discussing brake caliper and brake system design for a medium sized car manufacturer who's Engineering team is based just outside Leamington Spa in the Midlands ;o)
Visual effects artist. I help make the cg that ruins the film's. That's isn't our intent but seems to be the public perception.
Mechanical design engineer at the UK's synchrotron. Spend most of the day sat behind a desk designing things that may benefit the human race, but Joe Public is very unlikely to see anything I design!
What it is is not important but I know if don't want to be doing it.
I help make software, but it would be a career limiting move to say who for and for what purpose on social media.
In a previous employment I made the lights go round on the front of the sky tellyboxes. A large part of the population of the UK, Germany and Australia has seen the fruits of my labours.
Before that I was part of a team that made a widget that helped BT check ISDN lines.
If i had a hero, it would be Jonny Kim.
And i like to remind myself that hes a year older than me, so ive got scope to catch up, if i put my mind to it.
Looks like you're the same age as me 😉
Another thing to bear in mind when you're out riding is that you're halfway between the ages of Aaron Gwin and Greg Minaar, so should be able to tap into the riding abilities of both if you put your mind to it.
I’m an insignificant cog in the machinery of an international bank. The very definition of pointless. I often wonder if I just stopped working, how long it would be before anyone even noticed.
I have a friend who works for a large bank. His role was made redundant but not him, he's spent the last couple of years volunteering for the ambulance service. Think he's been in to work once in the last year - they just keep paying him to do nothing (for them).
I talk and think about masturbation far too much, and get paid for it!
Intervention/ treatment programmes for people convicted of sexual offences. Tends to stop the conversation in its tracks!
I have a friend who works for a large bank. His role was made redundant but not him, he’s spent the last couple of years volunteering for the ambulance service. Think he’s been in to work once in the last year – they just keep paying him to do nothing (for them).
Have they got any jobs going?
I’m a photographer and graphic designer, mainly working within the bike industry. At the end of every tax year I take stock and reckon I could earn more, have less stress and work more regular hours with a proper job, but I’m hardly ever bored and I get to think about bikes all the time so it’s not all bad
I thought you were a singer with tattoos?
Those Russian lesbians?
😆
@elshalimo - that’s just a cover to keep everyone from poaching my Strava segments
Textile jacquard designer for 30+ years, now managing quality, environmental and H&S systems in a different textile company. I miss the design work. Nevermind, I'm retiring end of this year.
Geek really- worked at a university for a long time, then a few years ago realised the new boss was a complete knob and fell out with him big style. Now largely focus my interest on outside activities in industry and Government. If I am right we are one of @stingmered's big clients, and we may be about to take ownership of @squirrelking's place of work. But best of all, the university hasn't quite worked this out and continues to pay me.
Macro Data Refinement, or so I’m told. I don’t really know.
And what do you like to do in your time off?
JAFO*
Offshore North Sea.27 years, only another 15 to go….*(Just Another F*****g Operator)
# user name, Ninian Southern?
Surely NST is North Sea Tiger?