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Self employed plasterer and yes. Working on an historic listed building in North Yorkshire at the moment
site engineer/manager
QSs ive worked with recently been fine, Clients and Architects on the other hand F my old boots. Current site has ONE drawing no details few levels, on the bright side we cant really do it wrong (until QS gets involved). It has been a breath of fresh air after teaching D & T for 12+ yrs was engineering before teaching. enjoying life again 😀 😀
Corporate financial strategy.
I actually got out of the corporate BS 5 years ago but am doing this as a favour for a mate. I am really not enjoying, organisation has a poor culture, ultra competitive which is tiring. And nobody goes out on the piss after work anymore. At least it's IT so I can have a beard. I reckon I can stick another six months before I bin it a go back to voluntary work
Landscape Architect specialising in Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA), Green Infrastructure Strategies and strategic landscape design for a smallish multi-discipline environmental planning consultancy. I also get to assist on ecology surveys which adds variety during spring/summer/autumn.
Yep, I like it; it can be technically challenging and now getting involved in writing landscape proofs of evidence for planning appeals, which is mind bending. (It is a career change from a short stint in IT during which a colleague first told me about stw all those years ago).
Main job is a manager in a Museum. Mostly great, and it’s something I honestly believe in and think is massively under-appreciated (our specific field – not necessarily all museums, per se), but there’s a silly amount of work, there’s no money in it (personally, nor for the organization), and I don’t get to spend enough time interacting with visitors.
I also “ush” at a local theatre, which is brilliant. It’s minimum wage stuff, but basically involves chatting with the customers and making sure they have a good evening. I also see bits of lots of plays, and whilst a lot aren’t to my taste, better a night at an open-air theatre than a night in front of the telly. The view's ok, too.
In my spare time I help out on father-in-law’s farm. Mostly at planting time (they don’t trust me with a knife for harvest). I love it, as it’s just a whole day spent on the back of a planter, in the fresh air, talking crap with the best of them. Downside is it’s voluntary (working for family) and eats into my annual leave from my other jobs.
All told, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Head of a small international school - depends on what day it is if I enjoy it or not, certainly has its moments.
I'm surprised there aren't more bike industry people here. Go on then, I'll make up the numbers! I run a very small bike guiding company. Before that I worked in optoelectronics which I didn't love. I love what I do now, if I won the lottery I would genuinely keep doing it, just with a cooler van. I guess nobody wants to hear me drone on about the upsides. The downsides? I work a lot, it's physically hard and I pretty much always ache. For a large part of the year I work 7 days a week and more than 12 hours a day. There is a surprising amount of office work and paperwork too. It can also be quite intense working so hard as part of a small team and us guides have to share rooms for weeks on end and work 12+ hour days. It's also never going to make me rich and I struggle with the fact that my lifestyle choice will affect my daughters financial security. Part of what I love is the variety. This week I was setting up a database for stuff, updating the website and filming a video. Next week I will be guiding in the mountains. The biking upsides are obvious and I can't imagine ever being able to do anything else now.
Winemaker, it has it's perks. But then I miss a lot of rides in the best part of the year due to vintage.
Civil servant, I investigate directors of liquidated limited companies. Prior to this I ran an engineering company which paid twice as much but was generally shit with massive hours. Work a 4 day week now with loads more time for family, riding etc. Actual work between varies between being semi interesting and dull, the main issue is the antiquated way certain areas of the organisation still work, oh and the need to be 'engaged'.
Web developer, mainly using Drupal.
Love it. Hate it.
Mind you, I'm just back from weekend in Reykjavik, speaking at an event in London this coming Saturday and then riding down to Seville on the company motorbike the following weekend for a week or so. Clients generally don't care where I work from so might as well make the most of it!
Rachel
Company motorbike?
NHS Community Nurse working with people with learning disabilities.
Hate it to the point of it making me ill. Most of my colleagues feel the same.
Love working with the people themselves but the patients and their families have taken a very distant back seat to a host of centrally imposed numberical targets.
I'm sure I will die much earlier from the stress of the job but until the mortgage is paid I'm stuck. Perhaps if I didn't care it would help.
Sat here now feeling sick as I know I have to go start work soon.
Police Officer. I didn't particularly plan it - I went to Sandhurst after university and was all set for a life-long Army career, but picked up a sizeable knee injury and was medically discharged a month before commissioning.
I've enjoyed my time in the Job - six years as a response bobby, with part time roles breaking down doors, doing public order work and operating in CBRN environments. I then joined Traffic which was huge fun, wafting around in various pokey Vauxhalls and latterly Volvos - lots of coffee and sarcasm, with the occasional terrifying and/or tragic pursuit or collision. I've had to pass numerous death messages which ripped families apart.
I was promoted a couple of years ago, and am about to reach the top pay grade for a Sergeant. I'm currently a Custody Officer, which is either spent chatting with chums and watching Netflix or working flat out managing some very high profile detainees and trying to prevent anyone dying. I can't leave the block, so don't see daylight for eight hours on end. I also work about a third of my shifts as nights. Our current shift pattern is very generous - we have mandatory meal breaks as part of our terms and conditions but we cannot just shut the suite and eat lunch, so we finish early - I effectively work a 34 hour week for a 40 hour wage.
My wife is also a Skipper although on maternity leave. We are planning our second wean, so we won't be going anywhere soon. Our five year plan is to sell up our home counties semi and buy a nice detached house in East Anglia mortgage free. We'll both have part time hobby jobs and be able to spend much more time at home.
I can't think of what else I'm qualified for - anyone need someone to drive fast and get in fights?
CI5? 😀
Research Technician in a molecular biology lab.
I started working as a TIG welder when I left school at 16, but hated every minute of it until in my early 20's I went back to college, then university to do a degree in Ecology. My undergrad project supervisor gave me my first tech job in his lab and over the last 20 years I've moved labs and retrained a few times till I'm now working in a lab that's doing cutting edge research into the genetic makeup of blood borne parasites causing diseases such as Malaria, African Sleeping Sickness and Leishmaniasis.
My actual work is now centered around extracting DNA / RNA from the parasites at different points in their life cycles, then processing the material so that it can be sequenced to see what proteins they are creating and expressing in the hope that this knowledge can lead to new treatments.
We also use the parasites to model how DNA replication starts, progresses and halts in cells. studying the various protein complexes that come together and interact during this process. A lot of our work focuses on the BRCA-1 and 2 genes and the mutations that can lead them to fail as tumor suppressants.
Can you guess that I love my job? The pay is appalling and I have a 2hr commute each way, but I get up in the morning and I find myself excited about the day ahead. I don't think you can beat that. I also get the privilege of working with some of the finest young scientist you've ever seen as they work through their Phd projects.
Sorry for the trade lingo!
C; 🙂
Fascinating thread!
I can't think of what else I'm qualified for - anyone need someone to drive fast and get in fights?
Parcel delivery driver?
Glaswegian Ice Cream Van?
Michael Knight?
Corporate IT Sales. In 29 days time I'll know if I've won 2 major opportunities. Not doing so means 9 months of hard work probably to earn my base/lowest salary in 10 years for two years on the bounce, amongst massive end of year pressure.
I do enjoy the day to day for the most part, but either way I'm considering a change in 2018.
And updating one of the good days, got told I picked up a process/plant in 6 weeks that it takes people 6 months to master. Got to love the good days and 4 site telecommunications with non native English speakers (not the Aussie ones) and come out talking sense
Custom knife maker and leather worker, have a look at ammonite knives on Facebook ... pay is slightly less than bugger all, until you get your name known in the right places (which is happening slowly) I really do enjoy it however... I work somewhere between 18 and 30 hrs a week and do daddy day care for he rest of it.
CI5
My hair's not quite curly enough.
Glaswegian Ice Cream Van?
Can't do the accent.
Michael Knight?
Again, haven't got the hair for it.
Parcel delivery driver?
I'm strong enough to chuck valuable and fragile parcels over gates and on to roofs, so I reckon that's the one.
DT Technician ... in a private school! I've done this job about 10 years now but in another private school and in a normal state school. I tried teaching, really liked being in the classroom teaching but all the other stuff put me off so I went back to being a technician - that was in the state school. Really poor pay in state schools for all the skills they want. The school I'm in now pays almost double what I was getting before plus I get about 16 weeks off a year paid, nice! But again it's not great pay for all the skills they need but the holidays keeps me sane.
I get to work on lots of different equipment and help the pupils with their project work. Day to day I can be using the metal lathe, wood lathe, sand casting, pewter casting, running CNC lathes and CNC routers, laser cutting, 3D printing, as well as all the usual hand tool work. I also have to maintain and service all the equipment. So it can be great fun and interesting work. Luckily I can forget about it all when I go home, the school has very high expectations on results so teachers are very stressed, tired and work long hours. I know it's like that in most schools but here it's A* all around or your job is at risk.
I enjoy it and can't imagine going back to full time work 😀
Radioactive Biochemist, love it.
currently working at the call center. quite fun when you come to understand how everything works and stop being afraid of people on the other end of the line. though i'd like to try something else in the long run
I'm a softfurnisher. Mainly making Roman blinds, curtains and cushions.
Many stwers have had stuff from me (thanks chaps).
Love the work as every job is different. Luckily my customers are recommendations, so very rarely get time wasters.
Money is not brilliant but the view from my attic workroom window is breathtaking, especially today with snow around and sun out.
Mainly making Roman blinds...
Haven't you missed the target market by a few thousand years?
(Yeah, I know - sorry!)
Pimpmaster jazz - I used to make Austrian blinds back in the day.
I'm a Programme Manager in a Social Care company (owned by local authority)
I help change things around so we can deliver better services for less money.
I like working 5 minutes from my house, I like generous public sector annual leave, short working week, flexi etc.
I get very frustrated on a regular basis, my job isn't particularly exciting and I don't feel all that fulfilled despite us providing important services. I guess I do feel like I make a difference and I don't mind coming to work, it is just not exciting.
I have young family and right now this gives me a work/life balance that I won't get anywhere else so content to sit it out.
When I was about 7, while playing on my mates Master System, we decided we'd make games when we got older. 30 years on I'm working at SEGA, making things with hedgehogs in, hmmm!
He didn't stick to the plan though, slacker.
making things with hedgehogs in, hmmm
Stews, Pies and Sandwiches? Are you Mr Stevens, Head of Catering?
Haven't you missed the target market by a few thousand years?(Yeah, I know - sorry!)
Dammit!
I've spent the last few months sharpening my pointy stick
From the start? Mining Engineer. Photomicroscopist. Science subeditor. Graphic designer. Windsurfing school owner. Graphic designer. Creative Director. Photographer. Writer. Sail Tester. Magazine Editor. Tobacco smuggler in Havana. Newspaper production design, feature writer and photographer. Tech re writer.
Tech rewriter.
Predictive text. 😀 And yes I've enjoyed most of it, except the mining engineering. Fun making things go bang but not much call for that when you are basically just eternally reprocessing the tailings with ever more efficient techniques at an open cast mine. All a bit 70's really.
I am a tiny tiny cog in a massive corporate machine, and would struggle to define what it is I do. I think my generic title is Business Analyst or Data Analyst.
I do love what I do, in the same way that I love playing football management computer games. All the preparation, planning, modelling, data mining, controls, etc so that you can then sit back and see the guys on the pitch perform.
Pimpmaster jazz - I used to make Austrian blinds back in the day.
Better than making Austrians blind...
(I really am sorry. Really)
PE Teacher in a great school in Devon. Honestly feel like I'm living the dream(other than lottery win obviously!)
Materials Scientist. Took a bit of a leap of faith last summer, going from academic research in surface engineering to the world of fashion. I've been surprised at the scientific and manufacturing possibilities in fashion.
Last month, I was invited to speak for the industry at big materials conference next month, and I'm now on a national technical advisory board. Not bad for 28! These opportunities would have taken another 20-30 years to appear if I stayed in academia.
Sales and commercial partnerships in publishing/media. Love it. Hard work at times when I have to cross into project management or deal with clients messing me round, but learning to drop clients that aren't respectful of time/effort/profit and replace them with others who are. I love the autonomy and the fact that my effort and effectiveness directly affects my take home. That's a serious motivator!
Word arranger. It has its moments.
PerchyPanther - I take it you are a contractor QS rather than a PQS? I used to be a surveyor too but then moved into precon - it's way more exciting 😆
PerchyPanther - I take it you are a contractor QS rather than a PQS? I used to be a surveyor too but then moved into precon - it's way more exciting
Yep, contractors QS.
Everyday I get to experience the gut wrenching drama of human conflict through Quantity Surveying.
It looks a bit like this.....
Preparing to do Battle
[img] 
[/img]
The thrill of Victory!
[img] [/img]
The agony of Defeat!
[img] [/img]
same as Siwhite and Greatape.
@ greatape- Physically attractive and wear winklepickers 8) 😛
Today, I was live-streaming an alpaca petting zoo. My CV has gone weird.
Pah - contractor QS peeps don't wear suits! More like corduroys and checked shirts. Do you arrive on site at 9.00am too?