What’s your Profession

oscarflytyer

oscarflytyer

Well-Known Member
11 yrs Army Officer
9 Maintenance/Logistics
2 in IT (they made me transition to my secondary - it helped tremendously when the big RIF happened!

27 years same company out of the Army
26 in IT
1 year in current role doing Services costing/Statements of Work, etc. I needed a change from IT after 28 years.

I just need to survive another RIF or two with current company and retire
 
StrawHat

StrawHat

Well-Known Member
Wow, what a great thread. I am learning quite a bit about you guys. Here is about me.

Out of HS, I worked on the Great Lakes freighters, hauling iron ore. Put my way through college. Stayed on the ore ships until the steel recession in the early 80s. Came ashore, got married, and thought about working for a living. Being Irish I thought of the three jobs, firefighter, Priest, cop. Chose the last and for 9 3/4 years I dealt with departmental BS until I just quit. Also divorced. Got new wife and new life! We remodeled century homes, we did everything except plumbing and electrical. She can frame, hang board, tape, mud, finish, paint, trim etc. So can I. We made a good team, still do. Went into commercial construction and my territory was ocean to ocean, Gulf to Great Lakes. Traveled a good bit. Laid off, 26 December, 2007. Started our knife sharpening business the next year. Still sharpening. Still enjoy it and while no plans to retire, we are cutting back on the schedule.

Just me, Herself and three Golden Retrievers.IMG_6248.jpeg

Kevin
 
462

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
Mowed neighbor hood lawns till 9th grade, threw the local fishwrapper and bussed tables at the local Denny's till high school graduation when I became the sole swing shift cook. Enlisted in the Air Force at 18 for a 4-year stint
(F-100 D and F, and F-4 E weapons mechanic, trained on the F-105 but never assigned to a squadron). Got out and repaired televisions, etc. for the next 14-years, then sold home electronics and major appliances for the next twenty. Retired very early to help my wife care for her mother, and for the last 15-years I've had a retirement side job doing apartment grounds maintenance for my sister and brother-in-law.
 
Tomme boy

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
Started out as a wrecker driver. Then went into being a bodyshop rep. I would set up and fix problems the shops had with anything paint related. I was a rep for DuPont paints and PPG paints. 80's were a very good money making time. GM and Chrysler thought adding 2x the amount of hardener into the primers would speed up dry times so they could speed up production. Till about 3 years later and the paint fell off the cars and trucks. All of the primer had to be removed. It crystalized and turned to dust under the paint. That was why it fell off. That was why all those cars had half the paint on them in the late 80's early 90's.

After about 10 years of that I was bored with it. Went to a local metal forging company and did a apprenticeship for millwrighting. Then the trucking industry collapsed in the early 2000's. We made LOTS of parts for the trucking and big equipment for Case, CAT, Deer. I survived 6 sets of layoffs before they shutdown the whole second shift.

Went to school and got my associates electronic degree after that. Then went to work in an advanced apprenticeship to get my journeyman's card for electrician. Then went to work for another company that makes air fresheners. Did the whole maintenance thing. I was their electronics and electrical guy and mechanic. I like mechanic work over electrical.

Been more or less retired for several years. My body just can't do it anymore. I stopped full time work about 2015. Just been a bumb and a brass whore. I have met some really interesting people over the last few years scrounging brass. I have taken part time jobs at NAPA and at Autozone. Just for something to do. But that ended when I fell in the parking lot on ice at Autozone and slid under the parts truck and laid out there on my back not being able to move for about 1/2 an hour till a customer came in and seen me. That brought injuries back that had healed in my back. I still walk with a cane today because of that. Have not worked at all since. That was 4 years ago.
 
CZ93X62

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Worked as a floor hand at a citrus packing house 1969-1971......gas station attendant/back room mechanic part-time 1971-1981, Teamster warehouseman (and a bit of truck driving) 1974-1977, about 5 months as a mechanic's helper with San Bernardino County in 1976, Sheriff's Deputy and Detective 1977-2005. The overlaps shown above are because I held 2 jobs for a significant period of my working life. My present occupation is 'Unreconstructed Heretic'.
 
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Mitty38

Mitty38

Well-Known Member
Ok well hmmm. Here we go....
A lot of different stuff. We will keep it to the paid positions to. keep it short.

Worked neighbors farms. As a kid.
In High School Worked in an all night gas station and pizza shop. And a Machine shop.
(I can still make a killer pizza BTW).
Worked at Auto Body frame and fender work. Did body work off and on part time, pretty much till I got this job.
Did metal polishing, burnishing, de flashing. Chrome prep. Plate prep.
Metal work, hammer and dolly stuff, brazing, lead work on vintage cars for about 15 years. Chroming, plating, powder coating.
Also worked as an audio technician. Radio station DJ. Wedding DJ. Sound board operator for recording studio and bands. Lazer light show owner. Entertainment booking.

Factory job working on missile bases and polishing aluminum rims, brass fixtures and the like. Bar owner. Land Scaper.
Worked in the Carnival, Ran the Cat Rack and set up rides. Worked on the pirate ship.
Ran cranes, operated transit, dozer, loader, train, semi truck, box truck, tow truck, roll back.
Ran a lot of short handled shovel and pick.
Washed dishes at Disney. Tried to be a smuggler. (Not a good Idea)
Any how ended up Shanghai to Cuba.
Was a baiter on a shrimp boat, then managed to get to Mexico. Migrant farm worker.Then on a lobster boat in Louisiana.
Short Jaunt as a bonafide train jumping HoBo.
Back to Ohio.
Got a job in a knitting mill.
Ran and repaired every piece of equipment they had. Plus delivered cloth, clothes and mowed their grass.
Worked at ARE Truck Caps.
Did every job in the shop. From Mould Maintenance, To Paint, to body work, assembly, forklift, you name it. Worked my way thru both plants in 10 years. Made supervisor. Then they sold to China and downsized. So I was one of the supervisors they let go.
Back to tow driver, body man and car hauler again, for a company, I previously worked for when younger. Worked waterproofing basements cement work and running a bobcat, along with maintaining equipment, driving ect.
AFter I lost my CDL to not passing the State Med Card.(Uncontrolled Diabetes ).
Did auctions swap meets, gun shows and flee markets for 2 to 3 years.

Went to community college, took a class in Excell. Learned to type. Took a certificate course in basic metallurgy.
So now I am here. Run the Lab at Night. Take furnace samples, run lab equipment. Do assays of all materials in and outgoing.process data. Write reports.
Drive fork lift, and sometimes loader. Build loads outgoing. Oh, and Run the scale house at night.
 
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S

Sloughfoot

Member
Mitty38 said:
Ok well hmmm. Here we go....
A lot of different stuff. We will keep it to the paid positions to. keep it short.

Worked neighbors farms. As a kid.
In High School Worked in an all night gas station and pizza shop. And a Machine shop.
(I can still make a killer pizza BTW).
Worked at Auto Body frame and fender work. Did body work off and on part time, pretty much till I got this job.
Did metal polishing, burnishing, de flashing. Chrome prep. Plate prep.
Metal work, hammer and dolly stuff, brazing, lead work on vintage cars for about 15 years. Chroming, plating, powder coating.
Also worked as an audio technician. Radio station DJ. Wedding DJ. Sound board operator for recording studio and bands. Lazer light show owner. Entertainment booking.

Factory job working on missile bases and polishing aluminum rims, brass fixtures and the like. Bar owner. Land Scaper.
Worked in the Carnival, Ran the Cat Rack and set up rides. Worked on the pirate ship.
Ran cranes, operated transit, dozer, loader, train, semi truck, box truck, tow truck, roll back.
Ran a lot of short handled shovel and pick.
Washed dishes at Disney. Tried to be a smuggler. (Not a good Idea)
Any how ended up Shanghai to Cuba.
Was a baiter on a shrimp boat, then managed to get to Mexico. Migrant farm worker.Then on a lobster boat in Louisiana.
Short Jaunt as a bonafide train jumping HoBo.
Back to Ohio.
Got a job in a knitting mill.
Ran and repaired every piece of equipment they had. Plus delivered cloth, clothes and mowed their grass.
Worked at ARE Truck Caps.
Did every job in the shop. From Mould Maintenance, To Paint, to body work, assembly, forklift, you name it. Worked my way thru both plants in 10 years. Made supervisor. Then they sold to China and downsized. So I was one of the supervisors they let go.
Back to tow driver, body man and car hauler again, for a company, I previously worked for when younger. Worked waterproofing basements cement work and running a bobcat, along with maintaining equipment, driving ect.
AFter I lost my CDL to not passing the State Med Card.(Uncontrolled Diabetes ).
Did auctions swap meets, gun shows and flee markets for 2 to 3 years.

Went to community college, took a class in Excell. Learned to type. Took a certificate course in basic metallurgy.
So now I am here. Run the Lab at Night. Take furnace samples, run lab equipment. Do assays of all materials in and outgoing.process data. Write reports.
Drive fork lift, and sometimes loader. Build loads outgoing. Oh, and Run the scale house at night.
Click to expand...
I sir can not keep up with you
 
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