What do you do for a living?

[LostInAnomie]

I'm a railroad conductor.

[Broken_Hero]

1. stay at home dad nt

[NightWatcher]

29. Another stay at home dad here

[hunter]

42. I was a stay at home dad.

Our kids are adults now, out on their own, and doing well.

Be forewarned stay-at-home dad or mom means many potential employers will trash your job application in the first automated pass.

[amerikat]

2. Mechanic in a computer chip factory.

Called field service engineer. Want to swap jobs?

[Aerows]

58. It's kind of fun

working at the chip level.

[amerikat]

67. yes challenging yet fun at some level

[amerikat]

93. What did you do in the chip biz?

I work in the subfab installing and maintaining gas abatement equipment.

[bluesbassman]

3. Shiftless layabout.

AKA a bass player.

[ailsagirl]

47. LOL!!

[Lady Freedom Returns]

82. You make it sound like you...

[kentauros]

4. Pipeline Mapping Designer.

Yes, in the hated Oil & Gas industry

[ZombieHorde]

5. I'm a nurse's aid.

I take care of people. It can be fun.

I have one semester of college left for my degree, then I will likely continue my education.

[Raine1967]

56. CNA's are heroes.

I have two sisters and a ton of friend that are/were CNA's. Most in Nursing homes.

They are the caretakers for our most vulnerable in long term facilities.

[ZombieHorde]

71. Thanks, but it's a team effort.

We need the kitchen staff, the pharmacists, the housekeepers, etc., to function. Our part may be a bit more intense and dirty, but we're generally more intense and dirty than the average person. It's fun. Almost all of my coworkers are crazy degenerates.

[Raine1967]

84. I very much agree!

From the age of 16 - 21 I worked in a nursing home. at one point with my sister-- I was a housekeeper and then moved to kitchen staff. It helped me pay my bills for art school!

[mnhtnbb]

6. retired hospital administrator

and then actor/writer. Now I just play with photography.

[Bosonic]

7. Machine Learning

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_learning

[Callmecrazy]

8. Electrician

"Lemme check out your shorts."

[Arkansas Granny]

9. Office manager for a general contractor.

[cloudbase]

10. Chief Engineer-Merchant Marine

Happily retired.

[Blue_In_AK]

81. I think we might have spoken before - my husband is a retired marine engineer, also.

MEBA takes good care of us.

[CurtEastPoint]

11. IT Trainer

[Aerows]

59. I did that

It's not nearly as satisfying to me as actually doing the work. We're all different .

[NV Whino]

12. Estate manager

Taking care of rich folks' property, supervising "the help," fixing plumbing, building decks, coordinating contractors for the stuff I can't do.

Graphic design: wine labels, books, collateral material.

Anything that pays, and a lot of things that don't.

[dixiegrrrrl]

96. I hope you keeping a diary/notes

Would make for an interesting book..

[NV Whino]

99. Shhh. Don't tell anyone.

[bigwillq]

13. Sports journalist (nt)

[riderinthestorm]

14. I own and operate a dressage and combined training horse farm.

My husband's a pro in the business so I manage him and his/our clients as well.

[Aerows]

60. OMFG I envy you

Do you need an IT manager? No, of course you don't. I still envy the hell out of you.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. I am happily retired, my dear LostInAnomie! I used to be a nurse. n/t

[LostInAnomie]

23. Oh, my dear Peggy!

I was away from DU for awhile and just started posting again recently, but I always thought about you and the girls.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

25. Ah, yes, the girls! We all thank you...

[ailsagirl]

48. I bet you were one fantastic nurse, too, CaliforniaPeggy!!

[fizzgig]

16. help manage a market reasearch call center

[Lady Freedom Returns]

80. You help Manage?

You poor soul! At less I just train. Sometimes get on the phones if we are in a pinch.
But to Manage, even just to help doing so? Oh NO!

[fizzgig]

90. i do just about everything but train

i think the worst part of it is the paperwork. every time i get that pile knocked down, more shows up. i'm on the phones two or three times a month and i'd rather do that than the damned paperwork.

[Ron Obvious]

17. Retired programmer...

Currently entertaining the mad notion of fulfilling a boyhood dream by becoming a private investigator.

[ailsagirl]

49. Very cool!!

[Aristus]

18. Physician Assistant.

n/t

[magical thyme]

19. med lab tech and p/t customer service rep

before that I was a marketing communications writer

[panader0]

20. Bricklayer is my primary avocation,

I had my license and own company for years (Sierra Masonry), but along the way I got good at concrete, carpentry, sheetrock, tile, flooring, cabinets, finish work,
painting, roofing and almost every construction trade. Then I got my general license (Full Circle Building Corp). I stay away from electric and plumbing. I did them on my own house but not for others. I also cut trees, do fencing, start revolutions and horse whisper.
I just got back from looking at a job--two sliding glass door installations, flooring, sheetrock, carpentry and more.
No more license--under the table now. At 64, I'm wondering if I'll be able to stop someday....

[OriginalGeek]

22. I once watched a bricklayer for 45 minutes

just building a red brick wall. Pick up a brick, scoop the stuff, lay it out and scrape the extra and move on. Over and over for 45 minutes completely fascinated by the beauty of his work. The economy of motion, no hesitation, pick, scoop, set, scrape - the guy was a conductor orchestrating a wall and when I finally noticed what time it was I realized I was 30 minutes late from lunch break.

I may be over-romanticizing it but I just really appreciate the artistry of a master doing his thing.

[OriginalGeek]

21. Officially, I'm in the IT department

and while I do a lot of all kinds of things PC and network related, my main function is Telecom and managing the phone switch for a large not-for-profit organization.

I could do the same telecom stuff in the private sector for more money but i believe in the mission of my company and I think they do important work. I'm proud of what we do and of the diversity in the company.

[femmocrat]

24. Recovering public school teacher.

Recently retired.

[ailsagirl]

50. "Recovering!!" LOL

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

101. So stealing that line.

Public elementary school teacher for 33 years. Home school preK teacher for 1 year.

[Heddi]

26. I'm a registered nurse n/t

[lunatica]

27. For many I'm part of the Powers That Be

I am profoundly submerged within the University of California's Travel and Entertainment Reimbursement Policies. Faculty send their paperwork and receipts and mildly terrified hopes to what they think is a Black Hole of the unknowable in the hopes that they will be reimbursed for their research trips all over the world. I am part of the group that is so steeped in Institutional knowledge that people are in awe of us.

I reimburse for travel and entertainment at UC Berkeley.

[a la izquierda]

28. history professor nt

[Earth_First]

30. Landscape Installer by day...struggling artist by night...

Makes for a super long week.

[In_The_Wind]

31. I escort trucks hauling oversize loads.

[LostInAnomie]

32. That sounds like an incredibly dirty euphemism.

[A HERETIC I AM]

35. Depends if it is laid out on a flat bed or not

Ba dum tish

[LostInAnomie]

36. Got to make sure to use the proper tie downs...

... and distribute your load evenly.

[In_The_Wind]

38. That's so not my job!

I just watch.

[In_The_Wind]

37. Sometimes it's a real stretch.

With one helluva long overhang.

[A HERETIC I AM]

40. That's why they make those signs.

and those orange flags.

"Caution, load going into tunnel appears larger than it actually is"

[A HERETIC I AM]

41. Boy...did that devolve quickly. n/t

[Callmecrazy]

87. Yeah, it went quick in an ugly direction...

[Odin2005]

62. NO SEX THREADS!!!

[ballardgirl]

52. My husband did that

in Washington state for a few years. Getting called at 2 am got old, though.

[RebelOne]

33. Retired copy editor.

I was a copy editor for a company that published 35 hunting and fishing magazines across the U.S. In 2010, the company was losing revenue in advertising and subscriptions and laid off me, my boss and two of the top editors. That was OK because I had wanted to retire because I was already 71.

[logosoco]

34. Stay at home grandma.

Or Maw as the grandsons call me. I look at it as not just spending time with the two cutest boys on earth, but my daughter and son-in-law can get their careers going without too much worrying about day care and who is watching their kids.
I recently finished a temp. job doing descriptive writing, got paid peanuts but it was an easy way to earn money for presents this year.

I have done many jobs in my time (dog groomer, vet. asst., house cleaner, day care teacher) that all basically revolved around cleaning up poop, so that has been my real career. Not many people have that calling, and yet it needs to be done!

[cyberswede]

39. I suck off the government teat, of course.

Like all good lefites.

(I work for the state)

[hunter]

43. I'm a very dangerous fellow when I don't know what I'm doing.

Most of all, nope, I'm not dead!

[3catwoman3]

44. Pediatric nurse practitioner since 1976.

I have been at my current position for 18 yrs and thought it would be rather cool to put in a full 25, but since we instituted EMR (electronic medical records) 18 months ago, I don't know that I can face 7 more years of a system where it takes 3 times as long to document what I do as it does to DO what I do. Kinda sad.

[pscot]

45. I'm a man of independent means

AKA piecing it together with my wife's social security and a modest postal pension. It's a great life if you don't weaken.

[handmade34]

46. I do field work for a large

employee owned research company... one of the best!

[SarasotaDem]

51. Neurumuscular therapist

[ballardgirl]

53. Retired

from NOAA. Worked as IT Systems Specialist in HR.

[NutmegYankee]

54. Mechanical Engineer

(shipbuilding industry)

[madamesilverspurs]

55. Retired lampworker

[Aerows]

57. Network Operator

Engineer.

Programmer when necessary.

[Odin2005]

61. Work at a thrift store and looking for a grad school.

[petronius]

63. I post on DU for money - it's quite lucrative!

As a hobby, I torment university students.

(Or maybe I've got those backward... )

[mokawanis]

64. Psychiatric Care Technician

That's the job title they gave me for being a nurses aide in a psychiatric hospital. I work with 22 men who were found NGRI for committing felony crimes.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

65. Wound Care Nurse.

[sakabatou]

68. Currently unemployed. Used to be a martial arts instructor

[Jamaal510]

69. Humboldt State political science major. nt

[kwassa]

70. Professional gigolo.

I'm starving.

[Doc_Technical]

72. Retired Postal Worker after 33 years of (mostly) faithful service

[LostInAnomie]

76. You went astray and had a one night stand with UPS, didn't you?

[NickB79]

73. I test cottage cheese, sour cream and yogurt

I'm all that stands between you and a painful, E. coli-induced diarrhea death from a bad cup of lowfat peach yogurt.

You're welcome.

[GReedDiamond]

74. Multi-media, analog/digital...

...visual artist and musician.

[jmowreader]

77. Printer

[Lady Freedom Returns]

78. I am a Research Study Conductor Trainer.

Not brag...much. But we were working in conjunct with the only one that made the right call on how close the Mass Race was for the Gov. when others were saying it was going to be a runaway.

[Blue_In_AK]

79. Retired and loving it.

I spent 35 years or so doing legal work, secretarial, paralegal and then court transcriptions working at home for about 10 years. It's nice to kick back now and take pictures, waste time on the Internet, go on road trips whenever we feel like it. We are lucky that my husband is a retired union member and has a defined pension, so, while we're not rich by any means, we can at least not worry about meeting our needs (for now). I wish everyone were so lucky.

(I still can't figure out why people hate unions. )

[hobbit709]

83. Social Security and part time computer repair.

[Kali]

85. I harvest sunlight via these:

grass and cows

[handmade34]

88. so...

are you a dairy farmer? I used to be a dairy farmer... good work if you can get it

uhh.. or rancher?

[Kali]

108. oh hell no! that is WAY too much work

I need to be able to travel once in a while. These are pretty self-sufficient, well adapted, range beef critters. Most of them have a bit (or more) of Longhorn in them so they know how to make a living in a fairly harsh environment.

[GGJohn]

86. Retired Military.

40 years in the Army, saw ALOT of the world during my career, was a participant in some of our countries most memorable moments, was in W. Germany when the wall came down, have a chunk of it, we were on alert during the attempted coup against Gorbachev.
Never regretted my decision to enlist in '67.

[Le Taz Hot]

89. You want these alphabetically or chronologically?

Field Representative for the Census Bureau
Macramé Artist
Instructor in Home Canning and Preserving
Proctor for TABE testing
Curriculum calibrator


That's just this year.

[yankeepants]

91. Owner of dog boarding and training biz

[Laffy Kat]

92. I identify as an EMT but am working a clerical healthcare job.

I prefer direct patient care but I'm making more money pushing paper. Plus, I finally got a chance for a union job and I jumped at it. I can still volunteer as an EMT. Maybe SOME DAY it will pay as well or better.

[Throd]

94. Graphic Designer

[Populist_Prole]

95. Aircraft Mechanic

Airframe & Powerplant, at major-ish airline.

The railroad industry always intrigued me and I know some people who are in the operating side. Made serious moves toward being a RR freight conductor ( and eventually engineer ) when the airline industry was doing badly, but luckily it turned around. "Luckily" in the sense I was apprehensive about throwing away the seniority I had and starting at the bottom of another employer's list.

[dixiegrrrrl]

97. Now one of Mitt's 47 % freeloaders off the Gov't teat

Retired, Soc. Sec. and savings.

Was a Community Organizer/Program Developer all thru the 70's
then had my own small organic farm on Whidbey Island for 7 years
then worked as Mental Health Therapist and/or Sub. Abuse Therapist until I retired early, thanks to the dot com crash.

Current jobs include feeding the fur babies and collecting dust bunnies.

[greatauntoftriplets]

98. Business writer.

[benld74]

100. Work for a global IT department responsible for network, phones, servers, web pages, mainframe

, desktops, laptops, development and support for a wide variety of customers across the country.

[PassingFair]

102. I sell ad space.

Digital and print.

[backwoodsbob]

103. steel fabrication

we make the shit that keeps then roof over miners heads

[Adsos Letter]

104. Retired painting contractor.

Moved things out of the can and onto the substrate for 35 years.

[Generic Brad]

105. A very specialized job that no more than a handful of people in the world do

The work has evolved into being over the past three decades and there is no college curriculum you could take to train for it. Basically, I have made the job what it is today. Sorry I can't be more detailed than that.

[av8rdave]

106. Airline Pilot

[Gidney N Cloyd]

107. Middle management at a college. My job most days is to...

...make faculty and the admins above me look like they have the first f***ing clue what they're doing.
It's more an art than a science.