Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic What do you do for a living?

Maybe this thread has been done before but I never saw it so... I thought I'd start one. What do you do for a living? You don't have to say the company name or anything personal but what your day to day duties include or maybe even what career you would like to go into...

I'll start... I work for a company that sells medical equipment. I do all of the quotes, and purchasing (besides some certain manufacturers). I also do a whole bunch of office admin stuff all the way from answering phones to keeping up with service calls. Sounds interesting doesn't it. I actually majored in Accounting in college but decided I didn't like accounting and stumbled upon this job. I've been here for about 3 years now. It's pretty cool. Only 3 of us in the office and I get to wear jeans and flip flops to work. That's pretty cool!!

However, my dream job would be someone who travels for a living and then writes about all the places they went and things they did. I think it would be awesome to write those travel books we all see.

What about you?!!

Yes, this or something similar has been done before. But what the heck... It was fun. Let's do it again.

I'm a registered nurse with widely varied experience. I'm currently working in a psych hospital. Very rarely, I work with adults, but I almost always work with teenagers and occasionally small children. Teens can be very volatile (ask the parent of any teen) so working with them can be VERY trying but it also has its rewards. Most of the problems that we see are behavioral problems.

My biggest complaint with the job is having to work full time when I want to work part time. That seems to be a growing trend. The other is an awful schedule. I was working 16 hour shifts (quite against my will) until I went to my boss' boss and found out it was illegal. And since there is a shortage of nurses all over the US, we tend to work short handed. Oh, we often have enough mental health techs, but there is some stuff they can't do. I work 3-11, and it's not at all unusual for me to work until 12:30 or 1 am.

I don't wear a uniform, and I get to wear jeans to work. That's a plus. It takes me an hour to drive one way to work. That's a negative.

And like so many other RN's, I'm tired of it and have thoughts of leaving the field. The stress is enormous. And even though nurses make good money, for what we do, we don't get paid enough.

If I had my 'druthers', I'd just read and write LnC fic.

I have about the most hated job in all the world...I'm a collections agent!!!! GRRRR FEAR ME!!!
What makes me mad is this means I have no excuse when MY bills are late.

TEEEEEJ

We already feared you, TJ!

Me, I've sort of stumbled onto my dream-job. Ever since my first job at the amusement park, I've wanted a "9-5 Mon-Fri office job." Had one of those for a while, until I had kids. Then last year I had to find a new one. I do accounts receivable, but without collections calls (the credit dept. deals with customers, so I don't have to do much on the phone at all). I have a nice office (with a door!) all to myself.

I've got two main duties -- input all the payments that come through the company's p.o. box, and check the sales reports from each of the 14 store locations. They're not all that similar to each other, so when I'm sick of one, I can just move to the other for a while. Since I'm not on the phone, working set hours isn't all that important -- as long as I get my 40 hours in, my boss doesn't much care when I do it. Which is a big plus since I have to arrange my schedule around what my kids are doing.

Since I don't deal with customers, and since this is a manufacturing business, I can wear jeans and flip-flops, too, though I prefer sneakers. My co-workers -- well, the people in my department are great. My boss is awesome. The lady in the office next to mine can be kind of obnoxious -- likes to talk and talk loudly. she's on vacation this week and I'm enjoying the quiet -- but I'm contemplating calling off sick on Monday so I don't have to listen to her tell the same vacation stories to everyone all day. But most of the time I'm okay with her.

And did I mention I have an internet connection? I can't watch videos and certain sites are blocked, but I can still read a lot of them.

So -- good hours, working conditions, co-workers, location ... I could not have found anything so perfect if I'd tried, so I thank God for setting me up with it!

PJ

Oh, how I would love to be able to say that I'm a novelist... I can't. Mind you, what I do is still kind of impressive. Even after 8 years I still get a little starry-eyed when I think about what I do for a living.

I work for a software company. My job title is "Automated Tests Specialist." -- sounds intelligent and wonderful, but really, it isn't all that impressive.

I'm a computer programmer (or at least, that's the best way to define what I do) - I write code and scripts so that the software testers (whose job it is to find bugs!) don't have to do the same long, repetitive and boring tasks every day. (For example, sending 500 small video clips to a tape and then capturing them all back again)

We develop software for the video/entertainment industry here.

One is a video editing application (like Movie Maker, but a gazillion times better) which is used among other things to bring you wonderful TV shows, such as Heroes, for instance. It's also the product that was used to edit the Donner cut of Superman II.

The second is a 3D modeling/animation product. I'm sure you've all heard of Happy Feet? Well, the tool they used to make the penguins is the application that we create here. (and this, in a way, means that about thiiiiiiis small of the Oscar they got for Best Animated belongs to us - and a small portion of that is miiiiiine! since I was on the R&D team for this application, at the time.)

There you go. That's what I do.

Classicalla - Wow. I think that is so awesome that you do what you do. My husband tried nursing for awhile (in school) and it wasn't for him. I know quite a few nurses and they say the same thing as you, "the job is so incredibly stressful but it has it's rewards too." But driving an hour one-way; ouch. And the late hours. I couldn't do it for a week. I salute you!

Teej - I pay my bills on time I promise!! So do you also repo possessions and stuff like that if they don't ever pay?

PJ - Your job does sound awesome. How great that you get to schedule your work around your kids. I hope I have a job like that someday when I get around to starting a family.

Lara - What a fun job! I think I remember a thread on here a long time ago where you kind of showed the movie maker type thing (I think it was you but I may be wrong). You won an oscar?!!!

DH was a psych tech at a psych hospital for kids years ago. Now he's a licensed therapist who works at a residential facility for kids in state care - more long term than the psych hospital and these aren't usually dangerous to themselves or others on a daily basis [they all have their days but that's not why they're there like at the hospital]. He does individual, family and group therapy with the kids there. Most are 8-9 or older up to 18 [if they're still in HS] and many have behavioral problems. You guys have my utmost respect.

I teach part time [online] at a community college and am home with 4 kiddos most of the time as I work from home.
Carol

Ah, to share or not to share...

I do live-in care work. Yes, people actually trust, and pay me to look after their sick or elderly relatives!

What Classicalla said regarding nursing and it's drawbacks and rewards applies here as well. The hours are lousy and it's terrible for your social life(my what?). My next client, for example, has multiple sclerosis and requires absolutely everything to be done for her. It is hard work!

But this is a very popular choice of job for foreigners in the UK - your room and board is provided, so you have few outgoings and you decide when you want to work or not so you have freedom to do other things when you choose. Lots of young people come over here for a couple of years to earn pounds and travel, then go home. I've been doing this for nearly 4 years (wasn't supposed to be that long!!! Procrastinators unite. Tomorrow, right? ), but my visa is nearly up, and a change is seriously overdue.

I studied law at university btw. Not really the same field, is it.

TJ I had to crack up about your late bills.

I'm a graphic designer. I pretty much draw for money. I make logos--drawing two for a new school tonight. Okay maybe I'm procrastinating...
What I really want to do is join a big company like Target or Hallmark or what-have-you where's there's a lot of different departments and jobs for the artists to do, but I'm stuck in freelance till I finish grad school (hopefully next year).

JD

Actual Job title:
Senior Programmer Analyst
Hyperion Enterprise Database Administrator

Which is geek speak for I am the financial database nazi for my work.

"You didn't log out of the system last night. I got a bad backup. No, access for YOU! Bwahahahahahaha!"


I have worked with Hyperion Enterprise for the last 12 years. I am ready for a change.

James

I almost decided not to post after reading some of the responses, lol!

Anyway, I work at a library. Before anyone starts thinking, "What's wrong with being a Librarian?" I should also say that I'm not, I'm just a technician. I check things in and out, I sort and shelve. I am the unofficial tech support person for my branch, but since it's unofficial, I don't get paid extra or anything for it.


Tara

My official job title is Senior Technician in the department of Internet Tech Support.

My unofficial title is everything else. I track employee scheduling (such as noting when someone calls out), I update our knowledgebase (web programming work), I do the Lead Tech's jobs when one calls out, occasionally listen to calls, occasionally take calls when we get busy. Some days I'm incredibly busy, and others I'm sitting here going out of my mind with boredom and playing Griddlers all day.

My aunt does that. She's a Comfort Keeper, and she often talks fondly of her "old ladies" that she helps. She even won an award for it in 2005. From the way she talks about it, it sounds like a really great job.

Erm... It can be a wonderful job - gives you a warm fuzzy feeling knowing you've made somebody's life better in some way.

But there are those rare occassions when I just want to hold a pillow over someone's face until the twitching stops...

Let's see I don't have a job. I wish I did, Wish i'd gone to college to. No i'm just a very bored housewife with to much time on her hands. Although My dream along time ago and still is Was to go to College and become a Journalist but I was told People who have Some disabilities can't Go to college or take on any kind of career like that so I became a housewife.

I am an articled clerk and work with taxes. In an office of a tax consultant. And I love my job but the laws make it harder every day to do your job like it should be.

I am a cash manager for a nationwide real estate company, but my career started in banking and I still consider myself a banker. In fact, I have an interview for a treasury management job at a bank on Friday afternoon! *fingers crossed*

LLLovesCK, I hated reading what you wrote. Colleges have Disabilites office, that if you qualify they will offer many accomodations for what you have problems doing. My son has brain cancer. He can take his tests in the Disabilites office. He will take 3-4 hours to take a one hour test. It has taken so much stress off of him. Other help he could have but doesn't use is books on tape, teachers notes, another students' notes, there is all kinds of help. I hate seeing you putting yourself down. Even just one course a semester, you may never get to your goal but you have something to work for.
Sue

Didn't mean to offend you Sue. But I do understand what your saying.

I am currently waitressing while I finish up my bachelor's degree in Criminology and Sociology. I go to school full time and work part time.

I work at a higher end 1920's themed steakhouse and I have to wear a uniform that includes a tie. :p

I'm graduating in May and getting married in August so my time left at the restaurant is limited. I have no idea what I want to do after graduation, haha.

I'm an educational laboratory technician at a London school, with a sideline as a semi-pro role-playing-game designer. This is currently taking most of my spare time, which is why I'm not getting much fanfic written.