What do you do for work / Do you like your job?

[MR. WICK]

Parks and Recreation Asst. Director. Some days I love my job. Some I hate it.

That sounds pretty cool to me, how did you get involved in that?

After 2 years of community college I finally decided on it, transfered to a 4 yr school and majored in Recreation Management. I'm great with the recreation part, it's the management that can be tough sometimes. I'm in a small town with no money to work with, but I've got Disc Golf on their radar now. We just need the land now but I'm working on it. I mostly manage the programs and the sports leagues and my boss handles the park (we have one and it totals 2 acres) and the political b.s. I really want to get out of the town environment though, maybee National Parks or something along those lines. Summer programing is nuts, I never know what is going to happen when I show up in the am.

[SkaBob]

Perl hacker, LAMP developer. Beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, but there's not a day I leave here that I've got the kind of smile on my face that I used to get from bike messengering or doin' construction.

I left IT for a couple years to see if I really wanted to be working in IT anymore....and you're right. I was delivering pizza and then working for a VW shop, and NEVER had the kind of stress after work that I do at an IT gig...

Sure didn't pay for shit, though.

[cmlasley]

I'm an attorney.

[mark12b]

web development for a small design/branding agency. the work itself is fine; for the most part i get to use technologies i enjoy (php, drupal) and avoid stuff i don't care for as much (project management, information architecture, graphic design). agency life can be challenging as the workload is rarely "just right."

[Chris-pee]

umm, I am a auto parts sales technical warehouse interim representative



I mean Counter Guy

pays half way decent

[chiggins]

I left IT for a couple years to see if I really wanted to be working in IT anymore....and you're right. I was delivering pizza and then working for a VW shop, and NEVER had the kind of stress after work that I do at an IT gig...

Sure didn't pay for shit, though.

One of the things I noticed about folks on construction sites: they were never, ever unhappy about being at work. For whatever personal problems they had outside of it (and they had problems), if they were working, they were pretty stoked to be doing it, and usually pretty happy with the results at the end of the day.

That said, man, in this economic climate, being in construction's a rough place to be.

I keep thinking teaching's the way to go. Steady work, of value to the community, occasionally really rewarding, and of course, summer. Anyone out that's left a career to get into teaching got stories to tell?

[Timko]

I think I need to go back to school and get my PhD. This working thing is getting old. I miss playing DG at noon every day.

[BLURR]

You know...that same thought has crossed my mind too Further. But then I look at what the pay is for a Comp Sci phd, I can make a lot more working in the real world. I had a Comp Sci professor tell me that CS Professors are programmers that got tired of working

[Frank Delicious]

I left IT for a couple years to see if I really wanted to be working in IT anymore....and you're right. I was delivering pizza and then working for a VW shop, and NEVER had the kind of stress after work that I do at an IT gig...

Sure didn't pay for shit, though.

One of the things I noticed about folks on construction sites: they were never, ever unhappy about being at work. For whatever personal problems they had outside of it (and they had problems), if they were working, they were pretty stoked to be doing it, and usually pretty happy with the results at the end of the day.

That said, man, in this economic climate, being in construction's a rough place to be.

I keep thinking teaching's the way to go. Steady work, of value to the community, occasionally really rewarding, and of course, summer. Anyone out that's left a career to get into teaching got stories to tell?

Most of our clients are state school systems and they have all slashed their work force by 10% or more and have hiring freezes. With all states having problems making budget I don't think it is the safest job to enter right now.

[pointdisc]

One of the things I noticed about folks on construction sites: they were never, ever unhappy about being at work.

The ability to sit back, look over your site & say "I did that" is what I miss most about that type of work (I used to work landscaping). I got more of a sense of accomplishment to have something tangible to look when completed then any report or work I have done at my current job.

pd

[Timko]

You know...that same thought has crossed my mind too Further. But then I look at what the pay is for a Comp Sci phd, I can make a lot more working in the real world. I had a Comp Sci professor tell me that CS Professors are programmers that got tired of working

That WILL be me at some point; all of the great teachers I had all worked at some point. Not quite ready for that.

I had a professor tell me "If a thesis is easy and not novel, it's not worth doing. If a thesis is hard and novel, then it's worth doing. If a thesis is easy and novel, quit school and start a company."

[Dig It]

I am a DBA/IT/Programmer for a Broker Dealer. Programming in Flex 3 and php. I dream of being an Art Critic or a On air Personality.

[Luke]

One of the things I noticed about folks on construction sites: they were never, ever unhappy about being at work. For whatever personal problems they had outside of it (and they had problems), if they were working, they were pretty stoked to be doing it, and usually pretty happy with the results at the end of the day.

I hate working construction. I travel too much. I thank God I am going to college next week.


In fact, it's over now. So it should be "I hated".

[RoomTenONine]

I worked in the science industry and academia as a software engineer for about 6 years out of undergrad. I made excellent money, but HATED the corporate/business side of things. Every time I finished a project I had to basically go on the job hunt (even within my own company) for a new project. It was like being laid off for doing a doing good job. Thankfully I made the jump out of the software world at the right time (just before the dotcom crash). I was busy with graduate school in geology/geoscience by then and was extremely thankful as I watched the IT world implode for a year or two. While I was studying/working/researching in the geoscience field, I ended up trying my hand at teaching and loved it. I was quickly offered jobs by several leading schools in my state (real scientists wanting to teach public high school are as rare as a mint CE Roc for $5). I've been teaching there for 5 years while finishing my graduate research in geoscience (paleo-climatology). I don't make half of what I used to, but I'm 1,000x happier. Additionally I'm the department coordinator for all science courses in our district, so I only teach 1/2 the classes of other teachers, but I have a lot more on my plate. It is awesome for now, but my options will explode open once I defend my thesis next fall (hopefully).

All that said, if you aren't happy with what you are doing...change. There is something out there for everyone (regardless of your level of education) that you will enjoy. Be creative, take risks and forge your own path.

[maks]

im currently doing fix up jobs like landscaping, electrical, pipe fitting, and just about anything else.

edit: i like it for the most part.
just wish i had more tools and worked by myself.