Your career paths

[Woody B]

This thread is an inspiration.  It's nice to see hard work and perserverance pay off for some many people.   

[steves191145]

I worked for a horse fencing company as a teenager. Enlisted  when I turned 18 and did 6 years active duty before switching to reserves and getting a gravy job with DOD providing security for a research facility.  Got hurt on deployment in 2008 and spent a few years bouncing around hospitals and rehab facilities.  Got my official retirement paperwork and pension from the military in 2013 at the ripe old age of 29.   Now I raise cattle and grow hay. Didn't intend for the cattle thing to grow as big as it has I originally just wanted to raise enough to fill our freezer and maybe sell just enough to offset the cost.  Now I have 35 head and a waiting list of cash paying customers wanting fresh beef. It's gotten hard for me to keep up with luckily my son's are getting older and starting to take over the chores.

[cheezyridr]

On 3/17/2024 at 9:49 AM, steves191145 said:

I worked for a horse fencing company as a teenager. Enlisted  when I turned 18 and did 6 years active duty before switching to reserves and getting a gravy job with DOD providing security for a research facility.  Got hurt on deployment in 2008 and spent a few years bouncing around hospitals and rehab facilities.  Got my official retirement paperwork and pension from the military in 2013 at the ripe old age of 29.   Now I raise cattle and grow hay. Didn't intend for the cattle thing to grow as big as it has I originally just wanted to raise enough to fill our freezer and maybe sell just enough to offset the cost.  Now I have 35 head and a waiting list of cash paying customers wanting fresh beef. It's gotten hard for me to keep up with luckily my son's are getting older and starting to take over the chores.

 

man, that is the COOLEST.  i would love to have the skills and resources to do that. 

[Will Ketchum]

After high school I had no direction. I joined the Air Force and was trained in electronics. When I got out I got an AAS in electronics. Made a career as a technician and retired.

[Randy Price]

I grew up in central IL where CAT is king.  My Dad worked at CAT for more than 40 years.  Made good money and provided a nice middle class lifestyle for our family.  I just assumed after HS I would go to work at CAT also but that was '83 and CAT and the economy were on the skids.  Went to a jr. college trying to determine what I wanted to do.  Tried some business classes but that wasn't my thing.  I was always pretty good in Science so I studied Bio/Chem.  Transferred my AS degree to a 4 year school and graduated with a BS in Chem/Bio.  Worked in labs for a couple of years and then by accident got into environmental remediation.  Been doing it for 34 years.  Would love to retire but too young and insurance is a killer.  Not what I thought I would do when in HS but not too many people do.

[TnRiver46]

As of Monday, I’m a facility maintenance technician. Going pretty well so far

[Functional]

10 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

As of Monday, I’m a facility maintenance technician. Going pretty well so far

Move on out to eastern NC, I got a position opened for that I've been trying to fill for over a year. State retirement and city benefits.

[Eric 26]

@TnRiver46 Congratulations 🍻

[TnRiver46]

47 minutes ago, Functional said:

Move on out to eastern NC, I got a position opened for that I've been trying to fill for over a year. State retirement and city benefits.

Us hillbillies don’t support the govt if we can help it  😂 

[Tennessee Boy]

2 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Us hillbillies don’t support the govt if we can help it  😂 

I’ve never met a government employee that did much to support the government.  😆

[Functional]

3 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I’ve never met a government employee that did much to support the government.  😆

yea I havent either lol. Most stay because of the good benefits/retirement and flexability. Otherwise the gov wouldnt have anyone working for them I can just about promise.

 

@TnRiver46 its weird, we are a private company that works with the city (we get their benefits package in return) and somehow negotiated to get into the states retirement system. So not working for the gov but getting the benefits of it....a goldilocks fit...

[FryDog62]

I’ve been headhunter for almost 40 years. I’m retained by companies to find their next President, CEO, board member. Stuff I’d never be qualified to do… 

[TnRiver46]

27 minutes ago, Functional said:

yea I havent either lol. Most stay because of the good benefits/retirement and flexability. Otherwise the gov wouldnt have anyone working for them I can just about promise.

 

@TnRiver46 its weird, we are a private company that works with the city (we get their benefits package in return) and somehow negotiated to get into the states retirement system. So not working for the gov but getting the benefits of it....a goldilocks fit...

Coincidentally I work for a private company that works for the city 

[A-Jay]

29 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

I’ve been headhunter for almost 40 years. I’m retained by companies to find their next President, CEO, board member. Stuff I’d never be qualified to do… 

Which, in my mind, makes you the right man for the job. 

A-Jay 

 

[gim]

53 minutes ago, Functional said:

Most stay because of the good benefits/retirement and flexability. Otherwise the gov wouldnt have anyone working for them I can just about promise.

 

The first part of that is true.  The second part is completely false and I take some offense to it.

 

I work in federal law enforcement and I can tell you that just about every single person I work with takes a lot of pride and satisfaction knowing that they are there to keep the public safe, me included.  You do realize that the term government includes cops, firefighters, attorneys, judges, doctors, nurses, engineers, crime investigators, and a host of other positions.  I can assure you that most of them go to work on a daily basis not because of the money they make, but because they're good at what they do, and because they're trying to help the public.

 

Ya, I know, most of the public thinks that government workers are lazy and wouldn't be able to do private sector work.  That's fine, they can think that.  That narrative is driven by politicians.  But for forum purposes I am not going to get into that any further.

 

Rant over

[Functional]

@gimruis I think you might have taken that comment a bit different than what I meant. It wasnt a comment on the work ethic of gov employees or their dedication, there are certainly crap workers in any industry regardless of the employer. It was more to the fact that without the excellent benefits and retirement there would be a lot less keeping good employees from finding better employment elsewhere. Typically, in my experience, gov jobs pay less than private sector and the amount of political BS that effects its employees and how they do their job is quite a bit more than other employers. Enough, again in my experience, for those people who may love their job to look at other industries that give them the same job satisfaction with a much better work/pay structure.

 

Getting into keeping employees there is certainly a lot more than just those things that keep people. Like you said, how the people feel about the satisfaction they get from doing their job, the people they work with, a good manager. All those things contribute and from knowing and being related to quite a few people in those fields you mentioned I can say I understand where you are coming from with your reply. 

 

My comment was broad and certainly didnt mean to diminish the dedication a lot of people put into their gov job. 

[TnRiver46]

I should add that chippendales didn’t give me a severance package for all that night dancing I did inbetween jobs, the nerve! 

[gim]

Thanks for the response @Functional.

 

I can't really get into what I do on a daily basis here.

 

 

[TOXIC]

Retired from a “quasi-governmental” agency after 34 years of service.  Non appropriated (not taxpayer funded).  Every year we would get a summary of benefits that showed base pay, locality adjustment and $$ value of our benefit package.  Usually the benefit package was what made the job more special.  Hiring and retaining good employees has been a challenge going on for ever.  Because of the type of work I did, I was compensated well (ended up a SES) and had a gold standard benefits package.  In retirement I am able to keep my health/life/medical insurance, get a pension, have both an IRA and 401k that had a high level of matching and still be able to draw Social Security. That didn’t come without a lot of sacrifice on my part (having a special skill set, moving all over the country and living on the road for much of the time).  It would be hard to say I “loved” my career but it was never dull and I worked hard for every benefit I have in retirement.  I ask myself now that I’m retired if it was worth it due to all of the sacrifices I made and I answer with a resounding yes and no.  

[Skunkmaster-k]

I’m in business to be in business. Richard Pryor. 

[thediscochef]

On 4/12/2024 at 7:45 AM, gimruis said:

 

The first part of that is true.  The second part is completely false and I take some offense to it.

 

I work in federal law enforcement and I can tell you that just about every single person I work with takes a lot of pride and satisfaction knowing that they are there to keep the public safe, me included.  You do realize that the term government includes cops, firefighters, attorneys, judges, doctors, nurses, engineers, crime investigators, and a host of other positions.  I can assure you that most of them go to work on a daily basis not because of the money they make, but because they're good at what they do, and because they're trying to help the public.

 

Ya, I know, most of the public thinks that government workers are lazy and wouldn't be able to do private sector work.  That's fine, they can think that.  That narrative is driven by politicians.  But for forum purposes I am not going to get into that any further.

 

Rant over

I appreciate knowing that there are good ones in there. There are days I wonder. I would posit that private sector is easier in some ways. It takes all of us to make this thing work. People who would disparage others for trying to get something done right are people I don't want to know.

 

 

I have finally had a busy enough year so far that it feels like I'm actually starting to make it with my business. I freelance audio for television - if any of your wives or girlfriends watch true crime sort of TV shows, there's a good chance you've seen my work. Also the 2023 and 2024 World Poker Tour circuit events at Choctaw. I've had a shoot basically every other week so far this year, three in the last two weeks and that's as busy as I've ever been. It's been so much that I've only tossed lures once so far in May. I'm incredibly blessed but I could use some greater client diversity to really feel secure. 

 

It was a long road to get here. I started work as a money man - cash office at the local shop, cashier at the casino just across the border. Then took a hard left into guitar repair, then low level IT, then drywall/paint, then architectural coatings retail. I got my first audio job on a Saturday in 2019 after getting into a fight with my old boss that Friday. I haven't looked back very often. Up next is maybe a career with Texas Parks and Wildlife if I can't maintain this streak of business.

[gim]

@thediscochef there really are. I saw it again today.

 

Good luck with the Texas Parks & Wildlife, hope it works out.