moparman76_69 wrote: I'm still at the same place that I was on page 1Only then it seemed I still enjoyed it.
+1. Well I wouldn't say my enjoyment has changed, but I harbor more resentment than I did 3+ years ago.
Edit: In fact I've recently realized that this is an objectively unhealthy amount of resentment, although it's exactly the correct amount that I should have, and I think I'm pretty damn good at handling it.
PHeller wrote: How does one go from Oil and Gas to the Motorsports Industry unless you've got a Mechanical Engineering degree?
Basically that, plus networking. My degree had a little more manufacturing thrown in, making me a really good "catch-all" engineer. 
The job I was doing on page 1 lead to the job I have had for the past 2 years. I am still doing engineering design changes at a nuclear power plant but get to work from home. Great gig. Working on a GSU transformer replacement project currently.
My, how things have changed. Page one, when I started this thread, I was in college about to graduate and searching for a job. Mid thread, I had a job I liked that changed to one I didn't. A year ago, I moved, started a new job, and liked it ok, but now I'm disliking it.
I want out of it. Just don't like the work that I'm doing. But I have no clue what I really would like to do. I've thought about going back to school, I just don't know for what. I've thought about going back and studying for the actuarial exams, but that isn't that much different from what I'm doing now (although likely more enjoyable for me).
Guess I'll go and buy a lottery ticket again.
I never posted in here before but I'm in the same place for ten years now, moved up the ladder a couple times and strung a tightrope over once also. Currently running a couple shops in Ohio for a large company in Japan. Oil changes, tires, etc for semis. I love it; although, not the working on trucks part as much as training other people to do so and helping them move themselves up and oftentimes out. I love mentoring...
Zombie thread, RISE!
Found this from the link in this thread, and after quickly reading through it I can say I'm not all that surprised. Awesome folks here.
I'm a parts guy and while I'll never get rich at it, I do enjoy it. I started in fast food in high school to pay for fuel and insurance. Got my GED a week after I was supposed to graduate (who decided to put a skatepark so close to the school?) and got a job driving for a local parts store. Stayed there for way too long (tried several other gigs during that time, when something didn't work out they would always hire me back) and started getting pretty miserable after they transferred me to the store in the next town. Almost said berkeley it and was very close to shipping us out to ATLGA to chase the music dream with some very talented close friends, found out we were expecting and decided I'd rather spend time at home than on the road. Got a job slinging parts for the big T and here I am.
I hate sales and the mindset that someone is worth what they can sell/convince someone to buy. I like being of service and genuinely helping folks. I like working hard though with my bad knee and wrists I'm not much suited to manual labor. I do some plumbing for my dad on the side.
Still working on school as time and money allow, interested in ME and EE but don't know if I could stomach doing either full time (hate working on/with computers, like putting them together and taking them apart though) and as long as I can support my family somewhat comfortably I'm ok being a parts guy. No desire to be wealthy, as I know very very few folks that are both wealthy and happy, and I'd like to work for my living, that is where I believe true satisfaction comes from.
Wow. Since I started this job as a college student 6.5 years ago, I've had the following:
Funny how things work. When I started the thread, I was also caddying, which I'd done for 10 years at that point, and reffing hockey. Still doing that.
cmcgregor said:I'm an automation engineer at a biotech company that does cancer diagnostics.
How did I end up here? Well, mostly by chance. My first real job as a lab tech (I have a biology degree) was really boring, and we had some automation and nobody knew how to program it, so I started playing around in my free time. Eventually that led to a promotion at that company, and then leaving for a much, much better job in every way at my current company. Seems like most people in my field have just ended up here without really trying, but it's a decently interesting job and the company I work for is great.
3 years later, I'm still in lab automation. I was convinced to move to the left coast and am now out of the world of CAP/CLIA/FDA oversight, which is really really nice. I'd like to think I'm 3 years smarter but my wife may disagree with that assessment .
I had a teacher once (literally one day substitute) who told us about working for the CIA. I thought that “spy” sounded like a cool job so I asked how he got into it. Military Intelligence. Well, I knew college wasn’t for me at that point and army recruiters wanted me so I went to the recruitment depot. After a full day of testing they determined that I could enlist for any job I wanted but the videos they had for the MI fields (radio intercept specialist and Russian linguist) showed people doing spectacularly boring jobs and in my wildly ignorant state of mind when I asked about Medic they showed me an awesome video with people jumping out of helicopter and doing all the hooha E36 M3 that appeals to teenagers.
So I enlisted as a medic, did that for 4 years and got out. Tried college, tried painting houses, tried carpentry, tried tree work, got married, tried selling cars, tried being an engineering tech (inspecting construction sites).
Went back to school for nursing since my by then wife suggested I move up in the world. Went to work in the ER of my local VA as a CNA on the strength of my schooling figuring I’d graduate and go to work theater as an RN. Nursing school and I failed to see eye to eye (of a class that was 160 to start, by the time I left it was down to 16)
Then in 2004 the hospital advertised for a carpenter and since being a CNA long term didn’t appeal to me I applied and got it. Then after a couple years the locksmith was nearing retirement so I learned her job and became the full time locksmith in 2011. Divorced in 2010. Went back for my degree (third times the charm) in Biomedical Equipment Repair but don’t have the experience in the field to get hired by my hospital for the job. But with 22 years federal service it’s not like I can walk away from it to get experience elsewhere.
So that’s what I do and how I got there. Path of least resistance mostly. Some luck good and bad. Very little long term planning and when I have it usually goes sideways from my intention anyway.
My plan in high school was to join the air force and learn to fly planes and become a commercial pilot. Then I went to a recruiting office and discovered due to my allergies I wouldn't even be allowed in a cockpit, never mind be at the controls. With no plan B, I worked a series of part time jobs; pizza shops, bagging groceries , pumping gas, tire shop changing tires and oil. One day I was bitching to one of my sisters that I hated my job. She told me her boyfriend had just quit his job as a driver for an electric supply house. I went over the next morning and got hired. Spent the next 5 years working at different supply houses. People kept telling my to go out into the field and at 28 I got my journeyman's license. Worked construction for about 10 years. Then found a job building control systems and installing them, very niche work and pretty good pay with mostly better working conditions. Got my master's license. Used that knowledge to get a better job at another specialty shop and that lasted for a few years. Now I work for a small energy conservation company managing and installing energy saving equipment and controls . Really interesting work and the owner takes good care of me, hopefully this will last until I retire. Never would have guessed 40 years ago that I would have ended up where I am.
After I failed my military physical because of an issue with my right foot I went too work in a Wal-Mart tle because it was new and paid well. After that I got into a job assembling motorcycles and atvs. They laid me off when the market crashed In 08 so I spent 3 years as a general laborer for a building recycler. Then my former boss at wal mart purchased a local quick lube and hired me there. I'm never going to get rich but the perks and me being overqualified let's me get away with alot.
I think the worst part of it all is reading threads on car forums about quick lubes.
Purchasing for a brickyard. Sort of just happened. Got tired of sales and wanted to go a different direction. I love what I do now but doubt I'll be doing it at this company forever. Not much advancement opportunity and underpaid compared to everyone else in the field.
Ranger50 said:I'm playing professional student. Again.
Sheesh... that was a loooong time ago.
Eventually, did graduate with my ADN to which I work in the same ER I was hired into 5yrs ago. Looking at schooling again to get my BSN plus a very minor work upgrade to a relief charge nurse, since there isn’t any advancement available.
Nick (Not-Stig) Comstock said:nicksta43 wrote:nicksta43 wrote: None of your damned buisness.Still applicable.
I guess it's time to open up a little bit.
Many mistakes were made. Many.
Still applicable.
This was recently posted on another forum. I thought this might be a good place to quote it for awesomeness:
During an interview once, an employer asked me what one thing I would expect from position...I responded "The freedom to fail, perhaps even catastrophically...for that freedom will allow me to produce spectacular results; in the alternative, I'd be a perfectly competent and average employee, but personally I'd rather be stellar than mediocre." I was hired on the spot. http://986forum.com/forums/580066-post30.html
Don't be afraid to have failures, learn from them. Don't plan to make a career at a place that doesn't understand this.
Used to be an engineer on Space Station for Boeing. Then retired. Now an engineer for a company building racecar parts and fun cars (Vorshlag).
Graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a BS in mechanical engineering about a year ago. I worked for an investment casting company as an engineering intern throughout most of my college career.
I got a job offer from a division of Milwaukee Tool before I graduated. I've been working there since as a Product Support Engineer, I basically handle product redesigns, cost cutting and tell marketing "No".
I graduated (late) from college with a BA in history and didn't necessarily have a mext step. A few weeks after graduating I ran into a former coworker who began working in the contracting world at Fort Knox. He referred me to his boss and my useless history degree was quite useful on their contract. Seven years later I am the deputy project director for the contract team which executes the Army's military awards program. I've gotten to see some really cool historical documents, visit the Pentagon for work a couple times a year, and hopefully will get to attend an upcoming Medal of Honor presentation. Pay is average, but 99% of the time I can genuinely say I enjoy my job.
I run the business and circulation ends of a small publishing company, and also write and copyedit for same. Duties include moderating a busy internet forum, though in recent years a kickass team of volunteers have taken over most of those duties, to the benefit of all. As for how I got here, I once sat down and told some of the story to JG Here.
It’s been a long strange trip.
Margie
I'm a mechanical engineer. Right now I work for a very large aerospace company, in seating R&D/ID/Advanced Development/whatever we call ourselves these days. Yes, airplane seats. They are way, way, way more complicated than you think. The story of how I ended up doing what I do is probably long and not interesting, so I'll spare everyone.
I finish concrete, kinda fell into it because thats what my dad did.
Now that the trades are so understaffed its a pretty well paying job and i have a lot of experience in it, I wouldnt say its my calling at all, but i do enjoy it and make a good living.
chandlerGTi said:I never posted in here before but I'm in the same place for ten years now, moved up the ladder a couple times and strung a tightrope over once also. Currently running a couple shops in Ohio for a large company in Japan. Oil changes, tires, etc for semis. I love it; although, not the working on trucks part as much as training other people to do so and helping them move themselves up and oftentimes out. I love mentoring...
Wow, almost three years later. Leveled up again and manage 9 locations Ky, In to Pa and all of Ohio. Still love the job although the Japanese overlords sold us to a domestic competitor which caused some temporary heartache.
Antihero said:I finish concrete, kinda fell into it because thats what my dad did.
This made me giggle. Am I the only one who sees life in slapstick?
Margie
In reply to Marjorie Suddard :
No, I thought the same.
Civil Engineer.
Dropped out of college after horrible first year in electrical/computer engineering. Worked manual labor for a little while. Enlisted in the Marine Corps as an electronics tech. Got head on straight, had fun, injured back, weapon system to be discontinued. Left USMC after 6 years and went back to college while working to survive. Got degree in civil engineering and did one year towards MS degree to get the extra coursework so I could get a job as a structural engineer. Met wife in college. Went to work for consulting firm in transportation designing bridges, culverts, retaining walls and other miscellaneous structures for highway projects.
2005 decided to leave consulting and work for the gubmint so we weren't 2 engineers in private sector if economy crashed. Had several different jobs related to bridge design, supervising bridge designers, making bridge design policy, review of other engineers bridge designs, etc. Now I'm a resource for the engineers on site during the construction of bridges. I review and approve (or not) structural submittals from the contractor, requests to deviate from the plans or specifications, change orders over a set $ amount or with time extensions, repair procedures and materials for "mistakes", bridge demolition plans, etc. I also provide guidance on interpretation of contract documents, application of pay reductions or rejection of substandard work, act as a final say on situations where the contractor and resident engineer can't come to an agreement, and perform acceptance inspections among a variety of other things. I oversee about 25% of the bridges under construction in my state and have a lot of autonomy. I really enjoy my current job and expect to be in it a long time.
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