Sparetire

...but please avoid cut-and-pasting from various CL personals adds.

Seriously though, many people here seem to actually like what they do, so I figured I would ask.

Do you like your job? How did you get to it?

Be advised that I am not exactly MENSA material (shocker) but I only occasionally hit full-retard.

Knowing this crew, I should mention that I tapped out of ME and got a business degree. LULZ. I made it through 3 semesters of ME banging my head into a wall and figured out that I was going to be a mediocre engineer. And I hate not being good at whatever I am doing.

So how about it people? Suggestions? Nuclear barista? Bleach taste-tester? TSA employee? Divorce promoter? Cat-walker?

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

What are your talents?

xturner

I actually like my job, on balance. Every job has a way of sucking sometimes, I think the trick is finding an acceptable balance between money/satisfaction and suckage. Unfortunately, "be lucky" isn't real useful advice.

I am in charge of purchasing(sucks) and design(good part)of all packaging and displays for a really big consumer-products company. It turns out that I got hired by a couple of very good bosses who let me help define my job, let me develop the parts I'm good at, and helped me do it. That is big-time luck in the business world.

Everybody says that you need to do something you love, and then success will come. Maybe, but I spent over 10 years in various jobs just trying to pay the bills before this came along, and while it's pretty good, it isn't love. If there's some part of your job that you like, maybe that's something you can focus on - either where you are or somewhere else. It's what I've done, and it seems to be working out.

TalkingPie

Funny, I also failed out of ME (although I managed it before finishing a full semester) and am currently working on a business (management) degree. I'm not sure what to do with it, either. I also did an 18 month auto mechanics diploma along the way.

Currently working as a flight attendant, which I stumbled into from working on the jet engine maintenance side of the airline I was working for, after I got back from being a bike tour guide and working in construction in Switzerland one summer.

Before you laugh too hard: I work about 15 days per month, 4-5 of which are just spent eating and drinking on layovers in Germany. I also only do the home-work commute about 5 times per month, so commuting is minimized. The conditions and industry are always getting worse, but the pension is still good, pay is above average and above anything else I've been able to find, and my idea of impressing the girlfriend for a date is flying her in business class to Florida or Germany. Australia, Thailand, and Peru are all places I've taken vacations. Travelling and seeing different cultures gives you a much better perspective of people and the world.

There are down sides, and I'm trying to evolve out of the job, because long term it gets boring, but for someone who's in a transitional phase, I could have it much worse.

Speaking languages makes you much more marketable. I fell into it due to speaking German and French, and the company needing people who speak it for their Frankfurt routes.

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

Have done part of an engineering degree and have a business degree. Someone needs to get a job as a manager in an engineering department. Maybe you wouldnt be like talking to a wall with a spreadsheet posted on it.

rleete

iTrader: (21)

Contracting. Job shops. Multiple short term jobs in many related but different fields.

I worked as a mechanical designer for 25 years, doing everything from piping to electrical to HVAC. I've worked on nuke plants (piping), subway cars (HVAC), consumer products (lab equipment) and automobiles (tooling and fixturing). I learned what I like and what jobs I didn't. All the while gaining experience. So much so that my last 2 jobs I was hired without an interview. Finally found a great place (well, it was, not so much now) and got hired direct.

Find the local Kelly Girl type places, and talk to them. Yes, I've worked for them before. You'll be surprised what's out there. I've lived in this town all my life, and I never even heard of the place I'm working now. No way I'd have found it on my own.

mgeoffriau

iTrader: (7)

I would seriously consider having someone administer a good skills and strengths assessment test. Knowing how you communicate to other people, or what kinds of tasks frustrate or satisfy you, can help a lot.

In my case, I realized that the particular industry or business didn't matter; what mattered was that my job role took advantage of my strengths and my employer rewarded me for being good at those things.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

Post was amusing, til I got to the last part and spit my coffee out

hornetball

iTrader: (4)

I LOVED being a front-line Navy fighter pilot. My wife HATED me being a font-line Navy fighter pilot. Now I'm TOO OLD to be a front-line Navy fighter pilot.

Sigh. Going to the track . . . .

Mobius

iTrader: (2)

Ah, Rick, there's only one way to quit getting older. At least you got to live for a while what you truly wanted to do. Not many can say that. You and I share a love for aviation but differ in our depth perception tests. The little paper washers in the lucite block informed me that my depth perception was good enough for normal life but not for the Navy.

Sparetire - you gotta do, at a minimum, something you don't hate. I learned I was good with technology and went into IT. In various formats, for various companies, I became The Man that could fix stuff. Or plan it properly the first time.

What did I like about this? Being able to design datacenter infrastructures that didn't suck and could be maintained without requiring an Act of God to take down production.

What didn't I like? Being on-call after I had children. Every situation is different. In my particular situation, I made good money, and was good at what I did. But my wife made much better money, and her schedule made it really f*ing difficult for me to be on-call. And quite frankly being on-call sucks, as anyone will attest, when you have anything at all else interesting in your life going on.

So do what interests you. You apparently have an ME background, and now a business degree, so look for something managing engineers. Engineers typically hate the bullshit associated with management jobs, and typically appreciate having a manager that can at least somewhat converse with them/understand their problems.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

I had no idea what I really wanted to do or really liked, until I worked a handful of really crappy jobs while in school/college, which made me realize what I hated and didn't want to do for the rest of my life. That really helped me figure out what I DO want to do.

Mobius

iTrader: (2)

Knowing what you hate is absolutely invaluable. +1.

hornetball

iTrader: (4)

TRUTH. Project/Program Management. All companies (even mine) need them so that the really good engineers can stay focused.

If you decide to go into this area, remember one thing -- it's your job to support that engineer/scientist that IS the company, not vice-versa. The Project/Program Managers that fail are those that let the term "Manager" go to their head. To help you recognize the engineer/scientist that needs your support, they are the ones that the company has life insurance on (i.e., can't really be replaced).

patsmx5

iTrader: (16)

I work in the oil field. You work a **** ton, make bank, work a lot, and are never home to do anything you want to do. But it pays well. I have ME Degree, for my particular field it's required but there are other positions that don't require it, some will require your degree. With oil prices down, if you suck, you might get layed off soon. It basically like working a regular engineering job more or less on the dollar/hr side of it, but you work wayyyy more hours if you're in the field like I am. 80-100 hrs/week is normal.

DNMakinson

iTrader: (3)

SCHLUMBERGER?

BenR

iTrader: (2)

I do IT, IT can be stressful and can pay really poor unless you specialize and know how to code in any language (counting basic scripting like vb, bash, posh, pearl, ect). Often under appreciated and is looked at a lot as a cost center of a company. I work for a great company and get paid good money, and they pay for a couple of conferences/classes a year. It's clean work, but you usually need to sit for long hours at a time, my hours are pretty regular but I'm essentially on call all the time. At this point if my environment fails, or I don't have a good "work life balance", it's probably my own fault. I really really like my job.

shellshox345

What I do: I'm a drummer for the Army. I've only been in for a little over a year so I'm still entry-level (E-4 for the military-savvy). In an absolute sense I make an average amount but on the musician scale a full-time salaried position with pension, healthcare, and job-security means I'm rolling in it

I can honestly say that I love it. I've been in music all my life, majored in it in college, and now I do it for a living. I've also met people I never would have met, done things I never thought I'd do, and I'm in the best shape of my life. Are there things that annoy me? Sure. But they're probably not as annoying as earning a Master's Degree in music and working at TJMaxx like some people I know.

How I got to it: Called an Army "Band Liaison" and auditioned.

Don't count out the military. There are compromises for sure but if you're in a rut spending some time in can get you some money in the bank (esp if you go Officer, which you can since you have a degree), lines on your resume, and plenty of stories to tell at parties. Since you have a real degree with some hard-science background you're probably eligible for some cool stuff.

Efini~FC3S

iTrader: (4)

Biggest surprise in this thread?

Leafy is not an engineer...


Color me surprised

Chooofoojoo

iTrader: (7)

Bicycle Mechainc, Consulting pseudo-engineer, Race-Mechanic for Ironman Triathlons.

Also trudging through a MET degree after dicking around with crap degrees (Philosophy was fun, but no future there )

I have been around bicycles forever riding and racing. Was at the right place at the right time, and got my first Job at the most badass Bike shop in Colorado. Fast forward 10 years and I'm still working there, along with working a few side projects with a couple Bicycle companies, and Get paid to go to Hawaii to work on triathletes bikes during Ironman Worlds.

Pro's : Fun. Very technical job, I have "just enough" customer interaction, and am constantly around the coolest stuff all day long.

Con's : Doesn't pay for crap, but it's enough for me to scrape through College and still have a Miata.

Future : No idea really, would like to do some mechanical stuff in the Aerospace industry, or do some materials work.

Oscar

iTrader: (2)

Not sure if sarcasm