[Closed] What do you do and do you enjoy it?

I'm in HE. Not enjoying it much at the moment. I'm aware though that in the grand scheme of things I've got it pretty good really.

I wear a number of different hats - mostly in academia/education - but one role in particular ties them all together.

It is exhausting, and sometimes I wish I could simplify my life, but then I realise that what I do makes what my family does possible, and I am relatively content. Certainly I wouldn't change my [i]role[/i], even if I could change the specifics of what I [i]do[/i].

London Underground here and can't wait to get away from it!

Pays well and hours are good but the BS and politics are unbearable, our customers deserve so much more than we're giving. The job can be interesting but only when everything goes pear shaped, then whatever you do isn't enough. Combine that with everyone sticking their oar in and you've got very low levels of job satisfaction.
Just counting the days until I can get out, hopefully before I go mad.

Fluffer?

😆

Was that you interviewing? That's quite a distinctive mole you have.

That's quite a distinctive mole you have

[img] /revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/250?cb=20130511184743[/img]

You weren't supposed to tell. It's all Secret Squirrel type stuff. 😉

Also had an interview in the porn industry

Fluffer?

I was a radio maintenance technician for an engineering firm working for the railway. I supported an old system but was VERY good at it. Perhaps in the top 5 in the country. I had my patch and I cared about it.

We were then TUPE'ed into NR and it's been downhill from there, "cross skilled" into general telecoms and have become the master of press reset, if that don't fix it, change the card and if that don't fix it book it to technical support who do SFA about it but so long as the faults not in the new boss's fault queue he don't care about it.

I have no patch, no continuity, nothing seems to get fixed properly, no one cares.

Safety first unless it's delaying trains!

Deskilled
Demotivated
Disinterested

Property, self employed. After 15 years desk bound in oil and gas anything would be an improvement. No real work hours i get calls whenever the tenant wants. I whinge all the time but my friends all say i ve got yhe easiest life.

Sad thing is if i were on desert island disks i d ask for wifi and rightmove access. And maybe a share trading platform.

perchypanther - Member

Quantity Surveyor.

Kill me now

I was, but escaped.

I like to see myself as an Artist now.

You weren't supposed to tell. It's all Secret Squirrel type stuff.

😆

I've been trying to get into that for a while but nothing seems to come up

It's getting harder as well.

Mechanic

Started as a truck mechanic, now work on heavy equipment in the Canadian oil sands, best job I ever had but I don't like being away from my family a week at a time

I like being on my feet and busy

Exporter covering the African continent and a few other countries. I get to travel to interesting places and meet some amazing people. The product is interesting as well although less challenging since increasing EU restrictions meant I am no longer allowed to recommend products to my customers, despite knowing exactly what they want to buy.

The two week overseas trips are hard work and cut into my hard-won cycling fitness.

I do student recruitment and widening access for a university. Which means about 50% boring and grinding scutwork, event planning, and general institutional politics bullshit, about 40% being basically a degree salesman- we spend most of our time trying to persuade the "where will I go to uni" kids to come here... Not making light of it, it's the biggest decision the kids have ever made and we've got an important job to do, but it's sales really.

And the last 10% is brilliant- the "will I go to uni" or "I can't go to uni" kids, the mature students and careleavers and bad schools and colleges and ex-army and reformed criminals and families who have no idea how you get a kid into uni, all that stuff. My first year of students graduates this year, I get all broody 😆

When it's good, I'd genuinely do it for free. But they need to pay me for all the other crap

Agile Delivery Manager

Yeah, IT middle (to low) management.

I look after a team responsible for delivering prices across platforms to one of the biggest online clothing retailers in the country.

It has it's ups and it's downs, it pays well, but it's a long way from home!

Design outdoor clothing / equipment for one of the larger UK outdoor brands.

Enjoy it day-to-day, but its not the glamorous life of climbing mountains and gear testing that people imagine. Desk bound most of the time, drawing pictures and colouring in. And lots of spreadsheets and range planning work.

Technical Manager for a food manufacturer supplying to all the major supermarkets. I enjoy most aspects of the job but there are other aspects which are a PITA (similar to most jobs i guess).

Northwind - Member
I do student recruitment and widening access for a university. Which means about 50% [s]boring and grinding scutwork, event planning, and general institutional politics [/s] messing about on the STW forum

ftfy

n the bright side, about 85 people will get a new organ this week - and I cycle to work every day.

Ace Ben_H. Kudos.

Supermarket trucking here.I think it's a manic job,some days it's a pleasure, other days it's a proper chore.Some days it's a relief to get through the day without being involved in someone else's accident...
Been trucking since my late twenties,prior to that I was a spark but I got fed up of building sites or working above a furnace,no joy in that on a summers day!
I'm wondering what to move on to next.I still like trucking but could do with doing less hours & getting some kind of work/life balance sorted.

I am the sort of person that Sir Humphrey or Malcolm Tucker would make unreasonable demands of.

It has its moments - being "inside" the news can be exciting - but on the moral front I could cross-post on the "things that make you feel dirty" thread.

Cat Herder.

in reality my card says something like business manager, I manage community services for various bits of the NHS in the North.

Investigating internet enabled sexual offences against children, anything from possessing downloaded grot to rape. Usually it's ok, good lot of colleagues, rewarding work, have a bit of a laugh, the 40 year old Welsh bloke who was going on a date with a 14 year old girl he groomed online but got me instead was a particularly fun evening out. Downsides poor I.t leads to frustration and I did have a bit of a medium sized wobble after seeing some images last week. Fortunately it was the day after my psychologist check up so still in a job 🙂

I trained as a quantity surveyor but fell into estimating - no-one ever picks it as a career

Investigating internet enabled sexual offences against children,

I trained as a quantity surveyor but fell into estimating - no-one ever picks it as a career

I fell into QS'ing, and have now fell out....thank god!

I'm a medical writer. It's interesting work but can get stressful juggling lots of projects with tight deadlines.

I couldn't do Kilos job.

Nope, never.

Mechanic here 10yrs army now local council looking after refuse and ground maint equipment. Love the job even laugh when gas axing through a bin truck stuffed with shitty nappies.

Some of you muppets actually do really proper valuable jobs. Respek!

Me, I'm a data spod for a large charity, trying to enable us to keep doing what we do while the industry goes through a revolution in terms of legislation and oversight.

Its challenging, rewarding (personally if not financially) and change is a constant factor so it keeps me on my toes and solving problems. Working environment is good and work life balance is respected. Probably the best job I've had since the early 90s.

And no, we weren't one of the ones in all the headlines, though I'm sure our time will come. It might not be so great if that happens.

Signaller for NR, only downside is the 8 hour roster, waiting to get on to 12s

Teacher, great holidays, really enjoy teaching rest of it is a load of old shite though.

Mechanical design engineer in power systems. Enjoy it but not as much as automotive. The pace is a bit slower but pay is better here so means the mrs can work part time and look after the toddler.

Surprised there aren't more engineers on here

I've done few different things.

Started off by lazing around in my twenties and working dead end jobs to pay the rent, go to raves and buy bike bits. Worked nights in factories, days in canteens, groundswork, was a postie for a bit.

Then decided I wanted a proper job so got work as a health & safety advisor in the oil industry (like you do)

Got bored of that and moved into the public sector and became a lead for safeguarding and security.

Now manage a big FE Estate which is ok but not really what I want to do for much longer. Currently working out an exit into my next thing which is community and individual resilience building/measurement for public sector organisations to develop and deliver more effective services. Suspect that this will be a strike out on my own as a consultant which could be fun.

I'll get bored of that, or something else will catch my eye at some point I'm sure.

Teaching (additional educational needs), moving to mainstream primary next year. I love it.

If I had the money not to need to work I'd go back to managing a bar.

I'm not sure I'd love education back home so if we moved to the UK I'd like to do something for the FC, driving a Landrover around, chainsawing stuff and keeping my bike in the back for lunch breaks.

In general finance (Investment Banking / Asset Management) but over 30+ years I've done various jobs and typically changed roles when I have stopped enjoying them and/or the company I was working at. Longest stint 7 years in a role, 11 years at a company. To be honest if not for the financial crises in 2007/8 I would probably still be doing that job so would have been 16 years. My business, I hired the team, liked the work and lots of new avenues we could have added. Close to perfect aside from a few political issues which are normal I supoose. Que sera sera.

I did 10 years as a mental health nurse assessing people that self harmed or tried to take their own lives. I loved it to be fair.
But also whilst doing this I was investing in properties, houses, shop's, factory units..'owt you could lease or rent really. That grew to a level that I didn't need to be nursing, so sent my card back. I also have investments in a few businesses. I don't actually enjoy it like I did the nursing, but overall it gives me a far better lifestyle. So all good.

Technical Manager for a food manufacturer supplying to all the major supermarkets. I enjoy most aspects of the job but there are other aspects which are a PITA

I bet you take the wrap for a lot of things?

Hot Air Balloon Pilot (April - October)
It has it's ups and downs

Only work when the weather is nice.
Got bored of champagne, so we got a balloon sponsored by a brewery and got free beer.
My ground crew are all great.
Passengers are there to have fun and enjoy themselves.
The amount of time I have off is incredible.
I'll never be a millionaire, but you can't buy time and I still enjoy my job after 18 years.
I count myself as very lucky.

Train Driver. Hate it. Despite rushing around at 125mph I feel like I'm going nowhere fast.

Good news, found out this afternoon the job I dislike greatly as per page 1 may soon to be decommissioned!!
Taking suggestions for new career?

massive respect kilo.

+1

i've been trying to get into that for a while but nothing seems to come up

It's getting harder as well.

Taking suggestions for new career?

I could use some help, but the pay's not much. 😐

Become a Mod 😉

Kilo thats brilliant well done

25 Years as a Mechanical/Electronics engineer enjoyed the first 15 years, hated the rest.
Now a self employed gardener, couldn't be happier, flat out busy & turning work away, earning decent money, nice to be my own boss, pick the hours I want to work and get to ride a bike more.

LGO.

Well, today I noted up HVAC model vent systems in Revit, took off it's quantities and billed it.

I chaired the BIM eng. dept meeting and tried to get some progress on several outstanding items (to varying degrees of success). Now got to produce a procedure to go to the main BIM implementation group on electronic file structure for the whole property dept. and get them to agree to it's rollout.

Had a meeting with a Controls house I'd not previously dealt with (which was pretty positive) on a current boiler replacement contract to discuss a couple items.

I then got called back to discuss an ITQ for design software and basically had to show the managers that their suggested major alterations weren't right (and told them why, again). So only minor amendments requirement and in my original format....

The management stuff is way above my designated post. But I also received a formal job offer (at last) for a management position further north which will at least match the responsibility with my position... So it's all been worthwhile I guess.

Last job was working for a company that did response work for lots of charities, it was interesting to start with, but latterly it got very stressful, I got the boot last June, which saved me walking out the door.
Now I'm a logistics driver for a major car auction business, being driven to various places across the south of Britain to pick up vehicles and then deliver them to other places, and I'm really enjoying it! Hardly any stress any more, half of my day I'm asleep or dozing in the team car, the rest I'm assessing then driving someone else's vehicle while listening to the radio, and getting paid for it.
I'm seeing more of my home nation than I ever have before, and getting to drive a really wide variety of cars and vans; I picked up a Fiat Scudo van from HM Dockyard in Portsmouth today, to deliver tomorrow, and tomorrow I'll be driving a Renault Captur, and I'll have a Maserati Ghibli parked on my drive overnight!
At 62 years of age, it's my ideal job. 😀

I run my own company doing advanced passenger car powertrain development for the big OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, specalising particularly in high performance EV and hybrid system integration and calibration.

I enjoy it, mostly, pays well and is pretty rewarding despite the odd bunfight!

Here's one i did earlier:

[img] [/img]

8)

About 4 years ago I started making bedroom furniture. Totally self-taught. I'm 63 now. Worked off my feet. Tonight, after leaving my completed job, the client shouted "You should be proud of yourself!".

You know what? I am. That's what I do it for. Worth more than the money.

Find something you like doing and are good at. If you get paid at the end of the week, it's a bonus. It might be tough at the beginning but it can become sustainable and rewarding.

Mrs BigJohn has just left the teaching profession and is starting party catering along the same principles.

@Kilo

Shit, couldn't do that.

A friend of ours was a Detective with Essex Police investigating Child Sex Offences online, felt like it was eating her up inside, teaches kids to dance now.

It's a shame about your shit IT kit, I'm sure one of the big manufacturers would donate some kit considering what you do?

Minor bureaucrat here so nothing to enjoy or to hate other then a job that pays the bills. 😮

Some of you have found something you love and can get paid for. Kudos to (and I envy) you. Others, like Kilo, do the kind of work that I could never do, but have the utmost respect for. A real mixture on here and I thought it was all IT managers who worked for the NHS 🙂

GIS analyst

Enjoy my current role but not the working away from home part of it - 3 years and counting

NHS manager yup I do enjoy it but taken along time to adjust.

Paramedic, generally happy with work, especially when I feel I can make a difference when someone's having a bad day. Has its frustrations, unsocial and anti-family hours, but been doing it 11 years which is more than 3 times longer than I've done anything else for.

specalising particularly in high performance EV and hybrid system integration and calibration.

That interests me greatly. If I ever end up in your area I will ask you on a ride and try and get you to tell me all about developments in that area 🙂

Another teacher. Art, Photography, DT and sometimes Media Studies. Get to work with ideas and subjects I love every day. Kids are actually pretty good most of the time (even with a fairly deprived catchment like my school has). At my level of experience pay is pretty good and holidays are awesome!

However, as already mentioned above, all the stuff that doesn't directly involve being the classroom can be a little wearing at best and totally infuriating at worst.

Holy crap kilo huge respect, tragically had to dealings with such things and it really ****ed me up.

Too many abbreviations in many of these posts i can't fathom out.
I'm in the building trade, a few aches and pains now but still fairly fit, no arse crack showing, never read the sun, no wellies unless readymix day, no fags or vapours. I'm a posh one real coffee beans, a holiday to Pollensa not Magaluf and a Linn Sondek LP12 but i wish i'd done something else as i hate the cold, dark, wet, winters

I run a small sign and digital print business.
We employ 8 people, loads of work on, we're always busy.
It's a family business, started by my parents and my Grandfather. I feel a responsibility to keep it in good shape for the next generation, if they are interested.
I've been working there since I was 18 when I split the year, winters in the Alpes, summers working with Mum & Dad. They got busier and busier and it was the obvious thing to do.
It was great to work alongside my Grandfather. Many people say they would find it hard to work with their parents, it has had it's moments but we all still get on very well.

Anyone want a job? Thats the biggest problem I have, finding motivated and experienced staff.
+1 Kilo, Difficult work, shame we need your services but glad we do. Can we club together for some extra RAM?

Being a consultant really helps avoid any stress. I go to some really messed up clients, but all I have to do is tell them what I recommend and if they don't do it that's not my problem. Likewise if they don't give me what I need to do the job, I tell them, and if they continue not to give it to me then I can't do the job but they still pay us anyway 🙂

@Kilo, respect. Not much more I can say.

i wish i'd done something else as i hate the cold, dark, wet, winters

Move to a cold country. They down tools all winter cos the ground's frozen or it's snowing.

aye, lots of respect to kilo, i got put in the hat for a child sexual abuse case at jury duty last week, I was utterly terrified of getting picked for it, once I heard a few details of the case(I didn't). Lot of responsibility that, I'm glad other people are able to step up and do the job though.

@maxtorque What exactly did you do on p1 powertrain? Who were you working for?

Prison Officer. It's shit, especially when we have to deal with the shit Kilo gives us, day in day out.
Shit job, don't join.

Proper shit. The government are on about rehabilitation of prisoners again. They STILL don't realise you can't rehabilitate shit.

Offshore oil and gas.
Do my bit right to ensure Deepwater Horizon doesn't repeat itself.

Pays good, but fed up of the time away from home.
So looking for a change to more 'proper' engineering.

Regional technical manager for a construction materials and geotechnical laboratory. It's good when I get to actually do my job, rather than dealing with BS.

Environmental advisor. Nobody gives a shit no one will do anything and everybody wants to be your best friend when it's all gone to rat shit. Fell into it, currently swirling round the bowl and waiting to go round the bend. That said, at least I don't have to work for a living.

I teach people to race bikes, educate coaches, run races and lots of other stuff bike related, love it!

Respect to Kilo.

I'm self employed but work under contract to a couple of organisations building and auditing ISO Management systems (9001/14001/18001/27001/1090). It is what it is, plenty of time in a car but almost no office politics!

Tis not what I dreamed of but it keeps me in bikes and pancakes!

I can imagine you'd face some stiff opposition..

Depends where you stand when the matter's in hand.

Account Manager in the pharmaceutical industry. Been involved with lots of interesting new medicines over the years. Decent pay and benefits but not the easiest environment these days.

Senior NHS manager - I manage operating theatres mostly. I like it, its a tough job sometimes but I feel like I'm making a difference.
Done other things ranging from being a nurse, a resuscitation officer, lecturer, welder, education manager... I'm 46 so I suspect I'll do something else before I'm finished.
Jas

To me self-employed is the best job you can have regardless of the job you do.

Driving instructor mainly, I'm also a Bikeability instructor but that's quiet at the moment.

The driving instruction is the longest job I've done, coming upto 9 years now, and I still enjoy it. It's hard work mentally thinking about how capable the student is, are they having a bad day, but the hardest thing is the other idiots on the road. Very satisfying when a student passes but it's a lonely job as the students are not like having colleagues who you can moan to.....

I'm cutting my hours back a bit to get that work / life balance but it's difficult to say no when someone rings up for lessons as it's literally recommendations as it's not something you do twice so there are no repeat customers.

Love the Bikeability as seeing the kids " get " riding a bike is fantastic.

I'm a mental health rehab nurse, with a sideline in ECT.
It's pretty good as jobs go.

Town planning and environmental consultant in a big multi-d company. Currently helping deliver a prominent new railway project.

I do generally enjoy the work but consultancy is a grind and after 30 years I can't see me hacking another 10+ years full time.

bamboo
@maxtorque What exactly did you do on p1 powertrain? Who were you working for?

I helped to develop and integrate the Emachine, inverter and control software for the p1. I was consulting to the small specalist company that won the job to develop those parts from MAL.