[Closed] What do you do for a living and do you enjoy it?

IT nerd...

It's better than digging holes.

Nurse - not really, bored of role and change to culture/ constant vilification of NHS staff by media. Looking for alternative to jump to seems be taking some time to locate 🙂

Line Controller London Underground, hate it!

Self Employed Will Writer and Estate Planner, really interesting because of the people I deal with - Love it.

Price tenders and proposals for an IT company.

Bores me to death, but even 25 years out of school still have no idea what I really want to do

Manager at a large pneumatic's manufacturing Company.
Basically yes.

IT Security and ID Management.

Hate it, would prefer something a bit more active involving moving around but no idea what.

I suspect my sedentary desk job for several employers, although easy up until now, has right royally buggered my pancreas 🙁

Design Telecoms Networks all over the world, very varied and really enjoy it.

Mortgage Advisor. I'd love it if it wasn't for the lenders, public, estate agents and solicitors 😉

Joking aside I do actually enjoy it and am glad I stuck with it when times were tough in 2008-2010!

Same as weeksy and weasel albeit currently as a specialist in a sales team, although i suspect my career in this field will end in the next 18 months if not before. Im enjoying it less and less, but it pays well atm, and I can't be ungrateful for what it has afforded me from an opportunity perspective over the many years.

Currently a test engineer for a hydrogen fuel cell company currently working on a low power 2 wheel application for a large Japanese automotive manufacturer but I'm moving to be a materials engineer for an external test house that are embedded within their primary customer.

Insurance. Sigh.

sit talking bollocks on here allday....and yes.

CNC programmer.
Can get a bit dull if doing a large batch of components but that gives me time to design and make some stuff for myself.
Yes, I do enjoy my job. I think it's what I was supposed to be as I'm good with my hands, mechanically minded etc.
Shame really as I had 'secret agent' as my preferred profession when I was about 7 😳

Surplus civil servant. Double sigh.

Preconstruction Director for a regional construction company. Has its moments of excitement interspersed with regular bouts of tedious - negotiating costs and agreeing contracts, but get to go to some interesting places and meet up-their-own-arse people 😕

Done it for nearly 30 years now, can see amid-life-crisis complete change of direction looming (once the kids are self supporting!)

but even 25 years out of school still have no idea what I really want to do

Project Manager for a defence company, would rather be digging holes these days

Academic. I love it.

store manager for Halfords,

Yes i do despite the slating we consistently get and doing my best to change that in my store.

Buy i cant help wondering whether im meant to be doing something else!

Reliability engineer in a power station.
I think I have a fairly short span of attention, job wise and after a few years in this role, and all the management systems I run operating nicely, I'd like a change. Not necessarily of employer or location, just different work.

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It beats working for a living 🙂

My Wife is an RAF Flight Nurse currently at QE Hospital, Renton. Had a few wobbles (cut backs in champagne and fine hotels not helping), but think she is now staying in for her half pension at least.

Civil/Infrastructure Engineer - Highways and drainage basically.

I do like it, but we tend to get the shit from both ends of the spectrum i.e. developer/client want everything as quickly and cheaply as possible and approving bodies want to generally screw the developers to the wall for everything they can, so it can get pretty stressful at times.

I would like to do something else, my own busyness, but can't really afford to start again ATM!!

Primary supply teacher. Beats real teaching and can't see me doing anything else. Wouldn't miss it though if something else cropped up.

Currently a sharepoint developer. Going through a crappy restructure at the moment so everything is a bit rubbish

Just started developing a house full time to sell on when finished. I'm not from a construction background so I'm shit scared and excited all at the same time!

After 20+ years working as a graphic designer (10 years running my own business), I've opened a picture framing shop. I was looking for something that could run alongside my existing work; utilised some of my knowledge, skills and experience; and was completely different to my sitting-at-a-desk usual work.

I'm just over 6 months in and thoroughly enjoying it. I'm loving meeting a completely different type of person, whether it's an old lady with a cross-stitch, local artists, or just families with kids' photos. Makes such a refreshing change from whip-cracking deadline-pushing twunts!

Really enjoyed the challenge of learning a new skill, setting up a new business and now having a profitable pipeline of work. And I can't recommend enough how nice it is to be able to 'down tools' when one job gets too much and do something completely different for a couple of hours...

The long term plan is to open a gallery and have business/career that will continue long after I've stopped wanting to design graphics.

Marketing.
I used to really enjoy it but the longer I do it the more I find it shallow and meaningless and want to do something more intellectually stimulating. Quite honestly I learn more interesting stuff on STW than I do at work these days.

Now I'm contracting it's more satisfying as each new project presents new learning and a new challenge.

I'm also adding an executive coaching qualification to my skills, which I think I'll find much more satisfying, although the advice I've received is it's hard to make a living from coaching alone...

Semi-retired. I now do bike hire and bike-taxiing for fun/pocket money/bike fund. I get to meet lots of nice, relaxed folks, set them off on adventures and to drive round Scotland. It's only part time though and I get all winter off.

IT nerd...

It's better than digging holes.

Is it though?!

Also IT nerd, redundancy in 6 weeks and... probably back into the same old shite. So 'no' to the second question.
Although working out my notice gives me even more time on here to get threads closed 🙂

Environmental professional, hate it with a passion

Should have been a stuntman, but am not very good at stunts.

"customer experience engineer", or web designer in less ****y terms.

It varies but overall yes.

Co-owner of a little web & graphic design agency - love it. We're very, VERY fortunate - our staff are awesome and MOST of our clients are great.

Scamper.... The RAF is getting smaller and smaller and it seems all the good lads have left whilst all the ass lickers have stayed on !!

Ive got 4 and a bit years left to my pension and it cant come quick enough however I have no idea what I want to do when I leave !!

I help people.
I was previously part of a crack team of soldiers that were wrongfully imprisoned for a crime we didn't commit. Anyway if you need help.....

Civil engineering technician

I was hoping all the study would have landed me a better paid job

Something more creative would suit me better

email marketing/comms for a university. Could be pretty soul destroying if it was for a private company but i've been doing it 5 months now and it's been fairly interesting so far. Lots to learn. And a huge boost in salary compared to....

Before this i was a struggling musician/DJ/producer for 8 years. Some amazing/exciting/fun times, many stressful/difficult/ soul destroying times. Glad of the office job right now (makes it much easier to pay my studio rent!)

I work with imaging services within the NHS, anything from gigantic MIR scanners to AQP stuff with portable ultrasound in GP surgeries

Interesting and varied work.

Put together/negotiate infrastructure projects from a legal/financial perspective.

I suppose I love it at times. Each deal lasts years so you establish close relationships with the banks, clients, contractors etc (which is usually a good thing IME) and the deals are about as complex, challenging and interesting as I've worked on.

I love starting from absolutely nothing and then at the end I will be sat on one of our trains, stood in our airport, driving down our road, or wandering around our hospital etc. You forget about all the problems and countless arguments and stress, it can be hugely satisfying.

It's a very political sector though and that creates a great deal of uncertainty, delay and bureaucracy that I can't stand.

Decent office job IMO.

Reliability Engineer here too, in pharma though.

Good job, good place to work, mostly good people, home before 5, and before 3 on a friday.

Quite happy.

Civil Engineer for County Council and no.

Tyre engineer... (actually manager of a dept now including sales activities so a lot less fun stuff these days)

materials scientist/engineer. I gravitate towards surface engineering (e.g. coatings) and metal matrix composites. But it's the variation that materials science permits that I really enjoy. A mix of physics, chemistry, mechanical engineering, biology, ecology and design all thrown together.

I love it, but at the moment I'm unemployed and looking for a job. I'd love to work in motorsport, aerospace, automotive or sports industries.

I run a small audio manufacturing business. If it wasn't for the financial stresses it would an awesome job, as it is it's good fun but pretty high pressure. Hopefully in future the financials will get better and I'll get less stressed!

Completion operations engineer - realistically means i do offshore installations and liase with engineering to make sure the stuff they design can be installed offshore.

industries on its arse - id move further upsteam given the choice if it wasnt on its arse.

Sitting tight keeping head down and paying the bills/saving money waiting for the envelope to come or the industry to pick up......

Half the week I'm a stay at home dad, and the rest of the week I'm a painter (I hesitate to use the term artist)

I love both roles in equal measure but am pretty certain that digging holes is easier than raising kids

Signmaker. Like it. I have taken over from my Mum & Dad who started the business with my Grandfather. I've had a 23 year apprenticeship. It's been great working with my parents and Grandfather, I now have my two nephews coming in for a couple of hours a week doing the tidying up. Which is where I started!

wash cars, play snooker and sleep. generally hated by the government

like the job but not the shite that comes with it.

wash cars, play snooker and sleep. generally hated by the government

😆

environmental and energy manager for a university
really enjoy it

originally trained to be outside managing wooodlands, moorlands, national parks etc. now i jockey spreadsheets and budgets

Finance team manager (accounting department)of a retailer.

Detest virtually every second.

Would kill for a generous VR offer, but won't get one.

😥

Quantity Surveyor - Hate it with a passion. When you boil it down to it's barest essence it's fundamentally arguing with people about money. I've come to realise after 20 odd years that it's far to adversarial and confrontational to suit my character. If only I could find some other job that paid half as much I'd give it up today.

I wish i'd been a lumberjack , leaping from tree to tree through the forests of British Columbia.........

I teach teachers to get outside.
So lots of:
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(I also do all the IT, Marketing, course writing and much faffage for them as well)

My colleagues spend their time doing things like this - all great fun and really satisfying.
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Fabricator and I enjoy my job most of the time.

Freelance Technical Illustrator

Love it when i get a proper job with a proper timescale, sadly that doesn't happen very often which leads to aspects of the work being compromised which reduces job satisfaction. Ultimately it's a cushy number.

never thought sand play areas were good

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I run a small audio manufacturing business.

nice. What sort of stuff do you manufacture? 🙂

jools182 - Member
Civil engineering technician

I was hoping all the study would have landed me a better paid job

Something more creative would suit me better

Snap!

Except the study bit, I can only blame myself for the lack of that.

Renton - yes, looking in from the outside in, many of the experienced are leaving for a variety of reasons which seem to either connected to age/changes in family circumstances or having done their bit constantly for years. The changes in the way promotion is decided doesn't always seem right to me either, which is probably where your `licker' comment stems from!

Most of the time I'm a self employed gardener. Love being my own boss and at the stage where I don't have to look for work and I can say no to stuff. My other job involves working fir Bike Track People, taking a portable pump track/north shore track/jumps see saws etc to schools and public events. It can be exhausting, long days, away from home etc. It doesn't leave me with much time for riding when I get home but I get to ride a bike at work. It's very rewarding teaching small kids to ride a bike, showing them how to ride a pumptrack, having races against the faster ones, encouraging kids to race teachers and parents etc. The boss is a good mate and looks after us too which helps a lot. The downside is both jobs are full on at the same time of the year and for various reasons I've not taken much time off in the last 2 years. Hopefully next year I'll be able to take a day off during the week if I've worked the weekend. Life's good though.

Design, development, and management of retail displays as an independent consultant with my own ltd business.
It's not what I thought I'd end up doing when I did a degree in industrial design but it's varied and fast moving. Since doing my own thing I've enjoyed it more but at the end of the day I'm just creating landfill and I'm not sure how much life there is left in the industry as more and more people shop online.

Work for a big American private health insurer. Job title is "Head of Underwriting: Europe, Africa & South America"

In reality that means it's my job to keep the company profitable. On balance it's a great job. Not without its headaches and stresses but I'm paid more than well, have a brilliant work/ life balance and work with some really good people.

Telecoms Tech for the largest independent telecoms network in the country, it's a huge monolithic monstrosity with a vast gulf between the people in the Electronic Kremlin and the grunts on the ground. Cannot remember the last time I was technically challenged.......oh and I've been waiting 18 months for a new laptop so I can possibly do my job properly.

Trained as a QS, but working as an estimator with a large construction firm.

It's alright, is the best I can say about it. Too late in my life to change career.

An old MD told me once, you can earn lots of money, or you can be happy in your job.

Not both!

NHS IT geek dealing with x-ray stuff - ct and mr scanners and the like, as well as making sure imaging is available on demand
The job's great, the politics less so.

Gigolo. It has it's ups and downs.

@brunnep
Three answers:
It doesn't happen as much as you think.
Janitor has a broom.
and
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Prison Officer, detest it (is there a word better/stronger than 'detest'?) Used to quite enjoy it but I'm wishing my life away now. The only redeeming thing is that I'm on top ££'ss for a screw, new starters are doing exactly the same for about 9K a year less.
Can't wait to get out of jail me!

Mechanical Engineer, but presently more of an engineering team lead role with a junior mech eng, a software and electronics eng under me.
Work for a small biotech company designing a prototype handheld dna scanner/POC device to go into production next year (I'm saving lives!)
Working with academics, scientists and entrepreneurs after years in engineering is weird but an awful lot of fun.

Architectural technician. I thought I enjoyed it and then realised I find architects/architecture pompous and pretentious, so now looking for a way out of Construction completely. However, I have no idea how or to what.

postman... bloody hate it, tho hopefully tomorrow is my last day... then i will become my own boss making knives and leather goods and being a better person!

Work mostly in higher education helping people get their data in order, amongst other things. Love HE (did a lot of financial services back in the day) and really enjoy being my own one man consultancy. Feast and Famine sometime but money saved when there's not much work on, and many bikes to ride 🙂

I worked for many years as a management consultant for one of the big 4. And I got out 2 years too late at least. Really hated it, still taught me stuff I can use now...

Glich

Design clothing and equipment for a UK outdoor brand. Plus side is interesting work, and the chance to travel to China, Indonesia, Vietnam etc. And we finish at 2pm on a Friday 🙂

We don't get to spend loads of time in the mountains testing kit like people think we do 🙁

Ex RAF pilot, now a part time Long Haul Airline Pilot.

Love it mostly, plenty of time off, and get to take my bike away round the world.

Architect (or Pompus and Pretentious - thanks Mikey74!) and stay at home dad. Balancing the two is difficult but rewarding. I love Architecture but satisfaction completely depends upon the outlook of the client.

Architect (or Pompus and Pretentious - thanks Mikey74!) and stay at home dad. Balancing the two is difficult but rewarding. I love Architecture but satisfaction completely depends upon the outlook of the client.

Own an R&D company / manufacturer in semiconductors electronics.... good most of the time (when stuff actually works!).

Programmer / mathematical modeler of sorts. Leaving to become more of a contorl systems engineer. Hopfuly the change will relight my fire. I don't enjoy it. Never liked or wanted to be desk bound.

Would like to be a frame builder or furniture maker. I do a bit of furniture atm but the quality and design is rubish. Looking into getting some oxy propane to do a bit of brazing and start making some racks. No doubt they will be pretty rubish too!