What do you do for a living?

[thekl0wn]

I know there are others out there that don't do woodworking for our primary income... So what's everyone do for a living?


I'm a computer programmer, or "professional nerd" as my friends call it. I'm 6 hours shy on my Bachelor's in Computer Science from the University of Southern Indiana, but I should finish up this coming May, and then I plan on enrolling in a computer-related manufacturing program at the local Ivy Tech to further my education... Who knows after that, but I'll probably be in school for life... :rolleyes:

So what do you do?

[Dagster]

Software Developer Engineer or Programmer geek for short :D

[Terry Mac]

lawyer for the past 17 years.

[thekl0wn]

Software Developer Engineer or Programmer geek for short :D

Awesome... Never thought I'd end up doing this stuff, but I love it! :D

Especially, when I started figuring out all the perks of being a dedicated dork! :p

[Dagster]

Engineer Geek by day, suave manly man by night. Well, sort of.

[Don]

Last twenty years; plant and or project manager (millwork)- before that, my own millwork business for eight years, before that, shop foreman for a few local millwork houses, before that, flunky.

But the real question is, what do we want to be?

I see myself as an owner of a mega-corporation, I don't have to be there though, I've got a crack team of commandos running the show. No, most days you'll find me out on my sixty-five foot yacht, "Ditch Digger," my right hand on a fist full of throttles. In the other, something cold to drink, maybe a little umbrella in it. Viceroy is down in the saloon on the grand piano, "I did it my way," wafting up though the open stained glass atrium. I press the, "all-clear," horn, my signal for everybody to hang on. I turn the key which brings four beefy slumbering turbo cat diesels to life. The exhausts, just at the waterline on the transoms, are as large as basketballs and cough out fish, beer cans and ladies undies. As I push forward on the gleaming chrome handles the entire bow slowly lifts into the air and crashes forward, other boats in the harbor hurriedly try to start their outboards, fishermen begin rowing madly. From the forward hatch, as if on cue, march a handful of scantily clad, large breasted women to take their places at the bow-rail. They laugh and giggle as the Ditch Digger pounds angrily from the placid waters of the bay into the rough seas of the Atlantic. Another spending spree in the Bahamas then long lazy days scuba diving in the keys and on to Jamaica are in the immediate future. I hope this trip is not cut short like the last one when I was called to . . .

"Don. Don. Don!"

"What? I'm busy down here."

"I need you to take the trash out to the curb, you forgot to do it last week. Something in there stinks. Do it now! And get away from that damn computer, what are you doing down there anyway? Looking at porn? Again?"

"No, I'm not. I keep telling you I'm working!" If she'd only leave me alone for five minutes I just know I could get this writing thing to pay off.

to be continued . . .

dawjr

[thekl0wn]

Sixty-five foot yacht... Heck, I'd be happy with a 28' Baja! :D

[Dagster]

All I want is a Factory Five Roadster.

[thekl0wn]

All I want is a Factory Five Roadster.

Enlighten me... :confused:

[Dagster]

Are you sure you are ready for this? It will change your life and you'll think of nothing else until you have one... if you are a car guy. You'll make vroom vroom noises in your sleep. You'll pretend your yugo is a 0 - 60MPH beast, you'll pee yourself every time you see one on the road... it's the most beautiful thing on 4 wheels. Ok, enough drama.

Visit the sites below if you dare:

www.ffcobra.com (http://www.ffcobra.com)
http://www.factoryfive.com/rdsterhome.html

[thekl0wn]

I usually park by them at the local "drive in". There's 3 of them that come every time... One is somehow hiding a 429 under the hood... One is a stock late model Cobra build-off... And the other guy doesn't like me, because my truck has beat him twice now.:D (he built off a V6 platform)

I can see what people love about them, but it's just not my thing.

[Dagster]

I usually park by them at the local "drive in". There's 3 of them that come every time... One is somehow hiding a 429 under the hood... One is a stock late model Cobra build-off... And the other guy doesn't like me, because my truck has beat him twice now.:D (he built off a V6 platform)

I can see what people love about them, but it's just not my thing.

I can respect that... I guess :D A v6 platform I cannot accept though! Yup, they can accept an array of big blocks but I prefer the small block stroked to bigger cubes.


OK thread hijacking over... back to what we do.

I forgot to mention initially that, as stated in other threads, I flip homes on the side. Not an official business as of yet but I have managed to make it a successful run. Anyone else do something on the side for fun, necessity, or to feel out a new career possibility?

[thekl0wn]

I can respect that... I guess :D A v6 platform I cannot accept though! Yup, they can accept an array of big blocks but I prefer the small block stroked to bigger cubes.

The one with the 429 is flat scary! It's not the fastest vehicle I've ridden in, but it's probably the scariest! The Cobra + kit doesn't lag a whole heck of a lot on the 429, but at least it's hooking and feels like you're gonna continue in a straight line! :eek: The only other ride that comes close is a buddy's dad's S10 with a blown 502... Those things just weren't designed for traction!

[Don]

Darren, don't be cruel, show the man.

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m206/donwright/cobrawork.jpg

dawjr

[Dagster]

Darren, don't be cruel, show the man.

dawjr


I must say, one fine example of an FFR. Brings a tear to my eye.

[Dr. Jim]

Nice. Ofcourse,.....I prolly couldn't fit in it,....I'm too big for all the cool sports cars :-(

Living?...hmmmm......Creative Director/Designer. (which really means working in an extremely competitive industry, for clients all over the world in crazy time zones, and getting gray hair WAAAYYYY before my time. Sitting at the computer for 70 hours a week doesnt help either).

www.gfxmoo.com - All I have to show for my 18 years of labor. In my world you're only as good as your recent work. (hmmm.....might that be said of alot of things).

Point of the woodworking?
Two-fold.
1) I have always been horribly envious of people who could make things! And as technical as I am,...I've always 'hired it done'. Hell,...I dont even change my own oil. Finally,...with this mountain place we got,....it is the opportunity to take charge,...and do things myself! A time in my life to make a change.

2) Having worked on the computer my entire life,...creating things which are 'digital' and have no real tangible existence. Sure,..they are on TV for awhile,...then they are gone forever. Sure,...I can print out a frame from a piece,...and hang it. But it's not 'tangible'......getting a bit philosophical here, but creating something from wood, it is creating something that is 'real', has a potentially infinite lifespan, is tangible. You can touch it, use it, live in it....etc. I think about some of the antiques we own,...how many lives they have been through, hands that have been on them, including their humble beginnings in someones shop.
It is the polar opposite from my existence to this point in life. So I am going to learn how,....and use my new house as the guinea pig!!

'bout it.

[Jammin]

Contractor, cabinet builder

[thekl0wn]

Dr. Jim... Where would I have seen gfxmoo.com before. I know that I see an ad for it on one of the forums I'm a member of all the time, but I can't figure out where. :(

[Dr. Jim]

Well, that has been my portfolio site for many years,....main forums I live on are mograph.net and maxforums.org.

No other woodworking forums....

hmmm.....and I don't have 'ads' per 'se. It is listed on some various other random design sites,....but that is it.

[thekl0wn]

I didn't mean ads as in the technical definition of ads, but more of people posting links to the site. Could it be for tutorials on PhotoShop, possibly?

[Dr. Jim]

hmmm.......About 3 years ago I did some HDRI tutorials,....they got linked by a few sites,....but that is about it.

Maybe CGtalk? Not sure.....
Maybe SubD modelling forum?
Maybe Splutterfish?......

'Bout all I can think of....

[SubChop]

I'm new to this forum and excited to see what's "out there".

Currently, I'm a Naval Officer (Supply Corps type) but am looking at retiring early next summer - and nervous about the prospects for a follow-on career. Unfortunately, neither my skills nor the woodworking/cabinet-making market (I don't believe) would support my bride in the manner to which she's become accustomed;) so I'll have to settle for something else for career #2. Maybe for my third career.

[woodman43]

Contractor. Commercial and Residential remodeling.
Also do custom woodwork in between.

[jcclark]

Cad designer (draftsman)
I do paint and bodywork in the summer
and woodworking in the winter.
(And fish every weekend the weather permits):D

[bogydave]

Electrician, Operator, Corrosion Tech. & Terminal Supevisor at a remote Oil Tank farm. 24 years. We stored crude oil in 7 - 270,000 bbl tanks & loaded it on tankers from an offshore loading platform. Also operated & maintained the 40 mile pipeline that supplied the tank farm. 7 man camp. Burn the crude in the genertors for our power. Place was built in the 60 so lots of maintenance.
1 week on - 1 week off schedule. Helicopter was our taxi cab (no roads).
Best part of the job was when the BODs came up for their annual meeting I had to act as a fishing guide using the chopper. Baited their hooks. (Got my "Master Baiter" certificate after 20 years). We fished where nobody else could get to.
Lots of brown bear around camp. Several bald eagle nests. Salmon creek ran by camp. When I first started there we were allowed to hunt (moose, bear, wolves, ducks & geese, ptarmigan). Trapped Lynx, wolverine, beaver, cyotee, fox, martin, wolves & otter. We were allowed our own atvs & snow machine to play with in the evenings. Long daylight hours in the summer & 5 -6 ft of snow in the winter. I was a dream job till new management came in on a buyout. They took most of the perks away.
Sorry we were asking about work.
They down sized & I took a retirement package.
Now I work for no pay. Seem to be working harder too. Been a year building a shop & learning how to retire. Can't find enough time to retire. I golfed, fished & hunted more when I was working than I did this summer. Go figure. Plan to fix that this year.

I did work this year, a 10 stay at a remote commercial fishing site in July. Caught a few thousand pounds. Owner got 45 cents/lb & I ended up with $327.00. Now you want hard work, commercial fishing is WORK.

[Turn Two]

I started my working life with 10 years at AT&T way back before divesiture. Couldn't handle the corporate BS... So I combined my Fine Arts degree and woodworking and quit Ma Bell.

For 13 years I designed and built outdoor lighting and carved, routed and sandblasted signs for almost all the builders in South Florida. Previous Life (http://www.turn2art.com/Previous%20Life.htm).

I got tired of not getting paid so I worked for an individual for a couple of years restoring his collection of vintage cars. We would take them to vintage races and that's when I decided to sculpt Vintage Racing Cars as an avocation. I decided at the outset to go high end and began to sculpt 'spec' cars. The first three were a 'D' jag... a formula 'Shark Nosed' Ferrari... and an IMSA GTP that we were racing at the time. The 'specs' were gone the first day and the rest is history.

My sculptures have been done in Zebrawood... Brazillian Rosewood... Wenge... Purpleheart... and many other exotics. I also do the metalwork. The wheels and exhaust (etc.) are done in brass, aluminum or pewter.

I started in 1/10 scale but could not create enough revenue to make it worthwhile so I am only doing 1/4 scale now. I'm currently working a 1957 Ferrari Pontoon 250 Testerossa. It's in Brazillian Rosewood and weighs olmost 50 pounds. I have $700 in the Rosewood alone. The brass (laced) rims are turned from 3" Brass Tube with a 3/8" wall. A single foot cost over $100.

I truly love what I have chosen to do for a living and I believe that is the secret to success. Live... and work... with passion. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing... and anything not worth doing is not worth doing well.

Turn Two Art (http://www.turn2art.com/)

Thanks for the thread. It's always fun to share.....

[Cocobolove]

Currently I'm a job estimator/salesman for a construction company specialising in exterior remodeling, (siding, guttering, roofing, windows, and doors)

I've been a mechanic for a GM dealer, a plumber, block mason, roofer, siding installer, and probably the biggest disappointment a Pepsi delivery driver/salesman (they shut my plant down last year so I'm back in construction).

So, in other words, I've done a little bit of everything that doesn't take a college education. Hopefully, if this housing market ever gets out of the slump it's in, I'm gonna start my own construction company. That's my plan anyways.

[Don]

Talented and diverse guys all. This thread is one of the most active on the forum. At this point about 27 replies, but over 400 views. That's impressive.

dawjr

[Jammin]

Contractor, cabinet builder

[wildcat]

Tow truck driver for 15 years.

[Danno30008]

Hey:

Well, in another life I worked for one of the largest Japaneese based companies in the world with over 50 divisions in the USA.. Got tired of that about 11 years ago and decided to go on my own. Had my own business for 7 years and then had to close it as I found out there is MUCH more to running a business than just getting sales.. My wife and I started a business together in the same industry in Atlanta which is selling dishmachines and chemicals to local mid to high end restaurants and it has worked out perty good. She runs the business and I do sales and maintain the accounts. We have a full time service man and part time driver. I did it all for a longtime but decided that after 9 years or so I was tired of laying on a bar floor or kitchen floor to fix a machine at 8:00 on a Friday night with about 10 dishwashers cussig at me in Spanish:mad: Anyway that is what keeps me off the streets during the days and working in my wood shop is what does it at nights.

[wyogunwriter]

Spent about 25 years doing everything from being a police officer to construction hand (too many gigs to list here) to fuel my hunting addiction. About 15 years ago decided to make my living writing about guns and hunting. Several menial jobs later I ended up being the founding editor in chief for an internationally distributed shooting magazine. Six and half years later I pulled the pin and returned to the love of my life, Wyoming. Now I write instead of cleaning up others junk. and I am trying to get some balance back into my life between writing, farming and wood working. My biggest b*tch regarding WWing is that I know what I want to accomplish but my old bones and wore-out muscles want to keep me from succes

Oh yeah, and this is a horribly arrogant gloat, now I get paid (albeit minimally) to go hunting and tell others how much fun I had doing it.

[Don]

Hey, gunwriter. I'm a frustrated writer too. Just finished my first novel - trying to decide on editing or throwing in the trash. I'm convinced the editing process is similar to water boarding. They should make every detainee in GTMO write a piece and have their peers "help" them through the edit.

We have simple minded movies, television shows and books on, "How to polish your cat," but when you share your baby with anyone in the trade, it's crap.

Oh, well; it entertained one person at least, me.

Glad to have a fellow writer around.

Let's see who recognizes this line.

"Pheasants . . . let's shoot some pheasants. Ten shots, a dollar a shot. I'll shoot for the Queen and you can shoot for, well, whomever."

All the best, Don

[aschueler]

The above line is from Unforgiven, one of my favorite movies.

Big fan of ol' Clint.

[Don]

You got it aschueler. "It's a hell of thing, killing a man, you take away everything he's got and everything he's ever going to have."

How about, "Well, Mr. Carpet Bagger, we've got something around these parts called the Missouri boat ride."

dawjr

[aschueler]

Is it Outlaw Josey Wales?