What do you do for a living?

[emax]

I was a software developer. Retired now, but still like programming microcontrollers for smart home automation.

YES! That's the relaxing part. You know every bit by name.

 

[Jean Mercier]

I graduated as an electronic engineer, and then, more or less:

• two years research on semiconductors at University in Ghent, Belgium
• two years sabbatical leave in South America (backpacking). Came back with my first wife (Brazilian)
• two years Quality Management consultant in Belgium (1st son born)
• four years Quality Management manager in a wire drawing factory in Ecuador (occasional electronic repairs and maintenance in the factory) (+ two more sons)
• four years Maintenance Management consultant in Tunisia
• two years Maintenance Management consultant for the same company in Belgium and a lot of short assignments on all continents except Oceania and Antartica.
• two years "internal" Quality Management consultant for the main Gas company in Belgium
• since 2000 till 2020 independent (own business, one man company) Quality and Maintenance Management consultant with assignments mainly in Belgium, but also quite some short missions abroad
• since 2020 only "sworn interpreter" for Belgian authorities in mainly Portuguese and French (I live in the Dutch speaking part of the country) and sometimes Spanish and English, but I already did that occasionally since 2009.
• retired since April 1st 2022 , but I continue the interpreting.

Yes, I have also a LinkedIn profile but am not interested in changing my career anymore.
The next step will be to stop interpreting, but I enjoy it: no stress, no preparation, no afterwork besides the invoicing! And I get my pension from the Government, and the interpreting money also from the Government

 

[DenisM]

I graduated as an electronic engineer, and then, more or less:

• two years research on semiconductors at University in Ghent, Belgium
• two years sabbatical leave in South America (backpacking). Came back with my first wife (Brazilian)
• two years Quality Management consultant in Belgium (1st son born)
• four years Quality Management manager in a wire drawing factory in Ecuador (occasional electronic repairs and maintenance in the factory) (+ two more sons)
• four years Maintenance Management consultant in Tunisia
• two years Maintenance Management consultant for the same company in Belgium and a lot of short assignments on all continents except Oceania and Antartica.
• two years "internal" Quality Management consultant for the main Gas company in Belgium
• since 2000 till 2020 independent (own business, one man company) Quality and Maintenance Management consultant with assignments mainly in Belgium, but also quite some short missions abroad
• since 2020 only "sworn interpreter" for Belgian authorities in mainly Portuguese and French (I live in the Dutch speaking part of the country) and sometimes Spanish and English, but I already did that occasionally since 2009.
• retired since April 1st 2022 , but I continue the interpreting.

Yes, I have also a LinkedIn profile but am not interested in changing my career anymore.
The next step will be to stop interpreting, but I enjoy it: no stress, no preparation, no afterwork besides the invoicing! And I get my pension from the Government, and the interpreting money also from the Government

How do we interpret that for your next phase of life with the Grenadier?...

 

[Ever Pragmatic]

29 years in the British Army as a trauma/combat surgeon. I became by necessity and world events an orthopaedic trauma and acute blast and ballistic "specialist" (unfortunately!). Looking to slow down a bit soon - hence the new IG and planning adventures in it.

You’re one of the reasons so many young men and women survived previously unsurvivable injuries then, and came home to their families.. Thank you for your service.

 

[AnD3rew]

I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you.

 

[Davman]

Well we obviously have jobs that allow us to spend too much time on this forum.

 

[Logsplitter]

I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you.

I was about to say the same

 

[markbmw]

I live in South Carolina USA, have a timber farm in Georgia, and my wife is pointing strongly to the Florida panhandle as the next home. I served 30+ years in the automotive OEM biz in operations, engineering, product launch, OpEx for Nissan and BMW. Currently work for one of the FAANG companies. Also a real estate investor in single family rentals, multi-family rentals, vacation rentals, farm land, timber land, The plan is that the Grenadier, when not in South Georgia / Florida swamps and timber, will be towed behind a Class Super C RV. Waiting for the pricing and options to be posted for USA customers.

 

[jessejames]

Wow. Some pretty interesting careers. I did the CPA (certified public accountant for the international folks) thing for about nine years. Then went to law school and have been a tax lawyer ever since.

 

[Deleted User Account.]

Criminal defense litigator by day, moonshiner by night.

I'm my own best friend.

 

[pete54]

I’ve always loved the outdoors and by default Land Rovers (Serious LR addiction aided by a day with the experts at Estnor Castle shortly after my 18th birthday - some time ago!) Time spent in far flung places as a lad and always Land Rovers everywhere - especially East Africa! Often held together with little more than a bit of string and faith.

Anyway - University in Aberdeen split with a year driving around the bush in Australia with a friend in our trusty Series III (Sydney, Canberra, Alice, Perth, Broom, Darwin, Brisbane, Sydney with not much tarmac and plenty of adventure!) Eventually turned out with a BSc in Physical Geography and a Masters in Land Economy. 20 years (and several Land Rovers) as a rural chartered surveyor in Scotland specialising in Estate Management. Increasing red tape and Bureaucracy dulled the joy significantly over time and a love of cooking (especially barbecue/open fire) led me to make a major career change during the pandemic.

Quitting estate management to start up my own business - FieldFireFork Ltd, I cater for private events, corporate dos and weddings, all from my 1.5 tonne bbq trailer, currently pulled by my Disco 4 but hopefully to be replaced by a shiny new Grenadier towards the end of the summer. (Sorry - not meant to be a plug!) I love the D4 but it’s at the scary ‘super expensive’ age and the Series or Defender (old style) were my true love. Hopefully the Grenadier will be the Defender that should have been!!

Wishing all current and future Grenadier owners much fun and excitement. Raise a casual finger from the steering wheel if you see me around Scotland!

 

[Barney]

Well we obviously have jobs that allow us to spend too much time on this forum.

Not me

 

[bmore_burnsy]

Criminal defense litigator by day, moonshiner by night.

Civil (complex and commercial) litigator over here. No fancy hobbies by night, only dad and DIYer

 

[DaveB]

Well we obviously have jobs that allow us to spend too much time on this forum.

Not me
I am off to Bundaberg again today, went yesterday as well.
5 appointments yesterday and 4 more today
Just like the seven dwarfs.....I owe I owe so it's off to work I go.

 

[Tomdoc]

You’re one of the reasons so many young men and women survived previously unsurvivable injuries then, and came home to their families.. Thank you for your service.

Thank you for the nice words. It is definitely a team game!

 

[DaveB]

I am used to seeing warning signs about kangaroos and koala etc on the side of the road.
Wasn't expecting to see this one yesterday about 50kms from my home
Apparently lots of emu along about a 20km stretch of the road.
as they are taller than my car I certainly wouldn't want to hit one.

 

[Tazzieman]

I’m an anatomical pathologist , anatomical pathology being the gold standard of diagnosis when it comes to the need to take a biopsy to confirm or investigate a diagnosis.
A bit like an OBD tool – microscopy takes guessing out of the equation!

A fair proportion of my work concerns cancer diagnosis , often a highly complex and time consuming task of which the patient is generally unaware.
I don’t do the job for likes , thanks or joy – there is none!
But I enjoy being a contributor to a team that keeps people in the best state of health possible so they can get on with their lives.

That said , like a pilot there is no room for error and a constant stream of work under time pressure conditions. I have no control over the workload and am salaried – not paid/case.
After 26 years of FT work , for my sanity I decided to step back to a 7 day fortnight, which gives me mental circuit breakers. After all , each day requires the mental effort you would recall from 2x3 hour exams in high school/uni.

How did I get here?
At school I enjoyed science , esp physics , and was an amateur astronomer. Just before the end of matric I applied for medicine as I figured 6 years study – which I was good at – and no rush to enter the workforce.
Accepted onto a surgical training program but after 2 years of ICU , A&E , plastics , orthopaedics and the like had had enough of the afterhours and wanted to see my wife more often (she is a GP).
So I switched ; 6 years more study and at 32 fully minted as a pathologist.

The Port Arthur massacre (’96) was a “highlight” and being involved in the mortuary at the time was a sobering experience.

My job uses hands (dexterity in performing surgical cut ups of biopsies ranging from small to large.
(I performed >1000 autopsies in training , but none since ’97) and eyes/brain. It’s an evolving and complex field ,especially nowadays with molecular pathology and complex targeted treatments for various cancers. Keeping up with the latest and greatest is necessary - and monitored by the “authorities”.

Regrets? Yes maybe – perhaps should have done Ag science or geology, because I love getting out in the wild and bringing back stuff to study – it’s a hobby now, and should keep me active in my dotage.

I work hard on fitness to counteract stress and the ergonomics of a day job, and allow trips in the wild as well as a helluva lot of gardening on our acreage.
I enjoy the classic car hobby as it is a paradigm for keeping ageing things “on the road.” Plus the physical and mental challenges involved.
As the next few years pass I intend to gradually drop working days to increase my leisure time , to a large part guided by my Grenadier!

My often black humour is standard fare for those who work in health , emergency services etc. I t stops us going completely mad.

 

[bigleonski]

I’m an anatomical pathologist , anatomical pathology being the gold standard of diagnosis when it comes to the need to take a biopsy to confirm or investigate a diagnosis.
A bit like an OBD tool – microscopy takes guessing out of the equation!

A fair proportion of my work concerns cancer diagnosis , often a highly complex and time consuming task of which the patient is generally unaware.
I don’t do the job for likes , thanks or joy – there is none!
But I enjoy being a contributor to a team that keeps people in the best state of health possible so they can get on with their lives.

That said , like a pilot there is no room for error and a constant stream of work under time pressure conditions. I have no control over the workload and am salaried – not paid/case.
After 26 years of FT work , for my sanity I decided to step back to a 7 day fortnight, which gives me mental circuit breakers. After all , each day requires the mental effort you would recall from 2x3 hour exams in high school/uni.

How did I get here?
At school I enjoyed science , esp physics , and was an amateur astronomer. Just before the end of matric I applied for medicine as I figured 6 years study – which I was good at – and no rush to enter the workforce.
Accepted onto a surgical training program but after 2 years of ICU , A&E , plastics , orthopaedics and the like had had enough of the afterhours and wanted to see my wife more often (she is a GP).
So I switched ; 6 years more study and at 32 fully minted as a pathologist.

The Port Arthur massacre (’96) was a “highlight” and being involved in the mortuary at the time was a sobering experience.

My job uses hands (dexterity in performing surgical cut ups of biopsies ranging from small to large.
(I performed >1000 autopsies in training , but none since ’97) and eyes/brain. It’s an evolving and complex field ,especially nowadays with molecular pathology and complex targeted treatments for various cancers. Keeping up with the latest and greatest is necessary - and monitored by the “authorities”.

Regrets? Yes maybe – perhaps should have done Ag science or geology, because I love getting out in the wild and bringing back stuff to study – it’s a hobby now, and should keep me active in my dotage.

I work hard on fitness to counteract stress and the ergonomics of a day job, and allow trips in the wild as well as a helluva lot of gardening on our acreage.
I enjoy the classic car hobby as it is a paradigm for keeping ageing things “on the road.” Plus the physical and mental challenges involved.
As the next few years pass I intend to gradually drop working days to increase my leisure time , to a large part guided by my Grenadier!

My often black humour is standard fare for those who work in health , emergency services etc. I t stops us going completely mad.

I could have used you this morning. I currently have three holes in me, and a number of frozen bits, courtesy of a visit to my dermatologist. Irish skin in the tropics huh - who'd have thought.

 

[Tazzieman]

I could have used you this morning. I currently have three holes in me, and a number of frozen bits, courtesy of a visit to my dermatologist. Irish skin in the tropics huh - who'd have thought.

Yes the Celtic skin type is helping pay for my Grenadier! One slight advantage of a desk job is I'm less sun exposed than if I had an outdoorsy job. That said , I've exposed myself without protection on many occasions . That could be my signature

 

[Norville]

Thanks to all thus far sharing and those who continue to. Humbling for sure and could probably chat your ears off with so much curiosity in those fields.

For me, started in land surveying by trade while still in high school (father a crew lead). Completed a degree in civil engineering. Tried and failed to break into film production (was really into grip stuff for some weird reason - maybe all the dolly and crane work).

Fell back to construction (and other related disciplines) to manage work on telecom / mobile phone cell site facilities which ended up being my fall back for most of my life (including some time doing that work in South America). In fact, just fell back to that again recently here in California. Also had brief stints managing projects for Tesla for their charging stations and energy storage. Tried to also get into IT as a side gig while doing telecom. Did a little electrical utility hardening to do something new but it didn't pan out unfortunately.