What do you do for living (or used to)?

Chippendales Dancer...
Those women at the nursing home can throw nickels and quarters like you can't believe, and my wife was embarrassed. So, quit that gig and I am looking for meaningful work fixing broken businesses which I did for many years. Sold my aerospace manufacturing business a year and a half ago and presently learning how to fly safely. Hugely envious of you guys who have figured out how to make a living flying... well done !
 
Caddy -> Parts Department in a car dealership -> Apprentice Machinist/Engineering School -> Mechanical Engineer for the USAF (32.5 years and Worked on every Tactical Fighter from the F-111 to the F-35) -> Consultant (Easiest Job I ever had) -> Ski Bum for the last 22 years.

cheers
 
Weed puller when I was 12 years old.
 
I guess I design targets, just not bridges and roads. My undergraduate degree is in designing weapons. Before that my job was simply to kill MF's.
 
Corrosion guy for a Natural gas pipeline group. I’ve also been part time Line service at a fbo since 2007, hopefully that will turn into using my CPL eventually.
 
Army Officer (Infantry and JAG) for 9 years. Moved on to be a corporate attorney for a variety of companies in the energy business (mostly nuke) until I retired 2 years ago. Now a full time grandfather and volunteer at a legal clinic at my old law school. Always hoped to be a piano player in a whorehouse in New Orleans - even took piano lessons for like 12 minutes. After three surgeries on my hands, don’t think it’s going to happen.
 
I enlisted in the air force in 1961 and worked as an instrumentation tech supporting early WS-117L polar orbiting reconnaissance satellites (MIDAS, SAMOS, Corona, Vela Hotel) for the then new National Reconnaissance Office, our client, at Vandenberg Tracking Station. Following my Vandenberg tour, I got transferred to Hill AFB, Utah, where I tested solid propellant rocket motors (1st, 2nd, and 3rd stage Minuteman and submarine launched Polaris) at Lakeside test range on the west side of the Great Salt Lake. I also got my private pilot certificate while stationed at Hill. After separation from active duty in 1965, I went to work for a JPL contractor at NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Instrumentation Facility supporting the Lunar Orbiter and Surveyor missions looking for Apollo landing sites on the moon. In 1968, I went to work for Hughes Aircraft Company in Culver City developing the Sidewinder and Phoenix air-to-air missiles. I then spent several years down range (Pacific Missile Range) on Johnston Atoll and Kwajalein supporting the Safeguard anti-ballistic missile system. In 1973, I changed careers and went to work as a GS-12 mid-level manager for Social Security running a regional data concentrator in the Western Program Center in Richmond, CA. In 1978, I got a call from a recruiter about a job with Bank of America in the San Francisco data center designing high speed wide area data networks in the bank's advanced network design group. That led to an offer from Visa International, the credit card association in 1987. I retired from Visa in 2003 as VP, Global Strategy and Planning.

In other words, I was lucky enough to do work I enjoyed with coworkers I liked, but never had a real plan. It all just happened.
 
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Stan Cooper said:
I enlisted in the air force in 1961 and worked as an instrumentation tech supporting early WS-117L polar orbiting reconnaissance satellites …. (LOTS OF AMAZING STUFF) ....That led to an offer from Visa International, the credit card association in 1987. I retired from Visa in 2003 as VP, Global Strategy and Planning.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah. But what have you done lately? :D
 
A physician assistant doing inpatient and outpatient geriatrics and internal medicine by day...
At night am a CrossFit gym part owner and trainer...
Have ppl IFR rated and working on cpl- with hopes of flying for fun and little dinero some day
Yes. It’s a cross to bear when starting a conversation. “CrossFit or pilot talk...”
 
Terry M - 3CK (Chicago) said:
@Jim K what is your daughter holding? Is that a binder?

I don't remember. Probably a book knowing her.

So is that a combine? And as you move through the field the truck drives along side you as you fill it?

Yes. And you're close.... if you look on the left side of the photo, you'll see a big red thing marked J&M.... that's a "grain cart". It's a big wagon with an auger on it that the combine dumps into. About 3 combine loads fill it, and that's enough to fill the semi. It's pulled by a tractor.

3 trucks? One being filled, one heading to the silo and one waiting?

Two trucks do a good job keeping up. In an ideal world, they get back to the field just as the cart is full and they immediately get loaded and leave. In real life it's never that smooth.

Do you own the trucks/trailers or that is a 3rd party (assume it’s a 3rd party).

I actually do. Most smaller farmers like me don't, but if you look I run a pair of surplus military semi tractors. They were cheap and have worked out great. The only bad part is it's impossible to find drivers. My wife & Dad do most of it, but my dad's getting too old to work the long hours anymore.

what do those drivers and their equipment do when it’s not harvest? They follow harvests South? I assume those are dedicated ag trailers.

One of the reasons I own the trucks is that the grain that goes into the bins must be delivered to market later in the year. They still only get about 5000 miles/ year each, though. And yes, those grain hoppers aren't really good for anything else, but it's amazing how cheap they are for a giant, riveted, aluminum vehicle. If only Timpte built airplanes.
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azure said:
I teach college level physics (and astronomy).
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What an amazing coincidence! I took college level physics once. :)

Actually, more than once. Took many of my electives in physics. Besides my math and engineering degrees, I actually have enough hours for a physics degree, but the hours are spread across three universities and I couldn't declare even a minor at any one of them.
 
Industrial engineer for a large manufacturer in the Berkshire Hathaway family. I'm all about helping our folks make better business decisions...
 
I'm retired from my second career: Stay at Home Dad, with side jobs of family contractor, family mechanic, family accountant, etc. Naval Aviator before that. Now I fix and fly RV's for fun, one of which is mine, and a little bit of aviation instruction here and there. Most importantly, I married a great woman a long time ago.
 
@Jim K thanks for the respectful explanation (instead of just dismissing me or calling me an idiot).

impressive that you manage that many acres, the commodities and hedging on top of the actual operation.

Bad ass.
How far South are you in IL? Do you know the 310 you tuber guy from KARR?
 
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I've done so many things for income but have never been very good at any of them. Started out as an 18 year-old CFI in the 70's. Flew full-time for about 7 years. I was in my mid-twenties with all the ratings & 3,000 hours, & couldn't find a decent flying job. In early 80's started selling farm machinery & still so that as my primary income. I've also been a cop, insurance salesman, & owned two FBO's. Oh, my wife & I have also operate a small wine business. We make a few hundred cases of wine a year.

Now while still selling green & yellow pieces of iron to farmers, I own & operate a soaring operation. I have a two-place sailplane & my 182 is the tow plane. We have lot's of fun but don't make much money.

I'm considering retirement & flying on the side to supplement my income.

Life is a blast & I'm excited to see what is yet to come.
 
I'm a "Senior Solutions Architect". Which is a fancy title for a sales engineer.

Specifically, I engineer computer storage for our clients requirements.

I'm the pre-sales side of things. Means I read lots of email, host conference calls, and listen to customers try to meet their requirements with not enough funding.

I used to actually work for a living, but now I do this.
 
Kindergarten teacher.

At least that is what it feels like some days. I am a non-practicing CPA working in industry. Currently I run a financial department for a Fortune 100 (or is it 50?) company. My crew consists of 10 people with 2 dotted line people. We are responsible for FP&A, price analysis, engineering financials, standard costing and a bunch of other things for a plant in Germany and the overall sales/marketing organization of our worldwide large natural gas engines. With my current assignment in Germany I also act as the local "expert" for all things corporate since this plant was an acquisition some years ago. Some days I wish I never went into supervising. If you let me do a bunch of complex financial modeling in Excel all day I am a happy camper.

In the past I have worked at Johnson Space Center as a librarian assistant, IT grunt at a university, cello teacher and probably some other odd jobs. Some day I wouldn't mind being paid to fly. I own a Piper Archer and have had my license for 3 years (as of yesterday). I also have my tailwheel endorsement and can fly (have flown) a Stearman. Go me.
 
Half Fast said:
Maybe you could subcontract the work out. Post pictures of the wife.
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Sorry! It is the only gig that I have liked enough to hang onto for 28 years (plus the three year internship before I got officially hired on full-time.)
 
I work for my wife. I make sure the bills and her staff get paid and she can do her job without tearing her hair out about administrative details.

On my days off, I work as night shift radiologist for a level I trauma center.
 
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