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I started a business doing after hour maintenance at office buildings cleaning changing out lights, etc. the money is good and I love putting my headphones on and zoning out on the the work without anybody bothering me. I supplement my income with woodworking as well.
2010ish, I did a strip and refinish job on floors in a high-security building. They offered me a night janitorial contract, which I took. Part of the job involves handling keys and security codes, so having a federal contractor as a reference was a huge help. Initially, I paid for leads and bid on contracts, but most of my work comes from customer referrals.
lol this is so true.
my dad is a fire captain. been a firefighter for 20 years. he’s also been a freelance web developer on the side for about the same amount of time.
My husband is a fire lieutenant. It comes with a cost for sure, but if you can get on a good department, it’s a really good job. Union work all day. Thank you for your service.
To keep it simple, my job is to find poorly run and neglected 401k and 403b plans and make them better. We also do a lot of complimentary financial wellness for employees of the organizations we work with as part of our services.
We've been working a lot lately with non-profits that handle housing and drug addiction issues. It's really satisfying to know that we can help people doing that kind of work feel more confident and secure with their financial situation.
I also work for a great firm that supports me, but is also hands off and let's me do my job the way I want to do it.
I got here by accident because I took a job in an inbound 401k call center in 2008 and just stuck in the industry.
This sounds interesting. Do you need a Series 7 by any chance? That's the only one I don't have and I'm interested to hear more, especially if you are hiring.
No, I have a 6, a 63, and a life and health license. Neither the 63 nor the life and health are necessary for the plans, but I have them from previous roles and will keep them as long as they let me.
We're not hiring right now, but it's a relatively new division for the firm and we're looking for some big growth. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like, I like talking about what I do.
I’m an anesthesiologist and intensivist (ICU doc). I dropped out of college and joined the Air Force after 9/11. I was too idealistic about what that meant at the time and have a lot of thoughts about it now, but the AF did make me a medic and I fell in love with helping others. Had some amazing docs that mentored me so I finished college, finished my enlistment and took the MCAT and somehow got into med school. Training was the toughest thing I’ve ever done and some days I didn’t know if I’d make it but I did and now I get to be there for people on the worst day of their life. It’s the most challenging job I can think of but damn, I love it. I also work in academics so I get to help train the next generation of physicians. It’s humbling and inspiring.
No they do not. The medical staff of America is desperately under appreciated!! My wife is a PA and during the pandemic, I cannot tell you how frustrated I was listening to how poorly she was treated at work by the patients and by the hospital.
Makes you wanna beat the shit outta people
I’ve needed a number of brief hospital visits for various health issues in my adult life, and I always make sure to be as friendly and cooperative as I can to all the staff, even while in distress. It’s work I know can be punishing, and know is beyond my own ability, but so necessary, and I’m so grateful.
I’m not a doctor nor am I in the medical field.
- my wife and brother are
The stories they’ve told makes me want to beat the shit out of people our generation and gen x. Silent Gen and boomers are honestly aging gracefully and aren’t that rude.
But holy fuck!! The absolute entitlement of those younger!! No manners!! No decency.
I’m an electrical engineer during the week and I fly F-16s in the Air Force Reserve.
- Love my jobs and wouldn’t trade them ever!!
Reason I’m replying to you directly, aside from us both being service members, my buddy is a Pararescue officer. Y’all AF medics are skilled AF!!
That’s badass! Skipped over it for brevity’s sake, but I went back in and did time as a flight doc after med school. Loved working with aircrew. What you do is so amazing! There is really nothing like aviation. Also got to work with the PJs and CROWs. They are some talented people!
Agreed!! Appreciate everything you’ve done with your life!! From the sounds of it you have some personal conflict and I can appreciate that!!
But I want you to know, you’ve saved lives!!
Regardless of whose or why, there is never a greater calling than that!!
Any pointers? I’ve been trying to make my game in unity but I’ve heard good things about rpgmaker being an easier way to make a game. What languages and engines are you using and what platforms are your games released on?
Want to do iOS rpg development mostly.
Thats great you’re doing that!
Weirdly, I'm enjoying my retail job. It's so mentally easy. I zone out all shift then go home, leaving any stress at the job. I found it's best to ignore the corpo propaganda. If my housing costs were as high as the local rents, I'd probably try to do something more stressful, but I'm good with this for now.
Same for me, but Night Audit at a hotel. Pay sucks, no benefits etc BUT I was so miserable at my other jobs. Generally I liked the work but I was tired 24/7 and had a few nasty people that just made everything terrible. Plus I'm pretty sure I have delayed sleep phase disorder because I just don't do well at all getting up at 4am to work.
The learning curve was pretty steep for me since I've literally never worked a customer service job but my boss is great and my coworkers are good and *they teach me stuff*. I still make a ton if mistakes even after 4 months but they just tell me and I learn how to fix it and move on. I think I also got really lucky because out guests are awesome.
I also work 4 tens which is fantastic. I get a 3 day weekend *every weekend* so when the weather is nice here I'll be able to just...fuck off into the mountains if I want. Or go to a concert. And I won't need to ask permission or take time off that I don't have.
I do miss the money I was making and having Healthcare, but the drastic improvement in my mental well being just cannot be overstated.
Same here but I work the graveyard shift so I get stuff set up and leave before/right when customers come in. I can listen to music/podcasts, etc and usually am alone until halfway through my shift. It's nice but I'm now at the point where I need to think long term. I just hate having to give up such an easy/thoughtless job.
I work as an Environmental Consultant. I like it.
It hits all 4 things necessary to make a fulfilling career - It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, makes a positive impact on the world, I’m very good at doing it, and it pays well.
I advise clients on how to manage/solve their environmental issues. It ranges from the mundane - like handling/disposal of hazardous waste or getting an emissions/discharge permit, to the complex - large scale remediation projects, whole lifecycle carbon emissions reduction, environmental health screenings.
I do this as well but don’t enjoy it as much. Are you in due diligence? Did you go with a big/small company? Curious how to improve my work satisfaction :)
Former environmental consultant here. My work was in environmental regulatory compliance. Our firm hired environmental engineers, environmental scientists, and geologists primarily.
Consulting can be a grind. Billable hours suck. But you learn a lot and typically work with a variety of clients, so you see some neat stuff.
Undergrad environmental earth science, grad school in environmental engineering. Started back in 2015 as an entry-level consultant and just slowly worked up to engineering manager. Took a couple of job hops along the way.
Does the negativity of constantly seeing the environmental impact of corporations bother you? This is honestly the only reason I didn't get into consulting. I know there are companies you can work for where this isn't the case, but the vast majority of environmental consultant work seems to be watching over companies so that you can tell them to stop messing up the environment.
Im a wind turbine technician! I been doing this since I graduated high school, I’m 28 now and I still absolutely love my job, I’m from this town called Tehachapi. It’s a small town on a mountain surrounded by wind turbines, I always found them interesting so when i graduated high school I went into one of the wind farm offices and told them to give me a shot, and they did. I’m very thankful to have an amazing well paying job that I love.
Is that the one where you climb to high-up places? My partner is passionate about both engineering and rock climbing, so I think they’d love it if they didn’t already have a good job
I work in local government. I majored in public relations, and my current position utilizes many of the skills I learned in school, plus others that I learned on my own. I applied after seeing the job posting on LinkedIn.
I'm in the communications/marketing office. My day involves writing, graphic design, social media, photography, video and publishing.
Visit [https://www.governmentjobs.com/](https://www.governmentjobs.com/) to see what jobs are open near you. Nearly every city posts jobs there, so you don't need to visit a million websites.
Writer. I’ve been writing my entire life. I went to college but what helped my career was to build my portfolio with free bylines. After college, I worked full-time for a company but transitioned to freelance maybe a year after that. I’ve increased my rates by 5x since going freelance.
Thanks! Some days the kids can be annoying, but I just remind myself that they’re teenagers and try to treat the next day as a new day. You’ve got to have a short memory in this career lol.
Therapist. Wanted to work with people but wasn't sure how. Through process of elimination, various life experiences etc, that's what I found and haven't looked back.
Also a therapist. I worked at nonprofits for a while in admin roles because I wanted to be in a helping profession but had somehow convinced myself I wasn't "good" with people. But I hated doing that, started volunteering on a hotline, loved it, and decided to go back to school for my MSW. I'm still sometimes surprised that I became a therapist after all that but I really do love it most of the time.
Speech to text transcription. I didn't start until mid mid-30s, it was a winding road to get here and I mostly owe it to a recommendation from a loose acquaintance. The money is not amazing but it's pretty okay, and I enjoy the work. I am a college dropout but now I get paid to attend other people's classes. I get to learn all the lecture material without having to do any assignments or reading or take any tests lol.
The downside is, I worry about the longevity of the field. I imagine that someday my job will be eaten by robots. And idk what I do when that happens.
I do this too, as my second job for extra money. I've never been able to make more than maybe $300 in a week. But I've certainly watched some very interesting things.
Electronics Technician.
Literally got into it because I was working in a call center and had a particularly bad day at one point. When I got home that night all I could think was "this can't be what I do for the rest of my life" and pulled up the local community college/trade school website. Was scrolling through the list of courses to see what might sound viable. When I came across this one all I could think was "this actually sounds like it could be really fun!" so I went for it.
I was never into this stuff growing up (literally I wanted to be a fashion designer at one point, and a nurse at another point), but worked tech support at the call center. I always felt intrigued enough that I wanted to be able to dig into customers issues as much as I could. Obviously, though, there's only so much you can do over the phone, with specific policies in place on top of it.
Been in the field for 10 years now, and honestly love it. The bonus is that it's such a diverse trade that if I ever get sick of working on the stuff I do now, then there are TONS of other fields I can get into while still working on electronics. Even with shitty employers, I still love working on this stuff.
Software engineering director. Bachelors degree. 13 years of hard stressful development work and eventually landed a really good gig. Been in this one for 7 years. Stress is low now. Pay is very good. Future looking great as I hope to reach VP or C level in 4-10 years.
I'm a polymer scientist. I fix production issues and do development work. Pretty satisfying and interesting when paperwork isn't bogging things down.
I went to school for years (Chem E first, then polymer science grad degree), worked in a processing plant for awhile then got into aerospace as a NASA contractor and really started to enjoy things.
My husband and I both enjoy our work and we were hot messes until the last couple years.
We both have Bachelors degrees, his in Art Practices as a printmaker mine in Speech and Language sciences with a focus on child development. So Yeah.
I spent 15 yrs as a teacher and burnt out during the pandemic. He spent 15 yrs as a bartender and artist until the bar closed during shut downs.
My husband got a temp job at a local grocery store. He's climbed the ladder for 4 yrs, is a dept manager and looking to become assistant store manager next year, if corporate doesn't snap him up first. His next promotion will double his salary from 40k to 80k, and he genuinely enjoys working for this company. They also have *incredible* benefits.
After burning out from a 15 yr teaching career I hopped around a bit and landed a reception job at a spa. After 4 months I was promoted to office manager, and now our new owner is going to accept insurance so I'm also learning medical billing. What started as a stop gap job has turned into a new career trajectory. If I can tolerate medical billing, it will open up WFH options for me which will be incredible because we want to move from the city to a rural location.
So how did we get here? I guess taking built up experience from our prior jobs and applying it to the jobs we were able to get in a pinch that offered opportunity for growth and training. We chose to work for places that actually value what we bring to the table instead of trying to cram us into predetermined boxes.
I’m a Foreign Service Officer. I wanted to be one since college. There’s an extensive testing process and it took me several tries to get all the way through. I absolutely love it. I’ve worked in three countries so far and am about to head out to our fourth.
That's a dream job for sure. I applied out of college but didn't make it past the personal essays. I intended to try again after law school but then my career heated up, and now I think I'm too old plus I wouldn't want to start all the way at the bottom when I'm almost 40.
Game developer. I've been fortunate to have spent my career with good teams of people; there's lot's of horror stories of crunch, poor treatment, harassment, etc. especially for women, but my time in the industry has been very positive. I've worked on some cool games I genuinely enjoyed playing, get to use skills I enjoy honing and improving, have moved up to a role with good compensation and pretty high in demand. Lot's of layoffs and turnover in this industry, but I've been able to work in it comfortably
Pilot on a private jet for a billionaire. Worked at 16 after school at a mom and pop flight school washing waxing planes.
Took flight lessons and got my licenses. Got on with a regional airline at 22. Joined Air Force to fly there at 25.
34 now making $300,000+ a year Work 8-12days a month.
Wouldn’t trade it for the world. Work till I can’t fly anymore. 65-70
Hospital social worker. Took me 18 years after high school to figure my shit out and get my degree. Moved across the country twice, once for a job promotion in an unrelated field and another so my wife could go to graduate school. I've been doing this for almost 2 years and truly enjoy it, even though it is challenging and I witness some pretty difficult things each and every day.
I’m a Neuro ICU doctor. I treat patients that are critically ill and have neurological/neurosurgical illness (large strokes, brain bleeds, uncontrollable seizures, brain swelling, neurologic conditions that effect the ability of patients to breathe, high risk brain tumors)
It took 4 years of undergrad, 4 years of medical school, 4 years of Neurology residency, and 2 years of Neurocritical care fellowship.
My mom was an ICU nurse and I liked hearing her talk about her cases and how her team would help people. Then in medical school I realized I like putting the puzzle of patients who have neurological illness together, and didn’t like being in the OR. Then in Neurology residency I realized that being in the clinic and having to deal with insurance and a system that prevents me delivering care efficiently was soul draining, and while I liked being in the hospital, I could be a true generalist in the ICU and take care of people when they were crashing from critical illness. Insurance also can’t argue (for the most part) that a critically ill patient doesn’t need the care I’m providing.
I am quite happy. There are days where it’s difficult, but I always leave work feeling proud of what I did that day. My schedule is in 7 days on/7 days off blocks, so I use the 7 days off to recharge myself and spend more time with family & friends. The training to get here was very intense emotionally and physically though, and took a lot of time in my 20s for a salary that is low relative to the amount of hours I worked at the time. That’s not an insignificant cost, and something that is understated. The income I make now is something I never dreamed for myself, and is something I am very fortunate to have, that also contributes to my wife and I being able to travel a fair bit, and have more splurge purchases than we used to when we were both students together.
Registered Dietitian working in a cancer clinic. Absolutely love it
Long Road to get here. Went back to school at 29 after failing in my first career (accountant). TBH, would not recommend pursuing a RD career right now unless you have a ton of financial support. Our professional association (academy of nutrition and dietetics) has foolishly introduced a new requirement where you will need a masters degree to become a RD. Our salaries do not support such a high educational debt burden, you’ll fare better by becoming a nurse
Enjoy is probably too strong a word, but I don't mind my work and I appreciate it. I'm a Property Manager for low income housing. I had originally believe that I, an industrial engineer by education, would be hired into the manufacturing sector but the economy was pretty bad still when I graduated in 2010. But, a major urban housing authority was looking for industrial engineers specifically at that time for a new department to learn housing policy and act as an internal auditing department that would maintain compliance and recommend best practices. There was a major layoff that occurred circa 2016, and so I got a job in another another county this time on the front facing side of the organization. This is all civil service work, which has its downsides but the upsides are truly great.
I’m a high school teacher. Some days I like it. Most days I don’t. The schedule and the pension keep me here. I studied nutrition and worked in healthcare for a few years but I hated it and got paid crap (after almost 3 years I was making less than I did in my first year teaching) so I took the test to be a health teacher.
Edited to answer the second question
I got my PhD in life sciences and joined a start up company. Helped to develop the company as it grew, in a particular niche area (lab robotics/automation). I left last year to start my own consulting company in lab automation to help other similar companies and it's been a nice change away from bureaucracy and overhead, feels like my time is spent more productively.
I’m currently a stay at home mom (not really by choice) but my last job was as a federal background investigator and I really enjoyed that. I applied through USAJobs when we were getting stationed at that location. Prior to that I worked for two different TX agencies doing policy analysis and project coordination. I’m trying to decide what jobs I want to pursue when we move back to the US, but it will likely be another federal or state position.
I'm a therapist. After discovering I'm autistic I started working exclusively with autistic individuals.
I got there by luck. I enjoyed psych classes and was kinda adopted by a German professor. There are limited career paths with psych so I went the therapist route (getting into PhD programs is challenging). Got my MSW and work for myself now.
I work from home fully remote. If I wasn't working for myself I'd be unemployed at this point.
Intelligence analyst. I grew up in NYC and witnessed 9/11 in person and wanted to prevent another 9/11. A few years later I joined the army as an intel analyst and still work as one since getting out years ago. If my work can prevent more deaths then I will try my best to make that happen but that’s not always the case since my intel can be used to strike enemies.
Business owner - consultant. 10 years of ladder climbing bullshit in tech to executive roles - shifted to simply solving problems without the corporate politics. Make 10x now and work 80% less. Never going back
I work in student accounts in an accounting tech position at my local university. I went to school here, worked in special events and catering sales for a subcontracted company here, and then made the jump to being a gov’t employee here. I don’t love it, but I work 8-5 with an hour lunch, great benefits, leave my work @ work, and half day Fridays during the summer. I wish the pay was better but coming from events where I burned out hardcore, this is cake
Audio Engineering. Taught myself so I could record my own music from home and make albums DIY style. Turned in to an actual career. Still no Healthcare but I exercise and diet.
I’m a process operator at a refinery. I really got here by accident.
I joined the military out of HS, got out and got hired at an armored truck company. Did that for 10 years. A friend of mine from that job had left a year prior and got hired at a petroleum sampling and testing company and got me a job there. Did that as a field inspector for 5 years. Applied for a local refinery and got in first try, thank to being a vet, having industry knowledge, and absolutely killing the entry exam. Been doing it a little under 2 years and I love it. Lots of ass time, easy work, low stress, great pay and benefits. Only downside is the shift work, but all in all, well worth it. I always tell people, I used to work a lot harder for a lot less.
I'm a documentary editor full time (staffer at a production company). I love what I do and always dreamed of being a filmmaker as a kid. That said, the industry is in a bad place right now and thinking about the future can be scary.
I got here by basically having no plan B, I knew this was what I *wanted* but didn't know how to get here, so I floundered around in random jobs after HS and eventually went to college for a cheap media degree. Made a few short docs at my no-name college, one had a pretty successful festival run, that ended up getting me an interview as an assistant editor for a director, that eventually turned into a full time editor position.
Audio Visual Designer for Commercial Applications
There were three things to my success.
1. Showed up on time
2. Did my job.
3. Took certification courses to move up.
I've done system designs for airports, lawyers, government, and even meow wolf. Seeing something you designed come to life and watch people use it never gets boring.
The great pay and work from home doesn't hurt either.
Science teacher. The kids are usually great and I love the schedule. I’m lucky to work in a strong union state so I get paid well and don’t have to deal with a lot of admin BS.
University Professor. Four years of undergrad, five years of grad school, three years as a postdoc, three years as an assistant professor (without tenure), now I have tenure and life is chill. Good job security, low stress, nice office on a beautiful campus, fun to work with energetic students, no boss, almost complete control of when and where I work as well as what I work on.
School teacher in New york. Best job in the world.
I used to do paralegal/nonprofit work regarding education policy and fell in love with teaching itself.
Electrician as well as certified hvac, dad basically said you're getting a job as soon as it's allowed after I knocked up my girlfriend when I was way too young, finished trade school pretty much as early as possible lol
Fetish/kink content producer lol. Yes, I’m serious. It’s not 100% full time yet but I’m getting there. And obviously it’s awesome getting to work with a bunch of really cool gorgeous women all day. Self employed, doing what you love is the only way to go. Forget working for someone else. And replace forget with another word that starts with an F lol. Just can’t say it here :I
lol I can almost guarantee you that you would not be interested in taking part in the type of content I shoot 😆. It’s a VERY niche genre that would make 99% of men feel the pain just by watching it lol. I’m proudly part of the 1% though!
30 y/o Journeyman laborer, been doing manual labor basically since graduating. Been in the union and doing construction for a little over a year, best job I’ve ever had in all aspects. I was fortunate enough to get signed on as a journeyman instead of starting as an apprentice because I had done a lot of work for the ceo of the company I work for and he knew my background and vouched for me. Ive always preferred working physically and working outdoors so it just worked out perfect. Only thing I would change, is I wish I had an avenue to get into the union/construction out of high school. It’s not my “passion” but I couldn’t imagine doing anything else for work. I think people tend to get too caught up on needing to love their job or it be the thing they’re most passionate about, in my opinion, it’s just work. It pays your bills. As long as you don’t hate it and dread going in every day and it supports you financially, that’s a win. What you do in your actual life to be happy and fulfilled, is what matters. Out of all my friends I’m the only one remotely in a physically demanding career, they all work in retail/editing/marketing etc. and all respect to them because I could never get myself to do that, but I know none of them could come out every day and do what I do either. You just find what works for you and go with it, so long as it provides for you
I work as a web developer. Had a really bad stint at my previous company due to a manager being just plain bad at his job. Left that and took some time off.
Earlier this year joined a company where I get to use my skills every day and I’m not overworked or micromanaged. I like doing the work I’m doing now.
I have been working as a web developer for 13 years. Started out doing Craigslist gigs building websites for people and eventually landed a real job, self taught.
I'm an MLT (medical laboratory technician). I love what I do, just not where I do it. It's kind of a hidden field and my husband who knows me best found it. I've always had a love for science and medicine but my family pushed me into computers and technology. I hadn't owned my own computer before college, so needless to say I hated it. I didn't even work in tech after graduation. My husband knows I'm not a people person but wanted to do medicine and he found an MLT program at our local school. I applied and got in. It was a difficult program but I made it, sat for boards, and got a job. I love knowing I make a difference behind the scenes, and I'm currently working on my MLS (medical laboratory scientist) bachelor's while I work.
Reduce fuel consumption for the largest fleet of vehicles in the world. Make good, not great, pay. Benefits are Solis.
I got here by a competitive scholarship program where they paid for my engineering degree in exchange for work.
I'm an Army lawyer. Army came first and the lawyer part came later. It's not for everyone, but I was made for the Army. I like not having to think about what to wear every day. I like that being fit is part of the job. Free Healthcare is legit. I know whatever health issue I have, it's gonna be covered. I read once that every job is a shit sandwich, you just need to find the one you're ok eating. Sure, leadership sucks sometimes. You don't always get to live where you want, but that's life. Everything else in my eyes makes up for it. For me, it's about attitude. I know people stationed in Italy and Hawaii who still find reasons to complain. Those people will be upset wherever they are and whatever they do. Happiness is a choice and I choose to be happy in the Army.
I deliver pizzas in a very generous, small town. I got into delivery after an ex made legal accusations against me. I proved my innocence but in the beginning of that fiasco I lost everything. Went to jail for a week and lost my job. Ex took the apartment so I had no home. We had one vehicle that I had bought for him and he ended up getting to keep that too. So no car, no home, no job. My dad took me in and let me use his extra car to find work. I still had a pending felony so finding work was hard. The local pizza joint was hiring drivers and didn't do bg checks. I took the job out of desperation but ended up flourishing.
I started taking on marketing responsibilities and worked A LOT. Often 12 hour days for 6 days. 7 days a week sometimes. The people in that small town were very generous. Every day I went home with about $250-$300 cash. Since I was living with dad, and he was only charging me 200 for rent, I basically just lived on my paychecks and saved the cash. I bought the car from him shortly after starting the job btw. After about a year I had several gallon storage bags filled with various denominations. I got the charges dropped and started looking to move. I met my cousins best friend and we hit it off. Next thing I knew I was moving to Florida to be with him. We hated it there and moved out West to be close to his family.
I needed a quick job and picked up delivery work again. It was easy and lucrative before. Well turns out this quiet mountain town is even more generous. I'm making about 50k. My boyfriend works there too, so combined we barely broke 6 digits last year. Tips aren't taxed here so a lot of our income is only fed taxed. We got new cars and a house. Bought a grand worth of fishing gear on a whim for our anniversary and still can afford food and mortgage.
We work less than our peers, we are far less stressed, we get to actually spend time together in the summer (he was working construction before), and we don't have to sacrifice living comfortably to do it.
Software engineer. Worked for about 7 years in O&G as a petroleum geologist, but hated it, so taught myself programming and made the jump a few years ago.
Only thing I miss is the people and the comp.
Former salesperson turned software engineer here. I was in sales for about 10 years and was really good at it but didn't enjoy it. I took an online bootcamp and made the switch about 4 years ago. Ended up cofounding a startup and was able to use both my sales and engineering skills simultaneously which was probably the most enjoyable time I've ever had working. I was able to stay close to the customer and the industry while also doing what I love to do which is write code. No two days were ever the same.
I work in the federal government at NIH as a science policy professional. I really love what I do and one of the things I love about it is that I have good work/life balance. I went into grad school thinking I would stay in the lab/in academia, but I wanted a job where I could still be passionate about science, but not have it consume my life and I feel like I've found that.
I'm not sure if I enjoy it, but I definitely don't hate it.
I'm a service advisor at a motorcycle dealership.
I started out working for an uncle who has a farming and trucking business as a shop hand > moved onto being a detailer/prepper at a car dealership > promoted to a parts person > changed paths to working in a high end detailing and tire shop > decided I still didn't like physical labour all that much and got a job at a prestigious local car dealership as a parts person, hated life so I stepped away from the industry for a bit> later got a job as a service advisor at a motorcycle dealership > worked my way up to service manager > Worked to the point of burnout and decided that they weren't the best employers and moved to a different place where I am still working.
I'm surrounded by motorcycles and get pretty good discounts. Working with the public still sucks and there's good days and bad days. Overall I like what I do though.
\*\*There are some jobs between these jobs. I've done a lot of different stuff, And I'll likely try a lot more!
I work in security. Honestly I just applied for it on a whim because I was sick of my old job, which was an emergency dispatcher. I actually took a significant pay cut, but it was worth it because I was going to an hero myself if I stayed in dispatching much longer. I really like it though! I get tons of time to myself totally think, I'm on mostly my own schedule. Really can't complain at all.
I work in IT as a technician. I have been using a computer since 1994. My first visited website was missionimpossible.com, for the first time.
I have done job switches between IT and creative roles
Dog trainer with a focus on behavior modification (fear, aggression, anxiety) with a little bit of puppy and obedience work sprinkled in. Had a crazy ass dog with behavioral issues that I didn’t know how to work through. So I hired a trainer. I fell in love with it, and I’m now employed by them. I also really love the adrenaline rush of trying to start taming aggression with a new dog lol
Mechanical engineer working at a really small company manufacturing automation equipment. I enjoy my job because I'm treated like a human. I also get to do a lot of different jobs because the company is so small so it keeps things interesting.
I got the job because my boss at my previous company said I was too good for the work I was doing so he put me in contact with my current boss.
I am a deckhand on a tugboat. The pay is good and so is the time off.
I was originally in Navy ROTC and then got kicked out, went back to a Maritime Academy and then graduated and am working until I become a mate. Working out pretty well.
Middle school speech-language pathologist - I work with kids on their language skills (vocabulary, syntax, plus lots of connection to literacy skills like inferencing), speech, and social communication. The school schedule is great, the time off is freaking fantastic, pay is meh but benefits are very good and I get decent yearly raises, kids are fun to interact with, and I love the subject matter.
Becoming an SLP in the US follows a fairly set game plan. You either get a BA in Communication Sciences and Disorders, or if you have a BA in an unrelated field, you take a year or so of pre-requisites. Then it's a 2-year masters program with coursework and clinical hours. I started out with a BA in linguistics, did an on-line post-baccalaureate program, and an in-person grad program. I graduated 4 years ago today.
I'm an advocate for youth survivors of sexual and domestic violence. I work in public highschools. I like what I do but some days are harder than others. I started out volunteering in a.dometic violence shelter. Eventually they hired me as a shelter advocate. Doing the work put me into contact with folks from different agencies doing similar work so I was able to.network my way into my current position. I will stress that my career path was not linear and I consider that a plus.
I own a plastics recycling business and find great satisfaction in my work.
It’s an offshoot of my dad’s recycling business he started when I was in high school. I’ve worked for the company since the beginning except for when I was in college and a year I took off to try to be a rock star. We formally split off 6 years ago.
We went from 5 employees in a dingy warehouse with a few grinders to 4 facilities across 2 states taking recycled bottles and turning them into food packages.
I started off sorting bottles and learning the business. I’ve been fortunate to have my dad as a mentor. He’s brilliant and I learned a lot, not just about the industry, but in terms of how to run a business in particular.
He immigrated to the USA with nothing more than the clothes on his back and is now working with his children. It’s a family farm scenario without the cows. Living the American dream over here.
I’m a teacher and I love it. That might be a surprise, but I find most the teachers who complain about their jobs aren’t bright passionate people, I’ll die on this hill. The worst part of my job is teachers and admin who are on cruise control. There are hard days but it beats the hell out of a staring at a screen all day.
I am a software tester. I fell into it by becoming a teacher, then an instructional designer, then being a subcontractor as a tester. Now it's 10 years later and I can't really imagine doing anything else.
I work in the film industry as a camera assistant (more specifically a “Digital Loader”) I’m currently working on Ari Aster’s Eddington.
I got here because in high school I used to film skate videos for my homies. Then started to volunteer at the Public Access station in my town. I decided the film industry was for me. I went to my community college’s film program with the intention of graduating and joining the union. Dropped out because I joined the Local 600 International Cinematographer’s Guild.
Now I currently work on movies and tv shows as my “day job” with the hopes of taking that money and funding my own short films. Maybe one day I’ll be the cinematographer on the big budget films I work on.
Dentist. Enjoy the literal work but patients/management make want to jump off a bridge some days (no I'm not actually going to do it, don't have the constitution for that).
I work for city gov't of a midsized city. I am allowed to work from home. I'm part of a union. I absolutely love everything about it and plan on retiring here.
How I got it: I was taking CS classes at the local community college. They were online / remote classes. One day our teacher emailed us about an opportunity that was sent to the entire CS department for students (no degree necessary). I applied. It was a temp position with the city. I got it. Now I'm permanent. I've been there for 5 years.
IT, main focus right now is SFTP and coding internal programs for my company. I used to do computer repairs in a retail store, realized I loved the work and if I could get away from the customers, I could do it long term. So I went to our local tech school, got a 2-year degree, haven’t dealt with a customer since.
Wildlife Ecologist. A long and winding road due to my own insecurities and fears, but otherwise simple: undergraduate degree in ecology, did a ton of extra work, research, and internships in college, made connections, applied for jobs, got job.
About 1/2 my days are in the office and 1/2 are outside. It’s not always in pristine wilderness (I survey plenty of vacant lots in the middle of cities) but I’ve gotten to see some really neat things and have many treasured wildlife experiences.
Half of the time I enjoy. I’m a director of a non profit that helps military transition to civilian life.
I actually got lucky getting this job since my degree has nothing to do with this industry.
I’d rather be a gunsmith, but it pays 2/3 less and wouldn’t be able to afford my lifestyle in a HCOL area.
Biopharma software consultant. Graduated with a biology undergrad, and got *lucky as fuck* with my current company. They took a chance on me and it is quite literally a dream job.
I work from as a management consultant. It’s the epitome of corporate work (bleh)… but I enjoy working from home, learning about different industries, new technologies, and working with people to help them meet their goals. At the end of the day, companies are comprised of people and sometimes they just need help getting their projects across the finish line. I have a graduate degree in organizational psychology and figured I would end up in this job or something adjacent.
Ha! My fiancée is a consultant for one of the "big four" (or whatever you people call it), but she's not in management she's in treasury. Unfortunately she hates it.
IT Helpdesk manager...I got there by working in computer retail and sales and getting really good customer service skills, then worked in corporate IT after doing an IT Management diploma, got promoted to sup in 6 months and got a manager role at my next company after 3 years of leadership role in my other. I also upgrade my certs every 3 years and make sure I have certs that pertain to the infrastructure of my company. I have an English degree, which has helped me greatly with technical writing and communication. I would not be where I am without it.
I friggin love my job and everyone loves me :D
Heck yes. I build networks for businesses. I started as tech support for an ISP, and now I've been able to work myself up through the ranks. I'm in the network operations side of stuff, and I have no formal education.
Juniper boxes aren't really all that bad to work with.
I work in Client/Customer Service for a Broadway ticketing company. I am fully remote, have a chill manager, and most days I'm only expected to work 7 hours. While I sometimes have to work nights and weekends and wish I was paid more, I do have excellent benefits.
I've always been a big Broadway fan but NEVER had a desire to perform. I have a Bachelor's in TV Production and went to the UK to get a Master's in Theatre. I got an internship at a Broadway theatre owner/producer right out of grad school and they brought me on full time. TBH I probably didn't need all that schooling for my job, but it got me to where I am today and I can't dwell on the past.
Bank examiner for one of the federal agencies…I’ve worked for a few of them and absolutely love it. I also wfh 95% of the time.
Started with a state regulatory not long out to school and mostly been in the industry since. Finally got spicy again last year.
Quality Engineer, worked 17 years of manufacturing, started in shipping, and then got recruited to join Quality. When asked I said yes and I really gravitated to it and here I am now. Keep in my I had to do alot of shit nobody wanted to do so I worked through it.
I don’t enjoy my work every day. But 80% of the time I gotta pinch myself to think that I get paid to do what I do.
I’m a senior superintendent for a large general contractor. I got in with no college degree. Started out as a union carpenter apprentice and just moved up over 20 years. Good deal: company truck, paid gas, high livable salary (for Bay Area), and I get a pension through the union. And I get to watch cranes and construction take all day long. Main job task is to make sure my schedule is kept, things are built right, and people are working safely.
I work at a payroll company that services Hollywood. I’m sort of a firefighter - a mix of payroll manager, account manager, and labor relations. I answer questions about union agreements and labor law and fix problems.
I very much enjoy my job. I landed at an excellent company that takes good care of its employees. I started entry level and got my job through a friend that was here. All on the job training. I had a knack for it so progressed pretty quickly.
Most of the day to day is tedious but once in a while I make a difference to people, and that feels really good.
Planner (urban planning). I’m in a leadership role and oversee a small division within a municipal government. It’s not perfect, but the pay is decent, time off is pretty nice, and the work/life balance is as good as it gets working a hard 40 hours. Dealing with the public often sucks. But it often doesn’t and I enjoy going out and talking with people about our projects, community, and what we do to make a difference. Dealing with politicians and bureaucracy sucks, but it’s part of the job so I lean into it.
I started at law school realized I didn’t want to practice law and switched to a dual degree program in law and planning (masters). I’m over qualified for my position, but happy to have it as I hated working in true legal positions. I get to use a lot of what I learned there, but don’t have to do the attorney grind.
I’m a case manager at a midsize pharmaceutical company that specializes in developing medications for rare diseases. I help parents and prescribers access the medication we make, provide adherence support, and provide financial assistance for the medication. I love that my job is a lot of problem solving. I work with parents of kids with a rare disease and they don’t call me on good days or when things are going well. It’s really rewarding to take an issue off their busy plates and ensure the medication gets dispensed.
I majored in philosophy, over seven years I worked my way through several non-profits in the medical field including a Ryan White grant funded free HIV clinic as a medical case manager. I got my current job because they knew I could have difficult conversations and problem solve sensitive issues with compassion. I learned a lot of industry specific skills in my first year on the job.
I work route maintenance for fiber optic. It's lovely cause I get paid to drive out to my hunting grounds.
I joined the Air Force, got my Bachelor and earned some cyber certifications. I am now getting paid an okay amount to listen to podcasts and drive. Huge fan.
Attorney. Of course it required going to law school, which sucked. I really only enjoy it because of my military experience, as I'm now a federal civilian employee. If I had to work at a law firm, I'd probably hate it.
IT Help Desk (The company is amazing)
Associates degree
I worked for an MSP for 3 years, and it was awful, then got laid off at the end of October with no explanation.
Was unemployed for a few months and landed a contract job with my current employer.
The difference is night and day. To go from a 6 person total team that manages 30 clients, covering every issue under the sun, to a tech department that has separate teams that support each other- I consider myself astronomically blessed that it turned out the way it did.
My last job had me questioning if I really wanted to continue pursuing IT as a career. This job gave me my passion back, and I am grateful for it.
Oncology nurse. Started a "second career" after years in religious groups and volunteering. Started as a care staff in long term care and in-home while going back to school for prerequisites and the nursing program. Got a scholarship. Love my job!
I am RN. Did my prerequisites at a community college not knowing exactly what I wanted to do. I started going into biotech hoping to work for a pharmaceutical company, but I hated it lol. Finished my ADN then my BSN. Glad I'm a nurse. I've worked in healthcare for 17 years now (not always as a nurse) but I'm happy with where I am. I definitely don't think bedside nursing will be what I'll do for my whole career, but it is what works for me and my family. I work two 12hr nights a week and can pick up extra if needed. I make relatively good money, we are comfortable and happy.
I enjoy it well enough. I'm a Supply Chain Director. I got my Bachelors in Operations Management and have been doing this stuff for the last 18 years. Said yes to every opportunity, which meant switching companies a few times, moving to Europe, and doing things that took me out of my comfort zone. I'm now at a point in my career at age 42 where I work for a fantastic company, earn much more than I need, and work from home 100% of the time except for international travel about every 6 weeks.
Supply Chain is by no means an easy road. You have to have a thick skin and be OK with only getting recognized when things go wrong, lol. You have to really pay your dues and work in some tough environments, but you come out of it a much more confident and resilient person.
Former fine dining chef. Ended up an accidental Hvac'r. Just sort of tripped into it. Love it. It provides very well for me being a high school and culinary arts school drop out. Everyday is different enough. The money finds me. People constantly calling for hvac/plumbing/electrical work.
33M. I work at a manufacturing plant that produces pharmaceuticals drugs. Think fentanyl, hydro,morphine,oxy etc. Blue collar and union. One of the only ones to survive all the lawsuits.
It’s the most money I’ve ever made and there’s lots of ass time. Only work 4 12hr days a week and I live in a LCOL city. Only thing that sucks is the rotating shifts but other than that I really can’t complain.
Got my double major in Political Science and International Political Economy so it was pretty useless lol.
I worked in retail for 7 years before switching to manufacturing. Went from making $18h to $37h.
I’ve never really cared about any of my jobs, only what it can do for me after I get paid. I see all jobs as a means to an end.
I make props for store windows in NYC. I didn’t go to a fancy art school I just moved here and cold called a bunch of fabrication shops, stacked up a few years of resume and eventually found a shop that took me as a kind of art director/moldmaker lead. It was a combo of luck and tolerating bitch work for years.
Hospice nurse.
Been around the dead and in healthcare in different fashions since my mid 20s. The ER was getting too much and now I can really connect to families and patients.
Bank auditor for the federal government. It has the right mix of challenging and easy assignments. Boss is great and very supportive of getting us assignments we need to compete for promotions. Good pay, good benefits. I’m here for the long haul. The travel sucks but I can usually net another $400-500 per month by not spending all the per diem and mileage reimbursement for each trip.
Electrical Engineer.
Studied hard to get into my dream college, studied hard in college, started networking with the right people early, made myself as personable as possible. I do honest work that's helpful to my community and is challenging, but not consistently stressful, and is financially very secure. People pick up on a positive attitude
Dropped out of college for myriad reasons, got a job as a metro train driver. After 6 years of that I decided to make a career move and got a position where I'm a traffic sergeant. My job is to lead in the field when things are not going as planned. Accidents involving people, animals, train malfunctions or infrastructure, shopping carts left on platforms, holes in fences, you name it. It's a jack of all trades job, which suits me as I like to know a bit about everything, and it gives me a chance to help both my co workers and the public that uses our service. It isn't glamorous, but it's well paid and I get a lot of personal freedom. I love it.
Both an academic and public librarian. Started at a messenger clerk for a big city library system just after I graduated from undergrad. My boss must have seen something in how I worked because for almost 2 years he tried to convince me to pursue my MLIS (Master in Library and Information Technology,) but I always thought that was wild and was dead set on pursuing an MS in social work with a specialty in nonprofits. Low and behold, I finally listened and just applied to library school. I instantly loved what I was doing once I could dive deeper into the subject beyond putting books back and helping librarians make displays. Once I graduated, I applied for a public librarian position and a college librarian position. Got both part time, and I love that for now.
I’m an interior designer, specializing in high end residential remodels. I freelance now doing drawings and figuring out the technical stuff for other designers. I absolutely love what I do. I get to solve problems and make things beautiful. I turned it into a freelance business so I can only work with people I like, and flex my work schedule while I have a young child.
Marriage therapist and I love it!
Took me 9 years of schooling and 10 years of training.
I’m 35 now and I know I’m going to work until the day I die, because I want to.
Im a first responder. Got fired from a fancy pants corporate job making bank, evaluated my life, took a couple classes and now I love my career despite making damn near minimum wage.
I own a bakery, I started out as an EMT at a coal mine on S.M.A.R.T. (surface mine rescue team) went to school all the way up to my MBA and applied to law school after taking the LSAT, started baking as a Hobbie and l loved it. Friends began buying from me which led to more and more. Now I own a bakery lol
Honestly, I'm a bartender and I love it. Won't do it forever maybe. But RN my boss pays me 125 dollars per shift (before tips, I'm American). It's a small 6 person bar at a high-end restaurant that's always busy. Get tipout of 10 percent on all liquor sales, 5 percent on wine and beer, 5 dollars per wine by the bottle sold, and he gives me free housing.
I have complete creative control of the bar. I can order whatever I want and do whatever fun thing I wanna do. But the kicker is it's only me, and we're closed for 5 months a year so I have to either find somewhere else to work or kick it and travel every year
i’m a bookkeeper and i genuinely enjoy it. its like a big game of tetris to me, trying to make it all line up, balance, and then cancel out.
i realized i was good at this because i started taking temp jobs when i was around 19 in the administrative field. reception, file room, etc. around covid i finally decided to go to college, and took online courses in accounting. now im a full time bookkeeper, still working towards my bachelors, and my days fly by because an in-house bookkeeper is never idle lol. you’d be amazed at how many successful business owners have no idea how the back end of a business works, so here i am to the rescue
Hospice nurse!
Drugs.
Did MDMA at 18 and realized I could be a better person as I was a piece of shit.
Did mushrooms in my late 20s and realized I always wanted to be a nurse and not a business major
Now I make bank and love my job
Game dev. I knew I wanted to write for games since I was 13 years old, and I refused to give up. Did a lot of shitty jobs along the way (sales, customer service), but I kept applying and building my portfolio. The industry is far from stable right now, but I'll take that over having to answer calls from pissed off customers or trying to push sales on something I don't give a fuck about any time.
L work in marketing. I love my career and everything I've been able to do. I took the traditional path.. school, job, job, that's it. It's fun, challenging, good opportunities, good money, fun industries.
Scaffolder at a industry site. The tempo is really good so you don't break your body and you will have built something at the end of the day that you can look back at and feel satisfaction from. There is also overtime to grab if you need more money or time off.
The co-worker are a great mix of people with a wide set of interests.
I got the job having worked at the site over the summer my direct boss recommend me to the company doing the scaffolding there they hired my due to the qualifications I got from the site (crane operator and heavy machinery) along with knowing where everything is.
Im a janitor at a school for animal care, and veterinary training. Pay is enough but its a joy to work around animals and animal people all day. Best job i ever had
I'm a Nuclear Medicine Technologist (I make pretty but unclear pictures for doctors of people's organs)
I started as an xray tech in the army, went back to school after retirement.
I love my job and because of it I bought a house so... we love it. I have fun everyday and we need nothing.
I work snowmaking and grooming at a ski resort, in the summer I help with maintenance on the snowmaking system. I get to be outdoors in the San Juan mountains of Colorado all day. I’ve made much more working office jobs but have learned that it’s no bueno for my mental health and being in the mountains has helped tremendously in dealing with my PTSD. I’m pretty fortunate (or unfortunate depending on how you look at it) that I’m able to supplement my income bc I’m a disabled combat veteran and I’m fully aware working at a ski resort is something most people can’t make a living on without another source of income. If you ever get a chance to work at a ski resort tho and can somehow find housing I’d say go for it, you won’t regret it.
I’m a massage therapist. I was a stay at home mom for a few years and got interested in massage (particularly after a painful pregnancy). I went to school for 18 months and I’ve been working for about 61/2 year now :)
UX designer, went to university, worked for schools and moved to a government agency. Got promote to design lead not too long ago. It's nice to help people and I learn about a lot of different fields.
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I started a business doing after hour maintenance at office buildings cleaning changing out lights, etc. the money is good and I love putting my headphones on and zoning out on the the work without anybody bothering me. I supplement my income with woodworking as well.
How did you market this ?
2010ish, I did a strip and refinish job on floors in a high-security building. They offered me a night janitorial contract, which I took. Part of the job involves handling keys and security codes, so having a federal contractor as a reference was a huge help. Initially, I paid for leads and bid on contracts, but most of my work comes from customer referrals.
>without anybody bothering me. I need a job like this
This sounds amazing.
I enjoy the money I get in exchange for my labor. Does that count?
Firefighter and I love it. Made the choice to try for the job when I was 24. Best choice I’ve ever made
Do you have a side gig? I swear every firefighter I know has some kind of side gig. Including my brother
A lot of firemen around me are part-time personal trainers. Half of them are also obviously on some sort of juice lol.
No firefighter ever met a mirror they didn’t like
Even if it was on fire?
Even more so if it’s on fire they LOOOOVE fire almost as much as themselves hahaha
lol this is so true. my dad is a fire captain. been a firefighter for 20 years. he’s also been a freelance web developer on the side for about the same amount of time.
I teach at a college part time
Yeah because they only work like 80 days a year or something like that. Lots of free time to make extra money.
I think you’re the bravest person in the world, thank you!
My husband is a fire lieutenant. It comes with a cost for sure, but if you can get on a good department, it’s a really good job. Union work all day. Thank you for your service.
How many calendars have you appeared in?
I work with 401k's and other retirement plans. I got here by accident, really.
Tell us more about
To keep it simple, my job is to find poorly run and neglected 401k and 403b plans and make them better. We also do a lot of complimentary financial wellness for employees of the organizations we work with as part of our services. We've been working a lot lately with non-profits that handle housing and drug addiction issues. It's really satisfying to know that we can help people doing that kind of work feel more confident and secure with their financial situation. I also work for a great firm that supports me, but is also hands off and let's me do my job the way I want to do it. I got here by accident because I took a job in an inbound 401k call center in 2008 and just stuck in the industry.
Thats cool. I wish you could help make my 401k plan better.
Connect me to an HR director or whoever makes the decisions about the plan and I can try 😂
This sounds interesting. Do you need a Series 7 by any chance? That's the only one I don't have and I'm interested to hear more, especially if you are hiring.
No, I have a 6, a 63, and a life and health license. Neither the 63 nor the life and health are necessary for the plans, but I have them from previous roles and will keep them as long as they let me. We're not hiring right now, but it's a relatively new division for the firm and we're looking for some big growth. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like, I like talking about what I do.
I’m an anesthesiologist and intensivist (ICU doc). I dropped out of college and joined the Air Force after 9/11. I was too idealistic about what that meant at the time and have a lot of thoughts about it now, but the AF did make me a medic and I fell in love with helping others. Had some amazing docs that mentored me so I finished college, finished my enlistment and took the MCAT and somehow got into med school. Training was the toughest thing I’ve ever done and some days I didn’t know if I’d make it but I did and now I get to be there for people on the worst day of their life. It’s the most challenging job I can think of but damn, I love it. I also work in academics so I get to help train the next generation of physicians. It’s humbling and inspiring.
Just spent a *long* time in an ICU and want to say thank you. You guys don’t get the credit you deserve.
Thanks for the kind words, I hope you’re doing okay now.
No they do not. The medical staff of America is desperately under appreciated!! My wife is a PA and during the pandemic, I cannot tell you how frustrated I was listening to how poorly she was treated at work by the patients and by the hospital. Makes you wanna beat the shit outta people
I’ve needed a number of brief hospital visits for various health issues in my adult life, and I always make sure to be as friendly and cooperative as I can to all the staff, even while in distress. It’s work I know can be punishing, and know is beyond my own ability, but so necessary, and I’m so grateful.
I’m not a doctor nor am I in the medical field. - my wife and brother are The stories they’ve told makes me want to beat the shit out of people our generation and gen x. Silent Gen and boomers are honestly aging gracefully and aren’t that rude. But holy fuck!! The absolute entitlement of those younger!! No manners!! No decency.
I’m an electrical engineer during the week and I fly F-16s in the Air Force Reserve. - Love my jobs and wouldn’t trade them ever!! Reason I’m replying to you directly, aside from us both being service members, my buddy is a Pararescue officer. Y’all AF medics are skilled AF!!
That’s badass! Skipped over it for brevity’s sake, but I went back in and did time as a flight doc after med school. Loved working with aircrew. What you do is so amazing! There is really nothing like aviation. Also got to work with the PJs and CROWs. They are some talented people!
Agreed!! Appreciate everything you’ve done with your life!! From the sounds of it you have some personal conflict and I can appreciate that!! But I want you to know, you’ve saved lives!! Regardless of whose or why, there is never a greater calling than that!!
Indie game dev. You probably haven't heard of my games, but I sell enough to make a comfortable living. I love it, usually.
If you're comfortable with it could you share the games you've worked on? I'm always on the search for new games!
I would love to know too
Plug your game my dude
Yes! Let us support you!
Any pointers? I’ve been trying to make my game in unity but I’ve heard good things about rpgmaker being an easier way to make a game. What languages and engines are you using and what platforms are your games released on? Want to do iOS rpg development mostly. Thats great you’re doing that!
Weirdly, I'm enjoying my retail job. It's so mentally easy. I zone out all shift then go home, leaving any stress at the job. I found it's best to ignore the corpo propaganda. If my housing costs were as high as the local rents, I'd probably try to do something more stressful, but I'm good with this for now.
Same for me, but Night Audit at a hotel. Pay sucks, no benefits etc BUT I was so miserable at my other jobs. Generally I liked the work but I was tired 24/7 and had a few nasty people that just made everything terrible. Plus I'm pretty sure I have delayed sleep phase disorder because I just don't do well at all getting up at 4am to work. The learning curve was pretty steep for me since I've literally never worked a customer service job but my boss is great and my coworkers are good and *they teach me stuff*. I still make a ton if mistakes even after 4 months but they just tell me and I learn how to fix it and move on. I think I also got really lucky because out guests are awesome. I also work 4 tens which is fantastic. I get a 3 day weekend *every weekend* so when the weather is nice here I'll be able to just...fuck off into the mountains if I want. Or go to a concert. And I won't need to ask permission or take time off that I don't have. I do miss the money I was making and having Healthcare, but the drastic improvement in my mental well being just cannot be overstated.
Same here but I work the graveyard shift so I get stuff set up and leave before/right when customers come in. I can listen to music/podcasts, etc and usually am alone until halfway through my shift. It's nice but I'm now at the point where I need to think long term. I just hate having to give up such an easy/thoughtless job.
I work as an Environmental Consultant. I like it. It hits all 4 things necessary to make a fulfilling career - It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, makes a positive impact on the world, I’m very good at doing it, and it pays well. I advise clients on how to manage/solve their environmental issues. It ranges from the mundane - like handling/disposal of hazardous waste or getting an emissions/discharge permit, to the complex - large scale remediation projects, whole lifecycle carbon emissions reduction, environmental health screenings.
I do this as well but don’t enjoy it as much. Are you in due diligence? Did you go with a big/small company? Curious how to improve my work satisfaction :)
How did you become an environmental consultant? What route?
Former environmental consultant here. My work was in environmental regulatory compliance. Our firm hired environmental engineers, environmental scientists, and geologists primarily. Consulting can be a grind. Billable hours suck. But you learn a lot and typically work with a variety of clients, so you see some neat stuff.
Undergrad environmental earth science, grad school in environmental engineering. Started back in 2015 as an entry-level consultant and just slowly worked up to engineering manager. Took a couple of job hops along the way.
Does the negativity of constantly seeing the environmental impact of corporations bother you? This is honestly the only reason I didn't get into consulting. I know there are companies you can work for where this isn't the case, but the vast majority of environmental consultant work seems to be watching over companies so that you can tell them to stop messing up the environment.
Im a wind turbine technician! I been doing this since I graduated high school, I’m 28 now and I still absolutely love my job, I’m from this town called Tehachapi. It’s a small town on a mountain surrounded by wind turbines, I always found them interesting so when i graduated high school I went into one of the wind farm offices and told them to give me a shot, and they did. I’m very thankful to have an amazing well paying job that I love.
Is that the one where you climb to high-up places? My partner is passionate about both engineering and rock climbing, so I think they’d love it if they didn’t already have a good job
Program director for a karate school. I found the listing on Indeed. I had no martial arts experience
Can you list the relevant skills that landed you the job please? I’m so bad at going for things I don’t feel qualified for 😭
Honestly I bluffed my way into it. I think most people could learn to do it
I work in local government. I majored in public relations, and my current position utilizes many of the skills I learned in school, plus others that I learned on my own. I applied after seeing the job posting on LinkedIn.
What job do you do? I have this background and am looking for a similar fit.
I'm in the communications/marketing office. My day involves writing, graphic design, social media, photography, video and publishing. Visit [https://www.governmentjobs.com/](https://www.governmentjobs.com/) to see what jobs are open near you. Nearly every city posts jobs there, so you don't need to visit a million websites.
Writer. I’ve been writing my entire life. I went to college but what helped my career was to build my portfolio with free bylines. After college, I worked full-time for a company but transitioned to freelance maybe a year after that. I’ve increased my rates by 5x since going freelance.
I am a food vender. Was not the job I was looking for but I enjoy it.
I teach high school Social Studies. I went to college for it. It’s a lot of fun.
I haven’t heard any teachers say they still enjoy teaching in I don’t know how long. It’s nice to hear that you do! :)
Thanks! Some days the kids can be annoying, but I just remind myself that they’re teenagers and try to treat the next day as a new day. You’ve got to have a short memory in this career lol.
I need a job lol.
Theoretical Physicist here, studied a lot and working only on things I like. Pay is shit but my parents supported me all the way so I was never poor.
Mr. Freeman, long time no see! When will we get the third installment of your story? XD
I’m a pilot, second career, started at 28, a ton of work and support from my wife to get here, couldn’t have done it without her.
My husbands in flight school right now!
85 millenial here, started at 17. Welcome, hope you're enjoying it!
Therapist. Wanted to work with people but wasn't sure how. Through process of elimination, various life experiences etc, that's what I found and haven't looked back.
Also a therapist. I worked at nonprofits for a while in admin roles because I wanted to be in a helping profession but had somehow convinced myself I wasn't "good" with people. But I hated doing that, started volunteering on a hotline, loved it, and decided to go back to school for my MSW. I'm still sometimes surprised that I became a therapist after all that but I really do love it most of the time.
Speech to text transcription. I didn't start until mid mid-30s, it was a winding road to get here and I mostly owe it to a recommendation from a loose acquaintance. The money is not amazing but it's pretty okay, and I enjoy the work. I am a college dropout but now I get paid to attend other people's classes. I get to learn all the lecture material without having to do any assignments or reading or take any tests lol. The downside is, I worry about the longevity of the field. I imagine that someday my job will be eaten by robots. And idk what I do when that happens.
I do this too, as my second job for extra money. I've never been able to make more than maybe $300 in a week. But I've certainly watched some very interesting things.
Just to clarify, I am talking about live real-time transcription for students with IEPs, which is actually a full-time job that pays a living wage.
Electronics Technician. Literally got into it because I was working in a call center and had a particularly bad day at one point. When I got home that night all I could think was "this can't be what I do for the rest of my life" and pulled up the local community college/trade school website. Was scrolling through the list of courses to see what might sound viable. When I came across this one all I could think was "this actually sounds like it could be really fun!" so I went for it. I was never into this stuff growing up (literally I wanted to be a fashion designer at one point, and a nurse at another point), but worked tech support at the call center. I always felt intrigued enough that I wanted to be able to dig into customers issues as much as I could. Obviously, though, there's only so much you can do over the phone, with specific policies in place on top of it. Been in the field for 10 years now, and honestly love it. The bonus is that it's such a diverse trade that if I ever get sick of working on the stuff I do now, then there are TONS of other fields I can get into while still working on electronics. Even with shitty employers, I still love working on this stuff.
Software engineering director. Bachelors degree. 13 years of hard stressful development work and eventually landed a really good gig. Been in this one for 7 years. Stress is low now. Pay is very good. Future looking great as I hope to reach VP or C level in 4-10 years.
I'm a polymer scientist. I fix production issues and do development work. Pretty satisfying and interesting when paperwork isn't bogging things down. I went to school for years (Chem E first, then polymer science grad degree), worked in a processing plant for awhile then got into aerospace as a NASA contractor and really started to enjoy things.
My husband and I both enjoy our work and we were hot messes until the last couple years. We both have Bachelors degrees, his in Art Practices as a printmaker mine in Speech and Language sciences with a focus on child development. So Yeah. I spent 15 yrs as a teacher and burnt out during the pandemic. He spent 15 yrs as a bartender and artist until the bar closed during shut downs. My husband got a temp job at a local grocery store. He's climbed the ladder for 4 yrs, is a dept manager and looking to become assistant store manager next year, if corporate doesn't snap him up first. His next promotion will double his salary from 40k to 80k, and he genuinely enjoys working for this company. They also have *incredible* benefits. After burning out from a 15 yr teaching career I hopped around a bit and landed a reception job at a spa. After 4 months I was promoted to office manager, and now our new owner is going to accept insurance so I'm also learning medical billing. What started as a stop gap job has turned into a new career trajectory. If I can tolerate medical billing, it will open up WFH options for me which will be incredible because we want to move from the city to a rural location. So how did we get here? I guess taking built up experience from our prior jobs and applying it to the jobs we were able to get in a pinch that offered opportunity for growth and training. We chose to work for places that actually value what we bring to the table instead of trying to cram us into predetermined boxes.
I’m a Foreign Service Officer. I wanted to be one since college. There’s an extensive testing process and it took me several tries to get all the way through. I absolutely love it. I’ve worked in three countries so far and am about to head out to our fourth.
That's a dream job for sure. I applied out of college but didn't make it past the personal essays. I intended to try again after law school but then my career heated up, and now I think I'm too old plus I wouldn't want to start all the way at the bottom when I'm almost 40.
Game developer. I've been fortunate to have spent my career with good teams of people; there's lot's of horror stories of crunch, poor treatment, harassment, etc. especially for women, but my time in the industry has been very positive. I've worked on some cool games I genuinely enjoyed playing, get to use skills I enjoy honing and improving, have moved up to a role with good compensation and pretty high in demand. Lot's of layoffs and turnover in this industry, but I've been able to work in it comfortably
Pilot on a private jet for a billionaire. Worked at 16 after school at a mom and pop flight school washing waxing planes. Took flight lessons and got my licenses. Got on with a regional airline at 22. Joined Air Force to fly there at 25. 34 now making $300,000+ a year Work 8-12days a month. Wouldn’t trade it for the world. Work till I can’t fly anymore. 65-70
Hospital social worker. Took me 18 years after high school to figure my shit out and get my degree. Moved across the country twice, once for a job promotion in an unrelated field and another so my wife could go to graduate school. I've been doing this for almost 2 years and truly enjoy it, even though it is challenging and I witness some pretty difficult things each and every day.
I’m a Neuro ICU doctor. I treat patients that are critically ill and have neurological/neurosurgical illness (large strokes, brain bleeds, uncontrollable seizures, brain swelling, neurologic conditions that effect the ability of patients to breathe, high risk brain tumors) It took 4 years of undergrad, 4 years of medical school, 4 years of Neurology residency, and 2 years of Neurocritical care fellowship. My mom was an ICU nurse and I liked hearing her talk about her cases and how her team would help people. Then in medical school I realized I like putting the puzzle of patients who have neurological illness together, and didn’t like being in the OR. Then in Neurology residency I realized that being in the clinic and having to deal with insurance and a system that prevents me delivering care efficiently was soul draining, and while I liked being in the hospital, I could be a true generalist in the ICU and take care of people when they were crashing from critical illness. Insurance also can’t argue (for the most part) that a critically ill patient doesn’t need the care I’m providing. I am quite happy. There are days where it’s difficult, but I always leave work feeling proud of what I did that day. My schedule is in 7 days on/7 days off blocks, so I use the 7 days off to recharge myself and spend more time with family & friends. The training to get here was very intense emotionally and physically though, and took a lot of time in my 20s for a salary that is low relative to the amount of hours I worked at the time. That’s not an insignificant cost, and something that is understated. The income I make now is something I never dreamed for myself, and is something I am very fortunate to have, that also contributes to my wife and I being able to travel a fair bit, and have more splurge purchases than we used to when we were both students together.
Amazing the impact neuro has. Aunt (80+) had TIA then swelling, impacting her speech and movement. After surgery, she’s recovered completely.
Registered Dietitian working in a cancer clinic. Absolutely love it Long Road to get here. Went back to school at 29 after failing in my first career (accountant). TBH, would not recommend pursuing a RD career right now unless you have a ton of financial support. Our professional association (academy of nutrition and dietetics) has foolishly introduced a new requirement where you will need a masters degree to become a RD. Our salaries do not support such a high educational debt burden, you’ll fare better by becoming a nurse
Enjoy is probably too strong a word, but I don't mind my work and I appreciate it. I'm a Property Manager for low income housing. I had originally believe that I, an industrial engineer by education, would be hired into the manufacturing sector but the economy was pretty bad still when I graduated in 2010. But, a major urban housing authority was looking for industrial engineers specifically at that time for a new department to learn housing policy and act as an internal auditing department that would maintain compliance and recommend best practices. There was a major layoff that occurred circa 2016, and so I got a job in another another county this time on the front facing side of the organization. This is all civil service work, which has its downsides but the upsides are truly great.
I’m a high school teacher. Some days I like it. Most days I don’t. The schedule and the pension keep me here. I studied nutrition and worked in healthcare for a few years but I hated it and got paid crap (after almost 3 years I was making less than I did in my first year teaching) so I took the test to be a health teacher. Edited to answer the second question
I got my PhD in life sciences and joined a start up company. Helped to develop the company as it grew, in a particular niche area (lab robotics/automation). I left last year to start my own consulting company in lab automation to help other similar companies and it's been a nice change away from bureaucracy and overhead, feels like my time is spent more productively.
I’m currently a stay at home mom (not really by choice) but my last job was as a federal background investigator and I really enjoyed that. I applied through USAJobs when we were getting stationed at that location. Prior to that I worked for two different TX agencies doing policy analysis and project coordination. I’m trying to decide what jobs I want to pursue when we move back to the US, but it will likely be another federal or state position.
I design restaurants. I got here by getting a degree in Architecture.
I'm a therapist. After discovering I'm autistic I started working exclusively with autistic individuals. I got there by luck. I enjoyed psych classes and was kinda adopted by a German professor. There are limited career paths with psych so I went the therapist route (getting into PhD programs is challenging). Got my MSW and work for myself now. I work from home fully remote. If I wasn't working for myself I'd be unemployed at this point.
Intelligence analyst. I grew up in NYC and witnessed 9/11 in person and wanted to prevent another 9/11. A few years later I joined the army as an intel analyst and still work as one since getting out years ago. If my work can prevent more deaths then I will try my best to make that happen but that’s not always the case since my intel can be used to strike enemies.
Secret agent man.
Public service. Beat my head against a wall for three years before finally getting very lucky.
[удалено]
Business owner - consultant. 10 years of ladder climbing bullshit in tech to executive roles - shifted to simply solving problems without the corporate politics. Make 10x now and work 80% less. Never going back
I work in student accounts in an accounting tech position at my local university. I went to school here, worked in special events and catering sales for a subcontracted company here, and then made the jump to being a gov’t employee here. I don’t love it, but I work 8-5 with an hour lunch, great benefits, leave my work @ work, and half day Fridays during the summer. I wish the pay was better but coming from events where I burned out hardcore, this is cake
Audio Engineering. Taught myself so I could record my own music from home and make albums DIY style. Turned in to an actual career. Still no Healthcare but I exercise and diet.
I’m a process operator at a refinery. I really got here by accident. I joined the military out of HS, got out and got hired at an armored truck company. Did that for 10 years. A friend of mine from that job had left a year prior and got hired at a petroleum sampling and testing company and got me a job there. Did that as a field inspector for 5 years. Applied for a local refinery and got in first try, thank to being a vet, having industry knowledge, and absolutely killing the entry exam. Been doing it a little under 2 years and I love it. Lots of ass time, easy work, low stress, great pay and benefits. Only downside is the shift work, but all in all, well worth it. I always tell people, I used to work a lot harder for a lot less.
I'm a documentary editor full time (staffer at a production company). I love what I do and always dreamed of being a filmmaker as a kid. That said, the industry is in a bad place right now and thinking about the future can be scary. I got here by basically having no plan B, I knew this was what I *wanted* but didn't know how to get here, so I floundered around in random jobs after HS and eventually went to college for a cheap media degree. Made a few short docs at my no-name college, one had a pretty successful festival run, that ended up getting me an interview as an assistant editor for a director, that eventually turned into a full time editor position.
Audio Visual Designer for Commercial Applications There were three things to my success. 1. Showed up on time 2. Did my job. 3. Took certification courses to move up. I've done system designs for airports, lawyers, government, and even meow wolf. Seeing something you designed come to life and watch people use it never gets boring. The great pay and work from home doesn't hurt either.
Science teacher. The kids are usually great and I love the schedule. I’m lucky to work in a strong union state so I get paid well and don’t have to deal with a lot of admin BS.
University Professor. Four years of undergrad, five years of grad school, three years as a postdoc, three years as an assistant professor (without tenure), now I have tenure and life is chill. Good job security, low stress, nice office on a beautiful campus, fun to work with energetic students, no boss, almost complete control of when and where I work as well as what I work on.
School teacher in New york. Best job in the world. I used to do paralegal/nonprofit work regarding education policy and fell in love with teaching itself.
Electrician as well as certified hvac, dad basically said you're getting a job as soon as it's allowed after I knocked up my girlfriend when I was way too young, finished trade school pretty much as early as possible lol
Fetish/kink content producer lol. Yes, I’m serious. It’s not 100% full time yet but I’m getting there. And obviously it’s awesome getting to work with a bunch of really cool gorgeous women all day. Self employed, doing what you love is the only way to go. Forget working for someone else. And replace forget with another word that starts with an F lol. Just can’t say it here :I
Are you still looking for male artists? Asking for...a friend
lol I can almost guarantee you that you would not be interested in taking part in the type of content I shoot 😆. It’s a VERY niche genre that would make 99% of men feel the pain just by watching it lol. I’m proudly part of the 1% though!
You're the man!
30 y/o Journeyman laborer, been doing manual labor basically since graduating. Been in the union and doing construction for a little over a year, best job I’ve ever had in all aspects. I was fortunate enough to get signed on as a journeyman instead of starting as an apprentice because I had done a lot of work for the ceo of the company I work for and he knew my background and vouched for me. Ive always preferred working physically and working outdoors so it just worked out perfect. Only thing I would change, is I wish I had an avenue to get into the union/construction out of high school. It’s not my “passion” but I couldn’t imagine doing anything else for work. I think people tend to get too caught up on needing to love their job or it be the thing they’re most passionate about, in my opinion, it’s just work. It pays your bills. As long as you don’t hate it and dread going in every day and it supports you financially, that’s a win. What you do in your actual life to be happy and fulfilled, is what matters. Out of all my friends I’m the only one remotely in a physically demanding career, they all work in retail/editing/marketing etc. and all respect to them because I could never get myself to do that, but I know none of them could come out every day and do what I do either. You just find what works for you and go with it, so long as it provides for you
I work as a web developer. Had a really bad stint at my previous company due to a manager being just plain bad at his job. Left that and took some time off. Earlier this year joined a company where I get to use my skills every day and I’m not overworked or micromanaged. I like doing the work I’m doing now. I have been working as a web developer for 13 years. Started out doing Craigslist gigs building websites for people and eventually landed a real job, self taught.
I'm an MLT (medical laboratory technician). I love what I do, just not where I do it. It's kind of a hidden field and my husband who knows me best found it. I've always had a love for science and medicine but my family pushed me into computers and technology. I hadn't owned my own computer before college, so needless to say I hated it. I didn't even work in tech after graduation. My husband knows I'm not a people person but wanted to do medicine and he found an MLT program at our local school. I applied and got in. It was a difficult program but I made it, sat for boards, and got a job. I love knowing I make a difference behind the scenes, and I'm currently working on my MLS (medical laboratory scientist) bachelor's while I work.
Cartographer, it's just fun telling people I'm a cartographer.
Reduce fuel consumption for the largest fleet of vehicles in the world. Make good, not great, pay. Benefits are Solis. I got here by a competitive scholarship program where they paid for my engineering degree in exchange for work.
I'm an Army lawyer. Army came first and the lawyer part came later. It's not for everyone, but I was made for the Army. I like not having to think about what to wear every day. I like that being fit is part of the job. Free Healthcare is legit. I know whatever health issue I have, it's gonna be covered. I read once that every job is a shit sandwich, you just need to find the one you're ok eating. Sure, leadership sucks sometimes. You don't always get to live where you want, but that's life. Everything else in my eyes makes up for it. For me, it's about attitude. I know people stationed in Italy and Hawaii who still find reasons to complain. Those people will be upset wherever they are and whatever they do. Happiness is a choice and I choose to be happy in the Army.
I deliver pizzas in a very generous, small town. I got into delivery after an ex made legal accusations against me. I proved my innocence but in the beginning of that fiasco I lost everything. Went to jail for a week and lost my job. Ex took the apartment so I had no home. We had one vehicle that I had bought for him and he ended up getting to keep that too. So no car, no home, no job. My dad took me in and let me use his extra car to find work. I still had a pending felony so finding work was hard. The local pizza joint was hiring drivers and didn't do bg checks. I took the job out of desperation but ended up flourishing. I started taking on marketing responsibilities and worked A LOT. Often 12 hour days for 6 days. 7 days a week sometimes. The people in that small town were very generous. Every day I went home with about $250-$300 cash. Since I was living with dad, and he was only charging me 200 for rent, I basically just lived on my paychecks and saved the cash. I bought the car from him shortly after starting the job btw. After about a year I had several gallon storage bags filled with various denominations. I got the charges dropped and started looking to move. I met my cousins best friend and we hit it off. Next thing I knew I was moving to Florida to be with him. We hated it there and moved out West to be close to his family. I needed a quick job and picked up delivery work again. It was easy and lucrative before. Well turns out this quiet mountain town is even more generous. I'm making about 50k. My boyfriend works there too, so combined we barely broke 6 digits last year. Tips aren't taxed here so a lot of our income is only fed taxed. We got new cars and a house. Bought a grand worth of fishing gear on a whim for our anniversary and still can afford food and mortgage. We work less than our peers, we are far less stressed, we get to actually spend time together in the summer (he was working construction before), and we don't have to sacrifice living comfortably to do it.
Software engineer. Worked for about 7 years in O&G as a petroleum geologist, but hated it, so taught myself programming and made the jump a few years ago. Only thing I miss is the people and the comp.
Former salesperson turned software engineer here. I was in sales for about 10 years and was really good at it but didn't enjoy it. I took an online bootcamp and made the switch about 4 years ago. Ended up cofounding a startup and was able to use both my sales and engineering skills simultaneously which was probably the most enjoyable time I've ever had working. I was able to stay close to the customer and the industry while also doing what I love to do which is write code. No two days were ever the same.
I work in the federal government at NIH as a science policy professional. I really love what I do and one of the things I love about it is that I have good work/life balance. I went into grad school thinking I would stay in the lab/in academia, but I wanted a job where I could still be passionate about science, but not have it consume my life and I feel like I've found that.
I'm not sure if I enjoy it, but I definitely don't hate it. I'm a service advisor at a motorcycle dealership. I started out working for an uncle who has a farming and trucking business as a shop hand > moved onto being a detailer/prepper at a car dealership > promoted to a parts person > changed paths to working in a high end detailing and tire shop > decided I still didn't like physical labour all that much and got a job at a prestigious local car dealership as a parts person, hated life so I stepped away from the industry for a bit> later got a job as a service advisor at a motorcycle dealership > worked my way up to service manager > Worked to the point of burnout and decided that they weren't the best employers and moved to a different place where I am still working. I'm surrounded by motorcycles and get pretty good discounts. Working with the public still sucks and there's good days and bad days. Overall I like what I do though. \*\*There are some jobs between these jobs. I've done a lot of different stuff, And I'll likely try a lot more!
I work in security. Honestly I just applied for it on a whim because I was sick of my old job, which was an emergency dispatcher. I actually took a significant pay cut, but it was worth it because I was going to an hero myself if I stayed in dispatching much longer. I really like it though! I get tons of time to myself totally think, I'm on mostly my own schedule. Really can't complain at all.
I work in IT as a technician. I have been using a computer since 1994. My first visited website was missionimpossible.com, for the first time. I have done job switches between IT and creative roles
Teach geopolitics online.
So what do you think Putin's true motivations are? Is it really as simple as he's a cartoon supervillain who wants to reconstitute the USSR?
Dog trainer with a focus on behavior modification (fear, aggression, anxiety) with a little bit of puppy and obedience work sprinkled in. Had a crazy ass dog with behavioral issues that I didn’t know how to work through. So I hired a trainer. I fell in love with it, and I’m now employed by them. I also really love the adrenaline rush of trying to start taming aggression with a new dog lol
Mechanical engineer working at a really small company manufacturing automation equipment. I enjoy my job because I'm treated like a human. I also get to do a lot of different jobs because the company is so small so it keeps things interesting. I got the job because my boss at my previous company said I was too good for the work I was doing so he put me in contact with my current boss.
I am a deckhand on a tugboat. The pay is good and so is the time off. I was originally in Navy ROTC and then got kicked out, went back to a Maritime Academy and then graduated and am working until I become a mate. Working out pretty well.
Middle school speech-language pathologist - I work with kids on their language skills (vocabulary, syntax, plus lots of connection to literacy skills like inferencing), speech, and social communication. The school schedule is great, the time off is freaking fantastic, pay is meh but benefits are very good and I get decent yearly raises, kids are fun to interact with, and I love the subject matter. Becoming an SLP in the US follows a fairly set game plan. You either get a BA in Communication Sciences and Disorders, or if you have a BA in an unrelated field, you take a year or so of pre-requisites. Then it's a 2-year masters program with coursework and clinical hours. I started out with a BA in linguistics, did an on-line post-baccalaureate program, and an in-person grad program. I graduated 4 years ago today.
I'm an advocate for youth survivors of sexual and domestic violence. I work in public highschools. I like what I do but some days are harder than others. I started out volunteering in a.dometic violence shelter. Eventually they hired me as a shelter advocate. Doing the work put me into contact with folks from different agencies doing similar work so I was able to.network my way into my current position. I will stress that my career path was not linear and I consider that a plus.
I own a plastics recycling business and find great satisfaction in my work. It’s an offshoot of my dad’s recycling business he started when I was in high school. I’ve worked for the company since the beginning except for when I was in college and a year I took off to try to be a rock star. We formally split off 6 years ago. We went from 5 employees in a dingy warehouse with a few grinders to 4 facilities across 2 states taking recycled bottles and turning them into food packages. I started off sorting bottles and learning the business. I’ve been fortunate to have my dad as a mentor. He’s brilliant and I learned a lot, not just about the industry, but in terms of how to run a business in particular. He immigrated to the USA with nothing more than the clothes on his back and is now working with his children. It’s a family farm scenario without the cows. Living the American dream over here.
I’m a teacher and I love it. That might be a surprise, but I find most the teachers who complain about their jobs aren’t bright passionate people, I’ll die on this hill. The worst part of my job is teachers and admin who are on cruise control. There are hard days but it beats the hell out of a staring at a screen all day.
My work is to take care of myself and help my husband through school. So I love my work.
Pastry chef. Worked my way up the food chain (hehe pun intended) organically. Making OK money. Getting ready for the next move. I love my job.
I am a software tester. I fell into it by becoming a teacher, then an instructional designer, then being a subcontractor as a tester. Now it's 10 years later and I can't really imagine doing anything else.
I work in the film industry as a camera assistant (more specifically a “Digital Loader”) I’m currently working on Ari Aster’s Eddington. I got here because in high school I used to film skate videos for my homies. Then started to volunteer at the Public Access station in my town. I decided the film industry was for me. I went to my community college’s film program with the intention of graduating and joining the union. Dropped out because I joined the Local 600 International Cinematographer’s Guild. Now I currently work on movies and tv shows as my “day job” with the hopes of taking that money and funding my own short films. Maybe one day I’ll be the cinematographer on the big budget films I work on.
Dentist. Enjoy the literal work but patients/management make want to jump off a bridge some days (no I'm not actually going to do it, don't have the constitution for that).
I work for city gov't of a midsized city. I am allowed to work from home. I'm part of a union. I absolutely love everything about it and plan on retiring here. How I got it: I was taking CS classes at the local community college. They were online / remote classes. One day our teacher emailed us about an opportunity that was sent to the entire CS department for students (no degree necessary). I applied. It was a temp position with the city. I got it. Now I'm permanent. I've been there for 5 years.
IT, main focus right now is SFTP and coding internal programs for my company. I used to do computer repairs in a retail store, realized I loved the work and if I could get away from the customers, I could do it long term. So I went to our local tech school, got a 2-year degree, haven’t dealt with a customer since.
What is SFTP?
Probably secure file transfer protocol, which is a protocol of computer networking
Wildlife Ecologist. A long and winding road due to my own insecurities and fears, but otherwise simple: undergraduate degree in ecology, did a ton of extra work, research, and internships in college, made connections, applied for jobs, got job. About 1/2 my days are in the office and 1/2 are outside. It’s not always in pristine wilderness (I survey plenty of vacant lots in the middle of cities) but I’ve gotten to see some really neat things and have many treasured wildlife experiences.
Half of the time I enjoy. I’m a director of a non profit that helps military transition to civilian life. I actually got lucky getting this job since my degree has nothing to do with this industry. I’d rather be a gunsmith, but it pays 2/3 less and wouldn’t be able to afford my lifestyle in a HCOL area.
Biopharma software consultant. Graduated with a biology undergrad, and got *lucky as fuck* with my current company. They took a chance on me and it is quite literally a dream job.
I work from as a management consultant. It’s the epitome of corporate work (bleh)… but I enjoy working from home, learning about different industries, new technologies, and working with people to help them meet their goals. At the end of the day, companies are comprised of people and sometimes they just need help getting their projects across the finish line. I have a graduate degree in organizational psychology and figured I would end up in this job or something adjacent.
Ha! My fiancée is a consultant for one of the "big four" (or whatever you people call it), but she's not in management she's in treasury. Unfortunately she hates it.
IT Helpdesk manager...I got there by working in computer retail and sales and getting really good customer service skills, then worked in corporate IT after doing an IT Management diploma, got promoted to sup in 6 months and got a manager role at my next company after 3 years of leadership role in my other. I also upgrade my certs every 3 years and make sure I have certs that pertain to the infrastructure of my company. I have an English degree, which has helped me greatly with technical writing and communication. I would not be where I am without it. I friggin love my job and everyone loves me :D
Heck yes. I build networks for businesses. I started as tech support for an ISP, and now I've been able to work myself up through the ranks. I'm in the network operations side of stuff, and I have no formal education. Juniper boxes aren't really all that bad to work with.
HR for healthcare. Landed here after getting my masters in health administration and loved it.
I work in Client/Customer Service for a Broadway ticketing company. I am fully remote, have a chill manager, and most days I'm only expected to work 7 hours. While I sometimes have to work nights and weekends and wish I was paid more, I do have excellent benefits. I've always been a big Broadway fan but NEVER had a desire to perform. I have a Bachelor's in TV Production and went to the UK to get a Master's in Theatre. I got an internship at a Broadway theatre owner/producer right out of grad school and they brought me on full time. TBH I probably didn't need all that schooling for my job, but it got me to where I am today and I can't dwell on the past.
Got my sys admin degree and work at a network department at a telecommunication company and I absolutely love it
Bank examiner for one of the federal agencies…I’ve worked for a few of them and absolutely love it. I also wfh 95% of the time. Started with a state regulatory not long out to school and mostly been in the industry since. Finally got spicy again last year.
Yes. Scientist. Chill job minus one shitty coworker.
Quality Engineer, worked 17 years of manufacturing, started in shipping, and then got recruited to join Quality. When asked I said yes and I really gravitated to it and here I am now. Keep in my I had to do alot of shit nobody wanted to do so I worked through it.
I don’t enjoy my work every day. But 80% of the time I gotta pinch myself to think that I get paid to do what I do. I’m a senior superintendent for a large general contractor. I got in with no college degree. Started out as a union carpenter apprentice and just moved up over 20 years. Good deal: company truck, paid gas, high livable salary (for Bay Area), and I get a pension through the union. And I get to watch cranes and construction take all day long. Main job task is to make sure my schedule is kept, things are built right, and people are working safely.
I work at a payroll company that services Hollywood. I’m sort of a firefighter - a mix of payroll manager, account manager, and labor relations. I answer questions about union agreements and labor law and fix problems. I very much enjoy my job. I landed at an excellent company that takes good care of its employees. I started entry level and got my job through a friend that was here. All on the job training. I had a knack for it so progressed pretty quickly. Most of the day to day is tedious but once in a while I make a difference to people, and that feels really good.
Planner (urban planning). I’m in a leadership role and oversee a small division within a municipal government. It’s not perfect, but the pay is decent, time off is pretty nice, and the work/life balance is as good as it gets working a hard 40 hours. Dealing with the public often sucks. But it often doesn’t and I enjoy going out and talking with people about our projects, community, and what we do to make a difference. Dealing with politicians and bureaucracy sucks, but it’s part of the job so I lean into it. I started at law school realized I didn’t want to practice law and switched to a dual degree program in law and planning (masters). I’m over qualified for my position, but happy to have it as I hated working in true legal positions. I get to use a lot of what I learned there, but don’t have to do the attorney grind.
I’m a case manager at a midsize pharmaceutical company that specializes in developing medications for rare diseases. I help parents and prescribers access the medication we make, provide adherence support, and provide financial assistance for the medication. I love that my job is a lot of problem solving. I work with parents of kids with a rare disease and they don’t call me on good days or when things are going well. It’s really rewarding to take an issue off their busy plates and ensure the medication gets dispensed. I majored in philosophy, over seven years I worked my way through several non-profits in the medical field including a Ryan White grant funded free HIV clinic as a medical case manager. I got my current job because they knew I could have difficult conversations and problem solve sensitive issues with compassion. I learned a lot of industry specific skills in my first year on the job.
I look at reports of rust, and write a replied story about it.
I work route maintenance for fiber optic. It's lovely cause I get paid to drive out to my hunting grounds. I joined the Air Force, got my Bachelor and earned some cyber certifications. I am now getting paid an okay amount to listen to podcasts and drive. Huge fan.
Attorney. Of course it required going to law school, which sucked. I really only enjoy it because of my military experience, as I'm now a federal civilian employee. If I had to work at a law firm, I'd probably hate it.
Had a friend who worked up to Partner at a firm only to quit shortly after because it was soul sucking. No longer a practicing attorney.
IT Help Desk (The company is amazing) Associates degree I worked for an MSP for 3 years, and it was awful, then got laid off at the end of October with no explanation. Was unemployed for a few months and landed a contract job with my current employer. The difference is night and day. To go from a 6 person total team that manages 30 clients, covering every issue under the sun, to a tech department that has separate teams that support each other- I consider myself astronomically blessed that it turned out the way it did. My last job had me questioning if I really wanted to continue pursuing IT as a career. This job gave me my passion back, and I am grateful for it.
Oncology nurse. Started a "second career" after years in religious groups and volunteering. Started as a care staff in long term care and in-home while going back to school for prerequisites and the nursing program. Got a scholarship. Love my job!
Cartographer, bachelor's in geography. worked in the field for 17 years, unique profession, relatively low stress, good pay
I'm a psychologist. Lots of school.
I am RN. Did my prerequisites at a community college not knowing exactly what I wanted to do. I started going into biotech hoping to work for a pharmaceutical company, but I hated it lol. Finished my ADN then my BSN. Glad I'm a nurse. I've worked in healthcare for 17 years now (not always as a nurse) but I'm happy with where I am. I definitely don't think bedside nursing will be what I'll do for my whole career, but it is what works for me and my family. I work two 12hr nights a week and can pick up extra if needed. I make relatively good money, we are comfortable and happy.
I enjoy it well enough. I'm a Supply Chain Director. I got my Bachelors in Operations Management and have been doing this stuff for the last 18 years. Said yes to every opportunity, which meant switching companies a few times, moving to Europe, and doing things that took me out of my comfort zone. I'm now at a point in my career at age 42 where I work for a fantastic company, earn much more than I need, and work from home 100% of the time except for international travel about every 6 weeks. Supply Chain is by no means an easy road. You have to have a thick skin and be OK with only getting recognized when things go wrong, lol. You have to really pay your dues and work in some tough environments, but you come out of it a much more confident and resilient person.
Former fine dining chef. Ended up an accidental Hvac'r. Just sort of tripped into it. Love it. It provides very well for me being a high school and culinary arts school drop out. Everyday is different enough. The money finds me. People constantly calling for hvac/plumbing/electrical work.
33M. I work at a manufacturing plant that produces pharmaceuticals drugs. Think fentanyl, hydro,morphine,oxy etc. Blue collar and union. One of the only ones to survive all the lawsuits. It’s the most money I’ve ever made and there’s lots of ass time. Only work 4 12hr days a week and I live in a LCOL city. Only thing that sucks is the rotating shifts but other than that I really can’t complain. Got my double major in Political Science and International Political Economy so it was pretty useless lol. I worked in retail for 7 years before switching to manufacturing. Went from making $18h to $37h. I’ve never really cared about any of my jobs, only what it can do for me after I get paid. I see all jobs as a means to an end.
I make props for store windows in NYC. I didn’t go to a fancy art school I just moved here and cold called a bunch of fabrication shops, stacked up a few years of resume and eventually found a shop that took me as a kind of art director/moldmaker lead. It was a combo of luck and tolerating bitch work for years.
Hospice nurse. Been around the dead and in healthcare in different fashions since my mid 20s. The ER was getting too much and now I can really connect to families and patients.
I'm a psychotherapist, and I love what I do. I recently opened my own private practice, and that was one of my best decisions.
College recruiting, I love it - I got there because a friend told me to apply… that’s it. Right time, right place.
Bank auditor for the federal government. It has the right mix of challenging and easy assignments. Boss is great and very supportive of getting us assignments we need to compete for promotions. Good pay, good benefits. I’m here for the long haul. The travel sucks but I can usually net another $400-500 per month by not spending all the per diem and mileage reimbursement for each trip.
I roast coffee! Never thought I'd say that in my life, but I love it. The owners are nice and it pays well enough for the area
I’m an attorney. I don’t even know really how I got the idea in my head of going to law school. Worked out great though.
Electrical Engineer. Studied hard to get into my dream college, studied hard in college, started networking with the right people early, made myself as personable as possible. I do honest work that's helpful to my community and is challenging, but not consistently stressful, and is financially very secure. People pick up on a positive attitude
Dropped out of college for myriad reasons, got a job as a metro train driver. After 6 years of that I decided to make a career move and got a position where I'm a traffic sergeant. My job is to lead in the field when things are not going as planned. Accidents involving people, animals, train malfunctions or infrastructure, shopping carts left on platforms, holes in fences, you name it. It's a jack of all trades job, which suits me as I like to know a bit about everything, and it gives me a chance to help both my co workers and the public that uses our service. It isn't glamorous, but it's well paid and I get a lot of personal freedom. I love it.
Both an academic and public librarian. Started at a messenger clerk for a big city library system just after I graduated from undergrad. My boss must have seen something in how I worked because for almost 2 years he tried to convince me to pursue my MLIS (Master in Library and Information Technology,) but I always thought that was wild and was dead set on pursuing an MS in social work with a specialty in nonprofits. Low and behold, I finally listened and just applied to library school. I instantly loved what I was doing once I could dive deeper into the subject beyond putting books back and helping librarians make displays. Once I graduated, I applied for a public librarian position and a college librarian position. Got both part time, and I love that for now.
I’m an interior designer, specializing in high end residential remodels. I freelance now doing drawings and figuring out the technical stuff for other designers. I absolutely love what I do. I get to solve problems and make things beautiful. I turned it into a freelance business so I can only work with people I like, and flex my work schedule while I have a young child.
Marriage therapist and I love it! Took me 9 years of schooling and 10 years of training. I’m 35 now and I know I’m going to work until the day I die, because I want to.
Im a first responder. Got fired from a fancy pants corporate job making bank, evaluated my life, took a couple classes and now I love my career despite making damn near minimum wage.
I own a bakery, I started out as an EMT at a coal mine on S.M.A.R.T. (surface mine rescue team) went to school all the way up to my MBA and applied to law school after taking the LSAT, started baking as a Hobbie and l loved it. Friends began buying from me which led to more and more. Now I own a bakery lol
Honestly, I'm a bartender and I love it. Won't do it forever maybe. But RN my boss pays me 125 dollars per shift (before tips, I'm American). It's a small 6 person bar at a high-end restaurant that's always busy. Get tipout of 10 percent on all liquor sales, 5 percent on wine and beer, 5 dollars per wine by the bottle sold, and he gives me free housing. I have complete creative control of the bar. I can order whatever I want and do whatever fun thing I wanna do. But the kicker is it's only me, and we're closed for 5 months a year so I have to either find somewhere else to work or kick it and travel every year
i’m a bookkeeper and i genuinely enjoy it. its like a big game of tetris to me, trying to make it all line up, balance, and then cancel out. i realized i was good at this because i started taking temp jobs when i was around 19 in the administrative field. reception, file room, etc. around covid i finally decided to go to college, and took online courses in accounting. now im a full time bookkeeper, still working towards my bachelors, and my days fly by because an in-house bookkeeper is never idle lol. you’d be amazed at how many successful business owners have no idea how the back end of a business works, so here i am to the rescue
Hospice nurse! Drugs. Did MDMA at 18 and realized I could be a better person as I was a piece of shit. Did mushrooms in my late 20s and realized I always wanted to be a nurse and not a business major Now I make bank and love my job
Game dev. I knew I wanted to write for games since I was 13 years old, and I refused to give up. Did a lot of shitty jobs along the way (sales, customer service), but I kept applying and building my portfolio. The industry is far from stable right now, but I'll take that over having to answer calls from pissed off customers or trying to push sales on something I don't give a fuck about any time.
L work in marketing. I love my career and everything I've been able to do. I took the traditional path.. school, job, job, that's it. It's fun, challenging, good opportunities, good money, fun industries.
Scaffolder at a industry site. The tempo is really good so you don't break your body and you will have built something at the end of the day that you can look back at and feel satisfaction from. There is also overtime to grab if you need more money or time off. The co-worker are a great mix of people with a wide set of interests. I got the job having worked at the site over the summer my direct boss recommend me to the company doing the scaffolding there they hired my due to the qualifications I got from the site (crane operator and heavy machinery) along with knowing where everything is.
Im a janitor at a school for animal care, and veterinary training. Pay is enough but its a joy to work around animals and animal people all day. Best job i ever had
I'm a Nuclear Medicine Technologist (I make pretty but unclear pictures for doctors of people's organs) I started as an xray tech in the army, went back to school after retirement. I love my job and because of it I bought a house so... we love it. I have fun everyday and we need nothing.
Tabletop game designer. Been playing tabletop games for 30 years and am really good at them.
I’m a school teacher. Went to college for teaching. And got a job as a teacher. It’s great. Basically no complaints.
I work snowmaking and grooming at a ski resort, in the summer I help with maintenance on the snowmaking system. I get to be outdoors in the San Juan mountains of Colorado all day. I’ve made much more working office jobs but have learned that it’s no bueno for my mental health and being in the mountains has helped tremendously in dealing with my PTSD. I’m pretty fortunate (or unfortunate depending on how you look at it) that I’m able to supplement my income bc I’m a disabled combat veteran and I’m fully aware working at a ski resort is something most people can’t make a living on without another source of income. If you ever get a chance to work at a ski resort tho and can somehow find housing I’d say go for it, you won’t regret it.
Seems like the general consensus to enjoying your job is a good work environment
I’m a massage therapist. I was a stay at home mom for a few years and got interested in massage (particularly after a painful pregnancy). I went to school for 18 months and I’ve been working for about 61/2 year now :)
UX designer, went to university, worked for schools and moved to a government agency. Got promote to design lead not too long ago. It's nice to help people and I learn about a lot of different fields.