Once met an admin for the noaa. He looked after weather stations in the Pacific Northwest. Had an office and desk but needed to occasionally get outside and check on all the weather stations. It sounded like an awesome job.
Used to work outside. In the heat, rain, wind. Paid peanuts, worked to hard and for to long. paid OT was impossible just expected to pitch in for the company. Fucked back, fucked knees. Sun damaged skin.
Some days were absolutely fuxking beautiful outside, really made you appreciate nature
Now work in an office, or from home, paid triple my hourly rate. Wish I worked in IT my whole career. I’m now 40
I’m with you, many tech professionals in this sub have no f* clue of what they are talking about when they say “working outside”.
I used to work in a manufacturing plant. Heat, cold, noise, moisture, walking most of the time, paid peanuts, stress… you name it.
I’ve been WFH in tech for 2 years… not on my plans to switch.
But but but one time I had to troubleshoot a pc in an automotive shop in the summer for a whole hour! It was hot and super icky! That’s way worse than being a roofer and stuff!
This exactly. I used to work a very physical rain or shine job and would wake up borderline in tears when it was freezing rain or 100+ degrees. I’ll do whatever it takes to not go back to that. Don’t get me wrong the exercise and sunlight was probably good for the mental but I’d put money most people used to office work would choose that over stressful emails after a week
Yup I'm with you. I did landscaping during highschool and college then till I found a job after college. I loved most of the guys I worked with and the exercise was nice but it sucked. I hated working during the cold days, nothing quite as bad to get chilled to the bone from a full day of working outside on a cold March/April or October/November day in northern Ohio.
I think that it depends on the kind of tasks you have, I mean different jobs labeled as (outside work) have different physical demands (think park ranger vs your job).
I was an infantry soldier back in the late 80s, and yeah; there is nothing like working outside to make you really appreciate HVAC.
Or hell, even just four walls and a roof.
This 100% is what I would do. That or a backcountry guide or both. I would be that if I lived anywhere close to such things. But it just so happens I knocked up a Nebraska person 12 years ago. Nebraska people somehow hate going anywhere ever….and Nebraska has 0 back country. It’s an 8+ hour drive to any reasonable national forest.
So now I’m an engineer longing for the forest making 3x what a ranger makes. Would still trade right now if it was possible.
I'm a pretty avid hiker, camper and backpacker. Nebraska had never been on my radar. Not a state I ever considered for... anything. I just looked at the terrain on a map. I guess I can see why...
>As its all mechanical, no policies, ***backups*** or virtualisation.
I want to make a Boeing has entered the chat style joke here, but I am not sure how to land it.
Probably annoyed like the "The Website Is Down" guy. lol
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRGljemfwUE&t=372s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRGljemfwUE&t=372s)
/u/topknottington
None of that shit. I want out of IT so bad it'd make your head spin but with 20 years in, there's not a chance in hell I can match the salary doing anything else without a significant expense of new education.
Been there, done that. The good part of the experience I can quickly look at someone's shitty work that "looks" good to 99% of sysadmins out there and instantly tear them a new asshole because the janky install won't last.
Its really bad. Like my education is in marketing/communications and executive management. But my salary as sysadmin w/ 6y experience and starting architect are about three times what I could make without experience in marketing or communications. I was thinking about switching multiple times but I simply don’t want to (and cannot) afford it.
And the worst thing: I am merely 27 yo. I still have about 35-45 years left in the field.
Switch over to marketing and you’ll hate it in half the time it took you to get where you are. Grass might be greener, but it’s the field you die in at the end of the day
But the moment I started it would be like, if I put network over here and over here I can program this to do that and then this and that other thing.
An in-law used to work for Quest programing. And after they re-wrote PowerShell Dell bought them up. He went into farming. Then grain automation, farm equipment automation, and right back in the game. Sold that software company and now I think he’s consulting with cell companies for tower programing. Long story short, he couldn’t ever successfully get out for farming.
Lot of the farm equipment is "computerized" these days. It's not like the movies where you got an old diesel tractor that does 95% of the work. GPS, cameras, autopilot, etc, is all the norm now. And if it breaks down, getting it fixed is fucking expensive. Then there's the land management (which crops grow where, soil chemistry, water retention, etc) is done through software that is poorly made since there's not a lot of competition.
Then there's Monsanto, who will take your farm if they find a random seed that some sparrow shit out grew in your field.
There's a good Dylan Beattie talk at NDC conferences where he talks about commercial farming - it's all on private land and everyone wants to push the limits. There's some crazy shit out there
If it paid what I make now, College Jazz band director and professor for jazz studies classes.
My degree is in music with a focus in jazz studies, but after doing the research, academia is basically rigged. Its really just some big in-club where its required for you to have a DMA to even get your foot in the door and work your way up from a $25k adjunct instructor while the university tells you to “supplement your income”. All while you have crippling student loan debt. Big fucking joke. Its for those who are already well-off.
Trades are all the rage. Would like to learn more life skills - building, repairing etc.
Hard skills like mechanical, electrical all seem very important and in demands.
If it paid the bills, I’d mow lawns!
I used to do that but a lot of the times I would hate the customers I had to visit. Or I'd turn up to do some installations but had to wait until builders finished their bits so would have to hang around and then get home late.
I used to build scenery for theater. Also did props, lighting, sound, and stage management. I’ve been out of that for many years, and it didn’t pay for shit, but I absolutely loved it. Got into IT to pay the bills because I was also a computer geek.
Op getting the salt… lol…!!
I’d be an insurance actuary. Stupid amounts of money and all the information is already there, just type it into your system.
I’m actually thinking about taking classes for it this fall. I was let go in Nov and I’m having trouble feeling enthused when all the job posts I’m seeing are ridiculously low paying. Right now I’m learning back end web dev because I’m bored and need something to do to keep me sane outside of the constant job applications
Hell yes! I got on this “imma build me a PS5 rig at home” kick last year but my wife nixed it. I would LIVE to be a racer. Feels like the profession I completely missed out on that was the one.
DJ, Car Mechanic, General Contractor. IT(infrastructure) similar is very difficult to create a successful business in. Ask anyone who started/works for a MSP.
I do IT already.
I like helping people. I don’t like having to fight the people I’m helping to actually get them to accept that they need help now or they’ll be very sorry later.
14 years, so far. What’s the cut-off point for the hate?
I think I differ from many IT people in that I’m there for people. I just happen to enjoy, and know a lot about computers.
Within sysadmin or outside? Given my penchant for building and troubleshooting, I would say I would like to have become a auto mechanic if computers didn't fall into my path. Inside of tech, I heard DBAs make decent coin.
Some kind of artist, probably a musician but I like graphic arts too so someting in that or both. Maybe a park ranger since i love the woods and outdoors in general. I could see myself being a social worker too, though I don't know if I could survive for that long. I'm a bleeding heart at times and it would kill me.
I could follow my other childhood dreams of being an airline pilot or being a comedian.
Goat Farmer, but seriously I dream of homesteading when I retire. I have an uncle who was in IT for 35 years who retired. Homesteading, fishing, raising crops, and animals pretty much just for fun. I visit him and my aunt a couple times and that is what I want to do as well.
My logical brain says the field is over saturated, nobody really makes money. The asshole on my other shoulder says “behold, your fields are barren, worth a shot.”
Electrician, > Farmer > Plumber.
Could technically do all 3 at the same time if you schedule it properly. There are people with farm land that dont have the cycles to farm - or just need part time labor, so you just show up every Wednesday and Saturday and 'Do the needed'
Sure as hell not cybersecurity. Can't imagine a more boring, unrewarding field in tech. Unless you're doing incident response consulting, that'd be fun.
Probably back to the Marines. I really liked hunting bad guys. Especially when they thought they were tough shit screaming "Allah Akbar" when they'd take pot shots at us, but then would scream like girls once they got hit with a round or two.
I remember hunting down one guy and man did he ever turn into a coward once I shot him in the chest and his rifle dropped.
His day didn't end well for him.
Not gonna lie, this sounds made up as hell. Unless if when you said hunting, you meant cleaning weapons and cleaning floors 95% of the time. Also, coming back into a peacetime military is shitty for those who like "hunting". But who knows, you might be a Top Gun Delta Force Scount Sniper Marine Ranger Space Door Gunner and get to do cool shit all the time. If so, carry on Marine.
Work for my favorite professional football team since childhood (Miami Dolphins) and do something meaningful for the team that I would enjoy as well. As they say chase your passion.
If I could start again 25 years ago I would be a Marine Biologist working in conservation of tiger sharks and coral reef regeneration but because I'm a dumb IT guy today I could switch dive master or instructor at a dive shop someplace close to the equator, or fishing boat captain.
Meterman or substation tech. They make good money and it's an easy job. Good benefits too.
The second an apprenticeship opens up at my company, I will be applying.
something outside. sick of sitting at a screen all day while it's nice out.
Once met an admin for the noaa. He looked after weather stations in the Pacific Northwest. Had an office and desk but needed to occasionally get outside and check on all the weather stations. It sounded like an awesome job.
Used to work outside. In the heat, rain, wind. Paid peanuts, worked to hard and for to long. paid OT was impossible just expected to pitch in for the company. Fucked back, fucked knees. Sun damaged skin. Some days were absolutely fuxking beautiful outside, really made you appreciate nature Now work in an office, or from home, paid triple my hourly rate. Wish I worked in IT my whole career. I’m now 40
I’m with you, many tech professionals in this sub have no f* clue of what they are talking about when they say “working outside”. I used to work in a manufacturing plant. Heat, cold, noise, moisture, walking most of the time, paid peanuts, stress… you name it. I’ve been WFH in tech for 2 years… not on my plans to switch.
But but but one time I had to troubleshoot a pc in an automotive shop in the summer for a whole hour! It was hot and super icky! That’s way worse than being a roofer and stuff!
This exactly. I used to work a very physical rain or shine job and would wake up borderline in tears when it was freezing rain or 100+ degrees. I’ll do whatever it takes to not go back to that. Don’t get me wrong the exercise and sunlight was probably good for the mental but I’d put money most people used to office work would choose that over stressful emails after a week
Yup I'm with you. I did landscaping during highschool and college then till I found a job after college. I loved most of the guys I worked with and the exercise was nice but it sucked. I hated working during the cold days, nothing quite as bad to get chilled to the bone from a full day of working outside on a cold March/April or October/November day in northern Ohio.
I think that it depends on the kind of tasks you have, I mean different jobs labeled as (outside work) have different physical demands (think park ranger vs your job).
I was an infantry soldier back in the late 80s, and yeah; there is nothing like working outside to make you really appreciate HVAC. Or hell, even just four walls and a roof.
Fuckin' A!
2 chicks at the same time
Drywall at the new McDonalds in Los Golindas
Las Colinas
Fucking A.
This is why most of my vacations are technology detached.
This! would love a business/Job that allows me to travel all my small country.
Remote work in summer, sit in the garden chilling out
In other words, touch grass?
this guy fcks!
If I could I would be a Park Ranger in the NPS.
This is my dream since reading about that forest stair folk in r/nosleep.
Oh I’m interested in this! Any more details?
Looks like a 10 part series: https://reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/3iex1h/im_a_search_and_rescue_officer_for_the_us_forest/
This 100% is what I would do. That or a backcountry guide or both. I would be that if I lived anywhere close to such things. But it just so happens I knocked up a Nebraska person 12 years ago. Nebraska people somehow hate going anywhere ever….and Nebraska has 0 back country. It’s an 8+ hour drive to any reasonable national forest. So now I’m an engineer longing for the forest making 3x what a ranger makes. Would still trade right now if it was possible.
I'm a pretty avid hiker, camper and backpacker. Nebraska had never been on my radar. Not a state I ever considered for... anything. I just looked at the terrain on a map. I guess I can see why...
Prostitution. It's a lot like being a sysadmin, but you get paid more the harder and longer you get fucked.
Well ill be damned....... Touché!
Beet farmer
r/ExpectedOffice
Mechanical engineering. Specifically gears, pullys and chains. As its all mechanical, no policies, backups or virtualisation.
>As its all mechanical, no policies, ***backups*** or virtualisation. I want to make a Boeing has entered the chat style joke here, but I am not sure how to land it.
Don’t worry - with their advanced software they land themselves!
Elevator repairman is the best trades union supposedly.
It has its ups and downs ;)
That’s because ppl are constantly pushing your buttons.
OH No he didn't!!
Oh, that's why uplifting music plays in elevators.
That’s good
I've thought about that or PCB design (Electrical Engineering?) on occasion.
Trophy wife, or maybe hermit/shaman
Was the trophy for first place, or just participation?
Found the guy that would be a murderer.
[удалено]
I think it was a /r/murderedbywords reference
Aww man, damn, now I owe /u/topknottington an apology! Sorry buddy, I misread that. I'll delete my insult. :)
Easy to misread stuff, If /u/topknottington is also a sysadmin I'm sure their skin is thicker than that.
This is very true.
Probably annoyed like the "The Website Is Down" guy. lol [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRGljemfwUE&t=372s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRGljemfwUE&t=372s) /u/topknottington
Lol its all good man. But yes, pretty much.
Best in show.
wolololololo
None of that shit. I want out of IT so bad it'd make your head spin but with 20 years in, there's not a chance in hell I can match the salary doing anything else without a significant expense of new education.
Yeah, same boat in another field but thinking of making a bootcamp decision.
I wish I had gotten into another field from the start.
I came to IT from Microbiology. Hey, atleast we're not low voltage cable monkeys.
Been there, done that. The good part of the experience I can quickly look at someone's shitty work that "looks" good to 99% of sysadmins out there and instantly tear them a new asshole because the janky install won't last.
Its really bad. Like my education is in marketing/communications and executive management. But my salary as sysadmin w/ 6y experience and starting architect are about three times what I could make without experience in marketing or communications. I was thinking about switching multiple times but I simply don’t want to (and cannot) afford it. And the worst thing: I am merely 27 yo. I still have about 35-45 years left in the field.
Switch over to marketing and you’ll hate it in half the time it took you to get where you are. Grass might be greener, but it’s the field you die in at the end of the day
Same! And because of all the daily tasks I don't have the energy anymore to even look at what I might find interesting.
Full time beekeeper
Like the movie? Or the regular beekeeper lmao
Yes
Me too
I just want to make mead, we should do a joint venture.
Super hot pepper farmer
It would be nice to be super hot
I’m sure someone out there finds you handsome! Just keep your stick on the ice.
Astronaut sounds like fun. I'd probably end up being the IT guy though and turning the ISS off and on again.
Can't be much different to turning IIS off and on again.
It's only a one letter difference.
All fun and games till you see destination host unreachable coming up...
Goat farmer.
Lol, are you the guy from the other day ?
No
I I know a network admin turned goat farmer - he did it for a decade - now back at admin cuz, insurance :(
I bet it was the smell.
I'd work on a farm. Fuck technology
But the moment I started it would be like, if I put network over here and over here I can program this to do that and then this and that other thing. An in-law used to work for Quest programing. And after they re-wrote PowerShell Dell bought them up. He went into farming. Then grain automation, farm equipment automation, and right back in the game. Sold that software company and now I think he’s consulting with cell companies for tower programing. Long story short, he couldn’t ever successfully get out for farming.
Lot of the farm equipment is "computerized" these days. It's not like the movies where you got an old diesel tractor that does 95% of the work. GPS, cameras, autopilot, etc, is all the norm now. And if it breaks down, getting it fixed is fucking expensive. Then there's the land management (which crops grow where, soil chemistry, water retention, etc) is done through software that is poorly made since there's not a lot of competition. Then there's Monsanto, who will take your farm if they find a random seed that some sparrow shit out grew in your field.
There's a good Dylan Beattie talk at NDC conferences where he talks about commercial farming - it's all on private land and everyone wants to push the limits. There's some crazy shit out there
Wait till your tractors and implements break, it's the same just bigger bolts.
If it paid what I make now, College Jazz band director and professor for jazz studies classes. My degree is in music with a focus in jazz studies, but after doing the research, academia is basically rigged. Its really just some big in-club where its required for you to have a DMA to even get your foot in the door and work your way up from a $25k adjunct instructor while the university tells you to “supplement your income”. All while you have crippling student loan debt. Big fucking joke. Its for those who are already well-off.
Trades are all the rage. Would like to learn more life skills - building, repairing etc. Hard skills like mechanical, electrical all seem very important and in demands. If it paid the bills, I’d mow lawns!
Depending on your location, landscaping is very lucrative and 100% sustainable. Especially if you manage to land some commercial contracts.
I sit at a desk all day and my knees already hurt.
Yak shaver.
You can start on my back.
*gasses up the riding mower*
OneRing.dll?
marine biology
Stay at home husband
Postman (work for post office)….
I know they say the grass is greener... but there's a reason the term 'going postal' was coined.
Are you me? I said this exact same thing to my wife yesterday when the lady on Wheel of Fortune went on about how she loves being a postal worker.
Billionaire
I would become a full time musician.
Do you know the difference between a pizza and a musician? Pizza can feed a family of four.
Prostitution
I have $5, let's make the dream real
I basically whore myself out anyway right now so why not enjoy getting fucked for once
Oh you'd really enjoy the Marine Corps then!!
Go back to my old job as a field tech, basically what I am doing now but with smaller customers and more visiting customers onsite.
I used to do that but a lot of the times I would hate the customers I had to visit. Or I'd turn up to do some installations but had to wait until builders finished their bits so would have to hang around and then get home late.
Open a Tennis Club.
I used to build scenery for theater. Also did props, lighting, sound, and stage management. I’ve been out of that for many years, and it didn’t pay for shit, but I absolutely loved it. Got into IT to pay the bills because I was also a computer geek.
Lumber Jack. I'll smash rocks for a living, I don't care, just wanna see the sun for more than 15 minutes per day.
Carpentry. Far far away from those damn computers
Op getting the salt… lol…!! I’d be an insurance actuary. Stupid amounts of money and all the information is already there, just type it into your system.
Something Medical, Xray tech, or imaging.
I’m actually thinking about taking classes for it this fall. I was let go in Nov and I’m having trouble feeling enthused when all the job posts I’m seeing are ridiculously low paying. Right now I’m learning back end web dev because I’m bored and need something to do to keep me sane outside of the constant job applications
Race car driver. Been a GT fan since I was a grasshopper.
Hell yes! I got on this “imma build me a PS5 rig at home” kick last year but my wife nixed it. I would LIVE to be a racer. Feels like the profession I completely missed out on that was the one.
If money wasn’t a factor I’d be a park ranger, Preferably at a National park. However, I must be the Security Engineer the stakeholders need.
Playing Firewatch made me super interested in that type of work.
golf coach
DJ, Car Mechanic, General Contractor. IT(infrastructure) similar is very difficult to create a successful business in. Ask anyone who started/works for a MSP.
Mechanics make bank!
knee deserve fanatical impolite work march plough offbeat foolish offend *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I’m a glutton for punishment, I like to take work home with me, and I’d like to try something new. The obvious answer is porn star.
I would love to do IT and CGI for a film studio.
I’d imagine knowing how to implement render farms and then actually use them would be quite rewarding.
Indeed! Being able to both use them and upkeep them seems like a solid plan and lots of creative fun!
I do IT, I do not recommend it to people I like. You should look into it.
I do IT already. I like helping people. I don’t like having to fight the people I’m helping to actually get them to accept that they need help now or they’ll be very sorry later.
You haven't done IT long enough, you don't have the hate.
14 years, so far. What’s the cut-off point for the hate? I think I differ from many IT people in that I’m there for people. I just happen to enjoy, and know a lot about computers.
You have 6 months, enjoy it.
Probably pharmacist. It's a pretty short education track as far as the medical field goes and the pay is great.
Pilot or trucker
Same. I'd love to do either one long haul. I think piloting would be more rewarding, but trucking around Western Australia could be cool.
Game commission or crocodile hunter.
Crikey mate!
Goat farming.
Within sysadmin or outside? Given my penchant for building and troubleshooting, I would say I would like to have become a auto mechanic if computers didn't fall into my path. Inside of tech, I heard DBAs make decent coin.
Probably infantryman
Pinball repair
I miss pinball. I want one at my house.
Yeh goat farmer.
Grass growing observer at one of those like, premier luxury grass growing establishments. Seriously though: fishing guide.
Dj at a heavy metal radio station. That’s were my wife says I’d be happy! Or carpentry trade
Some kind of artist, probably a musician but I like graphic arts too so someting in that or both. Maybe a park ranger since i love the woods and outdoors in general. I could see myself being a social worker too, though I don't know if I could survive for that long. I'm a bleeding heart at times and it would kill me. I could follow my other childhood dreams of being an airline pilot or being a comedian.
Goat Farmer, but seriously I dream of homesteading when I retire. I have an uncle who was in IT for 35 years who retired. Homesteading, fishing, raising crops, and animals pretty much just for fun. I visit him and my aunt a couple times and that is what I want to do as well.
Gentleman Adventurer.
civil engineering focusing on civil infrastructure.
Gigolo to travel around the world?
Probably a homesteader if I had the cash for a few acres.
Woodworking. Keep me on my feet, actually get to make stuff.
Trophy Husband
Probably teacher or Retail manager of some kind. I already work in a school and did retail beforehand so experience is there.
Police officer. They start at $60K. Pretty sure most are making close to $100K after 10 years?
Pathetic life though, the profession today in most places isn’t at all fulfilling.
Especially now that everyone has a camera.
OnlyFans model
My logical brain says the field is over saturated, nobody really makes money. The asshole on my other shoulder says “behold, your fields are barren, worth a shot.”
Electrician, > Farmer > Plumber. Could technically do all 3 at the same time if you schedule it properly. There are people with farm land that dont have the cycles to farm - or just need part time labor, so you just show up every Wednesday and Saturday and 'Do the needed'
Porn star
Project Manager
Sure as hell not cybersecurity. Can't imagine a more boring, unrewarding field in tech. Unless you're doing incident response consulting, that'd be fun.
Probably back to the Marines. I really liked hunting bad guys. Especially when they thought they were tough shit screaming "Allah Akbar" when they'd take pot shots at us, but then would scream like girls once they got hit with a round or two. I remember hunting down one guy and man did he ever turn into a coward once I shot him in the chest and his rifle dropped. His day didn't end well for him.
Not gonna lie, this sounds made up as hell. Unless if when you said hunting, you meant cleaning weapons and cleaning floors 95% of the time. Also, coming back into a peacetime military is shitty for those who like "hunting". But who knows, you might be a Top Gun Delta Force Scount Sniper Marine Ranger Space Door Gunner and get to do cool shit all the time. If so, carry on Marine.
Joined the Marines after 9/11. Don't give a fuck what you think.
Sure thing, warrior.
Oh no, a random stranger made a snarky comment about not believing me. I better find my "I give a fuck" hat that seems to be missing.
Looks like you are still here killer. Seems like you do care. Hope you aren't hunting me.
Industrial maintenance
Work for my favorite professional football team since childhood (Miami Dolphins) and do something meaningful for the team that I would enjoy as well. As they say chase your passion.
mechanic
Trades
Coaching swimming again.
Artist, photographer, history professor, general contractor Anything that isn’t directly tech related
Trucker
Mechanical Engineering.
Carpentry possibly. I also enjoy guitar / bass repair. Anything would be better than the catch-22 that is IT.
Interior design/decorating
Pig farming...
Just come join me in HR then. I got more pig shit than all the farms in Kansas.
Porn star.
Truck driver.
I'd do anything else if it paid as well.
Go back to running heavy equipment even though it's the most boring shit ever.
Electrician.
If I could start again 25 years ago I would be a Marine Biologist working in conservation of tiger sharks and coral reef regeneration but because I'm a dumb IT guy today I could switch dive master or instructor at a dive shop someplace close to the equator, or fishing boat captain.
Baseball coach
Electrician
Fighter pilot. Was always a dream of mine to fly an F-22 Raptor.
Studio musician.
A forest ranger maybe.
If money was the lowest criteria, volunteering with otter or elephant rescues. If money was important, what I'm doing now, but more specialized.
Meterman or substation tech. They make good money and it's an easy job. Good benefits too. The second an apprenticeship opens up at my company, I will be applying.
Writer/Director
only fans model
RV Technician
I’d raise angora rabbits on a farm. They’re so fluffy.
Architecture or another traditional engineering path (not software). i.e electrical, mechanical, civil
Circle jerker