How Did You Get to Where You Are?

[Adasta]

I often find people's stories about their career history to be quite interesting. A lot of the time it seems that people started out doing something completely different to what they end up doing.

So, to satisfy my curiosity:

1. What job do you have at the moment?
2. How did you end up there?

 

[mark barker]

Currently a bikeability instructor, previously a D&T teacher, retail manager and RAF flight crew.

Why the changes? Over the past couple of years I realised that I wasn't enjoying my work as much as I should be, and I wanted to work less hours. Bikeability fitted the bill nicely, and everyday is fun. I kind of fell into retail after leaving the RAF as I needed a job and retail was an easy option. Unfortunately I didn't choose to leave the RAF, I broke my pelvis and was medically discharged.

 

[Dayvo]

I've been a vagabond most of my adult life.

I don't like being in one place too long, so I've worked, saved up and travelled.

I was 'settled' for four years whilst at uni as a mature student, but I'm still on the move.

I've had dozens of different jobs (I prefer lifestyle to career) and currently work as a greenkeeper (or I will do again, come the end of March).

In the autumn, my girlfriend and I are having a year 'off' and moving to the west of Norway to do anything that pleases us, before deciding how and where to spend the rest of our (hopefully) long lives.

 

[tyred]

I'm a tech support technician for a telecoms company. I've never really had a career plan and have been happy to drift through life. I'm in this job as I was made redundant from my previous one, applied for a few and got this. I would like to change but jobs are few and far between at the moment.

 

[subaqua]

electrical construction/project manager.

did an apprenticeship as a spark, worked hard did ,more college, worked harder. got better, got promoted through chargehand and foreman levels and then came off the tools .

not all with one company but not too many moves in the last 22 years.

i wanted to be a airframe and propulsion technician in RAF but got medicalled out after 5 weeks 5 days when i broke my ankle.

I listened to my dad who said get a trade. it worked for me.

 

[ACS]

Ex RAF ( 28 years) in a non technical trade. Retrained, while serving HM, as a Network/IT/Web techie type bod at firstly night school and university and have worked in the independent schools sector for the last 7 years or so.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Currently a professor in a Canadian university. Have been an unemployed activist, barman, charity administrator, teacher of English, and various other things. Ended up here by a combination of having a good degree, luck and hard work.

 

[Hilldodger]

Fell off a motorbike at a silly high speed (during a race on a track before anyone comments) and knackered my legs up.

Started cycling to get over my injuries and I became hooked.

 

[asterix]

Estate Agency. I lasted 3 months(the trial period)
British Rail Shipping and International Services Division
Freight-forwarding on the booming Felixstowe Dock
Computer science degree
Insurance company IT dept
Redundancy
Unemployment
Converting an old agricultural building in rural France (part time)

About the only advice my father gave me was not to join the armed services. He'd been in the army, 39-46, his elder brother was killed in the RAF, so perhaps understandable.

 

[cookiemonster]

1 - Tesco

2- It was either that or prostitution to pay for the degree.

 

[ThePainInSpain]

How did I get to where I am now.............??????????????????


I got old

and retired........................................

 

[Arch]

12 years in retail after I flunked my A levels.

10 years in academic archeaology (studying, more than paid working), culminating in a PhD I never finished after things went a bit wrong in life.

Towards the end of the PhD, I was doing the odd day as a casual worker collecting recycling on the kerbside for a local environmental charity, and the same week I quit the PhD, one of the permanent staff left, so I applied and got it, and that's what I do 4 days a week.

One day a week I work for Velo Vision magazine, having got into cycling and the York cycle mafia while I was at Uni.

Hmm, I'm noticing a bit of flunkiness in that lot. Although I'm happy, so it seems to have worked out alright.

 

[badkitty]

I run/own a Woodland Management company.

I got here:

Unintentionally. Was a family business being allowed to fall apart which upset me quite a lot. I found out that it wasn't that different to running houses/kids/ etc and that bizarrely, I was good at it. So I did a deal which got rid of the people who were screwing things up,learned to use a handbill* and now absolutely love it.

It helps a lot that I'm virtually unemployable- I just cant work for other people. Its hard to think of a "normal" job I've had where I didn't end up just walking out in disgust. So I've been self employed for about 15 years anyway, but this is the first time I've had to look after staff and subcontractors, so that was a bit daunting, but they're great lads, so that's ok.

I know I'm lucky to be doing what I love, and even when it's peeing down, the wind's blowing sideways at me and I've got mountains of wood to shift, I still stop now and again and remember how privileged I am to be there.



* I am still sh*t scared of chainsaws - with my balance, I leave that to the lads.

 

[numbnuts]

I did an apprenticeship as a Blacksmith for 5 years and 6 years at collage on day release, later went out to Australia for 3 years came back and had an accident at work and was given a pension now living as one of the governments so called scrounger's

 

[ComedyPilot]

I've been a vagabond most of my adult life.

I don't like being in one place too long, so I've worked, saved up and travelled.

I was 'settled' for four years whilst at uni as a mature student, but I'm still on the move.

I've had dozens of different jobs (I prefer lifestyle to career) and currently work as a greenkeeper (or I will do again, come the end of March).

In the autumn, my girlfriend and I are having a year 'off' and moving to the west of Norway to do anything that pleases us, before deciding how and where to spend the rest of our (hopefully) long lives.

Post of the year for me.

IMO people like Dayvo are the ones who need to be looked up to, not some career clone doing the 9-5 for 50 years then popping their clogs in their sleep - never having tasted adventure.

You have a 1/2 mill suburban mansion - so what?

When was the last time you sat at dawn watching the sun come up over a mountain lake?

Or skinny-dipped as a totally spontaneous act?

Everyone who lives dies, but not everyone who dies has lived.