How Did You Get to Where You Are?

[skudupnorth]

I stupidly thought that enjoying cars as a hobby and working with them would be a good career move.....urrrrr No ! Should have become a bin-man,they earn a shed load (so our chap who "empties" our bins says) finnish early on Fridays and are basically not stressed out unless there is an over filled bin which is left behind LOL.
The motortrade on the other hand is stressfull,low paid (even at a Porsche dealership) and the hours are long

I also wished i had listened to my late Dad who said i should have pursued my love of photography and made a career out of that ,but i feel i would be like a fish out of water nowadays if i tried to rekindle that thought with all the new digital technology......i'm a film/slide man through and through on the old SLR front.

So i'm sticking with watching very expensive cars coming and going whilst i watch the pennies every month.......for now

 

[HelenD123]

Update - went for interview on Friday, starting work on Tuesday! It's a great temporary job until I decide what to do longer term. I'm really excited .

 

[Fiona N]

I'm an independent consultant on radioactive waste disposal - possibly the only one on the forum I'm known as a generalist which is essentially someone who has such a wide range of experience (in my case, geology, reactive chemical transport modelling, material science (particular cement and concrete-based materials), surface analysis, high pressure and temperature experimental work, drilling technology (oil industry), mining engineering (gold mining industry) and engineering systems development and operational safety) that they can talk to experts in diverse fields - sort of a scientific translator. Very useful when you have a team of 20 specialists with a single goal to work towards.

As people even in Cumbria tend not to meet many people who work 'with' radioactive waste (or perhaps that should be 'admit to working..') I often get asked how I ended up doing what I do. I have to first tell them that what I do is theoretical i.e. no radioactive waste is handled in the course of my work (rebut those old glow-in-the-dark 'jokes' ). I need just the same permission to go to a nuclear power plant or waste storage facility as any member of the public. But how I got into it is a long story which I won't bore you with, suffice to say it wasn't planned. But it is the most fantastic multi-disciplinary work with some really amazing people - especially the independent consultants. Although I don't work more than I need to, as money is not a motivator for me as long as I've got enough to get by, I really really enjoy my work and each project is different.

And we need more women in radwaste - working in Sweden and Finland is great as quite often the women at a technical meeting outnumber the men. Not that I'm anti-men but with fewer of them jostling to be alpha male in the project, things get done much more smoothly.

 

[Paul_iow]

I wanted to become a journalist at school due to my love of English language but after a bit of an accident during an athletics comp and needing physio for a while i decided this would be a good career.

After applying to Uni for Physio and not getting any offers, and messing up my A levels, I was offered Podiatry instead of physio. Decided it would be better than nothing I went along and actually loved it. Ive been working in the NHS for the past 2 years, after trying private practice in both Australia and the UK, and it's great.

Im also coming to the end of my MSc in training to become a Podiatric surgeon as I love the whole surgery scene. A decent salary, every weekend off and I can earn more again by offering private treatments outside of work hours, whats not to love! (other than the politics of the NHS)

 

[srw]

I've never really known what I want to do. I was persuaded to do a maths degree almost against my better judgement - Classics would have been more fun. Got bored after one term and tagged on some philosophy for fun and to get out of studying probability and statistics. Graduated and tried (and failed) to turn into a perpetual student in maths. After five years bumming around doing occasional singing work, tutoring and very occasional research I started looking for a way out.

The half-hearted attempts I made to break into the professional singing world came to nothing and so I got a real job with a real company - professional training, serious salary (within a year I was making more than either of my parents had ever made), serious responsibility.

It turned out I was really quite good at it - qualified in half the median time, progressed up the career ladder without really trying, happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right skills to create one team to respond to one need forced on us by legislation, and am now doing the same thing again. My job title has "chief" in it, and there is new European legislation that hits the industry at the start of 2013 which means that my function and role can only become more important. As long as I don't bugger up I've got a seriously well-paid job for as long as I want it - and the company would find it difficult to fire me for all sorts of reasons. I still don't really know what I want to do - I'm now turning my mind to deciding whether I want to try and progress further up the corporate ladder.

 

[ColinJ]

I'm an independent consultant on radioactive waste disposal ...

Interesting - I must admit that after speaking to you on the Rochdale-Blackpool forum ride last year, I wondered what you did for a living!

 

[Kirstie]

Nice one HelenD123 - good luck with it!

I'm a relatively senior academic at the Open University and I didn't 'choose' my career. Staying on at University was the only choice I had because I graduated in a recession with a disability (very little use/mobility in both hands and elbows) and nobody wants to give a disabled woman a job in a recession. So I stayed on and did a Masters and then a PhD, and was lucky enough to get funding. I also discovered that I really enjoyed research, was good at it, and found my niche as an organization theorist. During that time the cause of my arm problem was diagnosed and I had surgery to fix it. Funnily enough cycling was also one of the things I could actually do properly. It took me a very long time to come to terms with the impact that my arm problem had on my life. At a time when I was supposed to be exploring my options, having fun, travelling etc I could barely look after myself at home and was in pain most of the time. However, after a lot of help, and after meeting some incredible people (FM is one) I have achieved my ambition of a 'Readership' and have the self belief needed to continue in research. I'm now quite chilled about career progression and I'm quite happy to take it as it comes from here. The only gripe I really have is that the higher you get up in academia, the fewer women there are, and the system is as sexist as hell.

I have a number of fantasy exit strategies from my career but I probably will never have the guts or the funds to see any of it through...

 

[cyberknight]

Working at Toyota car factory as a fork truck driver.

Started out many years ago as a gym-manager/ instructor but left as there was no money in it compared to the hours i put in, £9k a year for a 70+ hour week?

Hit the recession of the 90s the bosses of my job as Assistant Manager for a local supermarket chain decided i could not do the job but i could train my replacement who was related to the bosses.....

I then struggled for years to get a decent job and finally gave up on aspiration and got a job that pays the bills as i had a wife and son.

TBH i hate the place but there are no employers paying close to what i am on, most job even for very good qualifications around here are offering very close to minimum wage and it sucks my soul dry .We had to sell our house last year and downsize as we were put on short time for nearly 2 years and i was £100 a week in my hand after tax.
I am very close to divorce as the wife wants to separate because of my unhappiness, the only way out of the job seems to be purposefully getting run over , cycling being my only outlet for relaxation or fun.

 

[XmisterIS]

I sold my body for sex, but it didn't make me rich ...

 

[pepecat]

Work part time in a university library.

Got here by a rather long and winding route.
Did a theology degree and liked the city i attended uni in so stayed there for 6 years afterwards.
Worked in a photographic shop for a year after the degree, then got a job in an insurance company.....
Was only supposed to be a short term thing, but did two years full time there and then another three part time when i went back to uni and did a second undergrad degree (graphics)...
Which led to an MA in a different city, but i was still working part time for the same insurance company - got an internal transfer to the other office. Worked there for another 4 years part time while i did my MA (part time) and started a part time PhD.
Was then made redundant along with the rest of the department in the insurance company (ironically they moved all the work back to the bigger office i originally worked in...).
Had a bad bout of depression
Was unemployed for 6 months while this was going on....got the job in the library cos it was kinda the only thing i could do at the time as i was still ill. That was nearly two years ago and i'm still there.

 

[Adasta]

I'm an independent consultant on radioactive waste disposal

So are you pro-nuclear power (i.e. the construction of nuclear power plants in the UK) or do you think we need more time to find a way to deal with waste adequately before we open more plants?

 

[ASC1951]

And we need more women in radwaste ......Not that I'm anti-men but with fewer of them jostling to be alpha male in the project, things get done much more smoothly.

And not just in radwaste. I think we would all be better off with more women in boardrooms and on trading floors; particularly on trading floors, which are wick with cocky teenage lads who might be in their 30s but still can't judge risk.

 

[brokenbetty]

Fine art degree to Business Analyst over 15 years and a series of gentle sideways slides

 

[Wigsie]

12 years ago I finished a Degree in Applied Psychology & Computing, followed by

3 years in web/multimedia marketing
1 year as a diving instructor/guide in Egypt
2 years running own business running diving holidays for schools
6 years in marketing agencies

Now manage the digital marketing for a rather large global medical device company... and I enjoy every day! Never intended on doing this, but love it.

 

[Lisa21]

Left school at 15 to become a zookeeper. I had been helping out for 2 years previously and it was all I wanted to do so I became full time and began working 4 days and going to college inbetween to study for my zoology exams. 8 years passed and whilst I loved my work with a passion I began having a niggling feeling it was not for me as the emphasis at the time was more focused on money than the animals in a lot of ways, and after an incident which ill not go into on here I realised couldnt do it anymore and I left.

I spent a few years as the general manager in a hotel, which had its moments but was long and unsociable hours,although could often be great fun, and then out of the blue was offered the job I am in now and have been in for the past 11 years

So somehow, from spending my days with elephants and lions I have progressed through to working for a 99 year old retired Colonel in a huge private manor house, looking after the house, dogs, and dealing with the private functions, shoots and hunt meets.

Given my time over again I would never have left zookeeping-Had I been older and wiser I would possibly have handled their ways better than I did at the time although I still do not agree with some behind-the scenes goings on that inevitably happen

Im not career-driven, as long as im (fairly) happy and have enough money to pay the bills and a bit spare then free time to do things i love is more important to me than climbing ladders.