Thread: What were you before?

Teacher for 42 years Think I'm still sane!

What kept me on track was doing a variety of different things as well as teaching. First wife was an Ag. Scientist so we had 30acres of orchard plus a 60acre lease where we ran a few cattle. Sold all that after her death from a brain tumor.

I had a wide range of friends from areas other than teaching. I am certain this was another sanity blessing.

Now retired and trying to find time to do what I WANT to do, not what I HAVE to do.

Well, like at least two others I started as an electrical fitter. Only worked as a tradesman for less than a year. Then moved on through a number of different jobs but mostly related to electricity and power.
(Hey Kev Y, I know a few that did 30+ years shift work, I did about 8 and that was enough. It coincided with more health problems for me during that time than I have had since.)
Did a degree to get out of the shift work, and am in high voltage electrical design at the moment, but times are a changin' and maybe it is time to think of that one last and different run for the last few years before I can retire...

Happy to potter with woodwork, metal work and other different arts and crafts. Basically any creative hand work keeps me happy. Not said I was any good at any of it though!
(That first year of my apprenticeship was basically all workshop metal work and in retrospect it was a really great time. Maybe I am trying to relive it!)

SWK

Joined the Royal Navy at 17 as a Marine Engineer Artificer where just about every engineering trade known was savagely beaten into me. Specialised as a Metal Worker, which meant lots of welding, fabrication, blacksmithing, coppersmithing and tinsmithing; but also had to crosstrain in fitting/machining and electrical/electronics. Left after 16 years as a "Chief Tiff" (hence the moniker ) and served with the Aussie Navy for the next 7 years. In my naval career I was employed as a machinist, shipwright, diesel fitter, refrigeration tech, electrician, technical writer, teacher, vibration analyst, oh bloody hell if you can think of it I probably had to do it at some point!

After 23 years of feeling seasick I finally jacked it all in. Worked for a bit for an air-conditioning and refrigeration firm but was let go after I complained about having to fix all the mistakes & cock-ups the other "technicians" had left. Employment in Bundy being spectacularly rubbish I ended up working for Boats Galore playing with outboards for about 6 months. Started to feel queasy again at the sight of water .

Finally just under two years ago I started as a Field Service Technician working in the coal seam gas industry. I'm basically a spanner monkey again, but I only work for 6 months of the year now (two on/off roster!). Last november I was made a Lead Hand which means I also now have a supervisory and admin role but nothing like I used to have in the forces.

I loved the mateship and camaraderie I experienced in the couple of decades or so working in the defence force. It also taught me a few things like patience (hurry up and wait...) and that while there is no "I" in "Teamwork", there are several in "individual brilliance"!

Also, the ability to order a beer in several languages comes in handy now and again.

Dairy farmer 26 years welder 22years making farm machinery offset disc farm rollers etc etc, made redundant 5 years ago now woodturning and bandsaw box making and helping to start a mens shed at port sorell in tassi.
john.

Well, Dad showed me why I didn't want to become a house painter (thanks again Dad!) & after talking to an old school friend, I joined the Police Force as a 'cadet', eventually spending 29-and-a-bit years doing shift work, mainly in communications, until my rubber band broke. Medical retirement, chronic depression (tell your kids not to become shift workers). At least I had a decent Super plan.

Now I potter around at home, do the occasional day helping another old friend out with his film special effects & armoury business, or other friends with some home mainainance, but I find it very hard to put in more than a day or two on any project without a day of complete rest (predicted by my old psychiatrist).

My trade background is a carpenter and joiner (5 year apprenticeship 1966 to 1971). I ventured up through the trade to Foreman, Works Supervisor to Contracts Manager. I'm now just a pleb as a contracts/procurement officer with no stress. On the weekends I can be found in the shed making something and enjoying it.

My trade is carpenter and joiner 5 years apprenticeship from 1950 to 1955. Then subcontracted pitching roofs and interior fit outs including making cupboards. When the project builders stated up it stopped the small spec. builders. So I did additions and finally finished as the maintenance man for a project building firm. My job was to get the completed houses ready for occupation, the trades had the philosophy if it was too hard or all their materials hadn't arrived leave it for the maintenance man. A friend had a contract cleaning business and I worked for him for a short time while he had a holiday, I thought that it was a good business so I started my own and had it for 25 years. Then I bought a taxi cab it was full on then running the cab, the cleaning and alterations businesses.
I need a cup of coffee just thinking about it.
Les

Life before woodwork? Not really in to theology.
Cheers,
Jim

Originally Posted by jimbur

Life before woodwork? Not really in to theology.
Cheers,
Jim

A priest then?

Originally Posted by

A priest then?

cross maker

I trained in computer programming in college after leaving school, but then I trained as a TV cameraman and director. But I didn't work for too long in TV (money was crap), so my first career involved working as a programmer. For a couple of years during this time I also had a retail shop and mail-order business of my own, all the above was before I was 20.

Back to university in the late 80s and worked mostly as a consultant when I finished that, through systems analyst, to project manager in various industries; often as a contractor for my own consultancy business. In the mid-90s I was responsible for the IT side of the implementation and roll out of the UK National Lottery. After the millennium I took a change of direction in role, as a lead games designer for a market leading start-up (I had always been involved in graphics and done quite a bit of games development work in the 80s). We created leisure gaming systems used all over the world, for such places like Las-Vegas, some Native American reservation casinos, Eastern Europe, Russia etc.I was responsible for the games software concepts, designs and graphics production. Our biggest winners were fixed-odds betting machines in bookies; quite a revolution. The Sunday Times described my version of 'Roulette', which was phenomenally successful, as "the crack cocaine of gambling!". It was turning over more money than the UK cosmetics industry at the end of the first year (about £5 billion!). For some of the bookies it made more than horse racing, dogs and football betting combined. Our company became massively profitable, however I was salaried and never saw any benefits myself; not even a decent bonus payout.

Disillusioned and a bit bitter, I left that to set up my own video production business and then over the last 8 or 9 years produced and directed lots of promotional films and advertising. I also did a few years as a late-night TV director too. I also made a few art films.

That brings me right up to my late forties and now staying at home with my 'poorly' wife as a carer and working on my turning... (I see this as my developing 'career').

Originally Posted by jimbur

Life before woodwork? Not really in to theology.
Cheers,
Jim

How about treeology?

Originally Posted by artme

How about treeology?

Well, I do talk to the trees, but can hardly call them prayers.
Cheers,
Jim

Originally Posted by jimbur

Well, I do talk to the trees, but can hardly call them prayers.
Cheers,
Jim

Sounds a bit like shades of Dr Doolittle (or was that animals?) .

Regards
Paul