Question of the Day, Friday, Oct 12

[Winchester]

Good morning!

I think it's been awhile since we did this one .... What do you do for living? And what does your job involve? What exactly do you do?

I went to college at the ripe old age of 40 as a non-traditional student and it took me almost ten years to graduate, between working full time and going to classes part time (my son started college at the same time that I did and he finished in four years....I took a lot of ribbing for that, even though everybody knew I was working and studying). After I finally graduated, I found a job as a Land Use Planner for my county (actually the county hired me before I graduated; one of the conditions of employment was that I had to graduate and I did at the end of that year). That basically means that I review subdivision and land development plans for the county, both for residential and for commercial uses. Once the plan has been approved (usually by the county planning commission) and construction begins, I go out with our engineer to ensure that the stormwater improvements (detention/retention basins, trash racks, etc.) have been constructed properly. We make sure letters of credit and improvements guarantees are done properly and executed to make sure that everything is done according to the regulations in our ordinance. I've been doing this now for 13 years.

In addition to that, I also write and amend ordinances for the municipalities in the county. I've amended zoning ordinances and subdivision ordinances in addition to writing new noise ordinances and such. Before a municipality can adopt its own zoning ordinances, it must be given to the county for review.....it's usually given to me and I'll review it along with my Director and send my review back to the municipality for revisions.

I also attend the county planning commission meeting to keep members informed as to what's going on within the county as far as the plans go. Often the commission has to approve or disapprove plans (esp land development plans and major subdivision plans), so members need to know exactly what the plan involves and what may be required yet. I act as a liason between some of the municipalities and the county for plans as well, so I have to attend municipal planning commission meetings, too.

I like it overall, although it can really get hectic during the warmer months and we look forward to a bit of a breather during the winter. I get to meet people and help them with their projects. For the past two or three years, we've been getting a lot of applications for poultry barns as we live in a rural area and there are a lot of Amish and Mennonite farmers here. It's an interesting job.

 

[subvet642]

Goon, hired goon.

 

[Draco]

I currently have 2 and a half jobs.

Main job, I work as a Graphic Designer at Fun World, which is one of the largest Halloween distributor.. Costumes, makeup, decor and more. We also do Easter (egg deco kits, baskets, stuffers), Christmas (stocking stuffers, Santa/Elf costumes, wrapping paper), and Valentine's. Not so much of St Pat's anymore.

What I do is work with other companies and create private label art for them. They send me a template of their art, and I put it on the package for them.. some examples of these companies are Walmart, Toys R Us, Spirit/Spencer's Halloween, CVS, Party City and many more. Right now, we're working on Halloween 2013 for Walmart. I also handle the art for all Halloween Makeup items and majority of the Easter Egg Deco kits.

My Part Time job is at the Container Store. I go in early at 5 am, and help merchandise from the shipment the night before. It's a tiring job, but it's really helping the bills!

My half job is graphic design freelance. I don't get freelance often enough to call it a job!

 

[andrya]

I work in a cleanroom setting as an IMA, Inspect and Metrology Associate, in the manufacturing of silicon wafers for medical device use.

If you have ever had Point-of-Care, or bedside bloodtesting in a hospital (or at the vet) there's a fair chance it was our system. Our division here in Ottawa makes the cartridges that test the blood, and my job is to make and inspect the many wafers/chips that go into our array of cartridges.

 

[swampwitch]

I work at home managing a non-profit agency, there is no "office" we work from our laptops all over North America. 

 

[angels mommy]

I currently work as an office manager in a Re-Bath Showroom.  We do mostly tub to shower conversions for people, but also do complete bathroom remodels. we are a turnkey business, so we don't contract out for anyone, unless an electrician is needed. Everyone else is an employee. Installers, & plumber.  When the salesmen (we have 2) bring in a sale, I scan the contract, pictures, & all other paperwork, & send it to out home office. They do the ordering. I make a duplicate file for the office here. I also maintain the commission report when sales & payments are made. This also gets sent every two weeks to home office for the salesman's pay. I also produce time sheets for the guys, do follow-up calls after jobs are complete, send out thank-you packets (cleaning instructions, warren- tee etc..) , make deposits, schedule appointments, & clean the showroom.

So between new sales coming in,& when I'm caught up on any other office work, I get to spend time on this site, or reading a library book.  (I've been here a year & 1/2)

BUT, This is my first office job. My background is different as far as career.

I used to work in Day Spa's as a Massage Therapist & doing Esthetics's. (also have a cosmetology background, but only did hair for 5 yrs & that was over 20 yrs ago!)

Before this job, I worked in our local Co-op as a buyer in the health & beauty department. I was also the buyer for all General Merchandise.

This is where I learned so much about supplements etc..  I was there for six & a half yrs.   I miss that environment sometimes, but I like the office hours much better.

This is also way less stressful. It's a pretty laid back office.

I work Tuesdays- Saturdays, so I will sometimes still take clients at my home office on Monday's.

(I have a home office set up where I do massage, facials, & waxing.)

When I first started doing Massage Therapy, (20 yrs ago) I started out in Chiropractic offices.

 (I was also a nanny for a couple of yrs. 16-17 yrs ago).

 

[jcat]

I teach German to English translation and English business correspondence to German speakers at a junior/business college, though I also get stuck teaching U.S. social studies and/or English grammar some semesters (like this one :lol3.

 

[tara g]

I'm unemployed. So I pretty much sit around, look for jobs that interest me (not many at the moment) and go to school full time for a transportation & logistics degree. I used to help in the office and in the warehouse at my boyfriend's job, which is a commercial truck tire center. I can run the office better than the branch manager can, and am hoping around the end of the year they will hire me on when they expand, at least until I finish school. It'll be a good networking item, since I can get in touch with many local trucking companies and maybe get on with them after my degree is finished. One of the tire techs got cranky and reported me to corporate and now I can't really hang around like I used to and help out, even though the branch manager approved me being there.

My most recent job was a laboratory analyst in an environmental chemistry lab. I started working there at 19, the same day I started my (now very long) college education trip. I spent a year in receiving/login/sample management (pulling and returning samples to the coolers and other storage), before moving into the Inorganic Prep lab. I tested for metals for 2 months and was bumped up to a mercury person, the sole person doing all of the mercury preparation. I made reagents (potassium permanganate, potassium persulfate, and hydroxalamine hydrochloride) and standards, used acids (sulfuric, nitric, and hydrochloric), and poured up and weighed out various kinds of samples. From storm water to paint to fish to soil, etc. It was an interesting job for sure. I even started attending school for a degree in chemistry. I learned how to run the analytical instrument as well. But in March of this year, both me and my partner in mercury (the one who ran the instrument) were laid off within minutes of one another, due to "downsizing" they said. I think they knew that the guy was leaving in a month or two (just got his degree in nursing), and knew that I was unhappy in Charleston. I've heard from my old team leader as well as another coworker that they've struggled in the department since letting me go, and have since lost yet another employee. I'm not opposed to returning as I made decent money there, which has also ruined me to accepting other jobs to pass the time here (nothing comes close to $17/hr around here really!) I was an efficient "machine" in the production lab, always had great reviews and commendations from my boss. I was with the company for 5½ years.

Hopefully I'm done with my degree in the next 2-3 semesters - it's hard to get a job without experience, much less without a degree these days.

 

[7irishkitties]

I'm a registered nurse who at the moment only works part time so I can stay at home with my son while he is young. 

My main area is labor and delivery but I also have heavy experience in NICU "neonatal intensive care unit", surgery and medical/surgical units. 

Right now I work as a labor and delivery nurse in a small hospital.  My day consist of getting a mother through what can be a very exciting but sometimes tough time. 

I keep moms as comfortable as I can and that can include anything from medications to giving mom a back rub, being a hand to squeeze, a sounding board for baby names or running to get as many ice chips as she can eat

  I also make sure dad is doing ok through all of this too, they have a lot of questions and sometimes don't feel comfortable asking so I let them know up front that there are no dumb questions and feel free to ask anything. 

I do my best to make sure my moms feel like a queen.

The other part of my job is to watch out for baby, even before he/she is born.  I monitor the baby from the time of moms admission until they go home.  I keep a very close eye on their heart rate which can tell me if they are doing well during the labor or if they are in trouble and may possible need a c-section.  After baby is born I then turn into a teacher for new moms or a support system for experienced ones.  I provide care for the baby while in the nursery, checking everything from weight to heart rate, blood sugar and measurments. 

Of course let's not forget a very large part of what I do... paperwork, paperwork, paperwork!!!!  I sign my name no less than 100 times a shift and that's on a slow night.  Also not to leave out talking to the Dr. on the phone or in person more times that I can count.  After all, we do all the work and he comes in at the last minute and gets all the glory 

  I can joke becasue my ex husband is an OBGYN and he knows it's true.  We still work together and have an amazing work relationship as well as a wonderful friendship.  After all we have a son together so I wouldn't have it any other way.

I do love my job and I love my patients and will go back full time when my son is much much older. 

 

[tigerontheprowl]

I used to be a trucker, but I applied for a different position and I'm now a dispatcher.  I also work part time at a warehouse and teach guitar on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

 

[catlover19]

I'm a registered nurse who at the moment only works part time so I can stay at home with my son while he is young. 

My main area is labor and delivery but I also have heavy experience in NICU "neonatal intensive care unit", surgery and medical/surgical units. 

Right now I work as a labor and delivery nurse in a small hospital.  My day consist of getting a mother through what can be a very exciting but sometimes tough time. 

I keep moms as comfortable as I can and that can include anything from medications to giving mom a back rub, being a hand to squeeze, a sounding board for baby names or running to get as many ice chips as she can eat

  I also make sure dad is doing ok through all of this too, they have a lot of questions and sometimes don't feel comfortable asking so I let them know up front that there are no dumb questions and feel free to ask anything. 

I do my best to make sure my moms feel like a queen.

The other part of my job is to watch out for baby, even before he/she is born.  I monitor the baby from the time of moms admission until they go home.  I keep a very close eye on their heart rate which can tell me if they are doing well during the labor or if they are in trouble and may possible need a c-section.  After baby is born I then turn into a teacher for new moms or a support system for experienced ones.  I provide care for the baby while in the nursery, checking everything from weight to heart rate, blood sugar and measurments. 

Of course let's not forget a very large part of what I do... paperwork, paperwork, paperwork!!!!  I sign my name no less than 100 times a shift and that's on a slow night.  Also not to leave out talking to the Dr. on the phone or in person more times that I can count.  After all, we do all the work and he comes in at the last minute and gets all the glory 

  I can joke becasue my ex husband is an OBGYN and he knows it's true.  We still work together and have an amazing work relationship as well as a wonderful friendship.  After all we have a son together so I wouldn't have it any other way.

I do love my job and I love my patients and will go back full time when my son is much much older. 

I can't imagine doing your job. My daughter is in the hospital (she was 10 weeks premature) and I see what the nurses go through daily and how busy they get. You really have to have patience to deal with babies all day. 

 I see the babies crying and screaming and there is no way I could handle that for 12 hours a day. The NICU must be a really hard place to work. My daughter spent 26 days in the NICU and has been in the special care nursery at my local hospital for 13 days now. She doesn't have any major problems, but she was on CPAP for 3 weeks so she had to stay in the NICU. Once she was off CPAP for 5 days, they transferred her to my local hospital.

I don't currently have a job. I graduated college August 3 with a medical office assistant diploma. I was supposed to work in a gastroenterologist office covering a maternity leave from September 2012-October 2013. When I found out in July that I was 22 weeks pregnant (very big surprise) and told the doctor, he decided to hire someone else since I wouldn't be able to cover the maternity leave. Good thing he did, since I had my daughter on September 4 instead of November 15 when I was due.

 

[feralvr]

Gosh, I have had so many odd jobs throughout my life. All relating to animals and their care and/or training. I do have a degree in business and worked at Motorola for years. I was not happy in office work and was looking for a way out of that. I went from the office job to dog grooming :lol3: Had my own business for some years. THEN got into the horses. For the last 20 years I have trained dressage horses under the tutelage of professional show competitors. Learned so much. I have sold my horse and taking a break. It is a very all consuming business to be in but I loved it and do miss it. I also did pet sitting and dog walking to help supplement my income that I earned from the horse business. Right now I am not working but that will be temporary, I think. :lol3: