Just for fun, what is, or was, your career?

BioAdoptMom
BioAdoptMom Member Posts: 358
Like I said, just for fun and getting to know each other better - what do you, or did you do for a living? And yes, I consider being a stay at home mom a career.

I am a teacher and have been for 28 years. I currently teach Kindergarten.

Next?

Nancy
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Comments

  • jessiesmom1
    jessiesmom1 Member Posts: 915 Member
    My Career
    Hi Nancy,

    I have been an Assistant Public Defender (a criminal defense attorney), a insurance claims representative specializing in litigated claims and a stay-at-home mom. In all of those careers you get to hear the most amazing and fantastical (is that a real word?)stories. I have loved all three. IRENE
  • Texasgirl10
    Texasgirl10 Member Posts: 668

    My Career
    Hi Nancy,

    I have been an Assistant Public Defender (a criminal defense attorney), a insurance claims representative specializing in litigated claims and a stay-at-home mom. In all of those careers you get to hear the most amazing and fantastical (is that a real word?)stories. I have loved all three. IRENE

    Nurse
    I am a nurse in a family practice clinic. I've been there for three years and I love it.
  • ladyg
    ladyg Member Posts: 1,577
    My Career
    For the last 26 years (and counting) I have managed housekeeping. I am now the Quality Assurance Controller for a large resort here in Oregon. I have found it to be both challenging and rewarding.

    Hugs,
    Georgia
  • aisling8
    aisling8 Member Posts: 1,627 Member
    ladyg said:

    My Career
    For the last 26 years (and counting) I have managed housekeeping. I am now the Quality Assurance Controller for a large resort here in Oregon. I have found it to be both challenging and rewarding.

    Hugs,
    Georgia

    I am
    a court reporter. Take depositions in lawyers' offices, doctors' offices, conference rooms, every day a different place and a new story.
    Before that I was a licensed vocational nurse, pre children.

    xoxo
    Victoria
  • Katz77
    Katz77 Member Posts: 598
    Great question. I have been
    Great question. I have been in the medical field since I was 20. 50 now. Wow, thats a long time. For the last 22 yrs have been in surgery as a nurse. Yes, have done my share of mastectomies. Glad I was asleep for mine. lol
    Asked for versed soon as I hit the door. Didnt need to know anything :) Good to have connections... since I work were my masts were done.
    Have 3 kids and a husband, so they were raised in the lounge at work. After school care to the extreme.
  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    Katz77 said:

    Great question. I have been
    Great question. I have been in the medical field since I was 20. 50 now. Wow, thats a long time. For the last 22 yrs have been in surgery as a nurse. Yes, have done my share of mastectomies. Glad I was asleep for mine. lol
    Asked for versed soon as I hit the door. Didnt need to know anything :) Good to have connections... since I work were my masts were done.
    Have 3 kids and a husband, so they were raised in the lounge at work. After school care to the extreme.

    Great question, Nancy!
    I've often wondered this myself about all of you!

    I've been in human resources for about 13 years, currently the 1-woman HR department for a Los Angeles County public agency that administers programs for the elderly and people with disabilities.

    Before that, I worked my way up after college in Berlitz' document translations division (which doesn't exist anymore), starting as the photocopy girl and eventually managing one of their national translations departments. I'm a geeky language wonk at heart, and I really miss that.

    Traci
  • natly15
    natly15 Member Posts: 1,941
    TraciInLA said:

    Great question, Nancy!
    I've often wondered this myself about all of you!

    I've been in human resources for about 13 years, currently the 1-woman HR department for a Los Angeles County public agency that administers programs for the elderly and people with disabilities.

    Before that, I worked my way up after college in Berlitz' document translations division (which doesn't exist anymore), starting as the photocopy girl and eventually managing one of their national translations departments. I'm a geeky language wonk at heart, and I really miss that.

    Traci

    Jack of all 'Trades
    Employment Agency Counselor 3 years; American Airlines Airport/City Office ticket Agent 10 years;Travel Agent 4 years; Stay at home mom 4 years; Airline Reservations Agent 2 years; Newspaper Display Advertising Rep 2 years; Dental Business Manager 15 years; Resident Manager at theAmerican Express sponsored American Adventure VIP Lounge at Disney's Epcot 3 years; Retired 5 months; Membership Rep for an Association Management Company 2 years; Dental Office Mgr 4 years; and in between did free lance sales at Nordstroms for skin care and health care products and also did some accounting. I'm 68 and looking for a job anyone hiring?
  • sunshine0406
    sunshine0406 Member Posts: 65
    long story short...retail
    I have always worked retail from my first job at Kamrt then to Mervyn's to my current retail job, even when going to college, getting married, dental assisting school, working at a dental office, quitting dental assisting to have 2 kids, then being a stay at home mom who homeschools her kids, to a homeschooling mom who has cancer.

    I must say I hate retail but it is so flexible and works around my schedule, what ever it may be. I have been at my current retail job for almost 13 years and have moved up to security cashier. All that means is I sit alone in a little locked room with one small window (that has bullet proof glass and looks into a dark hall) count money and push papers all day.
  • camul
    camul Member Posts: 2,537
    Currently 12 years as a DSL
    Currently 12 years as a DSL tech support agent, but on disability now and waiting on SSI disability retirement. During this 12 years, I was a hospice volunteer for a while, the hostess with the mostest on the fun bus to Nevada for about 3 years (weekends), worked for Macy's part-time evenings for a year, and went back to school and earned 2 BA's, and was ready to start grad school to be an LPC in 2009 when I started getting new tumors!

    For the 12 years before that, I worked as a travel agent, reservations agent for an airline, reservations for a river rafting company, and for 2 school years I worked in the special needs classroom at my childrens elementary school, and at the airlines in the evening.

    Before this, I worked for Alpha Beta as a cashier, bookkeeper and front end manager in So California and retired after 10 years.

    Through all of this I was an perpetual student!!! Had the most fun, but lowest pay working in the travel industry!
  • laughs_a_lot
    laughs_a_lot Member Posts: 1,368 Member
    Both ends of the beef
    I have had many jobs that people generally avoid. That way I have pretty much insured that I would have employmnt. I also have worked more than one job for many years even while getting a Johnny come lately education. I worked at fast food resturaunt but at the same time was also on the milking crew of a farm a couple of days a week. Both ends of the beef. I have been a nurses aid, pizza maker, teacher's aide, mental health aide, cook at a nursing home, cook at a retirement facility, laundry lady, and tutor.

    My most prestigious job (or so I thought it would be) was as a case manager in a social service agency that served the developmentally disabled. I had gone to college to get a master's degree in social work. I loved the population I worked with. However, for all the time and money I spent getting the education I made not much more than I did as a mental health aide. On top of that, we were treated not much better than a fast food worker. The stress was tremendous. So now I am back to being a mental health aide. I also like working with the mentally ill popultion. As a mental health aide there is far less stress. I am all into stress reduction, because if one is driven bonkers on the job, a psychiatrist costs a whole lot of money.
  • ldpettit
    ldpettit Member Posts: 128
    Career
    I have worked in and out of the Insurance field since 1988. Mainly in the Medical/Dental/Life/Disability/Vision arena... Customer service side of it.

    Great question and so intersting to read the careers some have posted so far.
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    I am a neonatal nurse
    I am a neonatal nurse practitioner. I was a NICU nurse from 1980-2000, then went back to school and have been a practitioner since 2003. I love my job--the puzzle of figuring out what is wrong with a patient who gives few verbal clues; carefully adjusting care to that individual little patient; interacting with families who are often in shock and in great need of education and support; and then, best of all, watching my baby "fly"--parents finally getting their child home as whole and healthy as possible.
  • roseann4
    roseann4 Member Posts: 992 Member
    ldpettit said:

    Career
    I have worked in and out of the Insurance field since 1988. Mainly in the Medical/Dental/Life/Disability/Vision arena... Customer service side of it.

    Great question and so intersting to read the careers some have posted so far.

    I'm self-employed.
    I have a degree in education which I never used. I have an insurance agency which distributes discounted insurance plans through payroll deduction at businesses. One of our products is a cancer plan which I bought myself. I saw first hand what our products can mean to a family facing a health crisis. I received close to $20,000. I needed it because I had a high deductible plan ($5,000). It renewed in the middle of my radiation treatments so I was on the hook for another $5,000. Not to mention that Arimidex was $340 a month back then. The only thing I wasn't worried about was money. I've been in this business for 15 years. Before this, I owned a cosmetic business for 17 years. Quite a switch.

    Roseann
  • midnight10
    midnight10 Member Posts: 74
    career
    I've been in radio advertising sales for 32 years (three different markets), before that short stints in newspaper ad sales, working for a small ad agency and designing display advertising for a 12 store supermarket chain. So much for a news/editorial journalism degree. I love what I do although it is sometimes challenging. I'd settled in Yankton, SD, and after 16 years was pretty sure I'd never leave, but life has a way of throwing curve balls. I was offered a position in my hometown in NE SD and eventually decided it was a good move because of my Dad's Alzheimers and Mom's need for help/support. He passed a year ago tomorrow at age 90 after having 3 strokes in 3 months. With my diagnosis it has been nice to be close to family. My kids are both in Fargo, ND, so I'm closer to them. I'm where I was supposed to be at this time.
    Way more information that needed........
  • ldpettit
    ldpettit Member Posts: 128

    I am a neonatal nurse
    I am a neonatal nurse practitioner. I was a NICU nurse from 1980-2000, then went back to school and have been a practitioner since 2003. I love my job--the puzzle of figuring out what is wrong with a patient who gives few verbal clues; carefully adjusting care to that individual little patient; interacting with families who are often in shock and in great need of education and support; and then, best of all, watching my baby "fly"--parents finally getting their child home as whole and healthy as possible.

    Neo Natal
    Having a child that was preemie... I know the importance of neo natal nurses... I'm grateful for people like you being in that work industry!
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    Computer geek.....
    Even have a diploma to PROVE I'm a geek....ROFL!!

    For the last 19 years I've been the owner/CEO/manager/biller/scheduler/toilet washer (oops...last one is true, but....) of Impact Computer Services....I'm looking to go 'International' with it (open a branch in The Netherlands).

    Sounds impressive? Nah, I'm the only employee....*smile*.

    My NEW area is writer. And traveler. Hey! Maybe I'll write about my travels...LOL!

    GREAT thread!

    Dutch and American hugs, Kathi
  • BunnyJane
    BunnyJane Member Posts: 213

    career
    I've been in radio advertising sales for 32 years (three different markets), before that short stints in newspaper ad sales, working for a small ad agency and designing display advertising for a 12 store supermarket chain. So much for a news/editorial journalism degree. I love what I do although it is sometimes challenging. I'd settled in Yankton, SD, and after 16 years was pretty sure I'd never leave, but life has a way of throwing curve balls. I was offered a position in my hometown in NE SD and eventually decided it was a good move because of my Dad's Alzheimers and Mom's need for help/support. He passed a year ago tomorrow at age 90 after having 3 strokes in 3 months. With my diagnosis it has been nice to be close to family. My kids are both in Fargo, ND, so I'm closer to them. I'm where I was supposed to be at this time.
    Way more information that needed........

    This is an interesting question
    Like several of the ladies here, my work as also been varied.

    I have worked work as a Geologist in Pennsylvania for nearly 22 years - mostly for private clients conducting enviromental investigations. I've worked in coal mines and hazardous waste sites--and traveled to 48 of our 50 states.

    I also taught Science in high schools (4 years), including a school for court-adjudicated boys.

    I recently completed course work and passed the certification exam to become an EKG Technician. I am hoping to find new work in this field soon.

    I also waited tables for 6 years while I was in college/grad school--- would you like extra whipped cream on your sundae?
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    KathiM said:

    Computer geek.....
    Even have a diploma to PROVE I'm a geek....ROFL!!

    For the last 19 years I've been the owner/CEO/manager/biller/scheduler/toilet washer (oops...last one is true, but....) of Impact Computer Services....I'm looking to go 'International' with it (open a branch in The Netherlands).

    Sounds impressive? Nah, I'm the only employee....*smile*.

    My NEW area is writer. And traveler. Hey! Maybe I'll write about my travels...LOL!

    GREAT thread!

    Dutch and American hugs, Kathi

    I am a pediatric cardiac
    I am a pediatric cardiac surgery nurse. currently I am doing some research as am still recovering from treatment. I am hoping to do both.
  • 24242
    24242 Member Posts: 1,398
    A few for me
    I had a 30 year manufacturing career mostly producing tin then aluminum cans. I moved and did 7 years in a Fine Paper Mill. I could see manufacturing being lost so painted since worked shift work and also now a Drywall Taper doing the stilts at my age. I decided I needed to be able to work for the rest of my life and hard work has brought me places I would never have been...

    Tara
    It is a great question as are most are these days.
  • cahjah75
    cahjah75 Member Posts: 2,631
    Nancy
    Before having children I was an Engineering Assistant at United Technologies Research Center. I loved being a stay at home mom and watched 3 nieces and 1 nephew so my 3 sisters could return to work. When my children were 11 & 13 I went back to work but as a church secretary and remained there until I had to leave on disability 3 years ago. I loved my job and still miss it today. Recently I've been taking care of my 2 granddaughters while my daughter finishes her semester of student teaching. I'm 62 and have lots of hobbies and would be perfectly happy doing my crafts all day long.
    Char