What's your job and do you enjoy it?

[Exterous]

1) What is your job: Support Analyst What I actually do: Fix/maintain anything even close to IT related. Servers, switches, backups, phones, wiring, A/V equipment etc

2) How much education/training was involved? Well, technically I have a degree in Architecture. While thats obviously not the field I am in - having a degree from a notable university has helped getting my last three jobs. There were also 6 years of on the job training

3) Do you enjoy it and why? Now - absolutely. I left a company that didn't care about doing things right and just wanted them done with minimal thought and input. Everyone was shoehorned into their positions and no one wanted to learn or teach anyone else. Just started a new job and already they are implementing some of my recommendations. I don't work for an idiot and he told me his goal is to train me to do his job so I can advance either in this company or elsewhere. The pay raise didn't hurt either

 

[TallBill]

I bartend and serve at a bar/restaurant. I don't really like it that much but it pays my bills, lets me do pretty much whatever I want, and gives me 3 days off a week. Plus I bring home no stress and its a fairly social job.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

I'm a field service engineer for a major manufacturer of laboratory instruments. Hospitals install these instruments to analyze patient serum and urine samples for concentrations of particular chemicals that doctors then interpret to make diagnoses.

Strangely enough, my degree was in International Business. I had sales jobs out of college, and thanks to a friend who knew my aptitudes outside of my business degree, I got a job selling microscopes. I got sick of doing sales, and found this service job which I like a lot more. My company has sent, and continues to send me to specific training for each instrument I service. If you lined all of the training up together, I've probably taken more than 6 months of training, each session of which is full-time, on-site at the company headquarters for weeks at a time (fully paid, with expenses, of course ).

I do enjoy my job very much. In all of my time since I graduated college, I feel the greatest job satisfaction with this position. It has drawbacks, however. I typically work about a 60-hour week on average, and sometimes over 70 hours. It's hourly pay, fortunately, so the OT is very nice. I have a difficult time committing to things after work during the week since I can never be certain when I'll be finished on any given day. I can't just call it quits at 5pm if I still have a down instrument. My boss is great, though, and as long as I keep up my work, I can go a week or more sometimes without hearing from him other than general group emails and such.

 

[Locut0s]

Still don't have a job at the moment.

 

[coldmeat]

1) sheet metal apprentice
2) none really, since I'm basically in the training part
3) No. I'm only doing it because I'm working for my dad and he needs the help, and I don't feel right quitting. I'm only an apprentice because I need to be registered to be allowed on a job site, I don't plan on working in the trade in the future, though I have near enough hours to just do the school part and get my own license.

 

[coldmeat]

1. Canadian Forces
2. Lots of training and waiting.
3. Yes, most of the time. I get paid to fire machine guns, throw grenades, and spend most of my time either standing around or sleeping outside.

Not a bad gig. The perks are great.

No kidding on the waiting part. I applied earlier this year for Infantry or Armoured. There are some people who have been waiting up to 3 years to get in because the forces are so full.

I got the call to do my aptitude test, but it came at a bad time for me, and I don't quite feel ready to commit to 3 years.

 

[JSt0rm]

I love my career. I took a day off this last sunday and before that I worked over 2 months solid. I work with air molecules and the excitement there of.

 

[tokie]

1) Consultant

2) Bachelors + Masters

3) I love it. It requires thinking about interesting situations everyday. I definitely use both my degrees.

 

[actuarial]

1) Actuary
2) Degree in act sci (most have one) / math / stats. Usually need at least 2 actuarial exams passed to get an entry level position.
3) Like it. May not be the most exciting at first (lots of number crunching), but as I work in consulting I deal with a lot of different issues, and it's well paid and generally low stress.

I only know of one person who switched fields into this job though, and they went back for a full bachelors to do it.