Forums » Smalltalk » What is your job or vocation? Round Three

I've asked this before, and have always been interested in the answers. I've also been away for a while and see some faces that are new to me.

So, let's get started. What do you for a job? Are you the random older user with a career oriented mindset? Just starting out on the job hunt and maybe looking for some advice? Or maybe you're pursuing a more technical vocation, like electrical engineer or industrial welder?

Personally, I am a CNA - Certified Nurse Aide - who works with the developmentally disabled and those unable to care for themselves. At some point, I am also going to get my CMA, RNA, flobotomy, and maybe LPN licenses as well (Certified medication Aide, restorative nurse Aide, drawing blood, and licensed practicing nurse respectively). I enjoy my work on the whole, and feel it has made me a better person.

So, tell me about you! I want to hear all about it, even if you think no one would be interested - you'll often find yourself surprised.

*cracks knuckles*

At this exact moment I'm a house/pet sitter, and have been for a couple of years now! Nothing terribly special, I just take care of pets/keep an eye on houses while folks are out of town.

However I'm moving back to Texas around Christmas, so I'll either have to go hunting in the job market again or try my hand at college again--not entirely sure which way I'll go yet.

I'm currently in the disability system due to health issues, but I work as a freelance Virtual Assistant in my spare time when I'm able. I do a little bit of everything, mostly for web developers at this point; data entry, content management, coding, organizing, researching, writing articles, tending to blogs and social media, graphics editing, analytics and so forth. All the little things that a busy developer has no time for but that's easy enough for someone with my experience to handle!

It kinda sucks that my health isn't up to par, I really want to do it full time and make a career out of it, I love doing so much varied stuff and challenging myself.

On the side I soooometimes do art commissions (very rarely) and I'm considering picking up knitting commissions, too. They're for pocket money mostly, since I have less time for those things than I do for other stuff.

I'm a full time student (which, it turns out, is kind of difficult as a father of two x_x) currently sitting in the lecture room, waiting for class to begin. I'm studying a Bachelor of Public Health, which means a lifetime of going "No, not a doctor. No, not an epidemiologist."

My major is going to be in community development. I'm hoping to be involved with setting up government health programs in at-risk areas.

I've been through many careers in my life, from chef to army recruit (didn't really fit the culture, and quit before finishing basic training). I spent 5 years working in Childcare as an assistant educator, and that's how I met my wife.

Some people know what they want to be when they grow up. I never did. I just wanted to do something helpful, so I'm hoping that I make a positive difference through the Health system.

Dietary aid , and story writer . My spelling and grammar is horrible . I'm learning slowly . I Love writing .

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Bloopit, it's encouraging to see other eternal student types. My career is mostly set (depending on how long my hands last, erf) but my fiancee is going back for his third degree now, and he's often discouraged at being the oldest person in the class. You can do eet!

As for me, I started a career in software development, realized I hated 9 to 5 work environments enough to suffer major depression and anxiety, and quit to do art full time. It's going surprisingly well, but the lack of structure has been very verrrry difficult.

I'm a full-time student, but I work part-time at my school's library and I'm also a paid reporter for my school newspaper. I'm really excited about both of these jobs because they help me gain important skills for what I'm planning to do after graduation.

911 dispatcher

I'm mentally ill so I have no job

Unemployed, and struggling to find work.
I actually studied psychology, but getting into research requires a PHD, so I have to save for that. ^^'

I am one of those people stuck in the food industry cycle. Started as a host, worked up to cook and server, bartender. Became a trainer and then a corporate trainer traveling to help open and convert stores. Moved restaurants, was a general manager and then the corporate management trainer. Now I am back to serving.
I am currently looking for a job in anything else at all before I burn the restaurant to the ground in bitterness. lol.

I lay bricks...

I work with animals! Care-taking and prepping for surgeries, drawing/testing blood, administering medicines and such.

Technically a orderly or caregiver.

Intellectual Property legal secretary. I did transcription last year (still as a legal secretary) and I reaally liked it, so hopefully I can get a job on that side of things again.

Student at art school, lost in the world. I have no idea what I would be when I really get a job but I know I won't be an artist (not paid enough to live off of the money + I work with inspiration. If someone asks me to draw a horse but I'm on the mood of drawinig cows I won't be able to draw that horse in a bit. If I'm not inspired I won't draw)
I have been thinking of the gaming industry to be my choice, a writer or drawer/Illustrator for the things, have plans for gamesof my own and such
But I've been hearing bad stuff of gae developers and such

I also have very low selfesteem and I feel like I'll suck no matter what I do and talking about jobs kinda sorta stresses me because I have the feeling that everyone younger or at my age knows what they'll do already and have known for years and I'm just a failure who can't decide from the 0 opinions I've been given

Well, I study Middle Eastern Society and Language with Arabic being my focus. I'm current on a sick leave from my job, which is at a catering company in the airport. I'm going to quit this job as soon as I find the guts for it.
I'm a volunteer at something called The Trampoline House, which is a nice little house were a lot of people, mostly asylum seekers, come to take lessons in language, culture and the likes, or just come to relax with other people. Aaaaaand I recently got a new job in a bookstore, which I'm going to start in mid-November.

First, thank you for the interest everyone! It is always eye opening to hear stories from other people - you can glean a little bit of their life just from a sentence or paragraph.

To the artists out there, I don't personally know how hard it is but one of my best friends was a graphic designer and freelance artist for a very long time. I have faith in you , don't give up!

I see I have some medical field peeps out there as well. WOOP WOOP! Our shifts are hard (I do 12-18 hour shifts 4 or 5 times a week) but you can do it. If you ever need someone to talk to, hit me up.

There are some career paths I didn't expect as well: language studies struck me as extremely interesting Penholder, and hearing about Paich's tale made me chuckle (in a good way, man. My graphic design buddy became a bartender but after a while hated it. Brought back some funny memories).

Keep it up guys, I know we have more career paths out there !

Until very recently, I was a freelance web developer. That business gradually went from a solo operation to a team that I headed over the last 1.5 years or so, and has just officially become an honest to goodness international corporation. Like, the paperwork was literally finalized this afternoon. WOO!

That sounds like a giant conglomerate, but it's still quite small. I am still getting used to this transition; my new role mostly has me managing employees/contractors and doing "logic work," planning, and client management. I hope this new structure will enable us to grow rapidly and let me stop working so many evenings and weekends.

On the side, totally unpaid, I created & run www.rprepository.com, www.artists.pixelovely.com and www.nurturemy.biz, because I apparently hate free time. One day I hope the RPR can become my main day job instead of my side gig.

For the record, I went to art school. I've not had any formal training in programming. I mostly taught myself, but my father is also a badass senior programmer with code on the space station and in super computers across the nation, and he has imparted a lot of wisdom to me along the way. #nerdblessed