Work | Pad Patter 4/12

I work for a laboratory equipment manufacturer. We make super fancy instruments that are used in labs all over the world for tons of different applications. I often say, we make the instruments that you'd see in the lab on CSI because people can relate to that. But also our instruments were used to help labs during the pandemic and helped with the vaccination process. They are also used in steel industries, coal, fuels, food, medical, etc.

I worked as a mechanical engineer for about a decade and now focus on the CAD portion of mechanical design. I still do some designs and then I also make the drawings for every piece that goes into our instruments, so that someone can manufacture each piece. I also make "Lego Instructions" that shows how all of the instruments are built. So each sheet will have a handful of parts in an exploded view (like legos) and then shows how those go together, then flip the page and see the next handful of parts and where they go. ...like IKEA instructions, but BETTER! Lately I've also been doing fun animations that show how to build our subassemblies for our instruments. I love doing that! I've worked at the same company for 26 years, since I graduated from college and I love it still!

 

My college degree was in Business Education. My goal was to teach (what was called in the 70's) business office education. The students spent half of their school day in the same classroom which was more of an office type setting. There was no schedule of times for each subject during that time and some days one of the subjects may not even be taught. It was to get them used to the non restrictive work flow in an office. In order to actually teach that, 2 years of work experience in an office was needed in addition to the college degree. So I got an office job in an accounting office in a hospital. I loved it and stayed for 7 years. I never ended up teaching!

When I moved back home I did sub for a maternity leave at a business school teaching shorthand. Yeah, I wasn't fond of it or the school. So I went back into office work and eventually got another degree in accounting although this was just a 2 year degree. A lot of my classes from my 4 year degree transferred so I mainly had to take the accounting courses and a few computer classes. Technology in the 90's was way different than computer technology in the 70's! While taking those classes I got a job as a secretary in a CPA firm. After finishing the course and when one of the accountants left for another job, I was promoted to staff accountant. I hated tax work with a passion.

I ended up in a job as an accounting clerk in a local uniform supply company. I stayed at that job for 16 years until I retired. They have had several people in my job and even restructured it since I left. Jokingly the computer guy (who does stuff for me when I have issues), told me that I could come back since they were looking for someone again. I saw the daughter of the owner a few weeks later and told her that. She said "nope, you wouldn't like it anymore!".

So my work life has always been in an office setting starting with secretarial work (yes, even using shorthand) and ending up doing accounting work. Since I stayed 16 years at my last job, I guess you could say that was my favorite. And, it just fed my love of spreadsheets that I had taught myself to use way back in that first job in the hospital accounting office... only it was called "Multiplan" back then.

Edit to add... retirement is a pretty cool "job" as well!

 

What do you do for work? I'm a legal secretary/paralegal/bookkeeper/Girl Friday for my father's law firm. I've been here for 44 years.

If not working now, what was your favourite job? My favorite job was working at a local ice skating rink as a teen. I worked as a cashier selling tickets to the skating sessions, along with handing out skates, then re-shelving them.

If you could choose a job to do, what would it be? No clue, but I hope to retire at the end of 2023.

 

What do you do for work? I call myself a Jenn of all Trades at my current job. I handle a lot across different spectrums - Billing, Rail Orders and Processing, Contract Updates, Pricing and Review, Insurance/COI, Accounts Receivables, Daily Deposits, Collections, Random IT for my boss when he forgets Caps Lock is on or to press the Esc button, haha!

If not working now, what was your favourite job? I guess it would have to be when I was in college.... I had two very different jobs. One was a Manager of a childrens play and birthday center, called RompAround (kind of like a Discovery Zone). I worked my way up, and I was super proud of myself for my accomplishment at 20 years old.

I also worked in the hospitals around college as a Unit Secretary and Nursing Administrator and loved both of those jobs. I worked in the Nursing Admin office doing time cards/scheduling, and then also worked in the ER, NICU, Peds, Med/Surg and Admitting when needed.

If you could choose a job to do, what would it be? I'd go back to be a nurse. 100%, and choose ER or NICU.

 

I'm a healthcare lawyer for CVS which -- for those of you not in the US -- is the largest pharmacy chain in the US. I really love my job and I can work from home which is a big plus. Prior to that I was a partner at a fancy-schmancy law firm in Washington DC which was great for a while but I was ready to move to something less high-stakes all the time. Working for a company is much more collaborative and team-oriented than working at a law firm where the work is much more adversarial and the environment is "you eat what you kill" -- a blunt way of saying that to succeed, you have to bring in clients all the time. As I said on the other thread, I don't have any desire to conquer the world - I just want a steady, interesting job that pays the bills.

I also work as a photographer on the side, doing portraiture and product photography. I actually thought about switching to photography full-time at one point but I just didn't love doing it as a full-time job, dealing with all the stuff you have to do to run a full-time business. It was sucking the joy out of photography for me. Having it as a side gig lets me pick and choose what I want to do and still get paid for my time.

 

Funny to answer this one right after the college one! But I am off work today- so gotta catch up on the chatter!

What do you do for work?
I'm a dental hygienist! I have been at my current office 2 days a week for the last 9 years, but have been a hygienist for 19 years!

If not working now, what was your favourite job?
I'm still answering even though I do work part time! My favorite job is my current job- we have great doctors and coworkers in our practice and we feel valued and appreciated! I have some long-time patients that are more like friends/family.

If you could choose a job to do, what would it be?
I mean, if you take the paycheck factor out of it, I would totally be a stay-at-home mom/dog mom. My kids are at super busy ages and sometimes I feel like even working 2 days a week is hard to juggle. Plus, we only have a few years left with my daughter at home with us, so I'm trying to savor as much as I can!

 

Work now: I am a host at Olive Garden... it's an okay job. I like my coworkers and the benefits are great. And So far it isn't too hard
But not what I pictured myself doing

Favorite job: was that of being a photo studio manager. It was my dream job. I loved taking photos of families and kids. I loved every second and I'm seriously crushed I no longer can do what I truly love.

Also my most rewarding job is being a mother to my children that will always be my number one job. I was lucky enough to be blessed with being a stay at home mom for 7 years. It was so rewarding

If I could choose a job forever what what it be? Mmm a millionaire? I am honestly not sure anymore .. what I want to be.. I can't do a lot because of my nerve damage ...which fucked my life over. So I dunno

 

I'm currently working as a paraeducator for my second year at this school. That is, I help the teachers. I was hired specifically with federal funds aimed at catching up kids who fell behind because of the pandemic, and was only promised a couple of years. My school district is having some struggles figuring out the budget so I've been waiting anxiously and crossing my fingers a lot in hope that I get to continue to work in this job or something similar. Think good thoughts for me please!

My schedule this year has me working with kindergarteners about 4 hours, first graders about an hour and a half, second graders about an hour and a half, and third graders for a half hour. It's broken up more than that. First, before school, I monitor three classes of first graders helping themselves to breakfast off a little cart. Then I spend about an hour and a half in the kindergarten classroom, participating in their morning routine and then running one of their reading group stations. Those reading groups are one of my favorite parts of my schedule this year. After that I go to the first grade classroom and that teacher has me working with a few very small groups on reading and spelling, and as of last month I've also been working with a brand new student from Peru who barely speaks any English so I get to practice my toddler-ish Spanish-speaking skills. (After studying Spanish for 4.5 years in the late 1980's I used to say I speak Spanish like a preschooler, but from lack of practice I'm not sure I can even say that anymore.) She's an enthusiastic and sweet child so it has been a lot of fun.

Then I help the kindergartners during their writing time for a bit before going to collect 5 second graders from their various classes to work with them on reading skills. Then I'm back with the kindergarteners for math time before I go to my lunch break. After lunch I help third graders with math, followed by second graders, also with math. Then I help the kindergarten teacher a little bit more before my afternoon duty of helping students get to their parents' cars.

It may seem like an oddly chopped up schedule, but I love it. I was a teacher with my own primary grade classes in the 1990's and I was always exhausted. I spent a lot of my personal time planning lessons too. And I always felt like there were too many kids in the class to be able to really help individuals. Now, working with small groups and sometimes even one-on-one, I feel like I can truly help kids.

My favorite job ever was being a full time mom of three unschooled kids. So I have watched a lot of kids learn. Not just my own, but many others who were in our homeschool community. I developed some negative ideas about the school system watching kids learn in freedom with more individualized mentorship. I still maintain I never want to be a teacher of a whole classroom again.

But I'm still needing to earn money to help support my family. My current job has given us the best health insurance we've ever had. It sucks that our health care system is this way, but it is, and fortunately, I have found a way to use my training (I got a teaching credential and my minor was in child development) and do something I love. That is, I love spending time with children, indulging them in their curiosity about the world, helping them learn. I have huge qualms about how long children are expected to sit in desks nowadays, but in my paraeducator position I feel like I can help in ways that often teachers can't, as overwhelmed as they are with the zillion concerns teachers have.

If I could choose any job, money and benefits, not a factor, and talking about now, not the past (because the thing I wanted to do most in my life is be a mom, but I don't want to raise any more kids) I would love to be a librarian and/or host of children's activities in a library or a homeschool resource center. I LOVE reading aloud. I love facilitating projects for kids. I have great ideas for a homeschool resource center (just no interest in being an entrepreneur, no business gumption). OR, another thing I fully intend to do someday, as a volunteer, is I want to rock babies in the NICU. Holding my babies was one of my most favorite things in my life and I am sure I could do that all day for days and days!

 

What do you do for work? I am a File Processor for a Photography Studio in my town. I spend most of my day picking the best photos out of what was taken by one of our photographers, cropping and fixing exposure/lighting/shadows in Lightroom, sending photos through Portrait Pro (an add-on program that smooths skin and brightens eyes and whitens teeth), then doing a final Quality check in Bridge with as-needed help from Photoshop to get rid of boogers or scratches on faces or fixing the background. The studio I work for specializes in photographing Preschoolers and a few Elementary School yearbook photos for local schools. So, I get to look at pretty pictures and make them look better daily- which is a lot of fun!

If not working now, what was your favourite job?

If you could choose a job to do, what would it be? I always thought that the people who come up with names for paint colors/ nail polishes/ makeup products have a great job and always loved the themed names that have been used-- like Not Really a Waitress nail polish and An Affair in Red Square nail polish. I also think pattern design would be fun-- to make patterns for use in quilting fabric would be a dream come true!

 

What do you do for work?
I am a High School Special Education teacher, finishing up year 34 in this field. Right now I teach the Community Based Instruction Program for students with moderate and severe disabilities and also the PAES Program, which is a transition assessment program to help students figure out their path after high school. During those 34 years, I have also been transition coordinator and dept. chair, as well a co-teacher in Algebra and Geometry classes for students with Learning Disabilities.

If you could choose a job to do, what would it be?
I think if I was starting all over right now, I would go in to some sort of marketing. When I was little, I always wanted to be a flight attendant and still think I'd love that job as well.

 

I am the business manager for our church, so I oversee the finances and HR stuff. I love my job!

However, if i could do anything, I would open my own breakfast / brunch / coffee restaurant.

 

I am a chef, chauffeur, doctor, cleaning specialist, counselor/mediator, 9th grade teacher, 5th grade teacher, and 3rd grade teacher. I also work about 16 hours a day, 7 days a weeks, with no pay and no vacation or sick days but the benefits are out of this world.

In all seriousness, I am a stay-at-home mom that homeschools her 3 youngest children. I love my job and think it’s the best job in the world and in all honesty I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Granted there are days, usually in the middle of Algebra 1 lessons or breaking up what feels like the 100th fight of the day, that I want to go on strike but for the most part I am happy and content right where I am.

 

What do you do for work?
Right now I take care 3 yo grandson, for who I have been babysitting since he was 5 months old. I might go in early for my DD to go in her office, take him to school and/or pick him up. I babysit when he is off from preschool. I baby sit Wednesday night and often on the weekend. I foster animals when I can.

Prior to retiring from work, I took care of my dad and my inlaws for 17 years. (taking care of home/medicines, dr. appointments, etc) I got my degree in paralegal studdies and was a paralegal working malpractice defense. I would read medical records and summarize depositions, as well as attend and summarize depositions. I was a paralegal doing real estate closing and wills, workers comp defense. Way back, I was a preschool teacher, teller in a bank and an office manager for an oil and gas company. I also worked for a Project Analyst for a global IT Solutions company. I raisied 2 wonderful daughters, one of whom teaches in Tokyo, Japan and the other daughter lives down the street with my grandson.

If not working now, what was your favourite job?
medical malpractice paralegal

If you could choose a job to do, what would it be?
I loved being a Project Analyst for a global IT Solutions company

 

I love reading about everyone's jobs, and learning a little bit!

 

What do you do for work? I am a Human Resources Coordinator for a school board. I fell into the job - I started as a payroll and benefits specialist in 2012 when my last work burnt down - I did payroll there too, so was qualified for payroll. Over the 8 years I did payroll I added more and more HR functions to my job, and when the HR Coordinator at the time quit I was asked to step into her role. Until recently I did most of the substitute dispatching as a large part of my job - now I focus more on hiring support staff, contracts, onboarding, collecting documents, hiring substitutes, managing our sick leave program, and various other things lol

If not working now, what was your favourite job? I love my job - but my favourite job was being a telephone operator. It was fast paced, and fun (I did 0, 411, and TTY).

If you could choose a job to do, what would it be? Retired. lol