Quick question; what do you do (or did you do) for a career?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Anyway, I'm ranting on the internet, which is like kissing your cousin. It may feel good at the time, but you wouldn't want to tell anybody about it.​
L O L. that is the quote of the year in my books!

Why don't you look for another job? Lots of friends of mine studied mechanical and some of them hated their jobs. SOmetimes it is a toss up but in the end what counts is your happiness: you can't work a job you hate forever.
 
I'm an engineer. Mechanical. For the last 4 years I've been a testing engineer for a company that makes lightweight shelters and containers, mostly for the military. It sounds like a great job, crashing and breaking stuff... But i can't stand it. If i got fired i wouldn't be at all upset, and this is coming from somebody building a house, so a paycheck is important. I'm not sure if its the job or the company i despise. I mean,i know i don't like the company and i wonder how it stays in business, but still.. Anyway, I'm ranting on the internet, which is like kissing your cousin. It may feel good at the time, but you wouldn't want to tell anybody about it.

Heck, up this way they not only would tell everyone . . . they would end up marrying her. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Delta-T
I would never work a job I hate. I have done it in the past and I couldn't see myself do something for 25-30 more years hating it. The advantage within my field is that with my employer there's about 100 jobs I can do with the same benefits. Change jobs, keep salary and benefits.

Andrew
 
Do you and your wife have the same grand parents?

Nope . . . I was one of the smart ones . . . I married a gal "from away" . . . originally from Ellington, CT.
 
There is no other profession in the world that I'd rather do, but I still hate my job. I'm telling you, retirement is where it's at. I'm just afraid I'm going to be too old to enjoy it.

Someone should develop a way to let people from age 18-50 just do whatever the heck they wanted to and then you work until you die. Since I'm scheduled to die early from a heart attack, I'd make out like a bandit on that deal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Swedishchef
Im a CAD Manager/Specialist/Architectural designer, Spend most of my day (when im busy) troubleshooting CAD issues and doing on teh spot training for my coworkers. When were really busy i assist the architectural department in creating contract documents and doing renderings.

I wish i could say i loved my job, but it would be the furthest thing from the truth.

I tolerate it because it pays well and my coworkers are good people, But constantly having to fix everyones problems when their already frustrated gets old. Same goes with sitting in a cube all day.
 
But constantly having to fix everyones problems when their already frustrated gets old.

;lol Did I mention that I am an IT Manager.;lol
 
My dad always told me "If you loved your job you'd do it for free."
So hating your job is OK!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Flatbedford
Someone should develop a way to let people from age 18-50 just do whatever the heck they wanted to and then you work until you die. Since I'm scheduled to die early from a heart attack, I'd make out like a bandit on that deal.

it used to be called "following the Dead"..and then Jerry went and died and ruined the whole thing....anyone wants a hemp friendship braclet? See! no opportunity anymore...
 
Im a CAD Manager/Specialist/Architectural designer, Spend most of my day (when im busy) troubleshooting CAD issues and doing on teh spot training for my coworkers. When were really busy i assist the architectural department in creating contract documents and doing renderings.

I wish i could say i loved my job, but it would be the furthest thing from the truth.

I tolerate it because it pays well and my coworkers are good people, But constantly having to fix everyones problems when their already frustrated gets old. Same goes with sitting in a cube all day.
I can agree that it must be frustrating..... However at least the people are nice and the pay is good!
 
Hi, fellow cutters, stackers,splitters haulers,and burners:cool: ,
Here in the Mid shires of England I have worked as a gardener for a local council for 34 years,starting at 16 years old and due to retire at 66, so just another 15 years to go,in the winter months I do quite a few tree jobs so this is a good source of burning wood:) .
I supervise a team of 6 men and togeather we maintain an area of approximately 8 sq miles,this includes all highway grass cutting,weed control,tree maintanence,4 schools and all housing estates, so we are busy most times of the year.
Regards Tim.
 
That is one sweet truck! I gotta see if I can find one like that. At least something with a flatbed and dualie.

Most people think they can't afford to have only 1 income when in fact it's the CHOICE that they make. Having a $400 000 house is not a requirement. Kids don't know how big a house is. they think a toilet is huge!!! As I said, i lift my hat to you sir and appreciate what you are doing for your kids!

Andrew

I think my wife staying home actually saves us money given her previous profession (teacher). It costs a lot more than just daycare (more eating out, clothing, etc).

That and it is nice not having a stranger raise up the young'uns.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Swedishchef
Hi, fellow cutters, stackers,splitters haulers,and burners:cool: ,
Here in the Mid shires of England I have worked as a gardener for a local council for 34 years,starting at 16 years old and due to retire at 66, so just another 15 years to go,in the winter months I do quite a few tree jobs so this is a good source of burning wood:) .
I supervise a team of 6 men and togeather we maintain an area of approximately 8 sq miles,this includes all highway grass cutting,weed control,tree maintanence,4 schools and all housing estates, so we are busy most times of the year.
Regards Tim.
Holy crap. you must be busy!!! Sounds like a great job!
Andrew
 
I think my wife staying home actually saves us money given her previous profession (teacher). It costs a lot more than just daycare (more eating out, clothing, etc). That and it is nice not having a stranger raise up the young'uns.​
I believe this way of thinking is much more popular in the US than Canada. Lots of my friends think I am crazy for sacrificing some income for a few years so that my wife stays at home with the kids. It's great knowing that OUR values and morals are being installed in the young ones.

And I can tell you one thing: those who think it is easy have never done it!!!! We have a 28 month old and a 3 month old. Between naps, changing, feeding, entertaining, cleaning up after them, etc it is a fast paced day!

Andrew
 
I believe this way of thinking is much more popular in the US than Canada. Lots of my friends think I am crazy for sacrificing some income for a few years so that my wife stays at home with the kids. It's great knowing that OUR values and morals are being installed in the young ones.

And I can tell you one thing: those who think it is easy have never done it!!!! We have a 28 month old and a 3 month old. Between naps, changing, feeding, entertaining, cleaning up after them, etc it is a fast paced day!

Yeah...uh...we have 5. 7-6-4-2-4 months.

Andrew
 
At least the 7-6 year olds are in school. Here in Quebec pre-Kindergarden begins at 4. So we would only have 2 at home. That is a pile of kids. Do you have a small yellow bus for when they get older and can't stand each other? lol
 
Just cause you ask andrew....

Got a Industrial maintenance technology degree for the CEGEP in Gaspe. It was a coop program, so through the 4 years of the program I worked as a maintenance tech, 3 months in a furniture factory, 3 months in a steel mill and 3 months in a GE aircraft engine machine shop near montreal. All this was paid !! So I finished my cegep with enough hour for decent unemployement check. I did spend 2 month at home, doing the beach bum drinking m un employement check, and beleive me it was an awesome summer !! I wish I could have an other 2 months off in the summertime before i retired. Then The GE shop called me back, I was basically a troubleshooter for all the digital multi axis cnc machine that were making jet engine blade, lot of hydraulic, pneumatic and electronic control. But as this was a contract job with no full time employement possibility I ended up quiting for a full time job in a paper mill near ottawa. I did enjoyed the job, even if it was a big contrast from high tech GE to 3 old paper machine, but it was more heavy mechanixs, crazy big beari gs and pumps and compressor. I was workin with a good team, money was good, but living in the city was killing me, traffic jam, living in an aprtement.... It sure was not for me and I was missing the friend and familly from home. So i eventually accepted a job as a quality control inspector for a 500 MW hydro electric project up northern quebec by James Bay. That was an awesome job with a lot of mechanical, pipe fitting and electrical challenge. The man camp was 't bad and the food on thise hydro quebec camp was like eating in a 4 star restaurant every day !!! I did gain 25 lbs in 6 months there. I really really enjoy this job, and it was a fly-in / fly out rotation shift of 20-8. So back then I moved back home in the peninsula, and that was psycologically really important. Even if i was not to be there at all for the following 5 years.....

And then a big wind mill company qas starting up there canadian division, and I guess i couldn't miss this oportunity, so i trade the north for the south ( my first assigement was california) . So I started as a construcion tech, then became a lead and still am.Been doing that for 8 years !!!! Dang, 8 yars already !!! Always on the road, on some job site through US & Canada. I have 3 kids now and teying to spend some qulity time at home.

I love my job, but that 4 days off every 6 week is killing me. I was lucky to have some project not to far from
Home in the past 2 years, but they are all donw now and there aint no project planner with our company within 1000 miles from home for the next 3 years. So i guess as soon as the snow melt will hitch the rv and being the familly down the road.

And I hope to reired before 65, but i don't have a pension plan. And a new house, 3 kids, a wife at home dosen't leave much for retirement fund, and with the 2008 krash....... Anyway.... That about it dor me
 
Most parents I know who work don't do it for fancy cars or the like. Most do it to provide basic necessities, especially health insurance. Most people do not want to put their children in day care. Even so, they are remarkably still able to raise their children with their morals and their values. Day care is not the gulag.
 
Most parents I know who work don't do it for fancy cars or the like. Most do it to provide basic necessities, especially health insurance. Most people do not want to put their children in day care. Even so, they are remarkably still able to raise their children with their morals and their values. Day care is not the gulag.
This seems to be my experience as well and it holds true for my family. My wife and I both have summers off and our two kids both have the daycare experience, but because our schedules for work match school schedules, they don't go to daycare very much after they are school age.

Would we like more time with our kids? Sure, but we definitely recognize that we have it better than about 90% of other parents, so we don't complain.

Also, people complain about transferring morals and values like its only possible to do so if you have 100% of your kids' adult interaction. Just not true. Daycare ain't Walmart, a diligent daycare consumer does a lot of work to choose their daycare provider. We have been extremely lucky to have consistent providers who are very close friends, almost family, who live a few doors down and share our values and morals. These are the people our kids would be exposed to on a regular basis even if they weren't in daycare. Our current daycare provider lives caddy-corner to her brother (a very good friend of mine) and two houses down from her parents (they always say how they see me as their son). She literally lives around the corner from us, we walk our daughter home from daycare.

Takes a community to raise a child, I always say.
 
Most parents I know who work don't do it for fancy cars or the like. Most do it to provide basic necessities, especially health insurance. Most people do not want to put their children in day care. Even so, they are remarkably still able to raise their children with their morals and their values. Day care is not the gulag.
I do believe that putting your kids in a daycare is a case by case basis. But I would say that 75% of the people I know who send their kids to daycare do it for the perks of having a second income and not because of the actual necessity of a second income. They want nice 2 storey houses with a garage, paved driveway, 2 cars, snowmobiles and ATVs, trips down south, big screen TVs, etc. I don't know many people today who don't have/do 2-3-4 of the things mentioned previously. In 2010 statistics Canada stated that a family with one earner and two parents took home $62000 a year after taxes. That is $5150 a month clear. I think that can be lived on fairly easily...

In Canada we don't need health insurance. We have medicare. You may need a plan to help pay for prescriptions but for the best ones you may pay $350 a month (80% coverage for entire family). So I don't think that statement fits up here.

I am not certain of your age. But I do think it is a fair statement to say that the majority of people under 30 (my age) were spoon fed by a silver spoon. Grad trips to Cuba, $60 a month data cell phone plans, iPads, iPods, Laptops, etc. Too much commercialization. They are of the generation where several of them had their parents split up when they were younger (compared to 45 years ago) and some times you try to "buy" your kids after a divorce. And once these kids become parents themselves it is hard to pull away from that lifestyle.

And I agree Danno you don't have 100% of your kids intereaction while they are at home. But if you drop them off at 7:15 AM and pick them up at 5:30 PM and put them to bed at 7 PM you have a heck of a lot less.

I am not saying that daycares are gulags whatsoever. I am just saying that the younger generation pawn work off more often than not. It's easier to get a daycare to potty train your kid than to do it yourself.

But that's just my opinion.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scols
You run in a different caste. I do work with many twenty somethings and don't know any who are as you describe. Of the hundreds of working parents I've come in contact with over the years, I can count on one hand the ones who swapped child rearing for luxury. This is not even including single parents who are the sole breadwinner. I think it's fine for you to feel great about your choice but I don't think, on a public board, you need to make assumptions about other people who did not or cannot make the same choice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Flatbedford
Status
Not open for further replies.