What does everyone do for a living?

[Laura]

Rosa and Mrsconfused on the other thread got me wondering.

I am kind of deciding. I've been going to school, but really at this point, I am so sick of it, I don't care if I have to be a janitor. So I am trying to figure it out. I am loving writing and I loved setting up my site, so maybe there is some kind of future in there somewhere in either web design or freelancing or something similar. Or maybe I'll decide I desperately want to be something enough to go back to school! We'll see!

[rosa]

I review sections of online courses to make sure the instructors are actually instructing.

I loved janitoring, when I did it (part time - i dn't love anything full time) and it is good for two things: writing, because you're not talking/typing to people all day, and getting really buff. I used to have floor-waxing-machine biceps.

PS I checked with my friend at the editing shop & they are laying people off because they do a lot of work for Thompson & Thompson-Reuters has been having problems

[george]

I am a salesperson. There are lots of great things that come from a career in sales.
1. If your lucky, you can sell things you are interested in.
2. You learn to market yourself and your ideas. Learn to put yourself out there.
3. You learn to deal with rejection more productively.
4. When you need to sell your book you have the tools to do it. ie. Be a best-SELLING author.

I admit that it isn't the glamor job everyone is looking for, but it rewards you more the more you put into it and gives you life skills that you can take anywhere with you. Good luck finding your own path!

[mrsconfused]

I am currently a library assistant in graduate school to one day be a librarian. I have an undergraduate music performance degree, so I'd like to be a music librarian. Library graduate school is for people who like information, organizing it, and helping people finding it

[fringefan]

Currently I am a stay at home Mom to my two children. I spend quite a bit of time at their schools doing volunteer work though so I'm not really sure why I call myself a stay at home Mom. I'm never home! LOL!

Starting in September I will be going back to school for my Bachelor's Degree. Depending on what school I get into and what major I get accepted under, I will be studying either criminal justice or communications with hopes of going to medical school eventually.

[thiswormwine]

I work for a construction company as a project manager. My job is really interesting because I get to spend time in a lot of different environments (building sites, the office, meetings with clients) and I get to interact with a lot of different people. I really love this industry, and if anyone thinks that they have an interest in construction, I would really encourage them to try it out. The industry is also really opening up to women at the moment. In Aus, there is the National Association of Women in Construction, which has scholarships and mentorships and the like, which are really helpful. But yea, this industry is fantastic. Whether you're involved in the design, engineering, or construction side, there is something that is so satisfying about pointing to a building and being able to say "I helped make that happen".

[scottinal]

As you already know, I am an IT geek. I have the perfect job for someone in my preofession. I am the one and only IT guy at a small business with about 90 employees, so I run everything from the servers to the phone system and everything in between, including providing end-user support. I live 4 miles from home, work 40-50 hours a week and NEVER travel for my work. It's a sweet gig.

As for web stuff, you clearly have a knack for it.

I would say if you are truly interested in pursuing it, start researching the following:

TCP/IP networking fundamentals
XHTML
CSS
Javascript
php OR Ruby on Rails

I know a very gifted 14 year old web developer / programmer who does small gigs freelancing through either local contacts or eLance.com or rentacoder.com who is making decent money part-time.

You should at least try learning some of that stuff online or take a class or two and see how much you love it.

I think IT is awesome and remember, GEEKS RULE THE WORLD!!

[simplysweet]

I am a recently unemployed Pharmacy Technician but I am a full time student so getting fired was kind of a blessing.
I am like you Laura, I like to blog and write and just wish that I could get payed to sit at home and bake, blog and scrapbook!

[juliet]

I am a Board Certified Music Therapist. Music Therapy is just so cool. It is NOT performance OR education. Rather, it is application of music. The more I learn about how music is processed in the brain to positively affect physical, mental, emotional, and social health, the more awed I am by it.

I recently left my full-time job at a children's hospital after 13 years to go into private practice. Yes, sometimes I think, "Why did I do that NOW?" However, it was time, and with perserverance and good counsel from successful self-employed friends, the opportunities I see could prove to be fruitful on a number of levels.

[Laura]

Juliet, that is really interesting. When I was in my counseling classes, I wanted to learn more about that, but they didn't offer anything along those lines, and none of my profs ever heard of it.