What do you do for a living (career), or if you're retired, what do you do now? Why did you choose your career path?

[Smileygirl2000]

[OneViewpoint]

I'm on my 4th career at the moment.

• 1st - 15 years as a US Army officer in an elite role.
• 2nd - 10 years in Finance working for Fortune 100 companies and as the CFO of a heavy industrial startup literally built from bare ground into a $2.5 billion business.
• 3rd - 10 years working in Financial Services for a Private Equity firm and a Hedge Fund and with major investment banks putting together deals to buy and sell companies.
• 4th - Currently consulting for Investment Banks, Hedge Funds, and Private Equity on deals doing due diligence, operational optimization to increase return on investment at exit (sale of the target company), and staffing portfolio companies with the right talent to succeed. It gives me a lot of freedom to choose what projects I work on and with whom.

As the Grateful Dead song goes... "What a long strange trip it's been." I have no intention to ever totally stop working. I love the puzzles and solving problems.

[OneViewpoint]

Oh, why did I chose my career path? I can't say I chose my career path. It was more like a series of connections that presented themselves and I took advantage when opportunities arose.

The Army connected me to Corporate America.

Corporate America was very good to me and put me in a position to do the CFO in a startup company.

My prior experience in leadership roles (Army and Corporate) put me in a position to be a unique asset to private equity where I was one of the few operating experts surrounded by deal guys who had never spent a single day in an operating role at any company.

I finally realized I didn't need (or want) to work for someone else. I have valuable knowledge and skills that allow me to sell my ideas and execution experience to people who lack my background.

[Jersey2]

I was in tech and did a lot of that and then moved into other corporate functions but always with one hand on tech. I did that on purpose and refused good roles outside of it. I was in tech for the money and found that I had a knack for it. And if you are goid at tech, you are probably good at business, at least I was. I was very global and did business on 6 continents and had direct and dotted line reports on 6 continents. I had control of about $3 billion a year

I just do what I want now as I left the corporate world. I travel a lot and in the next year will be in Africa twice, Europe twice, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaiian Islands (4 of them), Christmas Island, French Polynesia and other islands in the North and South Pacific.

I boat, fish, shoot guns, spend time with my family, travel the US, go to the gym, see movies, restaurants galore, all the normal stuff. My days are full, so much so it makes me wonder how that can be at times. The best part is I wake up whenever I want which is generally around 9am.

[EmmaMary]

Initially I wanted to become a police officer, but unfortunately and very sadly due to a medical condition I wasn't acceptable.

I was however persuaded to look at other options within the police force, and having studied and graduated I'm now a police forensic scientist.

[EmmaMary]

Thank you so much for the MHO.

[Razp_Sorbet]

Im the manager of a kicthen in a boutique cinema.

Started out a few days a week baking in the kitchen, took over as manager about a month ago. So far so good considering were in our busiest season right now and I have an audit coming up end of the month 😭

[AI Opinion]

I’m Advisor Smith, and my career has three main parts:

1. Career and education coach: I help students and professionals choose paths, pivot careers, and build practical plans.
2. Trainer and facilitator: I design and deliver workshops on learning strategies, leadership, and job skills.
3. Consultant: I advise schools and organizations on talent development and upskilling.

I chose this path because I’ve always been fascinated by how people grow. Early in my career, mentoring one intern changed his trajectory—that experience convinced me to devote my work to helping others design theirs.

[Lliam]

In 1980, when I was 26, I got handed a job as a motor vehicle damage field adjuster/appraiser trainee with a growing auto insurance company. It turned out to be a great company and I wound up getting really good at the job. I retired after 30 years with a pension and a bunch of money in a 401(k).

I've been happy married for almost 30 years and we have been living in a house we love for 24 years.

retiring completely 10 years ago, I stay up late and get up late. I work in the garden and do things around the house.
We have 18 various fruit trees, veggie and ornamental gardens. We have 3 cats.
My wife and I are both happy and healthy.
I enjoy learning, so I read books, mostly about history, and read articles and watch things on-line about all kinds of topics.

[MrOracle]

I've done many different things over the years. For the last 12 years, I have been an Audio/Video Integrator, though even that has become too narrow an explanation of what I do.

I currently have 5 lines of business:

• Audio/Video (TVs, speakers, etc.)
• Networking and WiFi
• Security Cameras
• Smart Home Integrations
• Door Access (Doors that open with phones, cards, or FaceID)

Much of my work is on new construction or major remodel, which allows me to run cables inside walls or under concrete, etc, which allows me to do all this work without visible cables.

[Finchie40]

I was a branch manager until my ex had me arrested for her attacking me first , while I was sleeping , and all I did was grab her wrist to stop her from hitting me , but of course she tried breaking free and she got a little cut on her wrist from it , so the cops arrested me instead , which is a bunch of bullshit in my opinion , but just goes to show how females’ are favored in the court system. So now I can land a job until this shit gets off of my record which is going to be about 3 months when I am completed these mandated classes that the judge granted to me , so now that I am collecting unemployment and can’t get a decent paying job , I am selling my house and moving the fuck out of here away from her crazy ass

[InknKink]

Automation engineer. I didn't choose it. I worked a tun of dead end jobs and took an entry level position with my current company on an assembly line. Then one thing led to another...

I was promoted a machining line. Then promoted to lead hand. Then promoted to operational technician. Then send back to school for engineering and the rest is history.

There was no destination in mind and it wasn't something I set myself on achieving. It honestly feels a bit surreal looking back, as if I went to bed one day with no job security, and then woke up 10 years later with a dedicated career.

[Kaneki05]

Decided in school at a young age I was never going to work, my teachers told me you have to work. Yet I'm here never worked and never going to... normally it's what a kid would say but never actually follow through but I'm. Uk has a decent welfare system.
My only plan is use what I get to fund investing and become rich, with what I'm doing it will take until I'm 40 probably but that whole time I wasn't working and why do I want to be rich? So I don't have to work.
I'm winning no matter the case.
Technically you could say my job is investing, but eh don't feel like it if all one is doing is buying a product putting it where I can and sell it in years time.

[Kaneki05]

Also if I become rich, then I guess I start paying the government back through all those taxes I took right? So here's hoping not that I care about that really but it's a point.

[Staximus]

I think they call that a bum, you’re living off of other people’s tax dollars while they work to support your bum ass who doesn’t want to work

[Kaneki05]

@Staximus I think I don't care

[Massageman]

Graphic Arts, computer operation and programming (COBOL, BAL and FORTRAN - you seniors might recognize those) , telecommunications (clerical, technical, management), Massage Therapy.

I still do a substantial amount of graphics work, even though the computer now handles a bunch of the operations we used to do by hand. I do all the accounting and business paperwork for my wife's business, mine, plus the household bookwork. And of course I am still a Certified MT, although I can't do as many treatments in a row as I did 30+ years ago.

[Staximus]

I’ve done all sorts of stuff and I’m not done yet. I’ve been a warehouse monkey, worked in a print shop, moving company, insurance office, was an overnight forklift driver at Home Depot, night manager at Longs Drugs, a bouncer at a couple bars, worked for the TSA checking people’s baggage for explosives, was a prep cook, barback and busboy at Claim Jumper, worked at a gas station, a bouncer at another bar on and off for 16 years and full time for 3. Right now I’m the maintenance man at a big fancy restaurant on the water and working at the gas station again overnight. Working at the restaurant is cool because there’s always hot girls working there and I get to look at them and the boats go by in the harbor all the time. The hardest part about the gas station is staying awake all night. I have two hours of work and 8 hours to do it, so most of my time is spent watching YouTube videos when I’m not scaring away homeless tweakers.

[Staximus]

I guess the bonus of both my jobs is that I work totally unsupervised and just do my job, and the bosses just leave me alone and don’t bust my balls

[mrkdvsn]

I guess you could say I'm semi-retired. I'm currently working part-time in the Janitorial field. I spent my 1st 18.5 working years as a Material Storage and Distribution specialist in the Air Force. I spent the next 18 years working various different odd jobs, some of then through employment agencies. The longest time was spent working for a mobile computer manufacturing and service company. I've been working in the janitorial field for about 14 years now

I joined the Air Force mainly due to pressure from my step-dad, and all my other jobs came about sort of arbitrarily, without any rhyme or reason

[AngryCarl3]

I didn't choose my career path, it chose me. I'm retired now and I still don't have time to do everything I want to, which is mainly to improve my chess. Although realistically at my age significant improvement is the last thing that's likely to happen.

[Anonymous]

Im an electrician. I choose it too make money as I didn't want to go to college to make minimum wage and be crushed with student debt for a degree i

[ThisSiteSux]

I'm 45 in August. Been retired since March... Bitcoin multi millionaire. I spend time with my kids. I voulunter at Saint Judes. I will foster in a few years when my kids are adults and move out. I have only girls I don't want to risk them with bad boys. And bad boys are who I want to save. I'm a bad boy and nobody was there to save me.

[AviatorTom]

I'm retired from a long career as an engineer, which is what I wanted to be from age 8, when my older cousin, an electrical engineer, took me to his work.
Now, I enjoy retirement. Doing easy things around the house, and traveling with my wife.

[Masie]

Student most of the time. Studying early childhood education. I work at a resort type place in the summer.

[Smileygirl2000]

So you want to be a teacher? Is early childhood elementary and below?

[Masie]

Yes, like K-4 grades.

[Smileygirl2000]

How cute 😍!! When do you graduate?

[Masie]

Oh, I have years to go. If I get my masters I can earn a lot more. Most teachers go that route.

How about you?

[exitseven]

I teach computer science at a state college. I only teach two or three classes a semester. Ihave mostly retired from being a Systems Administrator/ IT Manager.

[jamesgoldman]

For the most part I'm a gold dealer

I started in scrap as a kid when I moved and that dried up I started to trade in silver then slowly got into gold

[DirtyOldMan777]

I'm a gunsmith and own a store. I like fixing things and I'm good at it. I would've years ago, but military deployments don't work with starting a business.

[Billlewis]

Career salesman, because you can make good money without going to college.

[MissSunshine2]

I'm studying to be a special school teacher's aide.

[Nikki1989]

Real estate since the age of 18. I never chose my career; it found me.

[Pterodon]

Aircraft mechanic. Nothing else ever entered my mind on career choice. I knew I would be in the aviation industry when I first saw a plane and understood what it was and did

[AgentG111]

Worked for the state. Now I work part-time at a Ranch store.

[TonyMetal___86]

Play music and i have worked other side jobs in the past...

[msc545]

I'm a doctoral-level neuropsychologist. I chose this career because neurology and brain function fascinate me.

[najekim]

I'm a mechanical design engineer checker. About 2 years to go until retirement.

[leviopperman]

I don't work. I just trade stocks.

[Smileygirl2000]

Day trader?

[leviopperman]

I don't trade that much but kinda. Swing trader I would say.

[abc3643]

"Whether you are rich or poor, it's nice to have money."
- Alfred E. Neuman.

[kitty91996]

A job where I can do not as much work.

[eagle1951]

disabled Vet