What kind of jobs have you had? What did/do you like about them?

[Wyshiepoo]

First ever job was a butcher's Saturday boy. Mum used to love it as part of my wages was a joint of meat. Whenever I got home first thing I was asked was, "what did you get this time?"
Most of my real jobs have been as a techie of one sort or another. Television, VCR, DVD, CD, satellite repair. A little side line in radio comms repair.
My penultimate job was as a lead engineer in the installation, commissioning and maintaining the TETRA radio system for the island. TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) is a kind of digital radio system allowing multiple users on one antenna.

And finally about 13 years ago I got my current job as an ATE, ATSEP, CNS or whatever we're called (Air Traffic Engineer, Air Traffic Safety Electronics Personnel, Communications, Navigation, Surveillance. I'm one of a team that looks after kit like the DVOR, ILS both Glide and Localiser, HRDF, DME, AFTN, CBR, RADAR etc.
A job I love, the only better job (in my opinion) would have been as an archaeologist or a pathologist. You do have to like techie stuff though. I remember enthusing to my brother's wife about how the DVOR worked and how interesting it was only for her eyes to glaze over and say "sorry, I don't get it, it sounds like magic."

DVOR = Doppler VHF Omnidirectional Range.
ILS = Instrumented Landing System
HRDF = High Resolution Direction Finder
DME = Distance Measuring Equipment
AFTN = Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network
CBR = Cloud Base Recorder

 

[TastyReuben]

I remember enthusing to my brother's wife about how the DVOR worked and how interesting it was only for her eyes to glaze over and say "sorry, I don't get it, it sounds like magic."

When I was in the military, I was part of a small team that installed a new personnel data system Air Force-wide, going from centralized mainframe architecture to a more decentralized gateway-endpoint layout. Lots of running telecom lines, configuring muxes, modems, and terminals, etc.

Even though it was mandatory, of course, something like that still needed marketing, so to speak, to get people on board with it, and the team motto was "We Believe In Magic," brought about after too many people who weren't part of the technical side of things proclaimed that "it sounds like magic <or voodoo> to me!"

 

[Yorky]

Left school at 16 with 5 GCE 'O' levels with the hope of becoming a draughtsman. I was offered a job with Sultzer Brothers (pump manufacturers) in Leeds for £3/17/6 a week with a stipulation that I retake and pass the Physics GCE.

Whilst I was considering that, the MD of a local building firm (during a fitting for a suit) asked my mum if I had a job yet. She explained the situation and he suggested going around to his office for an interview for a job as a quantity surveyor (no physics GCE required). Notwithstanding that I hadn't a clue what a quantity surveyor was, I duly went a couple of days later and was offered the job for £4/10/0. I took it (12/6 more).

3½ years later I was fed up with being a glorified tea boy and gofer and went for an interview with McAlpines Fusiliers in Cheshire. They offered me a pipeline job in Abergavenny (South Wales) for £850.00 p.a. (£350.00 more than my then salary) so I took it. The project surveyor on the job was disabled so McAlpine's gave me a company scooter and I did virtually all the on site work.

I went from being a junior surveyor on that job to being a Director of our Malaysian company 30 years later. I took voluntary early retirement in 1999 when the writing was on the wall (the division closed down 14 months later).

Continued with consultancy work for the following 10 years (of and on) in Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, China, Taiwan and Indonesia.

Overall, I've been extremely content and enjoyed my work.

 

[rascal]

Left school at 16 with 5 GCE 'O' levels with the hope of becoming a draughtsman. I was offered a job with Sultzer Brothers (pump manufacturers) in Leeds for £3/17/6 a week with a stipulation that I retake and pass the Physics GCE.

Whilst I was considering that, the MD of a local building firm (during a fitting for a suit) asked my mum if I had a job yet. She explained the situation and he suggested going around to his office for an interview for a job as a quantity surveyor (no physics GCE required). Notwithstanding that I hadn't a clue what a quantity surveyor was, I duly went a couple of days later and was offered the job for £4/10/0. I took it (12/6 more).

3½ years later I was fed up with being a glorified tea boy and gofer and went for an interview with McAlpines Fusiliers in Cheshire. They offered me a pipeline job in Abergavenny (South Wales) for £850.00 p.a. (£350.00 more than my then salary) so I took it. The project surveyor on the job was disabled so McAlpine's gave me a company scooter and I did virtually all the on site work.

I went from being a junior surveyor on that job to being a Director of our Malaysian company 30 years later. I took voluntary early retirement in 1999 when the writing was on the wall (the division closed down 14 months later).

Continued with consultancy work for the following 10 years (of and on) in Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, China, Taiwan and Indonesia.

Overall, I've been extremely content and enjoyed my work.

Sums up my working life, I enjoyed my life as well. I've worked with people that say they hate their job, I've told them, you spend a big part of your life at work, if you don't like it, leave.

Russ