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What do you do?

Worked on cars since I was sixteen, ended up at a Chrysler Plymouth dealer. Tried my hand at teaching, but the so called students (inner city) didn't want to learn. The school wanted me to stay, but I grew tiered of the drama. Went back to wrenching, moved over to Oldsmobile's. G-d these cars were built light. Moved on after a couple of years into my own shop. Which I ran for over three years. Then I got hired with the city. Worked a little over nineteen years, but got hurt and went out on disability. Worked for a small business that serviced commercial lighting. Signs and light poles mostly. I worked my butt of for the guy. Serviced his trucks to. This spring at the age of sixty six I had had enough of the physical labor, so I retired. Now I work at getting caught up on all the house hold repairs. Help my kid on her house. I really don't like not working. Looking for a part time job. Need to finance that 440 engine rebuild. Were doing good, married forty seven years at the end of the year. Hope everyone has a good future ahead of them, like we have been blessed with.
 
live entertainment industry ( bands, live theatre ) one of the 99% that make the 1 % look good when they walk out on stage
 
I was a Buick dealership mechanic for two years in the late 60's after vocational high school but no money there...left and got a job as a concrete labor ($$) for a few years, then Civil Service Equipment Operator for 24 years and Union Officer for 15 of those years (VP & Pres.). Retired at 51 after returning to work, and having a workplace accident. Now I flip muscle cars to finance my obsession (muscle cars)... love my job :D
 
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Retired from one job after 20 and now teaching health an phys Ed in high school along with coaching varsity football and baseball. Working on the car when I get the chance, which later isn't much!
 
krandall said:
I've been around the forum for a fairly long time but only recently decided to become more active on the board. Starting last fall, I decided to do a paint job and some body work on my Coronet. While in the middle of the project, I was thinking.. wtf did I get myself into. I'm just a computer guy with a dad that has a shop with all the tools. :poke:

As I was working on stuff, I thought I can't be the only guy that doesn't do this stuff by day. So I thought, I wonder what everyone else does?!

So, I work for a larger Life Insurance/Retirement Plan company in downtown St. Paul Mn. I've been here for nearly 11 years working in our Information Security department with focus on our Identity and Access management program (basically, responsible for new people coming in, people leaving the company, and getting access to what you need to see)

What do you do?
Click to expand...
i own and run my auto upholstery shop WEST SIDE TRIM
 
I started right out of high school in 79' working for a builder and was soon running his jobs, by 84' I started my own building company and off I went, all my work was commercial and light industrial and I had a great run for a long time.
Now I'm 55 years old and been pretty much retired for a few years now, closed down my construction company last year officially, now I just maintain and manage all my properties and **** off allot.
 
Master Electrician for some 30 years, much of which in management positions, mostly working with industrial controls.
Started out wanting to be a mechanic but couldn't find a sponsor.
Tried to become a fireman 25 years ago during a nasty recession. Passed all of the tests but the goverment of the day decided I was the wrong colour or gender.
Now at 50, I've grown tired of the corporate nonsense and may very well venture out on my own.
 
Pretty cool, everyone!!! Kind of crazy how everyone is from ALLLL walks of life, yet a simple thing like a car brought all of us interesting people to one place. The internet sure is crazy.
I used to run (still do, just slowly dying off now) a four wheeler website for Yamaha Raptors(sport quads). Had around 2500 active members for a good chunk of time. We'd set up rallies around the country for meet ups. Met all sorts of awesome people whom I still call great friends today!!
Does this site do anything like that? Meetups in different states? I'd love to meet up with some of you guys (I think....) LOL
 
my God..... am I the only one here who does this crap to pay my bills?

should have listened to MOM
 
i keep a 16 bay auto repair shop running.been doing it for 20 plus years,over 50+ hrs per week.god dam i am stupid.still have time to build hot rods and race cars in my spare time.only thing that keeps me sane.
 
I was in the fitness industry 4 years owning my own health club and another 4 managing the personal training departments for several larger chains. Around this same span I was also working as a Bouncer/Doorman in night clubs and doing private security (Hence the "hired goon"). In 2006 an unexpected tragedy with a friend brought me into assuming his role in a company his father is a partner in and for the last 10 years I work as a third party independent inspector for the medical gas systems in hospitals. (oxygen, nitrous oxide, med vac, carbon dioxide etc...) In a nutshell I try and make sure these tragedies don't happen like the one here recently in Australia:

https://www.theguardian.com/austral...y-were-given-nitrous-oxide-at-sydney-hospital
https://www.theguardian.com/austral...y-were-given-nitrous-oxide-at-sydney-hospital
See a few guys on here that work as hospital plumbers and facilities management in hospitals. Would love to know how some things are done state side I may have to pick your brain
 
HG That has unfortunately happened 2x here in the Houston area in the last 20 or so years that I know of. One family I know personally, lost the mother and child while giving birth.
All of our medgas regs come from NFPA99, LS101 & NEC 70. The Joint Commision, CMS, ASHE & TAFHM are some other good resources that help regulate compliance.
 
Have owned a small retail and flag pole install business for 15 years. Flag World in Franklin, TN.
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GoodallHomes.jpg
 
Done a bunch of different things, mostly all farming or automotive oriented. My dad always worked in shops or ran salvage yards, so grew up either tearing cars apart or putting them together. Worked for a stone mason who also ran a hog farm for a few years in my teens, as well as for another guy who made baskets for a living and needed someone to help keep his small mountain farm up.

After my family moved to the Carolinas when I was 19, I worked in various shops and junkyards. In my early 20's I got fed up with cars and worked on a horse farm for 7 years. Decided to try auto repair again with a friend, but we never really had the right location or setup so couldn't make enough money.

Got my first regular paycheck, corporate job in '14 as a part-time counter man at Oreilly Auto Parts, made hub store manager by late '15. Did that about 6 months before I decided it wasn't for me, too much administrative bull**** and not enough parts selling (which I love doing). Dropped back to Asst Manager at a smaller store, loved that but doesn't make enough money with today's inflated prices on everything and me being the only one working (wife has always stayed home and took care of the house and the kid, also has health issues, she has a small craft business started but doesn't make much yet).

So I just started a new job as a PM tech on forklifts a couple weeks ago. So far I like it, it's not automotive but uses the same skill set, it's hot and dirty but that's never bothered me. And it's super easy as at this entry level. starts out at 16/hr, not great but decent, and can work whatever overtime I want/can get. And promotions to higher pay levels seem easy to get if you learn well.

I'm considering going to school for Mechanical Design or Engineering. I'm 35 now, and in the next 5 or 10 years i'd like to be at the 50/hr mark (about 100k/year in salary terms). My family immigrated here from Canada, and had many problems trying to get legal (long story, as much due to mistake my dad made as it is due to a biased system). I got legal permanent residence about 3.5 years ago, and am about to apply for full citizenship soon. So, I kinda got a slow start in life, need to push hard and make up for it :D I really like putting things together and/or making them work better, and growing up poor figuring out to make what you had work has taught me a lot. Figure engineering is the next logical step to take. Maybe then i'll finally figure out why engineers put bolts in those stupid places you can barely reach lol.

annnd just realized i wrote a book hehe, sorry guys
 
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