What do you do for a living?

[may_be_ignorant]

What do you do for a living? Just curious.. I am 18 and as a senior in high school I'm looking for paths to take when I go to college next year, but have no idea what I want to do. Just want to see whats out there.

[EmAnJ]

I work as an Environmental Analyst for an international aggregates and concrete company, but I only handle stuff in Western Canada.

I work at a desk but sometimes participate in field audits. My daily routine consists of tracking our key performance indicators, working with the regional Environmental Managers to help them do their jobs, and doing whatever my boss, the Director, asks me too. I work on communications plans for our department, write award applications and nominations, write and post 'good news stories', track our internal audits, and I've also been doing a lot of work with our new EMS.

I don't like my job and am trying to get out. Working in a functional group (Environment, HR, Accounting, etc., as opposed to operations) sucks. I either want to work for a consultant group, or move in to something totally different.

[Antigen]

What do you like? Language, science, math, history? Give us something to work with!

You can get an idea of some of the careers with the highest projected growth (http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_104.htm) here at the Bureau of Labor and Statistics website. (For the US but I'm sure it's similar elsewhere)

And this is where I plug my career as a medical laboratory technologist (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos096.htm). It's important work, and there are a growing number of job openings as the older workforce is retiring. I love what I do, even though it can be stressful sometimes. Few people even know this career exists, so even if you're not interested, tell some friends! :)

[WordMan]

I am a senior business executive who followed a standard path for wannabee overachievers: Analytical Undergrad (Computer Science), a few years at a major tech company, MBA at a ranked school, Strategy/mgmt consulting for a few years and then transition to management/leadership in a specific industry - in my case, healthcare.

I love my job - best I've ever had and a lot of fun, and yeah, stress. Putting yourself on this type of path requires a LOT of commitment and hard work - and at key points along the way you have to ask VERY hard questions about your work/life balance. But if you find the right combo of good choices and luck, you can end up in a very fulfilling leadership position.

[VunderBob]

My day job is an embedded software engineer, where I do all the low-level blood and guts programming that people don't normally see. My favorite example would be the control software for a microwave oven although my area of expertise tends towards aviation electronics and industrial controls.

When I'm not doing that, I am also a volunteer fireman and EMT. Had I gone that route when I was your age, I would not have had any regrets now, save for the money. SW engineering pays a lot, and you'll never get rich as a fireman.

[Crotalus]

I'm a software developer in the banking services industry. Specifically, I write and maintain mainframe programs that allow consumers to authorize payments from their bank accounts to pretty much anyone; in other words, online bill payment. I also write and maintain the code that processes those payments. To me, this job, or at least the part of it that involves actually coding and debugging, feels like I'm getting paid to solve crossword puzzles. It suits my brain and personality well.

It pays pretty well and has some degree of security. I have been continuously employed for 22 years at an ever (if slowly lately) increasing salary.

[moejoe]

Administrator at a private school. I manage the student services office and staff, I'm the only one here who understands the database, and I go to a lot of meetings.

I love working in an educational environment, I love the students and most of their parents, but recent senior staff changes have ruined what used to be a very tight knit family of coworkers. I'm looking to move on to a larger (maybe public) school.

[Lanzy]

What's out there? Really? Thousands and thousands of jobs, what do you like to do?

[bouv]

And this is where I plug my career as a medical laboratory technologist (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos096.htm). It's important work, and there are a growing number of job openings as the older workforce is retiring. I love what I do, even though it can be stressful sometimes. Few people even know this career exists, so even if you're not interested, tell some friends! :)

In a similar vein (in that it's "science-y" and that I work in hospitals,) I'm a biomedical technician. It's a job most people don't know exists, but there is a lot of variety in it, and it is literally needed everywhere, so that's a plus.

I test, repair, and do maintenance on medical equipment. I mostly do smaller things, like patient monitors, ventilators, defibrillators, etc..., but there are career paths that focus on larger things like x-ray machines, MRI's, linear accelerators for cancer treatment, etc...

If you are a very "hands-on" person, or ever liked to take apart your parents' radio as a kid, it could be up your alley. Typical education is either a 2-4 year technical/engineering degree, or military training (IIRC both air force and army have biomed techs as enlisted career paths.)

[Jack Batty]

"Information Analyst" at a fairly large bank. I manage technical issues/development projects for a chunk of software we use to track sales for incentive payouts.

However, I have absolutely no training in banking and pretty much everything I know about this particualar piece of software was learned on the job. My skills with general office software (as in MS Office) got me here ... but I essentially fell bass-ackwards into the job.

I had two different majors in college (Business Admin, English); I never had any inkling that I would wind up where I am today back then.

I also play guitar in a band, but that's mostly hobby... these days we tend to just have regular jam sessions and occasionally we play at some charity gig or another.

All in all, I'd rather have become a proper rock star, but that's life.

[Rushgeekgirl]

I'm a stay-at-home mama right now but before I had my daughter I worked in construction. Mostly fire damage restoration.

If I'd finished college I think I'd have been a speech or occupational therapist.

[Elendil's Heir]

I'm a magistrate of a large city's municipal court. Before that I was an assistant county prosecutor. The law can be a great career.

[Katriona]

I'm a technical writer...well, maybe editor would be more precise. A co-worker jokes that we translate documentation from Engineer into English.

[Leaffan]

In a similar vein (in that it's "science-y" and that I work in hospitals,) I'm a biomedical technician. It's a job most people don't know exists, but there is a lot of variety in it, and it is literally needed everywhere, so that's a plus.

I test, repair, and do maintenance on medical equipment. I mostly do smaller things, like patient monitors, ventilators, defibrillators, etc..., but there are career paths that focus on larger things like x-ray machines, MRI's, linear accelerators for cancer treatment, etc...

If you are a very "hands-on" person, or ever liked to take apart your parents' radio as a kid, it could be up your alley. Typical education is either a 2-4 year technical/engineering degree, or military training (IIRC both air force and army have biomed techs as enlisted career paths.)

I worked as a biomedical tech during two co-op terms, back in the dark ages (OK, early 80s). It was a blast.

I'm an electronics technologist, but am employed as a quality assurance rep. at a nuclear facility in Canada. It's a living.

[twickster]

Content manager for a website. Started in academia, got into magazine editing when I left that. Current job uses both the writing/editing and project management skills from working in print, plus various webby skills (HTML) I've picked up just by hanging out online.

[WordMan]

I'm a magistrate of a large city's municipal court.

What is your role? I've heard of it but realize I am not sure what it is.

[Elendil's Heir]

The role of magistrates varies enormously by state. Here, magistrates are appointed by the judges of the court they serve, while the judges are elected by the public. I serve indefinitely, rather than in six-year terms as the judges do. I do everything the judges do, though, subject to their review and approval (which is cursorily granted 99.93% of the time). Most of my work is on general civil cases, small claims, criminal and traffic arraignments, garnishments, bank attachments, debtors exams, city income tax, handling the judges' dockets as needed, and advising them on some of the more arcane issues that arise.

It's a good gig. I've been at it for more than nine years now.

[Kolga]

I am currently (and hopefully finally) a community college professor. Before teaching, I did psychological research in the local medical school's psychiatry department. Before research, I was a counselor/clinician in a variety of settings, mostly working with adults with severe mental illness (like schizophrenia).

I have enjoyed all of the aspects of my career. I continue to be absolutely fascinated by the ongoing research and developments in the field of psychology. And now, I get to pontificate about my field, and people are forced to listen, and I get paid! I'd do that in a bar on Friday night for free :D

Fair warning - unless you go into private practice (and maybe not even then), it's difficult to make more than a low-middle income in clinical work, or as a research assistant/associate. And I make less than $50K per year now as a base salary.

[leander]

The role of magistrates varies enormously by state. Here, magistrates are appointed by the judges of the court they serve, while the judges are elected by the public. I serve indefinitely, rather than in six-year terms as the judges do. I do everything the judges do, though, subject to their review and approval (which is cursorily granted 99.93% of the time). Most of my work is on general civil cases, small claims, criminal and traffic arraignments, garnishments, bank attachments, debtors exams, city income tax, handling the judges' dockets as needed, and advising them on some of the more arcane issues that arise.

It's a good gig. I've been at it for more than nine years now.

Sounds quite interesting. Ever thought of doing an "Ask the magistrate" thread?

[Onomatopoeia]

I'm the HIPAA & GCP compliance director for a medical education organization. In a nutshell, I train clinicians on how to comply, as well as the importance of complying, with medical/legal aspects of recruitment and retention for human clinical trials. I'm also involved in the development of CME programs.

[Elendil's Heir]

Sounds quite interesting. Ever thought of doing an "Ask the magistrate" thread?

Now and then; I have a healthy ego. But I doubt there'd be much interest.

[WordMan]

Now and then; I have a healthy ego. But I doubt there'd be much interest.

Well, I appreciated the overview!

[Elendil's Heir]

Glad to. Any other questions, let me know. I like my job and am glad to talk about it.

[The Hamster King]

I'm a videogame designer, although these days I'm more like a videogame "script doctor". I work for Sony and at any given time there are three or four different PlayStation projects I float between, giving advice and critique, and generally trying to figure out how to make the gameplay better.

[Mister Owl]

Land surveyor here. As far as I am concerned it's an excellent combination of physical and mental work as well as being both indoors and out. The pay and prospects may not be the best, but I've gotten to go many places most people aren't allowed and seen some fascinating things as a result. Not to mention the sense of history and tradition that be found if one cares to look. And hell, I have the occasional day where I'm being paid to go hiking and four wheeling.

[Cherrie]

I work for Apple in the Education Department. We handle contracts for K-12 schools and universities that buy in bulk. I love my job and the company I work for. Can't beat monthly beer bashes and Steve Jobs days. (extra vacation)

[Clothahump]

Up until two years ago, I was a full-time Database Adminstrator and a part-time Taekwondo Instructor. Then the economy cratered, I got laid off and now I run the school full-time. Of course, with the economy sucking as badly as it is, no one has disposable income for Taekwondo lessons....

[Asimovian]

I'm a paralegal with a mid-sized, international law firm. I, too, fell into my job, more or less. I've been at it a little shy of nine years. My work mostly involves white collar criminal defense, although my firm has a number of other practices that I see a piece of from time to time.

[pulykamell]

I take pictures and, thankfully, there are enough people out there willing to pay me for it.

[ItsInTheCards]

I'm an accountant in private industry. I help run a rental car business and my actual job duties change from day to day. I actually have several unofficial titles because of all the different aspects of the company that I tend to get involved in. Besides overseeing the accounting staff and producing financial data, I recover stolen vehicles with the help of law enforcement, and I operate our in house print shop.

I love the people at my company and that's what keeps me coming back every day. But, really no one likes to work for a living.

When I was 18, my life's ambition was to become a bartender. (Now I don't even drink!)

[congodwarf]

If you are a very "hands-on" person, or ever liked to take apart your parents' radio as a kid, it could be up your alley. Typical education is either a 2-4 year technical/engineering degree, or military training (IIRC both air force and army have biomed techs as enlisted career paths.)


Last month, when my boyfriend was in the hospital, he mentioned that he has thought of the possibility of switching over to this profession. He loves the fixing things aspect of his job (he trained as a mechanic in high school before going to college) but over the last few years, he's been forced to do more "broadcast" and less "engineer".

For someone with a 4-year degree in Communications (concentration in TV Production) and 10 years as a television engineer, would you recommend going back to school for specific training? Is there a specific technical school that teaches this type of job? Or, since he has plenty of engineer experience, is it something he could learn on the job?

I don't know how serious he was about changing jobs but I do know that he's sick of being treated like a paper-pusher, especially when it takes him away from broken equipment.

As for me, I'm currently a full-time college student. I really want to go to medical school for Pathology but if I ultimately decide that I don't want to be in school until I'm 38, then my next interest would be in Antigen's line of work.

[Busy Scissors]

I'm an academic - a reader in organic chemistry at a UK university. Run a research group that looks to invent new ways of making molecules, in simple terms. I'm currently on a fellowship that means I do very little teaching, so it's really all research focused.

It's a special job in most respects. It gives you the chance to be genuinely creative - thinking up new scientific ideas from scratch and making them happen in the lab is very challenging and intellectually invigorating. Particularly with long term projects where you have a real journey in your understanding. Running a research group is a lot of fun as well - I enjoy the different personalities and being on the 'shop floor' of the lab.

The big drawback is raising research funding - difficult at the best of times but looks to be entering a nadir in the UK in the coming years. Knowing that your stuff has to be world class to get funded is one thing - knowing it can even be world class and not make it is very demotivating.

[Ludy]

I am a Technical Director for a mid sized theatre company. Basically there are two parts to my job. One is for rentals. When a company is renting one of my theatres I have to co-ordinate with them on what they need and what we have. I also deal with schedules and booking extra crew.

For the productions that we do in house my job is to basically make sure that the designers get what they want and stay in budget. This may mean ordering gobos for the lighting designer, trying to borrow a dozen footlights or some wireless mics, or tracking down a projector, or really anything they need I have to find. I also design and build the special effects for the shows. Let see I have made a bookshelf that opened and closed using pneumatic pistons, every weather effect you can think of, I have created new ways of rigging drops of various types and sizes. I have my own recipes and techniques for making blood. I have made a smoking cannonball style bomb and hung people from the rafters. It's always different and I work with a great group of people who are good at what they do, and even when things aren't going well and we have been working 14 hour days all week we still can laugh and have fun.

On the side I also do set design. So I meet with the director and we discuss what we see the look and feel of the show should be and I create it. I oversee the painting and the props and often times pitch in and wield a paintbrush to get what I want. I just started this two years ago, but last year one of my designs was nominated for an award. If I could I would be a set designer full time. Who knows maybe one day I will.

[Miller]

I've got one word for you, young man. Just one word: "Plastics."

[Rhiannon8404]

My first career right after college was working in local radio. I had a variety of jobs, the best one being the assistant to the news director.

Then I changed directions and worked in the brokerage industry. I was a broker, margins analyst, then I worked in securities lending. I loved this career and would have happily worked in this field for years to come, but for the bursting of the dotcom bubble in the early 2000's.

I resigned from my firm in 2003 just as the corruption in the securities lending industry started to take off. Now I do volunteer work with a pit bull rescue group.

[Moment Slayer]

I am a PhD biologist that now works as a head of business development for a diagnostic technology company. Prior to this gig I wad head of a technology development group with several chemists, biologists and automation engineers reporting to me. I am thought of as an expert in healthcare research although my early research background is in bacteria and green algae. Sometimes a path opens up.
I can say that going to grad school was the most fun. 14 hour days but such comradery and beer drinking.

My current job pays well and the company has great benefits. Creativity is stifled though as we are a huge company.

Find what you like and go forward and work hard

[Hello Again]

I'm an attorney, but unlike most people's images of attorneys, I'm essentially a research attorney. In legal terms I'm known as a "clerk" but I'm not like a file clerk -- I do legal research for a team of judges in a municipal court. I also sometimes help them write their decisions.

Before that, I taught horseback riding (I mean, before law school).

Before that I worked as a marketing copywriter for a major bookstore chain (you know the little blurbs they post in the store and in their giveaway flyer? Me.)

Before that I was a customer service rep for the same bookstore chain, above.

Before that I was in college and I worked in an archaeological conservation lab (I took photos of artifacts, and filed the slides, and did some very basic lab tasks, but mostly I washed the test tubes).

Before that I was on summer break from college and worked as a bank teller.

Before that I was in high school and worked as a gofer in a public relations firm.

[ultrafilter]

I spent five years doing software development at a large media company, but it wasn't for me. I went back to get my master's degree with the intent of going to work for a large bank and making a lot of money, but when the system blew up, I decided that I liked research better. I'm now in my second year of a PhD program and loving every minute of it (even if I don't always like it).

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

I'm a medical director for a state prison system. Half time patient care, half time administration. So I'm only part bureaucrat.

Before that, I was a Family Medicine doc in private practice, where I did everything from deliver babies to urgent care to cardiac stress testing.

[figure9]

I work at a small company so my job is to do whatever is needed. I'm technically a mechanical technician (glorified mechanic), but I do design work, sales work, programming, machining, product testing, field service and more. As a bonus I also get to change the light bulbs and fix the toilets.

[Hokkaido Brit]

I got a degree in Library and information technology, and used it for about seven months. Then had a job for two years as an admin assistant for a charity (that was quite interesting) then came to Japan as an English teacher on the JET programme for three years. Then married my husband and so was bound to stay in Japan. I worked as a coordinator for international relations working for the Japan winter olympics for two years, then had five or six years out having kids. Now I own my own English school with about 90 students a week going through my doors. The pay is good(ish) and I am my own boss which is lovely usually though less lovely this week when I've had to take time off because I'm sick. That means paying back the time lost to the students or refunds of tuition later in the year.

I've been in the workforce for 23 years now and have done a number of different things. When I first started, I thought that I'd have to stick with the same thing for the whole of my working life but that need not be so.

[ems]

Engineer by trade - Chemical and Process Engineer to be specific.

However I didn't go into that field specifically. I went into the Oilfield Industry and have done everything from field work to client liason and design to business manager at various levels and training manager and now I am a recruiter. All of this has been with the same company so I got the chance to do a lot of different things. Engineering gives you a lot of transferable skills. Find what you love and the rest is easy.

[Elendil's Heir]

I've got one word for you, young man. Just one word: "Plastics."

Funny you should say that: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=385407

[Ruby]

I'm, and have been for 30 years, an insurance adjuster. I love my job. There are very few claims that are the same as the last one. I get the opportunity to meet and work with many different types of people plus I get to help them resolve probably the worst thing that's ever happened to them.

[dogbutler]

I'm in retail management.

[suranyi]

I'm a software engineer working with digital road maps and navigation systems.

[Hockeyshrink]

Massage Therapist and artist model.

[Colibri]

Ornithologist and tropical biologist; science writer; curator of exhibitions for a museum.

[dhkendall]

God, I hate that question, I just got asked it a few days ago myself.

Primary reason is I've been out of work for the last six months, so the answer is "nothing". The follow-up: "well, what line of work were you *in*?" is just as bad.

I was working for the past 10 years as a "service coordinator" - this was my title. Dispatching service technicians out to their repair jobs. Not really something that requires any fancy training or degree, and was much more of a "job" than a "career", which is what most of the replies here (and to that question in general wherever and whenever it's asked) are.

What career do I want? There's several, but being already 38 years old and can't afford to go to school, it looks like I'm stuck doing "jobs" for the rest of my life rather than a "career".

Even though one of my goals in life is to get on Jeopardy!, the part I dread most isn't going on stage in front of a TV audience of 9 million +, nor is it the awkward chit-chat Alex has with the contestants. Far from it. It's writing on the contestant form what my job is so that Johnny Gilbert can announce it to the world. I have no idea what to put there, even if I do have another job (note, not career, job).

I don't like being defined by what I'm forced to pay the bills by thank you very much.

(Note, I'm not mad at anyone here (including the OP), and apologies if I come off that way, but the OP got me on a pet rant of mine. Rants that are too mild for the Pit usually go here anyways.)

[Rachellelogram]

I'm, and have been for 30 years, an insurance adjuster. I love my job. There are very few claims that are the same as the last one. I get the opportunity to meet and work with many different types of people plus I get to help them resolve probably the worst thing that's ever happened to them.
Are you a traveling adjuster or an inside adjuster? And do you work for an insurance company or an independent company that works with multiple insurance cos? Just curious :)

I work in commercials claims for an insurance company. It's an inbound call center (we don't place calls, we just receive them--and we don't sell anything!). We take calls from people with commercial policies who either need to file a claim or need information on an existing claim, in which case we direct them to the adjuster on the case file. My department specializes in work comp claims but we also take auto, general liability, and property. We also handle misdirected calls and have a pretty good general understanding of the relative company department layout, since we need to direct calls all over the place on occasion.

Mine is a good entry-level job. Does not require any experience or degree, and it's a leg up to other jobs (like claims adjusting). And we started at $12.50 an hour when the local minimum wage was $8.50. I just passed my 2 year anniversary, and while the work is repetitive to the point of numbing your mind, it's not particularly difficult unless your caller is being difficult.

(In case you were looking for options that don't require a degree :) )

[Hockey Monkey]

I manage a small independent used car dealership.

[dalej42]

I am a stockbroker. I've worked for two of the major online brokerage firms. I majored in Economics in college.

[dwyr]

Like Antigen, I'm a Medical Technologist. It has its ups and downs; most professions do I suppose. Unlike a lot of them it's a very peculiar mix of gross and fascinating. Just a few hours ago I realized I still get as much of a thrill seeing a Trichomonas swimming around on a slide under the microscope as I did twenty years ago.

And speaking as someone who's done a buttload of overtime these past few months-WE NEED MORE PEOPLE!

Thank you for your time. :)

[Gleena]

I've been lots of stuff. Professional messageboard mod/chat host/chat transcriptionist - that was the most interesting.

Right now I'm a Project Manager in a mid-size firm that's a subsidiary of a multi-national. I'm also going to law school with a view to maybe possibly I'm not sure yet being a barrister, but I will at least be a solicitor. School is amazing and I should have done this years ago.

[Asimovian]

I'm also going to law school with a view to maybe possibly I'm not sure yet being a barrister, but I will at least be a solicitor. School is amazing and I should have done this years ago.What's the difference between a barrister and a solicitor?

[Northern Piper]

Barristers go to court; solicitors stay in the office and do transactions (contracts, family, incorporations, etc.). Solicitors may also instruct the barrister - that is, the client who needs representation in court goes to the solicitor, who than may determine that a barrister is needed.

[Elendil's Heir]

The American legal system makes no such distinction, as you probably know.

[kombatminipig]

Software Engineer/Programmer/Code Monkey - though my business card says "Security Consultant and R&D".

I work for a tiny company producing an open source PKI library. Pays well, I get to travel to exotic locations somewhat, and is intellectually satisfying. Got there with a M.Sc in Computer Science.

[Capt. Ridley's Shooting Party]

I'm a research computer scientist in an Italian university. I'm currently working on an EU project implementing a C compiler for an embedded processor and proving that the compilation process preserves time complexity in the calculus of constructions.

I think it's a pretty good job: I get plenty of time to work on my own research, get an absurd amount of time off, get to talk to about my favourite subjects at work, and the location is great---I was in Florence last weekend and Venice a few weekends before that. The only downside is the length of the contract: two years, after which I want to try and get a job in a university in the UK, specifically returning back to Edinburgh, which may be pretty tough.

[Capt. Ridley's Shooting Party]

Barristers go to court; solicitors stay in the office and do transactions (contracts, family, incorporations, etc.). Solicitors may also instruct the barrister - that is, the client who needs representation in court goes to the solicitor, who than may determine that a barrister is needed.

In the UK they recently allowed solicitors to appear before court in certain cases. You can even have solicitors that are QCs now.

[Richard Pearse]

I'm a pilot. It's a good job for a lazy bum like me; no college required and low hours with pretty good pay. The barriers to enter the industry are high though so it's not the sort of career you can be successful in if you only have a casual interest. (I also gather that the conditions for US pilots are quite poor.)

[msmith537]

I have a similar job/career path to WordMan's. Although I would rather stay in consulting than work as management in "industry".

A lot of people pursue WordMan's path where they work for a few years at a place like Accenture, Deloitte or McKinsey and then take a management position in some specific industry. Others like the variety and challenges of working for a consulting firm and either stay at a firm until they make partner or switch firms every couple of years.

The problem with consulting is that it does require a lot of luck. You need to be in a good group at a good firm where the partners and directors have a steady pipeline of quality projects to work on. And quite frankly, in my experience a lot of management consultants are pompous assholes who aren't half as smart as they think they are. There is a lot of politics, management tends not to care about their people and it can suck if you are working for a weak director who is only able to sell small bullshit engagements where you not only can't bill a lot of hours, you don't really learn anything either.

[DCnDC]

I'm a defense contractor. What I do exactly I can't say (but it's way less exciting than that makes it sound).

[MsWhatsit]

I index books.

[RandMcnally]

Right now I'm a student (and like you I have no clue whatsoever with what I want to do with my life. In fact, I started a thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=584310) about it a few days ago).

Before school I was a helicopter door gunner in the military.

So far, I prefer the latter job.

[KneadToKnow]

I'm a librarian.

[WordMan]

I have a similar job/career path to WordMan's. Although I would rather stay in consulting than work as management in "industry".

A lot of people pursue WordMan's path where they work for a few years at a place like Accenture, Deloitte or McKinsey and then take a management position in some specific industry. Others like the variety and challenges of working for a consulting firm and either stay at a firm until they make partner or switch firms every couple of years.

The problem with consulting is that it does require a lot of luck. You need to be in a good group at a good firm where the partners and directors have a steady pipeline of quality projects to work on. And quite frankly, in my experience a lot of management consultants are pompous assholes who aren't half as smart as they think they are. There is a lot of politics, management tends not to care about their people and it can suck if you are working for a weak director who is only able to sell small bullshit engagements where you not only can't bill a lot of hours, you don't really learn anything either.


All true - so that must mean that you are in with a good crowd within your firm, or you like consulting despite the negative stuff you describe above (and which I agree with)...that is certainly a big reason why I moved on, along with wanting to feel that the buck stopped with me.

[Taomist]

I have a job, not a career. And I push paper around. Fairly literally, as I work in an office with files that weigh more than most dogs.

[emmaliminal]

I work in educational publishing on books and tech products having something to do with teaching or learning Language Arts (reading and writing). I have done some writing, but more copyediting (loosely defined as fixing only outright mistakes in other people's writing and in stages of book production) and editing (loosely defined as helping improve other people's writing), project management, and training. Mostly project management for the last five years. Loosely defined, that's figuring out what needs to be done for a given project and then either doing it myself or finding someone else to do it. I used to do this for a large corporation, but they laid me off a year ago, and now I freelance. I'm lucky to have a contract right now working with a company I really like. Pay is mediocre, but the work is interesting, creative, and rewarding, plus I'm able to do it mostly from home. I won't need to send my 5-month old kid to day care for a while yet.

My degree is a BFA in acting and theater and has almost nothing to do with what I do for a living now. Which is really what I came in here to say: I think it's actually unusual nowadays to determine exactly what you want to do, then go to college to study it, then go get the job you envisioned. Not least because there are so many jobs you've never heard of and because jobs, job categories, job descriptions, and so on change faster in the modern world than you can get in and out of college.

[maplekiwi]

I'm a merchandiser at a supermarket.

I'm not an employee of the supermarket, I work for the supplier to get their goods on the shelf.

It's a good job, but the concrete floors are killing me & the pay is low (was quite competitive when I started.) So I'm now studying proofreading.

[Northern Piper]

The American legal system makes no such distinction, as you probably know.
And the common-law Canadian provinces do, but not really. For instance, techinically, I'm both a barrister and a solicitor, as are all other lawyers in this province (I assume it's the same in the other common law provinces). Doesn't make any difference in practice.

In Quebec, there are avocats and notaires. Avocats are similar to lawyers in other jurisdictions, doing deals, going to court. Notaires are a separate branch and there are certain functions which only they can do in relation to drafting up documents.

[Ann Onimous]

If you ever make a phone call and hear the phrase, "This call may be monitored for Quality Assurance purposes," think of me. I am the sole QA rep in a 55 seat call center. I listen to 15 calls per month per rep, which equals anywhere between 650-725 calls a month, depending on how staffed we are. We have never been fully staffed, so I've never had to do 825 calls in any given month. I actually love my job. I get to do a lot more than just QA, and I still learn something new every single day. And the company I work for is really good to me.

My kids think I'm a spy, because I listen to people's conversations all day. They think my job is super cool. I like that.

[missred]

I work in inventory management. I do basic forensic inventory accounting to determine the cause of inventory issues for a fairly large company. I also write ISO process for areas of my department.

Before this, I spent the better part of twenty years in quality management. Many of the same skills were required. In the companies that I've worked for, neither of these jobs required a degree (I'm a college dropout) but both jobs have required attention to detail, the ability to see the big picture and decent writing skills.

[eleanorigby]

I currently have 2 part time jobs:

Registered Nurse in Same Day Surgery in an acute care hospital


Medical Librarian at a different acute care hospital


I've been an RN for 25 years, working mostly in ICU and Step Down, with a very short stint in Home Health. Same Day doesn't challenge my skills at all, but it does provide a nice paycheck with relatively less stress than critical care (and no holidays).


The Medical Library is where my heart lies. I'm still very new at it, but I learn every day. If it were full time, I'd quit the RN job immediately. Basically, as a ML, I teach Residents and nurses how to conduct database searches, assist (or just do) searches for Attending Physicians and other staff, ensure that the Library has current and comprehensive print and online resources available, and lend out material to other area Medical Libraries (as they do to me).

In college, I suggest you take classes that enhance your ability to communicate clearly, think critically and engage your interest. There is much to be said for choosing a major and being on a specific "track", but no matter the state of the economy in the future, the world will always need strong communicators and critical thinkers; the interest part is for you-who wants to live their life doing something they hate? Many no longer have a choice, but you have an opportunity to keep your options open.

[eleanorigby]

My kids think I'm a spy, because I listen to people's conversations all day. They think my job is super cool. I like that.

That is a really cool job! I bet it's tiring and sometimes bizarre, though. (and I always thought that spiel was complete BS, added as a tactic to stop verbally abusive customers and/or crap employees. Kind of like a house that has a "this house protected by X alarm system, with no actual alarm system.....)

[Tethered Kite]

I'm retired. What I do to keep living is to make life easier for other people and play. Knowing how to keep my bucket full enough so that I have energy sufficient to do these two things was my (true) life's work.

[UncleRojelio]

I do applied research for a major university. I've been at it for almost 30 years now. I majored in CS.

[appleciders]

Broadly, I'm a theatrical lighting technician and lighting designer. When wearing my "electrician" hat, my job is to take the designer's plans and ideas and actually hang and focus the lights, run the cable, and do maintenance on the whole system, as well as actually programming the lighting console during rehearsals. When wearing my "lighting designer" hat, I'm responsible for talking to the director and other designers to help tell the story through lighting, as well as talking to the Technical Director and electricians to see what can practically be done and how to do it. Depending on the specific job and the scale of the theatre company, I may actually assist the electricians here, or I may never actually touch any equipment at all.

Right now I'm the electrician on a very small national tour. My job is to help offload the lighting equipment and set it up before the show every morning, run it during the show, and tear it down and pack it up at the end. It's fun work and if things go wrong, I have to troubleshoot and find creative solutions very quickly, which I enjoy a lot. The company that I work for is pretty lousy, though, so I'm looking for other work. I'd like to keep touring, but I may give that up in order to be nearer my girlfriend.

I am a Technical Director for a mid sized theatre company. Basically there are two parts to my job. One is for rentals. When a company is renting one of my theatres I have to co-ordinate with them on what they need and what we have. I also deal with schedules and booking extra crew.

For the productions that we do in house my job is to basically make sure that the designers get what they want and stay in budget. This may mean ordering gobos for the lighting designer, trying to borrow a dozen footlights or some wireless mics, or tracking down a projector, or really anything they need I have to find. I also design and build the special effects for the shows. Let see I have made a bookshelf that opened and closed using pneumatic pistons, every weather effect you can think of, I have created new ways of rigging drops of various types and sizes. I have my own recipes and techniques for making blood. I have made a smoking cannonball style bomb and hung people from the rafters. It's always different and I work with a great group of people who are good at what they do, and even when things aren't going well and we have been working 14 hour days all week we still can laugh and have fun.

On the side I also do set design. So I meet with the director and we discuss what we see the look and feel of the show should be and I create it. I oversee the painting and the props and often times pitch in and wield a paintbrush to get what I want. I just started this two years ago, but last year one of my designs was nominated for an award. If I could I would be a set designer full time. Who knows maybe one day I will.

You hiring? ;)

[Gleena]

The American legal system makes no such distinction, as you probably know.

Thanks Northern Piper!

Yes, Elendil's Heir I know. And in getting a law degree here, I had to make sure I wasn't ever moving back to the US. (Expat in Australia.) Both are common law countries but in reading some US law (particularly in contracts) the US veered off mightily along the way.

But I'm really thinking very hard about just doing my reading year and becoming a barrister. I did *very* well in Criminal Law, and Torts is really doing it for me, too.

I have three years yet, ask me again then. :)

Capt. Ridley's Shooting Party, In Australia, there are no SC (which replaced the QC designation) solicitors, but solicitors can argue cases - it's just mostly Not Done, although some do and do it very well (says the barrister who taught me criminal law.)

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

I am the general manager of a small car wash company in the Cincinnati area with two locations. My passions align with the high-end part of the fine dining industry, an arena I served in as a waiter, bartender, half-assed sommelier, retail wine salesman and country club bar manager for many years before my current gig. I now have a family and all I can say about my car wash career is that I now get to spend time with my family in the evenings rather than working every damn night. I still work every weekend though. Tuesdays are my Saturdays!

Now I find myself equal parts plumber, electrician, general maintenance guy, customer service rep, payroll facilitator and lots of other things associated with running a business in general and this type of business specifically.

I have a BA in English from Northern Kentucky University. I have not followed a career path associated with that degree, at all. And I'm still paying off my student loans due to youthful indiscretion in my early to mid twenties. I can't wait to get that $50,000 monkey off my back.

[msmith537]

All true - so that must mean that you are in with a good crowd within your firm, or you like consulting despite the negative stuff you describe above (and which I agree with)...that is certainly a big reason why I moved on, along with wanting to feel that the buck stopped with me.

I left my last job after a year so I didn't like it that much. ;)

When business is good and you have projects to work on, it's great. When the economy tanks, half the group is on "the beach", management starts initiating lots of "here's our plan to drum up business" initiatives and you have nothing to work on but RFP responses (why don't they just call them "proposals"?) and busdev decks, it's terrible.

A lot of it is timing. I started working at one of the Big-4 right after business school and a week before half the World Trade Center fell on our office. Between the econonmy, the dot com bubble bursting, 9/11, and the collapse of Arthur Andersen, it wasn't a great time to be there. But when I started at my next firm in 2004, it was 4 years of lots of billable hours, rapids raises and promotions out the ass.

[Elendil's Heir]

...I did *very* well in Criminal Law, and Torts is really doing it for me, too....

Torts never really thrilled me, but I did well in Criminal Law and enjoyed it too. I did some criminal defense through my law school's clinical program, and after graduating in '92 worked briefly in private practice, then spent 2.5 years in civil Legal Aid, and then six years as a prosecutor (a little child support and juvenile court work, but the great majority of my time in the felony trial division) before becoming a magistrate. I've always enjoyed criminal law the most - high stakes, serious issues, often some drama.

[Gleena]

Torts never really thrilled me, but I did well in Criminal Law and enjoyed it too. I did some criminal defense through my law school's clinical program, and after graduating in '92 worked briefly in private practice, then spent 2.5 years in civil Legal Aid, and then six years as a prosecutor (a little child support and juvenile court work, but the great majority of my time in the felony trial division) before becoming a magistrate. I've always enjoyed criminal law the most - high stakes, serious issues, often some drama.

There's some pro bono work I might do as a student, further down the track, which is Criminal Law work in indigenous communities in the Northern Territories. I'd have to take a month off by that'd be cool on a school break - I'll either just take the vacation time or take a career break of a month, both are open to me.

But it just seems ages away.

And now I have to go study instead of mess around on the Dope.

[Pyper]

I am an Applied Behavior Analyst (aka behavior therapist) working with autistic children. I wish I had known that behavior therapy even existed when I was getting my degree, otherwise I would have gotten an earlier start in this career.

[Ann Onimous]

That is a really cool job! I bet it's tiring and sometimes bizarre, though. (and I always thought that spiel was complete BS, added as a tactic to stop verbally abusive customers and/or crap employees. Kind of like a house that has a "this house protected by X alarm system, with no actual alarm system.....)

You'd be surprised how many people do think that, and are surprised when I tell them what I do. For some, this may fall into the job-not-a-career category, but I am so passionate about good customer service that I feel this is my calling right now. I've been doing QA for five years and still going strong.

And my blog really helps relieve some stress too. :D

[Ruby]

Are you a traveling adjuster or an inside adjuster? And do you work for an insurance company or an independent company that works with multiple insurance cos? Just curious :)

I work in commercials claims for an insurance company. It's an inbound call center (we don't place calls, we just receive them--and we don't sell anything!). We take calls from people with commercial policies who either need to file a claim or need information on an existing claim, in which case we direct them to the adjuster on the case file. My department specializes in work comp claims but we also take auto, general liability, and property. We also handle misdirected calls and have a pretty good general understanding of the relative company department layout, since we need to direct calls all over the place on occasion.

Mine is a good entry-level job. Does not require any experience or degree, and it's a leg up to other jobs (like claims adjusting). And we started at $12.50 an hour when the local minimum wage was $8.50. I just passed my 2 year anniversary, and while the work is repetitive to the point of numbing your mind, it's not particularly difficult unless your caller is being difficult.

(In case you were looking for options that don't require a degree :) )

I'm a field adjuster working out of my home for a large regional carrier. I've worked out of my home for all but the first 5 years of my career. Has its good parts and its bad...I can leave whenever I want but I never get to go home from work.

[outlierrn]

I'm a registered nurse for 13 years, and have never looked back. I work in an ER and worked in Peds ICU in the past. Took 4 years to get through school.

[No Me Ayudes Compadre]

I'm a translator specializing in tax law. About half of my work involves transfer pricing and related issues, like thin capitalization, debt pushdown, etc. I also do a lot of work in environmental and health policy. I'm self-employed and work under contract with a handful of law and accounting firms, corporations and a couple multilateral organizations.

Though I thought I was on a tourism/hospitality industry track when I graduated from college, I was hired as an editor at a legal publisher. The starting pay sucked but I now look at it as paid training. Eventually I was asked to move back to Mexico to handle local author relations and content development. I eventually left the publisher with a view to starting my own editorial services company but ended up focusing on translation only. Self-employment is generally wonderful, although clients sometimes have trouble understanding that I work at home, rather than live at the office. Typical work hours are 10 am to midnight, and I'm usually working two weekends per month. On the other hand, I can take as much time off as I want whenever I want.

The variable pay aspect is sometimes stressful... In the 13 years I've been doing this, my worst month's billing was one-tenth of my best month's billing. The uncomfortable prospect of farming work out to others or taking on an assistant is looming.

[WordMan]

I left my last job after a year so I didn't like it that much. ;)

When business is good and you have projects to work on, it's great. When the economy tanks, half the group is on "the beach", management starts initiating lots of "here's our plan to drum up business" initiatives and you have nothing to work on but RFP responses (why don't they just call them "proposals"?) and busdev decks, it's terrible.

A lot of it is timing. I started working at one of the Big-4 right after business school and a week before half the World Trade Center fell on our office. Between the econonmy, the dot com bubble bursting, 9/11, and the collapse of Arthur Andersen, it wasn't a great time to be there. But when I started at my next firm in 2004, it was 4 years of lots of billable hours, rapids raises and promotions out the ass.

So - how long have you been at this firm? And yeah, when business is slow in consulting it can be quite yucky. What I really didn't like was the Flavor of the Month - the hot trend that some companies did very successfully and which consulting firms then try to sell to EVERYBODY. Reengineering. Dot.com / Clicks and Mortar. M&A Post-Merger Integration. Outsourcing. ERP / SAP. All good ideas that have their place, but should not be pushed onto every company.



Is our high-school OP may_be_ignorant still around? I find this thread interesting - a way to learn about what a lot of Dopers do, kinda like finding out the origins of usernames - but I have no idea if the OP is getting any insight...

[Le Ministre de l'au-delà]

I'm an opera singer. I have also sung in musical theatre productions, orchestra concerts, I teach voice and guitar, I write poetry and prose (though nothing I've written has yet brought any money in.), I arrange music, I've played guitar professionally, I've been a subway musician and when times have been lean, I've filled in with odd jobs. The times haven't been lean enough for long enough to make me quit over the last 28 years.

The main requirement for any career in the arts is - do you have the passion for it that will keep you in the biz despite long hours, long periods between paying work and the constant need for self-improvement and re-discovery? It is not a career path for the faint of heart, but it is endlessly rewarding for those who persist.

The "Ask the Opera Singers (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=471848)" thread from 2008...

[SanVito]

I'm a self-employed graphic designer, specialising in branding, although I have also worked in advertising (as an art director) and design for print (brochures etc).

Art was my favourite subject at school, and design represented a viable career proposition for exploring my artistic tendencies as a career - I had no desire to be a starving artist. I took a one year foundation course in art & design - obligatory in the UK to qualify for entrance onto an arts-based degree. Then a four year honours degree in Typography & Graphic Communication. I worked for roughly 15 years for design and advertising agencies before having enough 'clout' and contacts to go it alone.

Positives: it's a very creatively rewarding career, and it's satisfying that my work results in a physical 'product' at the end (be it a new brand, brochure, marketing campaign and so on). It provides a very comfortable income but will never make me wealthy. I feel privileged that I can work for myself and make a good living without completely filling my week with work. I've worked with a lot of interesting, fashionable people. The job gives you a very broad insight into a LOT of different business and non-commercial sectors, as you need to understand your client's business very well.

Negatives: competition for jobs is fierce, particularly for graduates - it becomes easier when you've built up a strong reputation and portfolio, which takes many years. My job ties me to London if I want to work on the best projects. Employers often take advantage of intense job competition with low wages, long hours and few, if any, employee benefits. Creative block can make work very stressful - it's sometimes hard to be creative on demand. Family and friends frequently take advantage by requesting free business card/birthday cards/wedding invites/website designs.

[LavenderBlue]

I'm a writer, writing test grader and writing tutor. I primarily write articles for professional publication and grade writing tests online at home. At present I'm working on a book proposal I hope to have in front of a publisher by early next year. As someone who loves to read and write and hates to commute my jobs are nearly ideal for me. My biggest frustration is that I really wish more students would treat writing as a wonderful chance to express their passions and innermost thoughts rather than as just another boring hurdle to get over. I often see papers that depress me because the student obviously hates writing.

[Elendil's Heir]

There's some pro bono work I might do as a student, further down the track, which is Criminal Law work in indigenous communities in the Northern Territories....

Good for you! I can't encourage you enough. Go for it.

[msmith537]

So - how long have you been at this firm? And yeah, when business is slow in consulting it can be quite yucky. What I really didn't like was the Flavor of the Month - the hot trend that some companies did very successfully and which consulting firms then try to sell to EVERYBODY. Reengineering. Dot.com / Clicks and Mortar. M&A Post-Merger Integration. Outsourcing. ERP / SAP. All good ideas that have their place, but should not be pushed onto every company.

I'm not currently working. I was at my last job for about a year. Terrible group in one of the Big-4. Complete waste of time professionally. Unless you just want 2 years of "Accenture" or "McKinsey" on your resume, to be successful in consulting long term, you have to be on projects with some longevity. You need to be going to the client site, meeting with clients, developing relationships and identifying oportunities to bring in more consultants. That just wasn't happening there. Really it's quite frustrating watching senior management trying to grasp at straws to sell work.

[Andy]

I'm a lab based organic chemist in a smallish contract research/custom synthesis company in the UK.
I wouldn't recommend it, the industry is in meltdown in the west ;)

[WordMan]

I'm not currently working. I was at my last job for about a year. Terrible group in one of the Big-4. Complete waste of time professionally. Unless you just want 2 years of "Accenture" or "McKinsey" on your resume, to be successful in consulting long term, you have to be on projects with some longevity. You need to be going to the client site, meeting with clients, developing relationships and identifying oportunities to bring in more consultants. That just wasn't happening there. Really it's quite frustrating watching senior management trying to grasp at straws to sell work.

Oh yeah, I was an Associate Partner; I know how that works.

[prettydorky]

You'd be surprised how many people do think that, and are surprised when I tell them what I do. For some, this may fall into the job-not-a-career category, but I am so passionate about good customer service that I feel this is my calling right now. I've been doing QA for five years and still going strong.

And my blog really helps relieve some stress too. :D

This is what I do too- it is job-not-career for me- but I also just left a good call center that was managed poorly and paid poorly, for one that is managed better and pays better but is unsurpassed in the many ways they can stick it to their employees. Ann Onimous, do you coach your agents? I used to, but we don't in my new company and it makes all the difference.

Going to college in the meantime for I don't know what yet. Probably speech therapy or linguistics. What I want to do is be an interpreter or English teacher for hard of hearing ESL kids who don't use sign language, if such a thing exists.

[Cunctator]

I'm an actuary.

[Snowboarder Bo]

What do you do for a living?

As little as possible for as much as I can get them to pay me. ;):D

[Nava]

Degree in Chemical Engineering; 4 years doing research (most of it not in "chemical labs" but with computers) in the USA, then 4 years as a quality tech in Spain (where people are finally being able to wrap their heads around the notion of "female engineer" but "chemical engineer" still gets filed with "chemist"), and for the last 8 years I've been a "SAP Functional Consultant", meaning that I teach people how to do their jobs using this clunky, huge database which isn't anywhere as bad in its natural state as after people mangle it... (and boy, do they mangle it).


Elendil's Heir, I just discovered your job and that it involves a false friend in Spanish. In Spanish, "magistrado" is equivalent with "judge", so now I'm trying to come up with a way to translate your position which doesn't require an explanation (our legal systems are as different as can be but both grew up speaking Latin, lots of words and titles sound like they should be the same but are not).

[bouv]

For someone with a 4-year degree in Communications (concentration in TV Production) and 10 years as a television engineer, would you recommend going back to school for specific training? Is there a specific technical school that teaches this type of job? Or, since he has plenty of engineer experience, is it something he could learn on the job?


I would say he almost certainly has a decent amount of technical skill (obviously no one would question his ability to use a screwdriver, or a multimeter, etc...) but there are some unique things about the biomedical industry.

The biggest thing is that there is the expectation that a tech will know at least something about physiology and medicine. I mean...if a nurse calls and says the NIBP is reading a high systolic, would he know what that means?

I do know there are some biomed tech programs out there, generally two-year, but I'd say about half of the content would be things he probably already knows (basic physics, electronics, etc...) So while I wouldn't say he'd have to go get another degree, a couple classes in physiology wouldn't hurt.

But it's not something that can't be learned on the job, either. I went to school for a 4-year engineering degree, as did three other techs in my company. Three of us were biomedical engineering, and one was mechanical. So I knew a lot of the physiology, and the theory behind how the devices worked, but no real "hands-on" experience. We also have a tech that used to be an OR tech/assistant, and my manager used to be an RN and was a similar story. So there are a lot of different backgrounds that biomeds start from.

I'd say if it's really something he is interested in, then I'd be more than happy to give him more info if you want to PM me with his questions.

[Elendil's Heir]

...Elendil's Heir, I just discovered your job and that it involves a false friend in Spanish. In Spanish, "magistrado" is equivalent with "judge", so now I'm trying to come up with a way to translate your position which doesn't require an explanation (our legal systems are as different as can be but both grew up speaking Latin, lots of words and titles sound like they should be the same but are not).

Quite true. As I understand it, magistrates in civil-law countries (and esp. Spain, Italy and France) often act more as a prosecutors than as impartial judges or magistrates in the U.S., personally conducting investigations, issuing subpoenas and questioning witnesses. The anti-Mafia magistrates in Italy have won some renown for their tenacity.

[Ann Onimous]

This is what I do too- it is job-not-career for me- but I also just left a good call center that was managed poorly and paid poorly, for one that is managed better and pays better but is unsurpassed in the many ways they can stick it to their employees. Ann Onimous, do you coach your agents? I used to, but we don't in my new company and it makes all the difference.

No coaching here, at least by me. We had a person that just did coaching, but they never filled the position after she left. Now the supervisors do it, and I think do it as little as possible! Once a call is scored, I don't hear about it again unless it is challenged. And I like it that way. :)

[No Me Ayudes Compadre]

I'm trying to come up with a way to translate your position which doesn't require an explanation (our legal systems are as different as can be but both grew up speaking Latin, lots of words and titles sound like they should be the same but are not).

In Mexico at least, a non-judge performing "magistrate" functions is referred to as Secretario Habilitado (roughly, authorized clerk) of the court.

[msmith537]

Oh yeah, I was an Associate Partner; I know how that works.


For people who don't understand the difference between management consultants and I-bankers, this link sums it up pretty well. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROlDmux7Tk4)

[WordMan]

Too funny.

[Equipoise]

I recruit participants for focus groups and research studies. I'm on the phone all day, and if you get a call from me, it's because I want to give you money for your opinions! How cool is that?

[Equipoise]

I recruit participants for focus groups and research studies. I'm on the phone all day, and if you get a call from me, it's because I want to give you money for your opinions! How cool is that?I thought about, but didn't, but then decided to add that all of you should sign up with Market Research companies, if you like giving your opinions and getting paid for it. We and the other companies recruit from all over the country and at one time or another, we would be looking for people in all of your professions, and that's true even if we don't have an office in the city where you live (and we have offices all over the country). There are focus groups that meet at an office. There are focus groups that meet at local places (businesses, hotel meeting rooms, etc.). There are research studies that are conducted by telephone. There are research studies that are conducted online (through, for example, private Facebook groups). Practically every subject under the sun can be and has been a topic of a focus group/research study, from cancer treatments, to fabric softeners, to automobiles, to fruit juices, to cell phones, to children's toys, to mock juries, to technology in schools, to politics, to drugs given to schizophrenics, and on and on and on.

Most of the time we recruit from our database, from people who have signed up with us to be called for focus groups. Sometimes we have to cold call, and some people think it's a scam, but it's not, which is easily checked once we give the name of our company and they can check us out before continuing. Doctors are usually the easiest cold calls, since many of them are familiar with research studies conducted over the phone. Mock juries are the hardest cold calls because most of the calls go to people who have never heard of a focus group, let alone a "mock jury." But most of the time we recruit from our vast database, and those calls are a joy, because all I have to do is say the name of our company and people perk up. They know why I'm calling and want to see if they qualify. Except for the occasional people who grumble "I never qualify for these things" which makes me feel bad if they go through the screener and don't qualify, yet again. But mostly it's a good job. Not the highest-paying job, but rewarding in its own way. I give money away, that's why I said, how cool is that, because it's pretty cool.

[matt_mcl]

I'm a translator and interpreter. I'm also a political hack, but I've only done that for money during ten ridiculously frantic weeks in 2008.

[kenobi 65]

I'm Director of Research for an advertising agency.

I knew, from about the end of my freshman year of college, that I wanted to go into market research. I focused my education on that -- I got a BBA in Marketing, then an MS in market research.

I spent a decade working in market research for two "packaged goods" companies (a company which made personal-care products, then a food company).

At that point, I realized that I didn't fit in well on the corporate side, and left that side of the business to go into advertising. I was an account planner for 11 years, and just changed departments to be the Director of Research for my agency's "Customer Intelligence" department.

Generally speaking, my job is to (a) uncover research sources that are out there (many of which are studies which research companies have conducted, and to which we subscribe), (b) get research studies fielded for those times when we discover that the sources in (a) aren't sufficient, and (c) help the rest of my department analyze the data we get in (a) and / or (b), and interpret the results.

Related to Equipose's post: I hire companies like that one to conduct my studies for me. :)

[Equipoise]

I'm Director of Research for an advertising agency.

...
Related to Equipose's post: I hire companies like that one to conduct my studies for me. :)Keep 'em coming! :)

You're about the only person in this thread that I couldn't recruit, because most screeners start with a question along the lines of "Do you, or does anyone in your household or immediate family, or close friends, work, either now or in the past, in...[list of various fields related to the study, and] marketing, market research, advertising or public relations?" A yes would prompt a "I'm sorry, we can't use you for this particular study, but thank you for your time."

[kenobi 65]

You're about the only person in this thread that I couldn't recruit, because most screeners start with a question along the lines of "Do you, or does anyone in your household or immediate family, or close friends, work, either now or in the past, in...[list of various fields related to the study, and] marketing, market research, advertising or public relations?" A yes would prompt a "I'm sorry, we can't use you for this particular study, but thank you for your time."

Indeed. When I'm approached by a research recruiter (either in person at a mall, or on the phone), I'll usually let them give me the screening questionnaire, just because I'm curious to see what they're doing. Any researcher worth their salt should have a "sensitive industry" question in there, as you note, to get rid of people like me...but you'd be surprised at the number which don't. :D

ETA: The reasons for screening out people who work in those industries are (a) they probably know too much about the research technique itself, which could lead to biased answers, and (b) the information in the research study is often proprietary (e.g., ideas for new products), and you don't want to risk having a competitor getting their hands on it.

[Hello Again]

You're about the only person in this thread that I couldn't recruit, because most screeners start with a question along the lines of "Do you, or does anyone in your household or immediate family, or close friends, work, either now or in the past, in...[list of various fields related to the study, and] marketing, market research, advertising or public relations?" A yes would prompt a "I'm sorry, we can't use you for this particular study, but thank you for your time."
Nope -- my parents own a stand-alone market research company. Veritably suckled at its breast, I was.
:)