# Poll: SDMB Careers. What do you do for a living? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 22, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282 "2003-01-22T20:18:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/1 "2003-01-22T20:18:11Z")
I often wonder this about people who have huge post counts, like 5k and above. **Handy** is the first to come to mind. I myself am a teacher. I teach 4 classes a day and am an academic advisor for under 40 students. My time is varied so my schedule is usually pretty open. But I am always fascinated by trying to figure out what people do for a living simply by talking to them. I know there are students, stay-at-home mothers/fathers, computer personnel, those who are indepentently wealthy and a plethora of others perusing the boards. So what do _you_ do? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/2 "2003-01-22T20:20:07Z")
System admin/helpdesk/rollout coordinator/troubleshooter computer geek kind of guy for the web application architecture team of a big ol’ technical company that shot off from a Fortune 500 company a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/3 "2003-01-22T20:21:38Z")
**By day** —Mild-mannered copy editor at a major metropolitan magazine. **By night** —Write books. And fight for truth, justice and the American way. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/4 "2003-01-22T20:26:49Z")
Bored IT consultant/risk auditor for a Big Four accounting firm. I used to post from work, but try not to these days. ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/5 "2003-01-22T20:30:27Z")
Affiliate Marketing Manager for one of the few existing dot coms. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/6 "2003-01-22T20:31:48Z")
I deal with databases. Massive ones that require lots of queries/reports/shenanigans. Hence, a decent amount of downtime at work while processes churn. Hence, a chance to post. And, I’d like to see Eve in her by night superhero outfit. Perhaps that could be a bookjacket picture in the future. ---
**Author:** ![FallFast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba9def/32.png) [@FallFast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallFast)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/7 "2003-01-22T20:35:52Z")
IT Resource Manager for an Insurance company. Oh the joys, and its the annual review time. Maybe thats why they are being so nice to me 😉 ---
**Author:** ![roadrunner70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@roadrunner70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roadrunner70)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/8 "2003-01-22T20:43:07Z")
Junior Executive Research Consultant. 😃 Actually, most of the time, I buy and sell airplanes, and airplane parts. Sometimes, I do recovery at crash sites, if there’s anything left. Since the commercial airline industry is in a death roll right now, I unfortunately have too much time n my hands. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/9 "2003-01-22T20:46:08Z")
Some day I will say, but for now I prefer not to. When I leave this job, I’ll start an “Ask the \_\_\_\_\_\_” thread. ---
**Author:** ![\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/7cd45c/32.png) [@\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Deep_F_ied)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/10 "2003-01-22T20:46:40Z")
If a newbie lurker with a fairly small post count counts… Electrical Test Tech. for American division of a large Japanese microwave measurement and implimentation corporation. (think Hewett Packard) ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/11 "2003-01-22T20:50:15Z")
**By Day** - Sr Budget Analyst at a pharmaceutical company **By Night (and weekends)** - Weight Watcher leader ---
**Author:** ![merge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@merge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merge)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/12 "2003-01-22T20:54:19Z")
I am Nick Burns… the Company Computer Guy… (SNL) really… i am the “Technology Coordinator” for a financial company ---
**Author:** ![dono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@dono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dono)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/13 "2003-01-22T20:55:40Z")
I’m an environmental (NEPA) specialist for a Federal land-management agency. I supervise the preparation of environmental impact statements and such. In my downtime, they let me play with [web development](http://www.wy.blm.gov/wfo/maps/map_pl.htm) and other fun IT stuff. I’m trying to move into IT Project Management full-time. I’ve had the training, and run a couple of smaller projects as a collateral duty. ---
**Author:** ![Medea\_s\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/14 "2003-01-22T20:56:34Z")
Student. Very busy student. (Double major- ChemEng and Philosophy, two part time jobs, starting a club on campus…) Its a fun life, but someone has to do it. (By the way, I’m watching this thread for people I can beg for jobs…) ---
**Author:** ![ptr2void](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ptr2void/32/3406_2.png) [@ptr2void](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ptr2void)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/15 "2003-01-22T21:20:55Z")
Bored, out-of-work software engineer. What happened to all of the Unix/C++ jobs??? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/16 "2003-01-22T21:22:03Z")
I’m a statistician/technical reviewer at a biomedical testing laboratory. It involves much tedious reading, and the boards are always good for a nice five-minute break from the monotony. ---
**Author:** ![Skerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Skerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skerri)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/17 "2003-01-22T21:26:38Z")
Pharmacy technician for a alcohol/drug rehab center. We do drug studies that are aimed at addicts. I used to have to actually make capsules all day, but now I have someone to do that for me. Basically, I’m in charge of coordinating all pharmacy services for 10 different studies. I take med requests, fill them, have them checked, inventory, records, randomizations, all that good stuff. It’s a very “Office Space” kind of job. There’s a lot of “hurry up and wait” going on in this place. I used to bartend/wait tables at a restaurant on the weekends, but they had to cut my shifts since I was only working 3 days a week. So now I sit on my butt and read the boards on the weekends, and plot my move to Baltimore. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Birefringence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Birefringence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birefringence)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/18 "2003-01-22T21:36:13Z")
Chef. I own my own Catering Business, I’ve had it for 22 years. I love my family and I love food. I hired a full-time duties manager 6 months ago so I have more time to spend with my wife and our new house. Haven’t been on the boards too long, but I must say there is no shortage of knowledge float’in around here. If anyone needs any advice for a culinary masterpiece let me know… ---
**Author:** ![Cessandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cessandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cessandra)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/19 "2003-01-22T21:39:35Z")
I homeschool my kids, and run a small webhosting company. Hopefully the company will take off eventually, so my husband can quit his job and work from home. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282/20 "2003-01-22T21:57:51Z")
Journalist/ editor. I’m on the computer half the day, and out on interviews the other half. Happy [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-careers-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/150282.md?page=2)