# So. What do you do for a living? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 9, 2025, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774 "2025-01-09T21:53:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/101 "2025-01-10T17:33:17Z")
I just hit five years as a cubicle drone, but since my office is a county-level Area Agency on Aging, I get to say I’m a social worker. We use federal money to keep non-wealthy elderly in their own homes. I track and process paperwork and handle other busywork so the actual case managers can focus on our clients. It’s dull and tedious, but it helps people who need help. And I get “What would we do without you?” often enough. I did 15-plus years in retail mainly selling art supplies and picture framing. A few fun years out of college doing live event AV production. RFID toll tag fulfillment. Making videos for a nutty golf instructor. Apartment manager/handyman. Jack of all trades, really. ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/102 "2025-01-10T18:25:48Z")
I’m a research mathematician and college professor, but my main paying job for the last 20+ years has been as an academic administrator. I went back to being a full-time faculty member in 2021, but was convinced recently to return to administration. As I head toward retirement in a few years, I had to think about how to best spend my time, and administration won out over teaching (and, particularly, grading). My side gig is as a textbook author. My coauthor and I have one of the top-selling books in our area, so that’s been a good second income for many years. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/103 "2025-01-10T18:30:49Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > Gardener. > I tell everyone if I live to my 100’s (currently 60) and can still do what I’m currently doing, then that’s what I’ll be doing. [Play your cards right, and you could become a high-ranking person in the govenrment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Being_There). (Spoiler alert: don’t click if you haven’t seen the film _Being There_.) ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/104 "2025-01-10T18:49:35Z")
Forensic toxicologist. Also own a cannabis lab. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/105 "2025-01-10T19:10:15Z")
I’m a graphic designer for a worldwide finance management association. My office is based in Durham NC, but we have branches in London UK and Kuala Lumpur. I work with people all over the world, designing anything from web ads to event merchandise and animations. I previously worked in the printing industry until it became fully automated and my skillset became obsolete, but I managed to leverage my print production skills into graphic design. I’ve been working from home since COVID, and my office isn’t in a hurry to have us return, so I’m working my dream job. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lurking\_Quahog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lurking_quahog/32/21274_2.png) [@Lurking\_Quahog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lurking_Quahog)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/106 "2025-01-10T19:14:15Z")
Project Manager for an electrical services company. I oversee such things as lighting retrofits, heat pump installations, weatherization, and the construction and installation of electric vehicle charging stations. Looking to pack it all in within the next 6 months and retire. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/107 "2025-01-10T19:19:46Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > Forensic toxicologist. Also own a cannabis lab. This feels like the premise for a mystery series! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/108 "2025-01-10T19:23:02Z")
All of which is just cover story for their masked crime-fighting. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/109 "2025-01-10T19:34:34Z")
It’s a Netflix series in my head. I have recently started writing it down as a memoir because it is kind of a weird story. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/110 "2025-01-10T19:37:57Z")
I retired just over a year ago from a 25-year career as a mathematical statistician for the Federal government. Before that, I was a math professor and instructor, a grad student, and way, _way_ back, a paralegal. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/111 "2025-01-10T19:38:32Z")
I’m a retired computer programmer. Virtually all of my career was spent working on software for car navigation systems. Both on the data side (maps) and on the application side (routing software). ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/112 "2025-01-10T19:45:19Z")
Before I retired 8 years ago I worked for a large computer / software company in the group that brought up our new microprocessors - which means getting first silicon, finding problems, and getting it ready for production. My last project was automatically collecting data from the fab and translating it, making web pages showing the current status, and alerting for problems. Programming, yes, but I architected the entire system. Now besides collecting social security I work on writing some books and judging some contests for which I get paid. Not a lot in either case. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/113 "2025-01-10T19:56:59Z")
I’m now retired from what I considered the best job in the World. 😲 I taught chess, computer games and role-playing at a private school. 🕶 ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/114 "2025-01-10T20:07:39Z")
I’m retired (but not yet drawing a pension). I spent 20 years in IT, started as an operator, then switched to programming and trying to avoid being promoted to management. Got fed up with all the politics and decided to change career, but got made redundant first and got a large wodge of redundancy pay. Yay. Last job was as a storeman at a printed circuit board manufacturer ! Quit that 'cos the boss was an arsehole and decided i had enough money to live on until i can get the pension. Now just gardening, playing on the laptop, occasionally playing my saxophone and my [new toy !](https://sax.co.uk/products/travelsax2), and caring for my partner who has MS. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/115 "2025-01-10T20:40:04Z")
> [@peedin](#): > > Currently an RDOS. Ah yes, you are the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen. That must be quite a responsibility. Or perhaps that’s not what you are. Please elucidate. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/116 "2025-01-10T20:41:02Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Or perhaps that’s not what you are. **R** etired **D** rain **o** n **S** ociety, I’m guessing. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/117 "2025-01-10T20:41:19Z")
Reverse Disk Operating System? ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/118 "2025-01-10T20:46:38Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Please elucidate. “RDOS” was defined 7 posts before the one you quoted. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/119 "2025-01-10T20:49:02Z")
Doggone, so it was! I was too distracted by all the aircraft companies in that one. ---
**Author:** ![Yogeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yogeekgirl/32/4129_2.png) [@Yogeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yogeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774/120 "2025-01-10T20:49:30Z")
I’m a career barista, I’d guess. It is the one job title I have had since I started working. In that time I have also been: Ballet dancer, dance teacher,cosmetologist,yarn store flunky, vintage store assistant, extremely PT yoga instructor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-for-a-living/1012774.md?page=7)