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.
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.
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.
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.)
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 )
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
