# what's your job? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 7, 2001, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616 "2001-07-07T19:05:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/1 "2001-07-07T19:05:38Z")
I’m a newbie. still. what are your jobs? I am an Intern Architect and an artist. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/2 "2001-07-07T19:09:44Z")
I’m a Database Research Analyst. I write reformat programs using Easytrieve Plus on an IBM mainframe using TSO and JCL. I also analyze the results (quality assurance), interact with our customers, and supervise two people on my team. If anyone in western Washington (particularly Bellingham, Seattle, or anywhere in between) who knows of a position I can fill, send me an e-mail. I don’t like living in California and am highly motivated to relocate. (Oh. I’ll also do film work – PA, grip, assistant camera, or whatever – if it’s steady enough to pay the bills.) ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/3 "2001-07-07T19:20:28Z")
I’m a not-yet-discovered author who delivers pizza to pay the bills. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/4 "2001-07-07T19:28:41Z")
I’m a researcher. Whatever my boss, or my boss’ boss, or my boss’ boss’ boss wants to know more about, I go find out. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/5 "2001-07-07T19:33:21Z")
I’m the beautiful, illustrious, useful, and all-around-helpful salesperson, bookkeeper, secretary and stock girl at a privately-owned NASCAR memorabilia shop. At least for the next four weeks. ---
**Author:** ![headshok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@headshok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/headshok)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/6 "2001-07-07T19:33:58Z")
Industrial electrician and college student. I troubleshoot machine tools, work on cranes, and pray that I’ll get my engineering degree before I’m old enough to collect Social Security. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/7 "2001-07-07T19:36:13Z")
I do process development work on chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactors. These processes deposit the thin films used in the fabrication of high performance semiconductor memories and micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS). It’s lots of fun working around spontaneous pyrophors (compounds that ignite on contact with air) like pure SiH[sub]4[/sub] (silane) gas. Simple H[sub]2[/sub] (hydrogen) is child’s play compared to nasty gases like WF[sub]6[/sub] (tungsten hexafluoride) or NF[sub]3[/sub] (nitrogen trifluoride), which tend to liberate lots of free fluorine (a rather toxic element) when released. The chamber cleaning processes are driven by a small radio frequency power amplifer (600 Watts) that would be at home transmitting for a small college radio station. You really don’t want to be on the business end of any of this stuff when it gets up to speed. It all makes for some careful lab practices to avoid getting fried. Thank goodness my company pays a significant amount of attention to safety. ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/8 "2001-07-07T19:36:49Z")
Librarian, reluctantly morphed into administrator as a director at a midsized public library. Veb P.S. “Reluctantly” because I love the profession but any rainmaker/administrative gig is a hassle. Worth doing and neccessary, but barely a wash in terms of satisfaction versus hassles. Then again, I’m ambition impaired. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/9 "2001-07-07T20:10:38Z")
Theoretical physicist. (Almost, anyway – I’ll get my PhD in a few weeks. Not that my work life will change any, except for the new location and more money. Research is research.) **Zenster** , my fiancee does CVD (and ALD). I get nervous when she tells me about the gases she works with. Including the ones which nobody knows what they smell like, because they kill you too fast. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/10 "2001-07-07T20:28:21Z")
Tech writer and frustrated artist. ---
**Author:** ![slackergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@slackergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slackergirl)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/11 "2001-07-07T20:33:48Z")
Technical Writer for an interactive television company. I write reference manuals for C programmers who want to write interactive television applications that run on digital satellite and cable set-top boxes. ---
**Author:** ![Stella\_Fantasia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@Stella\_Fantasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stella_Fantasia)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/12 "2001-07-07T20:35:40Z")
I’m a Project Manager! Which is a semi-impressive term for “person who yells at people on the telephone half the day & surfs the 'Net the rest of the time”… ---
**Author:** ![Balduran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Balduran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balduran)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/13 "2001-07-07T20:35:51Z")
Semiconductor laser physics, more the theory and computer simulation end. Hopefully I’ll be getting my PhD in a couple of months myself. Guess I’ve got a connection to Zenster and Giraffe too, the structures I simulate are fabricated with CVD and MBE. Although I have no Idea how they work. ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/14 "2001-07-07T20:38:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \* > \*\*…It’s lots of fun working around spontaneous pyrophors (compounds that ignite on contact with air) like pure SiH[sub]4[/sub] (silane) gas. Simple H[sub]2[/sub] (hydrogen) is child’s play compared to nasty gases like WF[sub]6[/sub] (tungsten hexafluoride) or NF[sub]3[/sub] (nitrogen trifluoride), which tend to liberate lots of free fluorine (a rather toxic element) when released. > > \*\* Uh, right. What he said. Gulp. But ya think papercuts from all those 100 page governement forms aren’t nasty in their own way? Sheesh. Edging gratefully back into obscurity, Veb ---
**Author:** ![dobbinaire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@dobbinaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dobbinaire)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/15 "2001-07-07T21:07:34Z")
Wow, impressive, folks. I’m just a factory worker. We make all kinds of folding-paper-cartons. Like, oh, the paper boxes you take your chicken or hamburger (or other fast food) home in. Also, TV dinner boxes, donut boxes, trash bag boxes, \*\*\*\* boxes, \*\*\*\*\* boxes, you get the idea. One advantage is we also make gift boxes, which we get to take home. Not too many of course, but I never want for a box to wrap something in :). dob ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/16 "2001-07-07T21:12:14Z")
I work at an industrial design firm that designs and produces custom and portable tradeshow exhibits and graphics. We do all the exhibits for Boeing, as well as some for Microsoft, Starbucks, etc. I am involved in the actual production end, where wrench meets bolt, and drill meets steel, and I always have a band-aid somewhere on my body. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/17 "2001-07-07T21:17:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > **If anyone in western Washington (particularly Bellingham, Seattle, or anywhere in between) who knows of a position I can fill, send me an e-mail. I don’t like living in California and am highly motivated to relocate.** Will you then change your name to **Johnny Seattle**? ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/18 "2001-07-07T21:21:53Z")
I am a buyer for my company. I mainly buy the furniture that goes into our offices. Sometimes I also supervise the projects from start to finish. I also run our internal e-procurement module. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/19 "2001-07-07T21:21:57Z")
College student interning as a software engineer. Glad I don’t have to work around any dangerous gases. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616/20 "2001-07-07T22:02:55Z")
I’m a segregator in a continuous strand fiberglass plant. Tells you a lot doesn’t it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-job/71616.md?page=2)