From what I can tell, a lot of the people here at Straight Dope are pretty smart. Or good liars. Anyways, I was thinking: With all this smartness floating around, what kind of jobs have you people gotten yourselves? I don’t care about how much money you get, but the coolness of your job. Personally, I work part time in a local toy store. I like it. Mostly cause I grew up going there my whole life. But I know you people can do better than that! So share with us.
Does it still count if I quit recently? I am going back to school. Until this fall I worked for the fraud department at a financial services company.
I think that the person with the coolest job is the one that can’t wait to get up in the morning to go to work because they do, for a living, what they’ve wanted to do their whole lives. If you look forward to doing your job, and it makes you happy, you have the coolest job. So, that’d be me. (I sing (among other, less cool things). I’m not famous or anything, which is pretty okay with me, but it’s what I love to do.)
In many ways, I think I do. I run a small non profit working with ex offenders, trying to help them get jobs.
I don’t have a “typical” day. Some days I see clients, some days I don’t. Some days, I have meetings with public officials, other days, I head out to the county jail. I’ve done presentations for community groups, classes at the local college, youth-at-risk, etc.
I get to feel that I, in a very specific way, make a positive difference in a population that have already demonstrated some problems - in other words, at worst, society is no worse off, but if I can succeed in helping them go to work and stay working, they might stay out of prison, which has many positive benefits. Most of my clients are grateful for the help they get, and at least leave with a better attitude.
I’ve done this for a really long time, so I’m considered to be an ‘expert’ in my field, get referrals from state agencies all around the area. Since I’ve been here forever, too, and am the boss, I have liberal time off - so, when my son was in grade school, I was able to take 2 hours off every week to work in his classroom (sometimes tutoring some of the kids, helping the teacher etc.) If the school calls, I can usually just take off and go there (unless I’m already at the jail)
I get to write a wide variety of stuff, from cover letters to proposals. I don’t have problem employees, either.
wish it paid better…
Oh…I DO! My title is HVAC watch engineer.My “job” is to run/monitor the support equipment in a computer data center for a large investment firm.Basically I sit here, surf the net,check the SDMB,play a computer game.I check the equipment hourly.I get top dollar in my area,I’m almost ashamed to pick up my check.If I do an hours work in an 8 hour shift it’s alot! God I love my job! Oops…gotta go…Rangers Devils game is coming on soon! ((Did I mention we have CATV too?))
As long as I can count previous jobs, I’ll chip in…
Research diver. SCUBA on the coral reefs off the Keys and Bahamas. And I got paid to do it!
Wildlife biologist. Spent a lot of time hiking around the mountains in southeastern Arizona. Horseback, hiking, looking for spotted owl and peregrine falcon nests. Sitting outside of a cave with night-vision goggles, counting the bats as they flew out for nightly feeding. Cool stuff like that.
Alas, now I am mostly in the office. That’s what happens when you move onward and upward careerwise.
My last job was doing computer game testing. A lot of the games were pretty cool, however if you got stuck on the same project for an extended amount of time, it could get as boring as anything else.
Now I’m a quality engineer and I test a browser and our applications. It doesn’t sound nearly as nifty, but I like it better. Sometimes it’s cool to work with actual adults. (age and/or maturity wise)
I’m the assistant community manager for a large and very popular website. So when I’m on here I can just say I’m doing research!
It’s a great job because I get to spend all day at very interesting bulletin boards and chats, talking to folks and generally hanging out. I also spend a lot of time answering emails, and IMing with folks. I help manage a big staff of remote hosts, and I respect them so much for the dedication and caring they bring to the community. One of the best parts of my job is getting to know so many people from all over the country, and overseas as well.
I can’t wait to get to work in the mornings, and I often work from home on the weekends, just because I can’t resist. I can honestly say I love my job.
Before this I was a publicist at a recording studio. Which was much more of a yawn than one might think.
Come on you guys!
Tatertot HAD the coolest job, translating porn movies!
Can you see telling the relatives THAT over Thanksgiving dinner?
I’m an Infrastructure Network Integration Engineer (say that 5 times fast).
I travel the world (in Brazil at the moment) working with network designers and large telephone and internet companies. I configure and setup big expensive pieces of network hardware (routers the size of refrigerators, etc.) and everything is paid for to boot! The only big issue is that I have to go away for long periods of time (months sometimes), and my girlfriend hates it. On the plus side, I get to see the world, meet new people, etc.
Oh and previously I did similar to what Rich G7Subs did, only for a large telephone company. It was fun also, but wasn’t as challenging as I would have liked it to be, I basically babysat million dollar servers and stuff.
I work for Ringling Brothers, shoveling up the elephants’ bowel movements.
Well it’s about 40 degrees in this room, so I think I have the coolest job.
I do. I get paid (very well) to play online all day and shoot rubber bands at co-workers and tell off telemarketers. Sucks to be me.
I used to have a job “playing” with weather balloons. I thought that was pretty cool.
Especially when we deflated the reusable ones, and I held the nozzle open to speed it along. I’d have a face full of helium, and I’d crack up the scientist I was helping by making all sorts of cartoon voices.
Coincidence Orshee! I’m a Fraud Investigator for an internet startup here in the Bay Area. Definitly a cool job.
I’m a craps dealer.
At the Flamingo Hilton.
If you do not deal craps at Paris, Bally’s or Ceaser’s Palace, my job is cooler than yours.
Cecil Adams.
Somebody had to do it…:::splat! owwwww! cut it out!:::
I dunno what’s dripping offa my face but you’re sooo gonna regret throwing it…hmmm, pizza! what was the question?
Of course there was Li’l Abner’s “mattress tester”–for sleeping, you randy whipppersnappers.
Sulking a bit,
Veb
Schieskoph is in Brazil and bitching about not seeing his girlfriend. BRAZIL!!! Am I the only one that sees the irony?
I had a job a few years ago where Jeep was testing its new Cherokees. I live in ND and they wanted to test them in the coldest part of the country. We were paid $14/hr for, get this, driving around town!
They also paid our meals which meant every day we ate at restaurants in a 200 mile radius. Some at dinner clubs, some at higher-end places and often at the Hooter’s in Fargo.
Even after I get my degree I will not find a job that good.
I am a part-time security guard in San Diego. I get to work concerts, pro-football and baseball games and conventions. All I have to do is stand when someone is looking and walk around looking important and like I know what I am doing. I get to go backstage when I want to or right up to the stage if I have the urge. I work when I want to and if I don’t want to I don’t have to. It’s the best job I have ever had and the easiest.