What does everyone do for a living?

BossBrott

Active Member
Mar 4, 2012
488
0
Colfax,CA
Fire systems technician. If its a fire alarm, fire sprinkler, fire pump, or fire hydrant, I've got the knowledge and tools to tear it apart and put it back together again. Started 21 years ago as an apprentice, and have worked my way up the ladder, the hard way. I've had some excellent senior experience to lead me the way, and about 10 years ago was cut loose to work on just about any system necessary. Love the job, as every day is a new experience. Receive about 3-4 weeks vacation, which is always spent hunting from oct to feb. The downside is I must live near a large metro area for consistent business, so I commute quite abit, as I'm a country boy that refuses to be a flat lander. Would love to find the same general career in Idaho, or Wyoming.
 

JEandAsGuide

Active Member
Dec 11, 2012
475
1
Zachary, LA
Operations in a chemical plant. My unit makes chlorine with caustic and hydrogen as by products. Like the shift work for hunting. Can take 2 days of vacation and get a week off. It's sucks for a family man. My kids are 6, 2, and 8mo. and I'm starting to really hate working every other weekend.
 

digger11

Member
Oct 23, 2012
71
0
Central Valley California
i run a small cemetery.basically a glorified landscaper with some real estate sales tossed in.
I can't complain I shoot a rifle everyday,and my backyard is a huge piece of northern california ag land
that i play in.
 

Ilovethewest

Active Member
Jul 11, 2012
169
0
Wisconsin
i thought there would be more medical profession people......but besides me in Physical Therapy world, I only remember 1 other person in the med field on this discussion board. I was kind of suprised by that!
 

eye in sky

Active Member
Mar 4, 2011
213
36
Conifer, Colorado
Air traffic controller in Chicago. After 13 years in the Midwest, I get my wish. I'm moving to the Denver area this summer to live closer to where I can enjoy my hobbies more.
 

TheWanderer

New Member
May 11, 2012
8
0
I'm a resident physician training in emergency medicine. About to finish up my last year of residency. Excited because this next year will be the first time since I before kindergarten that I won't be a student. Got my first western bowhunt planned for September in Colorado.

I chose emergency medicine because of all the crazy interesting stuff but also because its shift work and I get days off in the week to be outdoors when everyone is at work and EM physicians usually work ~14 shifts a month. And there's no call so no one is paging or calling when I'm not working.

Hopefully I get to go on a couple more expensive hunts someday but I need to get rid of some of the student loan debt my wife and I have racked up. I like planning my own hunts and DIY style anyway. They have a greater value to me when I'm responsible for all that goes into it.
 

CrimsonArrow

Very Active Member
Feb 21, 2011
857
363
Minnesota
i thought there would be more medical profession people......but besides me in Physical Therapy world, I only remember 1 other person in the med field on this discussion board. I was kind of suprised by that!
There's a reason for that. All the doctors, dentists, and chiropractors I know work crazy hard because of obligations to their patients. Best of luck in your PT career.
I am a residential building contractor. For the most part I work by myself, using subcontractors when I need the extra help. Been in carpentry for about 18 years. Make a pretty good living. Whenever I take on a job in the fall, I always inform the customer that I may be absent for a month or so. I always put family and hunting before work. I have no ambition to be wealthy. I drive an old,reliable vehicle and live modestly. I usually go on 2-3 out of state hunts every year, and take the family on a Canadian fishing trip for 8-10 days every summer. It's a good life when you don't spend every minute chasing a dollar.
 

sheephunter

Active Member
Jan 29, 2012
245
10
Colorado
I work in health care...I work for a small cardiology practice where I do cardiac ultrasound. I like what I do and I make a good salary. I do not EVER want to work in a hospital again, as the politics are horrible, but I'm afraid in the not so distant future everyone who works in health care will work in a hospital or some other large corporate type environment. I'm hoping the practice I work for can survive 7-8 more years and then I can think about retiring. Some good things about working in health care-whether it's winter or summer, I stay warm, or cool, and dry (working outside is great as long as the weather is nice); there are usually not a lot of other people who are interested in the same things we are, so getting time off in the seasons we want is not much of a problem. The best thing I can say about working in health care is there will always be a demand for what we do, but the question in the future is going to be who are we going to be working for and will they pay us a decent salary.
 

NDHunter

Veteran member
Feb 25, 2011
1,166
25
North Dakota
Air traffic controller in Chicago. After 13 years in the Midwest, I get my wish. I'm moving to the Denver area this summer to live closer to where I can enjoy my hobbies more.
Hey man, if you work in the Center I've mostly likely talked to you at some point on the radio. I fly for a regional airline and we are crisscrossing your airspace all the time. One of my biggest regrets is not taking ATC classes while I was in college and becoming a controller....
 

eye in sky

Active Member
Mar 4, 2011
213
36
Conifer, Colorado
Hey man, if you work in the Center I've mostly likely talked to you at some point on the radio. I fly for a regional airline and we are crisscrossing your airspace all the time. One of my biggest regrets is not taking ATC classes while I was in college and becoming a controller....
I work Chicago approach. Chances are if you've been to ORD or MDW, we've talked before. Did you go to UND? I work with a lot of people that did.
 

sjsmallfield

Veteran member
Feb 22, 2011
1,399
1
Jackson, CA
After 10+ years working in contractor sales for the local lumber yard I now manage a retail outdoors shop that my friend opened about threee years ago. I don't know if it will ever make me rich but there is definitely somthing to be said for doing something you enjoy. As long as my family is comfortable I'm more than happy. My friends call it my hobby. :cool:
 

NDHunter

Veteran member
Feb 25, 2011
1,166
25
North Dakota
Well I'm getting to that age where I have to start making some decisions..so I need to choose a career. This is very hard for me since it needs to be able to afford my hunting habits and obviously have time for them. Some say I'm crazy for making this a priority. But it is, and always will be. So what do you diehards do for a living? I have been looking at being a lineman and working on power lines, but am not sure. I don't go on luxurious hunts and do mainly DIY and try to spend the least amount as possible. So I don't need to be a doctor or anything. So guys, what do you do?
One thing I would recommend is to be very conscious of how much, if any, student debt that you will take on. I think people in America are finally realizing that going to a private/prestigious school isn't worth it all the time if you rack up a ton of debt. Community and public schools will be just fine for the majority of professions.
 

Umpqua Hunter

Veteran member
May 26, 2011
3,576
88
60
North Umpqua, Oregon
If a guy has done well in math and science in school, or has the aptitude for it, I always encourage them to look into engineering then working for a PRIVATE company as one of the best opportunities for career and income growth. It usually only takes a four year degree (B.S.), so you won't have the years of post graduate work like a doctor does. There is a high rate of employment, good starting salaries, and if you are with a good company opportunities to move into management.
 

Umpqua Hunter

Veteran member
May 26, 2011
3,576
88
60
North Umpqua, Oregon
Another BIG piece of advice, the money you save towards retirement in your first 15 years working (20-35 years old) if invested well will go much much further than all the money saved in your next 30 years of working (35-65 years old). That is due to compounded interest. It's better to sacrifice a bit on the front end and enjoy the rewards on the back end.
 

Colorado Cowboy

Super Moderator
Jun 8, 2011
8,328
4,714
83
Dolores, Colorado
If a guy has done well in math and science in school, or has the aptitude for it, I always encourage them to look into engineering then working for a PRIVATE company as one of the best opportunities for career and income growth. It usually only takes a four year degree (B.S.), so you won't have the years of post graduate work like a doctor does. There is a high rate of employment, good starting salaries, and if you are with a good company opportunities to move into management.
You are spot on! I have a BS degree in Production Eng and an MBA (which my company paid for). I worked 40 years for 2 private aerospace companies. If you want to work hard and keep going to school while you are working, anything is possible. When I retired 13 years ago I was making around 150K a year. got great benefits and a good retirement.....and it was interesting, fun work. The only downside is I spent a lot of time a different test centers (Edwards, White Sands, Area 51, etc) living in a motel for months at a time. On call a lot and of course the further up in mgmt you get, the more hours you spend working.