So I'm curious, what does everyone here do for a living?

[belladonna]

Me, I work in the hotel industry. Always have, probably always will.. although I hope one day to get filthy rich and own my very own hotel. So what does everyone else do to make those ends meet?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Anything I can.

As long as it is legal. You see, I am a long-term victim of The Bush Economic Miracle.

[eyesroll]

2. I edit a trade publication

I write about toilets!
:hurts:

[Teddy_Salad]

3. Geez....you have a crappy job, don't ya?

:evilgrin:

[KamaAina]

127. Sure, but I'll bet she's "flush" with cash

(ducking...)

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. Working through

temp agencies.... did the two year trade school thingy for networking MCP, MCSE, but have not found employment as of yet... maybe I can put myself in a crate and perform some outsourcing. How long does it take to ship oneself to India??

[soothsayer]

5. laid off a year ago in May, now un, er, SELF employed

contract worker/private consulting

[LuLu550]

6. school pr, adult ed, services for gifted students

and free-lance writer....

[swag]

7. I wish I wrote about toilets

Instead, I'm IT Director at an investment firm.

[jeff30997]

8. I'm in drug trafficking,prostitution,bank robberies...

That kind of stuff.:evilgrin:

[belladonna]

11. Can I get a cut of that?

Maybe I can open that hotel sooner than I thought :evilgrin:

[northzax]

109. dude,that stuff is way too high risk

have you considered international arms dealing? a much better class of people.

[TiredTexan]

124. You're a police officer

aren't you?

[Sperk]

9. Math tutor. It's not as exciting as it sounds.

:evilgrin:

[Lucky Luciano]

237. HAH!

I tutored math until June while getting my Doctorate at UCLA. Right now I am typing up a resume because I want to be a hedge fund trader, but right now I play poker and blackjack to earn my keep.

[Richardo]

10. "Supply Management"

OK - Purchasing.

Trucks, trailers and nationwide freight transportation services.

You may have heard the Steely Dan song about my job: "Glamour Profession" :-)

[Mizmoon]

12. Formerly a business analyst, now a mommy

I like my new job much better.

[hang a left]

140. Homemaker here too. n/t

[Viking12]

203. The world's toughest job...

as well as the most underappreciated.

I sometimes wish I could trade places with my wife, but then after a whole day alone with the kids I'm always happy to go back to work.

[jmowreader]

244. It's the world's SECOND toughest job!

The world's toughest job is military Survivor Assistance Officer (also called Casualty Assistance Officer)--the people who have to knock on military spouses' doors and tell them their soldiers are coming home from Iraq in a box so some fat-ass Republican can fill up his Hummer for a nickel less per gallon.

[Union Thug]

13. Instructional Designer - Internet related /eom

[achtung_circus]

14. SPCA Enforcement Officer, I love my job nt.

[belladonna]

16. Now THAT sounds like a cool job

Just how does one get a job like that anyway?

[achtung_circus]

31. I Get asked that a lot,

and the truth is I fell into it. I started when I answered an ad in a newspaper, I thought it sounded like a cool job. I had no expectation of getting the job, but they were looking for someone with a specific skill set and I was the best qualified, apparently. In that case it was extensive, practical hands on large animal experience.

Although I was born a city boy I always wanted to be a cowboy- a real working cowboy, not some rodeo clown, when I a whole lot younger that I am now I did just that. I also had, shall we say, confrontation skills, learned as a project manager in the consruction field.

They taught me the necessary legal framework, that's easier to learn than the animal siden of the job.

I'm now employed on the other side of the country as livestock specialist for the local enfocement people. I am on call as resource person, I travel a lot. I'll never be financially rich but my karma is great. I get to fix problems and make some of the pain stop.

[DemExpat]

172. Absolutely a super job!

One I fantasized of having had when I was younger as work that would have given me the most fulfillment other than a salary!

:thumbsup:

DemEx

[GOPisEvil]

15. Mid-level state government bureaucrat.

:thumbsup:

[DemWitch]

17. Manage a home for mentally retarded adults

through a state agency. Government employee with a worthwhile job :)

[TrogL]

135. So you deal with Republicans a lot

I'm sorry. I couldn't resist.

[DemWitch]

157. way, way, too much :)

[russian33]

18. Computer Security/IT Security - 10 years now...

..need a change

[Tom_Foolery]

19. A disreputable radio DJ. n/t

[XNASA]

20. TV Engineer......

It pays the bills.

[Medical Speaking]

21. I have a small business

Worked for the cereal companys for 25 years. Started this business 10 years ago.

[zbird]

22. I do medical transcription at home and homeschool my 2 kids.

[Medical Speaking]

24. Bird

Thats what we do we are a Medical Transcription Co.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

144. Hey, zbird!

I used to do that too - for 10 years! Don't you get stressed out? When they find out you're good they dump more and more work on you!

[zbird]

150. Sometimes very stressed. That's why I DU!

I've cut back on working hours as the kids are getting older (and I'm getting older). I used to go on 3 hours of sleep a night, but find that I can no longer do that. So, the company has been very understanding and has cut back the workload. However, I do get the docs that nobody else really wants to do... you know, the mumblers and the ones who make no sense. It helps keep my mind working though.

[sniffa]

23. Cadd technician

but civiL engineer by trade. the above "titLe" is so they pay me Less. :P

[swag]

40. Yeah, but I bet you have to attend fewer meetings

[sniffa]

yes - very good

i'm aLso no Longer a project manager - waaaay too much stress. i'd Like to go back to higher pay, more responsibiLity, but this has been a nice break. :D

[sniffa]

42. doopity dupe

nuffin to see here

[Bertha Venation]

25. legal secretary eom

[Teddy_Salad]

26. I'm now a professional gigolo

I lost my job as a Goat Ball Licker just last year so I thought with that experience, what better field to get into than the one I am now.

Unfortunately though, my government grant has nearly run out and business isn't as good as I hoped and expected.

Damn the Bush economic revolution!!! :mad:

[belladonna]

30. Can I be your pimp?

I was hoping Jeff30997 would cut me in, but looks like he just wants to be greedy. C'mon, I'll have ya turning tricks 24/7... just say yes :D

[Teddy_Salad]

34. Well, Sundog already does that for me but......

....the way business is right now, I might have to fire him.

Plus, he screwed up my tax exempt status too!
And he forgot to claim all the miscellaneous work toys I need to do my job properly, on last years tax return!

He's a terrible pimp! :evilgrin:

[sundog]

37. I heard that you ingrate!

--

[Teddy_Salad]

41. Hey!!! You're not suppose to be awake yet, dammit!!!

I thought I'd be safe posting that, thinking you'd still be fast asleep there in ol' Elephant Butt.

DAMN! :P

[belladonna]

38. Fire that slacker and hire me

Besides, there are certain perks to working for me that Sundog can't offer :evilgrin:

And hey, I live in Virginia, so if it doesn't work out, you can check into the turd mining business :D

[Teddy_Salad]

46. Hey! Good point!!!

I will need something to "fall back on" and I do have Turd Mining experience.

What are the perks you can offer that Sundog can't?
You're an income tax consultant? :P

[belladonna]

52. Yes, that's it

I'm a consultant.... mmmhmmmm :evilgrin:

[SarahB]

36. How much do you charge?

:7

[belladonna]

44. I'll get you a VERY good price

Student discount and all :evilgrin:

Just talk him into letting ME be his pimp :D

[sundog]

47. Is this like a hostile corporate takeover or something?

--

[belladonna]

49. More like a white knight charging in

Saving poor Teddy from having to go back to goat ball licking. Yer a bad, bad pimp :evilfrown:

[sundog]

That's ok, I'm getting out of the ho business-gonna start smuggling rubies

--

[SarahB]

53. Let her be your pimp, Teddy.

But, yes, I do need a discount now. :D I'd even have to barter probably. Not that that's a bad thing.

edit: check your inbox :D

[Teddy_Salad]

51. Well, as it happens...you're in luck!

August is my Fire Sale month!
Everything is discounted this month by up to 60%!!!

Also, I will travel free of charge to "clients" within a 16,000 mile radius of where I live.

And when you buy one....you get two free!!!

But wait....that's not all!

With every purchase this month you also get a set of Ginsu Stainless Steel Knives....free of charge.
But I'll have to mail them to you at a later date.
I don't hand them over straight after a "business transaction" in case of customer dissatisfaction.

So call me today! 1-800-I'mASexyGigoloInDesperateNeedOfSomeBusiness :P

[SarahB]

55. I like the buy one, get two free deal.

The third time's a charm!!! :bounce:

[name not needed]

27. Turd miner

I too, was laid off from my goat ball licking job.

[Teddy_Salad]

29. I was looking at getting into Turd Mining myself......

....but all the Turd Mines are in Virginia and with me in New York, well, the logistics just didn't seem right.

How is Turd Mining anyways?

I've heard it can be quite shitty at times. Is that true? :shrug:

[RebelOne]

35. Copyeditor for national outdoors magazines.

[Joy Anne]

48. another copyeditor

That's two of us. We can straighten out everyone else's spelling and grammar! Although I did spell "Irasq" the other day.

[JohnKleeb]

209. you guys part of the UMWA?

United Mine Workers of America. Mining aint easy man heh. Goat licking heh.

[SarahB]

28. Job-hunting.

I used to teach preschool, Gymboree (oh yes) , and was a post-partum Doula. I'm currently in nursing school (but on hold because I'm wait-listed), but seeking something medical on a clerical or assistant basis currently because little kids (healthy, hypper ones that aren't mine that is) will drive me :crazy:. Plus, I need money right now in a major way.

[mede8er]

32. MY Username......

Is my profession...I make peace........:hi:

[rbnyc]

173. That's awesome.

I have mediation training as well. But I don't do structured sessions. There's a lot of impromptu conflict resolution that goes along with one of my jobs. But from my training, I've learned to admire mediators a lot.

[mede8er]

198. Why Thank You.......

I was born to do this........:D

[bearfan454]

33. I work midnights making circuit boards for missiles

for the government. We are a subcontractor for Raytheon.

[lpbk2713]

39. Retired telecomm tech.

Retired four years ago. Was lucky enough to retire at age 56. It wasn't fun any more. The rat race was over for me, the rats had won.

[GingerSnaps]

199. What state did you retire from?

Florida?

[lpbk2713]

207. Central Florida

Retired from GTE a couple of months before it was bought out by (management likes to euphemistically say "merged with")one of the Baby Bells and became Verizon.

[GingerSnaps]

211. How's your tomatoes?

;)

Good Luck on your retirement!

[mike_c]

43. biologist and university professor....

eom

[Joy Anne]

45. copyeditor

For 20 years now, I've been a freelance, self-employed copyeditor and proofreader for academic book publishers.

[Uben]

50. Retired at 45

So, now I sit around reading political blogs and trading blows with the republithugs at a site I admin. I own apartments and houses in Dallas area, but have a property management co. handle the business end of it. Life is good!

[LWolf]

54. Teacher n/t

[Maestro]

226. You're more than a teacher

and you know it...

[AngryAmish]

56. Arsonist

[Samurai_Writer]

57. Plus size model, fashion shows, magazines, internet ...

although I have not yet given up my 'day job' as an IT Manager. Would if I could though!

[Red State Rebel]

96. Yay!!!

Let's hear it for Plus Sized Girls!! I'm so tired of the fat bashing threads on here I could scream.

[Red State Rebel]

98. Own Heating & Air Business/Seamstress

When the phones are quiet at the HVAC business I sew - mostly costumes for dancers/figure skaters.

I also Babysit 2 nights a week for a 13 year old I have been watching since she was 6 weeks old.

[Samurai_Writer]

115. I hear that!

Becoming a plus size model has definitely given me more self confidence, even when faced with fat bigots. I just ask them how much THEY get paid per hour to get their photos taken! LOL

[EstimatedProphet]

58. Fishery biologist n/t

[Mr. McD]

59. Electron Microscopist

(a micronaut, an explorer of the nanocosm of the cell). My background is primarily in biology though my current position involves some material science applications.

[redqueen]

156. Now that sounds cool. n/t

[Beware the Beast Man]

60. I engineer and design bathroom partitions...

I kid you not....

[nuxvomica]

83. You should meet eyesroll

See post #2 (no pun intended). Boy, would I like to eavesdrop on that conversation. (just kidding, not really) ;-)

[Radical Activist]

61. Political Organizer

And no way am I going to say who I work for after all the crazy shit I write on DU.

[belladonna]

84. Aww, c'mon

Whisper it in my ear, I promise I won't tell anyone O8)

[DemoTex]

62. Retired airline captain

Active writer.

[mrboba1]

63. to make ends meet:

statistician.

To make me wealthy, many other things.

[ScreamingMeemie]

64. Real estate appraising.

It's really a great job. I work out of my own home. Set my own hours, and truly love appraising houses. :hi:

[gpandas]

65. retired(disability) toolmaker at general motors eom

[guitar man]

66. Broadcast Engineer-TV during the week

Musician on the weekends.

[nuxvomica]

85. Admit it, broadcast engineering is your true love

The music gigs are just to pay the bills. Am I right?

[guitar man]

102. LOL

I wish. :(

[scarlet_owl]

67. Couch technician and remote-control operations supervisor.

I'm disabled and unemployed.

[snooper2]

68. Broadband Data Engineer

eom

[rexcat]

69. Pharmaceutical drug trials...

for drugs that are in the approval process by the FDA, mostly oncology studies and pediatric studies and please don't flame me. Its tough, especially when I see the Pharma companies spending about half of the "research" dollars on marketing. We can thank Newt Gingrich and the repugs for allowing prescription drugs to be marketed to the general population at large which as caused drug prices to escalate. Someone has to pay for the advertising and the consumer usually foots the bill!

[tilsammans]

70. I'm a tech writer

I loathe it -- it's soooo not a match with my skills. I'm currently job hunting.

[CanuckAmok]

71. TV/Movie Biz

Non on the creative side, though. I'm a Production Manager/Line Producer/Assistant Director. I', freelance.

I also own a small postproduction sound business.

[Caution]

72. Senior Software Quality Assurance Engineer

it's exactly as glamourous as it sounds.

[Magrittes Pipe]

161. Senior? Engineer?

I am merely a lowly Software Quality Assurance Analyst. :(

[info being]

73. Software Sales

[Kathy in Cambridge]

231. Me too-it's been rough the last few years!

[Heddi]

74. I am a phlebotomist and work in cancer research

In case you don't know, a phlebotomist is the person who takes your blood when you go to the lab. Only I don't work in a lab, I work in an office where we recruit women to donate blood samples and answer questionnaires. The research center I work for (A world-renowned Cancer Research Center located in Seattle) is in the process of developing a blood test that can be administered to women the same way that men have their PSA (Prostate specific antigen) test to test for Prostate Cancer.

Only in our case, we're developing a test that can detect early-stage breast and ovarian cancer in women.

So I enroll women into the studies, send information to them, sit down and talk with them about the studies, administer their questionnaires, and take a sample of their blood. I don't do any blood processing (they do that in the lab), but I get to do alot of Quality Control checks and handle serum and plasma and stuff like that.

The study I mainly work on is the Breast Cancer Early Detection Study. However, sometimes I cover for the person who does the Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Study, and that's a bit different. For Ovarian cancer, we do tissue collection at the time of surgery---so we enroll women who are undergoing either total hysterectomies (removal of uterus and cervix) or salpingo-oophorectomies (removal of fallopian tubes & ovaries).

We go into the OR while the woman is in there having surgery (it's quite neat! I love working in the OR). We take her blood as soon as she's intubated. Sometimes, depending on whether she has ovarian cancer or just an abdominal mass/ovarian cyst, or other gynecological cancer, we'll do a cervical swab and mucous collection. Otherwise, I just wait for the surgeon to remove the ovaries & fallopian tubes and I take those into the pathology room and take samples of tissue and freeze them in Liquid Nitrogen, put some in formaldehyde, and freeze others in a compound known as OCT so that slides can be made from the tissue.

In the near future we're going to add a surgical collection module onto the breast study, but as it stands now, the breast study just enrolls women who are having either routine mammograms or breast biopsies. No surgery (as of yet).

Starting in September, I start Nursing School, and I'm quite bittersweet about it because I love my job, and I love working with women and working in such valuable reasearch. I'm glad I'll be a nurse in a few years, but am quite sad about leaving my current job :)

[belladonna]

77. Wow, talk about making a difference!!

Good luck in your studies and thanks for working as hard as you have to look for a cure :yourock:

[Heddi]

81. It's really interesting

When we recruit women for the breast cancer studies, we get women with and without cancer, with and without a family history of cancer---but alot of the women we recruit are participating because their sister was diagnosed with breast ca, or their mother died of ovarian ca. Alot of them have had breast ca. in the past..and they are just so inspiring. Truly inspiring.

I think and wonder sometimes about what would happen if *I* was diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer---would I be able to be as upbeat as these women? To have a smile on my face like they do? To 'get over it' as they have? I don't think I could. I don't think I'm that strong. I see myself just greiving for myself and never getting over it.

But these women aren't any different than I am. They're not built any differently than I am. They always tell me "you don't get over it, you just deal with it"---it becomes a part of your life like a new child or a leak in the roof---you deal with it because that's all you can do.

One in Eight women in the US will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Think of all the women you know---friends, family, co-workers, the check-out girl and the woman who walks her dog by your house every morning. We all know more than 8 women. And to think that statistically, one of eight will be dx with breast ca.

At this point, our researchers believe the key to survival and 'beating' this disease isn't a 'vaccine' or a 'cure', but rather Early Detection.

Ovarian Ca is called the 'Silent killer' because symptoms (if they ever appear) generally only appear once the cancer has metastasized to other organs. Or until it's at a later stage of development. Until your chance of survival is very low. To be able to go to your gyn every year and have a simple blood test that can tell your doctor whether or not you need to be followed more closely because you exhibit signs that could point to early stage ov ca, or that you do have early stage ov ca---before it has spread to other organs--before it has invaded your lymph nodes -- before you are told that at 52 years old you only have a few years to live----what a wonderful thing.

As a woman, I applaud every single woman who participates in the research. I can't participate---one, because I dont' get yearly mammograms (one of the requirements---i'm only 28), and two, because I'm paid by the study I can't participate in the study---I look at every woman who participates as if they're participating in my stead. In my mother's place. in my grandmother's place.

And I thank each and every one of them for doing a simple thing as giving 40cc of blood to ensure that millions of women (their daughters; themselves...) will lead healthier, longer-lasting lives and will have more of a chance against these horrible diseases that take our mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends far too early.

[Zookeeper]

103. Thanks for posting!

I'm so happy to hear that this research is being done! (Why did the prostrate cancer research happen first? Dumb question!)

You've made a valuable contribution, Heddi.

[Heddi]

105. I think the prostate ca research began

just like all other cancer research---the need for early detection.

Since I deal mainly with gynecological cancers (breast & ovarian particularly), I only know small bits about prostate ca (mainly what I was taught in anatomy & physiology classes)---but from what I understand, I believe that something like 80% of all men at death have some minute amounts of prostate cancer. But for the most part it's a slower-moving cancer (although not in all cases) and for many men who are diagnosed as being positve for prostate ca, the doctors opt to NOT operate or give chemotherapy/radiation because the cancer just kind of hangs out and doesn't really do anything. Only if it starts to spread to other areas (bone, testicles, etc), or starts to spread to the lymph nodes do they really do anything about it.

Of course, I've read alot of literature regarding inequalities in medicine with regards to women's issues----women in the US are something like 40% more likely to get a hysterectomy in their lives than women in any other industrialized nation on the planet. If I remember the statistic correctly, 1 in 8 women in the US will have a hysterectomy by the time she dies, as opposed to 1 in 40 women in France.

In some of the literature I've read, doctors are hesitant to offer radiation/chemotherapy/surgery to men with uninvasive prostate cancer because once therapies such as those are used, sperm count decreases, impotence becomes a problem, erectile dysfucntion----things like that. Even though most men diagnosed with prostate cancer are above the age of 60.

However, with women, usually the first option that women are given if they have ovarian, cervical, uterine, or endometrial cancers is HYSTERCTOMY --- which means early menopause that doesn't 'end' naturally (it just goes on and on and on and on), obviously no more children in the future, and just a hell of alot of problems associated with decreased levels of estrogen and progesterone should the ovaries be removed.

Of course, some people claim that this is sexism on the part of the "good old boy" medical establishment that will only go away when more women become not just doctors, but specialists in the medical field---I don't know if I necessarily agree with THAT take (I do agree that women have gotten the short end of the stick wrt pharmaceutical testing of drugs---where the male model is still always used for many medicines---medicines that are given FDA approval for use in women of childbearing ages---medicines that have never even been tested on women, even though the FDA requires that researchers do everything they can to test medicines on women----but that's another thread entirely).

It's only been in the last few years (research-time, that is) where women's cancers have gotten the attention they need and deserve. It's only been recently that women have no shame in saying "Yes. I had/have Breast Cancer" or "yes, I have/had Ovarian Cancer" and people don't treat them like they're pariahs.

We've come a long way, baby, but we have a long way to go.

--

a funny little antectdote---a lady was in the other day participating in the study---she was in her 70's or 80's and very feisty---this was around the time of the march on Washington for Women's Right to Choose---she was going to the March and was talking about how women aren't treated well by the medical community. She made the comment "You know, if men had to go through for testicular cancer what we have to go through for breast cancer, they'd have come up with something a hell of alot better than the fucking mammogram YEARS ago". I just died. Here's this little lady--so tiny that a strong wind could carry her away---Older, so I (wrongly) assumed that she's just a conservative old lady and here comes all this profanity out of her mouth. I just laughed and laughed. and she was absolutely correct. Although painful as it is, the mammogram serves its purpose in the best way we have so far :-/

Thanks for your kind words. I love doing this work and really see myself coming out of Nursing School and going right back to working in Cancer Research (or research of some kind). It's a very personally rewarding career.

[Ganja Ninja]

75. Estimator & Project Manager for a commercial air conditioning firm.

We do mostly retail type work. Walmarts, restaurants, supermarkets, church's and offices. There are around 60 people employed here.

[achtung_circus]

112. Hey, I used to do that. nt

[nuxvomica]

76. Database design and management

Since around 1984.

[Surf Cowboy]

78. Attorney...

But don't get any ideas...

[belladonna]

82. Hmmm... what ideas would those be?

Huh??? :D

[Mara Steele]

79. proofreader...

for a web design company & free-lance.

I also do house-painting in the summers...

...Want my card? :-)

[SnohoDem]

80. Software engineer n/t

[skypilot]

86. I don't know what my job is called.

I work in a book storage facility for a university. The university's different libraries send us books that don't get checked out much anymore and we check the bibliographic record to make sure it is correct and then we put the books into storage. There's a little more to it than that but not much. It is the LOWEST stress job I've ever had. It also pays well. I sometimes feel a little guilty. Before this I worked my ass off at Borders Books. I really think that Borders should have paid me the money that I am making now at this job. I would have put up with the crap Borders was dishing if they'd paid me for it. Borders was high-stress and low pay while this job is low-stress and high pay.

[Droopy]

87. Truck driver

Been doing it for the last 7.5 years.

[Sweet Freedom]

88. Graphic Designer

Both full time and freelance.

[funkybutt]

93. me too! (n/t)

[Speck Tater]

89. Software Engineer in aerodynamic simulation

for the last 4 years. Previously in video game design since the 70's.

[LSU_Subversive]

90. Graduate student in clinical neuropsychology

with less than one year left! My research and clinical work specializes in the assessment and treatment of traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's and alcohol-related dementias, malingering, neurotoxin exposure, and mental retardation/developmental disabilities.

My partner is a grad student in the environmental toxicology program. His research mostly specializes in computational modeling of environmental estrogens.

[MaryBear]

183. All right! Fascinating field.

I know someone well who has PD.

[ordinaryaveragegirl]

91. Hotel/Restaurant

I'm a Department Supervisor for a property of a major hotel and resort company. You'd think everyone would still be on vacation right now since it's still technically summer, but this is actually our "slow" time of the year. We deal more with business travelers and convention-goers than tourists where I'm at. Which means everyone at my work (myself included) is going on vacation this month. B-)

[achtung_circus]

114. Ham Radio? (checked your profile)

I need someone who knows what they're talking about to verify (or not) me theory. I drive a lot, I read license plates. I see patterns in license plates (really). I have a theory that some of the license plates I see are really people's call signs for their radio.

What I think is that "VE" is assigned to Canada. VE6 is Alberta, VE5 is Saskatchewan, VE4 is Manitoba, VE3 is Ontario, etc.

Am I correct? Am I totally off base? Does it matter? Maybe not, but I'd like to know.

puhhleezz.

[Jack_Jeffries]

136. Ham Callsigns

Right you are! The number after the prefix (V for instance or A or W or ?) is the call district.

[TrogL]

138. Yes VE plates are ham radio

I'm in Alberta and I've seen a lot of VE6 plates.

I was at Heritage Days in Edmonton over the weekend and the ham radio group had a bigass antenna and display up on top of the hill.

[ordinaryaveragegirl]

191. You're correct...

Almost all Canadian call signs start with VA or VE (though there are other prefixes).

In the continental U.S., call signs start with A,K,N, or W, and the number in the callsign usually shows where you were licensed; mine has a 0, since I was licensed in Kansas.

[Book Lover]

92. Project editor for academic publisher

I make sure the History books are done on time and on budget. I also argue a lot with the editors on content, even though there is a strong academic movement to make history books (especially general survey books) more inclusive and multicultural, it's all sizzle and no steak. We still don't have Emma Goldman in some of our US books!

[Cybergata]

94. Public Middle School Teacher

:hippie:

[rbnyc]

95. Both direct service and development for non profits. (nt)

[blindpig]

97. usury & recycling

that is to say, a pawnbroker. It's a long story.

[Zookeeper]

110. Hey, blindpig!

How's that reptile zoo doing?

[blindpig]

154. Howdy, Zookeeper!

Critters are doing pretty good. Not much snake breeding this year but we got a bunch of baby turtles hatched and I bred my poison dart frogs for the first time! Cute as a button. How's your "zoo"?

[Zookeeper]

164. It's summertime...

and my zoo is driving me nuts! :crazy:

Hey, I'd love to see a photo of the baby dart frogs. Can you post one? :hi:

[blindpig]

165. so sorry

but I have neither scanner nor digital camera, just a hopeless luddite with his SLR. I'll be shooting them this weekend on slide film. If you want to see some pictures check out website of T&C Terrariums, who I got my P1 stock from. Lots of pics. The species is Dendrobates leucomelas.
Guess I need to get a digital so I can show off, but digital is so now and I'm not.
Good hearing from ya.

[Zookeeper]

170. Cool site! (Thanks!)

And they are cute frogs. How often do they chirp?

[blindpig]

190. they sing like little birdies

when the lights come on in the morning, when their tank is misted, when it clouds up outside or it's raining and sometimes just for the hell of it. They only call during the day.

[mongo]

99. Smut peddler

Wanted to start a small business for years, but could not think of what this area needed. I figured it out. But we are a Lingerie and Erotic Boutique.

Before that, a computer systems analyst for 18 years. I have much more fun at work now.

[jukes]

100. homemaker

says so on the "spouse's" line of the official tax return.

[cally]

101. Small business ownner...consulting

We focus on capital markets and real estate issues. We don't consult on residential markets but very large real estate port folios like what major insurance companies or banks own. Funny, I know. I doubt any of you would have guessed what I do for a living.

[Buns_of_Fire]

104. I'm a picker. I'm a grinner. I'm a lover. And I'm a sinner...

I'm also a very bad Steve Miller impersonator. The "kept man" thing didn't work out at all.

In previous lives, I've been a dishwasher/busboy, a supermarket clerk, and, for 25 years, a programmer/analyst in the financial industry (talk about being a "kept man!").

Now, I'm a gambler.
I'm a writer.
I'm a web site designer...

All the good stuff that doesn't put one single bean on the table... :shrug:

[ProfessorGAC]

106. Hey! Me, Too!

Of course, that isn't really a livin'. Like you said, gotta do something that pays the bills.

The Professor

[Jerseygirltoo]

233. Hey, me too

The programmer/analyst for 25 years part, not the other.
Now, however, I'm outsourced, studying to be a paralegal

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

107. I used to be an eighth grade English teacher

but starting this year I am a Secondary Literacy Strategist for the same district. That means I help/coach the secondary English teachers with whatever they need to be better teachers. I am also starting graduate school in the spring to get a Masters of Education degree (MEd).

Teaching is my life.

[Cuban_Liberal]

108. Former soldier, ex-cop and co-owner of two bookstores and law student

:)

[Richardo]

111. You OWN a law student?

I gotta think the short term ROI is mighty low. :)

[Cuban_Liberal]

119. LOL

I guess the syntax IS a bit garbled there...

:P

[Zookeeper]

113. I thought you were still a cop....

did you quit recently? :hi:

[Cuban_Liberal]

120. Yes, I resigned to attend law school.

I had vacation and sick days accumulated, so I cashed them out and resigned last month. I start law school at the end of this month.

:)

[Zookeeper]

123. Well, Congratulations!

Although you sounded like a great cop. :toast:

[Cuban_Liberal]

128. I'll be an even better lawyer!

Thanks!

:hi:

[tigereye]

152. CL you sounded like you were a great cop

and I am sure you will be a great and compassionate lawyer as well. Good luck!

[Padraig18]

182. He was, and he will be.

There's not a doubt in my mind that he'll be the next Oliver Wendell Holmes or William O. Douglas.

:D

[tigereye]

186. that is a nice thought

:hi: Padraig

[Bake]

171. Cool! Best wishes and good luck in law school

Don't buy all that "look at the person on your left and on your right -- one of you will be gone by the end of the semester" b.s. they feed you in the first year! Stick it out, knuckle down, and you can make it. Hell, look at some of the doofuses who graduated and actually passed the bar exam!

Bake, Esq.

[Padraig18]

177. College student and the other co-owner of the bookstores.

:)

[never cry wolf]

116. Architect

Although I may spend more time here on DU.

My own small firm, commercial and industrial work.

NOT what everyone envisions, believe me. Way too much paperwork and red tape, not enough creativity.

[SmileyBoy]

239. I'm an architecture student,.

I hope to design stadiums and arenas (sports facilities) someday. I's my calling.

[Deja Q]

117. *IT*

No, not *IT* from the other message.

Not *IT* from South Park.

Information Technology.

Will be going for degree advancement or moving to another field...

[texas1928]

118. Drug dealer.

[FizzFuzz]

121. I'm a Sign Language Interpreter

I work at a University, and I specialize in Performance Interpreting; concerts, comedy, plays, poetry (Two Men of Verona was fun--it was a blast translating Shakespeare into American Sign Language)
I've been at it for over 20 years, and I've interpreted some very cool performances--Allen Ginsburg, Howie Mandel, Jesse Jackson, two of the main guys from Whose Line is it Anyway--cant remember their names right now, Indigo Girls, Wycleff Jean (oo I loved him he was marvelous)

Got injured in May at work; money cuts are affecting our resources, so rules limiting our hours for safety reasons are being quietly broken. I'm pretty angry about this, don't know if it will work out that I can take legal action on it, though what they're doing is wrong, and people are getting hurt.

In my past lives, I've been a potter (was teaching again recently but the clay dust was too much, had to quit. My lungs have gotten sensitized.), and I've been a tattoo artist.

And in my mind, I'm a PhD in Women's Studies/Sociology ;) :crazy:

[DancingBear]

122. Woodworker/designer

Build custom furniture for individual clients.

Used to be a Systems Architect in RFID, but gave it up to do something worthwhile. :)

[Nikia]

Quality Assurance-Food industry

I get to taste product, do lots of chemical tests, keep statistical records, walk around the plant looking for problems, and bring problems to management's attention. This all makes me ridiculously busy and stressed out.

[Zookeeper]

125. I'm engaged in the high paying fields of....

visual art (mostly Botanical) and motherhood. (I also build furniture, do home renovation and landscaping for my home.)

[KamaAina]

126. Self-advocacy coordinator

I said :wtf: when I saw it in a newspaper ad, too. Two weeks later, thanks to the mighty 'Net, I knew enough about it to get hired...

Basically, self-advocacy, and the closely related concept of self-determination, revolve around the simple yet radical notion that people with disabilities ought to have the same range of choices in their daily lives as anyone else. All too often, that isn't the case, especailly for people with cognitive disability (the term "mental retardation" is considered somewhat un-P.C.) living in congregate settings such as group homes, where even what's for dinner is up to Someone Else.

It's been quite interesting introducing the practice into a state where even people without disabilities often hesitate to "rock the boat" (notice how few Hawai'i DUers we have, for instance). Then there was the three-day training that turned into two nights in an ocean-view hotel room, for the town of Hilo on the Big Island has no other kind!

[Lorien]

129. Freelance Illustrator and Animator, occational

film production manager and college instructor (though generally not all at once). ;-)

[PatriotGames]

130. Work in IT and software engineering.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

131. Graphic design

But I am working on my portfolio to be an illustrator to fund gallery painting

[sbj405]

132. Oceanographer

A cube-bound one at that. Not nearly as cool as it sounds.

[Jack_Jeffries]

133. I'm new, but you asked...

I am a writer. There, I said it! I feel so much better. I'm tired of all the secrecy, and all the disingenuity, and...

[belladonna]

147. Welcome to DU!!

So what kind of writer? Tell us more about yourself and how you found your way to DU :hi:

[Joy Anne]

153. Yes, welcome

What do you write? I read lots of crime fiction and am always looking for a new author.

[Bat Boy]

251. More writers on DU than you can shake a stick at...

I know. I've tried. I wound up having to shake several sticks and still didn't get 'em all.

Welcome to DU!

[TrogL]

134. Maintain big-ass computers

I don't do little desktop ones, I do big honking database servers that 1000's of people use at a time.

[enigmatic]

137. A few things...

I used to be a working musician for years til I turned 30, then switched primarily to prose/poetry, mostly small presses. I'm in the proccess of becoming a landed immigrant in Canada (I live in Edmonton) and am waiting on my papers to work; I've been in Hotel/resturarant work (front of the house) since i was 17.

I also own and run an internet radio station called Radio Enigma; the link is in my sig..

[Dastard Stepchild]

139. Researcher and grad student n/t

[WillyBrandt]

141. Work in Finance for a Hedge Fund. Tough life...

[dorktv]

142. Claims clerk/congressional candidate

[candy]

143. Retired!!!!

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

145. Law clerk at Neighborhood Legal Services

I represent plaintiffs seeking protection from abuse orders and negotiate with defendants to obtain those orders. I LOVE my job.

[MikeG]

204. Say Hi to Mr. Haller for me.

[RetroLounge]

146. QA Software Developer.

Can't tell you the industry...

Wouldn't be prudent...

RL

[indigobusiness]

148. Nonprofitist

And not altogether proud of it.

[mhr]

149. Unemployed 4 Years - Put Out To Pasture By Bush

eom

[Longhorn]

151. Community College Math Teacher

In the past, I've been a lifeguard, store clerk, government intern, freelance reporter, court transcriber, homemaker (four kids, now grown,) business manager (my husband's remodeling company -- still am, on paper,) and middle and high school teacher.

I got a masters in math (M.Ed) in Dec. 2002. Currently, I'm adjunct faculty at both a community college and a culinary school (culinary students take math for their associates degrees.) I also score essays (California high school exit exams) over the internet. I usually get three or four W-2s every year!

[redqueen]

155. Office administrator

Yeah, it's as boring as it sounds. I hope to buy some land in the country someday and build a cool house on it. And have a small garden and some horses and cows and chickens. And sheep, too. :)

[MuseRider]

158. Musician, Farmer/Rancher now.

OK, no real money in any of it. I have been an RN,phlebotomist, zookeeper, music teacher but most of all a mother. Sending my youngest out into the world in a few weeks.

[Shananigans]

159. Am I the only one who works for a non-profit here?

I do grants development and fundraising for a large non-profit in the Minneapolis area. It's an exhausting job, but I love it!

[Teddy_Salad]

160. No, I do too....although not for much longer

I work at an arts school.

[rbnyc]

175. I work for 2 non-profits.

I do information and referral for a community center, and development and fundraising for a breast cancer org.

I love it too.

EDIT: typo

[Jackpine Radical]

162. I used to deliver hot merchandise for a sleazy Sicilian family

but then the pizza joint fired me.

[ploppy]

163. HR

and job hunting!

[Beaverhausen]

166. Joey "Pants" in my building filming a scene from his new show

Rob Lowe too apparantly.

I work at a big hollywood (OK, burbank) studio. Just a secretary but the perks are fun!

edit- I'm also a singer/songwriter but don't make much money doing it. I do it for LOVE!!!

[Canuckistanian]

167. Electronics Support Technologist

The pay's not great but at least the hours are long.

[tigerbeat]

168. theatre director n/t

[tinnyguy1777]

169. Retired Union Sheetmetal Worker---------

now I volunteer at Habitat for Humanity, 3 half days a week. Great people, nice work. Sometimes our motto is, "We do it nice,----cuz we do it twice". But, we're all learning, so that can be expected, I guess.

[Merrick]

174. Research Associate - Molecular Biology

could've made more going into business/marketing, but its worth not having to wear a fucking tie.

[onebigbadwulf]

176. Poor med student

Aka future plastic surgeon

[St. Jarvitude]

178. Poker player

Right now, it's the only form of income available to me. The money I make is good enough for me to be content with it, and I love doing it. :)

[puerco-bellies]

179. Commodities Broker (Series 3) n/t

[Lautremont]

180. Makin' movies, makin' movies, lalala, makin' movies...

Also writin' books, lalala...

Don't know why I got all singsongy with this one. Seems to fit.

[Wapsie B]

181. Polysomnographic Technologist

and soon to be lab manager. I know there's one person here who knows what that job title means.

[sangh0]

195. I wanna guess

You work with the machines they attach to people who go to sleep clinics. You're the one who puts in on the patient, or you read and analyze the printouts.

[Wapsie B]

197. Yes among other things.

Sometimes our work is so simplified by others."Well you just watch people sleep." A lot of our work is mental, knowing what you're looking at during the test and how to respond appropriately to different situations.

[Tweed]

184. College Student with a future in Entertainment Management

[MaryBear]

185. I counsel emotionally disturbed adolescent bears.

Currently unemployed and setting up a private practice. Referrals accepted!

[bookfreak]

187. Two full-time human service jobs

One with the developmentally disabled and one with the mentally ill. Eventually I'm going back to school to get my MLS so I can become a librarian.

[dudeness]

188. firefighter..

nearly 18 years service..although a change is around the corner..I am running for the position of general secretary for the union of firefighters..wish me luck..

[redqueen]

220. Good luck!

And thanks.

[Stockholm]

189. Legal Counsel n/t

[sangh0]

192. My father used to tell me "Do what you do best"

so I try to do nothing

[maveric]

193. Nurse in a critical care unit.

But I was a journeyman shipbuilder for 27 years prior to this.

[TrustingDog]

194. freelance graphic design/web design.

rollercoaster world.

[SiouxJ]

196. I own my own business

it involves music merchandising.

[ceile]

200. Work for a lawyer

In the city's local mental health authority

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

201. I develop software, maintain networks, teach IT, do translations

and cook a mean pasta.

[slutticus]

202. Engineer

I have a BS in Chemical Engineering and right now I'm working on my PhD in Biochemical Engineering.

I can't wait 'till i get out of this fucking school!

[MikeG]

205. Bankruptcy Lawyer

[MrSandman]

206. Licensed Professional Counselor and...

Licensed Social Worker.

[JohnKleeb]

208. well

I am a student in HS but this summer I work as a summer intern at the local airport.

[bigwillq]

210. I'm a sports writer

for a newspaper here in Connecticut.

[VoteDemocratic2004]

212. Bounty Hunter

I hunt down crooks and turn them into the police.

:loveya:

[redqueen]

221. hehe... you mean you turn them ' in to the police'

but your wording's more amusing!

[CandyCrim21]

213. *sigh*

I'm a waitress. Just for now though. I'm currently going to school and waitressing is awesome money even though you have to put up with a lot of b/s. And I'm totally a people person so I think I'm pretty good at it. LOL, I'm going to school for sociology/criminology. I'm psyched to start a career when I'm done. But I'm ok with where I'm at right now.

[redqueen]

222. Thanks!

Just wanted to say thanks for doing the job you do, and not letting the BS get to you... and not putting stuff in people's food. ;)

Hope you're enjoying school... but please try not to be defensive about what you do. You're providing a valuable service, and your performance can make people's everyday experiences more pleasant.

[HEyHEY]

214. I take care of people's problems

fugit aboud it!

[fortyfeetunder]

215. I R un eninneer

We can't friggin' spell, but we love to play with nummberz~

[LibDemAlways]

216. Former teacher

and former travel agent in past lives. Currently full-time mom - best career move!

[franmarz]

217. I'm retired

and live in Fla.

[Lavender Brown]

218. Book publishing

Children's books, to be specific

[2Design]

219. jack of all trades......master of some....grad student.....

lots of odd jobs for the pass 12 years.....

left IT in 1992 when we had major down turn for anyone over 35.....replaced with younger workers and those from India. And now it is happening again.

back to IT for the next surge

[mockmonkey]

223. Book and Calendar assembly

I have mixed feelings about our 2005 Bushisms desktop calendar...I am hoping after this election that I never have to hear that name EVER again and the stupid way he talks.

[fudge stripe cookays]

224. Technical writer in telecommunications.

Hopefully it'll stay that way for awhile.

FSC

[Maestro]

225. I am a bilingual instructional specialist

for a major school district in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. It basically means that I go into the K-5 bilingual/ESL classrooms and model lessons for teachers, help gifted bilingual children, help struggling bilingual children, etc....

I used to be in the classroom though where I told standardized tests to STFU and I just taught good critical thinking skills and cooperative work dynamics.

Take a peek. Here are some mind mapping activities







Cooperative work:





And me, to the left

[achtung_circus]

227. Freelance

Tantric massage
Pedicures
Bubble baths

[MisterP]

228. college student, unemployed over summer vacation

keep looking and looking and looking.
Volunteer pelican diarrhea handler and fish flinger.

[Ramsey]

229. Radiation Oncologist

Yes, I know..."what's that"??

I treat cancer patients with radiation therapy. I also do breast cancer research.

[Maestro]

230. I just finished going through that

I was in isolation for three days before the geiger counter told me I could leave and even then I had to have limited contact with my children.

[sleepyhead]

232. Veterinarian.

I own a small animal hospital. Love medicine, hate surgery, learning business by the seat of my pants.

[BlueStateGirl]

234. Bartender. Love my job.

[ChoralScholar]

235. I teach high school choir - EOM

[Shopaholic]

236. Writer & Researcher

[SmileyBoy]

238. Student assistant for a college football team.

North Dakota State University Bison.

[OnionPatch]

240. GIS Analyst

I make and maintain digital maps for government agencies. I used to do lots of natural resources mapping. I especially loved mapping vegetation for national parks, etc. because that usually means I get to do a little field work. Sadly, the last few years we are doing more and more military mapping and less natural resource mapping. I am hoping a Kerry presidency will begin to turn that back around.
Also, I do some writing and have written a few free-lance articles for very small publications.

[carpetbagger]

241. Doctor.

Run a hospice program at the VA. I work at a hospital named for Audie Murphy.

I'm sure they'd question how he got his medals as well.

[Raven]

242. Wow! What a crowd! I'm a lawyer trying to become an artist.

:hi:

[Purrfessor]

243. Stay-at-home dad

to two girls, both adopted about three years ago, one 6 yr-old and one 8 yr-old.

[lojasmo]

245. Registered nurse

I work about 50-55 hours per week to make ends meet. Looking forward to November 3rd when my wife's candidate wins, and she can look for paying work.

[BlueCollar]

246. Airline mechanic

used to be fun...no more

[medeak]

247. god bless bush

build gold mines. Price of gold wonderful since economy sucks.

[Skittles]

248. well according to the freepers this liberal does nothing

but lay around collecting welfare checks. So why am I about to start a 12 hour shift operating a mainframe computer? Go figure.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

249. Marketing Coordinator for an architecture firm. Looking for another job

though (have an interview on Friday; wish me luck, guys!).

[many a good man]

250. Rabble Rouser

A proud old American calling. OK, its not in my job description; I volunteer it. Daterbases is my bidness (I know everything about you!).

[Southsideirish]

252. Part time librarian. Part time running fool.

Out on the track in Lincoln Park every day - trying to fight back middle age!

[The Commie]

253. I'm starting college in a couple weeks...

...I am majoring in Biology with minors in Chemistry, Political Science, and Philosophy. My dream is to do research on those bacteria that live in hot springs and near hydrothermal vents since they are the most primitive organisms on the earth, so we can try to figure out how life started.

[proud patriot]

254. Homemaker n/t