jobs,what do you do and do

[d5 jjc]

started off as a carpet fitter , now have my own carpet shop, been running since 2005
also own a pet shop ,bought 2 years ago for my wife to run
lots of hard work and stress, but would not work for any body else ,because i am a misserable tw@t lol

[F12NCO]

like i said jase ill have your job and money and you can have my pension and boredom but ill stick with our lass as she can cook some shit hot meals and ive grown fond of her over the years

wouldnt be a fair swap then Jim, mine burns water!!!

[warrenpenalver]

also warren did you used to be a grunter

yes mate for my sins as they say

[dougs]

could be arsed with school, managed to get out with a couple of standard grades, ended up working in a sales office for a carpet manufactor, was incoming sales taking orders from our retail customers, did that for a couple of years, then we got made redundant, then into a job in glasgows fruit market, was in control of sorting out the stock on the computer side of things, was proper crap, this was the only job ive walked out on, lasted 3 months , was a long 3 months

then onto general accident insurance for over a year, then buggered off to work for them in syndey for 3 months then spent a few months chilling out over there, then back home to general accident again, wanted to get into motor claims, so applied for a job in directline, and have now been with them for over 10 years now dealing with liability claims and defending personal injury claims.

lately ive been thinking of a change in job but wouldnt be able to walk into a job getting the same amount i am on just now. so kind of stuck in a rutt, should i shouldnt i scenario

got a wife and son to consider, the thought of being in insurance for the rest of my days is depressing to say the least.

defo wish i got a trade when i left school

[Mark-C]

Left school and got a city and guilds in vehicle body repair while i was serving my time at a Toyota bodyshop, moved from bodyshop to bodyshop over the next 10yrs and got bored, moved into coachbuilding which i loved for 4yrs but done a lot of travelling, then i got a job with RAC vehicle inspection services travelling around doing body and paint warranty inspections for Ford and lots of others, but being only 1 of 2 in Scotland that could do these inspections i felt as if i was spending my life in a van and after 5yrs was made redundant. that gave me the push i needed to start a new career and started my own business fitting kitchens and bathrooms over 4yrs ago now and i'm happy being my own boss but the down side is working with the general public

[cosmagedon]

Went on work experience when i was 15 to a crane hire firm as a mechanical engineer and got offerd a apprenticeship after a few days, been there the last 7 years now. Moved up the ranks there now and im on full wage.

But i dont like it much anymore the other fitter is giving me a hard time as im 20years younger and on the same as him

So now im saving up going to do my offshore and rope access as i love climbing and got a few contacts now so hopefully i can get in as its a tough market to crack

[steviecossie]

i'm a mechanical maintenace engineer, got promoted to engineering team leader about a year and a half ago and love it

[Darren]

Thanks, the practical is more a case identifying unsafe situations, flu/spillage testing, leak detection and pipe soundness. Its quite a bit more involved then I thought as it seems 90% of what they teach you is about old and out dated appliances that you may come across. For instance the teacher has been in the gas industry for 30 years and has never seen in operation a vertex flu yet he tells you that after teaching you for hour about them

Did you pass then Paul

[Rippers]

Yes mate Got three months to do my elements now, going to do four.. Gas Fires, Cookers, Boilers and you now need a gas analyser to work on boilers so that four elements at £180+vat each... ouch
I did contemplate the Water heater element but never see them around my way and I think you only need the meter element if you work for Gas Transporters

[rsnissan]

Well done Paul

[spiritof'76]

Yes mate Got three months to do my elements now, going to do four.. Gas Fires, Cookers, Boilers and you now need a gas analyser to work on boilers so that four elements at £180+vat each... ouch
I did contemplate the Water heater element but never see them around my way and I think you only need the meter element if you work for Gas Transporters

Probably know a lot more about my job than i do now then

Don't forget to budget for buying the analyser aswell........... plus calibrating it every year............. and new sensors everytime they die

It's all bloody overheads in this game Glad to hear it's all coming together for you now though

[Dan Le Moignan]

I started off @ 16 with an apprentiship in marine pipefitting @ VT shipbuilding. Completed that and started looking at the people i was working with, no offence to them but they didnt have much and i just thought, do i really want to live like that? I knew there was things i wanted to do/own in life and that salary was not going to cut it!
So handed in my notice on a full time job with paid leave/sickness etc to try contract pipefitting on the petrochemical side of things in an Exxon Mobil refinery in Fawley. It was ok for a while and the plan was that i'd been promised to be taken on full time with exxon mobil as a pipefitter as my dad was a supervisor for them and pulled a few strings, so then id be full time and have perks of pension/shares etc etc which is all top notch with Exxon, but that was a year away and i thought could be risky waiting.
By chance advert was on the radio for Exxon Mobil process operators, with 3 days to go to submit cv's i though why the feck not. Done this and got through the 4 interviews from about 2500 people (down to 25) and then got the job along with the other 24 guys.
Since then gone up and now run the control panel (been here 4 years) which is a pritty hardcore job which envolves running parts of the oil refinery and i love it (importing crude oil ships @ 10,000m3/hr dont close that valve), awsome final salary pension with most leaving at 55 years old and great pension scheme, so im over the moon

Essay over!

[bullett]

good cross section of jobs in here some interesting ones. i dont regret any decision ive ever made as its made me the person i am today(maybe not good lol) and its got me my dogs and my missus so i cant complian on that but i am looking around for something that may be an actual career

[matt cooke]

I left school and worked for my dad painting donnington park for about 7 yrs but due to my dad always tinkering with cars i got interested in fixing them instead of just abusing them! im now a master technician at a ford dealer and i love my work but hate the company and a lot of the tossers that work there (when you are at the top of the ladder everyone wants to knock you off) so im now in the process of setting my own business up, i have a nice garage next door to chaterham with a 2 poster ramp & most of my kit & im getting very busy so i will soon be asking my boss if i can go part time or if im feeling brave i will just go for it and leave!!

[robski]

Basically this thread is about people in thier late 20's through to thier 30's (maybe 40's) talkinng about "hindsight" and regrets! and "if only's".....yes,i'm sure we all(or most) wish we had taken another career path,dated that"other" girl,studied harder at school/uni etc,etc...
But thats life!...i believe,what is meant to be is meant to be.....we all have a chossen path to take(as sad and as wakko as that sounds..and i'm no bible basher)..but hey,things could be worse,we could all be dead or posting on a Subaru or evo forum...even worse a SPURS forum
make the best of what you have guys...i'm sure there are far worse of people than us right now