How'd you get into your line of work?

[Donkey Hoatie]

Went to the University of Illinois to become one of two things: a professional baseball player or an architect. Played ball for a little while until it became apparent that my throwing shoulder was pretty much shot. Even with a bum knee, I could still run like the wind, but there was little need for a right-handed first baseman who pretty much hit for average. For Cubs fans, I was basically Mark Grace with speed. Got cut from the team and decided to focus on architecture until I realized my hand skills weren't up to the task of being a really good architect. I always liked reading and writing, so I eventually became a Creative Writing major. After graduation I found that it was hard as hell to sell stories and went back to grad school to get an M.S. in Advertising so I could prostitute myself as a copywriter. Got my degree in 96, still doing it 12 years later. Oh yeah, and it's still hard as hell to sell stories.

[Meule]

Studied to be a journalist, worked as a journalist when I was still in college and got my current job when I hadn't even graduaded yet

[thunderbolt]

I started with a estate groundskeeping job in Clearwater, then got married and moved to Winter Haven and ended up with a landscape maintenance job at Grenelefe Estates. Eventually became supervisor there. After several attempts, finally landed a job at Bok Tower Gardens and moved up to Gardens Supervisor.

[ScottA]

Loved to draw as a kid. I can't draw people but I can draw objects and animals. Then I took mechanical drawing in high school. Then got a degree is Drafting Design & Technology. This was about the time CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) was just coming out. I was introduced to computer drafting during my last semester. My first job was drawing airport layouts and runways and it was all by hand using ink on mylar. My second job was using a computer for the first time. Been drawing on the computer ever since, although what I'm drawing has varied over the years with changing jobs.

I do wonder sometimes if a new direction isn't needed. Cad drafting doesn't pay a whole lot but it's all I know how to do.

[Gorn Captain]

I'm retired.
Beat that!

[david_b]

I used to be a mainframe operator. I also dabbled in PCs (Early 90s)

One day the server admin had a family emergency and had to leave. The thought the server looked like a PC and told me I was in charge of the network during the admins leave.

Of course the network fell to pieces and I had no clue how to fix it. So he had to hire a guy in to fix it. His rate was $50.00/hr with a 3 hr minimum.

He walked in looked at the server typed in 1 command and left with $150.00 in his pocket.

At that point I decided I was going to become a network engineer.

Same Idea - After college I went to Germany for the Army working in Signal Corps comms, computers, etc, my first REAL post-college job.. Then a few weeks after coming back, I took my Packard Bell (remember those..) in for a memory upgrade at Computer City Super Store in Minneapolis. For $50 the techs put a new SIMM chip in.. I said to myself, "I can do that..".

So first the Novell CNE (early 90s...), then two Microsoft MCSEs later, I'm at the VA doing Mainframe work until the day I decide to retire and collect a federal pension. And that MCSE's now only a nice certificate and monogrammed shirt..

david_b

[Adam West]

When I was in High School, I wanted to become a doctor. Mostly a prestige thing and I'm not bothered by blood or other gory things. Took an advanced anatomy and physiology class in High School. I loved the hands on stuff...dissections and looking at things under microscopes but couldn't stand memorizing muscles and bones.

I was really good at math and intrigued by the stock market so I went into college with the idea of getting a finance degree and becoming a stock analyst or working for one of the major investment houses on Wall Street. I started dating my now wife and she made it very clear that if we were to have a future, we were not moving out of Maryland and that was non-negotiable. I finished up my degree and found a job as an entry level accountant for a local company. I was really good at it and my boss encouraged me to go back to school and take some additional accounting courses and potentially sit for the CPA exam.

Best advice ever. I earned a 2nd degree in two years while working full time and passed the CPA exam on my first try. I have had quite a few jobs since I left college but they have all been progressively more responsibility and I am working closer to home than I ever have. Fortunately, I found that I landed into a field that is in high demand and I'm not locked into one particular industry because company needs an accountant. I have spent years specializing in areas and taking on responsibilities that no one else wanted. Now I am just one position down from Chief Financial Officer which is not my cup of tea since I know I would have to trade off precious family time.

[Riffster]

started as a contracter cleaning up the whole credit card mess for TJX, they liked me and hired me in March. good company lots of room to advance. started me at $25 an hour too, not too shabby for my first IT job