What's Your Job IRL?

Discussion in 'Random Thoughts' started by MoatsArt, Oct 23, 2016.

  1. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    I'm wracked with retrospective envy: why didn't I think to do this when I was a kid?
     
  2. supertransformingdhruv

    supertransformingdhruv Almost "Made"

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    True innovation is born of necessity.

    I build simulations of physical phenomena & dynamics (mostly) for the government. With the new job sometimes I design controllers/autopilots too, but only when stuff is simple enough to be below the control theory PhDs.
     
  3. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    Why didn't I put away my fears in the early 2010s and didn't I start programming in those years? With enough practice I could have ridden the wave that is now a gaping hole in the job market: people who want to learn about IT and innovation.

    I am now happy with becoming a chef in training while slowly improving my programming and analytics' skills.

    In about 6 to 18 months I will have a decent portfolio, good enough for a side-gig. If later in life someone wants my work, I will charge top-dollar.

    I went to an IT job-interview.
    • One dude talks about his tattoos and they love him.
    • Another dude talks improvised a poem and they love him.
    • I simply talk about wanting to become a data-analist, having fun in Python and why Microsoft tends to suck because I had Windows Vista and W10 crash on me, I do not pass.
    That job interview was so random and they told me I was not ambitious enough. f**k them.
     
  4. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    I always just stopped reading job ads at the word dynamic.

    An ex-colleague, long ago now, at his interview, was told by a director that he was overqualified for the job. He said, "What do you want me to do, go back and fail some stuff?"
     
  5. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    "That job interview was so random and they told me I was not ambitious enough. f**k them."

    That's funny, but also sad. I'm way older than you & never worked in I.T. But I remember going to this or that interview & suddenly discovering:
    • It's the professional equivalent of a beauty contest or maybe stripper pole audition. They're looking at hair, clothes, name of school, stuff that doesn't matter--& disregarding capability
    • Or the realization that the interviewer is an unmedicated psychotic. In a matter of weeks I would be standing on the ledge, preparing to jump.
    Good luck with your efforts and I hope you eventually meet some decent people...
     
  6. Phantaminum

    Phantaminum Friend

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    In high school my school counselor told me to look at trade jobs as I wasn’t strong in math for a computer science degree. In college the advisor that spoke to me said I should do something computer related but that programming may be out of my reach. Something like marketing or graphic design.

    I’m a software developer and have been doing pretty damn well for myself. To the people that didn’t believe in me, thank you for fueling my motivation to prove you wrong. :)
     
  7. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    f**k school.

    Khan Academy made me overcome my fear of advanced mathematics by making it more visual and tactile. The old method of cramming and more cramming is sure to lead to a waste of talent. Worst of it all, gender does not matter. If the teaching is not effective, the mind will not follow (and that is a painful lesson).
     
  8. Jinxy245

    Jinxy245 Vegan Puss

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    I truly think we have a lot to learn about how we learn.
     
  9. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    I think I posted in this thread a couple of years ago, but I'm a Systems Engineer in the Avionics/Aerospace industry. This was a second career for me after working sales and management mostly in consumer electronics until I hit my early 30's, and then I decided I liked building stuff more than trying to sell it.

    School. Yeah I'm one of those who hated school. It wasn't that I hated to learn (I love it) but I resent being smothered by busywork that has no real relevance outside of academia. My first degree was in Business, but only after I'd had some experience so most of it was theoretical BS except for the few classes that were taught by successful business people. I went to get the piece of paper to legitimize what I had learned in the real world. The degree opened some doors for me so it wasn't a total waste of time.

    When I decided I wanted to become an engineer my employer paid for the schooling. I pursued a degree in Computer Science as it was one of several ways to become a Systems Engineer. I'm not a code geek. Despite getting decent grades I hated it and to this day don't have great coding skills, mostly because I don't enjoy it. But I carried on and finished that degree. Again, the best 2 classes I had (and actually learned from) were taught by an ex Apple SW developer who also had a grasp of the real world.

    My current job involves a pretty small amount of coding, mostly fixes, and more testing and requirements development. I'm the guy who volunteers to do the hands on stuff in the lab for testing, while other people bang out the code. Then I get to tell them when it doesn't work right.

    I like what I do but ultimately it was a financial decision where I make double what I did 10 years ago. I put in the extra work for schooling so that me and my family wouldn't struggle as much financially.

    If I had to do it all over again? Maybe I would have gone into the Military to see where that took me. My wife says I'm a natural born drill sergeant. (she's ex-military) and I probably would have ended up doing more hands on stuff combining tech with something that got me out of a cubicle. I do hate the cubicle.
     
  10. Syzygy

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    I architect/design/write highly-available/highly-reliable software, and sometimes write parts of compilers for fun. Before that I trained restaurant managers and cooked professionally. I still enjoy cooking today, but not usually for 100 people at a time. Before that I worked in jewelry manufacturing.

    Yes, they always say that, but honestly computer science isn't about math. (It's more about math when you get closer to hardware). You can suck at math and be a great programmer! Software is about data structures and algorithms, but mostly problem-solving skills. In most languages these days the core algorithms (sorting, searching) and structures (sets, lists, maps) are already encoded in the language's standard library (or an add-on). You just need to learn the characteristics of each so you can choose appropriately.

    I've worked at a couple of IT shops that took college interns, and the quality of their code output was really low. This isn't to put down the interns, because they were doing exactly what they needed to be doing, by getting exposure to how things are done professionally. But it does speak to how poor most college classes are for IT.

    There are some great free/paid resources on the internet for learning how to program. And of course you can go look at github and review other people's code. I went to college for awhile, but didn't stay for the degree. In IT, at least in my experience, ability far outweighs a degree in most instances. My job hunts typically last 2-3 days before I'm slurped up (and it's been that way for 25 years).

    I've sat in far too many of those. Luckily today I have a window seat, and there are no cubes in sight here. But I'm sure that won't last…
     
  11. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Isn't there a saying that he who would write compilers for fun would go to hell to pass the time? Maybe that was going to sea!
    Fascinating! I used to do a bit as a hobby (don't give up the day job) and I am still interested in it. I never pick up a piece of jewellery without turning my mind to how it was made.

    I am so innumerate that they threw me out of the maths class at 15. I can't even get stuff like how many teas/coffees right. I literally stumbled into my final career of Unix systems manager, and my friends were amazed. I told them: I don't have to do sums; the computer does the sums!
    Nice. I was lucky enough to find niche jobs, both work-wise and view-wise. So, although my job count was high, the majority of years were spent in just two jobs.
     
  12. Dzerh

    Dzerh Friend

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    Just found this thread 2 days ago.
    I'm software engineer, designing and developing firmware and software for more 1/4th of century now, mostly for telecom industry, mostly for telephone switches and PBXes.
    Kind of missing time when it was still "embedded software" and you have to consider very limited hardware resources. Now, same for appliances and for cloud, requirements way more relaxed, what makes sloppy designs and coding much more viable.
     
  13. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    I did some jewelry work in college. Actually, when working on my Business degree at the University of Iowa, I ran into a situation where I had transferred with too many credits from community college, and I was about to fulfill my Business requirements, yet still not have enough credits at the U of I to graduate. So I decided to work on an art minor to accumulate credits. I really liked the metalworking/jewelry classes, but eventually just focused on small scale metal sculpture. I got really good at it and ended up being the metal lab TA which pissed off the art majors. In my last semester before graduation, my professor tried really hard to convince me to go for a masters degree in sculpture. It sounded like fun but I knew it would guarantee I was a high debt, starving artist forever so I declined.

    I admit there was something therapeutic about swinging a hammer to shape a piece of brass or aluminum.


    Edit: Working with titanium was a bitch. You couldn't shape it with a hammer and it would break saw blades if you weren't super careful. But it looked totally bad ass when anodized.
     
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2019
  14. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    More into filing, myself! And pushing down bezels onto stones with a burnisher :)

    In London, last year, I paid a couple of nostalgic visits to the biggest jewellers' tool supply shop. Even bought some files and stuff.

    Lots of chatty people, staff and customers, pros and students. One asked me "What was your favourite tool?" My answer: the piercing saw. Although today I would break blades in 30 seconds like any beginner does.

    Sorry about the sidetrack, but before I stop...

    Plainly, one does not work in gold for hobby stuff. Even silver is hardly cheap. And, anyway, frankly I'd always wondered what all the fuss was about, apart from the intrinsic value: I was never aesthetically smitten by gold. I realised what all the fuss was about the first time I held a dull yellow ring against the polishing mop and saw that wonderful, deep golden gleam appear. I got smitten!
     
  15. Pharmaboy

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    Since we're also talking about hobbies & artistic stuff, here's my story: my mother was an accompllshed weaver & soft textiles artist/designer. She showed her work at regional crafts fairs & attracted some attention. In our 20s, my twin brother became a high-level stained glass craftsman (windows, mirrors, lamps, etc). He attracted some attention & made some rather beautiful things.

    In my 20s I did photography, mostly B&W. Had my own darkroom, made some decent prints. Gave it up before I could develop a true P.O.V./personal style. Years later came woodworking: furnishing our 2nd house w/presentation shelving, cabinets, built-ins--all self-taught. Finally I spent years making big work for a large media room: 50+ ft. of built-ins, shelves, cabinets, presentation shelves; 15.5' faux columns; large/ornate bannister--all my own designs. My muses were Frank Lloyd Wright & Rennie McIntosh.

    None of this would ever become "my living." Still, it's very gratifying to have pursued these skills/hobbies. When I look at some of the things I built, it's as if an alternate/aesthetic self is staring back at me...
     
  16. Ringingears

    Ringingears Honorary BFF

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    My first pair of headphones. I think they were the first Grado model!
     
  17. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    So... I just started new job as a Software Engineer for a medical instrument company in Silicon Valley. Life is looking pretty chill.

    Morning and afternoon traffic on US-101 still suck tho, and I still watch cat videos on Sat and Sun.
     
  18. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    IMO medical instruments & devices are terribly cool. It's the technology/human body interface. Thus, software for instruments must be pretty interesting, as well.

    GOOD LUCK on your new gig! I hope they're paying you Silicon Valley bread, 'cause you gotta live somewhere!
     
  19. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    Thanks! Honestly, they do pay me pretty well (let's say... it is on par with Silicon Valley bread, and health benefits are over the roof), and the technology is indeed quite interesting.

    I'm ready to spend quite a long while with the company, since I like the atmosphere, the knowledge I'm gaining, and the people a lot. Also since there's priority on safety and stability over features and rush-to-market styles of most other software companies, pacing is excellent here.
     
  20. Syzygy

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    I worked for Meris Labs (medical) in San Jose in the 90's as a developer. It was cool because it was the first lab (that I know of) that successfully had made a computerised transport for the samples. They'd double-enter the patient information, print the barcodes and label the tubes, then set them into a carrier on a conveyor. The system spat the carrier off at the right station, where the tech would take enough of the sample to run in that machine, then set it back on its way in the carrier on the conveyor to the next station required for whatever testing was requested.

    I didn't have anything to do with that -- I was doing the billing side. That was all the CEO's work, who was both an M.D. and an EE.

    ---

    As to the jewelry, my dad owned the largest heishi-style native American jewelry company when I was growing up in the 70's. That's usually turquoise and coral with a silver base. He used to fly twice a week to Kingman AZ to bring back buckets of turquoise.

    In the late 70's the company started doing three-color gold ("Black Hills gold") jewelry. It was great until the inflation came and drove gold to $800/oz (was prior near $100). It was actually near this time when I worked for him polishing gold jewelry.

    This wasn't some small outfit. It was an 8000 sq. ft. building. It had 6 kilns, 2 big casting machines, 2 big rock tumblers, a room full of polishing stations, another room full of people shooting wax into rubber molds, and a vault full of ready-to-ship inventory. A fully-industrialised jewelry operation with more than 100 people working there.

    My first job there was to sweep the entire 5000 sq. ft. manufacturing area before they put the walls in for the different rooms.
     

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