What do ya'll do for a living?....

[kwormann]

And how did you get to that job???

Ill start. I have a BS in PR and wanted to work for a not-for-profit. AT the time, never thought of leaving home to find a job and never found one, so I worked management for WIlliam-SOnoma until going back to school to be a teacher. I am always interested in what else there is out there in the world to do/be, so I wondered, what do you do????

[AdGirl]

i just graduated in 2000 with a degree in marketing and management and now (as per my user name) work at an advertising agency in new york. i love living here, it's an amazing city! i was a little hesitant at first because i spent my whole life in texas until i went to college, but i'm glad i took the plunge.

anyway, advertising is a very bizarre industry to be in. it's incredibly cyclical (i.e. you're crazy busy for a few weeks and staying all hours of the night and then all of a sudden you're staring at the wall all day and spending hours on the BB :D ). but overall, i'm glad i'm in it. it's incredibly satisfying to turn the tv on and see your ad there and get loads of free products, hee hee. it's cool :)

[Natasha]

I've been an attorney for a few years now, and love it. It's what I've wanted to do since I was about 15. I enjoy it because it allows me to constantly use my communication skills (oral and written), to analyze complicated issues, and to continually learn and expand my horizons.

What does make me laugh is the way people look at me sometimes when I tell them what I do. They either look scared, or awed, or pretend to run away. :)

[aggie94]

I always wanted to be a marine biologist as a kid and play with the dolphins. After two years as an engineering major in college, because that's what I was good at (math, physics, etc.), I changed my major and graduated with a BS in fisheries and aquaculture. I took the GRE and was looking at grad school for marine biology, but on a whim, looked into what it took to get into law school. I didn't want to spend years in grad school, and also wasn't sure I wanted to work out in the field as a biologist. So I took the LSAT, applied to a few law schools, and decided to give law school a shot. Lucky for me, I loved it and was good at it too. Now I'm a litigation attorney with a medium-sized private firm in Eugene. I've taken the Texas bar, though, just in case DH ever convinces me that we really need to move back there...

[JanetJ]

I graduated with a degree in Communications - emphasis in PR. Right out of college I went to work for a rental car company as an entry level trainee. 5 years later I'm still here, but now I'm the manager of the marketing department for Washington State. At first my Dad was a little concerned he spent so much money on a degree that got me a job renting cars...he's changed his mind now that I have voicemail and business cards with a cool title. :)

[DSH]

I've been an attorney now for thirteen years and hate it. I am thinking of exploring teaching as an option.

[Angela]

I've wanted to be one since i was about 12! I graduated with a B.S. in 1996 and started out in Residental design, ugh--I hated it. The home is such a particular/personal thing for people and as much as they wanted to "do something fun and different" they always ended up doing what they had in their minds to do all along. Many people are afraid to do "different".
I've been working in Healthcare Design (remodel and new construction for a healthcare system in Balitmore--2 hospitals and a nursing home)for about 3 years and like it. It always fun to hear and see the reactions of the staff and patients when an area is remodeled or new furniture comes in.
I hope my job will be in Hospitality Design (hotels, restaurant, etc.). There is a wider area of creativity there.

[Gail]

... you mean I'm supposed to DO something?

Oh.

Thought I was just supposed to sit up there on Mount Olympus and file my nails... :p

[Jewel]

I'm a Project Coordinator for a Food Machinery Manufacturer. Fancy title for a 'buyer'. I've been in Customer Service and Sales for about 20 years, however I spent the happiest 3 years of my career as a Weight Loss Counselor.

As long as I can remember I've always wanted to be a writer, but I always thought I didn't have what it took. I've started three different projects, and each time I start thinking that it just ain't gonna work, so I put it away or throw it away! :confused:

[sneezles]

LOL!

[Natasha]

Originally posted by Gail
... you mean I'm supposed to DO something?

Oh.

Thought I was just supposed to sit up there on Mount Olympus and file my nails... :p

Sorry to disillusion you, dear Gail, but you DO have additional responsibilities. At a minimum, you're supposed to be witty, provide us with delicious NON-LIGHT recipes, and drink wine with me. :)

I'm a tough customer, huh? ;)

Natasha

[Angela]

Gail, Please, don't let us interrupt you! :D :D

[laurenc]

I have a BS in enigneering and and MBA in finance. I work for a financial services company in NY and I can't wait to find my dream job and get the heck out of here!! DH and I are talking about picking up and getting out of the city next summer and I can't wait. I think we both realize that we have had enough of the rat race and are in search of a simpler way of life. I am tired of getting home after 9 every night!!

I have always wanted to be a writer or to teach - just have to get up the nerve to take the leap and do it.

[gertdog]

I came to Ithaca to do a doctoral program in developmental psychology. I studied how kids learn about science in the course of everyday social interaction. Toward the end of my program I was running out of funding, and wasn't sure I'd be able to finish. Just then, I saw an advertisement for a postion at our local science museum... they were looking for someone to develop a science area for young children over a 3-year period. But the day I saw it was the closing date for applications! I printed out a resume, wrote a cover letter, and hand-delivered the application. And here I am! I've been working here for 2 years now and thoroughly enjoy my work. In addition to being lots of fun, my job has also enabled me to stay in Ithaca while finishing my degree. It's taking longer than I'd like, but I'm getting close!

[Chefzhat]

Well funny you should ask. Now that my kiddos are in school all day I enrolled in the closest university and am working on my secondary education degree - Social Science, English and Geography. So, I'll be a teacher!

[ebobbitt]

I love this thread! I have two B.S. degrees: Biology and Computer Science. I have always made my living with the Computer Science although I tried forever to get out of the industry. After ripping through 5 (I think) jobs after college, averaging a year and a half at each one, I went to work for a school district. I was hired to be a programmer analyst but I just hate programming. Now, almost 9 years later I'm still with the school district but I am the helpdesk manager. Basically it's a one person show: me! We have 37 schools and I get tons of calls. It's so much fun and I just love it. This is a position I volunteered for and it couldn't suit me more. It's pretty high stress because I never know what the problem will be and the calls are fast and furious. But for the most part I'm loving my job.

[mb]

gertdog, that's a great story - seems like one of those meant-to-be things...

i graduated with a BS in math and a BHS in health science in 97. i didn't know what i wanted to do (i also had minors in psychology and judaic studies...talk about variety!) so i decided to stay for a masters in statistics, figuring i could use my math skills in any field i wanted. well, that went ok and i decided to get a phd in biostatistics. so we moved to atlanta so i could go to emory...about midway through my 1st semester, i realized that i hated what i was doing!!!

we eventually moved back to Florida where i got a job as a 'data task force specialist' at a nonprofit agency that served kids in foster care. i worked there a year and then i had my baby may 29, and our agency closed on june 1! (my leaving had nothing to do with it - it was a situation that was coming for a long time!)

and now i'm a stay at home mom with 3 fancy diplomas hanging over my desk... but it's definitely my best job yet! ;)

marisa :)

[cryskie]

I'm a registered dietitian working for WIC, a supplemental program for women, infants, and children. I counsel moms on how to feed their babies, children, and themselves. I have a BS in Nutrition, completed a 1 year graduate internship, and passed a registration exam to become an RD. I hope to start culinary school soon, and afterward I'm not sure what I'll do! I love being an RD, but WIC is a pretty stressful job (like most government-type jobs). I can't wait for culinary school--I love preparing healthy meals for friends and family, and I'm ready to improve my skills!

Crystal

[greysangel]

I went to a music conservatory, graduated and moved to the big city to pursue an operatic career :D

Now I have decided that I don't want to have that kind of crazy lifestyle and am just happily plugging away trying to figure it out :)

I work for facilities management for a large investment bank which I enjoy (this is what keeps a roof over my head!)

I do web design for performing artists.

I am a party planner for a non profit organization to which I belong.

I am in the process of writing a series of short stories which I hope maybe someday will be published either as a newspaper/magazine column or as a book. Any publishers out there? It's called "Tales from the Scale....Slaying the digital scale monster and other weight related demons" :D

My dream:

To move to New Orleans and be a WW leader, write a little, sing a little and just enjoy what this life has to offer :) Oh yes...and cook often!

JeAnne

[mmtibbs]

After fifteen unsatisfying years in health care administration, I went back to school and got my RN when I was 37. For the last six years I have worked as a Labor and Delivery nurse. It really is the most rewarding, demanding, satisfying work I can imagine. When it is good it is wonderful, when it is bad it is horrendous. You've got to be an adrenaline junkie to make it, but that fits me to a tee. I also love the 7A-7P shift, just three a week.

The schedule leaves me lots of time for my one son and my OTHER full time job, which is selling books on eBay. When I am going full tilt on eBay I send out 100 books a week--that's a lot of wrapping and schepping to the post office. The auction format feeds my need for adrenaline when I'm not catching babies!

[kwormann]

Originally posted by Jewel


As long as I can remember I've always wanted to be a writer, but I always thought I didn't have what it took. I've started three different projects, and each time I start thinking that it just ain't gonna work, so I put it away or throw it away! :confused:

How funny Jewel, I am also a closet writer. I just finished a children's book and have two in the works, but figure, who'd want to read them, so they sit in my bedroom!

Greysangel, I almost tried event planning with my PR career, but the job fell thru and no others came along. I always wondered what my life would be if I had worked more for a Not for Profit job...I still wonder if I should try someday...

[Leanne]

I'm the ultra-geek. Undergraduate degrees in math & physics, graduate degrees in physics & EE. I'm now a research scientist. I get to play with some pretty cool things & getting my first patent was cool too! my current areas of interest are assistive technology devices for the disabled, air sensors, and aviation safety. (quite the variety - which is what keeps me interested.)
I have taught/tutored for years as well before being a scientist.
Perhaps when I have children, I'll go back to teaching.

[BarbaraL]

I'm a medical writer/editor in the pharmaceutical industry. I started out testing experimental drugs in the lab, had a series of lab jobs, and eventually moved into medical writing. I had been working with materials for promotion, sales training and patient education, among others. This June, I (along with the rest of my group) was laid off, after 22 years with the company! I've just started with another pharma company. I'll be working on preparing articles for medical journals. It will be a change, but I'm happy to have found a great job not too far from home.

[funnybone]

I wish I could say I was a "kept woman", but I am not. I stay at home now, but have a BA in English and Sociology. I worked for over 10 years, before we moved to the US from Canada. Since my DH was transferred with his job and only has a work visa, I cannot work until we get our green cards. That should be within a year.

[megclark]

I am a nurse in a very busy critical care unit in a university hospital. Its a very fast-paced stressfull job, esp since the nursing shortage is getting so bad! I work 3 12 hour shifts a week which is nice and have the opurtunity to work as much overtime as i want to-which usually isn't too much! I have been doing this for 15 years and still really like it!


Meg:cool:

[Nirak]

I have an B.A. in English from a small liberal arts college. Everyone expected me to teach, but I wanted to be in business so I used my writing skills to get a PR job. I worked in high-tech business to business PR for 10 years and loved it, but couldn't do the working mom routine so I have been a SAHM since my second daughter was born in 1995. Now she is off to 1st grade so I am evaluating my options. I would like to be a party planner/consultant. I have worked out a business plan for children's parties, but I don't really want to run the parties (just be the idea person). I'm also interested in doing adult parties or special events. I am going to consult with a lawyer and an insurance agent to find out what kind of coverage I need and then when I get my courage up I will run an ad. We'll see how it goes.

[luckylori]

What an interesting assortment of stories! For you aspiring writers, have you read Stephen King's "On Writing"? I thought it was incredibly inspirational. I'd love to write as well, but haven't even started a project yet, although I did just buy a laptop with the intentions of doing so. In the meantime, I must make a living, so I continue to be a Production Direction for a Hot AC radio station. I've been working for my company (which is an excellent one...very rare these days in radio)...for 20 years. A little similar to what you do, AdGirl, but I'm just on a local radio-scale, rather than a national advertising agency-scale.

[Vanessa]

Gail you are so funny! You really should be a writer because you have such a creative mind! :-)

[pmmahan]

I graduated in '99 with a BA in English. I write proposals for an investment company.

My goal is to become a freelance writer: travel, food, wine.

[Sarah]

What a fantastic thread! I'm just thrilled to be back on the BB anyways after a summer away.
I took a year off in the middle of high school, and it was the best thing I ever did. I went away planning to become a chemical engineer, and came back saying "music teacher". As they say, I never looked back.
I went to university and graduated with a B Mus in music education. I also graduated with the idea that I never wanted to teach music again. I went to teacher's college so I could teach kids to read...somehow more noble to my way of thinking.
It didn't happen, however. A friend of mine showed up at the church where I was playing for services with the news that the school where she was needed a music teacher. So here I am. I now teach music at a school for the blind (plus half-time orthapedic), and love it. Go figure :D

[RobinC]

I am an Accounting geed and proud of it!!! :D

I have a BS degree in Finance (1992) and 2 years ago finished a post-baccalaurate certificate in Accounting (basically another bachelors degree). When I finished the certificate I decided to leave industry and go to work in public accounting, so I joined a Big 5 firm. I love what I do. I recently passed the CPA exam and am dangerously close to being a newly minted CPA.

My darling BF and I also run a business out of our home. We sell some circuit boards that he designed for hobbiest projects. In my spare time I do electronics assembly work.

Robin

[Molli526]

I have a BS in Genetics. I work as and Account Executive (ie. sales rep) for a company that does genetic testing for cancer. It is very rewarding. I also like it b/c it is never the same. I have thought once I have kids I would love to teach science or something. When I grow up :p , I would like to have my own restaurant where the menu is entirely light and healthy.

[KristaMB]

I have a BA in Urban Studies, and wanted to do city planning, but it just didn't turn out that way.

After I graduated, I started working for a hazardous materials information management company. Basically, we're hired to keep haz mat related data for a ton of companies. I worked there for 5 years until I went out on maternity leave last month. I managed the regulatory reporting function until I found out I was pregnant, then I stepped down because it was too stressful. Leaving my management position was the best move I ever made! :)

[Jennett]

I'm a Production Manager/Editor at a university publishing house. What that basically means is I organize all the behind-the-scenes work required to make books, newsletters, etc. Everything from copyediting, design, layout, proofing, until manufacturing. I fell into the job right after graduation in '98. Publishing (at least what I do) is very different than I thought it would be. I'd only ever imagined the acquisitions side of things--slogging through tons of manuscripts, dealing with tweedy-type authors, meeting with agents, etc. I get to do very little of that, which ultimately is probably a good thing in the end. But I'm not really suited for the area I'm in. I love the variety and the problem-solving opportunities in my job, but it's been such a struggle for me to learn to read for presentation above content. I'm supposed to correct comma splices and make the finished product look nice, but not to think about the meaning. As an lit. crit major, this is hard! So I'm likely to be changing positions in the future.

Of course, I may just chuck it all and go to grad school, which I haven't completely given up on. I debated going for an English Ph.D, and then realized though I enjoy literature and critical theory, what I'm most passionate about is marine biology. I let a stupid high school math teacher convince me I wasn't good enough at math to pursue a science career. Math isn't the easiest subject for me, but I did really well on my SATs and GREs. Arrghh!!:mad:

I also school horses on the side, which is I think of as a hobby (my fave) rather than a job.

Sorry for the saga! :o

[Don]

I am a perfect example of how one's education should not interfere with one's life. I have a B.A. in History and African Studies, and I have done graduate work in both African Studies and Education. Immediately following graduation (in 1984--boy am I old!), I taught for a year at a high school for children with drug dependencies and learning disabilities. I quickly burned out (mostly due to the lack of support from the administration--at least that's my line on it). So, the following year, I packed up my hatchback and moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA as a fellow at the African Studies Center. After a year at UCLA, I took a job as an auto insurance claims adjuster, and became the manager of the largest claims office in California within three years. Then, I decided that working for an insurance company was not what I wanted out of life, so I quit to return home to Maryland and go back to school specializing in Third World education issues. Unfortunately, that was not a wise choice in terms of occupational opportunities, so a little over six years ago, I accepted a position working at the national headquarters of the Medicaid program. While there, I developed a training and information program on the health problems and concerns of racial and ethnic populations. Now I develop and offer training courses, and I serve as a consultant on ethnic health issues, including outreach, health promotion, and specific health needs and distinctions of ethnic populations. I am also known as a tireless advocate (or as some would say, pain in the backside) for cultural competency and ethnic concerns in health care. I never dreamed that my life would end up like this, but I'm glad it did. People have often told me that I was crazy to change professions (especially when I left the insurance business). But I have always believed that everything in life is reversible and what isn't is meant to be. At least I've rarely been bored!

[GayeC]

Originally posted by kwormann


How funny Jewel, I am also a closet writer. I just finished a children's book and have two in the works, but figure, who'd want to read them, so they sit in my bedroom!


There is a good resource for published and hope-to-be-published children's authors called Children's Book Insider. It has a Web site, publishes a newsletter, and even has a reading service (someone there will read and evaluate your manuscript for a reasonable fee). I think that the Web address is write4kids.com.

I work as a technical writer for a University and also do some freelance writing for regional magazines. I like to write non-fiction (although I too have written a children's book -- not published!). My dream is to be a food writer and/or to write a really wonderful non-fiction book.
Gaye

[kwormann]

I may look into it:) Thanks for the info, Gaye:)

[jazzcat]

I wanted to be a Marine Biologist or study Oceanography! Well, Jaws did me in and I became a Pharmacist instead.

[AmyLouise]

I'm a director/teacher in a nursery school and I thoroughly enjoy it. I completed a two year program in Early Childhood Education and felt I was mising something so I went back to school. I graduated with a BAA in Child and Youth Studies with a specialization in Special Needs. My dream is to someday take a masters program in Speech and Language Pathology and open a developmental centre. Also, I want to be a pediatric nurse so who knows!!
I love working with children and I love these threads!!!

Amy

[dotglee]

Well, my profile says it, but I didn't really get there until my forties. I also meant to add a library degree to my B.A. in Spanish and Portuguese, but circumstances intervened. After raising my kids, teaching cooking, learning financial planning, volunteering in schools, I went back to school. I love it! I've had three very different kinds of library jobs, but they were all very satisfying. Any kind of job where you help people get what they want is rewarding.

I might have gotten that by being a financial planner, but this way I don't have to convince anybody of anything.

We need more librarians now, as my colleagues and I think about retiring. If you've ever considered it, now's the time. The Web hasn't put us out of business yet (insert smiley with bun in hair)

[bossy]

After getting a BS in mathematics and a MA in economics I ended up marrying a guy from New Zealand straight out of grad school and going there for a year or so. Immigration was so screwed up that I was told over and over I couldn't work till naturalized so really had a tough time of it not being able to do "a real job" then. Well then I got used to it....and we aren't the types that want to buy lots of stuff. So since we've been back in the US (about 12 years now) I've had a couple fill-in teaching jobs but mostly just stay home - raise my cat family and play around with artsy stuff.

I would like to get a job one day but have no idea what I'd like to do. And who hires someone who is 40 and never really been in the work force anyway?

Oh yeah - thought about high school teaching for a bit and after going into schools thought that no way I could handle the "babysitting" aspect of it after being used to teaching college kids. So stopped a few credits short of a MA in Education as well.

[Ohioan]

I'm a college professor at a major research university (since I'm in Columbus, Ohio, three guesses which one!), teaching mostly Renaissance literature -- Shakespeare and those guys -- as well as some medieval literature, on all levels from sophomore to Ph.D. I've been doing it for over 20 years now, and it's still as fresh and new as when I began. But of course I have wonderful students, so that may be part of the joy I find in my work.

This is actually my third career -- or fourth, if you count the programming and database development that I did on the side during the 1990s. Before teaching, I was an Air Force officer for ten years. I was a squadron commander twice, squadron admin officer a couple of times (including once with a squadron that took part in the evacuations of South Vietnam at the end of the war), and director of administration for an airlift wing once. I also had additional duties on inspection teams and as head of a Social Actions Office. It was while I was in the Air Force -- after I got back from overseas after the war -- that I went back to grad school and got my MA and Ph.D. in medieval and Renaissance English literature.

Before the Air Force, I was an editor: management books, and before that, mental ability tests.

Each of my career changes occurred because of a real soap-opera set of events in my life, but those are stories for other times.:p At any rate, I've loved all my careers, so the soap-operas all had happy endings, didn't they?:D

Cheers,
Phoebe

[beckms]

I graduated from Rice in 2000 with a BA in Psychology and Art History, and discovered very quickly that there were no jobs for me (at least not in Austin).

So I bartended for a few months, and finally took a job as a receptionist at a veterinary hospital (thinking I would just quit as soon as I found a "real" job...college can make you snotty!)...

lo and behold, I didn't quit for another job, but rather got trained as a vet tech and assisted with surgeries and appointments, and now I'm enrolled in a post-baccalaureate pre-vet program at Tufts! My art History background didn't exactly prepare me for vet school, so I'm taking the hard sciences (Orgo, Bio, etc.) until I have the necessary prerequisites to apply to vet school. in the meantime, I have an internship at the New England Aquarium in the penguin exhibit, and I'm looking for some work in a stable so I can learn about horses. Anyone in the area with horses that need tending??

To everyone who's frustrated in a dead-end situation, just do what you love and you'll be happy! Nothing has to be permananet, sometimes it just takes a little while to find your calling.

Rebecca

[BosunsWife]

Oh my goodness, I'm almost embarrassed to put down that I was a legal assistant for 17 years before quitting to be a stay at home mom. You all are so educated! Not that I'm knocking what I did, I loved it and probably will return to it when I finally go back to work when the school years hit our household. One thing I can say for what I was trained for, it has always served me well in all our military travels. I was never without a job by choice for more than a couple of weeks.

[Julia1Pin]

After hearing about all these cool careers, and the life changes, I'm almost falling asleep at my profession writing this :)

I graduating with an accounting degree from the University of San Francisco, joined a Big 5 Accounting Firm (and stayed with the firm during my transfer from SF to LA), quit after almost 4 years, and now work for Disney as a Senior Financial Analyst in the Consumer Products Division. I like it alot more than auditing (but wouldn't give up my time at Deloitte for anything) and since I'm thinking about going into Product Development, it's a foot in the door.

You can all go back to reading interesting stories now ;)

BTW, I wouldn't mind being a kept woman either:D

[sharon]

I'm glad to see so many people who have already had a couple "careers" and been happy/successful at them all. I went to college and got a BA in advertising. After school, I was a media director for an advertising agency in the midwest. After about 4 years I decided that I didn't want to be doing the same thing when I was 60. So, I went to law school in Oregon. Now I am a labor and employment lawyer, mostly on the management side of the fence, here in Oregon.

I would guess that one day I may also tire of this and do something else. My dream job would be to have my own B&B or maybe an arts/craft/stamp/hobby store that actually made enough money for me and DH to live on! Funny that so many of our dream jobs involve food or creative pursuits like writing.

[beejayw1]

I majored in Ancient and Medieval history in college. This was because I found the courses interesting. Also because I just drifted along studying what was interesting to me. (As an aside, I ended up at the very end of my senior year taking freshman level courses because I hadn't completed my distribution. *Yawn!*)

After college, I took a year of grad studies in counseling, but discovered that I was not the best person for dealing with someone who was diagnosed with cancer and had just gone through their first chemotherapy session. Too visceral and emotional. I moved back from the mountains of Virginia to Philadelphia and started working in insurance.

I'm a Judge's/Lawyer's daughter. After ten years of that, I got everything lined up to go to law school - LSATs (scored top 5%), references, the whole nine yards. But as I was filling out the applications it occurred to me that (1) I wasn't really interested in becoming a lawyer. There was no 'call' there, and (2) this to the side, if I did go to law school, I wouldn't have time to write. So I stayed in insurance. It's interesting, and it's a good way to put bread on the table, but it doesn't define me.

Writing is my love, and I've been doing it since fourth grade. Poems (earlier; I've got a few knocking around inside and may pen them yet), some short stories, a whole bunch of novels. One's published, the next, a sort of prequel, is set to come out in about a month (I was picky about the galley proofs, and then they decided to 'sharpen' the image on the cover).

Forgive me for a couple comments:

Kwormann said:
I am also a closet writer. I just finished a children's book and have two in the works, but figure, who'd want to read them, so they sit in my bedroom!
Take this to heart: if it's good enough for you to write, and has passed your own criteria, then it's good enough for someone else to read. Look around at what's being published; there are a lot of terrifically talented people out there - you may well be one of them! :)

Kwormann again:
If I get the courage...I may look into it Thanks for the info, Gaye
Get the courage. Aren't you worth it? Use the info. What's the worst that can happen?

Bosunswife said:
Oh my goodness, I'm almost embarrassed to put down that I was a legal assistant for 17 years before quitting to be a stay at home mom.
Sounds as though you opted for one of the most powerful and honorable jobs around. Keep in mind that you don't need to have an advanced degree to be educated. And remember 'the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world'.

And finally, Jennett says she schools horses. Well, some day when I buy that horse I've always wanted - 10 - 13 years old; fairly bombproof, friendly - for trail riding and companionship, I may be sending him or her to you to get some of the kinks worked out.

Last comment: I've been looking into careers with animals as a sort of change. Pet-sitting, maybe? Who knows? I've been working on a five-year plan and it might pan out... It's never too late; Grandma Moses started painting when she was in her 70's!

Meanwhile, keep cooking!

[BlueMoose]

Stay at home Mom. :D

[wonderwoman]

I'm an editor for a small commercial real estate publishing company. I write articles, but I'm also the copy editor (my real love! :) ). In my spare time, I do freelance copy editing (occasionally I get a cookbook project, which, of course, is my favorite :D ).

[Holly in KC]

I graduated in '87 with a degree in accounting from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Worked for about 9 years in a "Big Eight" (now Big Five) firm.

Left public accounting about 5 year ago to work for a wireless telecommunications company headquartered here in Kansas City. When I started with this company, it was a start up... building a brand new nationwide PCS network. Now, we are over 10 million customers strong!

My career with this company has been wonderful. I started out in accounting... worked my way up to assistant controller. From there, I moved into Financial Planning & Analysis, and now work in Marketing Finance. Basically, my team provides decision support services to the marketing group -- for example, we analyze the economics of new rate plans or rate plan changes (aka.: do you really want to include that many minutes for $34.99?).

[gabbyh]

I was a housewife and went to work for a local General Practioner as his "office nurse"...he trained me to do everything...I was always interested in medicine, especially psych...so when the School of Nursing at our local hospital started an Evening/Week-End Nursing Program for people that worked, I applied and was accepted. I was 37 and a divorced single Mom.
I graduated 2 weeks before my 40th b'day with a Diploma in Nursing and then went to a local college for my BS in Nursing, which I received in 1995. I started my career as a psychiatric RN at a State Hospital, and when my unit closed, went to work for KidsPeace Hospital, which is now a 72-bed acute care psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents in Eastern Pennsylvania. I worked on the pre-adolescent unit as a charge nurse for 2 1/2 years before my present position.
For the past 5 plus years, I have been the evening Nursing Supervisor at the hospital and have now been in nursing 10 years.
My job, at times is very heartbreaking, but most of the time it is rewarding beyond belief...
Now...for my second career...I want to work in a Winery in Australia in public relations :cool:

[lisas3575]

... a fancy name for a graphic designer. I originally wanted to be an architect, but finally admitted that I suck too bad at math to do that! Design was a nice compromise. I love it, and recently hung out my own shingle. It's great to be self-employed! :D

[Robyncz]

I majored in International Relations and German at Tulane University and imagined that I might go into the foreign service. Instead, I spent the year after graduation teaching high school English on a Fulbright Fellowship in Germany. By the end of the year I knew I wanted to teach English as a Second Language, so I came back to the US and got a graduate degree in Applied Linguistics/Second Language Acquisition. I LOVED teaching ESL but was having trouble making ends meet when I was recruited by a high school publishing company. So I started as an entry-level editor for foreign language and worked my way up to editorial manager before leaving to have my first baby.

I liked being home with my baby (now babies!) so much that I never went back. I'm pretty busy with my two girls (one is 3 1/2 months old and the other is 22 months old), but I still do some freelance writing and editing to keep my brain functioning.

As someone said in an earlier post, giving up my management job was the BEST decision I've made yet.

[Curleytop]

Hey, I'm retired, that rocks! Used to work in the Information Systems of a large Airospace co.! :D

[MKSquared]

Just last summer I graduated from the same "Major research university" in Columbus, OH (hint: it begins with O and ends with U) that Phoebe teaches at. :)) I have a B.A. Music and a B.A. Economics. (What a change from my original course for a B.S. Molecular Genetics!)

Finally, I was certain that I wanted to use my love for music with my good organizational skills, and now I'm working for a major symphony orchestra. My job entails taking care of all the guest artists who come into town to perform with us, so I really do get to meet some pretty cool people. I see the horror stories you hear about ("They want WHAT in their room?"), but for the most part, the soloists aren't that bad!

And no, I never had Phoebe as a prof. However, after reading her post, I'm sure I had many acquaintances who did. :)

[Liz K]

Like Angela, I also graduated in 1996 with BS in interior design. For a while after graduation, I sold furniture. Then I moved into the same type of design that Angela currently does. I worked for a large hospital system in central Texas. While I enjoyed it, I did not like the little city and moved to Austin as soon as possible. Now I work for a home builder in the design center. I help the new home buyers make all the selections for their home, like the exterior colors, cabinet, carpet, etc. It's a lot of fun (except for now because of the economy) and very rewarding to go out and see the pretty houses.

I'm working towards becoming licensed, but the test has kicked my butt more times than I'd like to admit.

Eventually, I would like to start my own business, helping people become organized.

[beacooker]

Nothing too interesting here - I'm a computer programmer, who is kind of hoping that somehow with a job in a very unstable company, and a baby on the way, in the next few years I will get the opportunity to find a new career. I would love to be a SAHM for a few years, and do volunteer work, but I've discovered that the downside of having a job that pays pretty well is that it makes it a bit harder to give it up! With luck, circumstances will force a change. However, although I don't much like programming, I do like the company I work for, so its not the worst thing in the world if a change doesn't happen.

[elnant]

I graduated with a BA in Mass Communications. I've been working in TV news ever since. For the past year, I've been producing the 5pm news (and others, as needed) at an ABC affiliate in Wichita, KS. Before that, I was at a station in the Quad Cities, Iowa for 7 years. It took a lot for me to leave that job -- lots of friends there!
As for the future -- I've been considering getting out of this crazy business, and doing something else. I just don't know what yet! I guess I have some time to work that out!

[mmanddf]

Glad to see so many of you out there working! I was (please note the past tense) vice president of a steel company. Handled credit, customer relations, legal liason, corporate culture and landscaping. Quite a mix! I started with the company on the day it opened in 1977 and retired (mostly) at the beginning of the year. I miss it not at all. Love being home with all my time my own! I can cook, garden, read, and travel as much as we want. My DH retired ten years before I did so I have some catching up to do. It is really amazing the changes your life goes through. I know that I am older than most of you, but the BB keeps me thinking young! The only thing I miss about work is not being able to call IT with computer problems....Now I have to figure them all out for myself! Great thread :D

[JKS]

After completing my Master's Degree in Utah, we moved to Ithaca for my husband to work on his Ph.D. in Genetics. I worked in adult rehab and public schools for the first 6 years of my career, then got fed up with the many unprofessional and unethical things I was asked to do and QUIT when I was 2 months pregnant with my DD and the sole income/insurance carrier for our family!!! Bad timing, but a neccessary move. It turned out to be the best thing I ever did. I now work part time (20 hours) and make far more than I ever did as an employee and can maintain high professional and ethical standards. I primarily work with 0-3 year olds--I get paid to play all day. And I LOVE my work!! I spend a lot of time marvelling at the fact that I get paid so well to have so much fun. I would HIGHLY recommend this as a career to anyone!

I was also asked to teach as an adjunct professor this year and decided to take the plunge. It's an interesting and labor-intensive experience. We'll see if it's a direction I decide to go. My DH will graduate in May, then what??? We'll probably move, but have no idea where--NC, RI, MA, abroad, stay in Ithaca??? Hopefully then I can spend some time as a stay at home mom, thinking about which direction I'd like to go next, before choosing a thing or two to enrich myself. I'm thinking pottery, cooking, and public school reform feel like possible passions to pursue.

Gertdog--Howdy neighbor--we LOVE the sciencenter--we visit with our 2 kids several times a month.

[Jennett]

Right now I'm schooling horses that are privately owned, and so I basically go to the owners house. I haven't been in this area (eastern NE) long, so I don't have a super extensive equine network. But I know some people who ride and show at large stables--I'll see if they have any ideas on where you can pick up some horse experience. There are lots of stables outside of the city, but not too far if you have a car.

Diana--I'll be waiting:D :D !

[Kismet]

After earning a BA in Mathematics, I took a job as an assistant to an actuary at an insurance company. For the past 4 years, I've been working on the exams to become an actuary myself. I just got my first designation (ASA, for anyone who has ever heard of that :)) this summer. Six exams down, two to go for the final designation (FSA)!

It's so interesting to read all of these life sagas. I really like my work, but I also believe that it's not my work that defines me. It's the other fun stuff that makes life worthwile, and the paychecks definitely help in doing those things! :D

[LSB]

I was in the tourism business for several years - working for wholesale tour operators (the people who put together tour packages and then sell them thru travel agencies). It was a lot of fun, but three years ago I was VP of a large company in NYC and looking at many years ahead of work travel, long days and basically, no life and called it quits! So, I moved to Washington DC - which is sort of home since this was "home base" growing up with my Dad in the foreign service - and after taking a little time off, decided to pursue my dream job of being a writer. I've been freelancing to pay the bills, but am still working on the "Great American novel!" I love having time for me and a flexible schedule. Looking for work is hard, but I'm not ready to trade in my life for a corporation yet!

Louise

[Jessica]

Wow!! I am amazed at all the fabulous things we spend our days doing.

I finished school in 1993 and worked as a journalist for eight years, mostly covering business. This past winter and spring, a few life-changing events occurred. I got really sick and could only work half time (I am so fortunate to have a DH who supported me financially, physically and emotionally). I was writing for a Website and it was clear the company did not have much of a future. On top of that, I was about to turn 30 and I wanted a change.

Soooooo...I gave notice in late April and decided to start my own freelance writing business. In the middle of that notice period, the company went bankrupt. Talk about perfect timing!!

Now I freelance, and while my income is lower, my job satisfaction is sky-high.

[KValley]

What a fascinating group! I have been drinking my morning decaf and thoroughly enjoying reading the paths your lives have taken. This is a very inspiring thread!

I have a B.A. in French, a B.S. in Psychology, and M.A. in International Affairs/International Higher Ed Administration. I finished my French degree at a university in southeastern France, went on to teach English in Japan and Africa, then returned to the U.S. for my Masters (from another institution beginning with an O and ending with an O- about 75 southeast of Phoebe :)) I also started my career in study abroad there- remaining four years to work, before moving on to the Univ. of Illinois to manage the study abroad office there. The desire to return to the Northwest and to have a life outside of my job led me to my current position- I manage US Campus Relations for a university in London. I work from home and travel around the West (Rocky Mountains to Pacific Ocean), schmoozing with faculty from our affiliate institutions. A great job- I'm having a blast- and it is very stress-free, with lots of flexibility.

There are so many things I would love to do and the possibilities are exciting and motivating. DH and I would like to have our own winery someday- I'd love to run my own wine shop and/or bookstore. I'd also like to return overseas to teach again. I'm also very interested in nutrition and personal training; and I am another writer in progress. I can also see myself happily returning to a more traditional setting in university adminstration, but something other than international- perhaps in grants, career services. So, my plan is to keep myself open, constantly exploring, ready to take on new challenges. DH starts grad school in Resource Management (he is a teacher) in a couple of weeks, so it's his time to explore and who knows where his career may take us (my vote is back to France :))?

[JHolcomb]

As of 9 AM today, I am an archaeological technician with the Department of State Archeaology. I never thought I'd find anything remotely in my field, so I'm very excited. And my dad thought that degree in Anthropology would go to waste...

[critikid]

Graduated first in 1978 from a large University is Utah with a BS in Exercise Physiology...and a minor in music...
No one had ever suggested Medical School to me (how times have changed) but I was fortunate enough back then to have a forward thinking (Woman!!!) advisor while persuing my Masters that suggested Medicine.
Oh, well...graduated in 1985 from the University of Utah (Go Utes!!!):D with my MD - from there to Rochester NY and a residency in Anesthesiology and a Fellowship in Critical Care Medicine...since then I have worked as the Medical Director of Critical Care Medicine at one of the Health Care Systems in Rochester (read between the lines....I AM NOT THE KIND OF DOCTOR THAT ANY OF YOU EVERY WANT TO NEED!!!!).
:eek:
When I first moved to Rochester in 1985 it was "moving back" in a sense since I had grown up in a teeny tiny town of the lower Niagara River in Upstate NY...at the time I had both my Grandmothers and my Mom...since then I have lost all three - my Mom this past February...and she was both my greatest mentor and my best friend. On a lighter note - she was also the cooks of all cooks and passed on to both my sister and I a tremendous heritage of recipes and dinners around the table where people still talk and heal each other at the end of each and every day.
I live alone...well, I have two cats - and my life scores a 10 out of 10 most days...
What I do for a living can be difficult and at times downright depressing - but I love the work - and hope I make a difference.
At the risk of sounding maudlin - the BB has become an extended family for me, even though I rarely post. It is the one place in my life I can truely sit back and observe...and no one is counting on me for answers....
One of you recently attached a qoute to your signature - and I apologize for being able to credit the individual - but it has become my most soothing thought - one my Mom would have subscribed to (oh, SHE was a second grade teacher and raised four of us!!!) -

"To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition. The end to which all enterprise and labor tends" Samuel Johnson...

Suffice it to say - thank you.:)

[Laura]

I am an attorney, and have been for the past 13 years, but am definitely unsatisfied with my career. I had a job that I really enjoyed where I simply sat in my office and researched and wrote briefs, but I left that behind in another state. I have considered teaching, technical writing, and editing, but I am unwilling to work full time unless I can work from home. I am a single mom and at this point I am not willing to work full time to give up time with my kids after school.

I am waiting for my fiance's company to take off so I can be a kept woman. :D

[SueK]

I have a B.S. in Marketing. I previously worked for several years at a large electronics firm in a supervisory Cust. Svc. position. When my DD was a year old, I quit that job and got a part time job at the university where I work now. I am the Communications Director and Event Planner for a research center here. I've also taken some additional Web Certification classes here as well, but haven't had time to finish the program to date.

I have also done, on and off for the past 4 years, technical writing and personnel training on a contractual basis for my old electronics employer. I love to write, and even though it was just training manuals and technical stuff, I loved that aspect of the job.

[Peggy]

I LOVE reading about everyone's interesting lives and professions. The variety is mind boggling! My turn...

I am currently in my second career, with others planned in the not too distant future. Originally, I aspired to be a writer or English teacher but my parents (both teachers) discouraged me because of declining enrollment in the schools at the time. They pushed health care, so somehow I ended up in Pharmacy School. I graduated with a degree in Pharmacy and my first job was as a Staff Pharmacist at a Teaching Hospital. Over the years, I worked in several hospitals, started climbing the corporate ladder and ended up in Hospital Adminstration. High stress, long hours, but good money. Then fate stepped in. My husband's job changed drastically and he began travelling 3 weeks out of the month. We concluded that this was not how we wanted to live our lives so we looked at all our options and within 3 months, we both quit our jobs, sold our house, moved away from family and friends, and opened our own business. My husband is a Nuclear Pharmacist. We opened a Nuclear Pharmacy and I headed off to Purdue University to get my nuclear pharmacist training. That was almost five years ago.

Though I still work for the business as a part-time pharmacist, I also returned to school part-time to get my teaching credential. I have always wanted to work with children and think teaching is a valuable and noble profession. I received my credential two years ago and have one more class left before earning my Masters in Education. My current teaching position is as a part-time Educational Faciliator for a Charter School. I work with parents and students that are home schooling. I have students from first through eleventh grade. It is challenging and very fulfilling to me. I make my own schedule, work from home, and have plenty of time for my most important jobs which are being a mother and wife.

We are already planning our next careers. My husband is starting a correspondance wine making course through UC Davis with the hopes of one day being a wine maker. We want to live on a vineyard while he makes wine and I run the Event Planning portion of the winery and manage a B&B. You have to have dreams!! My advice to people unhappy with their current professions is to follow your heart and your dreams. They will not steer you wrong. Seize the Day!

That is a lengthy explanation of my current life. Sorry it turned out so long!!!:p

Peggy

[Ralph]

I've been a board-certified family physician for the last 10 years. I did my training in Detroit, my hometown, & moved to Chicago right after residency (primarily to get out of Detroit!). I was in private practice until just a few months ago when I took a job as a full-time urgent care physician at a large multi-specialty clinic.

I love the technical aspects of medicine, the teaching, disease management, etc. Unfortunately, the practice of medicine is not what it was when I started this 10 years ago, and I've become quite disenchanted with the practice of medicine itself. All along, I've kept my thinking cap on & managed to maintain the knowledge & interest in the business aspects of medicine. Later this year, I plan to attain certification in diagnosis and procedure coding, and next August, I will probably pursue a Physician Executive MBA through a one-weekend-a-month program at Kennesaw State Univ. in suburban Atlanta. What I'll do from there....

[amcleod]

I am an event and exhibit manager at an association. Our org. puts on a lot of professional development programs and networking events; I work on the logistics of those. We also have a large trade show every year and I manage all the lovely exhibitors. (The best part about this is that my exhibitors are all in the hospitality industry. So I always hear, "Ann, if you ever want to come to Lake Tahoe (or wherever their property is), just give me a call!" Not too shabby!)

I have a BA in Political Science. I went to school here in DC (the one named after our first president) and chose PolySci because the courses were interesting. After school, I got a job at an association as an admin assistant, did some regulatory tracking (which I guess was related to my degree), and your regular aa/glorified secretary stuff! As with any association, we put on a lot of conferences which is how I was introduced to event planning.

I think I will probably stick with this for quite a while. I desperately want to live in New York City. But that won't happen til the DH and I can actually afford to live there and actually afford it. Anyways, once we do move there, I will actually get up the courage to persue my TRUE calling, being an actress. Please note: I am gaining a lot of experience in acting with what I do, pretending to be happy to see attendees at 7 am and being very lovely to exhibitors who are dumb as dirt and don't read any information I send to them!

ann

[sandy77d]

I just completed my second week working as a lawyer. I have not even gotten results from the bar exam yet! I am working for a large firm so (of course) my first assignment is the very exciting document review:(

I got my BS in Psychology in 1992 and started on a Master's degree in counseling before deciding that was not for me. After several years of workings as a cashier, waitress and paralegal, I decided to go to law school. I loved law school. (Not many people say that!!!) Now, I hope I will love my job at a big law firm. My life is now all about the billable hour!

[AndreaU]

My undergraduate degree is in Hotel/Restaurant management. I worked in the field several years and started to realize how hard it is to work somewhere that is open 24/7/365!! While I enjoyed meeting people, cheap employee hotel rates ($15/night) and other perks, I had to get out to do something more rewarding- both personally and professionally.

5 years ago I quite my full-time management job (just as we were buying a house) to go back to school for my teaching degree. I substitute taught for 2 years and last year landed a maternity leave position from December-June. A position opened up for this year, so here I am, just having finished my first week of school with my very large class of 5th graders. (and boy, am I beat!) I am having so much fun teaching. It's tiring at times, but I love working with children and enjoy being able to be creative. I often relate what I am teaching to experiences I have had in the hotel biz, in my travels, etc. And somehow, food always seems to eventually enter into my lessons... like my Latin American fiesta and Canadian food day last year.

Critikid- where is it you are from? I grew up in the Buffalo area myself (Amherst/Williamsville). I also went to RIT and lived in Henrietta & Brighton for a few years.

[beckms]

OK, this is my last post about the Peasant Bread, I Promise.

I just had my first slice, and it was absolutely delicious! So go forth and bake, everyone...

BTW, I grew up in Brighton, NY, graduated from BHS in 1995 and then trekked south to Texas for college...now I'm back in my old stomping grounds in the northeast, but I sure miss the Lone Star State!

Rebecca

[michelern]

I am a registered nurse for 5 years now after graduating from Clemson University. I work in the Emergency Trauma Center at the hospital in my town. LOTS of stress and the adrenaline pumps constantly, but that is what makes me love my job. One of the best thing about nusing is working the 3, 12 hour shifts and that is full time every week!!! ( do have to work every other weekend but it's not so bad) I have several days off to do what I want to do. It's wonderful during Christmas time so I can do my shopping during some of my week days off so I don't have to fight the crowds on the weekends!!!:D (You can tell Christmas is in the air since I'm already thinking about shopping!)

[Laura B]

Well, I don't exactly have a career yet. I'm in my final year of law school at UNC Chapel Hill and plan to go into criminal law. I think that I will start out at either a District Attorney's office or a Public Defender's office before moving into private defense work. But I am just starting my job search, so all of this remains to be seen. To throw a wrench into that, I plan to have kids in about 5 years and will stay home with them at least until they are in elementary school. After the kids are older... who knows? I really really want to go to culinary school. It would be fun to try catering or some other food industry related career.

Prior to law school I was a supervisor at a Barnes & Noble and ran the kid's department. That was fun! But I am so glad that I will never have to work retail again.

My undergrad work was in philosophy with a minor in classical studies. I graduated from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. I transferred there from University of South Carolina when I met my husband (online!), who was at ECU working on a MS. Before USC, I did my freshman year in Virginia at Randolph-Macon Woman's College. I went to three schools and graduated in three years! It has been really nice while in law school to stay at a school for more than a year. You really develop a sense of home that I never quite got at my other schools, even though I loved all three.

[d_ferrero]

Wow... what an incredibly inspiring thread! I'm relatively new to this board and still in the "getting to know you stage". I sensed that there were a lot of talented people out there... just didn't realize in how very many arenas! Neat stuff!

Like many of you, my first love is writing. I've wanted to write... in one capacity or another... since I learned to read; and several teachers along the way reminded me that I have what they refer to as "the gift."

To that end, I graduated from the University of Oregon in 1990 with a BA in journalism. Unfortunately jobs in journalism were pretty scarce in the early 90's, so I had a series of go-nowhere jobs that left me partially fulfilled at best. In my late twenties I decided there had to be something better than this (which was at that point managing a small mail order business... lots of responsibility and very little actual authority). A friend convinced me that the best way to determine "what was out there" was to temp for a while... and I'm forever grateful I did.

I started out in "Inventory Planning" with my current company. Because of my mail-order experience, I was able to help the group design a database that would streamline their process and cut the "time in fulfillment" for the average order in half.

About that time my current boss took note of my accomplishment and offered me a position in her group: software development infrastructure. It's been a tremendous learning experience for me... I'm not a "techie" at heart. My company develops software for R&D in the pharmaceutical industry... and I barely passed high school chemistry... so the product itself is out of my league. But it's been wonderfully rewarding to participate in improving the software development process.

As for the writing... I still use those skills daily, though not at all the way I anticipated I would back in 1990. Instead I find myself writing user documentation and process plans... drier than the great American novel and not nearly as cutting-edge as the front page of the morning news, perhaps... but still gratifying when people actually read what I've written, and use it to make their jobs a little easier.

Okay... that's it for me... who's next?

-Dolores

[lanie]

This is so incredible! You are all so successful! I guess my story is different - married a successful lawyer, never had to work, did other things (very secret) , have a lawyer daughter, have a golf superintendent son, radio broacasting daughter - but I am a mere nothing compared to all this - does anybody exist in the real world? Are there any stay-at-home moms out there.....are there any barmaids, waitresses, etc. Such an amazing collection of people here! I simply cannot believe that 'everyone' that visits this site has an 'initial' attached to them - I hope people crawl out of the woodwork here - you don't have to 'have' something to post on this board - everybody is somebody! Sorry - but this whole thing offends me........

[BlueMoose]

Ok, Elaine, I'll start....like I already said I'm a SAHM, and it's the best job I could ever have! The only thing I ever did after college was work as a waitress (except for a brief stint in a flower shop). My husband is a milk man and drives a semi for a living. ;)

Chrisi :p


BTW, for future reference, don't cook bean soup mix with ham seasoning, broccoli, and cod in the crockpot for your dog.

[kwormann]

I cant imagine anyone here thinking a SAHM as not having a career...it is a career in itself. I would love to be able to afford to work part time and have more time to cook and do things at home in a relaxed way, but I know that isnt a possibility in my life right now.

[CindyWeightWatcher]

I'm an attorney too. It's great that there
are so many female practicing attorneys on
the Board. I've been a lawyer for 21 years,
the past 15 of which I've had my own practice.
I concentrate in divorce/family law, primarily
representing women going through divorces.

[beejayw1]

Originally posted by lanie
does anybody exist in the real world? Are there any stay-at-home moms out there.....are there any barmaids, waitresses, etc. Such an amazing collection of people here!
You might wish to go back and read the first two pages of this thread. We have quite a few stay-at-home moms (I said it was about the most important and powerful job around). We have a couple people waiting to get out of college.
I simply cannot believe that 'everyone' that visits this site has an 'initial' attached to them -
Initial? Do I have initials? Gosh, where are they? Oh yeah - B.A. Hist. Wow!
I hope people crawl out of the woodwork here - you don't have to 'have' something to post on this board - everybody is somebody!
Um, I think that was the point of this thread. People trying to find what it is that they love doing, not necessarily what they do to put bread on the table, or how much bread they have to put on the table.
Sorry - but this whole thing offends me........
Me, too, now. Again, we should all reread what was posted on this thread. There's quite a diverse group here, and the thread that ties everyone together is their love of cooking.

[Chefzhat]

Um, Elaine - I am a SAHM too, have been home for 10 years after 15 years as a secretary. My little ones are now at school full time so I am going back too to get my teaching degree.

I posted early, but I probably didn't make clear that I was SAHM. But here you go, retired from SECRETARY, SAHM 10 years.

Debie

[Varaile]

:D :D :D

Wow! So much variety in our lives! Okay, so I am posting to this on the late site, but as I was reading about all the other great occupations, I noticed nobody else had mentioned being a Forester!

I work for St. Louis County Land Dept (MN) as a Forest Technician. I have a degree in Forest Resources with a (little used) minor in soil science. I spend my days out in the wonderful woods of Northern Minnesota (year round folks)! Just this past week I had my first wolf encounter - it was really cool!

:eek:

For additional fun, I am also working on a manuscript! I am nearly finished and will shortly be looking for places to submit it. I am an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy, I belong to a middle eastern dance troupe, I enjoy biking, hiking, and of course, cooking :p!

And to all you SAHM's...kudo's to you! My mom was a SAHM and without her love and support I would not be what, and where! I am today! Thanks Mom!

Congrat's to everyone on such a great thread!

[LaraW]

I graduated from the University of Iowa in 1995 with a degree in Business Administration, emphasis in Human Resources. It wasn't until my last year of school that I figured out what I wanted to do when I grew up!

My first real HR job was at a manufacturing company. I was there for about 2 1/2 years. Then I went to work for a non-profit and found my "true" calling. I was doing HR in a company where people asked me my opinion etc. It was a great job! I was there for 2 more years. Last December I took my Human Resources Certification Test and passed!

This past summer I quit my job in Des Moines, and came out to Colorado. I am now working for another non-profit in Boulder. Have just been there for one month, but I am settling in and enjoying it very much.

[KristaMB]

Elaine, I'd love to be a SAHM! I'm actually trying to do that, but don't know how it'll turn out since my DH hasn't graduated yet. As for real : I still owe a ton on my student loans, have a car payment, mortgage, major credit card debt, etc.

Like a few others on this thread have mentioned, I'm just waiting for the day when I can be a kept woman and do more cooking, exercising, gardening and the like! :)

[lhall]

After getting my extremely useful;) B.A. in History and Certificate in Medieval Studies I worked for a Dr's office for a year then went to school to get my Masters in Library Science.

I work in an academic library and really enjoy working with the students.

As for being a kept woman, I think DH wants to be the kept one. Like that will happen on my salary :eek:

I know myself well enough to know that I would not be happy staying at home. And, an unhappy me makes for unhappy DH and unhappy children. Now, if we had enough money that I could still send the kids to daycare some and do some volunteer stuff, decorate the house, shop and buy things it may be different.

But, being a SAHM is a full-time job, and very hard work.

[Grace]

lanie, something else to think about - I would LOVE to stay home and not work. I like my job as much as could like a job, but if I could stay home (and still keep the lifestyle I have now, of course!), I WOULD!!! While we certainly could live on my husband's salary, and I technically could stay home, I work so that I can indulge myself in vacuum sealers, fancy groceries, trips to TJ's, a nice vacation once in awhile, etc. Don't assume that just because we all went to school and have important sounding jobs that it's really even what we want to be doing (although I'm sure for some it is, I just mean don't assume that about everyone!).

I for one would stay home in a heartbeat and PLAY (I don't have kids) if I could!!! I don't think I'd ever have the problem of being bored.....too many fun things to do!! :D

Just another perspective on the topic....

[sushibones]

I have meandered through my life, dabbling in a variety of interests, and have been grateful to have never had a career.

I went to a small Catholic liberal arts college in Dallas (many, many years ago) where I graduated as an English-Major-Oriented-Biology-Major (I took all my electives in English lit and psychology, and actually put that on my resume). I worked for 2 yrs in a research pharmacology lab at UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, and then 6 years for the Dallas Co Medical Examiner doing toxicology screens. Those jobs taught me that I really didn't want to do lab work.

I quit when I became pregnant, and became a SAHM for the next 20 years, perfecting my cooking skills, doing volunteer work (often doing newletters in various organizations) and doing a variety of off-and-on very part-time bookkeeping jobs.

Eight years ago, a friend who was the medical librarian at the local hospital asked if I would come and be her volunteer. I was her volunteer for 3 years and learned how to do everything she did, and was hired to replace her when she retired. Although I was not formally trained for it, the job seemed to be a perfect match for my personality, interests, and life skills. Looking back, I realized that in one way or another, I have always gravitated toward finding information and presenting it so it was easily accessible--newsletters, financial summaries, even cooking, have all been directed toward that end.

Now after 5 years of a very satisfying job, I have just retired to become a SAHM again. Actually I am calling it a three year sabbatical--my daughter is a senior and my son is a sophomore in high school. I have discovered that working while your children are in high school is much more difficult that working when they are in elementary school. I am looking forward to being more available to them before they leave, maintaining my sanity, and having the time to garden, cook, meet with friends, in the midst of the very busy and complex schedules my children have. Oh, yes. My first grandchild was born in June, and I am looking forward to having more time to go and visit them in Portland (7 hrs away).

In three years, who knows what new adventures I will discover?

[mmanddf]

Hooray! I am not the only grandmother on this board! I have two grandchildren: a boy 4 and a girl 2. I don't however have any children left at home. Only had one child :( , but better one than none!

[Ed]

Hi,

This is such an interesting topic, and I'm impressed with everything all of you fine people do.

I noticed that many of you good people have BS degrees, I have been accused, more than a few times, of having a BS in BS.

Jennett, I like your "Handle" - "In Lilliput's kitchen."

Reading "In Lilliput's Kitchen" reminded me of something my Dad used to do with little kids, especially with me when I was a little kid, and his Grandchildren.

When a little tyke would sit next to him or on his lap he would talk to them and tell them, while slightly giggling their thumb, "Tumatat," then the next finger would be, "Shlickapot," followed by,"Longamon", then, "Lillamon," and finally, "Lillaput."

Little kids always got a bang out of this little game, kind of like "this little Piggy," only with fingers instead of toes.

My Dad always liked little kids, and they liked him, and it would not be unusual for a kid at my Folk's place to go up to my Dad and hold out his hand for my Dad to do that little ryme with him.

Ed

[keeganm]

Love this thread! I'm originally from Michigan, received a BA in Communications at Michigan State hoping to go into broadcasting...in the summer of my senior year, I did an internship on Capitol Hill (hoping to get some press experience) but was totally sidetracked and landed in the political side of things. I then worked on a congressional campaign, moved to Washington, worked for two different congressmen there, then decided to get back on a communications track and landed at a PR firm. I was there for 5 years, then worked in corporate communications for MCI for 3 years....two kids later (14 months and 3 1/2) I found a PR firm where I am able to work from home part time (very part time which gives me some extra BB time!!). My favorite job is being a mom (and reading the BB regularly!!)

(However, I still dream about having my own talk show one day and replacing Oprah when she retires. Maybe when the two kids go to school :D)

[AZLorena]

I have a Bachelor's in Music with an emphasis in choral and elementary school music.

I teach elementary school general and vocal music. Its not glamorous...but I like it.

[BosunsWife]

I too posted on the first page that I was a SAHM. I went into it later in life (age 37) and will go back into the work force as soon as our child(ren) are at a good age. Hopefully I will be able to find something part time so I can be at home to get them off to school and be at home when they get back.

Being a SAHM has some sacrifices (monetarily mostly), but to us its worth it. I had plenty of time to enjoy my career before kids and hopefully I'll find something equally rewarding after they are raised.

Most of my friends that worked when they had children did so because they had mortgages, etc. and felt they needed the second income. If my husband wasn't in the military, we would probably be in the same boat lol!

[Conlet]

Nice to see a few more grandmothers on the list!
I have been teaching in elementary school for over 30 yrs. - was not my first career choice, but it worked out well. I have taught most grades including a 10 yr stint with gifted/talented students - a real challenge!
I am planning to retire at the end of this year and am looking for something to do with my time...perhaps something in the travel industry.
This has been a really interesting thread.

[kwormann]

WOW, I admire you for teaching for 30 years in an Elem school! Im in year 3 and winder frequently how long I will be able to go!

[AZLorena]

Kim...

I am in year 8.....and I have been wondering the same thing too.

[SueInMarne]

Well, here goes:

I have a bachlors in English Education- but it wasn't the career for me
I've worked at the following jobs:

Teaching High School English
Managing a Chain of Video Stores
Manager of a Block Buster Video
Hosting a Radio Talk Show in Grand Rapids, Mi ( WOOD AM for you in GR)
Home Health Care
Voice Over for radio commercials
Golf Course Club House chick

During all this I've been a full time Mommy to my two kids who now seem to
be too old to need me around the house.
I think my goal is to work at Ameritech/South West Bell (IE Phone company)

Further down the line I'll probably get an Associates in Communications
and work on radio again.

[kathleen415]

I have a BS in Nursing and worked in NICU (neonatal ICU), as a staff nurse then in management. Got an MA in Healthcare Administration and did grant work. Then I met my husband and we started a chain of comic book stores; that lasted for 12 years. Then we moved to the beach and I'm back as staff nurse in NICU! Great hours though, 3 shifts a week of 12 hrs. I'm on nights though because my son is only 4.
I have taken the LSAT, actually twice! The first time in 1980, and I went for the MA instead, the second time a month before I found out I was pregnant.

[jjsooner73]

As someone who has been questioning why I majored in what I did, what do I want to do from here on out, and trying to figure out what to do next, this has been very interesting!

I received a BS in Applied Math, went to grad school and got a MS in Statistics ('98). I worked for a credit card company in FL in Marketing Acquisitions (you know those solicitations you all love getting in the mail? ) ;)

Well, after a job discontinuance (or a move to NYC, which I did not want), I landed in Dallas, working for a bank in risk management. I'm a statistician, which basically means I do a lot of number crunching. I'm from Oklahoma, so it's nice to be close to home, but other than that I don't really like the Dallas area that much.

I volunteer at a Children's Hospital and just love it there. I have been there for 2 years now and just last week moved to the PICU (Pediactric ICU), after being in the ER for about 6 months. It all fascinates me so much. So, I'm considering going back to school at some point. Maybe Physician's Assistant, but since I have hardly any natural science classes, I would need to take a bunch of prereq's first. But then, financially I don't see how I could ever make it work, as in PA school you pretty much can't hold down a job.

I'm single, a home owner with a mortgage and am still paying for the education I already have, so don't know how I could do this. In the meantime, I'm just trudging along doing the corporate grind, paying the bills.

I'd love to find my soulmate, get married, and have children and be a SAHM--that would be the most rewarding job!

[GayeC]

In response to lanie's post I just wanted to point out that, while I do have initials after my name and a (perhaps) significant-sounding job title, I am, like most of you, living in the real world. I work a part-time, flexible schedule so that I can be more available to my kids, cook some real food for my family, and generally maintain a more sane lifestyle than many of the people I know. This means that we make sacrifices elsewhere -- we drive old cars, live in an old house, take un-glamorous vacations, etc. Also, jobs that sound like they are not of the "real world" may in fact be very "real." Although I am supposedly a technical writer, I will spend much of the next month at work doing very little writing and very much mundane administrative work that is required to pull together several documents by an October 1 deadline.

I have been a SAHM and admire women who make that choice. It is probably the toughest career of all. And to those who are "kept women" I say -- go for it! You can make a difference through volunteer work that those who are in the workforce simply cannot make.
Gaye

[BlueMoose]

I thought the definition of being a "kept woman" was to have a relationship (sex) with a guy in exchange for him paying your expenses. I didn't think it applied to married women. Believe me, I "earn my keep".

Chrisi :(

[christinew]

I am an ex-hygienist by trade and found myself in the healthcare-arena in sales with large institutions(labs and hospitals)....

Oh and my degree is a BS in Psychology!

I miss cleaning teeth (it was always a treasure hunt) but having a career in sales is both lucrative and flexible.

I have a desire to go back to school to become an MD or PA and work in the ER- but it is high time we start our family....so that wins out.

Great thread! Bunch of smarties we are.:D

[beejayw1]

Originally posted by BlueMoose
I thought the definition of being a "kept woman" was to have a relationship (sex) with a guy in exchange for him paying your expenses. I didn't think it applied to married women. Believe me, I "earn my keep".

Chrisi :(

Go back to page 1. That's where it started. Someone took up with the comment that she wouldn't mind being a 'kept woman' - meaning (jokingly) some rich person's pampered mistress. That's how it got started, and was never taken to mean a respectable, married woman, employed outside the home or not.

;)

[funnybone]

Originally posted by beejayw1


Go back to page 1. That's where it started. Someone took up with the comment that she wouldn't mind being a 'kept woman' - meaning (jokingly) some rich person's pampered mistress. That's how it got started, and was never taken to mean a respectable, married woman, employed outside the home or not.

;)

I confess, it was me who commented that I wished I could say I was a kept woman. My DH thinks I am, as I am a SAHM, but NOT in the true sense of the definition. LOL:o

[Ohioan]

... and besides, who ever said that (shall we say) providing one's favors to a man -- regardless of one's own inclinations -- in return for money wasn't work?

And NO! -- I'm not speaking from experience! :eek:

Blushingly,
;)Phoebe

[kima]

I have really enjoyed reading this thread. You all have so much education and the variety of jobs mentioned is very interesting. I honestly don't know what kind of work some of those titles entails.
I stayed away from replying to this thread because I feel so unintersting comapred to the rest of you. This thread has led to consider going back to university- an idea I have toyed with on and off for years. I better go soon because I become more terrified by the thought every year.
I got a BEd from the University of B.C. in 1980- and soon after graduation got married and had my first child. I had always had a nagging feeling that teaching was not for me but I was very good at it and it was a pat answer for all those what are you going to do for a living questions. Anyway having my daughter Kim at the age of 22 changed my life(duh[-children do that to ones life). I had my second daughter 21 months later. I had found my calling.I absoulutely loved being a SAHM. I am and was fortunate that my DH works from home as an artist so I have always had lots of support. I delved into all sorts of things- I devoured books and my love for cooking took off.
I say all this because I lost all desire to work full time. Financially things were good so I felt no pressure in that regard. Luckily, I did do some subbing- I say luckily because now we do need my income and if I had not kept my "foot in the door" it would be hard to get work.
But I admit I work for the money pure and simple. I love being home and it full fills me- and then I read about all the wonderful achievements other women have(like all of you) and I feel like I am a slacker. Does this make sense to anyone else?
I think many women today feel the same conflict I do- if they work full time they feel guilty if they have children, if they stay at home they feel inadequate. I don't think women in the 50's and 60's faced the same dilemma(not that it is a bad thing) that women today do.
Well I am rambling but as you can see this is an area of my life I am still "working" on!:)

[Reggie]

This is a fun topic :)

In 1982 I graduated from Rutgers with a degree in Computer Science. I then worked for a "large telecommunications corporation" until 1996...had gone through reorganization after reorganization, and was being told that in the next reorganization all the cool technical work was going to be "outsourced". At that point I decided to take a voluntary separation package :) Best thing I ever did.

So what do I do now??? I have my own business, and it has nothing to do with computers or corporate life. I have a mobile dog grooming business, and I love it! No more commuting, no more endless meetings in windowless conference rooms...and no more unpaid overtime!

[BlueMoose]

Maureen,

You've said it perfectly! Thank you!

I do not want to go to work after my kids start school. But I know people will start asking me about it as soon as they do. I would like to "work for myself" doing creative things, maybe for a little extra money. I could keep myself busy every minute of the day, working on these things and making a comfortable and secure home for my kids and my husband. But this sometimes makes me feel like such a freak! I hate it when people make fun of the 50's type "Leave it to Beaver" type of family, like that was a bad thing. It sounds wonderful to me! But I do get the feeling that if I want to live like that I'm being a slacker!

I could go on, but I really don't want to offend anyone and open another can of worms. I probably already have...sorry.

Chrisi

[beejayw1]

Originally posted by BlueMoose
I would like to "work for myself" doing creative things, maybe for a little extra money. I could keep myself busy every minute of the day, working on these things and making a comfortable and secure home for my kids and my husband. But this sometimes makes me feel like such a freak! I hate it when people make fun of the 50's type "Leave it to Beaver" type of family, like that was a bad thing. It sounds wonderful to me! But I do get the feeling that if I want to live like that I'm being a slacker!

I could go on, but I really don't want to offend anyone and open another can of worms. I probably already have...sorry.

BlueMoose -

don't open the can of worms - what does it matter what others think? ;) Besides, I was raised by June and Ward Cleaver, or their clones, and I count myself as one of the most fortunate people around for that reason.

You have described what I would love my life to be like. Unfortunately, I have never found my 'soul mate', am not married, and have no children. Nor, thanks to a health condition, can I ever have children.

I am always amazed at people who look at me and say, "Single, no children - fancy free! Why, you can move whenever you want!" Well, I had to move recently, and it was a terrible disruprion and caused a lot of grief. I get sick of the 'gosh, you're so lucky comments, or the gee, you must be so unfulfilled!remarks. You play with the cards you dealt, and you try to do your best.

The question asked is 'what do you do for a living?'. Those who are SAHMs or SAHDs don't have to feel inferior, for heaven's sake! In my line of work I have to deal with litigation. About 20 years ago someone did a computation of the cost to hire someone who would do all the work done by a housewife (or, now, a housespouse). At that time it was over $200K. What do you suppose it is now?

Heads up, smile and be proud of yourselves!

And keep on cooking.

[Grace]

Here, Here, Maureen!!! BEAUTIFULLY put!!

And Chrisi, I won't start asking you if you're going to go back to work once your kids are in school, or grown, or whatever, if anything, I'll be ENVIOUS!! (In a nice way!):D

Everyone, do what makes you happy, and to heck with everyone else. Initials don't mean crapola if you spend your life miserable!

[KimKelly]

I was an accountant for about 10 years after graduating from SF State. My husbands job moved us away from home 6 years ago, and 5 years ago I had my first child, and have been a SAHM since. Everyone asks me what I will do when the kids get older and go to school. I've been thinking about it, and currently my goal is to get a surf board and learn to surf! I get a lot of funny looks when I say that, but I must say that I have no desire to go back to the work force if that is at all possible! I do miss it occasionally as Dragon Tales and Barney do not provide much stimulation to me, but the other side of the coin is that I am the one raising my kids and I am having so much fun.
As everyone else said this has been the most interesting thread... I can now tell my husband that I travel in the most interesting of circles! Thanks everyone.
Aloha,
Kim

[kwormann]

I will repeat....I WISH I could be at home....maybe not fulltime since Ive been used to working outside the home and I dont have kids, but I d love to work parttime to make some income and still have time for putter at home and feel relaxed about cooking! That would be my ultimate dream....I think SAHM moms are very blessed!

[lsdesign]

I have loved reading this thread! I have both a Batchelors and a Master of Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art for those of you who might know it. I graduated from Cranbrook in 1981 and hightailed it out of Detroit and got a job in Philadelphia as a graphic designer. Two jobs in Philly and three years later I moved to Pittsburgh to work for the now defunct Westinghouse Electric Corp. in their world headquarters. I did this for 7 years and got married in the midst of it. DH was in seminary while I worked but then along came my first born and a college teaching job in Kentucky. DH pulled out of seminary to teach art at a liberal arts college in KY. I was really burned out on work and became a SAHM. Gradually though, we needed extra income so I began freelancing from home and have been doing the same ever since except for a brief stint in an ad agency last year. I absoultely hated the ad world and they didn't like me much either I suppose. Now we're in NH and I am starting up the home based biz again. Both children are in school and I actually can do work without constant interruptions. Ah, bliss. I feel I have the best of both worlds and wouldn't want to work for anyone. I love being able to control the amount of work I do and don't let it interfear with my life and interests. We still need the cash though, so in the meantime while I get the biz going I am waitressing two days a week and it is the hardest job I have ever had. Can't wait to quit.

[BlueMoose]

Originally posted by KimKelly
I do miss it occasionally as Dragon Tales and Barney do not provide much stimulation to me, but the other side of the coin is that I am the one raising my kids and I am having so much fun.


I agree, Kim, but I have to admit, I do kind of enjoy Arthur :o .

[claire797]

I have a degree in advertising from University of Texas, but I've worked in a number of different fields since getting that degree! Let's see. I did work in advertising for about 5 years, spent a year free-lancing and doing "fun" writing/tvproduction jobs, then got back into the workforce as a recruiting coordinator for a tech firm. That company went under and I moved to another tech firm and did some sales/customer service type work.

Just left the workforce to be a stay-at-home mom. My baby is about 2 months old and so far, this is my most challenging job!!

I have aspirations of persuing my passion (cooking!) and becoming a personal chef when Baby Emma gets a little older.

[SMH]

I've had a wealth of experiences. I graduated from a small Ohio college with a B.S. in Education and taught elementary grades for 9 years. Being fed up with cold weather, quit teaching and moved to Florida spending a year as a SAHM. Needing $$ I secured a job as a receptionist for a prominent real estate developer. Overqualified but great when I had a little one at home-- much less responsibility and "home stuff" than with teaching. I had a great boss who let me take on more responsibility as desired so followed office manager, administrative assistant and finally full time realtor-- spent 11 years with the company. Now for the fun part-- divorced now, but happily involved with a great man I joined his business-- a gourmet popcorn operation. I married "Mr. Popcorn"and became the Popcorn "Queen". We were the mom and pop of the business and basically ran it ourselves except holidays. We produced over 40 flavors of gourmet popcorn and sold decorative cans often handpainted by our staff of artists. Great fun--lots of work--but best of all-- ours. After 13 years we retired in 1997. We now enjoy our two collies, travel to Maine for the summer and read everything we can get our hands on. Don't regret any of the varied jobs.

[msdaisy]

Retired! Operations planner/production scheduler for large food processing company. Just working on my golf game (should have started about 40 years ago) and enjoying life. Now I don't know how I ever had time to work all those years.

[lanie]

Msdaisy- that's great - doing the same thing here re the golfing.....Maureen very well put........Chrisi - open the can of worms if you want to - we are all allowed an opinion!

BTW - I am certainly not against an education, I just thought that this particular string started out a 'little' intimidating for some - obviously I was wrong - sorry about that. It would appear that there is a wonderful blend of individuals on this board - that's great!

N.B. Such variations on 'kept women' ;)

lanie;)

[Kristilyn1]

I've enjoyed this thread, and even though it's old--I'll jump in. I'm the job hopper. I look at work--any work as something you have to do to pay the bills and I've paid them all right, in all kinds of ways.....LOL.

I don't have a degree--I've taken classes here and there and enjoy education for it's own sake, but until I don't have dependents or someone else can pick up the tab for me to be a full time student--a degree will have to wait.

Various sales jobs
-software sales mostly
I also had various waitressing jobs and a brief stint as a nightclub dancer to supplement my pitiful income

Various secretarial jobs for a bank

Physician Recruiter
Administrative Recruiter
Executive Assistant to a COO
Ad Agency Recruiter

SAHM

I liked recruiting quite a bit, but I hate office politics and people who bring the MOST pathetic "issues" to work with them.

The best job was the Executive Assistant. I have to say--I am FABULOUS at this. I enjoy being the ears and eyes and right hand "man" for someone without the pressures of a corporate ladder. When my kids are in school, I would love an opportunity to do this again--part time.

I don't look at being a SAHM as work. (put away the firehoses, please!) My two boys are easy to deal with and we basically play outside all day. I'd love it if we had more money, but we get by and having me home to deal with all the "home issues" has made my husband's job easier. I always thought I'd go crazy at home and maybe I would have when they were younger--but at 5 and 2 I feel privileged to get this time with them before they get their own lives that don't revolve around me.

Kristi

[DMurray]

Another RN (nurse) here. I have kind of a cool job as I do many different things. I work 7p-7a, 3 nights/wk. My job title is "Flying Squad" which basically means I have to be able to do everything in the hospital that no one else has time to do and I have to be able to find every little doodad anyone might need. I do surgical recoveries, put in IV's (we have an IV team in my hospital-some nights that's me!) and go to all the codes and other "urgent" situations. I also work as a staff nurse some nights-ususally in critical care, but they can send me anywhere, including OB (no labor an delivery for me, though!). I LOVE my job!

I started nursing school in my late 30's, was a nursing asst before that and originally started out with a degree in horticulture (which turned out to be a little seasonal in Minnesota!)

[Karen M]

I have a BS in Environmental Engineering from MTU. I currently work as a Civil Engineer managing storm water runoff, flooding, and protecting local waterways for one of the larger suburbs in the Detroit area. However, my long term goal is to someday be a SAHM. :)

[jphilg]

I am 1.5 semesters and one bar exam away from being a intellectual property attorney. This is my second career...I used to be a cell biologist.

The big switch was great from a financial standpoint, and so far I am enjoying Big Firm practice, but I am as yet a law clerk without excessive pressures. I loved working in the lab but I hated tailoring my life to NIH grant application deadlines.

I am hoping that after a few years of practice, I can make yet another switch and become a law professor. But for now, life is good.

Jen

[RebeccaT]

This is an old thread, but very interesting...

A couple of you said that you were in PR. I have a question for you...

I have a B.A. in Psychology and a M.Ed. in School Counseling. After finishing my master's and realizing I didn't really want to work in a school (I couldn't have figured that out two years before?!?) I wound up in the high tech industry. I was a recruiter for one year and have been a Usability Specialist for about a year and a half. My job basically involves me working with the users of the software my company builds and helping the developers design software that is easier for them to use. I find, however, that although I like some parts of my job, I am not happy in this environment and I am trying to find my true calling.

I have been told that I would be good at PR, that I have the talents and personality to do well in that field. What skills and background does one need to get started?

This may not be the right forum, but I am so inspired by hearing about people changing careers and figuring out what makes them happy that I thought I'd try.

[Meg O'C]

I can't believe I didn't see this thread sooner. I love seeing the diverse interests and career choices. Everyone should be very proud of their accomplishments at work and at home! Very inspirational for someone who can't figure out what she wants to be when she grows up!

I have a BA in English and an MHRM (Masters in Human Resource Management). I have worked for a large health care corporation for the past 5 1/2 half years in various areas of Human Resources (compensation, employee relations, EEO, etc). Currently I am in recruiting. (HR is a good field for someone who can't figure out what she wants to be when she grows up!) Before earing my masters I worked for a university doing grant writing for a couple of years.

I never imagined I would find myself in corporate America . . . thought about teaching, law school, PR, writing, counseling and still do think about all those things! I also think about having children in the near future and wonder what I will choose to do or will need to do in terms of balancing work and family. As of now, we could afford to live on half my salary with slight changes to our spending. Fortunately my company is known for being a great company for working moms and I have seen many flexible arrangements made. However I really do enjoy working and I see many successful women here balance full-time work and raising a family. Some days I can't imagine not being home with kids and others I can't imagine being at home with kids. It's nice to know there is no right or wrong answer . . . just what works best for each person. It is also nice to see how succesfully people have made career changes to accommodate for life changes. I love being a student and I know I will wind up back in school for something else someday . . . just not sure what or when.

[schuh]

I'm an at-home mom to two young boys, and I DO find it work! Contrary to what some seem to believe, it's not playing around all day, at least for me. Maybe this is because my oldest is now in first grade, with lots of activities and homework, and my youngest has some special needs (but will be considered "normal" once these needs are resolved). It is definitely the most challenging job I've had.

My background is similar to many on this thread. I have a bachelor's degree in journalism. I worked in advertising agencies for 12 years, sometimes on the PR side and sometimes on the ad side, working my way up to management. I had the same enthusiasm AdGirl had for the field -- it was often fun and exciting (although it would depend on the client, some of whom were difficult). When I became a Mom, that changed. My company, which was very progressive, allowed me to work part-time, but anyone who works at ad agencies will tell you that the job isn't nine-to-five and part-time really wasn't. In the end, I realized that trying to "balance" work and being a mother was resulting in my not doing very well at either one (although I honestly found it easier than staying home). My deciding to "stay home" did require big changes in our life, as my income was close to my husband's.

Now I long for challenges to my brain, and I find some by doing some free-lance PR writing, participating in a book group, and volunteering. I'm stumped as what I'm going to do next, as I'm committed to being here for my kids even when they are in school. Like many of you, I have dreams of writing but don't believe my talent (or lack thereof) will take me very far. Anyway, I have enjoyed hearing about the twists and turns in many of your lives and hope that the right opportunity for me presents itself at the right time.

Now for a few asides:
For the aspiring writers, I recommend "Bird by Bird" by
Ann Lamott. It will make you feel better about your feeble attempts.
For the person thinking about PR, I'd encourage you to read a book or take a course about PR. Then, start by looking for a position in a field in which you already have experience, which I believe is high-tech.

[PSUKate]

I also find this thread quite interesting.

I have a degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. I started my career searching for a public school teaching job and since I was not related to the school board in my hometown no jobs where available. So I got a job in the Federal Bureau of Prisons teaching inmates GED skills and ESL. I expected to work at this job for only a couple years and then go to public school. After a couple of years I discovered I didn't have the patience to teach children anymore (God bless teachers who do) and I enjoyed teaching in the prison. I don't get summers off but I work a less than teachers in a public school. No papers to take home and grade, no parent teacher conferences, no bulletin boards to make. Althougth I do miss children's literature. I loved reading stories and doing great projects.

I have decided when I retire in 19 more years I would like to be a children's author. I too have one book done but am too wimpy to pursue it right now. Isn't it amazing how many of us would like to be writers?

[ellielk]

Wow! This is the most interesting thread in a long time.

I started out as an elementary school teacher in a 4-room school in rural Appalachian southern Ohio teaching a combined 4th and 5th grade. Quite a change for someone raised in the NYC suburbs. I realized that teaching wasn't for me (a shock and disappointment after wanting to be a teacher since the 3rd grade) and took some time off to raise my kids. I had some part-time jobs, including a being probation officer in the county juvenile court and I had a yarn shop and knit on consignment for a shop in the OSU campus area in Columbus. Later, I worked accounts receivable for a small cable TV company (got to climb a pole and pull cable once) and worked in the social service section of the county welfare dept. Then, I went to work for the state in Columbus. After my kids were all out of high school, and after commuting 65 miles each way for over three years, I moved to Columbus and now I'm a Computer Acquisitions Analyst for the state. I assist agencies to develop Requests for Proposal for large data processing-related (and sometimes non-dp) projects and lead the evaluation team when the proposals are received. It's varied and interesting and allows me to use my communications skills - both oral and written.

[ReneeV]

Well, here goes my story...

I used to be a professional opera singer.
I got my BM in vocal performance at Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music and my MM at and all but my disertation and a couple of recitals for my DM from Indiana University in vocal and Opera performance.

My husband and I were having moderate success at singing and doing a lot of traveling, when we decided to move to the NYC area in order to get agents and management. Well, we had luck getting an agent, but it was very tough going. It's a very unusual lifestyle and although I just LOVED performing, the rest of the life was not worth it.
Constant travel, poor pay much of the time and believe it or not, a lot of boredom between rehearsals and performances. Companies would put you up in a nice-ish hotel, but you would have no transportation to get around town when you weren't singing. (We're not talking about the MET and not always major cities here, so many of the towns had no public transportation.) This life has been likened to minor league ball. It's not really glamorous or high paying, but that was OK with me, if it were just a little more rewarding. I discovered that it was less about the singing and more about other stuff. Lots of paranoid personalities, and as the saying goes, "you are only as good as your last
performance or audition". It's like constantly going on job interviews. LOL Some personalities thrive on that stuff, but not me. What I did discover through giving master classes, is that I loved teaching voice. People think you only give up a performing career if you can't make it in the biz, but that's not true. I have so many colleagues who were disenchanted like myself and my husband and left the field.

Plus I wanted to have children, and it would be impossible to continue with that lifestyle and raise kids. So I got a job at a university as a financial aid administrator and I teach voice adjunctly. My husband continued to sing until after our first was born and then he gave it up too, because he couldn't take being away from the family so much. (He was actually making a descent living at singing, but the irony here is that means CONSTANT travel.)

I do a little confectionary work on the side and just love it! I took a few classes and now I make fancy cakes and candies for special occasions and holidays. I particularly like working with chocolate and doing ornamental designs etc.

My dream would be to open an voice studio and teach singing full time while having a somewhat lucrative confectionary biz on the side. Who knows? Maybe someday when my boys get in school and my husbands new biz takes off.

That's about it.

Renée

Oh...
I would be a SAHM, if I could afford it, but I'm afraid with NJ rents, and large student loans from our degrees, it's an impossibility. (sigh)

[catharine]

I am another law student– a 3L at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. Just so glad to be in my last year of law school. My undergraduate degree is in Industrial and Labor Relations . I am currently looking for a job and am truly hoping to land a state court clerkship. (I have an interview on Monday – so cross your fingers).

As for what I really want to do, I really see myself going into Human Resources (I have my PHR certification like another poster on this thread). But like many others, I want to stay home with the [future] kids for a couple of years. A very common conflict for women!

Every week I have a new plan for life – my real dream would be to be a personal chef – delivering healthful and nutritious meals to busy families. In addition, many careers like real estate agent and consultant appeal to me. I like having so many roads to take – although I can’t say I am enjoying law school, I am grateful that there are a million things I can do with the JD degree – we’ll just see what the future holds.

[LGBurns]

Originally posted by catharine
I am another law student– a 3L at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia.

Hey, Catharine! Had to ask if you ever had Michael Green as a professor at George Mason? He's on sabbatical right now but he taught there in 99 and 2000. I ask because he's my brother. :D

In answer to the question, I'm a student studying to be a high school history teacher. I have only one semester of classes left at University of Illinois-Chicago and then one semester of student teaching. I can't wait to start teaching! I'm going to get a chance in the next couple weeks to teach my first lesson. Woo hoo!

[catharine]

Originally posted by LGBurns


Hey, Catharine! Had to ask if you ever had Michael Green as a professor at George Mason? He's on sabbatical right now but he taught there in 99 and 2000. I ask because he's my brother. :D


NO WAY!! Prof. Green is your brother. Well, I am embarassed to say that my lowest grade in law school was in his class - but it was civil procedure - 1st semester - and I still don't understand the subject. Your brother is such a trip - and so brilliant! He would ramble on and on about stuff I don't understand and then quickly ask "Everybody got it? Okay? Good!" and many of us just sat there dumbfounded, trying to type what he was saying and fast and and furiously as humanly possible.

What a small world. I am sure he doesn't remember me (although he might remember asking me a question and then instructing me to "stop looking in the book - the answer isn't in there." That was one of the more humiliating law school moments. Ooh - but don't tell him I said so. :)

[LGBurns]

Originally posted by catharine


NO WAY!! Prof. Green is your brother. Well, I am embarassed to say that my lowest grade in law school was in his class - but it was civil procedure - 1st semester - and I still don't understand the subject. Your brother is such a trip - and so brilliant! He would ramble on and on about stuff I don't understand and then quickly ask "Everybody got it? Okay? Good!" and many of us just sat there dumbfounded, trying to type what he was saying and fast and and furiously as humanly possible.

What a small world. I am sure he doesn't remember me (although he might remember asking me a question and then instructing me to "stop looking in the book - the answer isn't in there." That was one of the more humiliating law school moments. Ooh - but don't tell him I said so. :)

Oh, I'm sorry. He is a pretty smart guy. I've always thought he was a really good teacher (he taught me how to read when I was four), but I never had to learn civil procedure from him (although he did try to explain his philosophy dissertation to me once and I was pretty lost). It sure is a small world.

[nmody]

I graduated in 1996 with a BS in Pharmacy, minor in chemistry (:o ) I decided NOT to work as a pharmacist when doing an internship at a local grocery store pharmacy and kept answering questions about what aisle kitty litter is in! From there, I did a horrendous stint in managed healthcare (I was the bad guy who helped decided what drugs were covered by insurance companys). Finally, I got into pharmaceutical sales about 3 years ago and LOVE it! Freedom, fun, hard work, but you build the best relationships, and watch your medications improves people's lives.