GTKY: Jobs edition.

als1982 · August 2015

It's been pretty quiet around here, so since it's how we make possible all things MM, I thought I'd ask 1. what you do for a living, 2. what you like and dislike about your job, and 3. if it's your dream career, just a stepping stone or simply a means to a financial end?

vlagrl29 · August 2015

1- I SAH with DD full time, I also teach private violin and viola lessons, and play viola in a string trio for weddings and corporate events.

2 - There is nothing I dislike about it. It's something I went to college for and I love it. I've been playing since I was 10 about 25 years ago. I do it so we can have money to invest in retirement and savings, but we don't really need it to pay the bills. Having the money for extra financial needs is great though!

dragonstarjk · August 2015

1. what you do for a living: I am a Personal Banker

2. what you like and dislike about your job: I love that I have the ability to really make a big impact on a person's life. I never fully understand just how emotional money could be until I started working in banking. I dislike some of the politics that go along with having a career in the financial industry.

3. if it's your dream career, just a stepping stone or simply a means to a financial end? It's not my dream career (because I'd rather be a travel agent or an event planner) but it is a great, solid career choice that I can see myself taking through the rest of my working years. My current position is a stepping stone; I plan on continuing to move up within the organization. I absolutely love the company that I work for and hope I can stay until retirement.

brij2006 · August 2015

AprilZ81 · August 2015

1) I'm a meeting/event planner.

2) When I'm actually working I enjoy the day to day tasks (venue searches, registration info, detail stuff) but I get annoyed kind of easily with the corporate crap that can come along with the job.

brij2006 · August 2015

1. I'm an insurance agent for an independent agency.

2. Like: Working with people and helping them understand why they need insurance.

Dislike: Handling a claim where someone passed away or their house burnt entirely. It's the nature of the job, but it's definitely hard.

3. It's a stepping stone for me. I absolutely love what I do, but I would like to get into real estate.

simplyelise · August 2015

1. I'm an executive assistant at a quasi-governmental joint action agency. In addition to travel arrangements and meeting planning and minute taking and contract execution, I also do all the organization's graphic design work and website management.

2. I like doing the publications and fliers and I like learning more about the industry. I also really like our CEO and working closely with him. I dislike being the middleman messenger between the different executives and being the fall guy for every little thing. The person who is technically my supervisor (CFO) is a horrible manager and provides zero feedback. It's been a rough couple months.

3. I studied math education and had a dream job lined up after graduation, but unfortunately I'd had undiagnosed and untreated depression that got to a scary point and I had to withdraw from that position before I started it. Since then I've worked in administrative roles in either non-profit or government, areas that I also have a lot of experience in. At this point I don't know what my dream job is, so for now, I want to work here for another 3 years to get the pension and then maybe find something part time to stay at home with future little ones. If I do stay here, I'd want to move into more of a communications role in our member services department. I think I could really improve our operations in that area.

abrewer5 · August 2015

1. I work in training & development/ human resources for the DoD/Army.

2. I like the people I work with and the job itself. Training and development is really fun plus I get to assist with recruitment and outreach which means travel and community engagement which is a lot of fun. I dislike the outdated systems and the politics in my job. Both of these things make tasks take 5x longer than necessary to complete.

3. This job is likely a stepping stone for me. I'm only 25 so I foresee more growth upwards in my future. I might move around DoD also to experience other branches of the DoD.

jessica490 · August 2015

1. I'm an Expediter in a purchasing dept

2. Like- Fairly easy job, work with great people, great company in the top 15 of the Fortune 500 list, have fun doing what I do

Dislike- Sometimes sales reps can be very demanding and I can't control all things just from sitting at my desk

3. I'm happy with whatever pays the bills. I don't even know if I have a dream job...it would be fun to work at a travel agency and help people book vacations and get some good perks or maybe even be a real estate agent, but I'm not looking for anything else right now

formerlyGDaisy09 · August 2015

1. Healthcare Research

2. Specifically I do research related to inflammatory bowel disease, my research focuses on patient centered care, quality improvment, and improving decision quality. I love that so much of the research we do can be nearly immeadiately implemented to help patients be more knowledgable about their diesaes and their options for treatment, that we can measure the impact of our research on things like cost of care and improved outcomes. and patients love participating in this kind of research. I do not love the menial tasks that go along with doing research (internal review board applications, trouble shooting technology, managing contamination in a control group...)

3. I sort of stumbled into this job 3 years ago, and I love it! I hope as I get more publications the job will grow, but I don't see myself changing industries or the focus of the research that I do.

short+sassy · August 2015

1. what you do for a living? I work for an engineering firm in procurement and steel management. Similar to a project support/administrative type role.

2. what you like and dislike about your job? I REALLY like my job! The company is great and my coworkers are awesome. The job is a bit mundane, but there is flexibility in time management and schedule.

What I dislike...and this has been a recurring problem in my career...is the job security. I work directly for our client and their industry is going through a rough patch. There has been some pullback and postponement of our work and people at my company have already been laid off. I am definitely worried about my job and would be super sad to see it end.

I also have a part-time job taking pictures of hotel event boards. Best. Job. Ever. It pays amazingly well for the time involved. I am an independent contractor and, with a few guidelines, can complete the work whenever I want. The only negative is I wish I had enough hotels that I earned a full-time income for part-time work, lol.

I also complete mystery shopping assignments. This is more hit and miss kind of work. I like the flexibility of requesting only the assignments I want to complete. I don't like that the majority of assignments out there have ridiculously bad pay for the time involved. But I hang in there for the few that do pay well and then only request those.

3. if it's your dream career, just a stepping stone or simply a means to a financial end?

My main full-time job is just a means to a financial end, even though I do really like the job. Working for myself is my dream job. My primary plan for that is purchasing rental property investments and possibly someday becoming a real estate agent. Of course, with the current climate at my job, I might become a real estate agent sooner than I want to .

hoffse · August 2015

Fun!

1) I'm a lawyer. Most of my practice is tax and corporate mergers/acquisitions (which has a strong tax component to it). I also do quite a bit of tax-exempt work under 501(a) and 501(c). For some reason I also seem to do all of the legal/tax ethics work under Circular 230.

2) Love: the work is challenging, and I am rarely bored. Structuring M&A deals is really fun, and it's a like putting together a giant puzzle. I work with some incredibly smart people who are much older than me, and I'm the only tax associate in my specific office. As a result, several of the tax partners have started mentoring me to teach me the ropes, and a couple of them went to bat for me to get the firm to pay for my LLM degree in tax. In the last year they have really started giving me the freedom to take a project and run with it. I also really love tax-exempt and legal ethics work, because I feel like I'm doing some good in the world with it. There are no partners that do much of that in my office, so I've sort of carved a niche for myself in those areas.

Hate: the billable hour is terrible. I'm also really bad at getting clients to pay up for my work. I've been "talked to" more than once for cutting my own hours for my nonprofit clients who can't pay. I'm also one of only two women in our business department in my particular office, and I'm in my 20's. I work with a bunch of men, many of whom are old enough to be my father or grandfather. On the one hand, they treat me very well because I'm a woman and they are southern gentlemen. They rarely raise their voices at me, they open doors for me, I always exit the elevator first, etc. On the other hand, I've had to work harder than some of the male associates to prove that I'm capable. They now trust my work, but winning them over without a tax degree was a huge challenge at the beginning. One of my favorite partners just turned 70. He has been practicing law for over 40 years, and he has never trained a female tax associate until I came along. That's what I've been up against.

3) I really love my job, and I plan to stay in private practice for quite a few more years. I think it will eventually provide a stepping stone to make a move into the nonprofit world. I would love to work for a community foundation as a person who provides low-priced or free legal services to nonprofits. That kind of move would come with an enormous pay cut though, and we need to be beyond financially stable before I would do it. I would also love to work as a travel writer/blogger in my spare time and maybe parlay that into something full time. I sort of view that a second career though.

MommyLiberty5013 · August 2015

Neato!

1. I am a SAHM to 3 kiddos. Before this I was a Banker/Loan Officer for a large national bank.

2. Dislikes: The kids are 5, 3, and 2 and DH travels a lot. So, I dislike the tedious nature of a lot of the day - dishes, laundry, chores, and the loud voices! No other dislikes.

3. Dream job. I've thought horticulture or interior design would be fun - I have skills in both. But then, I would have to give up my status as a full-time have no boss person. I love not being on anybody's schedule.

CuriousKiddosMama · August 2015

1. I'm a SAHM to my son whose 2. Before this I was a history teacher (usually US history 11th grade)

2. Likes: being home with my son, having time to do stuff with him and take him new places.
Dislikes are pretty much what mommyliberty said. It gets tedious. There can be days I don't see another adult because he's teething or whatever and so we don't leave the house. And there is SO MUCH laundry when you have kids, its insane! I'm looking forward to having him in a mommies day out program 2 days a week in September so I can do things like grocery shop, go to dr appointments, or even the gym without him.

3. Dream job: something where I can use my history degree. Museum currator, working at a historic site as a guide or something like that would be incredibly cool. This is something (the historic site part) that may be totally possible depending upon where we retire to.

Xstatic3333 · August 2015

1. I'm a program coordinator at a conservation nonprofit. I manage and write grants and implement programs related to agriculture and drinking water quality. Our programs tend to be practical vs. preachy in nature-we show how conservation practices can benefit everybody (including financially) and meet people halfway.

2. Like: working with children from time to time, program development, my boss and coworkers, all flex scheduling, work has a positive impact
Dislike: the stress to pay ratio is a bit out of whack, the bureaucracy of grant management

3. This field (environmental science) is my dream field, but this position will be a stepping stone unless I bring in the grant funding that allows me to make it what I want.

KatieCutie05 · August 2015

1. I'm a Web Designer. My company has a large contract for the federal gov't so i'm a government contractor - but i'm a permanent-salary employee.

2. I love the people I work with. My boss is great. ULTRA flexible, no real set hours, the ability to work at home on an as-needed basis. My son and I were recently sick and i was working from home for about a week and a half straight - no need to worry about using vacation time. no dress code, etc.

3. Idk if i'd call it my "dream career". - but its in the right field anyway. I do want to work part time and spend more time with my baby but being a sahm isn't realistic or smart. But i dream to be able to regularly work from home - make my own hours that arent tied to the 40hr work week, make more money, and only need to be in the office no more then "part time". I also am not a fan of "templates" which have totally taken over the entire industry. I feel like i've become nothing more then a glorified blogger. I have been toying with the idea of opening some type of invitation design business or just an etsy shop type deal. I loved making my own wedding invitations and in going through my portfolio - its really the only piece im actually proud of... i feel like i've been here for 5 years with nothing to show for it. I just have NO idea how or where to start and thats also an industry taken over by templates. I honestly dont even want to be a freelance web designer... nor do i have the social skills to actually "network" at all- so i probably need to stick with a company.

bridejl · August 2015

1. what you do for a living. I'm an HR Specialist for an IT consulting firm. My first role at this company was Office Administrator, but my role has evolved quite a bit as I gain experience and the company grows & has changing needs. I used to do both HR/accounting and now I'm doing primarily HR onboarding/termination processing/benefits administration.

2. what you like and dislike about your job. I love that my role has changed and continues to change - keeps things interesting. My boss and coworkers are great and the company culture is awesome (Friday happy hour at 4pm in our lounge). I dislike working with drug screen/blood work vendors, although that's a large part of my job right now.

3. if it's your dream career, just a stepping stone or simply a means to a financial end? At hire it was a means to a paycheck, but I have grown to enjoy it. I'm not sure if I'll be in HR forever, or if I want to be. I don't really have a dream job. Maybe someday I'll get my masters in I/O psych, or maybe I'll pursue my kind-of-interest in software QA. It's obvious I have no idea! I'm happy for now, and when the time comes that I'm not happy I'll figure out what to do.

Mustard76 · August 2015

1. I am a bank manager.

2. Like: No two days are the same. Things are always changing and like anything in customer service, people make things interesting. I enjoy educating people, especially young people, on saving and investing. I wish I knew more when I was first starting out, so I think it can only help to have someone else giving information.

3. I wouldn't identify what I do as a dream career, but I enjoy it. It started as a way to earn a paycheck, but I have grown a lot since starting in the industry. Banking is a solid career path, and I can see myself sticking around. I am so impressed with the institution where I work now. I'm likely to retire where I am. Along what career path, I don't know; there's a lot to choose from.

als1982 · August 2015

1. I'm a fundraiser, specializing in stewardship and donor relations, which means I'm not the person asking for the gift, but I'm responsible for helping recognize donors after they've made their donations.

2. I LOVE the mission of the organization I work for, along with the donors and staff. The best feeling ever is when a donor who has made a multi-million commitment thanks me for thanking them. I dislike the bureaucracy and conflicts with co-workers.

3. Definitely my dream career. From here, I'm not sure where I'd go, except to maybe have a small farm somewhere outside the city.

bmo88 · August 2015

1. I recently became the Executive Director of two public charter schools.

2. I love the mission of the organization and the kids we serve. 90% of our students come from low income, under-served backgrounds and are in need of academic remediation and access to community resources. Our school is fortunate to fundraise over $1 million a year to provide more supports than most schools can provide. I oversee budgets/org finances, fundraising, making long term decisions for the institution and working with kids/educators in general. I dislike the bureaucracy of education, the red tape everywhere, the low levels of funding and impossibly high standards they are trying to hold teachers to.

3. This is my dream career. I didn't think it would happen this soon or this young, but I am in really fortunate and excited for the opportunity. I love the nonprofit sector and have always been interested in leadership positions. I didn't think I would work in education, but made the move 4 years ago and I don't regret it. I don't know what I would do next, but I signed a 3 year contact and plan on fulfilling it and possibly renewing.

smerka · August 2015

I am a stay at home mom to two boys who both just started kindergarten (Irish twins) and one has autism. I gave up a 13 year career in environmental consulting (underground storage tank remediation, asbestos, lead, etc). Like most SAHMs I miss adult interaction and cleaning things over and over and over again. I also work part-time at a retail tax office. I HATE the corporate bs of upselling. It is just not in my nature to do sales. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up or with the rest of my life. My son has needs that I am responsible for (taking to therapies, etc) so I don't know if I can take on a full time schedule any time soon.

MissKittyDanger · August 2015

1. what you do for a living Insolvency clerk with a bankruptcy trustee office.
2. what you like and dislike about your job Like: helping people; dislike: rude jerks
3. if it's your dream career, just a stepping stone or simply a means to a financial end? It has since working here. I'm awful with math and finances but since being here it's opened my eyes and made me want to be more and better. Not be the people who we're helping

bparkhur · August 2015

1. what you do for a living? English Professor
2. what you like and dislike about your job? LOVE: Making an impact in students' lives, instilling a love of learning, optional summer teaching, tenure, smart/fun colleagues, travel opportunities, the ability to be creative every single day DISLIKE: Grading papers, taking work home
3. if it's your dream career, just a stepping stone or simply a means to a financial end? Definitely a dream career. I wouldn't mind a better salary, reduced teaching load, and a better Uni though

BlueBirdMB · September 2015

I don't post here often, but I lurk a lot.

1. I am a full time musician/music teacher

2. I love my job. I've always known I wanted to be a musician and I feel incredibly blessed that I get to do what I love for a living. I do hate scheduling. I hate that I have to make 25 calls for one gig/studio booking and that my students always need a new schedule and have a hard time understanding that I hold a full student schedule, so I don't just sit around all day waiting for them.

3. This is my dream career. It takes different forms now and again, but I love that I have the freedom of self-employment to change things as my creative and financial needs change.

vlagrl29 · September 2015

BlueBirdMB said:

I don't post here often, but I lurk a lot.

1. I am a full time musician/music teacher
2. I love my job. I've always known I wanted to be a musician and I feel incredibly blessed that I get to do what I love for a living. I do hate scheduling. I hate that I have to make 25 calls for one gig/studio booking and that my students always need a new schedule and have a hard time understanding that I hold a full student schedule, so I don't just sit around all day waiting for them.
3. This is my dream career. It takes different forms now and again, but I love that I have the freedom of self-employment to change things as my creative and financial needs change.

Yes I love the freedom too! Wish I could do it full time but our daughter takes up all my days. What do you play?

BlueBirdMB · September 2015

vlagrl29 said:

BlueBirdMB said:

I don't post here often, but I lurk a lot.

1. I am a full time musician/music teacher
2. I love my job. I've always known I wanted to be a musician and I feel incredibly blessed that I get to do what I love for a living. I do hate scheduling. I hate that I have to make 25 calls for one gig/studio booking and that my students always need a new schedule and have a hard time understanding that I hold a full student schedule, so I don't just sit around all day waiting for them.
3. This is my dream career. It takes different forms now and again, but I love that I have the freedom of self-employment to change things as my creative and financial needs change.

Yes I love the freedom too! Wish I could do it full time but our daughter takes up all my days. What do you play?

Voice, guitar, and piano. Having the flexibility to be with your daughter is awesome! We want to have a baby in a couple of years and I love that I can decrease and increase my hours at will. I have the perfect job for being a parent.

cbee817 · September 2015

1. what you do for a living: Advanced Analytics Modeler in the Actuarial department for a health insurance company

2. what you like and dislike about your job: I like the people the most and the fact that I can WFH 1 day a week helps us out a lot (can get laundry done, vacuum/clean a bathroom during my lunch break, etc). I also like that we're not a public/for profit company. Our state heavily regulates health insurance so we can only keep a small % in reserves/for admin.. if we make $ on a particular book of business, we have to cut the employer group/members a check every year for the difference. I don't dislike a particular thing- I just sometimes dislike work, but I think that's pretty normal.

3. if it's your dream career, just a stepping stone or simply a means to a financial end: It's a good job for the most part- good pay, benefits, some flexibility for my family, and we still have a pension (which is actually a lot better than I thought). I make about 65% of our family's income so I don't really have much of an option but to keep plugging along. I never put my career first though- my family and their well being is always my top priority.

vlagrl29 · September 2015

BlueBirdMB said:

vlagrl29 said:

BlueBirdMB said:

I don't post here often, but I lurk a lot.

1. I am a full time musician/music teacher
2. I love my job. I've always known I wanted to be a musician and I feel incredibly blessed that I get to do what I love for a living. I do hate scheduling. I hate that I have to make 25 calls for one gig/studio booking and that my students always need a new schedule and have a hard time understanding that I hold a full student schedule, so I don't just sit around all day waiting for them.
3. This is my dream career. It takes different forms now and again, but I love that I have the freedom of self-employment to change things as my creative and financial needs change.

Yes I love the freedom too! Wish I could do it full time but our daughter takes up all my days. What do you play?

Voice, guitar, and piano. Having the flexibility to be with your daughter is awesome! We want to have a baby in a couple of years and I love that I can decrease and increase my hours at will. I have the perfect job for being a parent.

It really is nice. I only teach 2 nights a week and gigs are on the weekend when DH can watch her so makes it easy to schedule. Although when we have a 2nd kid not sure if I will be able to keep up the teaching for the first year so I may take a year sabbatical.

BlueBirdMB · September 2015

vlagrl29 said:

BlueBirdMB said:

vlagrl29 said:

BlueBirdMB said:

I don't post here often, but I lurk a lot.

1. I am a full time musician/music teacher
2. I love my job. I've always known I wanted to be a musician and I feel incredibly blessed that I get to do what I love for a living. I do hate scheduling. I hate that I have to make 25 calls for one gig/studio booking and that my students always need a new schedule and have a hard time understanding that I hold a full student schedule, so I don't just sit around all day waiting for them.
3. This is my dream career. It takes different forms now and again, but I love that I have the freedom of self-employment to change things as my creative and financial needs change.

Yes I love the freedom too! Wish I could do it full time but our daughter takes up all my days. What do you play?

Voice, guitar, and piano. Having the flexibility to be with your daughter is awesome! We want to have a baby in a couple of years and I love that I can decrease and increase my hours at will. I have the perfect job for being a parent.

It really is nice. I only teach 2 nights a week and gigs are on the weekend when DH can watch her so makes it easy to schedule. Although when we have a 2nd kid not sure if I will be able to keep up the teaching for the first year so I may take a year sabbatical.

Every time I think about having a baby, I feel stressed out about taking maternity leave even though I know I just want to work part time afterwards. I'm have 60+ students and I've been with most of them for years, so even just taking a few months off is going to be difficult. I'll probably look for someone to take over for my maternity leave so I don't leave everyone in a lurch.

vlagrl29 · September 2015

BlueBirdMB said:

vlagrl29 said:

BlueBirdMB said:

vlagrl29 said:

BlueBirdMB said:

I don't post here often, but I lurk a lot.

1. I am a full time musician/music teacher
2. I love my job. I've always known I wanted to be a musician and I feel incredibly blessed that I get to do what I love for a living. I do hate scheduling. I hate that I have to make 25 calls for one gig/studio booking and that my students always need a new schedule and have a hard time understanding that I hold a full student schedule, so I don't just sit around all day waiting for them.
3. This is my dream career. It takes different forms now and again, but I love that I have the freedom of self-employment to change things as my creative and financial needs change.

Yes I love the freedom too! Wish I could do it full time but our daughter takes up all my days. What do you play?

Voice, guitar, and piano. Having the flexibility to be with your daughter is awesome! We want to have a baby in a couple of years and I love that I can decrease and increase my hours at will. I have the perfect job for being a parent.

It really is nice. I only teach 2 nights a week and gigs are on the weekend when DH can watch her so makes it easy to schedule. Although when we have a 2nd kid not sure if I will be able to keep up the teaching for the first year so I may take a year sabbatical.

Every time I think about having a baby, I feel stressed out about taking maternity leave even though I know I just want to work part time afterwards. I'm have 60+ students and I've been with most of them for years, so even just taking a few months off is going to be difficult. I'll probably look for someone to take over for my maternity leave so I don't leave everyone in a lurch.

that's a LOT of students! I only do it part time and average 9-12 per week and that's the most I will take on for probably another 5-6 years. It's ok for me because gigs pay so much better so I'd rather work more at getting those.

I only took 1 month off from having a c/section, but I didn't have many students at the time so it was no big deal. I do feel bad thinking about when I will stop teaching and how it will affect them. If I have the horrible pregnancy I did with DD I will probably have to really take it easy. With our last child I just want to treasure the moment and not feel so busy all the time you know?

BlueBirdMB · September 2015

vlagrl29 said:

BlueBirdMB said:

vlagrl29 said:

BlueBirdMB said:

vlagrl29 said:

BlueBirdMB said:

I don't post here often, but I lurk a lot.

1. I am a full time musician/music teacher
2. I love my job. I've always known I wanted to be a musician and I feel incredibly blessed that I get to do what I love for a living. I do hate scheduling. I hate that I have to make 25 calls for one gig/studio booking and that my students always need a new schedule and have a hard time understanding that I hold a full student schedule, so I don't just sit around all day waiting for them.
3. This is my dream career. It takes different forms now and again, but I love that I have the freedom of self-employment to change things as my creative and financial needs change.

Yes I love the freedom too! Wish I could do it full time but our daughter takes up all my days. What do you play?

Voice, guitar, and piano. Having the flexibility to be with your daughter is awesome! We want to have a baby in a couple of years and I love that I can decrease and increase my hours at will. I have the perfect job for being a parent.

It really is nice. I only teach 2 nights a week and gigs are on the weekend when DH can watch her so makes it easy to schedule. Although when we have a 2nd kid not sure if I will be able to keep up the teaching for the first year so I may take a year sabbatical.

Every time I think about having a baby, I feel stressed out about taking maternity leave even though I know I just want to work part time afterwards. I'm have 60+ students and I've been with most of them for years, so even just taking a few months off is going to be difficult. I'll probably look for someone to take over for my maternity leave so I don't leave everyone in a lurch.

that's a LOT of students! I only do it part time and average 9-12 per week and that's the most I will take on for probably another 5-6 years. It's ok for me because gigs pay so much better so I'd rather work more at getting those.

I only took 1 month off from having a c/section, but I didn't have many students at the time so it was no big deal. I do feel bad thinking about when I will stop teaching and how it will affect them. If I have the horrible pregnancy I did with DD I will probably have to really take it easy. With our last child I just want to treasure the moment and not feel so busy all the time you know?

I do understand, totally. That's exactly how I feel- I want to be there and have the time and energy to cherish every moment.

What types of gigs do you do that pay better than teaching? I charge $60 an hour teaching, which is pretty much the going rate here, and only a few types of gigs seem to pay better than that. I'm just curious. Do you do all GB work?

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