What do you do at your job?

[Kampenken]

Finance manager for an equipment leasing company. Some analytical spreadsheet work, fits in the way my mind works, but too much repetitive reporting every month. Pay is good, benefits are great (33 days off / yr + holidays). Some times very busy, but always the work has low intrinsic value- unlike my gf's work on oncology studies, man trying to cure cancer (or at least put in longer remission periods). Of course she deals with all the BS too that comes along with these doctor's egos.

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

Worked as a Paramedic for a 911 EMS service and moonlight for private ambulance service. Then went to 911 dispatch. Now I am a Technology Coordinator for a school district, which is really just a fancy name for computer janitor. It just me for 1200 users, 800 wired devices, 300 mobile devices, 3 phone systems, countless printers, projectors, and SmartBoards. If it has a circuit board in it they call me to fix it.

This is one request I received today: "I'm trying to plug speakers into my computer. I see a plug for headphones and microphone but not speakers. "

I still pick up EMS shifts here and there to keep my skills up. I would go back to EMS in a heart beat.

 

[PhinneyWoodBrews]

The secret process doesn't make your cheap shampoo/conditioner/bodywash/lotion/2n1/3n1 any better. Their trade secret is in the design of what is essentially an inline blending system. It just makes it so they can mix it faster and thus cheaper.

Typically the blending process is done in large purpose built blending tanks. It takes a few hours to mix a batch. Plus the floor space of a mixing tank, plus the cost to purchase the mixing tank. The entire blending system they have is about the size of a large desk. The actual mixing area is about the size of an apple. Pretty nifty. Wish I could tell you more.

Cool beans!

 

[CrimsonYeti]

Manufacturing Engineer for a tier 1 auto supplier. Mainly Controls engineering with robotics and plc work. Some actual mechanical stuff involved. I setup new equipment from drawings and basically do all the programming work. I also taught basic Robotics for awhile at an adult education center for 4 yrs.

 

[Newsman]

(SNIP)

This is one request I received today: "I'm trying to plug speakers into my computer. I see a plug for headphones and microphone but not speakers. "

GOD, I don't miss those types of questions! "Here's your sign!"

 

[Natdavis777]

I pump people full of chemicals and expose them to a notable amount of radiation. Not what then entire job entails, but covers the majority.

 

[arturo7]

Loaf

 

[BentBrewer]

A dying breed that luckily can never completely disappear completely.

Not as dying as one might think. Merely invisible. Much like custom carpentry, stoneworking, thatching, or blacksmithing. (The last of which, I do at the local state park every Friday.)

 

[k1ngl1ves]

Another important difference (and this goes back to the inadequacy of any analogy) is that the closed 2D balloon surface is embedded within a 3D Universe, whereas a finite 3D Universe doesn't need a 4th (spatial) dimension to bend in to close back on itself.

The real question should be if time can close back in on itself. Nothing, not even silly math, exists without time.



When and/or where does time end...?

 

[markusreadus]

Research fellow at an Australian university. I find ways of using computing to investigate biological systems. Mainly, I create simulations of things like the bacteria in the gut and how they respond to changing diets, and hence how your health is affected. I also use machine learning to predict things like disease susceptibility based on screening and medical measurements.

It's a good job, intellectually demanding, can be solitary but I'm getting a bit more senior which means I'm getting people working for me (so I get to set up projects and collaborations, rather than doing the work directly). Down side is fixed term contracts, perpetual cuts to funding, and academia has become insanely competitive. You've got to work very hard to stay ahead now. I hit the weekend pretty burned out, and then brew + drink beer

 

[podz]

I design and prototype unix-based network services infrastructure, data center design, etc. in the telecom context i.e. no microsoft machines allowed.

Areas of focus are security (PKI, LDAP, firewalls, etc), DNS, just to name a few. I was a senior UNIX admin already 20 years ago and nowadays I just prototype the types of systems that most people can not fully understand, then I train them how to use it and hand it over to them for maintenance and operations. Basically, I choose what I do and set my own schedule.

 

[Egmonster]

U.S. Seafarer Licensed 2nd Mate Unlimited from Great Lakes Maritime Academy 2010 Grad. Operated Trailing Suction Hopper Dredges for a couple of years out of school rebuilding beaches and digging shipping channels. Now I am currently a Dynamic Positioning Operator on a Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit in the Gulf of Mexico working a 28 On 28 Off Schedule. Now instead of stressing out about ship handling situations I monitor a lot of sophisticated positioning equipment to maintain position during drilling operations. I missed Thanksgiving this year, BUT I get Christmas and New Years this year!!

I too am a Dynamic Positioning Operator in the Gulf of Mexico. I'm a USCG licensed Third Mate and Master 1600-ton. I'm the Chief Mate on an Offshore Anchor Handling/Towing/Supply vessel. I also work a 28 on/28 off schedule. Basically I just push buttons on a computer 100+ miles offshore but I get lots of boat handling in port. I hope to be on the big dynamically positioned ships and MODUs in the future. At the airport now to go home for Christmas!

I fix the stuff that these ^ monkeys break.

Just kiddin' guys! Nice to see fellow sailors.

I am a Dynamic Positioning Technician and Electrical Technical Officer working on offshore oil and gas construction vessels. I am actually offshore Brunei (you know, the Sultan with the cars and stuff) at this very moment. Scheming how to next to make alcohol in an alcohol free country has some strange symmetry for me.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Not as dying as one might think. Merely invisible. Much like custom carpentry, stoneworking, thatching, or blacksmithing. (The last of which, I do at the local state park every Friday.)

Trust me...custom cabinetry is all but dead in most areas. High end finish carpentry is still around but the last three shops I dealt with have converted to "semi-custom" or gone out of business as a "shop" and just do field sintall work only.

 

[Rhumbline]

I fix the stuff that these ^ monkeys break.

Just kiddin' guys! Nice to see fellow sailors.

I am a Dynamic Positioning Technician ...

I have a pretty good idea of what that entails, but I can't stop my brain from interpreting it a "Drunk Guy who focusses on not falling down"

Not meaning to cast aspersions on your field of work.

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

I'm a software developer that works on software to program smart cards. All those fancy new credit cards you're getting with the chips in them? Not that new, I've been doing this for 15 years.

So, wait, you're responsible for my Point-Of-Sale transactions now taking three times as long?

 

[Rhumbline]

So, wait, you're responsible for my Point-Of-Sale transactions now taking three times as long?

Three times as long?

Man, you got it made. I wait for 15-30 seconds each time I use my chipped card!

 

[Kharnynb]

I'm a software developer that works on software to program smart cards. All those fancy new credit cards you're getting with the chips in them? Not that new, I've been doing this for 15 years.

I remember when those cards came out in the Netherlands for the first time, start of the 90's.....payement wise the US has been rather backward with cheques and magstrip creditcards...

Well executed, the chipcards should be faster and safer than magnetic cards.

 

[Egmonster]

I have a pretty good idea of what that entails, but I can't stop my brain from interpreting it a "Drunk Guy who focusses on not falling down"

Not meaning to cast aspersions on your field of work.

I wish getting drunk was an option. This entire country is dry. :/

Rhumbline eh? You another bus driver? hehe

 

[Rhumbline]

I wish getting drunk was an option. This entire country is dry. :/

Rhumbline eh? You another bus driver? hehe

Nah, recreational sailing was my interest before it got too expensive. I'm working on a simpler solution.

When I retire, it will be with a small sloop heading someplace warm.

 

[Egmonster]

Nah, recreational sailing was my interest before it got too expensive. I'm working on a simpler solution.

When I retire, it will be with a small sloop heading someplace warm.

That sounds like a bloody good plan.

 

[MonkeyBot]

So, wait, you're responsible for my Point-Of-Sale transactions now taking three times as long?

Three times as long?

Man, you got it made. I wait for 15-30 seconds each time I use my chipped card!

Blame the bank for that, they like to pick the cheapest card available which like any computer is slower

I remember when those cards came out in the Netherlands for the first time, start of the 90's.....payement wise the US has been rather backward with cheques and magstrip creditcards...

Well executed, the chipcards should be faster and safer than magnetic cards.

Yup, the real speed comes with the contactless cards where you just tap on the terminal and the transaction goes through. Couple seconds tops. Of course this means both the cards and the terminal are more expensive so nobody wants that!

 

[BentBrewer]

Trust me...custom cabinetry is all but dead in most areas. High end finish carpentry is still around but the last three shops I dealt with have converted to "semi-custom" or gone out of business as a "shop" and just do field sintall work only.

You've got to go high-end, or you DO go out of business. We've got 4 local blacksmiths, and a bronzesmith that make a darned good living hawking their wares to people who can afford +$40,000 gates and balustrades.

Meanwhile, folks making cool bottle openers, corkscrews, etc get whined at if they want the equivalent of $20 an hour. Whaddya gonna do?

 

[WSB-MBC]

Hot-shot Software Engineer here

at least I was.....

Nowadays I spend part of my time getting schooled by kids half my age on the newest, latest and greatest trends of programming in the .Net/MS stack

My company operates as a CRM for Hotels, Spas and resorts world-wide. Sounds fancy but in a nutshell....we send email/texts.

Check in to your vacation hotel? That email you just got came from us...
Want to see your bill online after you leave? That page comes from us...
You get the picture.

It's a great little company I'm at though. After a couple of decades spent chasing the $$$, I found a family-like operation that I can call home.

My days breaks down roughly to

45% coding
10% troubleshooting
15% lunch or snack breaks
20% facebook/general surfing
10% bull****ting with the pretty ladies in the office

 

[podz]

Hot-shot Software Engineer here

at least I was.....

Nowadays I spend part of my time getting schooled by kids half my age on the newest, latest and greatest trends of programming in the .Net/MS stack

Hehe, until you ask them to tail the logfile for a misbehaving process... What? That sort of capability doesn't exist in mickeysoft world ;-)

 

[WSB-MBC]

Hehe, until you ask them to tail the logfile for a misbehaving process... What? That sort of capability doesn't exist in mickeysoft world ;-)

Luckily these guys are pretty sharp and like to log EVERYTHING

 

[dchmela]

I mix audio soundtracks for film and TV. I currently work at a university in Orlando mixing independent feature films and student thesis films. I have worked on commercials, cartoons and reality shows as well. I like working at a school because I can still mix and also teach, but don't have the crazy hours and pressure of being in a studio. My office:

 

[PlexVector]

I mix audio soundtracks for film and TV. I currently work at a university in Orlando mixing independent feature films and student thesis films. I have worked on commercials, cartoons and reality shows as well. I like working at a school because I can still mix and also teach, but don't have the crazy hours and pressure of being in a studio. My office:

Very kewl! Although I understand the main board in the foreground, but what do the two dudes in the farground on either side of the room do?

 

[Electrake]

I like to pretend I'm infantry, dismounted reconnaissance... but I'm basically just a combat janitor

 

[motobrewer]

Hot-shot Software Engineer here

at least I was.....

Nowadays I spend part of my time getting schooled by kids half my age on the newest, latest and greatest trends of programming in the .Net/MS stack

My company operates as a CRM for Hotels, Spas and resorts world-wide. Sounds fancy but in a nutshell....we send email/texts.

Check in to your vacation hotel? That email you just got came from us...
Want to see your bill online after you leave? That page comes from us...
You get the picture.

It's a great little company I'm at though. After a couple of decades spent chasing the $$$, I found a family-like operation that I can call home.

My days breaks down roughly to

45% coding
10% troubleshooting
15% lunch or snack breaks
20% facebook/general surfing
10% bull****ting with the pretty ladies in the office

i know where you work.

 

[PlexVector]

i know where you work.

55% of the time.

 

[captainnibby]

I'm a security supervisor/trainer at a casino (over 13 years in the department so I'm only day shift). My floor duties involve supervising security staff, dealing with problem guests and employees, and walking a lot. My back of the house duties involve training casino wide for TIPS (responsible alcohol service class), training casino wide for emergency preparedness, training our department on defensive tactics and handcuffing, coordinating all the training for our department as 1st Responders, and training new officers. Floor wise, not too exciting most days during my shift, but I have enough to keep me busy.

 

[TechyDork]

Emphasis mine; it isn't.

The Big Bang isn't a gigantic explosion at a single point in space and time, but rather the creation of an entire space-time. The space created is either infinite, or finite but without any edge (curved back on itself). In either case, an observer at any point P in that Universe's space, and at any time T in that Universe's history, can intercept exactly and exclusively those Big Bang photons that were created at any point T light-years* away and that happened to be launched towards P at time zero**.

*Actually it isn't quite T light-years because of the dynamics of that Universe; rather, it is the distance photons have traveled in the age of that Universe.

**Actually it isn't quite time zero, but the time at which that Universe first becomes transparent to photons, which also depends on the dynamics (expansion => cooling).

My brain just exploded.....

 

[dkevinb]

I am an electrical engineer who has almost exclusively written software for many years. I design GNSS receivers (Global Navigation Satellite Systems, GPS plus other countries' systems). I spend the day writing software, downloading it into the hardware, and testing it.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

Emphasis mine; it isn't.

The Big Bang isn't a gigantic explosion at a single point in space and time, but rather the creation of an entire space-time. The space created is either infinite, or finite but without any edge (curved back on itself). In either case, an observer at any point P in that Universe's space, and at any time T in that Universe's history, can intercept exactly and exclusively those Big Bang photons that were created at any point T light-years* away and that happened to be launched towards P at time zero**.

*Actually it isn't quite T light-years because of the dynamics of that Universe; rather, it is the distance photons have traveled in the age of that Universe.

**Actually it isn't quite time zero, but the time at which that Universe first becomes transparent to photons, which also depends on the dynamics (expansion => cooling).

uhhh... I'm a welder.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

I unplug things, then plug them back in. I also reset passwords.

 

[Roland_deschain]

Ex sheet metal worker.....now run a dog grooming shop with my wife.

 

[UndeadFred]

Lots of engineers, pilots and military and DoD people here. I am an electrical engineer by degree and a software engineer by title for the last 18 years at a Fortune 500 Midwestern defense contractor and commercial avionics company. Spent the first two in radio communications, mostly HF, the next 6 doing "special projects" and "electronic warfare" and up until a few months ago developing both hardware and software for specialized test equipment for government software defined radio products. That has dried up so for the time being I am on a rotation to the commercial avionics side of the business reviewing code and processes for the large air transport planes displays and avionics gateways. All sound much sexier than they are. In reality it is 2/3 paperwork but there are times that you are very proud of what you do.

 

[Zuljin]

I sit in a place where not everyone can get into, interact with the world remotely by what appears to be invisible magic, speak only to a select few people, do things that others think is completely unreasonable, and sometimes hear their protests about it, am rarely seen, and control the lives of billions of organisms much smaller than myself.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

It's important to have a job that makes a difference, boys. That's why I manually masturbate caged animals for artificial insemination.

You win. (LMAO!!!)

 

[Newsman]

I sit in a place where not everyone can get into, interact with the world remotely by what appears to be invisible magic, speak only to a select few people, do things that others think is completely unreasonable, and sometimes hear their protests about it, am rarely seen, and control the lives of billions of organisms much smaller than myself.

So you work at USAMRIID?