What do you do? Why do you do it?

[rabbitproof]

And do you like it?

I can start. I am a market research analyst at a search company near Mountain View but not in Mountain View. :P

I like technology but I can not stand office dynamics and structure. It is also rather empty - working for the dollar.... soul-robbing IMO. So this is why I ask these questions ...

... share.

[LonghornDub]

I go to law school and will be working for a big law firm in Austin this summer. Assuming I don't screw up (knock on wood), I should be back there next summer and then full-time after I graduate.

I do it because I love working with the law and the method of thinking that it requires. A lot of people do it for the money, and of course, the money is nice, but that's not my main motivation.

[DavidDaMonkey]

I'm a freelance audio engineer. I take any jobs that deal with recording, mixing, etc.

I do it because I thought its what I wanted to do and its what my degree is in. I'm still at the stage where I feel like doing anything else would be admitting that my four years of college was a waste. I also don't know how to start doing anything else.

[Smiles]

I work in an office – spreadsheets, paperwork, clients, bosses, projects. I do it because it's low stress and close to home, and it's a nice environment. Besides, a bilogy degree doesn’t do you any good unless you teach or get a graduate degree. Since I dropped out of graduate school... well, here I am.

I like the people I work with, but I abhore the beige Cube Farm setup and the evil “eye-searing” bright light over my desk. I agree, it can feel quite empty and soul robbing at times (especially dealing w/Flaco-style complainers). But still, I feel lucky to be here, and I’m grateful it’s nice and peaceful most of the time. I’ve had jobs that consumed me with sickening anxiety every day, and reduced me to tears occasionally. Who needs that?

It is amazing how inspired I get on vacations though! I have ideas for books I'd love to write - fiction, non-fiction, even some children's books. I also get inspiration for scientific research! LOL. Work takes so much energy though... I think that’s why the inspiration disappears once I've been back a while. Most days, I just want to go home and cook, and then relax.

[mary]

I've been a bookkeeper for 14 years. I teach some classes on the side. I'm currently working on a teacher certification so I can get a "grown-up" job at a public school somewhere.

Why? Because I need a vacation and a benefit package.

[Flacolaco]

I too work under the bright lights of the corporate office environment. I got a B.S. in Computer Science, and then ended up in "Loss Prevention," which is interesting. Internal investigations, covert camera installations, exception reporting, inventory control...etc,etc... and some programming whenever and idea to improve upon current procedures strikes me.

I have an opportunity to move to a different department, if I learn VB 6 and a lot more SQL than I know now, for a very substantial increase in pay...but it would be infinitely more boring and tedious.

I assume everyone's answer for "why do you do it?" is "For the money." If it's not, then good for you.

[dalmations202]

Let's see, I am 1) a Network Admin, who lives on a 2)farm/ranch, who spends most of his spare time 3) coaching kids.

Why do I do it?
1) Net Admin---Money -- the kids seem to think it is important to eat
2) Farm --- family -- it is how/where I grew up, and I think a great place to rear children to teach them value of working, and survival.
3) Coaching --- love of sports -- I have 6 kids, and basically I think I know more about the basics of basketball and softball than most of the "dads" out there. I win some and lose some, and know that most teams destiny is determined at the draft each year where you have to do talent evaluation.

[rmacomic]

If you want to call what I make a living, then Stand Up Comic.

I spent a year in college working on a music degree, but found that to be stifling to my creativity so I did what any other intelligent person would do. I dropped out started a death metal band and spent the next four years hooked on meth.

After realizing that was getting me nowhere, I kicked the habit (clean 5 years last October) and the band, and started playing music for hire in a r and b cover band. After doing a year of county fairs opening for likes of Eddie Money (awesome guy) and Joan Jett (total bitch) a member of the band said, "Hey I know a guy who does stand up and this band is going nowhere, you're funny let me put you in touch with him." Up to that point I never even thought of stand up as a career, but said, "what the hell" and tried it.

Well after a year of open mics and a year on the road doing guest spots and sleeping in my car, I got an offer to be the house MC in Knoxville Tn, so I moved and spent a year there honing my act. Now I tour the country as a solid feature act (That's the second guy on the bill who after the show always hears either "I thought you were better than the headliner", or "Oh hey, you were good too.")

Last year I put 45,000 miles on my car and body, I made a little under 30 grand (the most I've ever made in a year), Did countless shows in dive bars in front of 20 drunks, But I also got to do shows in theaters in front of 1000s and got to meet some of the coolest people in the world and see some of the most amazing places in this country, and Japan.

So yeah, I like my job!!!

Sorry about the diatribe.

[mcsluggo]

I am a "development economist". I work for a financial services org that provides credit enhancements and risk insurance to firms that want to invest in poor countries. As with all jobs, it has its hideously dull moments and areas of interest, and I feel good about the overall purpose of my work.

However, that said, work is for chumps.

If I could win the lottery I would spend the rest of my days sitting on a beach in my tighty whities decompressing (and once all the pressure has been removed, sighing happily). OK, that is not ENTIRELY true, I would also do x, y , and z, none of which involves 50 hours/week following through on sombody else's agenda.

[untitled]

I'm halfway through law school, but I am in it for the money.

Seriously, though, I grew up around lawyers and generally find them to be interesting people. My father is an attorney, so I feel like I know what I'm getting myself into as far as the practice is concerned. Plus, the subjects and skills that you're taught in law school are useful in many areas of life. But really, I just wanted to get a graduate degree, and a J.D. is the only one that appealed to me. *shrug*

I'm hopeful that I will enjoy practicing law, but if not, I just hope that I can tolerate it long enough to pay off my student loans.

[jthig32]

I'm a software developer for a company that makes software for call centers.

I've also done some contract work on the side for PHP/MySql web sites.

I do it because I love programming of any kind (although VB6 is the devil, Flac), and the money's not bad either.

But as of today, I very much miss the cube-farm setup.....

[MavsFanFinley]

I clean offices. Weekends and holidays off. The pay is excellent, I'm my own boss, work alone, and the hours are flexible.

Sounds sick but I love it.

[Kirobaito]

I am a sophomore at Baylor University. I am a History major, with minors in Great Texts of the Western Tradition and Religion. I was a business major, before I realized that I didn't want to be in college to learn how to do something, but rather to learn. So I learn.

After my four years here, I will probably go down to Austin for graduate school, for two reasons. One, I don't think I could live in Waco for another two years, and Austin presents an opportunity for me to pursue my real dream, which is to be a professional folksinger.

After I get my masters in some kind of History (probably modern), and if I have been unable to accomplish anything professionally in folksinging, I will pursue my doctorate and become a professor. Why, you ask? Because I'm not social enough to do anything else. I am unable to do anything "practical."

[Underdog]

When I'm not living off the welfare checks that YOUR tax dollars fund, I'm selling crack, meth, and goofballs to your kids...


(don't ask how I can afford internet - I haven't worked that part of my story out yet... )



p.s. - tell little Billy that I'll break his legs if he doesn't have my money by tomorrow!!!

[ShaggyDirk]

I just sit around and eat cheez-its.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by ShaggyDirk

I just sit around and eat cheez-its.

All my best customers do!

[Male30Dan]

I am a Network Administrator for a growing company in Temple. I do it because I have always been really good at this type of stuff and because I couldn't imagine going to school for 8+ years to do the next thing that was on my list of career jobs - being a Vet, (I LOVE animals). I get my work and it comes natural so why not make a good living doing something easy. To be specific, I manage roughly 12 servers, 200 PCs, 120 VPNs, a Help Desk for ALL IT calls and multiple technicians. I manage IIS, DNS, SQL, AD, Exchange, and NUMEROUS proprietary applications for our industry. Only about a year ago I got some serious help in and got to stop driving 3-4k miles per month hitting our outlying locations. I was doing every single printer call, scanner call, cable call, etc... At least I no longer have to run cables and do the incredibly boring windshield time - though I still put in about 1k per month. I am in charge of everything outside of some software applications and I put in, on average, 60 hours per week.

Do I love it? Sometimes. It is really rewarding at times and very very repetitive at others. Overall, I enjoy my career but I sometimes find myself really bored and lacking inspiration in life. I wish I could be doing something creative like RMA or even be brave enough like Finley to get out there on my own and be my own boss. In the end I am afraid of failure and I can't put my family in a position where, if I fail we lose everything. So, I continue to tread water in the office environment and I imagine I always will.

Sometimes I wish it didn't come so easy. Sometimes I wish I would just get fired and have no jobs open so I would have to dedicate my passions elsewhere. But then I think about my daughter and wife and son on the way. I remember how hard I had it growing up and how poor my family was. Those are the thoughts that make me read the extra MCSE book and take the meaningless tests to prove I am worthy to work in IT and should be paid top dollar. Life has a huge chunk of politics in it and I ride the same wave that the majority of us do. Props to some in here that choose not to tread water but rather get on a surfboard for that wave. It takes guts!

[Male30Dan]

Originally Posted by Underdog

All my best customers do!

Nice... I tried to rep you but dang it I need to spread that stuff around more!

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by untitled

I'm halfway through law school, but I am in it for the money.

Seriously, though, I grew up around lawyers and generally find them to be interesting people. My father is an attorney, so I feel like I know what I'm getting myself into as far as the practice is concerned. Plus, the subjects and skills that you're taught in law school are useful in many areas of life. But really, I just wanted to get a graduate degree, and a J.D. is the only one that appealed to me. *shrug*

I'm hopeful that I will enjoy practicing law, but if not, I just hope that I can tolerate it long enough to pay off my student loans.

Awesome. So you're a 2L? Do you mind if I ask where you go to school?

Also, just as a general comment, it's interesting that so many of you are in a technical field. Lots of programmers and admins and the like. It makes sense, though, considering that internet message boards are probably much more widely used by technically-inclined folks.

[untitled]

Originally Posted by ProdigyDub

Awesome. So you're a 2L? Do you mind if I ask where you go to school?

Yup, I'm a 2L at St. Mary's. Are you in your first year at UT?

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by untitled

Yup, I'm a 2L at St. Mary's. Are you in your first year at UT?

Yessir. Halfway done with the dreaded first year.

[sike]

pastor in the burbs...

[untitled]

Originally Posted by ProdigyDub

Yessir. Halfway done with the dreaded first year.

Well then, congrats and good luck! I can now verify that the rumors are absolutely true: the first year is by far the worst.

[jacktruth]

Documentation manager for software company.

I do it because it is extremely stable (have not been out of a job since graduating in 1995), I am very good at it, and I've been at the company for 9 years and get almost 5 weeks of vacation every year. Plus, our company is an extremely profitable and successful company. I have an office with a window overlooking a grassy meadow with flowers and bunnies.

[Rhylan]

I straight up work for the money, no shame in that.

[ames7]

I'm a grad student at Emerson & an integrated marketing coordinator at a mid-sized PR agency in downtown Boston. I do a little PR, a lot of writing & a big part of my job is working with social media (blogs, podcasts, Facebook, etc). I don't do it for the money b/c I barely make any. I don't particularly like my job, but I'm getting good experience in marketing & social media so I think that maybe I can get one I actually like someday. Eventually, I'd like to move into sports & entertainment marketing. My goal in the next six months is to get my Masters & move back to some place warm.

[irontoad]

I'm a computer support guy for the city that I live in... I like my job well enough, I guess; it's sure as hell not what I really want to do but it pays the bills... ulitimately I'd like to be a role-playing video game designer; (something I've wanted to do since I was 15) got a huge hill to climb to become that, but I'll eventually be doing it!

[ocelot_ark]

I'm a national bank examiner. I like my job. I get to use a lot of the stuff I learned in college (financial analysis, strategic management, etc, etc) and I feel like I'm constantly learning. It gets frustrating at times due to all of the changes in the industry but it pays the bills and allows me to be much more comfortable than I thought I'd be at this point in my life. Looking forward to the day when a big bank comes calling and I can stop traveling all over the place and can spend more time in my own bed.

[Big Boy Laroux]

Originally Posted by jthig32

I'm a software developer for a company that makes software for call centers.

Thig, who do you work for?

I'm a sales engineer for a company that makes software for call centers.

[Mavdog]

my job is to take those nice tracts of land that are at the intersection of two major roads, tearing out their natural state/beauty and replacing it with the ubiquitous retail store/restaurant.

iow, I am in commercial real estate. and yes, I am only in it for the money. my family seems to have (what is in my eyes) a very high expectation as it relates to their lifestyle, and for some reason they look to me to provide it...

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by Big Boy Laroux

Thig, who do you work for?

I'm a sales engineer for a company that makes software for call centers.

Uh oh, we may be dire enemies.

I work for a company called Etalk.

[Big Boy Laroux]

I'm familiar with ETalk. I don't go up against them that often in deals I work on.

You guys are mostly Quality Monitoring/Call Recording, right?

I work for Aspect Software (formerly Aspect Communications).

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by Big Boy Laroux

So mostly Quality Monitoring/Call Recording, right?

I work for Aspect Software (formerly Aspect Communications).

Yeah the core of our software is call recording. I guess I could have been more specific, "software for call centers" is generally enough to make people's eyes glaze over.

Is Aspect Software related to the Aspect phone switch?

[antoinewalker]

for those of you in law school, where did you go for your undergraduate degree?

[Big Boy Laroux]

Originally Posted by jthig32

Is Aspect Software related to the Aspect phone switch?

yeah, we make phone switches (ACDs), but also make Automated Outbound Dialers, as well as performance optimization products (workforce management, call recording/quality management, etc.).

I actually do all my work with the performance optimization stuff, but focus primarily on the Workforce Management.

[untitled]

Originally Posted by antoinewalker

for those of you in law school, where did you go for your undergraduate degree?

I received my B.B.A. from the finest university in the land, SMU.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by antoinewalker

for those of you in law school, where did you go for your undergraduate degree?

I went to UT for undergrad as well. Will be here 7 years total when it's all said and done.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by untitled

Well then, congrats and good luck! I can now verify that the rumors are absolutely true: the first year is by far the worst.

Yeah, that seems to be the consensus. Glad to hear someone else say it. I believe it particularly with the first semester. Now that I have a job lined up for the summer, a lot of weight has been lifted off my shoulders for this second semester.

Did you go to St. Mary's straight out of undergrad at SMU? Or did you work full-time some before law school?

[untitled]

Originally Posted by ProdigyDub

Yeah, that seems to be the consensus. Glad to hear someone else say it. I believe it particularly with the first semester. Now that I have a job lined up for the summer, a lot of weight has been lifted off my shoulders for this second semester.

Did you go to St. Mary's straight out of undergrad at SMU? Or did you work full-time some before law school?

I worked full-time as a case clerk for a year after graduating from SMU.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by untitled

I worked full-time as a case clerk for a year after graduating from SMU.

Right on. Well, good luck to you the rest of this year and next. You're lucky the hardest year is already behind you!