Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors OT: What do you do for a living?

Been retired since 2005. Thirty-nine years with W. A. Whitney Co, through three changes in ownership. No problem with the first two, third convinced me it was time to retire. Started as Cost Accountant, retired as Director of Finance and IT. Thirty-eight and a half of great times, half a year of crap.

If you work in heavy sheet metal, or plate, you probably saw machines I did the cost analysis on. Earlier, we were big in structural, with beam lines and material handling systems.

Mostly retired now. I have a part-time gig at a small local college building/maintaining apparatus used in the Physics labs- all recreations of 18th & 19th century gizmos created by the likes of Faraday, Maxwell, Tesla, Coulomb, etc. As interesting and challenging as it is, and aside from it keeping me off the streets and out of the bars a couple/few days a week, the main draw is I have the use of a wonderful wood and metal shop and have carte blanche to work on my own projects at will. Essentially they pay me to tinker and I literally set my own hours. I rarely ever get up before 9AM and roll in anywhere between 10 and noon, take an hour lunch, and go home around 3-4PM.

In the past I did a career in industrial management, in a couple steel industries, where I wouldn't have stood still for the kind of work hours/habits I exhibit now myself. I then did an about face and did a half-career (for lack of a better term) as a boat builder, specializing in custom interiors of luxury yachts and sport fishers. Built a lot of stuff for celebrities such as Walter Cronkite and Eric Clapton. Annapolis is a great place to be doing that.

Along the way I also taste tested whiskey and women, bought&sold British cars, fly fished my butt off, and managed to mess with about every make of gun known to man. In other words I found countless ways to enjoy most of the nickels I made- the rest I just wasted. It's been a helluva ride.

I've meet some great friends here on the campfire since I became (more) interested in 99's about 10 or 12 years ago.

I am currently the production manager of one of the largest commercial orchards and vineyards in Virginia. I have a duel BS degree in Forestry and Forest Biology from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse University. 85 and 86 respectively. My career and a hard working and understanding wife has provided me the privilege of having the ways and means and time to hunt my way through most of North America and it's big game species as a younger man. Experiences for which I am eternally grateful for. Africa is still a dream if I live long enough and can make enough money. That and going bear hunting with my new 35 Rem with Roy.

With our Daughter having just one more year of college, my wife and I are currently on a 5 year dash for cash to get to 62 and check out to spend the rest of our years living life on the Lake driving around in the sun in a gas guzzling boat.

It's not everybody's dream, but it's our dream.

God willing.

I hope God is willing you make it to Oregon for that bear hunt.

I work for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, part of USDA). You may remember us as the Soil Conservation Service, the name changed in the 90's but the work is mostly the same, helping farmers prevent soil erosion and keeping manure and other nutrients out of streams, ponds etc. Been there about 10 years now, before that I managed a county government owned educational farm.

Dale

Well, let's just say you and I have a lot of the same base skillsets, just different specializations.

Rural Nebraska for me though. Got lucky and didn't get born in Kansas.

Roy, can I tag along with Randy? I'll drive!

house painter, paint store clerk, bellboy, Navy, Marine Corps, stockbroker, plumber, oil company lab technician, national guard, Army reserve, used motorcycle dealer, restorer of vintage Harley and Indian motorcycles, rented old vehicles and worked as an extra in the movie industry, freelance magazine photo-journalist, shuttle bus driver, traffic flager, writer and landlord for rental properties. I probably left a few out. I did as many as five of these at one time.

this, for 44 years and still counting;

Worked for a defense contractor for 26 years, mostly working on a satellite program (microwave electronics 1-18Ghz) for the NRO. Mostly inter-digital filter tuning and micro-strip and strip-line tuning. Now I'm retired and on disability for some medical problems.

Sparkles come from my fingers (Retired) most of my career (electrical engineer / God of thunder that kind of stuff - funny only if you have seen the movie “THOR”)

Was lucky enough to learn from a whole bunch of smart people over my life time... hope I put thier knowledge to good use.

Screws, Nuts, Washers, and Bolts and related.
Been at it since June 4, 1979. Bought the company in 1997.
We are a fastener distributor. We buy from manufacturers and importers and sell to O.E.M's. We are small, and plan to keep it that way!
October first, we start our 51st year. Don't know if I'll ever truly retire. I don't do a whole lot any more!
In my spare time, I chase down cool old guns and related and hunt every chance I get!
In the summer, my wife of 35 years and I spend time on our small pleasure boat on a small river near our house. It's not paradise, but we enjoy it!

Retired 3rd generation Local 5 Field construction Boilermaker NYC. Son is in his 15th year.That's me in my younger day's welding superheater element's for a resource recovery plant(garbage burner).

I worked for 15 years as an industrial engineer before I realized I was not a good employee.I then went into the gun business owning a shop in Nashville called Game Fair Ltd for 30 years.Closed the shop in 2013 and started a gun appraisal business working with collectors,estate planners,insurance companies,and divorce lawyers.This last gig has turned out to be pretty interesting.I have seen some fantastic guns and met some interesting characters.

Retired after 37 years from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as a mere electrician and planner.

Retired since 2013. 6 years Army Corps of Engineers (Construction Battalion and a Cartographic Company), 12 years - Petroleum Engineer (subsurface, reservoir, and drilling), 20 years – Banking and Insurance (IT Management - Application Development and Support)

Lots-o-interesting software development gigs in the defense industry. Currently doing mobile sensor platforms <--> satellites <--> ground stations software development.

welder/machinist the last 32 years .any thing to fix /rebuild / modify /fabricate or make out of metals .i can not think of something i have not worked on trains /planes /copters / boats /heavy equipment / space shuttle launch stuff . and stuff i did not know what it was

Hey! I have something in common with Wyo1895 besides a love of Savage 99s - we both started out painting houses. That was my first job, at age 15 in 1961. Since then, I have lost track of the jobs I have had. A buddy says his resume reads like a confession. I'm not that bad, but let's just say it is "varied". Short version: I did excavating work, was a social worker for welfare, worked in NYC for MCI and Citibank in telecom, and ended up teaching special education. My wife and I retired from teaching ten years ago. Now I mostly fiddle with firearms and fly fish.

This is a real interesting thread.
I'm always interested in what careers or paths other people have followed.
I just want to say thanks for sharing! Very interesting.....