What do you do as a career?

[noah's nemo]

Originally Posted by Nw2Salt08
http:///forum/post/3138014
1. What do you do for a living (how do you support this expensive hobby)? I'm an Army wife...my husband supports my hobby. Luckily, he loves to look at the tank. I stay at home with 4 children while he's away. 17-yr-old stepson, 15-yr-old stepson, 6-yr-old son and 2-yr-old daughter.
2. Was this your initial career choice?NO! lol I wanted to be an RN in Obstetrics. lol But even then I've made a majorly different change in my direction of school. When I moved back home after my separation from my exhusband, I had no clue what I was going to do but had to do something to support myself and my son. So I went to a trade school for welding. I am a certified Master Welder.

3. How did you end up there? My husband and I met, dated for a while, I moved in when I found out that I was pregnant with our daughter (surprise!!) and then got married. Stayed home with the kids from the get go.
4. Anything you want to add: I love my career now but I do miss my welding. The plans are for me to start welding after all the kids get back into school. So be looking for my metal art in the future!

Wow....sounds cool. So do you do mig or tig or both.What do you make?I have done many bike frames with mig as a hobby.My job before was flux-core welding structural steel for buildings and bridges.I have done field work with 7018 stick also,but i have always liked doing mig and tig the most.

 

[contraband629]

Originally Posted by GeriDoc
http:///forum/post/3137855
1. What do you do for a living (how do you support this expensive hobby)? I am a research biologist and chair of a Biology department in a major university in the northeast.
2. Was this your initial career choice? No. I was a pre-med/biology major as an undergraduate.
3. How did you end up there? Iwas admitted to 3 medical schools in my senior year in college, but by then I had become fascinated with research, and chose to go on for a Ph.D. instead.
4. Anything you want to add…It is a great career. I work very hard, but it isn't work since if i didn't have a laboratory at work, I would have one at home for a hobby. Only, at home nobody would pay me, while at school I earn a nice salary for doing what I would do for nothing anyway.
Shoulda gone for a MD and PHD combo. There was a doctor that sponsored a biomedical device project I worked on during my senior year as an undergrad. First he got his PHD in physics then he got his MD.

 

[geridoc]

Originally Posted by Contraband629
http:///forum/post/3138081
Shoulda gone for a MD and PHD combo. There was a doctor that sponsored a biomedical device project I worked on during my senior year as an undergrad. First he got his PHD in physics then he got his MD.
I don't recall that I ever considered a combined MD/PhD program at the time - I'm not sure they even existed yet, but I didn't know about them.

 

[socalnano24]

Originally Posted by Contraband629
http:///forum/post/3138019
I too have passed my EIT and thought about doing structural engineering. I understand that its almost necessary to get a masters degree with an emphasis in structural to do this. I'm kind of kicking myself for not studying structural when I was an undergrad. My school (UCSD) had an excellent structural program. Tell me though, is it difficult to do structural?
yeah if you didn't specialize in structural during your bachelors study, it is typically a necessity to have a masters (particularly to be hired in LA or SF). I was fortunate in where I went to school was well known enough that I don't need a masters.
Its difficult for sure, lots of engineering calculations, drawings, coordinating with a drafter. Dealing with architects, contractors and plan check engineers at the city level. It definitley doesn't pay super well. comparable to an architect. Its my understanding civil's make slightly more money (but in my opinion civil outside of bridge design is boring)

 

[nw2salt08]

Originally Posted by Noah's Nemo
http:///forum/post/3138033
Wow....sounds cool. So do you do mig or tig or both.What do you make?I have done many bike frames with mig as a hobby.My job before was flux-core welding structural steel for buildings and bridges.I have done field work with 7018 stick also,but i have always liked doing mig and tig the most.
I do MIG,TIG and Stick. I do some fabrication work on my brother's cars when he needs it. I've done pipe fencing for my MIL's farm and welding some of the machinery back when things broke. I used to do MIG for an exercise machine company before they went under. My plan is to start back welding f/t when the kids are all in school. I'll be doing metal art out of my garage. It's funny though. My husband's civilian job was a welding inspector but he has no clue how to TIG so when he gets back from Iraq I'm going to teach him how.

 

[braydonosu]

Wow, a lot of engineers in here.
1. What do you do for a living (how do you support this expensive hobby)? - I'm an actuarial consultant in health & welfare
2. Was this your initial career choice? - I started school as an aeronautical engineer, found a few professors who thought their job description was to prove how much smarter they were than you (an 11% was the average for 1 class), then I switched to the actuarial science program (closest thing to engineering)
3. How did you end up there? - Got a job offer right out of school.
4. Anything you want to add… - very rewarding $$$ career if you don't mind studying to take quite a few professional exams.

 

[spiderwoman]

1. What do you do for a living (how do you support this expensive hobby)? I own a web development company and I specialize in custom built online applications. Mainly I work with Tennis Industry Association and USTA, but also with smaller companies with eCommerce. If you can spec it out, I can build it. I've been doing this for 12 years now.
2. Was this your initial career choice? The field was my original choice. I've always been interested in computers and I'm self taught in the programming language I use. I've never sat in school for this.
3. How did you end up there? I got my degree in Accounting (love numbers), worked in that field for 10 years and during that time started dabbling with the web, built my first site in 1995, dated someone who told me about ColdFusion and the rest is history. Got to the US on a H-1B work visa for a company that was my client for 18 months, worked for them for 3 years and at the same time had my old customers.
4. I would not change this for anything. I get to work as much or as little as I can. For the last 3 years I've been working way too much, but I can't complain.