I am enjoying reading about everyon'e avocations. It is such a diverse world that we live in.
As one of the older members (45), it causes me to look back on all the jobs I have had over the years. The first paying job I remember was working summers for my Dad's construction company cleaning up job sites for minimum wage. Most of you young guys won't believe me when I tell you that minimum wage then was $1.50/hr.
I had a paper route and worked at Mickey D's in high school. BTW, we used paper menus and added up orders by hand (you actually had to be smart to be a McD's clerk then). There was only one semester of college that I didn't work doing something.
I studied civil engineering so I worked for in a civil engineering office as a draftsman. Pencils and papers and hand lettering and all. Computers were calculators, that was all.
I worked for a couple of engineering firms after school but ultimately couldn't stand the sameness of it all. I was a low income residential property manager (slumlord) for a while. (Now, there's an education you can't get in school). For the next ten years or so, I was a residential home builder. Built about 500 homes. Times were good till the Saddam invaded Kuwait, interest rates went up 2 points overnight and everyone sat at home and watched CNN wondering if the end of the world was coming.
I worked as a residential RE appraiser. Then owned a Pepperidge Farm distributorship. (Worked with Grocery back doors guys
) Answered an ad and went to work at the nation's second largest bank as a VP managing a nationwide real estate portfolio. Learned a lot and realized that once again, i wasn't cut out to work for a big company. Left after five years and went out on my own as a RE broker. My first year I made double what I was making at the bank and never looked back.
So, now I am a commercial real estate developer. I do my own thing developing medium sizel office and retail properties and enjoy every minute if it. My time is basically my own and all I have to deal with is the stress of being a couple million dollars in debt all the time.
So for all you guys and gals out there who are doing someting that you don't like or aren't sure you want to continue doing - just read my sig. and hang in there....to quote that eminent statesman, Forrest Gump - life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.