GTKY What do you do for a living?

LJMoon6 · February 2022

What do you do for a living (including SAHM!)? What do you love/hate about it?
What is your dream job?

LJMoon6 · February 2022

I do research in nanotechnology at a large university. I have an undergrad degree in physics but really this job could be done by someone with an EE degree or chemistry degree, biology… really anything science related lol. That’s part of the reason I love it. I love the diversity of research going on in our labs. The only thing I really hate about it is the lack of direction from management. We have to come up with our own tasks/research to do and some days I just want to be told what to do lol.

This was my dream job. Maybe not the nanotechnology part, but the working at a university doing research part. I feel so lucky to have gotten this job. I’ve been here for nearly 5 years now. I definitely held it up on a pedestal, but that’s not to say I don’t still like my job. I wouldn’t mind a change though. Not sure what to. Something more on a computer instead of in a lab. Something I could do from home. I love numbers and I love programming. So I’m thinking about doing some class certificates when I get back from maternity leave. Just see what that can get me with my past experiences I guess.

oli9 · February 2022

I was a ‘career bartender’ (lol makes me feel better about it all) at the two biggest adult night clubs in South Florida for almost 15 years and that is where I met my husband who was a bouncer for one of the clubs for over 10 years (haha) and we fell madly in love and both ended up leaving that industry to peruse a more wholesome life. The service industry in South Florida traps you because you make over $100,000 a year by serving food/drinks etc and having fun. It feels like no other job will do that down here, but that’s not necessarily true. We are both in a much healthier, happier environment that supports our family and lifestyle just fine. No strip clubs needed. 😂😂

tuxielove93 · February 2022

I’m basically a SAHM but I do work part time off and on with Uber eats/Instacart etc etc. I have my kids with me, or at least my youngest now, so I’m still momming at the same time.

I love the flexibility but I hate the job itself. The companies are trash and treat their employees the same, the pay keeps getting worse, and there’s no real support or help. But I’ve tried for nearly two years to find something else I can do at home and still take care of the kids and it’s just not happening for me. I cannot get a job that would afford daycare for two and make enough extra to be worth it. And honestly I don’t want to work just to pay someone else to have my kids.!

I went to college for theater arts but didn’t finish the degree because well, money and I got smarter and more stubborn about it 🤣 I honestly have no idea what I’m going to do for work post the toddler stage. I almost feel like I have too many things I can see myself enjoying and I don’t have a strong passion for anything in particular. Except my kids. But taking care of other people’s kids doesn’t really entice me.

stardustskies · February 2022

What do you do for a living (including SAHM!)? What do you love/hate about it?
What is your dream job?

I used to be a medical assistant at an ob-gyn office but we relocated and bought a house back in late 2020 and I didn't feel like making the long drive to and from work. My husband and I decided my part time income vs. the money we were spending on childcare wasn't really contributing much in the long run so I've been a stay at home mom since then! It tries my patience some days for sure but I love being at home. I miss adult time with adult friends sometimes. Dream job used to be a flight attendant back before I had a family. I really did enjoy being a medical assistant too though and once this baby is in first grade I'm sure I'll start working again, at least part time.

sunshineandlemons · February 2022

I’m an engagement manager for an alliance my company has with another company. Basically, it’s a product management role where I manage the value proposition, the awareness of the product and distribution of the product. It’s strategy work and I really enjoy that. I also really like the work with outside companies. I’m also really proud to have gotten to this place in my career. I started at the bottom in a call center where I learned about this particular industry, became a SME and promoted up. I would love to stay at home with my kiddos until they go to kindergarten and get that special time with them, but I could never leave and step back into the position I’m in, so I’ll always lust for that. Now, if I just win the lottery (if only I played lol)…

runnergirl2018 · February 2022

So many interesting paths and careers!

@sunshineandlemons hubby and I always joke about when we win the lottery but we never play either 🤣

I’m a psychologist in private practice. I’ve wanted to do this since I was a teen so I’m pretty happy in my role! I did discover I love working in university settings but unfortunately being in the Chicago area means i would have to live in the city or commute into the city and both are no gos for me. So many someday when we move out of the area I’ll go back to that. I love my group and the flexibility and autonomy with support as needed. I dislike the minimal benefits and no paid time off. Also no one prepared me for being a mom of a small child as a psychologist during a pandemic, so there’s that 🤪

peppylilfoxy · February 2022

I'm an elementary school teacher at a school for kids with complex behavioural needs. My formal title on my contract is Special Ed teacher but it's not what most would think of when they think of special Ed typically.

What I love about my job is the difference and impact I can make for the kids I work with and I love the investigative piece of my job because it is a lot of figuring out how to adapt for each kids individual needs and figuring out how best to teach and model appropriate socio-emotional regulation. Most of the kids I work with usually have some form of trauma (some of the older kids are even in gangs or have siblings in gangs) and since my class is for k-4 kiddos, a lot of the time I'll have kids coming in undiagnosed with other things that we aren't aware of so we work a lot with outside agencies like doctors and psychologists. The downside of my job is the occasional violence. Not all the kids are violent and most just shut down but the younger ones do tend to throw and scream. One I have now broke my nose and has bitten me several times.

As for my dream job.... Honestly, I'm doing it! I have always loved teaching and have been a mainstream classroom teacher and a typical special Ed or learning support teacher but the school and role I'm in now is my dream job. I get the best of both worlds and I feel so truly blessed to have been given this opportunity when my husband and I moved to the city this year because not many divisions have schools like this and I do hope to further my education and get my masters with a specialty in trauma informed education. The trauma kids have always held a very special place in my heart.

lilirunning34 · February 2022

I’m mostly a SAHM, but I also have a home cottage bakery of vegan baked goods that I do on the side. I’ll probably close it down sometime in May. Even now I’ve reduced my orders so I can have some more “me time” when the kiddos are at school. I used to work at a running store on the weekends and do their social media, but I stopped that back in June of 2021.

LJMoon6 · February 2022

@stardustskies My dream job for the longest time used to be a flight attendant too!! Back in middle school and high school when we had to take the career tests to see what job field we should go into, my tests would always come back as a flight attendant lol. I even had a job interview to be one once, but I didn’t make it past the second round. Now with a family I couldn’t see myself doing it. But I would still love to work for an airlines and get the free/cheap flights lol

I also would love to win the lottery!!!

feather_heather · February 2022

I am a preservation planner for arguably one of the most historic towns in the country. I'll be transitioning to part time in May, and then to a SAHM in June though

bearsandbeets7 · February 2022

I currently work at a major bank. I work half on the teller line handling cash and the other half in an office opening accounts and doing account maintenance. Before this I was working retail so it was like a dream to get in a position outside of that. I do enjoy helping people save money and saving people from fraud or getting them their money back from that. I do not like the sales aspect of it but I have never been much of a salesman.

My dream job as a kid was a teacher but I do not have the patience for that. I am not particularly passionate about anything but I am very good on the operational side of things. I am struggling to wrap my brain around having this baby and going back to work. I would love to be a SAHM with my kids at this point but we definitely can not afford to lose my income. I think that general feeling makes me like work a little more than I normally would lol.

bumblebee0210 · February 2022

I'm a tenure-track professor at a large research university. I do some teaching, but my job is mostly research (some field work and a lot of empirical data analysis) and advising graduate and undergraduate students, plus peer-reviewing papers, presenting at conferences, etc. It's great because it's very flexible and self-directed (the research and writing part at least), but it's a ton of work, and the tenure process can be extremely high-pressure. Luckily my husband works a bit less than I do (he is a physician with a lot of control over his schedule), but it's still a lot with a two-year-old and I imagine it will be even more so with two!

inthewoods23 · February 2022

I work at a manufacturer as an applications engineer (not IT, a lot of people get that confused). Much of my role is like tech support in helping people select the product they need or when there are issues in the field we help answer questions of what the problems may be and what things to check. I do a bunch of things tied to our operations and am now also acting as a trainer for a new program that is meant to help increase our sales through our distributors.

I like that my role has expanded a ton and honestly would love to move straight into only being a trainer for the program. Some days can be quite draining and I hate that. We're a medium sized company and we're honestly understaffed so it's difficult to really get good solid improvement in place. Also recently we had another company president let go so that's 3 that have come and gone in the 5 years I've been here 😐

Dream job... I think we're getting there. I like being a trainer and enjoy helping people learn and understand things. I have interest in project management but have not taken a single class on it so I doubt I would ever be good at it!

zwink1 · February 2022

I'm an attorney in a private law firm. I've mentioned in other posts before, but my job and I are not on good terms, lol. I can't say that there's anything that I love about my current role. The hours are bad, the pay is meh for what I do, I'm currently doing the job of like 2 people with no imminent resolution to that situation, and I generally dislike most of the actual day to day work. What I was supposed to be doing when I accepted this role and what I'm actually doing are 2 different things, and despite repeated assurances over the years, that hasn't changed and doesn't look like it will any time soon.

Between not enjoying the work and the myriad of management issues that have been exposed over the last year, I decided last fall that I was ready to move on. We'd already been planning another embryo transfer though, so I'm waiting things out at this point and not returning after the baby.

What's my dream job? That's the challenge I guess! I have absolutely no idea what I want to do from here. But I am sure that I don't want to be doing what I'm doing now, so that's easy, lol. Fortunately, we're able to allow me to take the time to spend with the baby post birth and figure out what I want to do next!

Edit - clarification.

zinnia19 · February 2022

@lilirunning34 can you send me some of your vegan baked goods?! I will thoroughly appreciate them.

I loved reading about all the interesting things that you all do for a living!

I am currently a Produce Category Coordinator for a large co-op grocery store. Basically I help choose what vendors (distributors, farmers) we work with, what items we carry, the pricing of the produce, and assist our buyers & managers in ensuring we have delicious, beautiful affordable produce for the community. We have a huge emphasis on local products at our store, and in the produce department we work with over 40 farmers. This is the part that I absolutely love about my job. I worked for many years as an organic vegetable farmer, so I have a huge passion for small-scale sustainable agriculture and delicious locally-grown food. Owning a farm is a huge risk, and I worked for other farmers for many years but ultimately decided to not pursue starting my own operation. Instead I found a job as a produce buyer at the co-op I currently work at. Working there is a great way for me to have more steady job with benefits and decent pay. And I can still support the local farming community, which is what I am passionate about. I can't really think of a job I would prefer to be doing, though I did love farm work. It's pretty physically taxing and stressful, though! The only downside of my current job is that it is more sedentary computer time than I would like. But I have been able to work from home occasionally, which is nice. I have a big home garden where I grow veggies and flowers, so I still get to use my green thumb.

stardustskies · February 2022

@LJMoon6 Hey, cool! My first job out of high-school was a gate agent at the airport. Low pay and high stress but the free flights were fun (when I could manage to get more than 2 days off in a row). I did eventually get an interview with an airline for flight attendant but like you, I didn't make it past the second round. Those interviews are tough! Oh well.

@zwink1 Sorry you're not liking your job. Hopefully post-baby you'll be able to re-evaluate things and find something that works better for you.

erinstonewaltz · February 2022

I am a SAHM and I honestly love it. I used to be a 9-5 plus many more hours workaholic working in finance and investments with a bank. It was a very stressful job and wasn't paid nearly enough.
Now my husband got a good job and he and I decided I would take a break and dedicate to homeschool our kid since he is in the autistic spectrum and because of the pandemic things became difficult for him to catch up.

I have enjoyed time with my kiddo all these years now and I am so happy, nowadays he is doing the best ever since I dedicate my time to look for the best educational materials for him, and I am very involved in everything he has to cover academically speaking plus a variety of other activities such as a second language and guitar lessons, he also loves skateboarding.

The husband now works from home and we all 3 enjoy small hikes in the early mornings before he starts work (he used to do a 2 hr commute, now he spends those 4 extra hours with us).

I am enjoying life tremendously and I am grateful for all the blessings.

LJMoon6 · February 2022

@stardustskies Those damn second interviews! I swear it was because I was so nervous reading the script they gave me. There wasn’t really anything else to it. I often wonder how different my life would have been if I had gotten that job… I probably wouldn’t have gone back to school for physics and I probably would have never met MH. A couple weeks ago on our Delta flight back from FL they did announce that they were hiring flight attendants. I got really excited for half a second. Then reality hit lol.

runnergirl2018 · February 2022

@zwink1 oof, that sounds rough. Glad you have a good plan at least to not return. I can related a little in that the job I had when i got pregnant with my first was rooooouuugggh. too much work for too little pay (although i liked my boss). i actually informally told them plans for leaving one summer to move to private practice and then that april i found out i was pregnant, and was like "just kidding" and stayed on (which they were thankfully grateful for) and then left a couple of months after i returned from leave

zwink1 · February 2022

@runnergirl2018 I'm glad you've found something that's a better fit, that makes me feel a little more hopeful! I haven't mentioned my plan not to come back at all yet, and I'm trying to figure out how to time it right because I have a suspicion that it's not going to go over well.

caymanmel · February 2022

@oli9 I feel like I can relate to this so much! What do you do now?

I've been in the Service industry for 16 years. Server, bartender, management. I currently work for a popular entertainment venue and manage/work private events. I love it. Gives me lots of flexibility with my schedule, low take home stress. And as mentioned above. Sometimes you can find a great gig in the SI that you make good money.

Dream job, I would love to create my own venue to host events. Or being a destination wedding planner; travel is another big passion of mine.

oli9 · February 2022

@caymanmel if I’m being completely honest, adult entertainment / nightlife bartending IS my dream job. I loved every minute of it for the entire time I did it and I planned to migrate into management or being a ‘house mom’ (its the lady in the back of a strip club who basically cares for all the dancers needs) when I got too old to bartend. I miss it and my regular customers so much but with six kids going on seven and in a healthy relationship, it was best for me to get out while I could. The service industry is an absolute thrill and affords a very glamorous, extravagant lifestyle that not many other jobs provide and I really did plan on being in that field of work forever, but love had other plans. Lol.

My husband was also in the adult entertainment industry for over a decade and that’s all he knew. He was private security and a bouncer since he was 18 years old. After we decided to leave that industry to peruse a more normal lifestyle, he went to school and became a licensed Home Inspector, which pays about the same if not more than his security positions in the nightclubs and I actually fought and hesitated to get out of the industry completely at first and moved to manage a cigar bar that one of my regular customers owned and was paid about the same as bartending paid me, but then decided to peruse a career in behavioral health as a behavioral health technician at a big recovery clinic that is located down here in South Florida, but that position was also offered to me through a regular strip club customer of mine who owns the recovery clinic. Haha. I can’t seem to completely get away from my almost 20 years of nightlife one way or another.

tamaral721 · February 2022

Hey ladies! I’m new to this board. I am a licensed therapist at a private practice. I have been in the field for over 11 years which feels so strange. I work with kids, teens and mostly young adult women. I love the flexibility of my job but the evening hours get hard with my bonus son and niece. It sure will be interesting adding in our first little baby to the mix. I plan to transition to telehealth and work from home this fall. This is my dream job for sure but I really cannot wait to leave the group and work on my own. When baby girl is bigger I plan to rent an office space again after we move next year.

elmann1 · February 2022

I love this thread! So fun reading about all your lives during these crazy times.

I'm a Program Manager for a MA/PhD program at a university here in the city. I do advising for all students, event planning, orientation for new grad cohorts and other program management for my department. I've been doing this kind of work for about 11 years now. My husband words in Ed Tech. We're both Education lovers. I'm currently taking courses for my Master's in Teaching to eventually become an elementary school teacher (K-3, ideally). I'm over working with bratty Faculty and being at a university with minimal raises but really love working with students but prefer kids over Grad students. I like working and have never not worked since I was like 17 when I started in retail. I worked part-time back when my daughter was 2-3 but we wanted to buy a house and have her in Daycare and require two full-time incomes to afford anything in the city.

twentythree19 · March 2022

Really enjoying this thread! In all my past BMB's, careers all just got mentioned here and there.

I'm a field technical representative for an agricultural seeds company. We're just in row-crop ag (corn, cotton, soy, wheat, etc.). I love it because I support a sales team but I don't have a sales target to hit, I'm doing something different every day, and I get to work with customers out in the field. Mainly, I support my sales team when they have questions about products or product management, I work service calls when their is a retail or customer concern, and I lead agronomy projects in the field to bring more value to our customers. What I don't like is the amount of admin/computer work that goes along with this and that in my geography, there's an extra layer of sales folks between me and the customer. If I had this job in other parts of the country, I'd be more hands on with more farmers. But alas, that's a system I can't change and we're never moving out of this area (which I'm totally ok with). I've also got pretty great benefits, perks and flexibility. So my plan is to stick with the company as long as they'll have me!

This is actually my dream job. I know in today's industry that it would be naïve of me to think my role won't ever change, but most promotions from this role go into people management and I'm not terribly interested in that.

courtneyqdk · March 2022

This is a great thread - so nice to learn about everyone's different jobs!

I'm a high school teacher - I have had SO many jobs leading to this, so I will try to keep this short haha

I have a BFA in Music and a MA in Music Composition. Of course, these degrees didn't necessarily lead to steady employment, so I have done a little bit of everything! For awhile I tried to fight it out as a professional musician, teaching piano and voice lessons, playing gigs, doing recordings, etc. and it was wonderful but of course, never quite enough money. I supplemented with all kinds of things - teaching fitness classes, yoga, tutoring, etc. I spent a good number of years teaching Music classes for babies and toddlers as my primary source of income. I eventually opened up a small music school and was a business owner for a couple of years, but quickly learned that it was NOT for me. Then I ventured in to more "9-5" type jobs, working in the not-for-profit arts industry. However, in the arts, everything is always such a struggle! in 2016, I was laid off due to a government grant loss at my organization and I hit a fork in the roads. Back to private music lessons and gigging, or a big change? So I enrolled in teacher's college and got my BEd. Part of it was the daytime hours, the steady income, and being more suited to "family" lifestyle. I started teaching in 2018 and I have had a bunch of different jobs at different grade levels. I started in elementary, and at this point if I include my practicum placements as a student teacher, I have taught every grade, from K-12.

I noticed the higher grade level I worked in, the happier I was, so last summer I finished my high school qualifications and I am SO happy. Last year I was really struggling with teaching, I loved the kids but the work-life balance was killing me. Every night my son went to bed and I would be working until 11pm. Then to bed, back up at 5:30am and do it all over again. This year, I actually took a part-time position (it is a "two thirds" job so I teach 2/3 of a full time schedule and get 2/3 of a full time paycheque). My VP schedules me in to supply teach during my free time, so I end up making back most of the difference, but I have less planning and marking to do at home. I usually finish my work at school and bring work home maybe once a week! Total game changer, and has turned teaching into my dream job. That said, with everything that has gone on since 2020 it has been tough, I can't lie! But I am hopeful that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and maybe when I return from this next mat leave, it will be to an environment that feels more "normal".

Anyway, I loved reading all of your stories! Thanks for sharing

novaghost99 · March 2022

I'm a returns specialist for an optical equipment company for hunting, birding, ect. I like what I do but it's more I love the company I work for. They treat us all like family even tho we have 300+ employees. I've never worked anywhere like it before. Not sure what my dream job would be but any job that puts your mental health/family life first is a dream in my book.

cmhme · March 2022

So much variety! I am a CPA working in the banking industry doing financial reporting. It is not a glamorous job but I am well suited to it and enjoy building the skill set and managing my team. The company is also progressive on family leave and work/life balance so the benefits are fantastic. What I really enjoy doing is using those skills for other purposes like serving on boards and advisory committees in my community. My dream job would to be open my own shop one day and serve small businesses that cant afford/need their own full time CFO/CPA either on a consistent basis or advisory if they need to get one time financing etc.

creativesoul63 · March 2022

I’m the Director of Events for a quirky art museum in my city. I handle all the private event rentals (mostly weddings and non-profit galas) and help plan the museum’s events as well. Like @tuxielove93 I have a degree in Theatre and tried my hand in acting and directing while working in the service industry (serving/bartending), but got tired of working multiple jobs and living paycheck to paycheck. I settled on the special events/wedding industry as it relates so well to directing theatre and I’ve always loved hosting parties. I worked my way up in several different venues and absolutely love where I am now, just wish I made a bit more money 😅

Probably my dream would be to do my same role but for a professional theater or to own my own wedding/events venue. @caymanmel want to go into business? lol

ravenhairedgirl83 · April 2022

I am the marketing team leader at a financial services company. We set up ESOPs (employee-owned businesses). I got my Master's in New Media & Marketing. It's a great company and I really enjoy the creative challenge of marketing.

I plan to go 20 hours/week after baby is born. We waited a long time for this (by choice), so I plan to take a step back from full-time work.

inthewoods23 · April 2022

ma'ams are you lost?

jessie_95 · April 2022

This is such an awesome, interesting and inspiring thread! So many amazing women with equally amazing careers and job paths! Proud of all of you ladies whether you’re in your dream job, worked it pre-baby, still chasing it or just enjoying your current non “dream” job.

I’m an EMS dispatcher. I come from a family of EMS personnel (parents were law enforcement, uncles were firefighters, etc etc). I was an EMT for a short while before becoming a dispatcher. I work in a big city (Los Angeles). I met my fiancé at work, he’s a police officer.

Obviously, there’s the obvious struggles with this job; the bad calls/sad calls, feeling helpless sometimes, etc. but then you have some amazing calls or the ones where the caller says “thank you” or you find out the ending (sometimes we don’t get to know/find out as the call ends).

Dream job wise, I think I’m doing it. Some days I don’t feel like it’s much of a dream but, I get to help people every day, as does my fiancé, we both understand this career, the ups/downs and really the family this department is. I’m proud to do what I do and even more proud of my fiancé who’s an absolutely amazing officer.

dontmindmejustpregnant · April 2022

This thread was a great idea, I love hearing about all the different career paths and positions! So much diversity that you don't normally hear about.

I work as a Certified Dental Assistant. I feel extremely lucky to have been hired on by this office, I did both my practicum here while attending college and the decided to keep me. All together there are 9 of us working here and we are all women, most of us have children. We all get a long really well and support eachother so it's a great environment, I'm sad to be taking a year off.

I love the variety of my job, I'm not doing the same thing everyday. Be it fillings, extractions, root canals, etc.. I also love that I get to interact with many different types of people on a daily basis as.

This could be my dream job, I honestly could do anything in health care and be happy. That being said, when my boss retires in 10 years I want to go back to school for something else health care related! Try something new

Want a personalized experience?

GTKY What do you do for a living?

Re: GTKY What do you do for a living?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards