What do you guys do for a living?

I was debating on putting this in the On the Job forum but.. this topic seems more of a chit chatty subject since I'm not really asking for a "how to" for finding a job in the UK. Anywho, I have decided against visiting my boyfriend in October. He's sad and so am I, but I really need to keep my GED as a top priority and my teacher thinks as long as I stick to it, I should be finished by January.

Which isn't bad seeing as I've lost out of 6 years of school, eh? I was thinking on what I'd like to be when I "grow up" and get a career--what I'd like to do when I have my GED in hand and am free to go off to higher education. I love language(s) and speech and I was leaning towards a language pathologist instead of a translator. Which then lead to the idea; Hmm, I wonder what the UK-Yankee chicks/dudes do for a living? I couldn't stand being in a job I didn't love for the rest of my life so I feel like a speech pathologist is the way to go since I'd be helping people with their quality in life AND it'd be a pretty darn good job too!

But.. in conclusion this is me being nosy (as usual)! What'chu guys do? How long did you have to go to school to do it? Were all the years worth it to you in the end? I'm really interested to know!

Well, I'm 27 and still kind of figuring out what I ultimately want to do as a career, but that's neither here nor there at the moment.

For background, I have a BA in Art History and a Masters in History of Collecting and Collections (which is a more focused degree in Art History). Currently, I'm working as a Production Intern for a film producer and director. I quite like film and was interested in the producing side of things and thought I would look into it. She is about to start paying me, but I'm probably going to give my notice tomorrow because she's kind of nuts and I've learned about as much as I can from her, and also because...

...my second job is translating German/Swiss/Austrian art auction catalogues for an art sales index. They love me and want me to go full time and eventually promote me. I'm currently working 7 days a week between the two, so I'm looking forward to having weekends back.  Not the most stimulating job in the world, but I can do it from home whenever I want as long as I meet my quota by Sunday. Perfect for having time to explore other avenues.  

The schooling was worth it even though I'm considering doing something that doesn't follow my degrees. Everything you learn can be applied to something else. I absolutely still love art an awful lot, but just not sure I want it to be my career.

MandyBoo,

I have a friend here who is a speech pathologist and she loves it. She worked for the NHS for a few years, and now she has her own private office.

She loved working for the NHS as far as the actual job was concerned, but she opened her own office to make more money and work less hours - although she did make good money with the NHS and she did not work crazy hours... I think private clients pay better?

Anyway, she got her degree in London, and it was paid for by the NHS - some sort of scholarship programme. If you move here and are here for 3 years you can apply to those programs too!

As part of her schooling, she worked with some actors, helping them developing accents for stage/film roles! Not sure if that is normal tho - but she did that. I found that interesting.

Well, I'm 27 and still kind of figuring out what I ultimately want to do as a career, but that's neither here nor there at the moment.

For background, I have a BA in Art History and a Masters in History of Collecting and Collections (which is a more focused degree in Art History). Currently, I'm working as a Production Intern for a film producer and director. I quite like film and was interested in the producing side of things and thought I would look into it. She is about to start paying me, but I'm probably going to give my notice tomorrow because she's kind of nuts and I've learned about as much as I can from her, and also because...

...my second job is translating German/Swiss/Austrian art auction catalogues for an art sales index. They love me and want me to go full time and eventually promote me. I'm currently working 7 days a week between the two, so I'm looking forward to having weekends back.  Not the most stimulating job in the world, but I can do it from home whenever I want as long as I meet my quota by Sunday. Perfect for having time to explore other avenues. 

The schooling was worth it even though I'm considering doing something that doesn't follow my degrees. Everything you learn can be applied to something else. I absolutely still love art an awful lot, but just not sure I want it to be my career.

Wow, that is really cool, I'm learning German, That is impressive knowing all those languages! Good luck with putting in your notice!

MandyBoo,

I have a friend here who is a speech pathologist and she loves it. She worked for the NHS for a few years, and now she has her own private office.

She loved working for the NHS as far as the actual job was concerned, but she opened her own office to make more money and work less hours - although she did make good money with the NHS and she did not work crazy hours... I think private clients pay better?

Anyway, she got her degree in London, and it was paid for by the NHS - some sort of scholarship programme. If you move here and are here for 3 years you can apply to those programs too!

As part of her schooling, she worked with some actors, helping them developing accents for stage/film roles! Not sure if that is normal tho - but she did that. I found that interesting.

Seriously? Wow that is really interesting, makes me want to do the job that much more! I'm really interested in what you said about accents, how cool is that? Never knew speech pathologists were the ones to do that kind of thing.

I'm not sure that they ARE the ones to do it - I think it was some sort of 'side work' or part of a freelance gig - she used to be in theatre... I will ask!

I'm a post-doctoral research fellow in biology. I did my undergrad in biochemistry with a minor in neuroscience, then a PhD in neurobiology, in total around 8 years of study. I love my job and want to do it forever!

put simply-- I dissolve things. (Things=pharmaceutical tablets and/or capsules, before/during/after they go into clinical trials.)

And then confirm that things are what they say they are, both in identity and concentration, and that the various formulations/(fillers) used don't interact with/affect how the active ingredient dissolves, after being exposed to extreme conditions for time periods up to 52 weeks.

Until 3 months ago, I had no idea how much testing was undertaken in this area.  But it sounds like I'll hopefully have a job for a WHILE!

I'm an events organiser for the Dept of Education and Children...with an emphasis on Space and Space related companies as the IOM is a major force in the space race.

I also am the competitions organiser and run the resource centre for the whole of Education...And I LOVE my job....

In NYC I was an Academic Librarian at a private art, architecture, and engineering University, and I worked as a freelance writer, and I did (still do) a sort of stand-up comedy - but it is story based, and all the stories are true, told live, onstage, without notes. I also taught (part time during the summer) creative writing to people in court ordered recovery programmes - gang members, mostly. Some battered women. And I worked for another university, (also part time during the summer), as a research assistant for the head of the department of library science.

Here, I am writing, performing, and managing. I do both copywriting and freelance articles, and I have worked in sort of 'staff management' for all sorts of odd things, all freelance - Most recently, I hired, trained, styled, and managed on site, the first ever 'Dress Code Assistants' for Royal Ascot. That was odd. It got international press, and they were called the fashion police. I met royalty from all over the planet. It was a very strange experience. Not bad, but very odd.

Then, I managed the dancers, and was the personal assistant, for a NYC performance artist who was doing shows at The Arcola Tent Theatre, and The Old Vic Tunnels - so I basically went from Princesses to Pole Dancers. I was an original cast member in one of her shows over 20 years ago (as a performer, not a pole dancer - lol!), and we toured the world together, so I love being her assistant. We are very close. The show starts up again in December at the Albany Theatre, so I am still doing some pre-production work for her, but not much. Next year (in Feb) we are going to Australia for 6 weeks. That should be fun.

I also do (on and off) psychology research for 2 professors - one was my professor at Harvard, and he is now at Oxford, and one was a professor I had at Smith, who is still there, and has hired me to work remotely.

Oh gawd, right now, I am 'Americanising' a UK website for the American market. Lame gig.

So, basically, I'm terminally broke, and constantly looking for my next gig, and I fill out job applications for a living. Freelance, and volunteer. LOL!

Gosh! My work sounds soo boring compared to everyone Else's!

I'm 29 and have a major in the science of marketing (Statistics and analytic, etc.) and a minor in Business Management.

I used to work in sales, marketing, doing presentations, making advertising materials, events, etc. Got tired of all the stress and pressure that went along with it then moved here and work as a "Strategic Manager" for nation wide Shop fitting and merchandising company. I tend to wear many hats here though. I'm a PA to both of the owners, I assist the finance department (billing and collections) I write the financial reports, I assist the accountant, the HR (we contracted our HR out of office...So I have to do/implement the in-office stuff upon the HR's recommendations)...I also help with the marketing materials, writing up the stuff as well as policies, procedures, etc. etc. etc....I'm basically the "Go to" girl.

I does keep me busy, but I do love my work! The owners are great about letting me come and go as I need as long as all my work is done, which is ideal for me! Pay isn't fantastic, but quality of life is good! 

Amberelle11, that does not sound boring at all, because it sounds like you get to do a lot of different things every day!

That is like... my dream situation, as far as daily work is concerned.

I'm a foreign language teacher.  I teach general English (reading, speaking, listening, writing, pronunciation, grammar), English for Academic Purposes (academic writing, reading skills, presentation skills, lecture note taking), exam preparation, French, and French/English translation.  I love my work.  I meet people from all over the world, I learn new things every day, and I can have a real impact on people's lives.  Plus my colleagues are brilliant. 

I'd definitely suggest going for language pathology over translation.  Professional translators are often not well paid, a lot of the work is freelance, plus you have to be really really good at a second language.  If you've only just started studying one, you're probably looking at a good ten years of language study alone before you could begin training as a translator. 

Having said that, though, there are good translation MA programmes in the UK, so if you end up moving here that will still be an option for you. 

I am 29 and the Production Director for a medium sized indie games studio, I've worked for pretty much every major publisher in the Video Games industry, including Activision and Disney, I made the move to smaller mobile/social/casual games around three years ago when I saw the explosion of that kind of gaming. It's been a brilliant move for me and I'm really enjoying not working in AAA games anymore, although i miss some of the glamour (press tour of Europe with a launch party in every major city - okay!)

I manage a team of 10 producers who manage a team of 50+ developers (artists/designers/UX/UI/programmers) and we make around five games at once.

It's hard, long, emotional, stupid, creative, amazing, everyone is under 30, so childishly silly, and wonderful. It's my career, my vocation, my calling. I wouldn't want to do anything else, even when it's super tough and I'm in another hotel room somewhere and I just want to go home  

At this point, I do whatever comes my way.  My last job was in Florida, at a gun range.  Not my idea of a great job, but it paid better than the alternatives to do practically nothing, and my dad worked there.  I rented handguns and full-auto rifles to loads of tourists, many of them Brits, who would blow several hundred bucks in rentals and ammo in a few hours.  There were some really nice regulars I got on with, and one co-worker I made friends with.  Other than that, the management was horrendous, and the owner put the place out of business by giving stuff to his friends, taking it for himself, or using company money to buy motorcycles.  Oh, by the way, the highway patrol and police were often some of the worst shots we had out there. 

Obviously I can't do that line of work here!  Haha.

I'd been in university in the US and made high marks, got different recognitions... but I left when I divorced and moved back to Florida.  Those few years took a toll.  I tried to start up some classes again, then got with my (now) husband and found myself working more instead to help fund our visits.  I'd like to take up education again, but I'm not sure how or when to go about it here.  I'll have to give it some thought.

In the meantime, it'll be whatever jobs suit best.  I have severe social anxiety, and it affects what I can do while remaining functional and healthy (as in, staying out of the hospital).  I've wound up in some very bad places by forcing myself into situations that were far too stressful in that way, and all it did was make it worse.  I like jobs where I can be mostly to myself, even if it means doing mind-numbing work.  At least I'm calmer.  But it does make settling into an education path and career complicated.  It's always dictated by how much I'd have to interact with people, how many of them, what circumstances it would be under, etc.  So annoying!  I hate it.

If anyone has suggestions for a painfully introverted weirdo, send them my way. 

Hi Pip!
I have some suggestions/ideas.
I will PM you!

xoxox