I always wanted to know how things worked, so I moved into EE. Loved every minute of it.

Now that's some serious history!

BTW, thanks for your service.

Have a Happy New Years to you and your family.

thank you for your service & happy new year!

but California???

lol. just kidding - glad u made it back safe :)

One of my son's is doing EE grad work right now...he seems to really love it also, but I only understand about half of what he is talking about at any given time

I decided long ago that "job" does not suit me at all well --�� and retired from "the best job in the world" (tenured university professor) at age forty in favor of personal freedom to go where I wanted and do what I pleased.

I did not take that to mean "sit on your duff and do nothing --�� or just play golf or go fishing" (damn little of the sitting, limited fishing and none of the golf or other games). I have owned a couple small production shops, taken a few contracts, explored the nation for thirty years, and done a lot of volunteer work -- BUT all are done on my terms and my schedule --�� "when I get there and if I feel like it" -- no a boss or supervisor.

Income has not been a problem because I watch the outflow of cash, never borrow money or pay interest, have no expensive tastes or habits, and do not try to impress anyone with status, possessions or lifestyle.

Someone told me years ago.. "To become an electrician, you find the trade or it finds you." Not sure what happened, but that's what I do.

Nice :-)

I was working as a fire safety inspector during the clinic bombings and the electrician was trying to teach me the field, because I thought it was so cool, but the abortion fanatics sent my kids home with Notes pin to their shirts and told me "quit or else" so what was a single mom going to do? They did get busted for terroristic threats but it was in court for months so they pretty much got time served.

I took one job I didn't really want because my sis was having trouble finding dependable people. That was working for a group home. I worked for the same company again when going to school because I was able to get a job there. My first job I took because my older bro had been working at this product factory and I decided to give it a shot. Ended up having to leave because he was also my ride and he had to many points and was going to get fired. So when he had to leave I had to leave. I didn't even have that one for very long and I kind of wanted to love to something other than working on the production/assembly line anyway.

My very first job.
11 years old and a shoeshine boy at a barbershop on Friday after school and Saturdays.
I was 12. Was a night bellhop at the Markham Hotel.
The elevator was hand operated. Move the handle to the right to go up and left to go down. It was an art to stop the car level with the floor.
The safety gate was a sliding,accordion type. You could see the walls and floor doors while going up.
Dress code,black shoes,black pants,white shirt, red bowtie and red vest. All the caps were too big.LOL!
I was allowed to do that job Fridays and Saturdays.

My grandfather kept telling me when I was just a kid that I needed to be in electronics because that was the wave of the future. I believed him, and so I went in the Air Force and got training as an electronic technician. Shortly after joining, computers started being a really big thing and I discovered I had a knack for working with them, so I decided to branch off into that.

After 3 enlistments and 12 years, the Air Force decided they were going to force me to move to San Antonio, TX and I decided they were not, so I left. It just so happens that the work in which I was involved was being contracted out to a small company in the Bay Area, so I interviewed with them and have been working there ever since.

In that time I managed to get to school and earn a few degrees, culminating in an MBA concentrated in Information Systems Management and now I'm the head computer nerd.

One uncle did that in the navy. Seems like he spent most of his naval career in some sort of schooling.
He's been retired for years and builds computers.

My reasons for accepting jobs were different throughout my life. The one reason I turned down a job was because the hiring official (military officer) didn't have the time to give me an in-person interview. He selected me off of my job application.

I left high school and was going to go to Uni to study Physics, but my girlfriend fell pregnant, so I took an apprenticeship as a Carpenter, to support us. Don't regret a thing about it either. I found my niche in life!

Nice to see you again HeadNerd :-)

i fell in love with physics and math while in high skul and ended up doing SW engneering

Thanks!

In my late-20s I had an epiphany about reliable, gainful employment. I decided to do the things I was going to do anyway, the trick is simply getting paid for it.
Things that I find unfinished, abandoned or in need of attention and feel compelled to complete and refine, I go for types of jobs that deal with those sorts of areas. It's my thing, and I'm pretty good at it.
So in paid employment I've worked in metallurgy, elderly care, psych support and patient services, parliamentary security, automotive predelivery, plastics extrusion, cook/kitchenhand, catering, bartending, bouncing, automotive paint refinishing (panel shops), cafe manager, hospital services (theatre cleaning) and deliveries driving.

See I found myself living in the city and stepping in on troublemakers when they harrass bystanders, so I took a job in security to get paid and health benefits for something I was going to do anyway.
Sometimes you see a freshly painted car with tiny imperfections and inconsistent texture and I can fix that with paper and a buff, I just have to do it so I got a job in panel shops doing that.
It goes along those lines. But being inspired to do the thing I'm doing for work almost like a hobby, my employers always say I'm doing a fantastic job and they pay me very well. For most people these things are just laborious tasks and so it's really not hard surpassing the typical quality of work. When you do, employers really do pay you as much as double the regular wages rates for that type of work. You have to be confident with yourself to get that treatment but try it on and you'll get it...if your work really is that good. So make it that good and above all enjoy what you do and where you do it.

So yeah that was me anyway.

I took jobs out of desperation as I needed to pay bills. The job I have now is exactly the right fit for me. Just wish I could have done this years ago but didn't know about it. Like working for the Police.