Author Topic: What's Your Job In The REAL World....besides being a food geek (Read 3311 times)

Jackitup · « **on:** September 03, 2012, 09:11:07 PM »

To Everyone
A thread like this was started on another Forum a long time ago that turned out to be one of the longest, most interesting threads to read thru. Many of us have some clue to what we do out there besides hang out on a Pizza Forum so here's your chance to share if you'd like. I am a Critical Care Respiratory Therapist up here in Mpls Children's Hospital. Before that I was dishwasher (starting at 10 years old) then cook, waitress some??, host, Army for 3 years in Germany, bar manager and cook again, couple different extrusion type factory jobs and then a counter-top fabricator for 11 years. After the 11 years of lifting and carrying up to 150 pound counter-tops for 8-10 hours a day my back walked out on me and was on workers comp for a couple years and had God's sense to re-do myself at 35 to become an RT. I have loved doing Respiratory from the day I started and now 22 years later still love it. I work in the Pediatric, Cardiovascular and the Neonatal ICU's running ventilators, specialty gasses and medications in the treatment on 300 gram kids to adult size and after all this time it still scares the sh1! out of me. I tell new grads "Never Stop Being Afraid Of Patients" that way 1, you won't screw up as often 2, you catch your mistakes sooner than later, and 3, hopefully you have done no harm when it happens. The only thing that scared me as much as what I do at work was raising my 3 daughters, and now watching the grand-kids come from that. I still have horrible back issue that haunt me daily and every now and then I thank God for the bad back that gave me a career. Then I go back to bitching about how much it hurts again!!
I think if this thread develops maybe it could be a sticky on the introduction page as an advanced intro for those of us who have communed here for awhile and piece together who we all are. No need to share ID,s and such but fun to get to know our forum friends a bit better. Now YAY for me, work called and cancelled my nite shift and going out on the front patio with the lovely warden for a drink or 3

Best to all,

Jon.....just another food geek!

mkevenson · « **Reply #1 on:** September 03, 2012, 09:49:23 PM »

I have worked as a Cardiology tech for the past 34yrs. For the past 22 yrs at Kaiser Hospital. Cardiac ultrasound (echocardiography) and running the pacemaker and implantable defibrillator clinic. Oh I do windows at home, and whatever else I'm told!!!!!!!!

Mark

Jackitup · « **Reply #2 on:** September 03, 2012, 09:53:18 PM »

What do you think of those new Melody Valves, pretty cool stuff right there, not real new but fairly new to us with some of our bigger peds hearts.

Jon

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #3 on:** September 03, 2012, 10:12:02 PM »

Food guy turned serial entrepreneur in the oil patch.

Jet_deck · « **Reply #4 on:** September 03, 2012, 10:26:39 PM »

Farm boy, ex-wannabe high school stud. Married hot chick from college. She and her father own the company I work for. We build heavy equipment shipped coast to coast and around the world.-- It sounds more glamorous than it is, I promise.

jeffereynelson · « **Reply #5 on:** September 03, 2012, 10:37:11 PM »

I am a F&I Manager at a Honda dealership

pizzaneer · « **Reply #6 on:** September 04, 2012, 01:50:01 AM »

No pity party needed, I promise. Born 99% deaf, like my sister and father. Went to college on scholarship, didn't work out. Took up food service jobs, learned bakery production, keeping it clean, went on to pizza. Met my wife on a delivery, came to work for her brother in printing. Turned that into a career with other companies, eventually let go post 9/11- when my wife was 8 months pregnant. Was told "the only reason we hired you for the sales position was because of your hearing impairment", and then the focus shifted. So after that, I took all the skills and knowledge I had acquired and tried to support my family. I've been working on my own in my garage for the last ten years, learning whatever I have to, making money however I can. My wife had a cerebral hemmorhage the same year our son was born, so she can't exactly go and apply for work. Most days, I'm bored out of my skull. I really want to get out of what I'm doing, and become a pizzaiola.

Jackitup · « **Reply #7 on:** September 04, 2012, 02:17:30 AM »

My aunt was born deaf and nonverbal secondary to diptheria era at that time. She has had a hard go of things over her near70 years and is now fighting cancer, kidney stents ect with mine and my sisters help. I never knew her without a smile even when a room full of people would politely ignore her rather than take the time to face her when talking and involve her with the conversations at hand. Grew up watching this and it always puzzled and sorrowed me. No, giving you no pity party, I'm sure you understand her road and are made of the same stock of character. Remember the frog and the stork "Never, Ever Give Up", hang in their brother, good will come, it's all around you!

Jon

pabsey · « **Reply #8 on:** September 04, 2012, 04:05:59 PM »

Also a Respiratory Therapist in Fargo ND, 26 years in...

Jackitup · « **Reply #9 on:** September 04, 2012, 04:19:09 PM »

Quote from: pabsey on September 04, 2012, 04:05:59 PM

Also a Respiratory Therapist in Fargo ND, 26 years in...

Welcome my RT brother

Do you happen to know a Brenda Durray over in your neck of the woods?? Or a Mark

(last name)? Mark is Jewish and wears the traditional yamaka. Used to work with them both at Children's. We get a few kids from you guys during our busy RSV/influ season flown in now and then.

Jon

pizzaboyfan · « **Reply #10 on:** September 04, 2012, 05:10:41 PM »

About 25 years ago, I turned my hobby into my business and never looked back.
I own a company that supplies specialty lighting and filtration equipment for Live Coral Reef and Saltwater Aquariums, which grew from my own passion.

For you guys that are contemplating turning your pizza hobby into your livelihood...I say go for it.

Perry

Chaze215 · « **Reply #11 on:** September 04, 2012, 05:25:14 PM »

I have 11 years under my belt as a Physical Therapist here in NJ.

weemis · « **Reply #12 on:** September 04, 2012, 05:25:27 PM »

I'm a ~~Graphic Designer~~ Drag & Drop computer operator for Kroger for the past 6 years and have been doing computer graphics for about 12 years. I'm currently playing with a mobile WFO business that I started up this year. It's way more awesome than clock-punching, but the two occupations play well together, so I'm clinging to both of em for the time being. Only time will tell if one takes over the other.

rcbaughn · « **Reply #13 on:** September 04, 2012, 05:51:14 PM »

Full time college student these days, no job that can be had that I've found that will work with my schedul. Mostly due to the economy I suppose. Hope to be in law school in two years, but we'll see. I have seriously thought about chasing a food based career somewhere in the US, but that's just a dream.

My thought process is I'll always have the masters degree, so I can always go to law school later. The food thing though would be amazing though, preferably a pizza or bread career somehow. Doubt I'd get support or a job with that though these days. Lol.

Chicago Bob · « **Reply #14 on:** September 04, 2012, 05:56:46 PM »

Lots of food industry jobs available for an MBA grad., no?

rcbaughn · « **Reply #15 on:** September 04, 2012, 06:07:26 PM »

Quote from: Chicago Bob on September 04, 2012, 05:56:46 PM

Lots of food industry jobs available for an MBA grad., no?

My masters is in Public Administration, so really a government job is the route I'd take. I really would like to be on the creative side of the food industry and I'm afraid I'd get stuck in management, which wouldn't be bad at all, just not the side of the industry I'd wanna take if I do chase that idea.

Jet_deck · « **Reply #16 on:** September 04, 2012, 08:44:37 PM »

Your young, chase EVERYTHING you can.

rcbaughn · « **Reply #17 on:** September 05, 2012, 02:34:40 AM »

Hopefully something will work out. I am working right now to try to get a part time job in the bakery section of Whole Foods, or possibly a job in the cheese section. Either one would be amazing.

slybarman · « **Reply #18 on:** September 05, 2012, 05:38:25 AM »

9-5 corporate america zombie. I live the Dilbert cartoon.

wotavidone · « **Reply #19 on:** September 05, 2012, 06:51:52 AM »

I'm an assayer by trade. Spent 19 years doing chemical analysis in an industrial lab. For a while I was a fire assayer - best job going. Ever see those old time cowboy movies where they take the lump of rock into the assay office and the guy tells 'em how much gold there is in it?
For a while, I was that guy. Did it the old fashioned way, too. Had me a beam balance, a set of assay-ton weights and a furnace.
Mostly spent my time making sure the production guys were producing on-spec product.
Times changed, and they invented machines that could do it faster, cheaper and nearly as accurately.
So I got transfered to the environment section, keeping the production guys out of jail instead of on-spec.
Then in late 1999 or early 2000, we went into voluntary administration, and anyone with a university degree went somewhere with a bit more job security. They couldn't get as many metallurgists to run the plant as they would have liked, so I became a prodcution technologist - what they call a metallurgist who doesn't have a degree.
Did that for about 7 years - not bad for a three month secondment, eh?
Then the company was able to get plenty of metallurgists and I was burnt-out from the effort required to keep a struggling plant on track, and I got transferred back to the environment section.
Anyone here from Clarksville, Tenessee?
If you work for Nyrstar Tenessee then you are a brother in arms.

Regards, Mick