If You Had To Do It All Over Again, What Would Your Profession Be?

[Utah Bob #35998]

4 minutes ago, Tex Jones, SASS 2263 said:

If I had an interest in the trades it would be as an electrician for the reasons Pat mentioned.  However, between the military and private enterprise, I saw much of the world, and had one-off kinds of jobs that left me pretty much on my own.  So if I had it to do over again, I would probably do the same.

No plumber ever died by making a bad connection or grabbing the wrong pipe. 

[South-Eye Ned]

My dad always said, if you want to make a decent living and avoid poverty, do one of the following:  join the military; learn a trade or skill; or, go to college.

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

21 hours ago, Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 said:

Hmmm...maybe plumber was a valid choice.

 

LL

Let me tell you my favorite plumber joke.

 

A physician's wife told her husband one Sunday, "Honey we have a leak under the sink.  I think you should call a plumber."

The doctor said, "Oh, no need.  I'll fix it."

A few minutes later, the leak has become now a major problem and the doctor calls a plumber.

The plumber tells the doctor, "Sir, you know since this is Sunday, my fees are higher."

The doctor says he understands and asks, "How long will it take you to get here?

The plumber replies, "About 10 minutes."

Sure enough, the plumber gets there in 10 minutes, takes less than 10 minutes to fix the problem, and tells the doctor, "Sir, that will be $375."

The doctor is stunned and exclaims, "$375 for less than 30 minutes of your time!!!  I'm a physician and I don't even make that kind of money!!"

The plumber then told the doctor, "Yes sir.  I understand.  When I was a physician, I didn't make that kind of money either."

[Calamity Kris]

I have thought about this a lot and don't know that I would do anything differently.  While I loved firefighting, I would not want to repeat the accident, nor the months in the hospital, that forced me to retire.  I like the way things have turned out for me. 

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

NTSB aviation investigator. Solving those puzzles fascinates me.

 

An aside: As a 6-year old living in Japan where dad was a Navy pilot and squadron maintenance officer, one our A3Ds went down in the water on approach to landing. All died in the accident. Dad took me on an errand to his office one day, which was in the hangar where they had the planes' pieces laid out on the floor like a puzzle. I got to see it and thought it really interesting they could do that. Years later when I was old enough to understand, he told me how they found the cause by the position of various control linkages. Pilot error.

 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I wouldn't change a thing.....except my wife died way too early.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

On 6/27/2020 at 12:38 PM, Yul Lose said:

Gigello.

You'd starve to death.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

On 6/27/2020 at 12:38 PM, Yul Lose said:

Gigello.

You'd starve to death.

 

6 hours ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

Perhaps I would have but I was an OCS Officer and there was obviously a RIF coming. OCS dudes would have been first on the list to go.

 Also little people kept trying to kill me. 
 

 

Me too, and I never could figure out why.  I didn't know any of their wives, daughters, sisters, moms, or girlfriends.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

Preacher

 

[John Kloehr]

My aptitude tests when I was in high school and when at my hi tech career peak came up that I should be an auto body repairman. I hate the dust, heat, mess, and chemicals of that work!

 

I like high tech intellectually, but it was not enough hands-on work. A keyboard is not enough working with my hands. I like home improvement and shop work to some degree; making my home suit me is fun, doing it for others is still too much work.

 

So now thinking laser engraving, 3D printing, and CNC type stuff for my "retirement" since I will never likely stop working. To me, retirement just means doing what I want, it does not mean giving up income.

 

The question is interesting, in that what I am looking at as a career I would enjoy now did not exist when I started my working life. So if anything, I might have been a bit happier staying as a technician longer rather than pushing to climb the professional ladder and compete as an engineer.

 

But there was that day decades ago when I asked an instructor at a class I was sent to "what are those big blue cables connected to the computers?" She told they were Ethernet cables. "What's Ethernet?"

 

Well, the rest is history.

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

 on retrospect ....... as well as being a gigello, I would like to be able to write like Mr. Linn Keller ...... 

[Sarge]

Since I didn't have the talent to become a professional hockey player, I think I would go down the same path. I had a great law enforcement career.  I had the opportunity to do some pretty cool things after doing my time in patrol.  I was privileged to work surveillance, undercover, SWAT, and Cold Case homicides.  Adrenaline is the best drug there is. 

[Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme]

Not much I regret about my career, as I was able to retire at 60. But, I did miss being in the outdoors. So maybe, a hunting or fishing lodge owner/guide.........

[Buckshot Bob]

I was a gunsmith then a Instrument man that became a Analyzer tec . Always wondered if I should have started my own gunshop.

But I have to say Yul’s path sounds the most enjoyable, or if you were a porn star you would have to have a alias just like sass , like Gorge on Sienfield “buck naked” or Cal in Talladega nights “Mike Honcho” 

[Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381]

I'd change from people doc to an animal doc. No question.

[Doc Shapiro]

No idea.  I've had a long strange journey.  I've delivered papers, repaired bicycles, driven a truck, played in a rock band, degree in geology, written code, done internet security, computer networking, been a published author, made smoking pipes, woodworker, plumber, electrician, pest control, founded 3 tech startups (no big money, but I learned a lot), and now I'm a project manager.  Only thing I'd still like to learn is welding.  But with the palsy in my hands, I'm not sure it's a good idea. Don't think I'd change anything.

 

[South-Eye Ned]

18 hours ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

Preacher

 

I been baptized, Reverend, I been baptized!

[Ozark Shark]

Professional sailing charter captain in the tropics.

[Waxahachie Kid #17017 L]

Rancher/farmer...

Or...

a master carpenter...

Or

to have been apprenticed to Norman Rockwell.    

 

Anything but what I ended up doing. 

 

I retired, from my company, with only one regret....that I could not have retired sooner!!!!!!

 

I may write a non-fiction book, titled "How Not To Run A Company", and use my 39 years & one month experience, with my former company, as my source material.

 

W.K.  

 

 

[DocWard]

On 6/28/2020 at 6:27 PM, Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 said:

 I would like to be able to write like Mr. Linn Keller

 

+1

 

I got to thinking about it, and it occurred to me that I really only discussed other occupations that I almost got into, or did in some fashion. The one I wish I had done more than anything would be to be a pilot. In a perfect world, an A-10 pilot. But otherwise, someone making their living flying airplanes. I've been fascinated with aircraft since a young age, but never pursued it for a variety of reasons that I won't go into.

[Dirty Dog Doug]

I am a retired union carpenter and would do it again 

now my job is town carpenter for our range  Little Creek 

no pay but my fringe is use if range any day of week 

sad that since I retire my union got best raise over 5 years a

now we start at $28 an  hour 4 years of FREE training then $48,50 

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

 .... if I had to do it all over again ......

 ................... I'd do it all over youuuuuuuuu ....

 

 

from a song by Benny Hill

[Yul Lose]

9 hours ago, DocWard said:

 

+1

 

I got to thinking about it, and it occurred to me that I really only discussed other occupations that I almost got into, or did in some fashion. The one I wish I had done more than anything would be to be a pilot. In a perfect world, an A-10 pilot. But otherwise, someone making their living flying airplanes. I've been fascinated with aircraft since a young age, but never pursued it for a variety of reasons that I won't go into.

My youngest son was just here for a visit from Arizona. He’s a life flight pilot on a fixed wing ambulance plane. He went up to The Cowboys match with me on Sunday and on the way home I asked him I he liked what he does for a living and he told me that he wouldn’t change a thing. He is on duty 6 12 hour shifts and then off for 7 days so he has time to enjoy life. When I was recovering from back surgery in 1992-1994 I started building and flying RC helicopters and eventually got tired of them and gave them to him. He really got into them and did quite well flying them. So during his senior year in high school I bought fixed wing flight lessons for him and he was hooked. He graduated from high school and attended Airman Flight School in Oklahoma and has been a life flight pilot for 15+ years.

[Matthew Duncan]

RV Draftsman/Engineer until gasoline hit $1.  Police Officer for 19 years before 27 years in Telcom.  Two fantastic children, wonderful son and daughter in-law and the best grandkids.  I wouldn’t change anything.

 

 

[Thunder Creek Kid]

I would like to be a weatherman. 
Good pay, short hours and you don’t ever have to be right. 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I'd try to find a way to get paid for being a bad example.

 

I have experience.

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

On ‎6‎/‎28‎/‎2020 at 4:01 PM, Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme said:

Not much I regret about my career, as I was able to retire at 60. But, I did miss being in the outdoors. So maybe, a hunting or fishing lodge owner/guide.........

I changed low-end jobs so much that I thought I would never have a career. Finally, I settled with the State of CA and found a love for software. I guess I wish, I'd done that sooner.

 

Now to your comment. I retired at 55, when I could first collect a retirement check. It wasn't much; but, my key to retiring early was never paying interest on anything other than a house and not having children.

[Waxahachie Kid #17017 L]

Well, I would be a beggar. 

 

I would beg my Dad not to sell my grandfather's farm, so I could, one day, move on it, and be a rancher/farmer, and get off the grid.

 

I failed to do that.  Now, I am retired, and too poor to buy the place back. 

 

If it was raining soup, I'd be out there with a fork!