What do you do for a day job?

[Rick Flair]

Just began a career as a 911 Dispatcher with a county out here in Southern Oregon right before COVID blew up.

Hey man that’s a tough gig, take good care of yourself. People often overlook your job but you get so much exposure to trauma it will f you up if you don’t take care. Don’t listen to anyone that tells you counseling is for pussies. It will save your life if you decide to stay in.

 

[rdu-jeep]

Auto repair shop owner. I’ve been working in dealerships since high school and opened my own shop 7 years ago. It’s mostly repair work and a lot of power train rebuilding. I do get some fun work occasionally, like plenty of Jeep work from local groups and the occasional Ls swap and such. Overall I very much enjoy it. The only problem is after working on other people’s stuff all day, the motivation to get your own stuff done is lacking!

Where's your shop? I'm in Raleigh. If I need anything, I'll come down!

 

[TjSteve0305]

Where's your shop? I'm in Raleigh. If I need anything, I'll come down!

Apex, PM’d!

 

[Tom18]

Currently work in IT for a large utility. Specifically, software testing for new hardware and updates that Microsoft and Apple push out. I get thrown into lots of other “project” work as well. I’m very much just a cog in the wheel but the pay is decent.

I’ve been in IT essentially my whole career - started in college at their Help Desk. Got a job right out of school working for a 3rd party EDI provider (which is essentially data translation to/from resellers like Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy…). Then I worked on the corporate side of a retirement community maintaining their systems and networks in 10 different states.

I also ran a stint as a photographer (which was one of my degrees) until I realized there’s very little money in it that field now. I've been trying to keep it as a hobby but that's been hard the past few years.

 

[Zorba]

Currently work in IT for a large utility. Specifically, software testing for new hardware and updates that Microsoft and Apple push out. I get thrown into lots of other “project” work as well. I’m very much just a cog in the wheel but the pay is decent.

Good luck with that. I'm retired IT: Between Microsoft's brain dead fixes and Apple's "updates" breaking EVERYTHING, I'm glad I don't have to deal with either of them on a regular basis anymore!

 

[Tom18]

Good luck with that. I'm retired IT: Between Microsoft's brain dead fixes and Apple's "updates" breaking EVERYTHING, I'm glad I don't have to deal with either of them on a regular basis anymore!

Oh, yes... it's a nightmare. We're perpetually a version behind on everything due to compatibility issues.
I call it "job security"

 

[Zorba]

Oh, yes... it's a nightmare. We're perpetually a version behind on everything due to compatibility issues.
I call it "job security"

Pretty much, we were still using Office '07 in 2017 because of huge Access databases that would break if opened with any version newer. There was something about a version of Mac OS that didn't play well with our network (How the *HELL* do you screw *that* up?!?), forget the details. I've been running Apple for the last 15 years, but "next time" I'm going back to Linux.

 

[NDSpeed]

2W1 is an interesting career field. Lots of idiots, lots of smart guys. Lots of fun either way. You got skis on the bottom of that thing?

Definitely had fun. The loader seemed to have way more fun the. The crew chiefs or the avionics.

those are indeed skis on the helicopter. Helps for a better foot print in the snow and in the muskege here in Alaska.

snow isn’t bad, but if done incorrectly That muskege will trap a helicopter.

 

[qslim]

Definitely had fun. The loader seemed to have way more fun the. The crew chiefs or the avionics.

those are indeed skis on the helicopter. Helps for a better foot print in the snow and in the muskege here in Alaska.

snow isn’t bad, but if done incorrectly That muskege will trap a helicopter.

Never heard of a muskege, sounds cold.

 

[NDSpeed]

Never heard of a muskege, sounds cold.

Muskege is like swamp. With no idea how deep it is. Some sections could be a 1’ deep. Others have been known to be 1000’

a Kiowa got stuck a decade ago. Had to wait till winter to cut it out. No way to get recovery equipment to it.

 

[Mr. Pink]

Muskege is like swamp. With no idea how deep it is. Some sections could be a 1’ deep. Others have been known to be 1000’

a Kiowa got stuck a decade ago. Had to wait till winter to cut it out. No way to get recovery equipment to it.

So it's kinda like a bog?

 

[NDSpeed]

Kiowa frozen in the ground

 

[Midtenn]

Reminds me a of wooly mammoth stuck in a tar pit.

 

[S.McArthur]

Suprsied to see so many Raytheon folks, how many of you are step-children of big red? I am one of those small companies bought by Raytheon.
I do local supply/logistics for Raytheon. We work on different mission than big Raytheon.

 

[2001slvrstntj]

Suprsied to see so many Raytheon folks, how many of you are step-children of big red? I am one of those small companies bought by Raytheon.
I do local supply/logistics for Raytheon. We work on different mission than big Raytheon.

Stepchild here, was Allied Signal bought in 1998

 

[Powdermonkey]

It moves around, and the boom moves, but they are all made to flex. Keep in mind, with cranes this size, there is usually 350,000 to 375,000lbs of just counterweight, let alone the weight of the crane. There is 20-25 semi loads to bring crane in. Yes, for each lift we do, there are 'lift plans' drafted and approved by engineering, and which are required to follow by crane operators. These plans have the wind limits, boom limits, weight, etc. but usually anything over 15mph we cancel for the day. Good operators are also fussy about wind limits, and will not push it.

Us on the basket doing work does not even register weight on the hook, as the hook weighs 4,000-6,000 lbs.

Any rope work or all from a crane?

 

[Irishguy]

Spent 17 years as a Navy helicopter rescue swimmer, got hurt, got out. For the last 27 years I have been a commercial helicopter pilot, currently flying for a television news operation. I got older, but I never grew up.View attachment 180709

I had to look at that picture a second time. For a minute there I thought you were pulling a helicopter on a trailer behind your Jeep!

 

[Irishguy]

I started out as a Field Radio operator for the USMC. After I got out, I reenlisted and had a short stint as a Field Radio operator for a U.S. Army Special Forces Unit. Got out and got into structural steel detailing for fabrication shops, completely self taught. Worked my way up to becoming a structural steel and mechanical designer, then structural and mechanical project manager. One of my projects was a system of selective catalytic reducers and I told the owner/engineer that the way they were designed wouldn't work. They told me to shut up and do my job. Then several months later when the project stalled and it wouldn't go up, they called me to come out to the field and help get it all sorted out. I did and eventually we got it all sorted out.

Several months later, when the company wanted to build some more, they called me up and asked me to come to their office and show them how to make it better. I did by providing a series of connection designs that would greatly improve the construct-ability of the units. We got the contract for those projects a couple of months later and they went up without a hitch. Once the project was complete they called me on the phone and invited me to come to work for them. So now for the last 14 years I have been a Field Engineer, Civil Design Lead and Subject Matter Expert for a large power utility company. The folks that told me to "shut up and do my job" are long gone and a new culture of wanting to get everything right exists now.

I feel like a very fortunate guy. I love my job. I love our company's culture. I love the people I work with. I hope to retire early in a few years, but the money and the people are going to be hard to leave.

This is one of my current projects. The vendor designed a stair tower (The only access to the top of this unit.) with a 45 degree incline, basically making it a glorified multi-story ship's ladder. The plant personnel hate it for obvious reasons. I'm going to keep the structure, but redesign the stairs so that they have a rise over run that is more pedestrian friendly. Probably something like 7 1/2" risers and 11" treads.

 

[S.McArthur]

Stepchild here, was Allied Signal bought in 1998

I was with Blackbird Technologies, another company has taken over that name since then. We were Raytheon Blackbird Tech for awhile, I guess we are Raytheon Technologies now. I had gone up to Maryland a few years ago to test a counter drone system for Raytheon to acquire, I believe they did buy them and integrated that into a larger drone system. I expected more of the crab cakes up there.

 

[Neal]

I had to look at that picture a second time. For a minute there I thought you were pulling a helicopter on a trailer behind your Jeep!

Nope, just a landing dolly. The dolly/aircraft combination weighs in excess of 5000 pounds. I'm dumb enough to own an LJ, but not dumb enough to try moving that much mass anywhere other than an airport ramp at low speeds. That being said, the Jeep handles the move just fine. I may end up getting a front bumper with a tow hitch to make the move even easier, but for now I'm happy with what I have.