OT - What's your full-time job?

[bill5]

I'm amazed at anyone who can surf. I just watch people surf and fall over.

[Docbop]

I've been retired about ten years now but most my life I spent as a human roomba changing directions in music and then computers and music, then computers and music as hobby, then back to computers and music.   I been very lucky in both music and computers to get to work with, around, and hang with big names in both worlds.    I can't explain how it happened it just did and I appreciate now that I'm old more than I did when it was happening.   

 

So you name the job in the computer and music biz I've done it and both have been my Day Gig at one point or even mixed together (the church gig). 

[Bill H.]

For the last 4 years I've been retired - more or less.

For 10 years before that, I was the house DJ and karaoke guy for a nightclub five nights a week.

For 25 years before that, I ran a dryland alfalfa and wheat operation (basically a farmer) plus played keyboards whenever I could. 

For 15 years before that, I played keyboards full time in Seattle. 

[Docbop]

10 minutes ago, bill5 said:

I'm amazed at anyone who can surf. I just watch people surf and fall over.

 

I grew up living about two miles from the beach so everyone, even people you didn't think were the type got into surfing.   I did my time and I sucked at it, but I loved whole beach life.   A lot of the surf crowd I was around knew me from playing in bands so I was instantly welcomed into their scene when surfing or after dark hanging out.    I have to say in my life in music, art, and surfing I met a lot and hung out with a lot of people.   People talk about musician and drugs, but my time in the surf world those healthy live at the beach in nature people did more drugs than anyone else I knew and dam they could party hard. 

[Adam Burgess]

Somehow ended up as a full time musician. Definitely didn't set out to be. Just found I was doing it for money, or at least fun, most nights.

Got quite good at it. Well, guess you would do when you play (a lot) every day - and failure on stage is not an option!
Live music is one chance to get it right, and I love that pressure. 

I still think, maybe one day I'll get a job - but it soon passes! Never made a fortune but I wouldn't change it for the world. Don't need lots of things. I'm quite simple.

A lot of talk about careers in IT/Computer-y stuff. That's what I really wanted to do - just never got round to it in my 43 years.
Still love tech very much, and that crossover between computers and music. Always been a Mac fan since around 1990 - was amazing to be able to afford one playing clubs at 10 or so years old 🙂 

Also love how musicians turn maths into emotion - will AI ever get close to that…? 

[stgermain]

IT Manager for International Charity

[RABid]

Retired CIO (Chief Information Officer) for a regional community mental health center. Think health department for mental health. Spent most of my time dealing with the ever changing requirements for billing and reporting requirements driven by Medicaid, Medicare and worst of all, SAMSHA. We spent more man hours gathering information and reporting to SAMSHA than we spent doing actual health services.

[TommyRude]

Musician when young. 25 yrs finance/audit in gaming, entertainment, tech.  Just retired, now almost full time fisherman with some music mixed in.

[Redknife]

Disabled vascular surgeon 

[HSS]

Retired petroleum geologist....   When I'm not playing music or looking at rocks, I just sit and think, and sometimes I just sit.

[Tom Williams]

IT drone for a rural K-12 school system for the past 10 years. 

 

For about 5 years before that, I was in the gig economy spanning radio engineering, POTS lineman, cable pulling and termination, ... whatever I could get.

 

Before that I was in IT / higher ed / networking / wireless consulting for 25 years or so.  Peak of the career was a short stint with the National Science Foundation as a wireless networking evangelist / trainer for biological field stations.

 

[timwat]

Professor and chair, business. Active practice in executive coaching & business consulting.

 

Prior to that, 20 years in exec leadership. VP Technology, Bus Development, Finance, that kind of thing. Part of team that took a company public.

 

Took a left turn as a full-time pastor for 3 years.

 

 

[RABid]

Wow. Gotta say, a lot of intelligent and successful people hanging out here.

[Reezekeys]

Full-time musician my whole life. I've always been tech-inclined, liked to build, take apart & put things together (starting with Renwal's Visible V8 Engine and my parents' lawn mower!), and into computers since getting an Atari ST around 1985 and programming some music apps on it. I had delusions of getting into Mac programming and made a few stabs at it, but realizing I was only interested in doing music-related software I figured I'd leave it to the experts!

 

(Shoulda held onto that engine too!)

 

[Stokely]

I grew up in and around Cocoa Beach and never liked surfing.  I'm tall and I suck at it for one, and also don't like the dangling legs thing.   However, I got into "kayurfing" (tm), which I did for years.  Kayak surfing before that was more of a thing.  Great exercise and a ton of fun.

I'm a database developer now, was a web developer but fled the front end.   Data is more predictable and tech doesn't necessarily change as rapidly.  I don't hate change but too many curly-haired bosses think "new is good, old is bad" without really thinking through "why, exactly" they should make a change.  I turned down promotion, which was both necessary for sanity (I don't have to be around the curly-haired ones and play their corporate games of backstab and bus-throwing-under) but sucky (because I don't have a voice in decisions.)

I really should be doing more in my home studio, especially with my kids older and more independent, but it can be hard to find the energy and motivation.  I have musical tools at my disposal that would have completely shocked my younger self, and days or weeks go by without me using them.

[16251]

28 minutes ago, RABid said:

Wow. Gotta say, a lot of intelligent and successful people hanging out here.

My paltry life isn't worth revealing here. I would have to say that luck has brought me to this point and I'm very grateful and happy enough to wake up early retired from any responsibility except trying to improve each day at playing jazz. 

[RABid]

1 minute ago, 16251 said:

My paltry life isn't worth revealing here. I would have to say that luck has brought me to this point and I'm very grateful and happy enough to wake up early retired...

And if you managed to retire early I will put you into the intelligent group.

[Outkaster]

Online administrator in a nursing school.  I hate it.  I want to go back to public health.

[Adan]

I've been a government environmental lawyer for 25+ years, most of that time working on air pollution regulation.  Currently my job is with the EPA in DC working on national air pollution issues.  Thankfully, I don't have to live in DC, only have to go there occasionally.  As a regulator I self-describe as "fair and balanced." I like to say I've been on the wrong side of many battles but the right side of history.

 

I never had the itch to be a full time musician.  Mostly untrained but plenty of mojo.  Probably could have taken a shot at it early on but just didn't feel it in my gut.  The summer before law school there were two (2) San Diego rock bands wanting me to move to LA with them where they were certain to "go big."  I didn't, they didn't, no regrets.

[drawback]

Full time player out of high school till late ‘20s. Started a family so I worked as a graphic designer then Creative Director in advertising, marketing & print production till my mid-‘50s, when I took advantage of opportunities to tour professionally. Yes folks, I quit my day job to do it before it was too late. Played full time again for 15 years. I’m now 70 and retired but still play 2-3 days a week to supplement, and because it’s a great piano gig that should be there till my hands can’t take it, or my memory fails.

[obxa]

Been spinning various plates as a full timer since mid 20s.

 

Through weird turn of events, started voice-overs 10 years ago on the side.   My regional, corporate, and  cable clients are expanding.   So my exit strategy from live gigging is to actually do VO's full time so I can compose and score the rest of the time.

 

 I envy  and greatly admire what many of you do or have done-  and the path you've taken.  Grateful being a busy full timer paid my mortgage, and I got to see the world.  However, it also killed two marriages and wasn't usually a healthy environment or lifestyle  The rollercoaster of non- linear income is also not fun.  Just got married 3 weeks ago, plus recently had a milestone birthday- hence taking some different steps for my next life chapter. 

 

 Reeze: Made me smile - I proudly built the visible dog, and spent too much tim around Tester's glue  and those little paint jars.

[Delaware Dave]

Former Platinum Finance Consultant of SAP business software, currently managing the Project Mgt Office of a major Life Science company. Also a CPA.  Classic over-achiever.  Soon ready for the next chapter in the life cycle....

[RichieP_MechE]

As my forum handle indicates, I'm a mechanical engineer. Working in robotics research and development since I graduated ~13 years ago. Definitely a fun and interesting job that has given me the opportunity to make lots of cool stuff! I consider myself lucky that I'm just a mediocre musician - it led me to a very lucrative career path that I would have missed had I been a better musician and gone to music school instead. 

[Chris Towns]

Retired for around 13 years now, but worked for around 25 years as a brewery Drayman in London U.K. (think of a guy driving an urban articulated lorry and roping beer kegs into cellars). Breweries of past always looked after their staff, good salary, private pensions and free medical insurance while working. Good job as I need it to fund my GAS !!

Although I'm not a great musician, I'm always glad that making music is a pleasure

and not a requirement to put food on the table.

[Paul Harrison]

When I finished high school in 1974, I passed the audition to go on to a music degree at university but decided to go into the family music business instead. I managed the keyboard department and introduced a computerized office system (and taught myself programming so I could customize the software) in the early 1980s.

 

In the 1990s, I went back to university and did an arts degree, then worked in the business software industry doing customer support and writing user manuals and technical documentation.

 

In 2001, I joined an online bureau that provides editing services to scientists and academics around the world who have English as a second language and want to publish their research in English-language journals. I started as an editor, later joined the management team as systems administrator, and eventually was appointed as general manager.

[Piktor]

Current full time job: Maintaining my sense of gratitude and purpose. 

I retired from teaching a few years ago, because I could and because I wanted to have time to take care of some people that I love (my folks are in their 80s and 90s), as well as to pursue some musical goals that I could not fulfill while I was so busy working. I am fortunate.  

 

 

[Moonglow]

Industrial/organizational psychologist. Worked full-time as a consultant under a Federal contract for the Veterans Administration, doing evaluations for veterans with disabilities. Loved that work. During this period, I also taught part-time at a Midwestern university, teaching a variety of psychology courses.

 

After about 15 years, I was offered a full-time position at the university, where I’ve largely been teaching behavioral statistics and other methods courses (e.g., psychometrics; 2013-present).

 

I still consult part-time for a couple of area school corporations, doing functional behavioral assessments for kids with emotional disabilities. I also do intermittent work for local attorneys. I hope to retire in five years, hopefully less.

[Theo Verelst]

No paid day job for quite the while, but some of the best things in life are free. I worked a lot on my understanding of interesting studio processing elements and their application in synthesis and improving the sound of digital recordings. Built and maintained computer systems to go with that. More R&D than other things. Hopefully the learning curve will pay off.

[rickzjamm]

Full time Choir / Music Director at a Catholic Church near Austin Texas for the last 23 years & love it. Although weekend gigs are always a tricky thing. 

[Pete the bean]

35 years of joy teaching piano.