Occupations...what do you do?

[Ron Mann]

Need to drum up some Friday talk....

as many of you know. I work for the Hershey Company (and NO, I'm not going to Mexico!!) in the R&D facility. I am the supervisor for Pilot Plant operations...where all the prototype candy is made. My guys are in control of the set up, operation & maintenance of hundreds of different candy making machines! I am also the Capital Project Specialist for the building...researching & buying equipment and building renovations.

My building houses the Sensory department...an area where you can go and sit at a taste panel 2 or 3 times a day and taste candy. We also have the Hershey Kitchens here...this is where all the cookie, cake, pie & baked recipes for magazines and books are prepared...and YES, they have tasting panels too!!

[NJ 03Mach1]

I work for New Jersey Transit..

I'm in the Communications Department (IBEW Local 454) Hoboken Division, which includes the following;

Anything from Phone lines and Fax lines to T-1's and Network cables, All the circuts it takes to monitor train position, Any source of Passenger Information, The snow melter panels that keep the track switches from freezing up in the winter, Installing new cables along/underneath the rail, And now Fiber Optics are starting to come into play for various things. I basicly install and then maintain any of the above.

A day can be as easy as swapping out a phone or as hard as digging through 2' of Ballast (the big stones you see at the rail bed) then down another 2'-3' to find a cable that needs to be repaired and HOPEFULLY you've dug up the right spot because if not, your gonna be digging all day till ya do. Not to mention dodging trains that believe it or not, do seem to just show up out of nowhere.

And for those of ya that always ask, "How come when I'm on the train and pass a crew, thier always just standing around?" It's a Federal law that work stops when near the rail as a train is passing. If you just happen to see a crew near a rail standing around, there must be a train close, and if were not near a rail and standing around..it's obviously lunch time

[Mwilson]

I do as little as possible

[Joe Foering]

That makes two of us.

[LARRY LONG]

I restore old cars. Current works include a Jag XKE, one with the covered lights.

Larry Long

[eimc]

I work with Morg at the do as little as possible academy. I also minor in going to the water cooler a lot. Reguards Paul

[Rich Sweigart]

I am the jack of all trades and master of none.
Highway Traffic Controler
Laborer
Truck Driver
Equipement Operator
Mechanic
Concrete Finisher
Guide Rail Installer
Sign Installer
Line Striper

RIch

Now the big question, why is it free to get into New Jersey but, you must pay to get out?

[Rich Rock]

Rich,

The same reason divorce is expensive. It's worth it

Rich Rock

[griffinbilt]

this question reminds me of kindergarden cop when the govenor swartzenagger asks a bunch of kids "who is your daddy and what does he do?"
i am a locksmith, but in the past i've been a
live sound engineer
mechanic at a redneck shop
pizza delivery driver
finishing carpenter
cook
laborer at a paint factory
print shop industrial cutting machine operator
grifter
drifter
dreamer
and schemer but not necessarily in that order

[Rich Sweigart]

Rich,

I hope commuting to NJ is worth it, because it is KILLING ME and the 4 deer that I hit with my cars and work truck.

Rich

[Tom Styczynski]

A timely question. On 14 April 2008 I completed my 34th year with Lockheed. After getting my BSME I landed a job as a truck and heavy equipment designer in Chicago. In 1974 Lockheed was looking for new business and I joined their Ground Vehicle Systems group. I then found opportunities in missle and space systems groups. I have worked as a designer, systems engineer, engineering group manager and program/project manager. Projects included Navy missile programs, Hubble Space Telescope, X33/VetureStar launch system plus what seems like a hundred other programs.

I am now the Manufacturing Project Engineer for Lockheed Martin Transportation and Security Solutions. Our primary product are the ground elements of FAA air traffic control systems located across the country. Important, but I would rather be working on things that go bump in the night or travel to space. Better yet, I would rather play with old British sports cars.

[SteveTC]

I am Product Development Manager for a small chemical and plastics company in Pittston PA called Acton Technologies. We specialize in material development and surface modification of FluoroPlastics and work on projects for companies the likes of Tom's. We are the guys that mess up the properties of PTFE (Teflon) and other high performance films if you need to adhere them to anything, as well as changing the base properties of resins.

As an aside, Tom, I have something you might be very interested in if you have not been approached by the fine folks at Rogers where we are partnered. A temptation: Dk of 1.6 or lower and Loss of 0.0006 or less if that means anything to you...

[Steve Tumolo]

Umm, I run a machine that welds battery groups together inside a case. I make batteries for things like cars, golf carts, floor scrubbers,busses, boats, heavy equipment and tanks ( yes the military type ). My job sounds pretty plain compaired to some of yours,,lol.

[jimmyp]

I am a touring concert production manager for pop / rock bands (if you are into music probably people you have heard of, unless you like country or rap, I dont do country or rap)...
This year in 2008, starting my 24th year since I quit my proverbial day job.

Basically my job is I am the artist's representative overseeing all elements of a tour's production: quoting, assembling, rehearsing and then sheparding everything regarding the concert production (audio, lighting, stage, set, catering, performance length, trucks, buses, labor, etc.) for the duration of an album's touring cycle.
I am on the road between 200 and 250 days a year (for the past 22 years).
No kids (except all the cars) and the wife is in the business too (a touring audio engineer).

It was an amazing job when I was 20,,, it was still pretty cool at 30,,, at 40 I was well over it,,, now I'm 46 and I'm ready for a change in a big way, but the $$ is too good to walk away from and just keeps sucking me in. Plus,,, I can say, it still pretty fun sometimes...

Cheers
jimmy p.

[dlascoskie]

Hey Jimmy............I'm ready to start as soon as you're ready to get out of the biz....so you just call me up and be willing to train me for a few weeks and feel free to retire.

[JSGAuto]

Hi Everyone,

I am new here, as good a place as any to introduce myself. I have a Vee that will be at some events this year.

I am a rapid prototype engineer (ME) for the Army. I have the good fortune of working on some very cool weapons, but also work on life saveing projects. (watch CNN or thing creatively). The variety is nice. I am sure you have seen some of our "old" projects if you have watched future weapns.

Nice to meet everyone!
Jim

[Steve Tumolo]

Come on Jimmy P!! You can't post something like that and not drop any names!! Music goes hand in hand with racing for me.
My list of faves goes something like this: Rush, Pink Floyd, Dream Theater, Foo Fighters, Stone Temple Pilots. Any good stories?

[Mwilson]

Steve,
I think I better check into the old folks home. I never heard of any of those groups. Now I remember the Four Freshmen, The Four Seasons, The Mills Brothers and so on. You ain't making me feel any better about my age dude.

[griffinbilt]

jimmy p;
if at any time between 2002 and 2004 if you were in dewey beach then we met
morg
i love that old stuff like the ventures, junior walker jerry lee and all those old whatnots...i new you were old but my grandma is in those groups as well!! i'll see you at hershey!!

[Speednation]

[quote="jimmyp"]I am a touring concert production manager for pop / rock bands.[/quote]Hey, my son is 19 and has been with the same 2 guys since he was 13. They have 50 or more originals in the style of Green Day/Punk. They are looking for a manager/agent but I have no idea what to tell them. Any thoughts - thanks - Mike Ancas - mike@speednation.com

PS - I was a psychotherapist, but that makes your head hurt. Also worked a lot with seniors - too hard because you think about death all the time. I like doing the internet thing with speednation.com (since 1999) - lots of fun and I can do it in my PJ's.