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What is your occupation, and what is your passion?

Farback
Farback Posts: 1,088 Member
edited November 15 in Social Groups
I got half of this idea from the main boards, the occupation part. I suspect many of us have an occupation to pay the bills, but have another activity or two we'd like to make a life doing, i.e. a passion.

I'll detail my work life and my several passions I'd like to do for a living tomorrow. Let's all share both these sides of our lives to the extent we're comfortable doing.

Replies

  • BBee5064
    BBee5064 Posts: 1,020 Member
    Nice topic Farback
    My occupation is a sales manager in a furniture store. I've worked here 27 years. It's a means to an end. I certainly only live to work & definitely not work to live ethos. I meet some very interesting people in my day to day role. I'm passionate about my faith & my family. My hobbies are few as I have very little spare time.
  • Farback
    Farback Posts: 1,088 Member
    edited February 2017
    I'm presently employed as a Director of Facilities at a large rehab centre. I'm retiring in June, and will likely find part time work after the summer to keep me amused. I've worked in tech all my life. I'm an electrician by training, but did a number of jobs in my 30 years at Michelin ending with six years in engineering designing and programming machinery. I did the same sort of work for a couple years after retiring as a consultant to an engineering company, then when the economy tanked worked for a school board for a couple years in building control systems. My present employer poached me from the school board six years ago.

    I've had a parallel career in emergency services for 25 years, serving as the town's Emergency Measures coordinator for several years and as a firefighter for 25, rising to the position of fire chief until a heart attack forced me to slow down a bit.

    My passions, the things I wish I could have done for a living, are firefighting, scuba, flying (I am a pilot, but had to give that up to buy homes and fill them with kids), and carpentry. I make my own kayaks and other things. I enjoy motorcycling and camping, often with either a motorcycle or kayak as transportation. My biggest joy in life is hanging out with my six grandchildren.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,622 Member
    edited February 2017
    Occupation: Retired. Formerly worked for about 30 years in IT support for the business side of a big (40K+ student) university, in a variety of roles: Programmer, system designer, project leader, system development manager, help desk & computer security administration manager, among others. Worked quarter-time post-retirement as a data geek for about 5 years on an enterprise-wide finance/HR systems project for the university.

    Passions? As someone from a particular Scandinavian, US mid-western sub-culture, I don't think I have enough emotions to have passions. ;) But I like striving to be somewhat well-rounded, rather than trying to optimize competence at any one thing. Dilettante!

    For the last roughly 14 years, rowing has been very important in my life (yes, those long, skinny boats like in the Olympics, only mine goes slower). I also follow the university's women's rowing team, often attending away meets as a spectator. (They sponsor my breast cancer survivors rowing team.)

    I'm teaching myself to play bluegrass banjo (slow, painful - physically & psychologically ;) - but I'd decided it was pretty much the sole entry on my bucket list).

    I enjoy dabbling in various crafts, primarily to flex some particular mental muscles that didn't get enough exercise when my career was going full speed ahead. My IT work was (surprisingly to some?) quite creative, but very linear. Now I do things that are less linear: I make jewelry, do some visual journaling and related mixed-media play, occasionally sew, crochet, and more.

    I like collecting and growing unusual plants (mostly but not entirely outdoors). It never gels into a "garden".

    I enjoy reading nonfiction, mostly, and neuroscience-related topics are a particular interest, along with autobiographies/memoirs written by people very different from me.

    So far (10+ years in), I'm loving retirement. Maybe that's my passion.
  • nikkib0103
    nikkib0103 Posts: 969 Member
    edited February 2017
    I have done everything from administrative assistant to child care to organizing, the latter two which I do now. My passion is writing. A neglected passion lately. Plus I read. Me in a library or bookstore is like an alcoholic in a bar or liquor store.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    I have a job working with millennials. Most of my work I can do from home.
    Hubby and I enjoy a quiet life. We have gone to the beach in the late evening to watch the stars and the boat traffic. At the beginning of this opera season we bought tickets for Verdi's A Masked Ball that we are looking forward to seeing at the end of May.
  • chamblisk
    chamblisk Posts: 296 Member
    I have reinvented myself many times over the years....got a Vet Tech degree (RN+ for the animal kingdom) before the profession was recognized. Did a lot of political/social stuff to promote the profession. Worked in practice, IT, laboratory, R&D. Married a veterinarian and we both went into education. Moved around but I had the luxury of staying home to raise my kids and did a lot of kid-oriented volunteer work....4-H, Little League, home school, Sunday School. After our last move, I went into the local school district to help the kids settle. And I am still here! (At the one place I said I would never come and certainly didn't want to stay!) Never say never. Have had the opportunity to move up to the college level, but I think my passion lies with the younger kids. Doing IT again, which I do not like as much as being in the classrooms with the youngsters. I think they are my passion. I am afraid to retire because I will not have that energy and excitement around. My own kids have told me not to expect grandchildren so I don't hold out much hope for more personal involvement. There may be some hope, though...I was an "older" mom so maybe things will change. For now, I am combining the daily job with the passion. Guess I got it pretty good.
  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 13,860 Member
    I told my parents the same thing... don't expect any MiniMacs... and I delivered two. My kids haven't said yes or no to kids. Time to tell...
  • MadDogManor
    MadDogManor Posts: 1,542 Member
    My occupation has been healthcare, to include laboratory data entry (when computers were just becoming a thing), Navy Corpsman, medical assistant in OB GYN clinic. Then I decided to get my Bachelors of Science in Medical Laboratory Science, and have been here in the lab ever since.

    Couple years ago, my hubs job moved us from D.C. area to the Deep South, and I found a better job with more responsibility and pay - totally didn't expect that one! But the move has done a number on my weight loss - very little exercise (which I don't enjoy anyways) BAD food (there's hardly a veggie to be found around these parts) and stress and overtime from learning my new job. I just have to buck up now and get back into the swing of things. Easier said than done tho.

    I've lived a lot of places due to military service, from upper Midwest to Italy to Pacific Northwest area to D.C., to name a few. Each place I've learned different cooking styles and methods and typical foods eaten, so I guess I'm a foodie in that regards. And I like to garden a bit, but as I get older and fatter, I find it harder to do stuff like dig a garden and haul dirt and whatnot around. Plus here in the south it's a much different climate than I've known, except maybe the Mediterranean, and I haven't figured out the best gardening routines yet. Eventually I'll figure out my new job (maybe, hopefully) and I'll be able to get back to my diet and hobbies. I don't ever foresee retiring, since saving money wasn't a thing in the navy back then, and who knows what to expect nowadays -_-
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