What do you guys do for a living?

I've got my bachelor's degree in Chemistry. I started out my real career as a lab tech for a precious metals recycling company and hated it (not quite as much as being a cashier/ pharm tech at CVS. Please don't spend money there guys, they don't treat employees well!). It was all about the money and everyone in the company was replaceable according to the owner. Now I am the lab chemist for the electroplating department of a company that makes cables, and I love it. Much more laid back and I feel like I matter.

You may not love the substance of the career you choose, but make sure you love your workplace. I used to go home crying sometimes and now there's not a damn day where I'm sad!

I went to college and earned a degree in business management. Realized I had no interest in that at all the moment I became a mother and have spent the past 13 years as a home day care provider. Talk about paying student loans for nothing lol. Really not so bad because at least I know I have that and there are skills I learned in college that help me in running my own home based business.

If you had asked me when I was in my teens or even college if I'd ever watch kids full time I'd think you were CRAZY. I love doing this. It's a balance of teaching, child care, homemaker, business management. The only hard part I've ever run into is the parents, the kids are wonderful

I´m a senior tax officer at Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority as of 1999.
We all love taxes, excise duties and import duties, don´t we.....ehhhhhhhhhh

I'm and IT guy, far from what your looking to do, but as an industry that increasingly relies on technology, animation could be a lot of fun too. I'll give you the same advice I gave my little brother who is choosing his major this year: choose something you like AND is practical (something you can make money from). Like I told him, money can't buy happiness, but happiness won't pay your mortgage; find a happy medium.

Good luck

I'm training to be a nursery nurse. I love my job, it's stressful and the pay isn't alot but I wouldn't trade my job for anything, I look forward to going into work every single day(except for when I'm ill, I just need to be at home in bed then!). Alot of people don't realise that it's not just about changing nappies or playing games, we help the children reach their full potential. This is something I want to do for the rest of my life:).

College is overrated and doesn't always guarantee you'll have a kick-*kitten* job making buckets of money. Here's a list of careers I have had:

Hair stylist/ nail technician
Sewing factory (sewed & supervised)
Fast food (McDonalds, DQ, local deli/pizzeria - food service & management)
Convenience store (CSR & managed)
Office Manager
Administrative Assistant

Honestly the one I loved the most was the convenience store work. I loved the fast paced, busy days. Not so fond of the nights & weekends after I got older, which is why I am now settled into an office job.

Bottom line - do what you love! It makes whatever you do, so much easier if you love it!

Medical Coder.

access control, security guard

Software programmer

Being an animator was a dream of mine for a long time, but it is extremely competitive. I continue to draw (mostly anime) but on my spare time for fun.

As a young adult I became a single mother of three, I'm not creative in the least and needed a job with steady daytime hours and regular pay. I'm a bookkeeper in an accounting office. Still slowly working at my Accounting degree but I've been doing the work for years now with a great boss who works with me to explain things I haven't learned yet.

My original plan was to be a Psychologist and work with disadvantaged children but there wasn't enough money in that to support 4 people so I had to change my career path.

I am an American soldier, I am a warrior and a member of a team...I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values. Yup just your average soldier here...The orchestrator of all organized chaos. The one who fights the things that go bump in the night so non rough men can sleep soundly at night. lol or at least something like that

If you truly are. Thank you for your sacrifices and all that you have given us.

Emergency Service Dispatcher for a local law enforcement agency. I answer 911 calls and dispatch units to them. Can't say I love my job. It's ok. The pay and benefits are excellent, though.

not sure what sort of artistic work you are looking into, but check out phatpuppyart.com. She is an amazing artist I stumbled over and she may be a good contact for you to speak with regarding opportunities.

Me... Cat Scan Technologist. I'm not the least bit artistic... kudos to those that are!

Right now all I'm doing is babysitting the neighbor's infant for about 1/4 what the job SHOULD pay because she's broke and I'm jobless. This three months of no job is the longest period of joblessness I've had since I was 17, and I'm 35 now. It's weird.

In the past I have been: Amateur field crew member for an archaeology dig
TA at my university
Hospital Corpsman in the Navy
EMT I for local fire department
paraeducator working with special needs kids
special ed teacher
substitute teacher
math tutor in college learning resource center

Some of my "summer jobs" have been
life guard
starbucks (for about two weeks, at a starbucks managed by a close friend...I wanted to know how to make my drinks, so I convinced her to hire me and agreed to quit once customers drove me bonkers. I'm not good with retail)
book store (only went well because I didn't have to deal with customers and I do deal well with books)


My perpetual job, through all of this, and even now, but I don't consider it a steady job because the pay isn't steady:
I'm a writer. I do have published stuff, and I am paid for my work.

Part-time Astronaut and Bikini Waxing Supervisor at Lucky Buddha Aerospace, Massage, & Chinese Takeout.

Five dollah make you holla .... IN SPACE!