Working 9 to 5

[rocky2]

Another Computer Nerd!

I work for a school district in NW Indiana. I'm a "vintage" computer nerd. I'm the systems administrator and programmer for our financial, HR, payroll and Student Information software using COBOL. I also manage the operations of two VAX mainframes.

For all the new stuff (PCs, servers, switches, routers, e-mail, etc) I have a technology services group that maintains and manages those systems.

 

[appnut]

Wow Rocky, you are a "vintage" man.

I worked as a competitive analyst/sales support for one of the firms that helped give birtyh to the PC industry and also printers. DId that for 20 years.

Now I work for a teaching hospital here in town as an administrator/coordinator for a residency program as well as information management for most of our residents. Done this since 1998.

 

[geoff]

No Dr's yet!! Does it count that I have to deal with the

I've been a PharmacyIV Tech for 9 years. 4 years Retail. 5 years and counting in hospital.

President of The Bridges Organization out of the New Haven Gay and Lesbian Community Center.

 

[cadman]

Sounds like we've got some workin' appliance folks h

By day I'm a mild mannered newspaper reporter.....
Well, actually, I'm a product engineer (elec eng'ing) for a certain world-wide company that makes those large, green, tractors that roll out of Waterloo, Iowa.

Blows your mind to stand next to tires that could drop around a Maytag!

Cory

 

[cehalstead]

can you hear me now??? (hint)

I have worked for a major telecommunications company for over 26 years. Currently hold the job title "storekeeper". No, I am not Sam Drucker or Nels Olsen.....I order, warehouse and deliver supplies to the technicians who use the material (jacks, wire, and such, even the cable on the poles) to keep your dial tone on. The area I serve has over 300 technicians and the job keeps me busy. Was "chained to a desk" for the same company for 17 years, and never thought I would want an "outside" job, but I love it now....

 

[angus]

I am a Human Resources Director for a "Big Four" Accounting Firm in NYC. I am also a licensed and practicing realtor (part time) in Fairfield where I live.

I am also a licensed CPA but obviously no longer practice.......

 

[drmitch]

I`m a press setup and operator for the last 10yr. I have 9 presses ranging from 4 to 75 ton. I start almost every job in our small plant.(only 14 employees) A joke goes-In a small plant, If you dont know what your supposed to be doing, everybody else does! LOL! We make babbitt bearings for anything from air compressors to electric generators in dams. We had a website but its gone due to cutbacks last year. This year has been really good!

 

[david]

I am a route salesman for an autobody paint and supply jobber in Shreveport. I am a geologist by degree (a stretch), but the job outlook was poor 20 years ago and I had to eat. Enjoy being on the road everyday.

 

[mulls]

Careers

I am a self employed car buyer.I travel buying program cars,vans,and sport untilites for 7 dealerships.The vehicles I buy are rental units,between 6 and 12 months old and have between 5k and 30k miles.

 

[jimmyb]

I'm in hospitality

I have my bachelors degree in Hospitality Management and believe it or not am still in that field. I am the Director of Rooms and Villas for the Millennium Resort Scottsdale, McCormick Ranch and have been with them for over six years. I oversee the operations aspect of the resort (front desk, reservations, concierge desk, bell desk and housekeeping) as well as a owners assocition attached to the resort with 51 villas that we rent out.

Before that I was with Marriott in contract food services.

 

[mayken4now]

Started out being a computer nerd in 1978, key-punching - remember the cards both 80 col. and 96 col.? No, probably not, but anyway got into programming RPG II - QUIT!

School Bus Driver - QUIT!

Pharmacy for the past 12 years, after long education - STILL THERE!

Steve in Pensacola

 

[DADoES]

Yes, I used punch-cards for classes in COBOL and FORTRAN, and maybe BASIC. The college installed CRT terminals at some point. Don't recall if that was for BASIC, but I'm sure they were there for RPG.

 

[kenmore1978]

punched cards

When I got out of High school in the 70's, I went to a business college where I learned to wire the control boards that handled the printing (on the cards themselves and on greenbar paper) and how to set the sorters (remember the first season of "Mannix" that showed a card dropping into a slot on a sorter and it had "Mannix" printed on it?)

 

[appnut]

I learned Fortran for a Statistics cours in spring, 1974, and used punch cards. The thought still gives me nightmares.

 

[chachp]

I was a word processor for IBM for a time. I worked on an IBM Mag card typewriter. Anyone remember those? The data was stored on a magnetic card that was the same size and shape of the old paper punch cards.

We then moved to the IBM System 36 Word Processor. That data was stored on the 8" diskettes and had a display that was something like 4X4 inches or something.

That seems like a lifetime ago and really, it was only about 25 years ago!

 

[mayken4now]

Well-------------good to see that there are some of us who still remember the "Old Way" we used to do things! Pardon me, however you could get a lot more done and a lot more time to wash clothes back then. Now, newer, faster, more, more, more is not always best my dear! How many of you are marketing, or service help center personnel? How about----insurance---- customer service? Tell ya what, call any insurance company you may know of or have dealings with, see how the Newer, faster, more, more, more gets you quicker service! 1st they have to boot the machine, then re boot, then stop the screen saver, then click the icon that participates to what they are there to do then log onto that etc. etc. etc. etc. only to say I'm sorry I'll have to ask my manager, hold for 10 minutes. OK folks, I will step out and off of the box

Steve in Pensacola

 

[kirk280980]

Since late last year I've been working for British Telecom as a Directory Enquiries CSR. Basically this means I sit in front of a computer wearing a headset, acting as a human telephone directory. Customers call our service giving the name and address of the person or organisation they wish to contact, and I then scour the database to find the telephone number they require. While the job is nowhere near as simple as many assume, it's still incredibly easy, with no hassle and virtually no responsbility. Many people would hate that, but for me it's just the ticket after all the crap I had to deal with in my previous occupation. Couldn't wish for a better crowd of co-workers either, and because the work is so fast paced and repetitive (I take 100-150 calls per hour), we get paid well too.

It's not a "proper" career by any stretch of the imagination, but that's the last thing I need or want right now anyway. Two years from now I intend to be living abroad and working for myself, so in the meantime this job will do me very nicely indeed.

Previously I worked in the sales office of a timber importer, the less said about that the better. Before that, five years in appliance sales, the final two of which were spent working on behalf of Bosch. Loved that job, but it became hard to make a decent living on commission when you consider today's trend of selling goods at silly prices... all good things must come to an end!

 

[parunner58]

WOW, I can't believe everyone here that remembers the punch cards. WHen I started high school in 1972 my aunt was a keypuncher and i did not know what it was. Senior year I went for IT classes and learned that and after graduation searched for a computer operator job. most of the young guys At work now have no idea what a keypunch card is or the fun of what happened when you dropped a big pile of them when trying to run a job on the computer.

I just had a new bookcase made for all my cook books and when I was putting my professional chef cookbook my wife bought me in 1980 on the shelf, I found a bunch of cards that I used for bookmarks. I laminated one to save as a collectable.

I remember when the IBM PC with the two 8" floppy drives was new and pong, a hand held calculator was over $100

I remember when the amana radar range first came out and peopele were buying them for the home. I think they cost close to $1000. We got our Sharp Caurosel for a Wedding present from my parents in 1981 and It was very exspensive at the time and big.

 

[kenmore1978]

old stuff

Remember 40 pound, top loading, manual tuner, mechanical piano key control,no special effects, $1500 VCR's? And blank tapes were $20 each?

 

[cadman]

Hey Kenmore!

Yeah, the RCA Selectavision series- I have the first VHS model downstairs and it still works like new. Also a couple of the 4 hour $20 tapes, and the 2 hour $10 tapes. What's an EP speed? : )

Cory