I'm curious. What do, or did, you do for a living?

[Guest imported_GeorgeCagle]

I have degrees in Archeaology and Computer Science. I have worked for a large computer company for the last 23 years and we are currently working to secure the borders of the US (part of the electronic fence). I also do demos at trade shows and just got back from a Force Protection trade show at Quantico. My other career is the Army Reserve, where I am a Lt. Colonel in a Civil Affairs unit. Occasionally I get time to work on my cars.

[Durant Mike]

I recently retired after 35 years in Law Enforcement, the last 22 at the federal level. I now run a Private Investigative & consulting firm, specializing in financial fraud, fraud, and money laundering as well as other types of investigations. I now have more time to fuss with my cars, and I love it!

[imported_buick5563]

This is the coolest thread ever. I always wondered what some of my car hobby pals do / did. It's nice to see that everybody isn't a white collar doctor or investment banker. I have always made a living with my hands, but for 15 of my formative years I made a living as a "Rock Star". 11 countries, 46 states, too many one night stands to count (Uh, that would be gigs).

BTW, it sounds alot more romantic than it really is.

Now, I work for some friends doing maintenance on houses and ranches.

Mike

[Guest Mark Golding]

I was a Machinist, Chimney Sweep , Landscaper, Plumber, Machine repair man, sharpening industry sales rep. I have started all these from my home I have been self imployed for about 40 years, Last job before my heart attack was Repairer of Model T Fords. I think out of all the jobs I have taken on the restoration business was the most fun. I still have a full fledged machine shop and I repair Slicing machines to make a little on the side. I am presently restoring a 1962 Bristol Lodekka FSF 6G double decker bus. I will have the bus at Hershey this year come check out the engine rebuild and the bus. I'm not showing thebus since I'm converting the upper deck to a cmper and I don't have the funds right now to do the lower deck, that will be my inside sales area.

I am Married and have no kids so I can do a lot of differnt things and still be happy.

By the way the best name for a business I ever had was "Dr. Leak", I used to drive a 1976 GMC amblance for the plumbing truck and had a faucet on the back that leaked as I drove down the road, Great truck for this kind of business.

[37_Roadmaster_C]

Hi All, I started out on the family orchard. While at college learning electronics I was a resident firefighter which kept cost down. I went on to be the chief engineer at several radio stations in the North West. I moved on to industrial control system design and repair as well as radio communications systems design and repair. I now own my own business and specialize in two-way radio systems, primarily for police, fire and medical response, as well as industrial controls for all types of computer controlled applications. Example: computer controls for fruit warehouses that control the refrigeration and storage atmosphere environment. My personal joke is 'if it has a wire in it I will work on it at least once'. Old cars have wires RIGHT I also am a machinist and have a fairly well equipped machine shop on the side.

[Guest ChopShopCustoms]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Barry Wolk</div><div class="ubbcode-body">People's employment has always fascinated me.

I change light bulbs. Somebody has to do it! </div></div>

I restore and build custom cars for a living in Woburn MA. Have been doing it professionally (as a full scale shop)almost 4 years. Before that I managed a $1,000,000 collision shop near Boston MA.

Love what I do every day- take nasty metak and create something beautiful that makes someone else happy...

[Rusty_OToole]

Baking fruitcake for the Christmas trade, Weston's Bakery in Cobourg Ontario makes 70% of the fruitcake sold in North America. We make a total of 132 different brands for all kinds of stores. You would be surprised. If you buy a fruitcake it is most likely one of ours.

Also worked in garages and body shops for 20 years until my lungs played out.

Now retired and investing in real estate and fixing houses and aparments.

[DAFFYDUCK]

Been in the automotive trade all my life,( mechanic ) 1st job was with a used car lot in 1959, been in it forever. Sold my shop a year ago retired and been playing with my new toy ( 1930 Stude )try to go to a few cruises with a original 64 XL drop top we have owned for about 25 years.This is neat to see what backgrounds are.

[Barry Wolk]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DAFFYDUCK</div><div class="ubbcode-body">This is neat to see what backgrounds are. </div></div>

I would agree. Except for some minor dissent from one poster this has been a great experiment. I've enjoyed reading about others in the hobby. It just reinforces what I've said all along that the commonality that the automobile brings us transcends everything.

More, please!

[Guest sparky65]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Friartuck</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Electrical Engineer for the US Army specializing in tactical radio communications. Hardly a pre-requisite for antique automobiles, but the things you get to see.....that I can't talk about! Kind of like the minister who plays hooky on Sunday to play golf and hits a hole in one...Who's he going to tell?????

Chris </div></div>

Same here. Electrical Engineer in the controls field though. Before that i worked for five years as an electrician. And before that i worked in a greenhouse. The greenhouse is what got me in the controls field. The planting machines i worked with and cleaned were fascinating. And then as an electrician i got the opportunity to wire a few greenhouse control boxes. The ones that open and close windows, adjust the heat, turn on the fans, water the plants.

[Guest Fr Mike]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sparky65</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Hardly a pre-requisite for antique automobiles, but the things you get to see.....that I can't talk about! Kind of like the minister who plays hooky on Sunday to play golf and hits a hole in one...Who's he going to tell?????</div></div>

Well, I guess I'm the minister who plays hooky on Sunday to go to car shows & swap meets. Actually, as an Orthodox priest, I do my Sunday duty with a car-buddy friend at 6-6:30 AM and then crank up one of my old cars and go.

I fell in love with antique cars in high school, back in the early 40's, and toured the salvage yards on a regular basis, seeing all kinds of great old cars and trucks there---Jordans, Pierce-Arrows, Buicks, Fords, Chevies, Mopars, etc. Then these wonderful old vehicles were hauled away as scrap for the war effort, nevermore to be seen. There was this great old 1925 Buick 4 door sedan, glorious in its originality inside and out. I would sit in it with awe, fantasizing that it was mine. But I couldn't afford the $200 the salvage yard was asking for it. Finally, at 16, I bought a 1920 Model T runabout, for $10 (I could afford that!), and overhauled & restored it, with my Dad's supervision, and drove it back and forth to school--great gas mileage (at about 12 cents a gallon for white gas)which I could manage with my basic gas rationing book.

Now, after serving as a priest for 53 years quote=sparky65]<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Friartuck</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> the things you get to see.....that I can't talk about!</div></div>, I am retired and have two great antique cars, the time and opportunity to go to car shows, meetings, and swap meets, and a growing number of fellow car nut friends.

[Guest thug23]

I'm 40 yrs.old, and a former professional athlete who now enjoys his toys and "watching" sports. I have a couple of cars that take much of my time....driving !!! Best wishes to all.

[Guest ChopShopCustoms]

interesting that a good majority of the members here arent nearly as old as their cars!

[DRD]

I am a retired IBM Customer Engineer. Fancy name for Computer Technician that gave the Customer a good feeling to see his computer turn belly up, with the data entry people sitting around getting paid to loaf, whil'st I worked my magic.

~ Don ~

[Sign Mike]

Sign Painter the past 40 years, Wood Grainer for 30. I now work at Home Depot (sigh - I miss the old days...) Old car buff since 1947 (I was 3)

1954 Chevy pickup

1935 Dodge sedan

1967 Chevy Suburban

[Bill Stoneberg]

Started my life after dropping out of college as a Musician, playing in a Rock and Roll band in through the 70's. Went on to be a session musician for Gospel groups. Got bored and decided to move to Houston.

Worked at fixing time clocks for a while and at the same time went to computer school.

Started playing with mainframes and gradually moved into a supervisory position. Again boredom hit, so I changed companies and went into testing and breaking software that other people write.

Recently, I was feeling bored but then my boss quit and others got laid off, so they gave me a new job of making the 20 or so products that we make work together and get the time that it takes to do this down from 3 days to 1.

Should be a challenge and I hope to stay employed doing this till retirement or boredome hits again.

[Bob Andrews]

I'm new to these forums, but I know Barry (starter of this thread) so I'll add my not-all-that-impressive, brief synopsis:

Grew up in my father's garage/gas station/used car business. Operated his backhoe on jobs by 12. Worked in his gas station, pumping gas and working on cars. My father was an educated, brilliant mechanic who taught auto mechanics in CA after the Marine Corp. Missed home (NY) and moved back to become head of the area's Post Office motor pool. Hated time clocks and bosses, so the year I was born (1961) he quit and opened up his own business. Owned several gas stations over the years, as well as a few other ventures- blacktopping, logging (both of which I worked in as a teen) and a small-town bar. The latter proved to be my parents' undoing as they both became alcoholics, father died in 1984 at 54, and my mother 2 years later.

I wanted to be just like him- Marine, educated, car guy, loving father. Dad talked me out of the first two, saying I didn't need either, as I already had a "trade" fixing cars. Got interested in oval track racing in early teens, and found out I had a gift behind the wheel; with my Dad (also an accomplished race car builder in his younger days) as Crew Chief, we had much success early on. When he got ill and eventually died, I was left adrift, as while I can drive anything on any level, I'm not a great builder or tuner. Went on to a locally sucessful 24 year career, mostly driving for other teams, both dirt and paved ovals. Retired from that 5 years ago due to doctors' whining about too many concussions...

Had my own auto sales/collision shop for 20 years. Was at the point of needing to make major facility/equipment upgrades when my son was born in 1990 with Cystic Fibrosis. Medical costs led me to the Postal Service for the insurance; have been a rural mail carrier for 18 years. Kept the used car sales business operating right along, and currently have 2 locations. So by day I'm an employee, by all the rest I'm a boss. Always loved old cars of most all eras, and have several (and growing!)

All in all, I'm pretty happy with where I'm at- thus far But at 46 I'm only just getting started!

Oh yeah- thinking about getting back in a race car, now that they have the HANS device... even if the kids DO call me old timer...

[Skydog]

I set aircraft on fire, fail electrical systems, cause hydraulic leaks, collapse landing gears, and generally make grown men and women cry. Not to worry, I do it in a flight simulator.

Jim

[R W Burgess]

Keep away from my cars, Jim!!

Wayne

[ex98thdrill]

My dad and I are both retired Army Reserve.

My dad use to own his own service station with AAA emergency road service. He left there and got into the Carpenter's union where he worked for 31 years, then he spent 8 years as an elected official in East Bloomfield where he was responsible for highway maintenence and snow and ice removal. He retired at the end of 2005.

When I was in college I drove a lumber truck and then when I got out of college, I spent a year working for my dad. After being out of college for a year, I took a job dealing with 'waste management'

Aside from my career specializing in waste management, I have had a couple of part time jobs (working for in paid EMS, a contractor, and in a warehouse), but found that I can make more money working 8 hours overtime than I can working 20 hours part time for someone else.

[Guest wayneMP]

Interesting question, even more interesting answers.

1.Delivering groceries, fliers, and any other way I could make a buck.

2.Cutting legs off chickens (dead ones) at a poultry processing plant.

3.started apprenticeship in printing

4.over a period of years worked on the composing room floor, started the offset department, moved up into foreman position, moved on into sales.

5.Started a Real Estate Newspaper for the local Real Estate Board.

6.Ended up Board General Manager (not "bored" G.M.)

7.LAST, But BY FAR NOT LEAST RETIRED

[Argyll]

Left secondary school to join the RAF as a pilot and failed the medical on a (to me) tiny little hiccup when I was 12 years old.

My father had suggested I didn't put all my eggs in the one basket so I'd also applied to become a Technician Apprentice with Chrysler UK at their plant here in Scotland - after just two months I'd discovered what a c**p company it was to work for! My girlfriend's father was a senior fire dept officer in the City of Glasgow and on his advice I decided to leave Chrysler (they even made me work the initial 6 month contract to the very last day, that's how petty their management was, no wonder the factory eventually was shut down throwing thousands of employees jobless!) and joined Glasgow Fire Service in 1972. The plan was to work with the fire dept for six months or so until I could find something better - the six months turned into 25 years, where I had to very reluctantly retire following an injury.

It took over two years before I could even get out of the house, but good friends who were Guides at the Museum of Transport in Glasgow brow-beat me to guide a couple of days a month to get myself back into society. Well, what started as volunteering a couple of days a month is now five days a week, recently having been accepted to carry out a three year research project on the Argyll Motor Co based in Scotland.

Like so many have mentioned here - I might be retired, but I'm busier now than I've ever been!

Argyll.

[Joe Block]

Well my dad was into Harleys and corvairs, he all had motorcyle around, I unload bread truck after school, newspapaer back when kids did that. Work in boat motorcylce shop sweeping floors cleaning board hauls, and then a mechanic. Junior collge, got into construction engineering, power plant oil and gas, a tough of nuclear. then natrual gas pipelines. Insualtion contractor estaimor and running constrcution crews by remote. a few more pipelines, and I still build pipeline and pumping station to transport crude oil gasloine, naturals gas and diesel product all over the world and the USA,

in a lucky year I get home for Hershey, not much luck there the last few years, but I only 19 months until i retire. Twice I flown back some 5000 miles to make it. Once from Australia and once from Saudi Arabia. Not to good, 2 trips for the last ten years.

I got 4 packards put away for project and parts, three 1942 180's and recently a 1940 180.

Joe

[Guest my3buicks]

Own and operate a Commercial/Residential cleaning company.

[1935Packard]

I'm a professor at a large university. I've been a car nut since I was a little kid; I think I joined the AACA for the first time when I was 14.

[RVAnderson]

I teach high school English at a special act school for juvenile offenders (most of my students have been placed here by the legal system).

[R W Burgess]

One of the more interesting threads for 2007. Bringing it back up for the new people among us. Add to it guys!!

Happy New Year everyone!

[Steve Braverman]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: R W Burgess</div><div class="ubbcode-body">One of the more interesting threads for 2007. Bringing it back up for the new people among us.</div></div>

My career has changed quite a bit since I originally responded to this thread back in July.

I now teach middle school technology, or "shop" to those of you who have been out of school for a while. The curriculum includes drafting, wood working, some history of technology, and some metal working.

Middle school students can be interesting.

Prior to teaching I was a technical writer for seven years, and worked on manuals and parts catalogs for the transit industry (trains).

Before that I was a half-assed journalist/editor for a local weekly "newspaper." I had given up on being an auto mechanic and went to college, earning a BA in journalism hoping to be like West Peterson some day.

Needless to say, my journalism career didn't take off, but I am very proud to call myself a teacher.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

"Middle school students can be interesting."

I grew up with a guy whose father tought middle & high school metal shop - he always got the toughest of the tough guys. He kept order by knocking a couple skulls when he had to, you can't fool around with machines. He also taught them respect, and probably launched a few good careers. Ironically he would be the one in trouble today, I suppose for taking the "direct approach"

Sounds like a great challenge, Steve. Career path I did not take but thought about. There is(was) a good Industrial Technology program at one of our state colleges here in CT. No doubt you can incorporate the cars into it on occasion which will probably be fun!

[Guest imported_PackardV8]

I'd like to hear the employment experiences from those that lived thru the 30's during the depression.

[Guest imported_PackardV8]

How about Labor Union Leaders (Stewards) ???? We got any of those??? Especialy if they were leaders during the 1930's thru the 1970's

[Dandy Dave]

I missed this the first time around as my computer was down durring the summer months.

I have been collecting, repairing,and restoring tractors, engines, and the mechanical end of autos and construction machinery since I was a child. The first motor I brought home at the age of 6 or 7. I grew up on a 283 acre Dairy Farm.

The first "real" 8 till 4:30 job I had right out of high school was a full time heavy equipment operator and light mantainence in the winter months. I also did some machining in a mold shop for about a year several years out of high school. I worked in a GMC Garage for a short time in the early 80's. I was a mantainence mechanic at a local ski resort for about 6 or 7 seasons and was self employed durring the rest of the year in the mid to late 80's eary 90's.

I figgured out that I could make more being self employed repairing stuff for others and have been doing so for a long time now. I do occasionally still run a piece of heavy equipment for some local fellows, (Including the place that I had my first real job.), if they need a little extra help from time to time. Otherwise I spend most of my working hours doing repairs on farm tractors, construction machinery, and old automobiles.

I get $50 an hour in this area and folks are happy to see me come. Better than working for "Joe Smuck for $12 PHR and putting up with a lot of crap everyday". I like the freedom that self employment offers as I can take time off to go to Hershey, Flint, or any other funtion and there is still plenty to do when I get home.

It seems fellows like me are a dieing breed and are in demand. Dave!

[Rusty_OToole]

There wasn't any employment, that's why they call it a depression! ha ha.

[Dandy Dave]

Anyone that was alive and old enough to be a union leader in 1930, even if they were 20 years old at the time, would be 97 or older today. Most would be no longer with us and I seriously doubt that there is very many 97 + year old folks that surf the web and reply on forums.

Durring the 30's my Grandfather on my mothers side was a Gardener for the Beardsley Estate in Fairfield County Conn. Later he was employed by the United Ilumination Plant. The U.I. plant was the local electric company I think they were Located in Bridgport Conn. He lived in Easton and moved to Long Hill in the late 1940's where he bought the Fuller Farm from Elbert Fuller. A Milk Truck I wish I had was a late teens, early 20's Buick. It had a panel body and said Fuller Dairy, Fuller Road on it. The farm is all houses now. My Uncle still lives at the end of the road.

My grandfather on my Fathers side was a Milk Delivery Man all his life. He died before I was born. I think he was 52 and the year was 1952. I wish I had his Divco today. That's about as close to the 30's as I can get for you. Dave!

[Airy Cat]

I am a retired electrical engineer. I was responsible for the design and construction on power plants and electric transmission lines. 35 years