What's your job?

[*MamaJen*]

I'm sure we've had these roundups before, but I think it's always interesting to see the neat stuff people are doing.
So...what's your job? What does it entail? Do you like it? How long ya been doing it? Plan to stick around? How's the work-life balance?

I'll start. I've been a reporter and photojournalist at a medium-sized newspaper for about five years. I really enjoy it and don't see an immediate career shift, though I think I'd enjoy magazine writing at some point. It's hectic, but it works.

[Herausgeber]

I am an editor for the business section of a major daily newspaper. I also write a career advice column.

I don't think I would be happy doing anything else for a living.

[alicia622]

I've been working in human services for 7 years. I am currently a case manager for children with disabilities. My time is about 50/50 in the office on the road. I mostly like my job but get frustrated with the lack of available services and the ridiculous amount of red tape you have to go through to get anything done. I've had this position for a year.

I'm ready for a change and trying to figure out what to do. I had been thinking about child protective work but after my last interaction with the dept I've been rethinking that option. I'm now thinking about going back to school and am trying to figure out the best program for me.

Balance between work and personal life is pretty good. I have solid boundaries with my clients and don't take much home with me mentally and only once in a blue moon do I actually bring work home.

[Holland73]

I am a 1st grade teacher in an urban, low-income school. I have been teaching off and on for about 4-5 years, although this last year was my first year of whole class, single grade teaching, as I taught ESL prior.

I enjoy teaching and it is something that comes very naturally to me. Teaching provides me with the ability to be a VERY present, and available, single mama to my 5 year old ds. AND, I make a decent salary and have awesome benefits.

In a few years, I am planning to return to University to get my MSW. My passion has always been to work with SED children and refugees. As a therapist, I am able to help them work through their traumas, in addition to helping them learn new tools to cope with life.

[KellMcK]

I work for a government contractor as a Sr. Contract Administrator. Basically, I make sure that we're following all of the government's rules and staying in compliance with the contract.

Not something that I ever thought I'd be doing, but I like it - it's very detail oriented and it suits me well. I've been at it for 13 years now! (Not with the same gov't contractor, but in the industry.)

[AllyRae]

I'm a behavior specialist (and director of behavior services & afterschool program coordinator). I work only with children on the autism spectrum and create social skills playgroups and do behavior therapy with the kids as needed. Currently, I'm creating an after school recreation program which will also teach social and independent living skills while having a homework assistance component.

And I'm a graduate student a quarter away from starting my doctoral dissertation in counseling studies.

[canadianchick]

I have been a social worker for the past 7 years. I am currently working in child protection. I have been at this job only a few months but I worked previously for a contract agency that handled the low-moderate risk child protective cases so this is not new to me. My office is very family focused and allows staff to put their families first. I was able to take a week long vacation in July after having only worked there a couple months. Because I work in the protective unit, we sometimes get emergencies that we have to go out on but we have the choice of either taking the time off later in the week, taking it as comp time (time and a half) or getting pd for it (time and a half). I do have a half hour commute but I do not live where I work so there is no fear of running into clients at the grocery store. I never bring things home. This is a position that I have tried to get for a couple years and I was offered a position in the office closer to me but it was not in the unit I wanted so I turned it down and was then offered the position that I wanted.

[Elismum]

I'm an associate attorney in a medium-sized lawfirm that has BigLaw aspirations (the firm, not me). I do commercial litigation. In some ways, I love it and feel that I'm good at it. Often, I just don't want to work as hard as we're expected to - especially now that I have an adorable, beautiful, perfect 5 mo. old DS. Mostly, I dream of winning the lottery so I can work part time for a non-profit or do anything that's just not as stressful or time-consuming.

[bronxmom]

I'm a full-time organizer for a grassroots socialist organization. I have been part of the organization for 16 years and been a paid organizer for 3 years. I love what I do, obviously, and it's not so much a job for me as a political committment that I made long before it was my job. I'm just lucky to be able to be paid to do it now. Before that I was a student and secretary.

I have a great life situation b/c I work from home basically and set my own schedule. Some weeks are crazy and I am at meetings every night and other weeks are slow and I have time to catch up on other stuff. It's pretty awesome. I'm lucky. Although I make very low wages Luckily, my partner is a nurse.

[Ianthe]

I work PT at WIC as a breastfeeding counselor. I also go to college FT.. plus photography for some extra cash

[Ziggysmama]

I am a cellar door host. I do wine tastings for people that come into our vinyard. I have been doing it for a year now. I have ALWAYS wanted to work in the wine industry and now I do, I LOVE IT! I am going to start study at the beginning of next year on a Wine Certificate in Viticulture, Winemaking and Marketting. I am so excited about it!!!WOOHOOOOO!!!

I am also currently studying to be a LLL Leader and will shorty be on the council for a Community Family Services Centre that some of us local mothers are trying to get off the ground in our town.

[Gumby]

Yoga teacher. Classes in the evening so dd is w/ her dad or if it's during the day, it's usually kids, so she's there or at a friend's. I love having a job that is teaching something I love to do.

[Ianthe]

Originally Posted by Ziggysmama

I am also currently studying to be a LLL Leader

Cool! I am also doing that!

[Ziggysmama]

Originally Posted by LizzyQ

Cool! I am also doing that!

Cool! Thats awesome. I am really enjoying the application process so far. Sometimes I think I am too radical for LLL, but then I remember I can take my LLL leader "hat" off sometimes Plus I am super excited about being able to promote breastfeeding and help mums and bubs

[heatherweh]

Originally Posted by Ziggysmama

Cool! Thats awesome. I am really enjoying the application process so far. Sometimes I think I am too radical for LLL, but then I remember I can take my LLL leader "hat" off sometimes Plus I am super excited about being able to promote breastfeeding and help mums and bubs

Cool- I'm in the process too. I'm feeling pressured to finish up now (not that I haven't been poking along for a year and a half already).

I just started working part time as a background investigator, something I had done years ago and is flexible with the hours. I work form home about 1/2 the time and then go out and do interviews about 1/2 the time. I used to really like it because I enjoy talking to people, but I'm having a hard time getting my groove back after being a SAHM the past 2 years.

I also bought into Usborne books, another thing on my to-do list since I have my first party coming up in a week or so. My plan is to try and do like 1 party or 1 event a month for that and keep it VERY part-time.

[nina_yyc]

I'm a television editor. I make TV shows. Right now I am working on a documentary about a country singer who is a local icon and am trying to convince the artiste director not to portray him as a cranky old man. (He is sort of a cranky old man, but that's not the point.)

The work/life balance is this - I get to work an 8 hour shift every day and go home, no OT expected, day shift guaranteed, and no taking work home. That may sound pretty pedestrian as far as work/life balance, but this industry usually sucks your life dry with evening shifts for news stations or all-nighters for crazy indie-film auteurs, so I have it GREAT.

The job is interesting, maybe not my endgame but I stay with it as long as I'm learning something either about the process or the subject matter. I am getting sick of being the last person consulted in the creative process so at some point I could see my self moving into producing/directing or starting my own business. At this point though, DD is small, office politics and project assignments are rolling my way, and the money is really good so I'll be staying here awhile.

[mystiquesmom]

I currently work in the IT industry. Basically, my job entails a lot of the company purchasing, documentation, and various other jobs too numerous to list. This position I've been doing a little less than a year, although I have been with the company for a little over 4 years, previously in a Tech Support Role. Part time, I've been working on my own clothing business which I hope to eventually do full time one day.

Do I like what I do? My full time job is okay. I have a fantastic manager and my team are a good bunch of people. The hours are flexible and the company is fairly family oriented. However, IT was something that was supposed to be temporary and 11 years later, I'm still here. I love my part time job, but since it is something I work on at home, with DS clamoring for my attention non-stop and DH not providing much help when he is home, it is really hard to find time to work on it. With a new baby coming in January, I may have to wait several years before the business does well enough to do full time.

[RachelGS]

I'm a clinical psychologist, and I'm just starting a small private practice. My research has all been pregnancy / birth related, and my other area of specialty is working with college students / young adults. I LOVE my work and am excited to be getting back to it.

[Bellabaz]

I work in human services. Currently I am a Treatment Coordinator at a Day Habilitation for adults with developmental disabilities. THe majority of our individuals have mental retardation in the servere and profound range. My job is okay, not what I want to do with my life though. My agency disgusts me. Its pretty ridiculous. My pay is insanely low, even for my industry. If we weren't moving in less than a year, I would have already quit here. Before this I oversaw 4 group homes, before that I was an au apair in Italy, before that I did various direct care jobs in the mental health and behavioral fields.

When we move, I will be going back to school. I am trying to figure out if I want to pursue a holistic medicine degree or my masters in developmental psychology. Even if I do the psych degree, I want to get at least a certification in herbs. I am very interested in natural healing and believe it could do wanders for mental/emotional stress and disorders.

[amma_mama]

I am an economic policy advisor working for a government contractor. I work in developing countries, helping to reform policies to better promote sustainable development. I have been in the business for 10 years (yikes!). For the first 7 years, I did a lot of travelling around the world (Asia, Africa, Latin America, Middle East), which was a lot of fun - I got to travel to so many interesting places and have had the opportunity to share in so many different cultures. When I got pregnant, I was able to retain a "desk job" at the home office. It was a great work-life balance but got boring after a while. We are now on a 2-3 year assignment in the Middle East. Still a good work-life balance since I do not need to travel and I have more money to spend on extras (like a maid/cook) which gives me more time for my family or myself. I am not sure how I will make the transition back to the "real world" when my assignment is over...