What's your job? - Page 4

[captivatedlife]

I'm a liscened teacher, taught part time preschool last year and this year I'm teaching full time day care / preschool at the day care my dd will be going to. I like teaching, I thought it was what I wanted to do - and then I got into the school district and found that I hated a whole bunch of things about it - mainly no child left behind. I haven't decided if I'm going back.

DH is a cook at Whole Foods and is going back to school full time for his degree in Secondary Education. Life is fun around here right now....

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[sdm1024]

About me...

I'm a RN...currently working in the NICU at a medium sized hospital. Also currently looking for a new job.

I like being a nurse. I like babies. I don't like working nights or the policies of the hospital for which I work....hence the job search!

I've been a nurse for 2 years, and in the NICU for about 6 months. Before the NICU, I worked on an adult floor with ventilated patients.

The work-life balance for nurses can be pretty good. It's been hard finding a schedule that works with my husband job - he's FT National Guard, and since he's one of the few FT people in the unit he travels ALOT. So no matter how much or little I work, there's always logistic issues. Bascially, my career is in a holding pattern. I'm also working on my BSN so that adds a challenge. At least that is mostly online so I can flex that.

[Leatherette]

I am a special education teacher. I have an M.Ed. and 8 years of teaching experience total. I taught for 6 years, SAHM'd for 6 years, and went back to teaching 2 years ago. I am currently working part time, which really means I can leave when school gets out for the day, with no take-home work.

I plan to do this a few more years, return to school to get my administrator's license, and then be an assistant principal or special education administrator - hopefully one who focuses on inclusion practices.

I started out working in group homes for adults with developmental disabilities. It is very stressful and very important work. I know the pay is ridiculous, though.

I really like most of what I do now. I love working with kids and their families. I don't like the paperwork, the incompetent people above me, and the way families get worked by the system. I try to fight that, but I feel like I have a small impact from my little corner of the world.

L.

[captivatedlife]

Leatherette - I'm so with you. When we moved a year ago, I decided that I couldn't do what I had been doing anymore. I was special education and loved/hated it. I loved making a HUGE difference - I hated fighting everyone to do it. I'm considering special education/ early childhood.... I don't know if it'd actually be any better though.... At least I like what I'm doing now!

[jess152]

DH and I own a coffee shop. We've been in business for 5 years. When DS came along in Jan/07, he came into work with me as soon as I was able to get back to it, and has come in every day ever since (thank you babywearing!!). It's wonderful to be able to raise him, although I'm seeing a few days at daycare in the near future would be very handy!

[Sharlla]

I'm a supervisor at a group home that supports those with developmental disabilities.

[Ellien C]

I work in corporate Information Technology. I'm more in the project management side than the code writing side. My position is excellent - good benefits, good work-life balance, good pay. The work itself is dull at best and soul-sucking at worst!

[UrbanEarthMom]

I am a government attorney. It's a good job but I am always looking for something where I can make more and work less

[Labbemama]

I'm a mental health professional. I do in-home therapy and case mgmt for "severely emotionally distrurbed" kids. I hate that term, SED. Quite a variety of things though and always interesting and very rewarding and flexible.

[Belleweather]

I'm an attorney and I work in regulatory and compliance law for an insurance company. For an attorney, in-house work is pretty family friendly; I work a set 9-5 schedule, they're fairly flexible about needing to look after my kids, and they give me three weeks of vacation a year that they actually expect me to take.

But I'm still kinda not loving it... I'm thinking I'll look for a position in health insurance and then try to move into bioethics after getting a master's or certificate program (hopefully with employee tuition reimbursement ). Eventually, I would love to teach in a law or business school, but we'll see what happens.

[mamasaurus]

Originally Posted by *MamaJen*

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'm a master dressmaker, patternmaker, and alteration specialist. I also do restyling. I went to college for basic training, apprenticed with some great people, and received further professional training from a couple of fashion schools down the road. I spent about 10 years in Hollywood, working in the costume workroom on wardrobe for film and television. Did some really, really cool stuff. Met interesting people. Then had to get out of LA, and to a good place to raise a family, and now I have my own business.

I make wedding gowns, bridesmaids dresses, and special occasion clothing from scratch. I also end up doing major alterations to these items as well when they are ready-made.

I love restyling, and taking on projects that people think are impossible. Like taking two wedding dresses, ripping them apart and putting them back together so you would never know it for an extra large lovely woman who is pregnant as well. Or taking someone's mother's wedding gown from 40 years ago, and re-working it to fit the bride today.

I also work for private clothing companies making their first patterns to send to the manufacturer.

I like it - I'm swamped. I keep raising my prices and people keep coming.

Work-life balance - well, I keep raising my prices, hoping some people will go away so I can get work-life balance under control.

I work at home, and that is GREAT.

[notaperfectmom]

I work as a Usability Analyst...the people who help companies/organizations/governments etc. make their websites and software more "usable".

I'm very very lucky that I work for a company - and in particular a boss - that has been very flexible. Its a consulting company so MOST people travel at least 50% of the time...often more. Very quietly, my boss has made sure that people travel to ME when we have projects and for a full year after the birth of my first child I didn't have to go further than an hour train ride for any project. My grace period was kind of up after a year, but in a consulting environment you could NOT ask any more than that...and she still makes sure that I'm never pressured into any project where I need to spend a week in CA (I live on the east coast) etc.

I'm now pregnant with #2...and already she is (quietly) working the same thing out again. I get all the local projects and everyone else travels. Its a great group of people and everyone is helpful and understanding and I couldn't ask for a better work environment.

Oh wait....except for a better place than the store room to pump this time!!! We work in a converted apartment building. Its all open plan and there are only 6 of us in our particular office even though the company is much larger...no one is trying to relegate me, its just quite simply the ONLY private place. And I'm the ONLY parent so....more explaining needed than usual...particularly to some of the 26yr old males around the office

And yet...and yet...I wonder what is going to happen after this baby. I love the mental stimulation of my job. And we are VERY lucky with our daycare situation - DS is totally happy and comfortable and loved and looked after...but I still think about quitting and staying home.

why haven't I yet? Well..we are only just (in the last month or so) finally in a position where it is possible (Husband FINALLY completed PhD and got a job!) and now I have to figure out how bad the idea of staying home scares me. Don't know if I would be as good of a Mom....maybe we'll find out.

[dentmom3]

Originally Posted by Sri Radha

I am a dental hygienist. I clean teeth, place sealants, scale and root plane, educate patients, take x-rays etc. I have been doing it 6 years and I like it. I will stick with it because I like being able to work part-time and still take home decent pay. Sometimes I day dream about doing something else but it's a good fit for me.

I dream of opening a vegetarian/vegan cafe and bakery. But I don't think that will happen anytime soon.

Another tooth person here! I am a general dentist - meaning family dental practice, not a specialist. I love what I do, especially since I have the best office to work in! I work 2 days a week, home the rest of the week. And I have already laid the groundwork with my boss that I would want to work shorter days when the kids are all in school so that I can get them off of the bus. Love my patients, love my job, love my kids! Life is good.

[rsummer]

I am a RN in an ICU. I work in a large, busy teaching hospital. I love the work (although July is always a little challenging with all the new MDs.) I work some bizarre hours to make decent money, hence the 220 am post. I am due with my first in November and will re-evaluate my hours after that!

I am applying for grad school in Anesthesia, so if that ends up happening, good bye regular income and health insurance, hello student loan officer!

[slsurface]

Thanks to the OP for starting this thread...I enjoy reading what everyone is doing.

For the past 3 months I have been working with state government on a grant funded project for the State Archaeologist and State Forest agencies. I am developing a GIS database of all the known archaeological sites on state forest lands. I love my job and coworkers and would love to stay long-term, but sadly the position is only a 9 month gig. The work/life balance is good - I never have to take work home with me. My boss was a single mother, so she is a firm believer in keeping work at work.

I am sort of mid-career, as I am working on my PhD (which I hope to complete next spring). So while I'm not taking work home, I still have writing and research to do in my *spare* time. I hope to eventually get an academic job at a smallish university...but with the economy the way it is, it might realistically take me a few years. While in grad school I have worked as a consultant in Cultural Resource Management and I have been an adjunct instructor at a Big 10 university.

[Ceinwen]

Originally Posted by Geofizz

I'm a geophysics professor. I study the behavior of materials under the pressures and temperature of planetary interiors. (As in, I squeeze rocks.) I teach general education science classes, upper division mineralogy, and graduate solid earth geophysics. I've got 4 grad students and 2 undergrads.

My husband's a geophysicist! Very cool.

I'm in my last year of university for my BScN (nursing degree). I have 200 hours to work on a medical floor, and 360 hours of pregrad in emerg (where I'd like to work afterward). Precepting is pretty intense, but I'll be sooo glad to be done!

[BCattS]

Originally Posted by EviesMom

Educational writer. Freelance. ... but the beauty of the job is that I can take or not take on work in 6 month or 1 year chunks as needed.

This is my goal! (I think!) I write for a marketing agency full time. Ads, TV, radio, web, newsletters, etc. I was freelancing for a bit but it turned into a desk job at an agency kind of overnight.

Like lots of mamas out there, I have that nonprofit bug, too... many years spent doing psychosocial rehab with SPMI (Serious and Persistant Mental Illness) population and then working with families dealing with Lou Gherig's disease.

Also have my LMT but not currently practicing (see "full time job," also see "preschooler")

Ideally, I would do what EviesMom is doing-- in a lot of ways I regret trading my flexibility for stability just as things seemed to heat up in the freelance department (hired on full time by my biggest client), though that paycheck is really nice. DH works for a large private university but isn't paid all that well... and he's starting an arty LLC venture of his own, so for now... I am the stable breadwinner. Yay, bread.

Someday, though! I long for a morning where I walk my kiddo(s) to school and return home to a fresh pot of coffee and my own little office. *sigh*

[kerc]

I'm a PT community college instructor (apparently we can't be called adjunct professors due to the union contract ). I teach introductory geology courses online and in a normal classroom (this I prefer).

I'm working on my phd in geology -- that is wrapping up, somewhat nicely (and finally). I work on dating fossil corals in an attempt to look at signals we can see from past climates. In reality: I'm writing a dissertation on what doesn't work. :LOL

This fall (i.e. next week) I begin work as an adjunct professor, hopefully will move to being an actual professor at a small state liberal arts college. I'll teach geology.

[gmvh]

These are fascinating to read!

I just accepted a job with the largest Girl Scout council in the country as an outdoor program manager. I oversee programs at two camps (one ten minutes from home, the other three hours away but the trip also involves a trip across a *major* city) and have a graduate assistant at the camp away from my home.

This job sort of fell in my lap and it's absolutely perfect. I have degrees in recreation and a degree in education with experience in environmental education, Girl Scout summer camps, challenge education/ropes course facilitating, expedition leading, and teaching at a place-based independent school. All tie very nicely into the Girl Scout outdoor program. The people I work with are wonderful and I love meeting all the groups that come out to my property.

We're working things out on the family front. My husband is an executive director of an environmental education non-profit and works long hours so... We'll see how the fall goes. I like my children being twins because they're together all the time.

[UmmBnB]

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'm the Human Resources Director at one of the country's largest natural history museums. I absolutely love my job and I'm content now - had a rough 2007 which ended beautifully, thank goodness. I've been in HR here for 8+ years but at the Museum for almost 14 years.

I have degrees in Social Work and Psychology with an emphasis in ECE. I was working for Planned Parenthood for next to nothing, needed a part time job to make ends meet and ended up at the Museum selling tickets and ushering at the IMAX. A few years and a few roles later I made it into HR and eventually to Director. In that process I did two levels of HR certification to help my career grow - think CPA exam and certification for HR people....although I hear our test is harder

My job isn't that different than HR anyplace else really, aside from the fact that I'm one of those rare HR people who hates policies and prefers good communication and navigating the grey over the black and white.

The work life balance is fantastic especially in that I get to really play a huge role determining what kind of culture we have. I live an easy drive or bike commute away (2 miles) and my kids daycare and school is within a few blocks. The building sits in a fantastic park and I'm surrounded by amazing artifacts, national treasures, brilliant scientists and educators - people who truly live our mission of creating a community of critical thinkers.

How long will I stick around? Well, as much as I'd love to stay here forever I'm not sure I'll do that. I grew up here in many ways and it seems like I have to fly the coop eventually. We'll see though.... Last year when I was looking around and entertaining offers from other places my kids nearly died! I thought last summer that it was my time to go but instead I took a bigger role and am still here. I think I'll know when my work here is done and I'm ready to move on....or perhaps I'll be a lifer. We have dozens of them which speaks volumes about what a great place this is to work.