I'm a repair technician. Sadly I'm employed by the family, but I do work on the side as well. It makes decent money and I love it. Ironically, I am aspiring to be a lawyer.. Go Figure.
Something like this really comes down to where you live I suppose. There are always a couple of jobs going around here, pay isn't brilliant at around £9 per hour but its a starting point. Plus if you put in OT you could make an ok living. Sad to say I was putting away £35k+ before I got RSI, when I was essentially forced to quit I took over a £20k pay cut just because there were no jobs going. If my long term plan works, I could back to earning decent money doing an easier job with what would in all honesty would be similar or better hours. Money is not the be all and end all though, if you enjoy your job it makes life far simpler.
I'm going to be going into my final year of a computer science degree in late September but at the moment I'm working as a software engineer in a relativity large local IT company ( not MS / Google huge but big enough) I do like the job but I really don't enjoy what I'm doing at the minute and I'm really struggling to figure out what I want to do with my life once I graduate. The thought of sitting cutting code for some really boring web based insurance products for the rest of my life would bore me to death and the though of being a manager would make me want to jump of a bridge. Just need to come up with that next big idea I suppose....
I could yack on about my job forever as I do love it, but I am going to keep it a secert from you all MUHAHAH! On topic, I know you have been very generic when looking at your technology interest - so I guess my advise will stay so. If you are looking to move into any technology sector/stack then I would highly recommend completing both your Prince 2 (2009) foundation and your ITIL foundation. For a man with a degree you will be able to complete these with your eye shut, with very little effort - I am talking 2-3 days for your Prince 2 foundation and maybe a week for your ITIL (both self study). Having these in your quiver shows you have a clear understanding of how the technology processes work. Most companies will be able to train you via on the job and job role training for the specific role, but currently in the "IT" side of technology has is a huge process short fall in its staffing. I see daily technology in place that is let down by processes and people - not the tech' itself. So proving you atleast understand these industry wide standards for little or no effort will help getting the foot in the door. If you would like any help, I have a alot of exp' with Prince 2, which I would be happy to have a chat about with you. On the ITIL side of things I don't know too much more than the foundation books/videos will tell you, I do however have quite a lot of real world exp' with ITIL and MOF if you wanted to talk through some examples of how to apply these in the real world for interview prep etc. This short, but to the point blog post really encapsulates the People, Process, Technology model well - with cloud based services the "technology" piece grows ever smaller. http://blogs.computerworld.com/19473/get_to_the_private_cloud Sorry for the splurge of text, its late PM me if you want more info, happy to help.
I'm a sound/lighting engineer. I get to play with tech and see a huge amount of live music. Win win for me!
Manager at a well know fast food restaurant. Pay isn't the best, but the flexible hours can't be beaten. Although if I could afford to, I'd like to cut down from 50hrs a week and get at least a couple of days off in a row.
I'm a broadcast engineer. I'm working with lots of kits, from old school kit to latest gen IT stuff. Awesome job, lots of opportunities in the broadcasting world, and I get a kick out of knowing that some of the programs I'm working on are being watched by millions, litteraly!
I am a Electrician for a major construction company contracting for Hampshire county council although I enjoy my job at the moment it is very boring and could do with moving onto a different contract or company. My aim is to work for myself but I think it's better to wait until the building trade starts to pick up.
I am a suit wearing monkey working for the London Underground. If you around for the Olympics you will likely find me standing around in a pretty magenta tabbard giving travel advice. I like my job, but have to admit, would much rather be involved in the tech side of the world - sadly my knowlege only really goes as far as building PC's so I have no real ueful expertise in the operating of systems. I'd love to be involved with PR for techie stuff, or of course work on game production - but again, no expertise there and I have always been more of a 'on the job' learner rather than a book nerd so not exactly rocking the qualifications
I'm an IT Technician (mostly) for a tyre firm based in Stamford. The issue I have is there is no career path/ladder for me. I left Teesside Uni after trying for a BSc Visualisation (and failing two core end of year exams, but passing many others) and then going on to do a HND in Business IT. I've also got the MSCDST qualification under my belt and was aiming for an MCSE - the trouble being if I learnt all the gubbins and passed, where would I be? I just don't think it'd open doors for me tbh.
Really boring, I work as a project/business relationship manager for a family firm supplying mail order hampers and gifts. I don't enjoy it, it goes from dead quiet to extremely busy in minutes - but it pays well (>£30k). My philosophy degree was about as useful as a chocolate teapot full of molten tungsten, and I bumbled through quite a few things before I landed here, gaining no additional qualifications. Therefore I think I'm actually paid reasonably well for what I do. I'd change it at the drop of a hat, if it weren't for the job security and that pesky recession meaning that there are a billion* applicants for any local jobs. *Possible hyperbole.
I'm a buyer yo! Basically, publisher comes to me and says "this is <insert game> we think you should take xThousand to sell, what do you think?" Throw in the launch parties, celebratory dinner here and there and it makes for an interesting career. That's the uber layman explanation.
Well, even in my job, I am reaching a point where I have hit a ceiling, especially in Namibia. To put it into perspective: 2.odd million inhabitants in the country. The capital (Windhoek - where I stay) has something along the lines of 500.000 inhabitants. unemployment rate of close-on 50% (but that's disregarding the huge number of self-sustained people living in the north, which drive up unemployment rates, but don't really need employment). A big firm (like the one I work for) has ~200 employees. Some of the country's biggest (mostly banks - been there) have about 1500 employees. I am a Software Development Manager. I have 10 years (next year) experience in the field full-time and formally. I have way more if I count my school days and the holiday jobs in the field. The issue here is multiple: There are not many developers around. Maybe 100-150 in Windhoek, another 20-30 in one or two other places in Namibia. The joys of working in the third world. As a consequence, all the experienced people know each other, and know who's good at what. They also all sit in relatively cushy (myself included) jobs, and don't move a lot. On top of THAT, there just aren't many firms that need developers. Some firms are governed from South Africa, and get their development done there. Others outsource to minor IT-Shops. Now - with so few places actually HIRING developers, consider that even fewer have entire teams that need leading, and in this market, consider how often one of those jobs opens. Even when it does, these firms have the option of promoting one of their own ranks into that position, and having a somewhat green manager, yet a developer that knows their setup in that position. Or they can hire the likes of me: years of experience, would probably grasp their systems quickly, multiple years of leadership experience, but expensive. As a consequence, I keep an eye on the job market (hell, i run the biggest job market site in the country), and regularly apply for jobs overseas (most recently: developer int he car dynamics department at Petronas AMG Mercedes F1). Since hope there is also limited, especially since I am relatively young and not in Europe, I also run my own company, which I am hoping to be able to do full-time int he coming years.
I worked as a photographer (have to stop because of my health) and before that I was a musician/teacher for about 6 years. My degree is in music. At the moment career is not a priority for me; supporting my family is my only concern, which means I'll probably end up with a pretty crappy retail job. C'est la vie... This.
I trained as a psychologist (similar field to yourself), but ended up running a charity! It's extremely rewarding work for the most part, I can safely say that I've significantly changed hundreds of live for the better. However my pay celling is very low as I have to spend half my time writing bids and getting grants for myself and my team to keep working - whacking a large salary in there doesn't compute with successful big writing for a small charity and/or with my ethics on spending money is the most positive fashion possible. There's a lot of misconceptions about what work you can do in the third sector, the bottom line is that if you can do it in the private sector - then it also exists for a charity. Plenty of engineers, software developers, and people in advertising working for charities; it's not all stereotypical support workers and councillors! The positive is that you can generally you can take any career and move it to a third sector organisation and give it more purpose and fulfilment. The downside is that you will inevitably be paid less and hit a pay ceiling earlier. I'm at a point where I've been doing it for four years and fancy a change or scenery, but I feel that a lot of people rely on me and that the project would almost certainly die a death without me there as I've built it from scratch and it's very much my baby.
