What's your day job?

[Professor1]

I used to fix luxury cars, now I teach guitar and go to grad school.

[kiwijohn]

I'm usually doing art projects and/or signwriting....
(I read recently that Tal Farlow gave up his professional music career to do signwriting full time....I'll have to read the story behind that story some time)

[jazzalta]

Music is my day job. That is, it's all I do now. I'm on disability due to multiple sclerosis, but I used to be a rehabilitation counsellor. I wrote individual vocational programs, and found employment and housing for persons with mental disability primarily.

[mahayana]

Let's see...

I'm a doctor and a lawyer and an astronaut...and I own this bar.

Really, I've been working as a mechanic for the last 16 months. I prefer construction (finish carpentry) but have had lots of different jobs over the years.

[mahayana]

"hey, what is it with mechanics/musicians? I know a lot 'em. Go figure."

It's probably one of those right lobe/left lobe brain things.

Visualizing and remembering complex patterns and details, shapes, etc...manual dexterity. Those are similarities. Wish that the job had less loud noise, grease, fumes, potential for injury to the hands. Or that I was independently wealthy, hah!

I read on my first Ventures album that those guys were bricklayers.

[Professor1]

Get out of auto mechanics. The pay is so low it's hardly worth it anymore. That's why all the good guys got out. If I had it to do over again, I would probably have gone into construction. I'd have had my own company for years before now.

[mahayana]

Building things is really satisfying work. Also restoration, even painting. The building industry is boom or bust, must be more bankruptcy there than anywhere except maybe .coms. Low interest rates are responsible for the present boom.

Working greasy puzzles...that one's hard to be too proud of. But it's steady, machines are always breaking down. I can't wait to find something better. Luthier's apprentice maybe? Habitat for Humanity?

[Professor1]

mahayana said:

Working greasy puzzles...that one's hard to be too proud of. But it's steady, machines are always breaking down.

That's not what I meant. There's plenty to be proud of, (a big part of the problem is that so many people take no pride in their own work).

How much do you make? It used to be that a good commisioned mechanic would make 50%, or slightly more, of the labor flat rate. Nowadays, that would be around $45 a flat rate hour. I bet you're getting less than half that.

So, let's say you made $20 an hour 20 years ago....and now, you are making $20 an hour. Tools, which you have to pay for have gone up a lot. And so has the sheer number of different tools needed. Then there's the greatly increased complexity.

Now, take into account how much insurance of all kinds goes up each year, (10 to 20% ! ), and prices of other stuff, like cars, food and gas. Then there's the rest of the inflation and the devaluation of the dollar. $20 used to be good money, now, you are making less than 1/4th of what you used to in real terms, your costs of work and the difficulty have gone through the roof.

So, anybody wanna know why they can't get their car fixed right anymore?

[mahayana]

Hmmm...not exactly what I meant to say either. I owned a shop for over 10 years, sold it for some of the reasons you mentioned. Even an excellent mechanic is viewed as having a low-status job, odd in a society so dependent on their skills. Obviously, technicians vary a good deal in commitment to their trade, proficiency, training, so on. Pay is low, advancement limited, lousy benefits (if any). But preferable to unemployment, another poor option.

[blackeyedboy11]

Engineering Technician, mostly working on CAD (Solidworks) designing parts for a company that makes window coverings. Nice job but I'd rather be playing my guitar!

[kawe]

I'm a teacher ........
kawe

[Professor1]

Kawe,
What do you teach?

[L4sleeko]

I'am a Goldsmith. I mostly set Diamonds and various Gemstones all day long. Also do jewelery repair. ;D Chow. ?;^)~

[kawe]

Professor said:

Kawe,
What do you teach?

I teach children (mostly 13 to 16 years old) in school. It's a basic school called "Hauptschule". The subjects I studied are Sociology, German (?) and Art.
kawe

[pinsk94]

I am an Athletic Trainer(Therapist). I have been in Minor League Hockey for the last 7 and 1/2 years. I receintly left as I was hired by an NHL team but we are currently locked out. (great timing ) I was lucky enough to find work with an Arena Football team so you probably can seen me on TV on sundays depending on your market.