53 replies to this topic

[Terrible Texan]

What was your occupation before your injury? I was an 18 wheeler tanker truck driver who drove locally in the state of tx, & a few places in la.........I delivered hot tar products for roads & highways.
I cant do any of that anymore......

[mellowgator]

hi tt,

i worked as an auditor. it was my first job out of college. my job was to check inventories that my company lent money for. if the car, mobile home, computer etc was missing i collected a check for it. i liked my job i had a large territory and drove over 50k miles a year.

[samsara]

I was a receptionist in a hotel. I loved my job, it also allowed me to travel and work in other countries.

After my sci I studied to occupational therapist:-). Have worked in the psychiatry with teenagers, now I work in a big kindergarden....I love this job too, becuase it allows me to take the breaks I need and I actually can go and come how I want to, I just have to work the hours I am hired for.

Right now I am taking a course to become a Master Coach:-).

[goose]

i was a regional manager for a durable medical supply company. boy did that prepare me for what was in my future.

[mugsy]

I was a project manager for a large cabinet manufacturer. 20 years. Loved it.

[S&W Winger]

I was a financial consultant, sometime banker, selling loans, bank products, investments and insurance...my last few years, I spent getting retirees OUT of the stock market, as I truly felt a crash was imminent...and placing them into safer financial products...Loved to save people's "nest eggs" in this way...


Years before, I was also an over-the-road lone truck driver!! Did a lot of fun stuff, like DOD, nuclear plants, even had pieces of the space shuttle in my truck! Had a lot of fun and saw most of the States and Provinces...fed my wanderlust, worked hard, and met all sorts of people...Loved this work!

Edited by S&W Winger, 01 May 2011 - 01:59 PM.

[StillFingers]

See my profile...in summary, landscaper, brick mason, carpenter, truck/tractor driver, etc., also worked as a Jr. Architect designing single family residential and ranch homes...part-time paid sailor for three summers; single and twin masted sailboats ranging from 24 to 76ft, 5 to 14 man crews.

[Terrible Texan]

goose, on 01 May 2011 - 05:13 AM, said:

i was a regional manager for a durable medical supply company. boy did that prepare me for what was in my future.

I bet u never thought u'd never need any of them supplies, definately got a bumm deal.....

[S&W Winger]

Hey Jer, I just say I was a jaskass of all trades! I also taught nursery school, worked in factories, restaurants, sold real estate, sold telephone service [T1 lines, etc.], drafted, sold trucking, sold cars, counselled youth, was a letter carrier then postal supervisor [went postal and quit!] omg I forget all the fun stuff now...but you did remind me of a few more...

[Terrible Texan]

S&W Winger, on 01 May 2011 - 01:56 PM, said:

I was a financial consultant, sometime banker, selling loans, bank products, investments and insurance...my last few years, I spent getting retirees OUT of the stock market, as I truly felt a crash was imminent...and placing them into safer financial products...Loved to save people's "nest eggs" in this way...


Years before, I was also an over-the-road lone truck driver!! Did a lot of fun stuff, like DOD, nuclear plants, even had pieces of the space shuttle in my truck! Had a lot of fun and saw most of the States and Provinces...fed my wanderlust, worked hard, and met all sorts of people...Loved this work!

even though i was a local driver in tx & some in la., i loved driving them big trucks. it was time to do something else, i kept dozing off while driving & didnt want to hurt anyone. right after my accident, while i was laying in the hospital, i recieved mail that i was accepted in the Heavy Equipment Operators School. such as crains, cherry pickers, bull dozers, etc....

[S&W Winger]

Terrible Texan, on 01 May 2011 - 05:13 PM, said:

even though i was a local driver in tx & some in la., i loved driving them big trucks. it was time to do something else, i kept dozing off while driving & didnt want to hurt anyone. right after my accident, while i was laying in the hospital, i recieved mail that i was accepted in the Heavy Equipment Operators School. such as crains, cherry pickers, bull dozers, etc....

Damn! That would have been really fun stuff!!

[Terrible Texan]

S&W Winger, on 01 May 2011 - 05:17 PM, said:

Terrible Texan, on 01 May 2011 - 05:13 PM, said:

even though i was a local driver in tx & some in la., i loved driving them big trucks. it was time to do something else, i kept dozing off while driving & didnt want to hurt anyone. right after my accident, while i was laying in the hospital, i recieved mail that i was accepted in the Heavy Equipment Operators School. such as crains, cherry pickers, bull dozers, etc....

Damn! That would have been really fun stuff!!

on top of being fun, it would've been some good money.....

[knightrider]

My Job before i was injured, well only for a few weeks, I just joined the RAF as an electronic engineer (Avionics) working on RAF Tornado GR4's. It was great even tho it was cut so short. I had lots of other jobs before sci, i was even a driver on one of those big ass dump trucks (Caterpillar 777) they were fun but only done it coz the pay was crazyily good just before i joined the RAF, and before that I was an engineer in a shitty factory, damn busy job though.

[David-WP]

I was a an educator and trial attorney b/4 my accident. I loved being in the courtroom for trials!

[Terrible Texan]

David-WP, on 01 May 2011 - 09:09 PM, said:

I was a an educator and trial attorney b/4 my accident. I loved being in the courtroom for trials!

seems like to me, u still could be

[4tun8]

I worked blowin' glass by hand. Then joined the Marines as an advanced mechanic for the Motor Pool. After that, I worked in the A/C field prior to moving from CA to OK. I started as a maintainence mechanic for a very well known frozen bakery. I kept getting promoted til I was the company's Refrigeration Supervisor ( Ammonia ). I really enjoyed the challenge. mark

[Terrible Texan]

Actually from age 16-18 i worked at Golden Corral Steak House before I went in the Navy for 4 yrs. I worked Ground Support towing aircraft, (F-14's) the movie Top Gun's airplane, & other gear needed on the flight deck, before working on the airplane itself. After getting out, I worked security & worked for a moving company in cali. before coming back home to tx working construction a few years, until eventually getting into truck driving, starting at a beer company, then ending w/ hauling tanker trucks.

[sh1wn]

Well, I was a heavy equipment operater, didn't go to the school just grew up around it and wasn't scared when someone would point at a machine and ask "can you run that?"

I was lucky to work for a great boss that let me train on the job. It was a small company, usually just three of us sometimes four. We did a lot of asphalt paving, driveways and patches, some concrete and lots of digging. We mostly had smaller machines and did a lot of work were you had to sneak in, dig this or that and not knock out somebody's house or pool.

We also did some big jobs that were fun to. Because of it being a small company you were never on the same machine to long, so that kept it interesting. I was labor/mechanic/operator/truck driver and a few other things. It was a fun job and a good group of guys to work with and I miss it a lot.

[pistol_pete]

I was a conservation employee for the department of Environment and Conservation.
I spent every day in the forest maintaining campgrounds, building bridges, driving front end loaders, flora nad fauna research, feral animal control and many many other diverse jobs.
A big part of my job was prescribed burning for fuel reduction to help combat bush fires aswell as fighting the bush fires in summer.
I loved my job. Every day would bring something new and you could end up heading anywhere in the state at a moments notice.
Just before my accident I was asked if I wanted to begin training to be a flight navigator to assist in burning and firefighting aerial operations. I was really looking forward to that.
I still work for the department, mainly in the office. Now I get to manage projects so I still get out in the bush sometimes. it's not really the same, but I get to hang out on apparelyzed alot. Yay.

[sh1wn]

Thats cool, one of my first jobs was working at a ski resort that also managed a bunch of parks for the blm in the summer. I got to run around and collect fee's and do maintance in the parks, I also lived in a tiny 12' trailer as a camp host. It was fun but pretty lonely for a 18-19 year old. A few years later as a "guest of the state" I fought fires, 2 small ones and 1 good sized one, man was cutting trail work!

[StillFingers]

S&W Winger, on 01 May 2011 - 05:11 PM, said:

Hey Jer, I just say I was a jaskass of all trades! I also taught nursery school, worked in factories, restaurants, sold real estate, sold telephone service [T1 lines, etc.], drafted, sold trucking, sold cars, counselled youth, was a letter carrier then postal supervisor [went postal and quit!] omg I forget all the fun stuff now...but you did remind me of a few more...

Bev, ya kinda have to be a jackass of all when you own a company, smallish at 6 employees...

I forgot to add carpet stacker to the list; not the new stuff, but the rancid, bug infested, dirty crap torn out of apartment buildings...wearing near a hasmat suit, even with a dual filter mask it stunk worse than a skunk

Indeed, cheers to all the jackasses, without them the non-jackasses would be outta luck or deep in it

Edited by StillFingers, 02 May 2011 - 03:32 PM.

[cas]

I was a solicitor in litigation...... But for the 2 years prior to my accident I was "just" a mummy to two. A job that I still do now, and that I wouldn't swap for thte world!!.... And even if I could walk, I would still have been a full time mum!!!! Xxxx

[Heretic]

I was an electronics/software engineer. I could have carried on, but then I had brain lesions that affected my memory and thinking. I've recovered a bit, so I tried teaching, but that was harder than my previous job, I think. Maybe I'll be able to get back into engineering in a reduced role, if I can convince someone that that is a good idea.

[pistol_pete]

sh1wn, on 02 May 2011 - 04:34 AM, said:

Thats cool, one of my first jobs was working at a ski resort that also managed a bunch of parks for the blm in the summer. I got to run around and collect fee's and do maintance in the parks, I also lived in a tiny 12' trailer as a camp host. It was fun but pretty lonely for a 18-19 year old. A few years later as a "guest of the state" I fought fires, 2 small ones and 1 good sized one, man was cutting trail work!

Cool.
I've seen how you guys do a lot by hand. It is friggin hard and hot work!!
We do a little of that method but our terrain being not as rugged we are able to cut firelines using loaders and bulldozers, but I tell you, trying to cut off a raging bushfire at the 'pointy' end and on sloping ground in a loader is kinda freaky, the adrenalin and concentration is equally hard physically, that's why I was looking forward to doing my bit from the air.
now I do my bit from a keyboard.

Edited by pistol_pete, 04 May 2011 - 05:54 AM.

[Halfman]

I was lucky in that I had an office job (IT, web stuff etc) that I could return to once I was ready. Having work as a focus, motivation and structure in my life has been really important to me, I really feel for those who have lost their vocation as well as all the other massive changes. Good luck to you all!

[Chel]

Before my injury I worked as a Home Health Provider, Teacher and Secretary. I also did some Tech work.

[rue2you]

I was a homemaker and I still am - just a lot different now and my family helps much more. I do a lot of graphic design now and love it! I have more "sit-down" time now and so it gives me more time for the graphics.

[Smileyblue]

I was a maintenance planner on a heavy minerals mine.. I did all the general maintenance planning as well as shut down planning for the plant.. Best job I ever had! Longest too.. I miss it terribly.. ;-)

[Ratticis]

Ran a towing company and did some oilfield mechanical.

[Redish]

I worked as a police officer

Edited by Redish, 06 May 2011 - 04:35 PM.