What Did You Work at Before You Were Elderly

  • First job, started out in a typing pool.
  • Payroll clerk.
  • Secretary for many years.
  • Auto parts store.
  • Another auto parts store.
  • Secretary again.
  • Secretary again. 🥱
  • Last job: Scopist

What is a scopist, you ask? "A scopist is a professional transcript editor for court reporters. However, unlike an editor or a proofreader, a scopist has the ability to compare a court reporter’s shorthand to the finished transcript."
 
I never settled down in a single job more than six years, so I never had a life-long "career". I bounced around in college, couldn't settle on a vocation......first I studied journalism, then dental hygiene. Didn't finish either one.

I've been a loan clerk, a file clerk, a secretary, an executive assistant. For years, I sold advertising for one of the nation's largest newspapers. I've been the Executive Director of a non-profit fund-raising organization for the arts. I've been a "Girl Friday'. I've worked an old-fashioned "peg-board" telephone system.

I've been a nanny, a house-sitter, a dog-sitter, a jack-of-all-trades.

I found out that I make a better assistant than a boss. I've been a boss and I didn't care for it. I've been a very, very good assistant. I've made good money being an executive assistant and I think I finally found my niche there. One of my bosses complimented me once that I knew "which asses to kick and which asses to kiss".

That said.....if I had to go back to work again, I'd probably be in jail within a week for doing bodily harm to someone. My ability to put up with idiots has severely eroded with time.
 
Georgiagranny said:
@Mike Define "before elderly" so I'll know where to start. Pick a number between 50 (first time I retired) and 82.
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I was being polite, at least I thought that I was, I didn't want to use old,
pensioner, aged, since this is a Senior's Forum and we all have to be fairly
senior, just to be here, I didn't expect to be asked, what did I mean.

So having membership to Senior Forums can be seen "Elderly".

Mike.
 
bowmore said:
My recollections of 50 years in Electronics.

I was never involved in any cutting edge discoveries, but I held a myriad of different types of jobs during my career. There has to be someone out there who is utilizing the technologies others developed.

During college, I worked at a company called Beta Electric, which made high voltage power supplies up to 250 KV. I also worked at Radio Engineering Laboratories on klystron transmitters for over the horizon communications.

After graduation, I worked for Hughes Aircraft on the MA-1 fire control system for the F-106 interceptor. The system used a magnetic drum memory and very small vacuum tubes for logic.

I then worked for ITT Federal Electric as a Field Engineer. This gave me a lot of real world experience in many places in the world. I worked on electronic navigational aids that are still in use today: TACAN, VOR, and ILS systems. I also worked on submarine antennas and had the experience of sailing on 2 Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines.

My next job was with ITT Gilfillan working on the SPS-48 long range radar. My previous experience during summer jobs working with high voltage and high power came in very handy.

Following that I worked as for Electronic Specialty Project Engineer on the ALM-40 and ALM 60 Test Sets for the ALR-20 Countermeasures Receiver for the B-52. I was also Project on a dispensable radar jammer to be used in Vietnam.

After that I worked for Litton Industries on the radar and IFF systems for the DD963 class destroyer. When that assignment terminated, I moved to the Reliability and Maintainability group performing predictions and Maintainability demonstrations.

My previous field experience came in handy in running these demonstrations and interfacing with military maintenance personnel.

Following that I worked for Teledyne Electronics as Project Engineer on the Advanced IFF Interrogator/Transponder for the F-16 Aircraft.

The final company I worked for was Whittaker Electronic Systems. During my over 20 year tenure I held many positions, from Project Engineer to Cost Estimator, to Senior Contracts Administrator. The main benefit from my breadth of experience was I was flexible and could perform many different tasks, which assured my longevity in the company.

I am now thoroughly enjoying my retirement and volunteer with Civil Air Patrol, a Railroad Historical Society and flying missions for Angel Flight West . My wife and I also traveled extensively.
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Sounds like you held a lot of high level clearances.
 
I held various types of jobs, but I worked the hardest at parenting.

It's a very difficult job, sometimes extremely difficult. You get very little training if any at all, and when you make mistakes, which I did, you have to work like 10X harder to correct them the best you can. Plus, it costs and costs and costs for freaking decades before you get any sort of pay-off.

But when that time comes you know it was all worth it. So, so worth it.
 
Murrmurr said:
I held various types of jobs, but I worked the hardest at parenting.

It's a very difficult job, sometimes extremely difficult. You get very little training if any at all, and when you make mistakes, which I did, you have to work like 10X harder to correct them the best you can. Plus, it costs and costs and costs for freaking decades before you get any sort of pay-off.

But when that time comes you know it was all worth it. So, so worth it.
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So true!
 
oldaunt said:
I tended bar, mixing drinks and was pretty good at it. Anything else is your misplaced imagination.
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Wow, more sour grapes, isn't there anything that will give you a chuckle or make you smile?

I noticed your comment in the Cannabis vs Alcohol thread:
oldaunt said:
I pass on both, actually. I'm rather fond of being in control of my own brain function.
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...I'm thinking maybe your disposition would be a bit more mellow if you took a break from all that being in control of my own brain thing. :rolleyes:
 

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