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the kozy king
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1/11/2008 4:07:54 PM
Ben Elliot and kozy Kingz want to know what YOU do for a living!
Ben and Terry have this in common -- it is interesting to know what people do for a living.
If you care to share blog on now...
What do you do for a living????????????
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Ben Elliot
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1/11/2008 4:15:35 PM
Indeed, Ill kick things off by telling you about myself. I work for an online bed company. A degree in music has left me with few real 'skills' so, in the couple of years since finishing university I have been spending the days talking to the general public about the pros and cons of different beds. Needless to say I feel like Ive had my brain sucked out with a straw at the end of each day.
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RedRobin
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1/11/2008 5:36:54 PM
....Can I pretend I'm Larree for a moment and answer that by saying: "Mind your own fucking business!!!!" [joking]
Nowadays I don't have time to work.
I'm ready for bed now but will probably answer more tomorrow.
Nite, nite.
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Stegor
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1/11/2008 5:56:56 PM
Ben - something tells me you're young and talented enough that the skills you have will take you well beyond selling beds.
Me? I'm an artist. A highly skilled illustrator. I am the Jimmy Page of illustration. I decided in High School that I was born to be an artist so naturally that is what I would do for a living. At the time I was obsessed with drawing and painting. I got really good at it, went to college, got a degree, and made a career out of it. Now I design trade show exhibits for pretty much every major corporation you can think of.
So you would probably think that would be my dream job, right? Well, imagine if Jimmy Page wrote jingles for Target instead of Stairway to Heaven.
I won't complain though. I make a respectable living. But once you sell out and commission your talent you lose some of your passion for it.
So now my passion is in music instead. I don't have the same kind of natural ability for it but I got the PASSION!
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Vincenzo Pandolfi
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1/11/2008 7:43:15 PM
Well...
From 14 to 22 years of age I was a professional musician in a very busy band.
From 22 to 29 I worked as production planner in a Furniture factory and studied at night and graduated from Chiropractic college in 1980.
In 1994 I got a Master of Chiropractic Science from Macquarie Uni in Sydney.
From 29 to today I worked as a Chiropractor/Osteopath.
Since 1996 I have also worked as a freelance computer programmer building databases in Ms Access.
Now I am semi retired doing a bit of all of the above, writing songs and doing carpentry etc around the house...but Music is My Passion!!!
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The Man With No Band
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1/11/2008 8:04:47 PM
I started working full time at age 15 or 16 ... I've had good jobs and bad jobs ... Interesting jobs and boring ones ... Very low paying jobs and very high paying jobs (with perks) ... longest stretch for one company was a 15 year stint ... I've owned a couple businesses ...
Now I'm just a bum ... (pssssst ... I'll let you in on a little secret) ..
This is the BEST job I ever had !!!!!!!!!!
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Slimdog Productions
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1/11/2008 8:40:15 PM
I am flight attendant with a major carrier. Have been for 17 yrs. now.
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LyinDan
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1/11/2008 8:54:04 PM
I own a business repairing sound equipment - pa's, amplifiers, keyboards, etc. 28th year.
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LyinDan
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1/11/2008 8:55:55 PM
No, wait! I mean, I'm a gigolo. I'm 17 years old.
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Jeff Allen Myers
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1/11/2008 9:26:43 PM
I am The Controller for a San Diego Tech Firm.....
We Design and Manufacture Satellite Head-end equipment and receivers for Japan and ...... get this...
The U.S. Radio industry... Our equipment Broadcasts for ABC Radio Networks (Citadel), ESPN, Premiere Radio networks and.... Drum roll...Clear channel.
Hows that for Irony.....
They are not against Independent music, they give the listening public what hey want....and the Listening public knows what they want from the Corporate Music labels.
I often here people vilify Clear channel....but they make money from ratings, its not Clear channel that is the problem, its the appetite of the Brainwashed listening public.
Anyway, I have a Degree in Business Administration and Accounting.....I have tremendous respect for the people I work for and with.
Jeff
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Jeff Allen Myers
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1/11/2008 9:32:49 PM
Stegor, My Wife went to the CES trade show in Vegas this week, I would imagine some of your work was there! Its nice to know what we all do on the Dark side of the moon...
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No Rhythm
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1/11/2008 10:57:29 PM
I've been selling fire fighting equipment for about 2/12 years now....pretty dull to talk about but I really enjoy the job due to the people I work with, a crazy german, a crazy mexican and various other nutjobs from different parts of the globe.
Prior to this I sold plumbing gear for 17 years....No I can't do it ...I musn't be ashamed ...I really a male madam....LyinDan's one of my staff...there I've come clean.
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The Man With No Band
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1/11/2008 10:58:14 PM
Did I mention I've built parts for ...
Air Force One ...Tomohawk Cruise Missles ... The Space Shuttle ... Apache Helicopters ... The Stealth Bomber ... Lear Jets ... Cessna and Beech Airplanes ... Boeing KC 135 Tankers ... 707's ... 727's ... 737's ... 747's ... 757's ... 767's ... and 777's ...
Ran Brakes, Lathes, Stretch Presses, Drop Hammers, Shears, Heat treat furnaces, etc. etc.
Owned a Motorcycle shop specializing in Harley-Davidson parts, service repair and complete rebuilds ...
Owned my own Auto body shop for a couple of years ...
Owned and ran a couple of websites for awhile ... one was called "WWW.ROCK AMERICA.Net"... the .net thing is hard to get people converted to ... especially 10 years ago ... and RockAmerica.com is a tee shirt selling place, I think they made a buck off me...
My first regular paying job was as a Lifeguard ...
Worked as a Miller in a flour mill ... (making flour for bread companys throughout the world)
I helped build bridges for about 4 years ... some are pretty impressive ... we had to fill in the middle of a Very large lake in order to build a bridge across it... Operated everything from Jackhammers to heavy equipment (Bulldozers, Scrapers, Cranes and such) got a better job just hauling heavy equipment around to different job sites ..
I sold new cars for about 3 months once... (hated lying to people)
Worked for a mover in California short term ... Ran a sweeper truck for a year in Connecticut ... Did turn around work in two oil refineries ... Drove a meat delivery truck route for about a year and a forklift in a warehouse for another ... Worked as a roofer, bartender, farm hand and probably a few things I have forgotten ...
I know this thread was about what we do now ... just didn't want ya all to think that I was always a bum ...
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Andy Broad
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1/12/2008 2:31:21 AM
I play the blues for a living. Well and a little Jazz. I do a little webdesign as well but that's more of a paid hoby, mostly music related sites, such as the bullfrog blues club site at www.barkingspider.abelgratis.com
I used to be design engineer for Marconi Space, but despite the superficialy glamorous idea of building satelites and rockets and stuff it bored me to tears, I knew I wanted to be musician during my degree, but couldn't really playwell enough for another 5 years after that. I walked out of my job and never looked back.
Sometimes being a professional "bluesman" means sitting on the street busking to fill in the the gaps between gigs and earning such a small amount that only a madman would live on it, but there have been planty of high points. Actually even though I try to avoid busking as much as possible now, some of the high points have been the positive comments you get from knowledgeable passers by, the low points are the comments from the ignorant ones, but I'm pretty thick skinned.
Been doing it for almost 20 years now. Biggest boost to my carreer was buying a car in 2001 (and learning to drive it :-))
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the kozy king
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1/12/2008 4:49:46 AM
Hey Ben, this is great so far. I find each one fascinating.
My wife says I look at every single person when we're in public. This can be a challenge in the big city!! But I am really interested in people and the more variety the better...
Anyone else wanna volunteer. C'mon don't be shy!
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Tony Vani and Debbie Hoskin
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1/12/2008 5:04:21 AM
Really interesting bunch we are. O.K. I'll share my secret life with you. Oh wait a minute, music is actually my secret life. :-) I'm a therapist..... in a crisis center. I do individual counselling and I also facilitate groups. Music is my therapy.
Tony Vani is a teacher and works with children who have special needs.
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Nerol
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1/12/2008 5:20:30 AM
I'm a piano technician, self-employed since 1984. On any given day I will have tuned anywhere from 4-10 pianos. When not tuning I'm repairing or rebuilding, fitting new hammers, restringing/repinning, etc. It's pretty cool. :)
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Spank Momma
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1/12/2008 6:08:06 AM
Well I was a carpenter for 18 and decided I wasn't gonna earn all the money for everyone else. So I started my own rubber roofing company and quickly learned that there is lots of money in slate and copper work. So now I own my own company specializing in slaters and coppersmiths. Im Mr Slate and my son is Mr Smith.
Nothing like workin with your own kid and really enjoying work with him.
I still want to be a moviestar. Peace
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the Rivergods
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1/12/2008 7:12:30 AM
Like Sam, I've had many occupations along the way, and, like Larree, I go nuts if I"m not playing music. For the past 20-odd years, I've had my own business, subcontracting cable TV installation, commercial and residential pre and post-wire builds.
For the past few years, I've been providing technical illustrations for patent applications. Mostly high-tech flow charts, but lately I've been enjoying some guitar design work, too. Of course, it helps that my brother is an intellectual property attorney (and a pretty fine musician as well).
So far, it's the only thing, other than music, that I can really "get lost" in for hours on end. It gives me great satisfaction to see a product come on line, knowing I had a hand in the "birthing" process.
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satch
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1/12/2008 8:28:07 AM
Very interesting thread! Nice to learn a little more about you all.
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Hugh Hamilton
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1/12/2008 9:19:44 AM
...stay-at-home dad...former freelance corporate communications/training geek...and former administrator of the Dead Milkmen's mailing list (lol - true)...
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RedRobin
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1/12/2008 9:37:13 AM
Short version of life story so far:
After college, assistant to a famous designer....Started out on my own with blue chip contacts....Established my own successful consultancy company for over 25 years....Travelled and worked on projects throughout the world for some exceedingly filthy rich people until the sudden death of my 4yo son in my arms one morning. Marriage ended....Loss of home....Complete rethink about life....Worked on factory floor....Worked with Horses doing Natural Horsemanship....Managed to get a roof over my head without mortgage or any debts....Stopped working....Given Native flute 5 years ago and now consider myself to be an independant musician but I'm not against the mainstream.
I'm a free man (whose only commitment is as single father to my daughter) and I won't sign any contract binding me into playing or doing for others - No-one owns me!! I'm totally capable of creating and offering my music independently to those who like it. I have no specific ambition but simply follow my heart and go with the flow. I don't know Western music theory nor can I read music....I just improvise and wing it every single time I play....I'm a one-take kind of guy when recording. I enjoy recording more than live and I consider mixing to be just another musical instrument.
I live and enjoy each day as it comes and no longer have time to 'work' for a living anyway!
Music is a very major part of my life but there are other things. One of them is high performance cars - I own one, absolutely love driving and have done specialist courses both on road and on airfields etc. I'm a petrolhead!
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srm
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1/12/2008 12:47:25 PM
I've done lots of different jobs, from pest control to sales. I was a service tech at a music store for a few years, and am currently assistant chief engineer at a (very) small market television station.
I've always been involved with music all my life; from singing in choirs as a kid to playing as a semi-professional musician in the 80's. I have to say that I like Red Robin's approach to music. I too, prefer to record, rather than deal with all the technical issues involved in playing live. Also, I could (and have) spent weeks just doing various mixes of tunes. Maybe that's why I'm not very prolific.
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Stegor
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1/12/2008 1:05:55 PM
While we're at it, I also was a janitor, worked in a butcher shop (cleaned up lots of blood, some of it my own), Made Scope mouthwash bottles at a plastics plant, and made little ceramic animals that perch on the edge of flower pots (Pot Perchers).
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satch
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1/12/2008 1:41:31 PM
My past is a myriad of adventures... mostly in music.
When I left school I trained for 3 years to be an accountant while performing in various bands... turned 21 and quit accountancy (well do you blame me???)... then I worked as an internal auditor with an expense account and a fat paycheck, but still playing music in bands, saved up some money and fled from the apartheid regime of South Africa.
Hit Europe, busked a lot, worked picking fruit, had a great job as a surfing instructor in France, busked some more, came to England, worked in a clothing warehouse, busked some more, played in bands, got a job as a tape op in Livingstone Studios. Went on to work in pretty well all of the major London studios, with many names, learnt a lot from people like Vic Maille (who recorded the legendary Isle of Wight festival), Jerry Boys, Tony Visconti, Martin Rushent, Paul Hardiman and many many others.
Later, I was given charge of a neat little 8-track facility for IRS (Miles Copelands label) producing demos for the label and discretely producing masters for a lot of independent artists.
Got very fed-up with the industry in the early 80's and quit. Set myself up with a neat little 8-track facility in North London and started recording music for use in music libraries, as well as demos and masters for a lot of independent artists, and for a few "names".
Then I met Susan and we started working together, writing, recording, gigging... and here we are, many years later, I still work with Susan, I still produce music for music libraries, I still record the occasional album for various artists (New Scorpion Band, Kangaroo Moon, Lucy Ray), and I also work designing and building web sites for a few selected clients.
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SILVERWOODSTUDIO
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1/12/2008 3:53:25 PM
You guys are a fascinating bunch ------I'm working on my CV right now!
Phew!!!!!!!!
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SqurlyMurly
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1/12/2008 4:43:01 PM
I play music for a living BUT I'm starving to death! Let's see, my husband's family owned a local working man's bar and I fell into the wondrous and exotic life of a barmaid. YAY It was fun. I worked at Chrysler for a while, humping the line doing the same repetitive job over and over so many times I dreamt about it! So glad to have left that. I went on to painting then. Not Picasso's or Van Gogh's, although some locals called us that. Hubby and I custom painted houses, inside and out. Oh, and we also did a few horse stalls too for Mrs. DuPont, the owner of Kelso. Heck, we even spread cowshit on new bricks. They, the owners, had heard that it would make them look old and blend in with the rest of the historical places, (I always called it hysterical). Interesting, although a bit malodorous! From there, I moved on to the illustrious job of maintenance and cleaning at an apartment complex in Delaware that houses roughly 99% college students. I called it the Puke Patrol! Now, I'm like Sam...I'm being a bum, but a good bum...a music bum. Just writing and recording...And BEGGING someone out there to make me rich!! PLEASE> PLEASE>PLEASE.
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Bruce Boyd
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1/12/2008 4:57:03 PM
Gentleman of independent means.....
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1/12/2008 10:16:38 PM
My working life was a bit like my musical one in that I had 28 different jobs in a 10 year period. from civil servant to secy/p.a.
The only job I ever wanted was to be a Mum and I did that several times with some amazing results.
The next working period was menial ..cleaner - veg peeler - Avon lady - barmaid.
I then started a D.I.Y shop in the village and although it made no profit at all I loved it because I got to do amazing window displays and had no boss. Gave it up because the paperwork was too stressful.
Then I started creative writing and managed to get work published regularly on a weekly journal ...never made too much from it just prestige.
Since then my life has been a mixture of trying to set up small businesses and educating myself. So I'm now a qualified ...Health/fitness teacher.... Commercial copywriter ... and Interior designer..... but since I got a BA in Health studies (in my 40s) I have not worked. I would rather live on fallen apples and potatoes or take up crime than be employed again. I'm very lucky to own a house and the only thing I'd want more money for would be another house...but by the sea.
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Verity
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1/12/2008 11:43:22 PM
In case anyone wondered, by day I am a bottle maker's bottom knocker, I know, I get teased a lot about that :)
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the Rivergods
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1/13/2008 12:04:04 AM
"In case anyone wondered, by day I am a bottle maker's bottom knocker..."
OK, I give....what's a bottle maker's bottom knocker????
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Verity
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1/13/2008 2:12:09 AM
That's OK, I'll explain...I knock the bottom of the bottles that bottlemakers make and discard the ones that are out of key.....I don't know why, but apparently it's very important for the vintage wine market !
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Bruce Boyd
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1/13/2008 2:43:30 AM
Otherwise the wine wouldn't go blob blob blob blob bloob bloob bloob bloob blib blib blib blib when you pour it out.
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Ben Elliot
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1/13/2008 5:31:02 AM
Wow, this is really quite interesting. Everyone has done so much with their lives, it kind of makes me feel very young and inexperienced.
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Verity
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1/13/2008 7:17:19 AM
No, no Ben Sweetheart, you may be young but a lot of us here would be happy to have had your experience (in music anyway :)
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SILVERWOODSTUDIO
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1/13/2008 12:06:27 PM
I'll try to be brief---
Most important job -----parent of 6 -----now 5-------!
I am an Artist/Sculptor and digital Artist in the medium of driftwood/ and a Promoter of Musicians(who is also a muso)
How did I get rich? Property development!
Things I have worked at; Teacher 5 years,Coal Miner, Fisherman / Marine farmer, Builder (Houses), Polytech tutor Maths English Music,--- Music Therapist for disabled (still going) Sheep Farmer, Vineyard worker--and countless small boring jobs like factory worker etc.we have moved home many times including Australia.
Silverwoodstudio was set up to promote my kids and my music just over 1 year ago, it has been extraordinary!
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DirgeK
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1/13/2008 12:32:49 PM
DirgeK never worked. She was very intelligent and could have achieved whatever she wanted. She left school at 17 after gaining all A's and A* in her GCSE's but would not carry on with any more formal education. She was a free spirit and spent her time being creative.
Myself, I have worked all my life for the health service diagnosing infectious diseases. An occupation which uses very much the left side of the brain. I taught myself to play guitar as a teenager. I had some lessons and was not a bad player but I gave up due to never having enough time to practise enough and not being able to sing. I hope to get back into music more when I retire.
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GREAT CENTRAL
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1/13/2008 1:25:06 PM
well, i won't go into the tedious of past jobs, but suffice to say i am very happy in my latest job...
i am a 'lageransvarlig' for the largest book store in scandinavia, considering i haven't yet mastered the lingo, i am quite proud of this, i do a damn good job, work super hard and have total autonomy...
i'm about one chapter away from finishing my first novel, so that's what i hope my job will be soon...
ps. soooodonymph - aww, bless og tusen takk!
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1/13/2008 10:32:18 PM
...and the above post comes from one of my 'amazing results' haha....I now realise that I am such a bad Mum because I didn't even know he was writing a novel....although I have suggested it many times. I know one was started about15 years ago...is that the same one I wonder?
bless og tusen takk! to you Gav.
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Pulse Eternal
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1/13/2008 11:23:06 PM
What a fascinating blog!!! It seems we are an extremely diverse bunch.
I am currently self employed in three areas. My most lucrative income at present is importing and distribution of a research peptide called Melanotan II. The hope is that this peptide will reach approval status for human use and provide a natural defence against skin cancer. It works by stimulating the body's production of melanin which is our natural skin defence mechanism and provides us with a tan.
I am also a professional strongwoman and earn an income performing strength feats.and doing seminars on health and fitness.
Some of my strength feats include:
flipping over a 1900 lb car complete with engine,
Overhead pressing a 240 lb man multiple times,
tearing a 1000 page phone book in half from the spine,
popping an unopened Pepsi can with one hand,
bending 1/2 inch thick concrete reinforcing rods with my hands,
towing a 4500 lb truck (that was actually really easy),
crushing two apples with my hands at once (one in each hand),
crushing a watermelon with a bearhug.
I hold a number of national powerlifting records including an Australian open womens deadlift record with a lift of 407 lbs and an unofficial world grip strength record.
My full bio with my current stats, records and best lifts is HERE
Here's a clip of my one handed Pepsi can crush -
My other great passion (and the reason I am on IAC) is.... drumroll.....MUSIC!! Amazing!! lol :-D
Seriously though, my music business SuperPuss Music and Image is another part of my income. My latest project is a live compilation CD of some of Australia's big 70's and 80's acts. Many of them are still performing and some are writing new material.
This live album features new recordings of these bands that I've been recording at a venue in Geelong called the Deakin Waterfront Cafe. It's a fantastic venue and the results have been well worth the effort.
Some of the artists featured on the compilation will be:
Mental as Anything,
The Black Sorrows,
Mondo Rock / Daddy Cool,
Dragon,
Russell Morris,
Daryl Cotton,
Brian Cadd,
Scott Carne (Kids in the Kitchen),
Brian Mannix (Uncanny X Men),
Wilbur Wilde and Frankie J Holden.
This is a real dream gig for me because most of those artists were a huge influence on me as a teenager in the 80's. In fact, some of them were my favourite artists at the time.
Anyway, that's enough of my life story for one blog!!
SuperPuss
 
=^.^=
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Hop On Pop
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1/14/2008 5:57:55 AM
I'm a rockstar wannabe.
But to earn a paycheck, I'm a writer.
WAIT!
Nothing glamorous.
I was at a couple of ad agencies before, but now I write catalog copy for an industrial supplies catalog.
Not fun, but they treat me güd, and pay me okay.
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