Tell me about your or your SO's Career

[ourcrazynavylife]

Hi ladies,

Back story on me & my DH

We're a dual military Navy couple in Cali.
My husband is a supply corps officer (so inventory, sales, contracting, paperwork is what he does).
It wasn't his first choice (originally wanted to be a SEAL) didn't get selected. Got selected for flight school. Was medically disqualified due to high blood pressure. That's how he got to the supply corps.

Well he hates his job and he also hates his degree (computer securities and information assurance).

He's genuinely considering getting out but is afraid (understandable it's a huge step).

What I'm asking is what do you guys and your SOs do for a living? Do you like your jobs?

(Things he's considered is NCIS, firefighting, and law enforcement). He's afraid of not being able to pass the physicals though because of the BP issues and he thinks that firefighting is going to be a no go because he won't be able to hack the EMT portion.

If you read that, thank you. And lots of booze and cake for you.

[jubilantsquirrel]

MH is a job coach/developer for adults with special needs. Before that he worked for an agency that provided one-on-one services to schools that had kids with behavioral issues in the special education classrooms. He likes his job well enough, but there really isn't much room for movement. His only option would be management but that would put him behind a desk all day, and he's not a desk job kinda guy. He recently started talking about maybe going into law enforcement. But that would be a few years down the road.

I work for a large corporation basically just doing busy work. I don't love my job, but it's easy, pays well and has great benefits, so I really can't complain. I would much rather be a SAHM, but we need my insurance, so that's not an option for me.

ETA: Forgot to add that MH also has a part time job through the city doing adaptive recreation. They go on weekend outings a couple times a month and also participate in Special Olympics. He coaches basketball, softball and soccer through the program.

[thelittleredm]

H was in the Army infantry and when he got out he got hired as a warehouse worker. He was going to join law enforcement but finally decided his PTSD would get the better of him and he didn't want to put people in needless danger because of it. Plus, he didn't want to deal with all the red tape and feelings of not being able to really help in a lot of situations.
He's always wanted to work with animals and decided to go back to school to be a vet tech so hopefully by the end of the year, he'll be doing that full time. I'm a customer service rep for a dealership. Not great, has nothing to do with my degree, but it puts food on the table.

[cnf2013]

I'm a middle school health teacher, so I talk to teenagers about sex all day long. It's pretty fun.

My H is the assistant director of recreation at a college. He has a masters in recreation. He plans and runs intramural sports, fitness programs, schedules and coordinates fitness classes, hires trains and oversees student staff. He likes it quite a bit. Plus his college offers tuition exchange with about 200 other colleges around the country, so our kids will get to go to college for free some day at any of the participating schools. Such a huge perk!

[peaseblossom55]

H is a software engineer he writes code. He is so smart. He likes his job for the most part.

I do compliance/supervision for large financial firm. I like my job quite a bit. I'd like it even more if I could get a promotion out of it and become a team lead.

[cookswithwine9]

My husband is a police officer. That is all he has ever wanted to be until recently... he has been expressing some doubts. Law enforcement is not what it use to be. The scrutiny in the media and politics is insane today! Also the hours blow! He works nights, weekends and a lot of mandatory over time. He is considering a career change to be able to spend more time with his family. I would also prefer a career for him where I didn't have to worry about him coming home to me every night.

[teraiin]

MH is a MEO (Mechanical Equipment Operator is what I think it stands for). Fancy way of saying he drives the big dump trucks during the summer and the big plows during the winter. He also does road maintenance, cuts down trees, picks up brush, digs ditches/does drainage, and some other stuff.

He likes the JOB because it can be fairly active. He doesn't overly like some of the people he needs to deal with and there is a residency requirement. We love our house but we had to buy a house in one of the more highly taxed (property taxes) towns in the area.

Edit because I forgot to answer for myself:

I teach computer classes at the local library. I also do the website management, tech support for both staff and patrons, employee training, and maintenance on all our tech stuff.

[diamondsndaisies]

DH is a CNC machinst. He makes parts out of aluminum for various things. They put in a bid for a project and then he puts all of the specs in to a CAD program and make the original part. Then if the client is happy, then the line workers mass produce it.
He also farms and raises cattle and is an EMT.

I currently work as a secretary in the Public Defender's office. I am getting ready to go back to school to be a paralegal. I really enjoy my job.

[teraiin]

Jan 28, 2016 15:13:55 GMT -5 cookswithwine9 said:

My husband is a police officer. That is all he has ever wanted to be until recently... he has been expressing some doubts. Law enforcement is not what it use to be. The scrutiny in the media and politics is insane today! Also the hours blow! He works nights, weekends and a lot of mandatory over time. He is considering a career change to be able to spend more time with his family. I would also prefer a career for him where I didn't have to worry about him coming home to me every night.

My friend's husband is an officer. It was all he ever wanted too. He's planning on sticking with it but wants to get out as soon as he has enough time in. It's a tough deal all around between the media, crazy schedules, and stuff. I have a lot of respect for people who go into those professions!

[sleepymonkey]

I work in project management for a large aerospace corporation. I don't love it but I don't hate it either. It pays well and has good benefits. My undergrad degree was in fashion merchandising and while I loved working in that field, I hated having to live in a large city for little pay.
MH is a licensed mental health counselor, working at a local outpatient clinic. He enjoys what he does it but it is very demanding, both emotionally and time-wise. Mental health workers notoriously get paid kind of crappy but he does ok. However, he only gets paid for client contact hours and he has mounds of paperwork to do that he does not get paid for.
Since your H is interested in law enforcement, I will say that my brother is in law enforcement and when he was younger, he loved his job as a police officer working in the rough areas of town. But after years of doing that, it took a toll on him emotionally and physically. And once he had kids, he no longer wanted to put his life in danger as much. He now is a school resource officer at a high school and really enjoys that. He still gets to be a police officer but has better hours and a much easier job (at least during the school year).

[lilsneezy]

MH is a tattoo artist and oil paints on the side. We opened up our own tattoo shop a little over 3 years ago and for the most part, we love it. He tattoos (obviously) and I keep everything running smooth. We're together 24/7 and while that may not be ideal for every couple, it works for us. This is actually our third time working together in the past 10 years so we're used to being around each other all the time.

His job is very demanding and stressful at times. He draws/designs/tattoos/paints from 1pm until about 12-1am, 6 days a week. His back is destroyed, his diet is terrible, but he loves his job. And he's really good at it.

[littlelion]

My DH has had careers as a welder and a screen printer (he used to print the big black menu signs for Jimmy Johns!). He was laid off last year and took up landscaping (great money sucky hrs). He's just happy if he's able to work hard and earn good money.

I'm in Finance. I have an MBA in Ops so my job pay well but I'm not doing something I particularly like. And I took a step down from Mgr to Sr Analyst last year (different company). I don't like dealing with upper mgmt. My day revolves around data and databases which I am happy with.

YH should try one of his options. If it doesn't work out he can move on knowing that wasn't for him.

[ourcrazynavylife]

Thanks everyone for all of the responses.
He's looking for something very active & "exciting". He's definitely not a desk job kinda guy.

I've suggested to him in the past about maybe getting his personal trainer certificate since he likes to work out and I think he'd be good at it.

Honestly I don't care what he does. I've told him he could get out and be a surf bum for all I care if only he's happy. I hate seeing him come home hating his job.

His concern is he wants a career but with us moving every couple of years he doesn't know how that would be possible.

[♪♫choppinbroccoli♫♪]

Jan 28, 2016 15:18:26 GMT -5 diamondsndaisies said:

DH is a CNC machinst. He makes parts out of aluminum for various things. They put in a bid for a project and then he puts all of the specs in to a CAD program and make the original part. Then if the client is happy, then the line workers mass produce it.
He also farms and raises cattle and is an EMT.

I currently work as a secretary in the Public Defender's office. I am getting ready to go back to school to be a paralegal. I really enjoy my job.

^This girl's got some stories. LOL.

[diamondsndaisies]

Jan 28, 2016 15:57:54 GMT -5 ♪♫choppinbroccoli♫♪ said:

Jan 28, 2016 15:18:26 GMT -5 diamondsndaisies said:

DH is a CNC machinst. He makes parts out of aluminum for various things. They put in a bid for a project and then he puts all of the specs in to a CAD program and make the original part. Then if the client is happy, then the line workers mass produce it.
He also farms and raises cattle and is an EMT.

I currently work as a secretary in the Public Defender's office. I am getting ready to go back to school to be a paralegal. I really enjoy my job.

^This girl's got some stories. LOL.

Oh the things I could tell you......

[joy]

My husband's a lawyer. He'd tell your husband not to go to law school. He tells everyone not to go to law school.

[spicysalmonroll]

You might not realize this (most people don't) but 90% of fireman in this country are volunteer. Only big cities have SOME paid full timers, which are really hard to get. I know this because my H and FIL were both volunteer firefighters for years, they quit recently.

I'm an accountant, and I really like it. I'm a numbers person and I like being alone in my office all day and not dealing with any customers or people so it works out for me.
My H is a diesel mechanic, works on big Mac trucks. He is self taught, started there pumping gas and just learned along the way and worked his way up. He likes it.

[spicysalmonroll]

Jan 28, 2016 15:13:55 GMT -5 cookswithwine9 said:

My husband is a police officer. That is all he has ever wanted to be until recently... he has been expressing some doubts. Law enforcement is not what it use to be. The scrutiny in the media and politics is insane today! Also the hours blow! He works nights, weekends and a lot of mandatory over time. He is considering a career change to be able to spend more time with his family. I would also prefer a career for him where I didn't have to worry about him coming home to me every night.

It's still semi dangerous but has he considered a corrections officer in a prison? Our good friend does this and his pension plan is so fucking good, he will retire at like 46 years old. He started on crappy hours but now he's worked his way to normal M-F daytime hours.

[wannabmama]

Jan 28, 2016 16:41:59 GMT -5 joy said:

My husband's a lawyer. He'd tell your husband not to go to law school. He tells everyone not to go to law school.

I literally just came in here to say MH and I are lawyers. Do not be a lawyer.

[kayladawn91]

H has his engineering degree but currently is just working as a line worker because the money is better (crazy right?). He works for Chrysler.

I am an Intervention Teacher at a high school. I work with the lowest of the low kids in their English classes. Hopefully this is temporary and I'll get my own classroom soon!

[Deleted]

MH is a beer brewer by trade, but unemployed because he has a terrible habit of arguing with his bosses.

He has also worked for years in both landscaping and warehouses. Right now he is looking for forklift operator jobs so we can get back on our feet and out of my MIL's house. (slowly losing my mind stuck here)

One day, he hopes to get back into brewing because it is his passion. He is talented, but doesn't deal well with authority. I'm really hoping if he can get himself together and go a year without getting fired or having us relocate that we can work towards his dream of owning his own place.

So my question is what are YH's passions in life? What does he enjoy doing?

[♪♫choppinbroccoli♫♪]

Jan 28, 2016 17:12:37 GMT -5 kayladawn91 said:

H has his engineering degree but currently is just working as a line worker because the money is better (crazy right?). He works for Chrysler.

I am an Intervention Teacher at a high school. I work with the lowest of the low kids in their English classes. Hopefully this is temporary and I'll get my own classroom soon!

Does he work a lot of OT? If so, I totally believe it. 100%.

[kayladawn91]

Jan 28, 2016 17:16:41 GMT -5 ♪♫choppinbroccoli♫♪ said:

Jan 28, 2016 17:12:37 GMT -5 kayladawn91 said:

H has his engineering degree but currently is just working as a line worker because the money is better (crazy right?). He works for Chrysler.

I am an Intervention Teacher at a high school. I work with the lowest of the low kids in their English classes. Hopefully this is temporary and I'll get my own classroom soon!

Does he work a lot of OT? If so, I totally believe it. 100%.

He does, but even without OT he would still make 20-25K more than starting pay as an engineer.

[Deleted]

Jan 28, 2016 16:52:48 GMT -5 wannabmama said:

Jan 28, 2016 16:41:59 GMT -5 joy said:

My husband's a lawyer. He'd tell your husband not to go to law school. He tells everyone not to go to law school.

I literally just came in here to say MH and I are lawyers. Do not be a lawyer.

This is what I tell anyone who wants to get a sociology degree. I got passed over for jobs when I was first started out because they preferred psych degree, even though I had counseling classes on my transcripts.

[ourcrazynavylife]

@wallflwr926 i feel like I shouldn't find that question as hard as I'm finding it.
I don't really know what he's passionate about; he has always talked about wanting an exciting, I don't know what's the word 'elite', type job. Wanted to do Seals, explosive ordinance disposal, fighter pilot, etc. it's just never worked out.
The only other thing he talks about is he really likes investing and wants to own a business someday.
He enjoys the outdoors. Hiking, surfing, snowboarding, wake boarding, things like that.

He hates jobs that revolve around desks and papers.

(Sorry about punctuation/capitalization. My phone gets a little nuts sometimes.)

[♪♫choppinbroccoli♫♪]

Jan 28, 2016 15:05:25 GMT -5 peaseblossom55 said:

H is a software engineer he writes code. He is so smart. He likes his job for the most part.

I do compliance/supervision for large financial firm. I like my job quite a bit. I'd like it even more if I could get a promotion out of it and become a team lead.

So, ourcrazynavylife, MH and I are both engineers. Unless he likes math, science, and going back to school for most likely 3+ years, don't do it.

However, the bolded above is very much in demand. I don't know what all is included in a computer securities and information assurance degree, but if he likes the intricacies of IT and controls, it might be worth looking in to electronics or computer programming.

I know that with that type of job, he would be able to work both at a desk if he does coding/programming, but would also be able to work out in the field to test equipment. Or if he went down the electrician route, he would be able to work out in the plant plus in the shop.

And this line of work could be taught on-the-job, 2-year, or 4-year. There are options.

Just a thought.

[pinkcat]

DH and I work in marketing together. We work for a consumer products company and get to have a ton responsibility because it's a small company. I really like getting to work together!

[Deleted]

I forgot include my own career.

I am a mobile response worker for children's crisis program. I go into schools and homes of children ages 3-21, when they have experienced trauma, having a difficult time adjusting to something in their life, and/ or having unexplained behavioral issues. We provide 8 weeks of stabilization services before closing the case or connecting the families to long term services.

[Deleted]

Jan 28, 2016 17:25:17 GMT -5 ourcrazynavylife said:

@wallflwr926 i feel like I shouldn't find that question as hard as I'm finding it.
I don't really know what he's passionate about; he has always talked about wanting an exciting, I don't know what's the word 'elite', type job. Wanted to do Seals, explosive ordinance disposal, fighter pilot, etc. it's just never worked out.
The only other thing he talks about is he really likes investing and wants to own a business someday.
He enjoys the outdoors. Hiking, surfing, snowboarding, wake boarding, things like that.

He hates jobs that revolve around desks and papers.

(Sorry about punctuation/capitalization. My phone gets a little nuts sometimes.)

Those are good answers to my question. So he likes the outdoors, hates desk jobs. That does narrow things down quite a bit.

[wanderingheart]

Not sure if this helps with your situation, but MH is a Social Worker. In our state, child welfare is privatized, so he works for a foster care company as a supervisor. He loves it. His passion is with kids in the system and adoption, and he also loves being in management. #bestofbothworlds

I am working on finishing my Masters too (3 more months YAY), then I'll be a social worker too. I am currently at a psychiatric hospital, but I want to transition to the medical side once I am licensed and work in the NICU/Labor and Delivery.