Support NeoGAF

[jokkir]

I'm a front-end developer for a small start-up dealing with clients and now, an internal project that will hopefully go somewhere far. I'm actually the only front-end in the company and would consider myself as a intermediate levelled front-end developer and deal with the continuation of improving workflow, and modernising the front-end stack in the company if my boss decides to hire someone else.

I like the company since it's so relaxing and not really stressful at all (minus some hard deadlines from clients). It doesn't pay too much but I asked for a raise to cover this part since I have a few friends and acquaintances that make far more than me despite being less experienced. I also do photography, design, front-end, and some back-end for the company so I do think I offer a lot for the company.

 

[mhayes86]

Systems engineer/administrator at a Fortune 500, primarily on Windows desktop and server OS'. The days can be incredibly busy with infrastructure changes and troubleshooting, which isn't so bad. I can only take so much downtime since I eventually get bored of searching the web (I'm currently waiting for some of my scripts to complete), so I'll usually research some technology to prep for an upcoming or current project.

Pros: It's a very stimulating job where I am constantly learning something new and refining skills.

Cons: Our helpdesk isn't that great as they tend to forward most issues to my team instead of working with us or troubleshooting on their own, which gives us less time to actually do our primary job. My team is on call if something happens outside of business hours, but we alternate weeks.

I got the job from continuously going to career fairs at my university, sending in resumes online, and speaking to recruiters when they would visit my campus outside of career fairs. I had a recruiter keep in touch with me for about seven months and then go silent, but I ran into her at a career fair a couple months later where she recognized my resume. From there, she set me up with an interview the next day, and then forwarded me to another set of interviews. I went to those, but wasn't able to get hired due to funding being dropped for the contract that I was being considered for. Another recruiter with the same company got in touch with me and helped me find another position, and then forwarded my resume to the direct manager. Went to the interview, and got the offer letter the day of my college graduation.

 

[theepicoftyler]

I'm a geologist at an environmental consulting firm. The company I work for handles a lot of due diligence for the major players in the telecom industry, we make sure they're not buying environmental compromised land that they would be on the hook for remediation if they were to buy it or enter into a lease on. Sometimes they want to buy it anyway, and then we develop remediation plans for them or plans for them to protect the safety of their workers in area with potential exposure to hazardous contamination.

I get to spend a lot of time traveling and every project is different, so that's engaging enough to keep me relatively happy. I hate all the report writing, but it is what it is.

I love doing all the field work though, so that's nice.

 

[Onlinehero]

Migration Officer at a detention unit. Tons of stuff to keep tabs on with the ever present risk of escape attempts. 99% of detainees are super nice though, and aware that our job as personell is to maintain their rights while enforcing deportation (the "machinery" has already determined their case outside detention).

 

[nullset2]

I have seventeen jobs, this one's part-time.

I do programming and testing and I moonlight as an IT consultant. I've done software, hardware, networks and infrastructure of all kinds (focusing on cloud stuff and containerization now).

 

[j.rob]

Work in between part time and full time at Nandos. Work full time with a small motion graphics and animation production company.

Studied animation at university and managed to get this graduate job within about half a year of finishing university. Honestly I was just in the right place at the right time, so I'm lucky.

Shame cause most of my class mates are doing nothing with their degree since we graduated and they are really tallented. It makes me want to start up my own animation studio or something and just get back in touch with them to hire them.

I love both of my jobs though. Nandos is really fun, keeps my busy and on my toes and free food is always great. The team I work with are the best and we really are like a small family. The company itself does value us as employees and the perks like regional parties and frequent staff day outs are always something to look forward to.
But having to bend over backwards for dickhead customers and basically not getting free weekends and public holidays much does kinda suck. Plus the pay is...eh, but at least is weekly

My animation job is hard work, deadlines and clients and conforming to their needs is a ball ache at times. Plus I get paid once a project is finished, so despite the money being really good, isn't as reliable as Nandos.
But all in all my passion is animating, so I will never find it a chore. I have learned a lot more working here in regards to developing my skills as a creative than I have spending 3 years at university. The experience of working in the industry is quite invaluable.

I have to rely on both jobs currently at the moment for further get to greater heights. Nandos basically keeps me alive and pays the bills with its frequent income.
My animation job is mainly developing my skills and building a better work ethic and experience.

Im 23 just for reference by the way.

 

[MindofKB]

I'm an engineering technical writer for a Big 4 tech company in the Bay Area. I can't lie, it's incredibly fun and fulfilling.
It's as cool as you've probably imagined, but not quite as funny as Silicon Valley on HBO.

 

[Evo Shandor]

Financial Administrator for Research Projects within the Physics Department of a university in Canada. I monitor the spending of funds, remind scientists about proper spending and eligibility procedures, do a lot of paperwork, journal entries, and purchase tracking and light procurement.

Pro: flexible with my school schedule, work full times when I'm not at school; great benefits package and pension; work under a Nobel prize winner, so that will be a hell of a reference letter.

Cons: it is a very dry job even though the research itself is fascinating ; completely unrelated to my interests and I feel, unless there is a huge structure reorganization, that I won't be able to progress much higher up the ladder.

Board of Governors for a community college. Not much to say, as I am just starting. I will get free professional development opportunities and networking events in Toronto as well as a graduate's certificate in Governance.

Chief Financial Officer for the Riding Association and a member of the Executive of a political party. Great experience so far.

Campaign strategist for a local politician looking for nomination in the upcoming Provincial election.

 

[Falchion]

I'm an analyst for a pretty decent sized city. I work a lot on the budget but I also get to work on a lot of other projects like creating an open data platform for city data and doing random research for the city manager. The pay is good and I've got 2 promotions coming in the next 3 years as long as I'm still doing well. There's also a pretty clear path into the management if I want to stay long term but I doubt that I will. I'll probably stay a few more years and then move on to something completely different.

 

[v1lla21]

911 dispatcher at a university police station. Big enough campus that it operates like any typical law enforcement agency -- same SOPs, level of training, etc... just a lot less call volume. My two most common call types are dispatching medical to check on passed out drunk kids or cops to bust kids for smoking weed. Other than that, it's a lotta phone secretary stuff, routing people to the correct sources/offices within the department. There is occasionally some heavy-duty stuff to deal with, maybe one big call every month or so.

It just became summer session and I work night shift so... Lotta Mario Kart on my Switch during my shifts now.

I'm actually authorized to play games at work during downtime but obviously I have to drop it as soon as the phone rings or the radio keys up, so it does limit what types of games I can play (basically no persistent multiplayer games). The Nintendo Switch is absolutely incredible for it, but I also have a gaming laptop I use.

EDIT: Pros - decent pay, job security, able to play games or watch Netflix in downtime as long as it doesn't take me away from my job duties, department has a lot of other nerds in its employment so I get along quite well with people

Cons - night shift so hardly any time to socialize, don't get any holidays off, sometimes literally dealing with life-and-death situations (stressful)

How many dispatchers during a shift? My buddy works as a dispatcher at a university and he's there by himself during his shift but a different friend of mine works at a different University and there's up to 3 during a shift.

 

[BearPawB]

Associate Professor of Psychology

 

[Sami+]

Four days a week as a part time computer operator (basically QA, doing whatever people need done) and just started as a Research Assistant for a lab at my university.

Pros:
- I just watch videos and read GAF all day honestly
- Decent pay, above minimum wage and I don't need my degree yet.
- Rubbing elbows w people in the lab, hopefully that'll pay off
- pretty chill all around

Cons:
- With school it gets pretty busy
- lots of driving

 

[DerekOfTheDykes]

Currently work nights in the master control room for a local television network, comprised of about six channels. I had a friend who worked there in the production department, and I had some previous broadcast experience both in production and as a radio dj, so the world of broadcast wasn't really anything new to me.

Master control is kind of difficult to explain, because it's a different job at every station, but the master control room is the final room everything in the building goes through before it leaves to go to the transmitter. At our particular tv network, we are responsible for acquiring and trimming all the shows and commercials that will go to air, inspecting the playlist, running various on-air graphical elements like news crawls and legal IDs, and fixing things when they go wrong as a form of low-level engineer. Among a billion other things.

I like it because it's work I can very comfortably do, and it pays my bills fine. My managers and supervisors recognize my work ethic and have gone out of their way to work out a few significant pay bumps for me to keep me compensated. Plus, the directors and producers have to call me "Master" over the headset, and that in no way has contributed to any power trips while at work.

 

[Roge_NES]

Medical interpreter.

I help out non english speaking patients get the care they need.
Good $$$ and 10hr shifts so I get 3 days off.
ER visits are pretty... interesting.

No cons really, but it's good to have a strong stomach.

 

[Maedre]

Consultant for ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 50001

 

[Ron Mexico]

Manager of a credit union.

Pros: None of the cutthroat toxic sales environment of the big banks, a company-wide willingness to embrace new ideas and improving the processes, a hell of a good team working for me, Monday-Friday 8-4:30 with solid combination of benefits, 401(k), salary, commute etc.

Cons: We're very limited in who we can offer membership to based on our charter, change is still slower than I'd like, our charter means we're highly dependent on things out of our direct control

Still best move of my career bar none.

 

[Rocketz]

Data Analyst for call center program. I run and design all the reports.

I got the position because the program I was on was ending and they didn't have a Analyst. Got a raise and better hours.

Though I am looking for a new position as this one is run by people that don't have a clue what they are doing.

 

[One Eyed Willy]

Senior Systems Engineer for a fortune 500.

Pros : Too many to list, but the big ones are pay, I work from home, I get to travel. I was in New Orleans last week and am posting from a hotel in Orlando now.

Cons : I haven't seen a 40 hour work week in over 10 years.

 

[UCBooties]

Business Analyst working in information management.

 

[Reckheim]

Inside Tech Sales for an Automation distributor.

Almost 10 years now. Most people have gone on the road by now but I've managed to get decent sized raises and feel like the leisure of working in an office is much better so I have no need or desire to go outside sales.

 

[Elwainen]

I go to art school and I'm an assistant to a cartoonist part time but going to be full time later this summer untill the fall term starts

 

[CitizenCope]

Warehouse Mgr.

Pros: Work 8 minutes from home and go home for lunch nearly every day.

Cons: I work in a basement. I have a new boss that is an A hole.

Interview this week to get the hell out of here after nearly 14 years.

 

[Clockwork]

Business Analyst for a Fortune 500 health insurance company. I primarily work with document automation and management but assist with other business areas/functions as well.

 

[Akronis]

Just started an Endpoint Security Engineering job. Not far enough along for pros or cons.

 

[MercuryLS3]

Pricing Manager at a major Canadian grocery retailer. Pay is good, pretty relaxed job and great colleagues to work with. Can't complain.

 

[cdViking]

I work in transfer pricing documentation/advisory for a Big 4 public accounting firm. We look at intercompany pricing policies to make sure they reflect market pricing and help companies develop tax efficient operational structures. Being located on the West Coast, that means I do a lot of IP valuation work (because the value of tech companies often lies in their IP).

Pros: The work is incredibly dynamic and often extremely interesting. The pay isn't the greatest given student loans + the value I know I'm generating based on my bill rate, but it has scaled very well in the two years I've been here (~20% raises each of the last two years).

Cons: I work too much. Not "Vault 100 attorney or investment banker working 80 hours a week consistently" too much, but I average 60 hours a week (55ish in-office on M-F and 5ish at home over the weekend) and lose somewhere between 5-10 hours commuting. Project crunch can lead to 80s.

Will definitely say on the binary 0-1 rating scale (with 0 being "I dislike my job" and 1 being "I like my job) I'm definitely a 1.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Highway Construction project manager

You get to be in the field and be in the office. My favorite part is I get to deal with blue collar folks who are my favorite.

 

[Trace]

I work as a supervisor in a Canadian grocery store, so I'm the person to talk to when your bread is moldy or whatever. Currently going to school most of the time studying game design and working on my portfolio, should be done by the end of the year.

Pros: I'm not entirely broke

Cons: Customers are a massive pain in the ass at times, in general the rest of the employees are good people though.

 

[WolfForager]

Mechanical project engineer in the construction industry, mainly building Data Centres, working towards being a project manager.

Pays very well as I'm working from home as an expat, however hours are long and we're generally understaffed therefore always busy and time goes by fairly quick. Also due to the insane build rate of Data Centres, you're essentially designing as you're building which never works out well.

 

[Dylan Sexbang]

Receiving Manager in a Sprouts Grocery Store. All I do is check stuff in, make sure product is there, and deal with the calls i have to make when things aren't adding up. Pretty sweet deal for $16/hour. Just sit in the backroom all day, listening to music and cracking jokes with vendors and truck drivers

 

[Whompa02]

Lead Conceptual artist. Internal advertising agency.

 

[Nyx]

Resource- and project planner.

It's like a big game of Tetris really.

 

[Kisaya]

I work two part time jobs at two different art non-profits. The first one is an arts education organization in an Illinois suburb that does arts writing programs (more about creative thinking and some making) in Chicago schools and senior living facilities. These programs are mostly funded by fee for service art tours that we facilitate in museums, galleries, and private collectors' homes. I handle membership, programs, and other administrative functions in the office.

The other non-profit that I work at functions as an artist service organization in Chicago. They have artist and curatorial residencies, education and professional development workshops, and they administer an online platform of resources for artists of all disciplines. I assist the Development department, helping with fundraising and responsible for managing their membership database and communications. I also handle their social media platforms.

Pros: Fulfilling work and doing what I love. Great colleagues who have become my mentors. Awesome professional development opportunities. Aside from special events, I have a 9-5 schedule and get weekends off. Also because I'm part time at both jobs, my schedule is pretty flexible.

Cons: No benefits because I'm part time. Pay is o-kay but I could be more comfortable if I had a 5k boost in my income. I'm an independent contractor at one of my jobs so 1099s are annoying during tax season. Some events are not in the city or accessible by public transportation, so I either can't attend or need to find someone to drive me to those areas.

 

[Fercho]

My current job is Project Manager for a really big and important technology company.

PROS: A lot. The pay is good, lots of internal development opportunities, just having this company in my CV will help me a lot for future opportunities. The culture and the work environment are the best and i'm learning a lot.

CONS: No much really, being a company so big maybe it will be difficult getting a promotion any time soon , but i will give my best. A very competitive environment with a lot of impatient millennials younger than me and in some areas are more experienced than me who wants a promotion after 6 months, but i will manage.

 

[iamruthless]

Senior Project Manager at a steel detailing firm. We make the blueprints for companies to make the steel that goes in buildings.

Money is pretty good and I rarely work over 40 hours a week. I got into this business right after high school and have done it ever since.

I'm also enrolled in nursing school since I've decided to get into the medical field. I would like to be a travel nurse to see the country.

 

[Clearos]

I'm a Master Scheduler & Forecaster for a major manufacturing company.

Pros:
Great job security
Great Pay
Still part of management but I have no direct reports. Buyer/Planners are still managed by their profit center so I don't need to worry about yearly reviews.
Flexible hours
Can Work from home
I have the word Master in my job title.

Cons:
Constant sense of urgency. Work capacity not used is lost forever so I need to constantly look at the configured product string and provide correct lead times and our product line can be very spikey so historical forecasting is not always on point.

Future plans: At this point I am not in any rush to advance until my kids get older. There is no direct path to a promotion but with my other work experience I would be looking at Plant Manager.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

'Senior Technical Service Coordinator' in the IT department in a large health system.

Basically a fancy way to say I work the IT help desk for a conglomerate of hospitals. When I hit my year anniversary I am going to apply for a position in the IT security, System Admin, or Network Engineering team. Company policy basically requires they give me the opportunity to advance after a year.

Pros:
EXCELLENT Health/dental/vision Insurance.
Great opportunity for advancement.
Decent vacation time
Working in a company ranked top 100 to work for by places like Forbes.
It's an industry that satisfies my desire to help others.
Since I work nights I basically play games on my laptop and watch Prime/Netflix.
Pays decent enough (on track to make $65k/yr).

Cons:
Currently working 7 days a week because the other night shifter got canned for being an imbecile.
I don't particularly enjoy the mundane idiocy of most helpdesk calls.
Even when they get a replacement for nights I have to work every other weekend which is butts.
Non-flexible hours since HD has to be staffed 24/7/365.
Expected to work at least a few holidays (though this is also a bonus because I get 2x pay).

 

[noomi]

IT Admin & Management at a beer wholesaler & distributor

Pros:

Free beer whenever I want
Some days I can literally do nothing but watch netflix and play vidya

Cons:

Pretty much on call 24/7/365
Lots of data entry
Lots of stupid reports
Lots of helping stupid people

 

[Voidwolf]

IT Services Technician. Troubleshooting and solving basic IT stuff and complex stuff that pops up too, mostly in my office but occasionally I provide support to employees in other parts of the world (Latin America, UK, Aus, Asia). Anything I can't figure out I just bring up to my boss and we work on it together, he's a great guy and I've been learning a lot here.

Pros: Pays insanely well, pretty laid back most of the time, lots of PTO + holidays, kind and respectful coworkers. 8-5 Mon-Fri, so I have my weekends off (worked Geek Squad for a year, working weekends was depressing for me).

Cons: Some days are a little too laid back and I'm not great at "looking busy". I wish I was seated somewhere more private, with my monitors facing a wall or something so I wouldn't have to worry about others seeing me browse the web, not that it's a big deal here but it still bugs me.

 

[the_firewithin]

Project coordinator for a Windows and doors company. It's ok I guess.

 

[Relix]

Software Engineer for a massive military contractor. Excellent pay, top notch benefits, no real pressure, great coworkers who I now call friends.

On the side I've been trying to grow a software and consulting business. It's been on and off with some growth moments and then stagnancy. I am aiming to become self employed and fully dedicate myself to my own company but it has proven to be harder than I thought. Still giving it all, but the side income I usually safe half and then the other half is for me.

 

[Carl]

I currently work 2 jobs totalling 45 hours or so a week

5 days a week, 5;30am to 10;45am I am a supermarket shopper. People do their shopping online and I'm a part of the team of people who pick their order for them. We go around the store with a scanner that tells us what to get. Essentially I get paid to do someone's shopping for them

Pros
- The job is pretty easy
- The pay is pretty good for such an easy job, including 1.5x pay on Sundays and bank holidays
- The company has pretty decent benefits
- The people are really friendly

Cons
- Early mornings are a drag and it's sometimes annoying having to go to bed early
- Some days can be stressful when the dates are rubbish and the shop is really busy


Also 5 days a week, usually just a few hours in the afternoon, I work at a little shop in my village. Cashier, shelf filling, whatever needs doing

Pros
- There are only 4 staff and we all get along well so it's a nice atmosphere
- I'm on a first name basis with most of the regular customers and it's nice to speak with them
- Seeing the difference between a very large business and a small business is quite interesting to me

Cons
- Pay is pretty rubbish especially compared to my other job
- The boss is an arse
- Hours can be unpredictable and the boss is terrible at having a rota done at a reasonable time


Overall I don't really mind working two jobs. The extra money is nice and is nice to have some income which I can actually save rather than just blow through all of. Currently 25 and still living with rents so I'm hoping I can save some money to try and move out

 

[br3wnor]

Attorney for a state agency. Just started not too long ago, 30 years old, was working for a year and a half after law school before landing this.

Pros:
Commute - 25 minutes driving each way w/ no traffic
Coworkers - Everyone is real chill and there's only about 10 of us in the office
Work - I'm out of the office a lot, probably spend half of the week off site which I love, my day goes by really fast
Pay - It's union so there's yearly raises and a pension, w/ no promotions top pay right now is around $120,000 with potential to make around $145,000 if you can climb the ladder a bit (starting pay was $20,000 more than my previous job's salary which has been a huge financial relief)
Time off - 20 vacation days w/ one added each year capping at 27. 10 sick, I don't see myself having an issue w/ taking time off
Hours - 9-5 MF with no work to take home, that's probably biggest pro for me

Cons:
Profession generally - Even though this is probably the 'best' lawyer job I could find given the M-F 9-5, take no work home aspect of it, there's still some stressful shit to deal w/ and times were you feel a bit lost but that's just the profession itself, I think as I get more experienced this will subside.

In ideal world I work here 35 years, retire at 66 w/ a nice pension and enjoy my elder years w/ my wife. I have no plans on leaving and am happy w/ this as my career.

Medical interpreter.

I help out non english speaking patients get the care they need.
Good $$$ and 10hr shifts so I get 3 days off.
ER visits are pretty... interesting.

No cons really, but it's good to have a strong stomach.

The 4 day work week dream, you lucky bastard! The only mistake the labor movement made was not going to 4, 10 hour days being the norm, would make life so much better for everyone.

 

[Az]

I work in a carrier plant in Indiana.



edit: nvm not anymore

 

[Pau]

I'm a Junior Research Analyst at a small research group at a large university. Basically work with our data in SAS and Excel all day. Although I do some fieldwork as well.

Pros: It's my first job out of undergrad and a lot of the people with my title have masters. People are great. The work isn't too difficult or stressful.

Cons: So far I've only worked on very basic descriptive statistics and programming. So in a way one of my pros can be a con because I do want more challenging work. Not a huge fan of SAS.

 

[Dragon Puncher]

I'm an editor for a historical magazine. The hours are long (probably work at least 45-50 hour weeks), but as history major it's one of the best jobs you can get in terms of payment.

It helps that the job is actually a lot of fun and the colleges are mostly pretty cool.

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

I make salads.

I'm an editor for a historical magazine. The hours are long (probably work at least 45-50 hour weeks), but as history major it's one of the best jobs you can get in terms of payment.

It helps that the job is actually a lot of fun and the colleges are mostly pretty cool.

I'm a History major, tell me more. Do you edit articles for errors?

 

[Lionheart1827]

Software QA Automation Engineer - I take manual tests and write scripts so that they can be automated. Saves a ton of time and expands the amount of configurations that can be tested per cycle.

I find it much more fun and interesting than writing manual ones. The company I work for is very generous to employees so thats icing on the cake.

Only problem is commute, but thats offset by unlimited WFH days(within reason).

 

[KillerBEA]

Meat Counter Clerk at Hy - Vee.

It's not a bad job. Fast paced which I like and is part of the reason I wanted to work at Hy - Vee in the first place since my last job was too mundane.

 

[captive]

Job One:
consultant for Microsoft products

Pros:
i work from home
i get to see my kids whenever i want
the projects are very easy
most the clients are pretty cool
it pays well

Cons:
i have to travel occasionally but so far this year i haven't had to travel once this year.

Job Two:
running a private cloud for a company

Pros:
i get to work from home
the environment is very laid back
second income which pays very well

cons:
its government so everything is super slow and ultra secure. I have 2 factor auth to get on the vpn and 2 factor auth of a different kind just to login to servers.