Go Back   IceInSpace > General Astronomy > General Chat

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rating: Thread Rating: 4 votes, 5.00 average.
  #81  
Old 28-11-2008, 07:22 AM
Barrykgerdes
Registered User

Barrykgerdes is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Beaumont Hills NSW
Posts: 2,900
I have already had my say earlier but I would like to add something for all those workers with multiple qualifications, letters and degrees.

The only qualifications I ever obtained officially were the E & C and I only did this because I was paid to do it and some compulsory courses to work on military cryptographic equipment. I had the opportunity to be sent to the uni full time on full pay but opted for an overseas posting instead.

However when the useless systems of needing written qualifications of ability to work on certain equipment started to be introduced in the 1980's a schedule was drawn up in the weapons/electronics/communications dept with the names of all the staff and the list of equipments they were proficient in.

I eventually became custodian of this schedule and when I read through it my name was there, not qualified for anything. But all the technicians who were qualified quoted me as being their instructor on 90% of the equipments.

Naturally as I was the custodian of the schedule I very quickly became experienced in every equipment.

Barry
Reply With Quote
  #82  
Old 28-11-2008, 07:36 AM
LeoLion's Avatar
LeoLion (Len)
Registered User

LeoLion is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Yorkshire,England
Posts: 12
Retired for ca 4 years now from a full working life ( with just two employers ) as an analytical chemist . Chemistry of food , drugs , water & effluent for legal compliance . A little microbiology & microscopy thrown in too . Some glassworking skill with a blowtorch (as well as a little telescope mirror making but not for work ) . Originally a farmers son.
Reply With Quote
  #83  
Old 28-11-2008, 07:50 AM
Paramount
Registered User

Paramount is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Harrogate UK
Posts: 341
Hi All
I work as a deputy ward manager in an adult psychiatric unit in Hereford UK, I have been working in this job for the past 29 years ever since I left college. As part of my job I also lecture on mental health law and I also run courses on managing violence and aggression and personal safety. I work permanent nights which means I get 3 nights off one week and then 4 the next so I try and make the most of these nights for imaging.
Best wishes
Gordon
Reply With Quote
  #84  
Old 28-11-2008, 08:18 AM
lacad01's Avatar
lacad01 (Adam)
The sky is Messier here!

lacad01 is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Darwin
Posts: 2,587
Gday all, after school got my trade qual. as an electrician. Got into IT (mainframe computer ops) and evolved up the infrastructure food chain to where I am now as a network engineer working primarily with global data/voice communications, LAN, Optical comm's, data security, etc. Apart from my trade qual and a Graduate Cert from UNSW (MBT), I've graduated from the school of life :-)
Cheers!
Reply With Quote
  #85  
Old 28-11-2008, 08:37 AM
ingrast (Rodolfo)
Registered User

ingrast is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Montevideo, URUGUAY
Posts: 2
Electrical Engineer, URUGUAY (same nice southern skies!!).

Currently developing GPS based solutions for taxicabs and general transportation.
Have done lots of different software - hardware projects mostly in telecommunications.
Taught electronics at the University for a while.
Audio nut also, have designed and built my own audio gear for almost 40 years starting with vacuum tubes.
Armchair astronomer until my son brought me a 5" newtonian which I quickly put completely apart and improved (still working on it).
Science buff, I love to discuss biology with my elder daughter, IT whith my son, Civil Engineering with my younger daughter, unfortunately no one to discuss Astronomy .

At 57, plan to keep working at least 10 more years, perhaps more, it's fun after all.

Rodolfo
Reply With Quote
  #86  
Old 28-11-2008, 08:41 AM
Benno85's Avatar
Benno85 (Ben)
Registered User

Benno85 is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Wilton, NSW
Posts: 241
Hello Everyone,

Being the somewhat young one that I am (hint to my birthyear in my screen name), the majority of my working life has been spent in the printing and paper industries (mainly medium and large run sheetfed offset). After a redundancy earlier this year, I have since entered the world of modular carpet in a customer service role in Picton NSW, and what a lifestyle change! Being over an hour south of Sydney, it's definitley got great dark sky potential, so much so that my family and I have moved 10mins away in Wilton....

...Itching for this cloud to break up though!!!!!!
Reply With Quote
  #87  
Old 28-11-2008, 08:58 AM
MrB's Avatar
MrB (Simon)
Old Man Yells at Cloud

MrB is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Rockingham WA
Posts: 3,435
After a long stint of odd-jobs, unemployment and self-employment, I now work full-time at Jaycar Electronics, Rockingham WA
Reply With Quote
  #88  
Old 28-11-2008, 08:58 AM
aura (Annette)
Registered User

aura is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Willunga South Australia
Posts: 2
Cool work? what's that?

I am a desk-a-holic full-time student IT girl - favorite type: website design and photoshop. Can we get anymore of those yearbook/calender offers? I had to wait until student payday and then they were gone. aa
Reply With Quote
  #89  
Old 28-11-2008, 08:59 AM
iceman's Avatar
iceman (Mike)
Sir Post a Lot!

iceman is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Gosford, NSW, Australia
Posts: 36,760
Hi Annette, unfortunately I don't have any more in stock but you can pick them up from other astro shops like Bintel or York Optical.
Reply With Quote
  #90  
Old 28-11-2008, 09:02 AM
mdgodf (Mark)
Registered User

mdgodf is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Sydney, Northern Beaches, NSW
Posts: 55
Paid work, unpaid work

Unpaid work: garden maintenance, house painter, instruction book interpreter (when no one else in the house could be bothered to read the instructions to work the latest electronic/household/phone/computer type gadget and get it to work), household fixer of all things, most of the cooking, driver, second in charge of cleaning, ironing and pet care.

Paid work: Did Economics at Uni 30 years ago; I can only just recall what demand and supply are! A bank offered me a job straight out of uni without needing to do the normal job interview BS so I took it. Worked in a number of Australian and Foreign Banks and Finance companies until I thought it might be fun to supervise what they do and worked for the government regulator of banks for a while and then moved to another government agency concerned with anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing. Not at the pointy end with the cops et al but more with those that are supposed to report transactions to us. (You know; when banks have to report transactions of $10,000 in cash or more, 100 point ID check for opening accounts etc. – it’s all in a process of change at the moment as new legislation has been introduced so Australia complies with global standards and other countries won’t apply economic sanctions against us for not complying)

Fun and unpaid work: Travel photography; see a few trips here:
Africa: http://www.markandkay.smugmug.com/gallery/6162125_hsa7c
Antarctica:http://markandkay.smugmug.com/Prior%...0Photos/269525
Europe:http://markandkay.smugmug.com/Prior%...0Photos/269530
The main web site: http://markandkay.smugmug.com/

Now wondering how much longer I will have to work to make up for the 50% reduction in retirement savings….does anyone remember 1987?
Reply With Quote
  #91  
Old 28-11-2008, 09:37 AM
smersh's Avatar
smersh (Michael)
Registered User

smersh is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Sydney
Posts: 53
Currently - Self employed trading system developer and trader.

Previously (spanning 20 years):
IT manager of a private hedge fund.
Trading software developer (Merrill Lynch and Dow Jones Markets).
Electrical engineer (RAN).
Reply With Quote
  #92  
Old 28-11-2008, 10:54 AM
Quack24 (Guy)
Registered User

Quack24 is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Posts: 36
graduated from high school 4 weeks ago through work experience i gained a job at the local computer store as a computer technician.
I also work at Supa IGA as checkout manager on Saturday nights
Reply With Quote
  #93  
Old 28-11-2008, 11:20 AM
Ian Robinson
Registered User

Ian Robinson is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Gateshead
Posts: 2,205
Forgot to add , I am a graduate from the school of hard knocks. I've had more my fair share of hard knocks.
Reply With Quote
  #94  
Old 28-11-2008, 12:03 PM
okiscopey's Avatar
okiscopey (Mike)
Rocky Peak Observatory

okiscopey is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Kandos NSW
Posts: 536
Retired now, but previously a scientific/technical/medical photographer for 40 years, generally in universities and hospitals in London and Sydney. My maths was never good enough for a science (or astronomy!) career but the 'S&T' photography qualification allowed me to at least work in the scientific and medical teaching/research environment.

Haven't attended the 'school of hard knocks', but did quite a bit of 'temp' work years ago in factories, offices and building sites, which gave me some appreciation for how tough, boring and unappreciated some jobs can be.

Retirement is wonderful, I highly recommend it! The only trouble is ... there just ain't enough hours in the day.
Reply With Quote
  #95  
Old 28-11-2008, 12:05 PM
GeoffW1's Avatar
GeoffW1 (Geoff)
Registered User

GeoffW1 is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Sydney
Posts: 1,838
Quote:
Originally Posted by Barrykgerdes View Post
I have already had my say earlier but I would like to add something for all those workers with multiple qualifications, letters and degrees.
Hi Barry,

I can't resist pointing something out here. All the people you refer to above will have worked very hard without exception, and are quite rightly proud of their achievements. The system is far from useless.

Now if you found an alternative path then bloody good on you, I say go for it

However let's not be putting each other down here, please.

Cheers

Last edited by GeoffW1; 28-11-2008 at 12:08 PM. Reason: spelling errors
Reply With Quote
  #96  
Old 28-11-2008, 02:23 PM
Kevnool's Avatar
Kevnool (Kev)
Fast Scope & Fast Engine

Kevnool is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Broken Hill N.S.W
Posts: 3,305
I,m a site supervisor building and maintaining roads for the rta in the far west of NSW.
All week i,m away from home camped with 8 other workers in caravans , but i,m home on fridays and get go out again on monday mornings.
Not much life at home on the weekends but i love the skies at night out there....cheers Kev.
Reply With Quote
  #97  
Old 28-11-2008, 02:25 PM
Rattler (John)
Insanity is SO confusing

Rattler is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Gymea Bay
Posts: 24
Well, Bachelor Commerce but majored in Marketing so the dullness of the degree did not rub off totally...though some might think otherwise. Ran Prime and Super-prime regional shopping centres (was serious fun until Pyramid Building Society fell over), worked in medical industry, then strategic planning, trucking, back to a medical startup firm, then another born of R&D outcomes at the UNSW and now I mentor CEOs of startup firms ranging from microtransactions in the market, VoIP based contact centres to developing an improvised explosive device detection system for use in urban battlefields and anti-terrorist deployments.
Reply With Quote
  #98  
Old 28-11-2008, 03:02 PM
astro_south's Avatar
astro_south (Andrew)
No GOTO..I enjoy the hunt

astro_south is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,094
Great thread - great to see the variety, and indicative of amateur astronomy and its many facets as a hobby.

To add to the variety, I am a groundwater hydrologist - specialising in numerical groundwater modelling. I used to work for the State government, but a few years ago I jumped ship to the private sector where I now work for a small groundwater consulting firm. The move was the best thing I could have done - gone from water resource planning activities to much more interesting and challenging problems - usually involving mines. The job really suits my INTP personality type, and although stressful, I can't see myself doing anything else.

My undergrad was in Environmental Engineering and my postgrad was a Masters in computational mathematics. Just before leaving the government I also did a Dip of Business (they paid )
Reply With Quote
  #99  
Old 28-11-2008, 05:50 PM
Gazgaz (Gary)
Registered User

Gazgaz is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Sunshine Coast, Qld, Australia
Posts: 4
Now Dermatologist Sunshine Coast QLD

Started catching chickens at night to get away from life situation
then "bloody qualifications and letters"
Army electronics tech - remember trying to repair 10 layer circuit boards inside what was laughingly called a computer in the Leopard tanks
B elec engineering
B applied science clinical lab tech
medical degree - Newcastle
Dermatology

Have a great life and job and family

Worked Africa, England, Scotland

Wouldn't live anywhere but here (for now)

skin you find it everywhere and everyone wants to talk about it
Reply With Quote
  #100  
Old 28-11-2008, 05:53 PM
rodroger's Avatar
rodroger (Rodney)
Rod Burgess

rodroger is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Redcliffe, QLD
Posts: 88
Talking

Hi,
Well my professional standing has been a "Dye Technician & Colourist" for over 20 years. But as the industry has moved off shore I am currently working for ALS Laboratory Group as a Laboratory Technician (level 3), Prepping samples for the Enviromental Laboratory in Brisbane in the HRMS Lab - testing for Dioxins & PCBs. Very interesting and rewarding work, and working with some very nice and friendly people, I plan to retire in this position if all goes well . By the way we nick named our Heigh Resolution Mass Spectrometer - "Homer" as sometimes he acts like one.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +10. The time is now 07:07 PM.

Powered by vBulletin Version 3.8.7 | Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement
Testar
Advertisement
Bintel
Advertisement