best job you ever had?

[ThomasP]

Retirement is the best job I've ever had. If you don't think it's a job, wait till you get there.

 

[GeorgeFromPa]

Union Ironworker in NYC, Great pay, Good people, Hard work but worth it. 6 pack of beer and a bridge to build and im in heaven.. did it for 25 years. Now i fix trucks, bored to death most of the time... getting fat from laying on my back all day and makeing 1/5th of the money i made on the iron.

 

[maxpower_hd]

The best job I have ever had is my second job. I have my own business doing truck and trailer service for a large trucking company and I like it a lot. I am actually thinking of doing it full time and giving up my day job. I am researching health insurance and retirement plan options as we speak. It's a big move but I think it could be a good one. Since I currently work two jobs at about $60/wk, I could actually work less total hours and make more money than I do now. Quite a bit more.

 

[Kevin54]

The best job I ever had was my last job as a Tool & Die Maker (30+ years). My second best job, and probably my most fun job was when I worked in a full service gas station. I loved doing oil changes, changing tires, and pumping gas (5 years). You got to meet so many people from all walks of life.

 

[sberry]

I started off in Ironwork too but was a compulsive job hopper and have several cool stories, don't know which one to tell. I boomed most of the time in my apprenticeship. I had some pics of some, got lost in a fire. American Bridge was actually my fave, they have their own way of doing things and most weeks had some excitement in them somewhere. They really didn't do "ordinary jobs" and they didn't care much about personality.

 

[homebuilt burner]

This one is good a truck fleet mechanic/manager for a large transport company, mostly on my own and decent money and benies.

The last one I really liked the work and the people I worked with, I was a master mechanic for a local county. I did a lot of the reworking of the trucks meaning I would take older trucks and install new hydraulics and computer control systems for the plowing and salting. But, The gov't being what it is the pay and benefits changed and I couldn't afford to stay. A lot of people left about the same time, I still talk to most of those guys and they all regret having to leave a job they enjoyed.

 

[cleason]

bobcatdan: if ur going to work, work union, ibew 86 30 years. the second best job i had was at delphi rochester, the old rochester products plant. they made the rochester carbuncles there.the job only lasted 4 months but inside in heat and ac, plenty of parking, nice clean restrooms, and plenty of eye candy.chruler need more pictures,the bike looks good to.

 

[Cyberbear]

The most interesting and most fun job was delivering for Chicken Delight when in college. Got to meet many interesting people and became very acquainted with the speed cops and it was crazy during the holidays, big tippers and drunk women at the parties ordering ribs and broasted chicken. Too many good stories to tell.

 

[killahog]

I was 17 years old working for a Pig Farmer earning $2.35 an hour. It was very hard work for basically gas money to get back and forth to the farm but o my did he have a beautiful grandaughter that just couldn't kept her clothes on.

 

[Nighttrain]

Best one so far is being a dad, second to that flying helicopters!

 

[longez]

A couple:
18 years old working as the gatekeeper an off-campus beer bar. Sat on a bar stool outside, nursing a beer and enforcing the policy sign of "girls without bras get in free".

Had a factory ride flattracking Triumphs up and down the West Coast. Simply had to get to the next race by Thursday night, set-up on Friday, race Friday night and chase the Trophy Girls after the races Friday night into Saturday.

No doubt the best: President/CEO of Adams Rite locks.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

Tough question.....In my younger years, working at Ryder Truck Rental while I was working out of Rocky Mount, NC. I worked just doing PM's on tractor trailers. I didn't have to do any of the follow ups I found, I left it for the line mechanics. So all the follow ups and repairs I used to hate doing, I didn't have to do. The guy that worked "the pit" with me, we did 2-3 times the work of the other two crews put together. WE rocked! The shop foreman left us alone to our own world. I set him straight one Friday night. We'd turned like 8 trucks before 8 pm, cleaned up and were more or less chillin'. He said we needed to do at least 6-8 more....I told him we'd done all we're doing, have at it. The he threatened to write us up and send us home. I told him if he did we'd just the required number recommended by RTR and not one more. Then he'd have to explain to the service manager why he was getting his but chewed out for being behind on the PM's. He walked off then came back with a different attitude. he explained the shop mechanics were starting to slack off because they saw us taking it easy. I told him "no problem, why didn't you say that to start with? Come on Terry, let's go to MBM and check PM's" The foreman said he thought we'd already been over there and there weren't any due. I told him, that's right,but the guys in the shop don't know that. If you want us we'll be at the convenient mart right as you turn to go to MBM. If you need us, call there, we'll be back in time to get off on time. And we left. We never butted heads after that. But on Monday the service manager did ask me if I actually threatened his Shop foreman. I told him no, but did make him a promise. He laughed about it and said his foreman really didn't know what to say or do.

Later on doing road work on Power Generation for Cummins Atlantic Inc., then Automated Power Services. I learned a lot, made a lot of friends, made some good $$$.

I got laid off about 10 years ago and more or less have been bumming around here and there. I got into "chasin' hurricanes" hooking up generators to cell towers as soon as the wind dies down enough not to blow the truck off the road. There's nothing quite like racing to beat a hurricane to where it's going and waiting for it to hit, sitting in a truck as its rocking, then going out and cutting/dragging things out of your way to get to a cell tower that you hope is still there. "Ike" was my first in Texas, "Sandy" was the most memorable one so far on the east coast. We had Prime rib and snow crab legs the night before Ike and Prime rib and lobster the night before Sandy, I go for the good food first, then the $$$.

Now I take a job for the fun and challenge of it. I just got a call from a guy that's probably getting me hooked up for a job about 15 minutes from the house/shop, I may be learning to run a steam plant and steam turbine generator soon. They're building the place now. I guess in another 10-20 years I'll grow up and settle down.....I'll be 65-75 then....

 

[ProTinkerer]

The one I have now, coaching college baseball and health professor.

 

[R6 Racer]

Most of my life I have had fun at work. Or at least jobs that were related to fun.

I guess the job that gave me the most fun was selling motorcycles. New demos every year I got to ride some world class tracks, rode with top pro riders, & have had lots & lots of my customers take me on tours of their favorite roads.
Then, the demo days... I got to ride almost every new bike from half a dozen of the biggest bike manufacturers!
That was the amazing part about the job
The day to day stuff, gets boring at times on any job. I would guess anyway.

Steve

 

[TheEquineFencer]

After sitting here and looking at this threads title, I'd have to say Probably when I was staying at a horse farm near Sims before I met my present long time G/F. One of the ladies that boarded horses there really gave me a good "job" one afternoon....

 

[chicken89]

Easy- Police Officer!
worst- factory. sat all alone for 8 hrs a day.

 

[T_R]

Best job I ever had was flipping used cars from a home garage. I mostly did Subaru Outbacks. This was during the peak of the Subaru head gasket issues. I could buy them all day long with blown gaskets on CL for $1000 or less and resell for $3000-$3500 easily in a few days. My costs were only $100 for gaskets or $100 for a U-Pull junkyard engine. I did a couple a month. I worked maybe 1 or 2 days a week and made good money. I did basically the same job over and over for over 5 years.

I'm working at a new car dealer now. It's not a horrible job. I will probably hold out there until my 50's and then go back to flipping when I am ready to slow down the pace of work.

 

[rockinacummins]

Ironworker. But I haven't had many different jobs yet.

 

[reader2580]

I think the best job I had was cutting grass at a 330 acre fairgrounds. I did from age 16 to age 22 during the summers only. During the Fair itself I worked on trams that took people to their cars. After age 22 I took time off every year to work at the Fair for 12 days every summer for 15 more years.

I liked meeting all the different people every year and I saw some of the same people year after year. I finally quit after 2010 when one year I had a vacation trip that was more important than working at the Fair. I was kinda hoping to make it to 25 years to get my service award.

 

[TonkaJoe]

Union Operating Engineer... it's all I've ever done, and honestly all I really want to do is play in the dirt everyday!. I always joke with people saying that I never actually grew up.. I just got myself a bigger sandbox

 

[EJM02]

USFS Smokejumper. Google it if you've never heard of it. Best 5 years of my life.

But being a dad for my boy outweighs anything I've ever done or will ever do. Best job bar none. I'd conqure the world if it meant his happiness.

 

[yossarian19]

^^ Wish I felt the same way about parenting.

 

[MScott]

Best "job" is the one I have now. Retired for the last 19+ years. Previous to that I worked for 32 years in one of the most hated jobs on the planet. I was a tax auditor for Revenue Canada (our IRS.) An interesting job but with some obvious downsides.

 

[StarWolve]

The best job I had was as a YMCA Summer "Adventure Camp" Counselor for 12-16 year old kids. They paid me to go kayaking, hiking, swimming, fishing, sailing, and mountain biking - and all I had to do was supervise 5-15 kids while doing it. It was a great summer - riding my Harley to work often, staying overnight at the camp whenever I wanted, and generally being amazed that I was getting paid to do this.

My campers were awesome - after the first week, a few of them got their parents to sign them up for every camp for the rest of the summer. If they misbehaved or swore, they owed me push-ups to "pay for" their behavior, rather than getting reprimanded. MRE's were rewards for winning a race or catching the biggest fish. I was in the Army back then, and my campers ate that stuff up.

It was also the best job interview I ever had. I pulled up to the director's office, and he came out to meet me in the parking lot. At the time, I had a kayak and a mountain bike on the roof of my blazer. He said "if you have a fishing pole in there, you're hired!" I grabbed the small collapsible Shakespeare rod and reel kit that I kept in the back, and he just laughed.

 

[myredracer]

This is an easy question. When I was younger. I worked at two different bike shops for many years. I loved cycling and I loved racing. Did that through high school and a year or so past high school. I absolutely loved it.

I used to bike race too as a teen up to about 21 - 60s and early 70s. Worked at several bike shops and have many pleasant memories of that. I was the local go-to guy for building wheels. Even had a batch order to build several hundred wheels for a wholesaler and they had to be done over a weekend. One year I came 4th in the national road championships. Restored my bike a few years ago, a Campy equipped 10 speed (wow, 10 speeds!!).

I spent my whole career as an engineering consultant on construction projects. My favorite time was when I ran my own practice for 5 years and had several employees. Memorable projects include a lightning protection system on an island for the military, major expansion of a dairy production plant, renovations to the SS Klondike paddle wheeler (has been on Gold Rush) and a biohazard lab and stadium lighting for the local university. It was great experience except the constant long, long hours were a killer (on me and the family) and I eventually went to work for another engineering firm in town. During the time I had my own practice, along with a partner with the $$, I bought 3 small houses side by side that were built in the 1880s. They were almost bulldozer bait and in really sad shape. We sold two of them and I bought the 3rd one after doing a serious restoration and ran my eng. practice out of it. There is an interesting story to these houses but would take too long to explain. Even won an award for the restoration.

 

[kv501]

Ignoring pay and hours, bartending while in college was by FAR the most fun job I've ever had. If it paid even 75% of what I make now I'd instantly quit my job.

 

[kv501]

Present one.......NONE!



Bill

Which ***** because because the rest of us are paying you're meal ticket.

 

[cleason]

shout out to all my union brothers. we help keep the wages high, jobs done on time and done safely. ibew 86

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Flight attendant for a major airline....absolutely loved it would have never left except for the fact that 9/11 took it from me. Would go back but with a wife, kid, and house now there is no way i could afford it anymore since i have a good paying job at the railroad currently and couldn't afford a 75% pay cut

 

[66354dream]

1 Auto parts places, I was in my early 20's and it was a GREAT way to pick up on girls when they came in worried their windshield wipers had to be replaced or one of their light bulbs was out, pay wasn't bad either since I had ASE's and was going to school to be an automotive tech so I used it to my advantage.

2 Auto technician, Loved the hands on stuff and buying all those cool tools, hated the pay and constant stress.

3. Current job ,close to home, pays well and very laid back.

 

[sberry]

Ironworker. But I haven't had many different jobs yet.

I had 14 one year.. ha I spent a year of my iron apprenticeship in 82 or so at a nuke when I scammed my way thru the pipefitters hall. Econ was terrible and about 10 out of 600 were working iron and I had 100's hanging out of pockets. Layoff was even better.

 

[twolfe55]

Presently retired but worked 40 years as an Aircraft Inspector building commercial airliners, and military aircraft. Best job ever until they sold the company to a smaller outfit that ran it in the ground.

 

[SilverSS1969]

My best job is my current one. Working at the GM Milford Proving Grounds on new product development, fixture and tooling design and doing a lot of 3D Stereo Lithography stuff for our test labs. I was also recently hired direct at GM so that is a BIG plus. With a short drive to work (30 miles), being able to work from home on bad drive days AND being able to start at 5:30 on regular days (out at 2 and home before 2:45!) I have it pretty good right now.
Mark

GM proving ground is nice. I was part of a group of high school kids, that got to go out, once a month, to work with engineers and 'test' different parts on vehicles and see what went into testing them.

One day, each year, we got to go out and drive on black lake. It was a blast.

 

[guspech750]

I used to bike race too as a teen up to about 21 - 60s and early 70s. Worked at several bike shops and have many pleasant memories of that. I was the local go-to guy for building wheels. Even had a batch order to build several hundred wheels for a wholesaler and they had to be done over a weekend. One year I came 4th in the national road championships. Restored my bike a few years ago, a Campy equipped 10 speed (wow, 10 speeds!!).

Absolutely beautiful bicycle!!


Sent from The White House on taxpayers dimes.

 

[torqueman2002]

My best job is my current one. Working at the GM Milford Proving Grounds on new product development, fixture and tooling design and doing a lot of 3D Stereo Lithography stuff for our test labs. I was also recently hired direct at GM so that is a BIG plus. With a short drive to work (30 miles), being able to work from home on bad drive days AND being able to start at 5:30 on regular days (out at 2 and home before 2:45!) I have it pretty good right now.
Mark

I'm retired now, so that is the best job.

I also worked at the Milford Proving Ground (funny, everyone says Grounds, but that's not the real name ).
http://tinyurl.com/GM-MPG-Name

Like you say, even the commute was not bad. Most days the traffic headed in the opposite direction towards the metro Detroit area, was/is bumper-to-bumper.

My group developed diagnostics for the powertrain sensors and ECMs. We released the diagnostics ahead of start of regular production, so we worked on advanced vehicles (1-2 years ahead of current models).

Test driving, shop testing, and writing in the office was a nice mix and kept the job fresh. I was part of the team that developed the MAF + Humidity sensor. New technology for the auto industry.

I did a moderate amount of travel to South America, Europe, as well as Key West, Arizona, Colorado, New York, and Minnesota.

While all that was great, the best part was/is the people. Mostly car guys/gals, focused and hard working. Thanks to the best manager I worked with, there was no drama and politics was kept to a minimum.

 

[MushCreek]

My current 'job', for the last four years has been building my own house and barn, and that has definitely been the best. Actual paying job, working for someone else was working at a marina as a teenager. Hang out on the docks all day, big yachts with pretty girls in bikinis- What's not to like?

 

[Big Bad Dad]

I did a couple years as a county building inspector. Not hard physically, buy very challenging mentally. Lots of legitimate questions from contractors and homeowners that required digging into the code books for answers. I learned a LOT! In addition, most people were cordial, or at least pretended to to be. There were a few that were jerk, which can be expected, but in most of those cases, they "lost". And I don't mean that I was a *****, but those types were usually the ones trying to do something wrong or "get by" with something.

 

[kacey2]

Mortgage appraiser for 2nds. Everybody was happy to see me & treated me great. Different than other job working with the public, meatcutter..............

 

[930dreamer]

USFS Smokejumper. Google it if you've never heard of it. Best 5 years of my life.

But being a dad for my boy outweighs anything I've ever done or will ever do. Best job bar none. I'd conqure the world if it meant his happiness.

I thought about doing this after I got out of the Army.

My first job at 14 in a nice restaurant in the pnw, great food, cash money and beautiful waitresses.

 

[Richard Cranium]

2001 I was a federal officer for Home Land Defense. Best job I ever had, the only job that I hated. Walked into my bosses office after 3 years on my birthday. Placed my unloaded weapon, my badge and keys on her desk and quit. Best Damn Birthday gift I ever got.