What do you do for a living and/or how old are you?

[danzibr]

So originally I was wondering how old people are. I'll read posts and judging by word/content choice I'll make various guesses, but I kind of doubt I'm right most of the time. Then I got to wondering what different people do.

To begin, I'm a 4th year grad student in math, expected PhD May of 2013. To pay the bills I teach at the university where I'm a student and also at a community college. I should mention my wife and I have a son, almost 11 months now, so... other occupation: father.

As for my age, I'm 24.

[Castaras]

18, and a student doing Undergraduate maths.

Holy boop. I've been on these forums since I was 13. o.o

[pendell]

40 years old. Got my Bachelor's in Computer Science in 1993 from California State University Stanislaus. Sent back to school by my 3rd employer to George Mason University for my Master's in Computer Science, which I got through night classes while working full time. Have done a bunch of different IT jobs in that time, as well as did a turn as an analyst for the Operations Research side of the house. Currently the chief (well, only) software engineer for a company that produces robotic minibars, responsible for everything above the actual firmware. It's a fun job.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[danzibr]

18, and a student doing Undergraduate maths.

Holy boop. I've been on these forums since I was 13. o.o
Holy boop indeed. I've only been on here a couple years. And math!? Are you liking it?

[...]Currently the chief (well, only) software engineer for a company that produces robotic minibars[...]
Didn't mean to decimate your post. I found the rest of it interesting. And robotic minibars? That's cool. So like, you order drinks from a machine?

[Dvil]

18 here. Unemployed as of yet, but working on becoming a Rocket Scientist. Well, plan A is to be a professional trumpeter, but I figure an Aerospace Engineering Degree is a sensible backup.

[KuReshtin]

36 year old office monkey here.
Worked as tech support for IBM for about 8 years before they moved the tech support desks back in country, and decided not to bring the guys working the desk with them.
So, now I work with 'Business partner Warranty Support' which means I answer emails when they drop in.

[Objection]

20 years old, currently studying Computer Science, looking to go into the computer game industry when I leave and ultimately become a computer game designer.

[Deathslayer7]

I'm 21. And I'm in my final year of getting my bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. Been working at the university to pay tuition as I go. I want to go to Graduate school after I finish and get my Master's degree. Not sure if I want to go for a Ph.D though.

[Volthawk]

I'm 16, and I'm still in education (here you can leave at the end the year I just had). I do some tutoring, though, for a kid (two years or so younger than me) of a friend of the family for some extra money.

[pendell]

[...]Currently the chief (well, only) software engineer for a company that produces robotic minibars[...]
Didn't mean to decimate your post. I found the rest of it interesting. And robotic minibars? That's cool. So like, you order drinks from a machine?


Sort of. There's a bar in your hotel room. You pick a drink off the tray. There's a sensor that notes what you bought, and a message is sent to the hotel's own property management system (industry standard abbreviates this to PMS, an unfortunate nickname) telling them what you bought. Then when you check out, you get a bill for the products you took out of the bar.

You can find our bars in casinos and in places like Hiltons or Marriotts.

Of course, that's not the only product we're working on ... :notices his boss waving a nondisclosure form at him: ... but you'll find out about our secret plan to take over the world using robots when everyone else does. :) Suffice it to say, if the zombie apocalypse happens, check into a hotel with our minibars. We'll take care of the rest.

Tongue-in-cheek,

Brian P.

[The_Admiral]

I'm 15 and expecting exam results in a few weeks.

[Serpentine]

25. Have a double degree in Arts and Science, bombed out of Honours in ancient history/religion, may go back to finish it in a couple of years. I'm currently a library assistant, hoping to get into a career in museums or zoos or some other research position.

[dehro]

33, a key account manager/sales rep/area manager. as in: self employed and working for 2 different companies supplying hardware and garden stores, retail chains and the bigger accounts with... stuff.
you trade being to some extent your own boss, getting to travel, lording it over regional sales reps and ...well..having a good shot at a career.. with not having a social life, having huge expenses and having to spend most of the time with your fingers crossed that the global economic situation AND the silly climate changes won't affect your sales too much.

[dehro]

Of course, that's not the only product we're working on ... :notices his boss waving a nondisclosure form at him: ... but you'll find out about our secret plan to take over the world using robots when everyone else does. :) Suffice it to say, if the zombie apocalypse happens, check into a hotel with our minibars. We'll take care of the rest.

Tongue-in-cheek,

Brian P.

the skynet! it is happening!

[thorgrim29]

I'm 22, I have a BA in management accounting and I'm currently doing a MBA, I'll be done with full-time school in June, and then it's part-time for a year and I'm finally done.

[arguskos]

23. I'm finishing a degree in Creative Writing at what is now my fourth college (second university, if it matters). For some income (not enough to live alone, sadly) I tutor inner-city children in their school through a community service program my university runs.

[Zigg'rrauglurr]

30 years old. Software developer (programmer with analysis tacked into) specialized in GUIs for VoIP enterprise technologies (namely Genesys). 1 year and some finals away of my Systems Analyst degree. Going to marry my fiance next year.

[madtinker]

24, getting a Master's in Mechanical Engineering. My research is funded, so I get paid to do it (also robotics), and I do consulting work on the side.

[Sylvre Phire]

18 here. Unemployed as of yet, but working on becoming a Rocket Scientist. Well, plan A is to be a professional trumpeter, but I figure an Aerospace Engineering Degree is a sensible backup.

And if you're really good, you can be the first professional trumpeter in Spaaaaace! :smallwink::smallbiggrin:

I'm 37, customer service rep by day, husband and father by night and gamer on the weekends whenever possible. I hold two bachelor degrees - one for Mass Communication (Buena Vista University, class of '96) and another for Theology (Briar Cliff University, class of '03). So what am I doing in customer service? Trying for sainthood... :smallamused:

Pax et bonum,

Dale

[valadil]

28. Masters in Computer Science. Not sure what my job title is, but informally I'm a PHP/Drupal Developer. Oh and I have a son who will be 3 months old in 3 days.

[Arminius]

22. I'm an undergrad student majoring in Geography. I also work at the campus bookstore during school, and Barnes and Noble during the summer.

[Fredaintdead]

18. I'm an undergraduate history student. Hoping to eventually become a teacher, but as of right now I have not had a job of any sort.

[DrK]

I'm 30 and currently trying to cuddle my 2 year.old daughter to sleep. By day I was a post doc doing cancer research but recently sold out and joined a biotech firm manufacturing therapeutic proteins.for clinical trials and medical licence.

[Necroticplague]

In High School. Intending on getting a career in medical/pharmaceutical field once I get out (did well in Chemistry, doing well in Biology), with a backup plan of accounting/financing (did well in geometry, doing well in algebra 2).

[pffh]

I'm 23 and working on a masters degree in pharmacology. Currently unemployed (since university costs hardly anything) but I spent the last couple of summers working in a lab for a generic drug manufacturer and for the next couple of summers/weekends I'll probably be working in pharmacies until I graduate to finish the required hours.

[Gitman00]

I'm 29, and I work as an IT project manager for an organization that kills people and breaks their stuff.

It's not as exciting as it sounds.

[smellie_hippie]

I'm 37.

I traumatize children and their families. Therapist

I *stab* Archonic Energy.

Oh... and I brew my own beer. :smallamused:

[Anarion]

Sort of. There's a bar in your hotel room. You pick a drink off the tray. There's a sensor that notes what you bought, and a message is sent to the hotel's own property management system (industry standard abbreviates this to PMS, an unfortunate nickname) telling them what you bought. Then when you check out, you get a bill for the products you took out of the bar.


Argh, you're the reason I can't take out the drinks then replace them with a lower priced version purchased from a corner store later.




I'm 23, presently using these forums to procrastinate because I'm in the midst of finals for my second year of law school. I'm interested in getting a job working with intellectual properties law, particularly the internet and computer tech stuff.

[Trog]

Old.

Graphic Artist.

[Scarlet Knight]

51 yo father & pharmacist with an MPA; cubicle servant for a pharmaceutical company .

[smellie_hippie]

Old.

Graphic Artist.

Psssst.... You forgot "awesome"...

[Elder Tsofu]

Pharmacist at a pharmacy, Master in Pharmacy. 24.

[Giggling Ghast]

31. Busybody and mouthpiece for organizations and causes I don't believe in. On my off hours, I entertain delusions of competence and talent. I get paid, but I wouldn't call it making a living.

[Zherog]

I'm 41. My day job is as a computer programmer. (My official title is Sr. Programmer/Analyst III.) I also do freelance RPG design, development and (to a much lesser extent) editing on the side.

[Starwulf]

30 and disabled(fell off a 40 foot cliff almost 9 years ago and crushed parts of my spine). Loving father of two beautiful daughters and husband to the greatest wife in the world ^^

[Creed]

21 years old, currently working as a "Exhibit Interpreter" in a museum. I'm basically a professional tour guide. Well, not professional. You have to have gone to college to be a professional, I guess.
Yeah, I was that guy in High School who you didn't want to hang around and your parents agreed with you. I was the stereotypical, non-athletic nerd, entering the nerd Golden Age as World of Warcraft came into being.
And look at me now! They're all in a higher tax bracket and working desk jobs! I get to interact with the public and pay lower taxes! Plus, my job allows me to hang out with some of the nicest people I've ever met, my co-workers.:smallbiggrin:

[Frozen_Feet]

22, and a janitor. I feel lonely around all you academics. :smalltongue:

[Kneenibble]

22, and a janitor. I feel lonely around all you academics. :smalltongue:

Hey look, I've been pining for the ****ty dishwashing jobs I had prior to University lately. It's this whole non-middle aged Lester Burnham thing.

[Dr.Epic]

Mad scientist:smallwink:

[wxdruid]

Air Force Weather (wx) Forecaster and I'm with Trog on the age thing.

[Hbgplayer]

19, first semester at SRJC, and working minimum wage at the bookstore, listening to people complaign about the prices of books that I have to pay for too. :smallannoyed:
Planning on transfering to a four-year University next year to double major in Criminal Justice and Mechanical Engineering.

[Nix Nihila]

Young.

Student, and apprentice to a local fiber artist.

[Delwugor]

51 yo father & pharmacist with an MPA; cubicle servant for a pharmaceutical company .
Hey I'm not the oldest in this thread!!!!!
I'm 46. Mrs. D and I just celebrated our 20th Anniversary and I'm very thankful to still be alive. :smallbiggrin: We have 3 boys 19, 16 and 9.
I'm a Programmer-Sr System/Technical Analyst. No matter what title, I basically end up doing anything and everything involved in our systems.

[Zherog]

I'm a Programmer-Sr System/Technical Analyst. No matter what title, I basically end up doing anything and everything involved in our systems.

Ain't that the truth...

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

17 years old. Student, Year Two International Baccalaureate. Aiming to go study History, Linguistics, Philology in school.


18, and a student doing Undergraduate maths.

Holy boop. I've been on these forums since I was 13. o.o

Been here since I was 11. Scary thought, that. I've spent a third of my life on this site...

[olelia]

22

Business Degree in Computer Science

Currently the head data analyst / report writer for a parts distribution company.

[Serpentine]

30 and disabled(fell off a 40 foot cliff almost 9 years ago and crushed parts of my spine).Ouch :eek:

[olelia]

Ain't that the truth...

"Hey, your an IT guy right? That means you can fix my computer."

"Er no, I'm a programmer, that doesn't necessarily mean I can fix your problem."

"So...you can fix it right?

[AtlanteanTroll]

What's a living and why do I need one? :smalltongue:

Yeah, I'm 17 and a junior in high school. I usually work as a bag boy over the summers, though I don't really have any form of income during the school year. Except for the odd babysitting job. Plan on doing something with PoliSci when I get to college.

[Juggling Goth]

28. I'm a library assistant in an academic library during the week, and look after the animals at an educational charity/tourist attraction on Sundays.

I have a useless degree in economic and social history, and half of a useless MPhil in 20th-century British history before I went crazy and dropped out :)

[Bhu]

40, net research and film reviews part time, considering disability

[Feytalist]

Business degree in mathematical statistics/actuarial science. I'm also furthering my studies to become a qualified actuary.

Currently working at a corporate finance consulting firm as financial advisor.

Oh, and I'm 25. For the time being.

[Starwulf]

Ouch :eek:

An entire cabinet full of pain meds, sleeping pills, and various medical ointments + back brace and my own TENS unit 100% agrees with that assessment. I don't go to sleep, even with all my pills, I stay awake until the pain is no longer enough to keep me awake and I pass out.

[golentan]

I attend school part time to avoid persistent health complications which have dogged me since high school.

I pay for it and other expenses by having enslaved myself to a soulless corporation which has shackled me to a tiny space behind a register (I sometimes feel it would be less demeaning if they physically shackled me there). I also am writing when I have the time in an attempt to publish a fantasy novel.

I am 23.

[Lord Raziere]

Meh, I'm 18. Planning on being a novelist someday, but of course, get a steady job before doing that.

[starwoof]

I'm 21 and I don't do anything. I don't even go to school. I'm impoverished and lazy.

[Derjuin]

23, I work at a pizza place (Little Caesar's). I graduated with an Associate's in Culinary and I really don't plan on going anywhere with it, even though I enjoyed the classes. I'd rather do something related to art, writing, or psychology (a field in gender studies would be cool with me), but I don't really have any plans for attaining any of those goals.

[factotum]

41 here. Work as IT support for a software company that sells employee management software to temp recruitment agencies. Used to be a programmer, and often regret my choice of career change...

[Serpentine]

An entire cabinet full of pain meds, sleeping pills, and various medical ointments + back brace and my own TENS unit 100% agrees with that assessment. I don't go to sleep, even with all my pills, I stay awake until the pain is no longer enough to keep me awake and I pass out.Bloody hell. How's the longer-term outlook? :smallfrown:

[WalkingTarget]

30

Got a BS in Computer Science in 2003 and proceeded to barely use it for the next 7 years as I worked in tech support for a small company - setting up and supporting wireless networks for hotels.

When that company started finally dieing in late 2009 I started to get my ass in gear to apply to grad school and I got an email on being accepted the day before my company folded a few months later.

I'm currently a semester away from finishing my Masters in Library and Information Science and have been working at the university's engineering library in the meantime. I'm hoping to get a job doing reference services in an academic (or public) library when I'm done here, but I've been aiming to be flexible for whatever jobs are actually available.

[Savannah]

*thinks*

...

*checks profile* I'm 24 :smallbiggrin: Waaaaay too young to be forgetting that...

I'm currently a 1st year Master's student (Behavior Analysis) and didn't work this term (by which I mean I didn't earn money -- I did a "few" volunteer projects :smalltongue:). Next term I'm going to be TAing.

[Vacant]

I'm a twentysomething. During the school year, I'm mostly a student, but I also run a policy non-profit. Over the summers, I mostly work as a bartender, but I've held a lot of other odd-jobs on the side.

[polity4life]

I'm a 28 year old who has yet to end up in his target industry in spite of his education.

I have a BA in political science with a minor in philosophy. I've forgotten much of it, unfortunately, and that lovely degree combination landed me in banking for five years. Don't go into banking, ever.

While my soul was being sucked out of me during that five year period, I obtained my masters in public administration with the aspiration of being a city manager at some point. However, I ended up as an analyst for a healthcare provider conducting clinical epidemiological analyses.

On the side, I'm learning Python to one day develop and program a city management game with emphasis on budget management rather than city development. A bit niche, I know, but that's what I want to do.

[Mc. Lovin']

25. Have a double degree in Arts and Science, bombed out of Honours in ancient history/religion, may go back to finish it in a couple of years. I'm currently a library assistant, hoping to get into a career in museums or zoos or some other research position.

Arts and Science seems like an interesting degree! Do they link up in anyway, or was it like two seperate courses? I'm curious because they've always seemed like such different subjects to me

I'm 19, in my second year of studying undergraduate Psychology. And I have no idea about what to do with it after university! :smalleek:

[Serpentine]

They're pretty durn different. Kinda complementary, though - for instance, I think I had a better grasp on the impact of post-modernism on history because it was pretty much the same as science philosophy.
Career-wise, I think it might mostly be stuff like archaeology and museums where both would be handy. The latter being where I hope to find a career.

[The Succubus]

I'm a dashing and suave 30 year old that works as an Audiologist. I have heard every single crap joke to do with hearing that exists, ever. Please stop now.

[Tyndmyr]

29 years old, ex-air force computer programmer. Picked up an AA degree quite some time ago, and have dabbled in college in a wild number of places, picking up something approaching 200 credits at what, six institutions? One day, I might focus on actually getting more degrees, but right now, I have money and curiosity.

[Asta Kask]

Trained as a pharmacist and scientist. On sick leave for persistent major depression. 38.

[factotum]

Bloody hell. How's the longer-term outlook? :smallfrown:

He said the original accident was nearly 9 years ago--I suspect this *is* the long term outlook.

[TechnOkami]

Oh goodie, an interesting thread. Time to join the party methinks.

The Techno is 19 years of age, going to college @ OSU, currently an English major looking to do something more writing based and less reading based (I'm actually considering creative writing, seeing how I like to do forum RP), but for the most part... I haven't a frikkin' clue what I wanna do with my life.

Right now just floating along in my Viking ship, roaming the waters and discovering and learning, hopefully stumbling upon or realizing what I want to do, career/job/money makin' wise.

[Starwulf]

Bloody hell. How's the longer-term outlook? :smallfrown:

Worse. I'll eventually end up in a wheelchair as the rest of my spine slowly degenerates over the next decade or so. There are unfortunately no surgeries or anything that can be done to fix it, at least not right now. All I can do is keep myself healthy to prolong my ability to walk for as long as possible. I have already developed Arthritis in my back, as well as scolosis(I know that's not how it's spelled), and my back hurts more now then it did immediately after the fall.

[Karoht]

29, 30 in march.
I'm a Security and Process Analysis Consultant. Basically, I get paid to break into companies and then come up with countermeasures, I also get paid to tell companies how to run their business better. I used to work in a Bank.
Also, I'm a sponsored video gamer, I'm a swordfighter and stage actor, and a writer, and I do make money at all 3. Money is just a bonus really, I have a great time doing things I love. Basically, if I get a 'cool story bro' out of something, odds are I'll do it. And for some reason people will offer me money to do it more than once.
Planning on retiring in 15 years or less, assuming the end of the world doesn't wipe out most of my options for doing so.

[Weezer]

I'm 21, going to Grad school for my Chemistry PhD next year, so student at the moment and soon to be a student/teacher/researcher.
And apparently I've been a part of these forums for over a quarter of my life. I had no idea it had been that long... :smalleek:
@Karoht What game are you sponsored in?

[Eadin]

20 years old
Linguistics student
work in a hotel kitchen in the evening once a week:smallsmile:

[Eldariel]

26 year old student of General Linguistics. Getting my Bachelor's in a couple o' years. Sustaining myself by teaching at local schools alongside my studies. Haven't gotten too far with my studies yet; change of my main subject is still a possibility.

[Show]

I'm a dashing and suave 30 year old that works as an Audiologist. I have heard every single crap joke to do with hearing that exists, ever. Please stop now.

I hear ya, man. :smalltongue:

~

Anyway, it seems that I'm a 16 year old junior (high school, naturally). My grades are pretty bad in retrospect, but I'm hoping to go into philosophy or liberal arts. Journalism? Something like that. Advice from the more experienced?

[Ajadea]

Worse. I'll eventually end up in a wheelchair as the rest of my spine slowly degenerates over the next decade or so. There are unfortunately no surgeries or anything that can be done to fix it, at least not right now. All I can do is keep myself healthy to prolong my ability to walk for as long as possible. I have already developed Arthritis in my back, as well as scolosis(I know that's not how it's spelled), and my back hurts more now then it did immediately after the fall.

Oh my. My initial reaction would be some sort of internet hug, but I'm not sure if a hug would hurt your back worse. :smalleek: Times like this, I am reminded of the uses of spells such as regenerate.

Me, I'm 14 years old and a homeschool student. I hope to eventually get a double major in Biology and Computer Science. Not sure where I could go with those degrees, but given the recent interest in biology and the rate at which computer technology increases, I think I'll be able to find something.

[Weezer]

I hear ya, man. :smalltongue:

~

Anyway, it seems that I'm a 16 year old junior (high school, naturally). My grades are pretty bad in retrospect, but I'm hoping to go into philosophy or liberal arts. Journalism? Something like that. Advice from the more experienced?

My one advice is not to major in philosophy. It's a fascinating subject, taken enough classes for a minor myself, but you simply cannot get a job with it. Sadly the same thing is true for most of the 'pure' liberal arts majors out there...

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

I dunno, how many people get a job using their degree anyways? My mum did Theatre, then changed to English Literature, specializing on the 19th Century, and now is a professional photographer and book editor. And believe me, while book editing may seem like it's linked to Eng. Lit., you have to UNlearn EVERYTHING you did in Eng. Lit. to edit.

My dad majored in Civil Engineering, and is now a software tester. Again, not using his degree at all.

[Serpentine]

He said the original accident was nearly 9 years ago--I suspect this *is* the long term outlook.I was hoping their might be some good news...
Worse. I'll eventually end up in a wheelchair as the rest of my spine slowly degenerates over the next decade or so. There are unfortunately no surgeries or anything that can be done to fix it, at least not right now. All I can do is keep myself healthy to prolong my ability to walk for as long as possible. I have already developed Arthritis in my back, as well as scolosis(I know that's not how it's spelled), and my back hurts more now then it did immediately after the fall.Nope :smallfrown:

[kaomera]

41 and I bake cakes for a local restaurant; I bake a lot of cakes in a week - all the same kind, but it's my product start to finish and they damn well come out perfect if I have anything to say about it. We have several banquet rooms that get rented out for various functions (corporate meetings, weddings, etc.) and a lot that I produce ends up there, so it's not all menu stuff. I like my job a heck of a lot, even if I have to keep reminding myself that sometimes (like right now).

[Das Platyvark]

16. I'm gonna write stuff.

[THAC0]

26. I am a music teacher and firearms instructor.

[Kindablue]

19 year old music student. I'll either be a teacher or a rock star; I haven't decided yet.

[comicshorse]

43. Currently unemployed. Thinking of going back to University until the economy recovers or I die, whichever comes first

[kyoryu]

39. Software developer - ex game industry (you've heard of the titles), currently work on search engines. No degree.

[Remmirath]

I'm twenty-two, and studying art and theatre in college. I only recently started college - at the beginning of this year - because I wanted to be fairly sure of what I wanted to do before I started, and so I'm not very far along with either of those things yet.

I don't have any steady job, and instead do various theatre jobs. Currently I am directing a show, and in the past I've done tech and makeup as well as directing. Lately I've been getting into stage combat and fight choreography, and that may be where I head towards in the future.

[WalkingTarget]

Me, I'm 14 years old and a homeschool student. I hope to eventually get a double major in Biology and Computer Science. Not sure where I could go with those degrees, but given the recent interest in biology and the rate at which computer technology increases, I think I'll be able to find something.

If that specific combination of subjects is what you're interested in, maybe look into Bioinformatics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioinformatics).

[Feytalist]

I dunno, how many people get a job using their degree anyways? My mum did Theatre, then changed to English Literature, specializing on the 19th Century, and now is a professional photographer and book editor. And believe me, while book editing may seem like it's linked to Eng. Lit., you have to UNlearn EVERYTHING you did in Eng. Lit. to edit.

My dad majored in Civil Engineering, and is now a software tester. Again, not using his degree at all.

Yeah, it's weird. Same goes for me, really. I've got a business degree, and at least I'm doing something connected to that, but it's not quite what I studied for. These days you do whatever you can find, I guess.

It was simpler in my parents' time, I think. My dad studied business administration, and that's what he did for 35 years. My mum, overachiever that she is, has a triple degree in theatre, teaching and music, and that's what she still does.

[Ajadea]

If that specific combination of subjects is what you're interested in, maybe look into Bioinformatics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioinformatics).

Yes, that's what I'm interested in. I can see my good night's sleep abandoning me right now, in fact. No big loss.

[Tokuhara]

I'm 20 and am a Combat Engineer for the Indiana Army National Guard. I am currently unemployed (minus military), and plan on working a labor job for the rest of my life, probably a Heavy Equip Operator or a Welder

[Anarion]

On the side, I'm learning Python to one day develop and program a city management game with emphasis on budget management rather than city development. A bit niche, I know, but that's what I want to do.

When you get that done, would you consider sending it to some real city managers? They seem to have problems with the idea of staying within budget. :smallwink: Seriously though, San Francisco could do with not being more than $10 million under budget every year (it was more like $100 million in 2008).


Worse. I'll eventually end up in a wheelchair as the rest of my spine slowly degenerates over the next decade or so. There are unfortunately no surgeries or anything that can be done to fix it, at least not right now. All I can do is keep myself healthy to prolong my ability to walk for as long as possible. I have already developed Arthritis in my back, as well as scolosis(I know that's not how it's spelled), and my back hurts more now then it did immediately after the fall.

That completely sucks :smallfrown:
Does your insurance cover you for any kind of alternative medicine? My older brother has had very good results with acupuncture, which he used to help his asthma. They can help treat pain as well.

[Dumbledore lives]

I'm 17, soon to be 18 and just finished high school. Looking into Computer Science at college in the States, and busy applying right now. Hoping to make games, but no one knows what will actually happen.

[Si-on]

I am 34. (35 in less than 4 weeks). I am a house-husband and full-time carer for my disabled wife.

[Starwulf]

When you get that done, would you consider sending it to some real city managers? They seem to have problems with the idea of staying within budget. :smallwink: Seriously though, San Francisco could do with not being more than $10 million under budget every year (it was more like $100 million in 2008).



That completely sucks :smallfrown:
Does your insurance cover you for any kind of alternative medicine? My older brother has had very good results with acupuncture, which he used to help his asthma. They can help treat pain as well.

Unfortunately no, at least, not to my knowledge. Medicare is rather stingy when it comes to anything alternative, hell, they are stingy to regular treatments at times.


I am 34. (35 in less than 4 weeks). I am a house-husband and full-time carer for my disabled wife.

I 100% Salute and commend you for your dedication and commitment to your wife. Being disabled myself, I know that if it weren't for the support and love of my wife, I'd be much worse off. Actually, I'm quite certain that I'd have committed suicide a long time ago to be honest. She does so much for me, so much more then she should have ot, but she does so without a bit of complaint.

[Traab]

Just turned 30 this year, im an electrician, though im currently unemployed. Im basically a home health aide for my 89 year old grandmother who is sliding downhill at a scary rate. :smallfrown:

[Zherog]

"Hey, your an IT guy right? That means you can fix my computer."

"Er no, I'm a programmer, that doesn't necessarily mean I can fix your problem."

"So...you can fix it right?

Yes, yes! A thousand times yes! My parents finally understood after the following conversation:

Me: If you needed to have your appendix removed, would you go to [my brother] to have it done?
Father: No, he's an EMT, not a surgeon.
Me: But he works in the medical field. So that means he can do it.
Father: Don't be ridiculous. It's not his area. ... Oh.

[Form]

I'm 23 years old and an astronomy student. Hopefully I'll manage to obtain a PhD position somewhere the coming months and then I'd be doing that.

[onthetown]

21, have a degree for medical assistant/ward clerk from a private trade college. No jobs for it, working as a full-time coffee slave at a gas station coffee counter until all the med secretaries and ward clerks either retire or die.

Hey, for 45 hours a week guaranteed, I'll do anything. Pays the bills, right? (I've had some friends wonder if I'm depressed that this is the job I got after I graduated college and everything, but it's honestly not as bad as the media makes it out to be. To anybody else in my position, you just have to keep looking for your ideal career listings, put out as many applications as you can, and even accept only temporary jobs. I had a temp job in the spring as a secretary in a chiropractor's office and it at least got me some experience, which is what employers are looking for anyway. Having to work in a field other than what you trained for, like how I'm doing food service instead of medical assistant/ward clerk, is not the end of the world. Also, employers tend to respect the ability to work retail and food service for long periods of time without ending up at an asylum.)

[KenderWizard]

Hello, oddly fascinating thread.

I'm 22 and in the final year of my undergrad Geology degree. I'm probably going to end up doing a postgrad in geology or geophysics. I did a geophysics internship during the summer and really enjoyed it. There's not many jobs going at the moment, so I'm really hoping to get a postgrad scholarship so I can't afford to live while studying!

I'm not able to work while doing full-time education, partly because there are no jobs, but mostly because I have a lot of medical problems, notably, fatigue, so I spend most of my time outside of college resting or sleeping.

[Niezck]

I'm 18 (19 in under a month!) and currently at the end of school. Appying for a Masters in Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence at uni and got a couple offers already, now I just have to fulfill the grade requirements...

Who knows what I'll end up doing... Always wanted to be a game core programmer, but that's pretty much the standard dream and seems pretty unlikely. Oh well, we'll see.

[Solaris]

Air Force Weather (wx) Forecaster and I'm with Trog on the age thing.

... so when I say "I'm an army aviator", do you feel the urge to strangle me? Or are you separate from the SWOs?

I'm 24, and I formerly filed my job description as 'kill people and break things'. Turns out war really is a whole lot of tedium punctuated by screaming terror, sans the screaming terror and more of the maniacal laughter and black humor. Good times. Made some good friends, and I can honestly say that there's a piece of the world that's the better for my having been through there. We made a measurable difference in that li'l patch of the sandbox.

I did a career change to something somewhat more lucrative about a year back. Now I babysit autopilots that fly remote control aircraft that help others know which people to kill and what stuff to break. It's dull, boring, and ain't half as sexy as it sounds. Honestly, the hardest part is when it's o-dark-thirty and you're staring at the screen that hasn't changed in eight hours, knowing you've got another four to go. A'course, I hardly ever go outside the wire anymore and I'm guaranteed sleep tonight. My knees and back aren't getting worse, and now it doesn't usually hurt to walk. The fact that I'm guaranteed a job that pays between 90k and 250k a year when I get out isn't too bad, either. Granted, it's the sort of job where there's a good number of folks who suck-start shotguns out of sheer mind-warping frustration (there are a tremendous number of stupid people out there, and all of them outrank you), and everybody loathes you, whether they be aviators (who complain about us wearing crew wings because... I guess they think they do something impressive?) or boots-on-ground personnel (because... well, let's face it, us grunt-types are morons)... but it's the end of the world if you do not maintain 24/7 coverage. Great if you can stomach staring at empty fields for endless hours. Not so much if you thought you were going to do something useful.
You don't want to know how much each hour of flight costs.

[Megatron46]

Hmmm, I am 34 and teach Drama and English to 11-18 year olds... pretty much the job I've wanted to since I was 13!
I feel very lucky that I'm able to do it..... 95% of the time anyway :smallamused:

[Kneenibble]

This gentleman who wades along the soggy shore of alcoholism, never quite plunging in but never quite leaving the beach either, is 27 and an archivist. I used to be involved with the theatre quite heavily, but for a number of reasons I've put that on hold for a time. I write, but I never try to publish. I'm hoping a sympathetic relative will find my papers after I die and publish me posthumously, and my tragic genius will finally be revered. :smalltongue:

This thread is fascinating: people's stories, eh? There's been several surprises about age for me, in particular.

& Solaris that was a great post.

[Tyndmyr]

I'm 17, soon to be 18 and just finished high school. Looking into Computer Science at college in the States, and busy applying right now. Hoping to make games, but no one knows what will actually happen.

I don't mean to be the dream crusher, but be aware that the game coding field tends to be a very popular dream. If you work in that segment of the IT field, you'll end up paid less for a lot more work than for comparable coding jobs. You literally couldn't pay me enough to make me take on a coding job for a big gaming shop.

That said, hobbyist game coding is VERY fun and rewarding. I highly reccomend you investigate the XNA framework. Absolutely free to get into on PC, decently documented, and pretty straightforward and powerful.

[pendell]

26. I am a music teacher and firearms instructor.

What, at the same time? How does that work? Do you perform the 1812 overture with real guns? Replace the percussion section with artillery?

I was in high school band, and while firearms would have been very useful to deal with the football team we never actually got it written into our course material :).

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[danzibr]

Oh my. My initial reaction would be some sort of internet hug, but I'm not sure if a hug would hurt your back worse. :smalleek: Times like this, I am reminded of the uses of spells such as regenerate.

Me, I'm 14 years old and a homeschool student. I hope to eventually get a double major in Biology and Computer Science. Not sure where I could go with those degrees, but given the recent interest in biology and the rate at which computer technology increases, I think I'll be able to find something.
If you don't mind me asking, how do you like being homeschooled? And how long have you been homeschooled?

My wife and I plan on homeschooling all of our children (the first (and only, at the moment) is almost 11 months old).

[Remmirath]

If you don't mind me asking, how do you like being homeschooled? And how long have you been homeschooled?

My wife and I plan on homeschooling all of our children (the first (and only, at the moment) is almost 11 months old).

I hope you don't mind me answering this also, even though I'm not who you asked. (Now you get two opinions! :smalltongue:)

I was homeschooled up until I started college. I liked it, certainly, though I don't directly know what it would have been like to go to a school (although from what I heard from my friends, I wouldn't've liked it at all. Large groups of people and me don't mix very well). I think I mostly took it for granted. It took me a while to get adjusted to the highschool program and figure out how to accomplish all the goals I needed to, but I ended up enjoying that more than the rest of it. The only bad thing about that part was all the forms. I'm not fond of paperwork.

My younger brother was also homeschooled, and I believe he has much the same opinion, aside from that he doesn't mind paperwork.

The only slight problem, for me, is that I chose not to take any tests while I was homeschooled. The only reason that was a problem is that for the first several I had to take in college I worried about them for days beforehand. Not a major problem, but it might've been a good idea to take one or two to see what they were like beforehand for my peace of mind.

[kyoryu]

I don't mean to be the dream crusher, but be aware that the game coding field tends to be a very popular dream. If you work in that segment of the IT field, you'll end up paid less for a lot more work than for comparable coding jobs. You literally couldn't pay me enough to make me take on a coding job for a big gaming shop.


That, and in many game development companies, programmers have *very* little influence on the actual game design, which is more in the hands of designers (typically, people that come up through the QA ranks).

[Savannah]

If you don't mind me asking, how do you like being homeschooled? And how long have you been homeschooled?

My wife and I plan on homeschooling all of our children (the first (and only, at the moment) is almost 11 months old).

*hijacks question*

I was homeschooled until college and it was awesome. In contrast to the "OMG how will your kid know how to take a test/interact with other kids?!?!!11!" attitude people often have, I'd say I'm as well off or better off academically and socially than most of my public-schooled peers (this was particularly noticeable in freshman/sophomore year -- it's gradually become less so the further I get).

I don't want to derail the thread, so feel free to PM me if you want to ask more -- in addition to being homeschooled myself, my mother does a lot with helping people who are thinking about homeschooling, so I've picked up quite a bit of random info.

*hands question back to Ajadea*

[Totally Guy]

I am 28 and I manage construction accounts.

[dehro]

What, at the same time? How does that work? Do you perform the 1812 overture with real guns? Replace the percussion section with artillery?

I'm guessing he teaches at gunpoint..if you don't practice hard enough on your music sheets he'll know..and shoot you in the kneecaps.
I bet he's an amazing music teacher :D

[Ajadea]

If you don't mind me asking, how do you like being homeschooled? And how long have you been homeschooled?

My wife and I plan on homeschooling all of our children (the first (and only, at the moment) is almost 11 months old).

I began homeschool at 8. Public school, I think, would have driven me to bad places involving delinquency. I must have spend half of my public school time daydreaming, drawing, and doodling. Admittedly, this sparked my interest in RPGs, but that was pretty much the one positive thing I got.

I do enjoy homeschooling. In defense of the "OMG how will your kid know how to take a test/interact with other kids?!?!!11!" crowd, my social skills are limited. When I open my mouth, I can sound competent and apparently charming, but a lot of what I have to say has to be mentally translated first because I think on weird wavelengths. It's like trying to explain what movements you make to make your heart beat. No one thinks about that - those actions are called involuntary muscle contractions for a reason. Thing is, I'd be having the same problems in public school, except you could probably add 'juvenile delinquency' to that list. It's not really about homeschooling so much as the types of people who, in the eyes of the public, tend to get homeschooling: those who do not fit in the box that 90% of their peers fit in.

Homeschooling will not hurt your kids. Probably helps. Honestly, my perception of the baseline is (due to multiple factors), incredibly weird. Introduce them to the various paper formats though, before college. I've written a few papers in various formats, and that sort of stuff is confusing and counterintuitive.

[Starwulf]

I do enjoy homeschooling. In defense of the "OMG how will your kid know how to take a test/interact with other kids?!?!!11!" crowd, my social skills are limited. When I open my mouth, I can sound competent and apparently charming, but a lot of what I have to say has to be mentally translated first because I think on weird wavelengths. It's like trying to explain what movements you make to make your heart beat. No one thinks about that - those actions are called involuntary muscle contractions for a reason.

I hope it's ok if I chime in on this particular matter, as I have a small amount of experience with it. I myself wasn't home-schooled, but when I was in 11th grade, a girl and her brother who had been home-schooled their entire lives started coming to my school. The girl didn't adjust so well, and eventually went back to being home-schooled, her brother however fit in pretty well after a short adjustment period(a single school year). However, for the first 6 months or so, both of them were very awkward, unable to socialize very well, and making several faux-pas that other teens who had gone to school their entire life wouldn't. It really did, like you claim Aja, seem that they thought on different wavelengths then other teens did.

[Serpentine]

Yeah, I have heard of very, very few homeschoolers who didn't admit to at least some social awkwardness - and the two I knew personally were excruciatingly shy. And, let's face it, for all the importance that is put on academic success, studies have shown that when it comes right down to it social skills are at least as important.
For the person who originally asked the question: if you do homeschool - and there's lots of reasons I can think of to do so, and plenty of people (such as here) who will say you should - make sure you go out of your way to get your kids properly socialised. And not just with adults. With as many people their own age - the good and the bad - you can get your grubby little mits on (metaphorically speaking, of course.).

[The Unborne]

I turned 21 over the summer in Moscow during a study abroad trip. Of course that means I'm majoring in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies, but on the side I also major in English: Literature. I'm an undergrad at Miami University of Ohio, where I also work as a writing consultant for the writing center.

[Nix Nihila]

Re: Homeschooling.

I was homeschooled, and I found it very enjoyable. I feel that it's one of the reasons I have always retained a love of learning, and regularly research things for leisure, while many of my peers who have gone to school have had their desire to learn eroded (to be fair, a good portion of my homeschooled friends have had this problem too). Homeschooling can be very positive.

That said, I'm of the opinion that homeschooling should never be done to isolate or "protect" your child. I think that ends up doing more much more harm than good. You should examine your desire to homeschool your children very closely, to make sure that this isn't the ultimate reason you're homeschooling them.

I also agree that you have to be extra careful about allowing your children to socialize enough. My brother was also homeschooled, and he is one of the most sociable people you will ever meet. I am somewhat socially awkward, but I attribute that mostly to issues other than a lack of social experience. However, many of my homeschooled acquaintances are dreadfully shy, or are oblivious to certain social expectations. Interestingly, my homeschooled friends almost universally err on the side of being too courteous.

[THAC0]

What, at the same time? How does that work? Do you perform the 1812 overture with real guns? Replace the percussion section with artillery?

I was in high school band, and while firearms would have been very useful to deal with the football team we never actually got it written into our course material :).

Respectfully,

Brian P.

LOL! Well, I'm just getting into the firearms side. I did line coaching on the weekends for classes before we moved and now I have my NRA instructor certification and have been asked by one of the largest firearms schools to apply to their instructor program. The overall plan is that teaching music is my "make money" job, and the firearms classes are weekend/summer things that I do on an at-cost basis.

[Lord Raziere]

Meh, I wasn't home schooled and I'm a social weirdo who is completely blunt and to the point, yet at the same time almost everyone I meet likes me, at least in real life, I seem to come across as annoying online for some reason. But thats just natural me.

and of course, I have no idea why you guys are talking about homeschooled people, I just started thinking then talking about something vaguely related to that. now I'm going off in a completely different direction for some reason. Again, I just said, I'm socially weird. and honest. I have no problem with that. :smallcool:

[Vacant]

I do the same thought-to-speech translation thing, Ajadea. I also went to public school and was something of a deliquent. It all worked out okay in the end, though.

[Hbgplayer]

Re: Homeschooling

I went to public schools my entire life, and I really enjoyed it. People who go to public schools do not necessarily become delinquents; it all depends on the values that their parents taught (or didn't) teach them.

[Alarra]

While the homeschool debate is always interesting...I'll move things back to the original question. :smallsmile:

I'm 30. I have degrees in Psychology and Studio Art, with minors in Art History and English...because one useless degree just was not enough for me. :smalltongue: I initially went into publishing, which had little to nothing to do with any of those.

A few years ago I got a master's in Counseling and Art Therapy and am currently working as a therapist. Current plan is to go to medical school in June, or, rather, a post-bac program to get me ready for med school, cause, you know, with all that art and english, I didn't fit in a lot of chemistry and physics classes in undergrad. That reminds me, I really need to hurry up and get that application sent in. I want to get back into research because I loooooooooove researching, and am actually rather meh about the clinical work. Probably in the neurology area.

I am also writing several novels, making plans to start selling my art again and working on a webcomic. All of which I would probably do more of if I didn't spend so much time on WoW.

Non work related, I'm married to yon other mod, Zeb, who I met here. And we have the most adorable 2 year old in the world.

[Weezer]

I do the same thought-to-speech translation thing, Ajadea. I also went to public school and was something of a deliquent. It all worked out okay in the end, though.

As do I, but I definitely fall on the "can function in society with effort" spectrum of socially awkward. Went to a public school as well.

[Ajadea]

Re: Homeschooling

I went to public schools my entire life, and I really enjoyed it. People who go to public schools do not necessarily become delinquents; it all depends on the values that their parents taught (or didn't) teach them.

I'm not trying to say people who go to public school have a higher chance of becoming delinquents. I'm saying that enough years of consistent boredom and irritation with repetitive schoolwork, would likely drive me, specifically, towards delinquency, if only to get some variety in the day. Sorry if I offended you with that statement.

[Tyndmyr]

Re: Homeschooling.

I was homeschooled, and I found it very enjoyable. I feel that it's one of the reasons I have always retained a love of learning, and regularly research things for leisure, while many of my peers who have gone to school have had their desire to learn eroded (to be fair, a good portion of my homeschooled friends have had this problem too). Homeschooling can be very positive.


Was homeschooled as well, and immensely hated it. When I hit community college, I had a lot of remedial areas I had to patch up that my parents had never really covered well. There's the social angle, sure...though that was also fixable. Furthermore, the desire to learn can get crushed at home(or insufficiently nurtured, as the case may be) as well. Enough time in college sorted me out, but I have siblings that have very poor literacy and are lacking in other basic skills.

In short...homeschooling is fairly poorly tracked in many states, and the standards which they are required to maintain are varied and frequently wildly insufficient. In addition, homeschooled people trend strongly toward religious sorts or others who may have reasons for choosing this option other than educational ones. These kids often end up with substandard education, but end up not being highly publicized since they live extremely private lives within a rather closed off community, while everyone tends to hear about the other end of the spectrum.

Don't get me wrong...it can be done quite well, but there is currently immense variability within homeschooling, and some of it is downright dangerous.

[pendell]

I'm guessing he teaches at gunpoint..if you don't practice hard enough on your music sheets he'll know..and shoot you in the kneecaps.
I bet he's an amazing music teacher :D

THAC0 is a "she".

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[truemane]

I am mid-30's. Ish. With two kids. One of them is living out in the big bad world now and even has a daughter of his own. The other is still home and is the proverbial apple of my proverbial eye.

By trade I am a generic office monkey, pushing papers in the health-care field. My job is a good one. I'm not putting any down-payments on any BMW's any time soon, but it's nice and regular and reliable and cushy. I also work part-time as a server in a semi-fancy restaurant. I don't like working two jobs, but I like each of my jobs, in their own way, and would find it hard to give up either one. Even if I could afford to. Which in fact I cannot. Had the path of my life taken a few different turns I'd have probably wound up being a university professor. Which I probably would have enjoyed about as much as what I do now. I'm easy-going when it comes to making a living. You do what you do, then you go home.

My two passions are writing and film. I still dream my boyhood dreams of silver and gold and of being successful enough at writing to 'make a living' at it. My problem is I that don't write often enough. I have the ability to be 'be a writer' but not the motivation.

But if I never 'make it', my kids mean that I'll never consider my time on this earth wasted.

[Occasional Sage]

I am a 35-year-old woodworker and cabinet maker.


...[W]e have the most adorable 2 year old in the world.

My son disagrees. Let the Wonderful Wars commence!

But seriously, congratulations! They're great, aren't they? :smallbiggrin:

[DraPrime]

I'm 19 years old. Currently I'm a seminarian studying to become a Catholic priest. For this I'm right now working on my bachelor's degree in philosophy, which will then be followed by a master's degree in theology.

[dehro]

THAC0 is a "she".

Respectfully,

Brian P.

I shall go stuck my foot somewhere other than my mouth now, shan't I?
also, somehow that makes my scenario even more fun to contemplate...well, to me at least

[Hazyshade]

25, business analyst. I take data and put user interfaces on it and explain to people what it means. Most of my team think that a pivot table counts as a user interface, so I'm pretty happy with my job security. No relevant degree.

[Jack Squat]

22 here, and I think the official designation is "Student" - although I currently work two grunt-level jobs and kinda-sorta have my own business (more of hobby that I can make money off of occasionally).

[Surfing HalfOrc]

Well, let's see...

I'm 46, married, two kids. Daughter is 19, off to college, son is 11 and in the 5th Grade.

I am retired from the U.S. Navy, and now work for the Army here in Korea. I still play D&D from time to time, but not as much as I used to (a bout with tongue cancer makes it harder to talk for long periods). I ride and race MTB bicycles, and generally explore as much of Korea as I can, from the DMZ to Chejo Island, and once rode from Uijongbu to Sokcho, about 230km.

I have a B.A. in History and Poli Sci, and a Master's in Education. I did teach (substitute) for a year, but the schools in Colorado weren't as welcoming of Troops to Teachers as I had hoped. They wanted me to Student Teach for a school year (no pay), while my wife and kids INSISTED that they be fed. AND have a roof over their heads. AND have clothes to wear. All at the same time. So after burning through much of our savings while I pursued a teaching career, I eventually gave up and took a job paying about double what teaching did, and put my degrees up on the wall.

[Shyftir]

27, with a BA in Biblical Studies and a minor in Youth Ministry. I work at Wal-mart in the deli. The plan had been to become a Youth Pastor, but life turned another way. I'm one more dreaming the "get published" dream. I'm also interested in tabletop game design but have no clue how one gets into that field.

Homeschooling:
Did it for Junior High between two conservative Christian private schools. Hated it because I'm a very social person. There are two types of home-schoolers; the completely normal, possibly overachieving types, and the completely socially stunted weirdos. (Like band geeks but without friends!) That's just my observation.

[Ashtar]

I'm 31. I've got a Masters in Computer Science. My job title is "Senior Consultant" in a small 2 man company of which I own a small share. We make energy utility stochastic optimization software (Hydroelectric power plants and gas storage plants, [...]). Half the flexible power plants in switzerland are evaluated with our software and next year (fingers crossed) we should get 90%+ of the market.

I'm dating an artist who lives in Paris and hoping she will come to live with me after she finishes her studies. I'm in love.

[danzibr]

I did teach (substitute) for a year, but the schools in Colorado weren't as welcoming of Troops to Teachers as I had hoped. They wanted me to Student Teach for a school year (no pay), while my wife and kids INSISTED that they be fed. AND have a roof over their heads. AND have clothes to wear. All at the same time.
Haha, ahh... student teaching. I did it for a semester (so half as long) and with my wife (but with no kids). I can't possibly imagine doing it for a full year with kids. Schools and their free labor.

[Cardea]

18. I work at a bookstore, and I'm a working Actor.

It just dawned on me that I've been on the Forums a little over a year and a half now.

Edit: Oh, and I draw things from time to time?

[Melayl]

"Old and Decrepit," according to my three children (and myself, to be honest). Mid-30's. Bachelors in Liberal Studies (professional student), and Associates in Nursing. Full-time father & husband, full-time nurse at a surgical hospital, part-time EMT. Leaves little time for sleep...

To Starwulf: Don't give up hope yet. I've seen some amazing things in my 9 years in nursing, including great recoveries to back/spine injury patients. One of the surgeons that comes to our facility is an internationally-rated neurosurgeon who has had good success with backs/necks/spines that other surgeons wouldn't touch. He's working with clinical trials on a new non-narcotic intrathecal pain medication (one of many MD's doing the trial) that shows really great promise.

[Zeb The Troll]

I am mid-30's. Ish. With two kids. One of them is living out in the big bad world now and even has a daughter of his own. The other is still home and is the proverbial apple of my proverbial eye.*gasp!* I'm not the only grandpa here anymore? When did this happen? :smallcool:

I'm 40 with a bachelors degree in Information Technology and a few graduate courses. I work as Tier 2 support for file and print servers for the government, at least for now. The contract ends in late January (last we heard anyway) so I'll have to put my boots to the ground and start looking here soon, I suppose, though I do hate job hunting.

I think in the not too distant future I'm going to start taking some courses to the end of being able to manage a restaurant. Not that I've long dreamed of being a restaurateur, but I've recently been dazzled by the idea of being a working partner in a brewpub and that sounds like a mighty nice way to spend my days. Far better'n being tech support for the rest of my days, anyway. That's a plan for later, though, since Alarra wants her med school and I'm a proponent of one of us having a job that's likely to feed and shelter us while I'm busy pretending I'm Gordon Ramsay. :smalltongue:

I'm also a father of two, 23 year old daughter with two of her own (a 5 year old and a 4 month old, both boys) and a 2 year old son that keeps things interesting. :smallamused:

[Cristo Meyers]

Turned 28 last month and back to working pretty basic level claims stuff for a commercial insurance provider for about a year and a half now. Data entry mostly with some state regulatory stuff thrown in (as in, I do all the work clearing the issues and the analysts take all the credit :smallsigh:). It's not mind-bendingly awesome or even cool but it pays the bills and is unobtrusive enough that I'm not constantly taking my work home with me.

I do some writing on the side, all unpublished. Finished a draft of a novel I'd been working on for some time, but I'm letting that sit while I work on short stories and re-writing a longer story that I once wrote for some friends here (though that one's just for the hell of it).


... while I'm busy pretending I'm Gordon Ramsay. :smalltongue:


I would pay to see that. :smalltongue::smallbiggrin:

[Anarion]

I'm also a father of two, 23 year old daughter with two of her own (a 5 year old and a 4 month old, both boys) and a 2 year old son that keeps things interesting. :smallamused:

There have been a great variety of ages in this thread, but this is the first one where someone's child is as old as I am. I feel really young suddenly. Also pretty cool that your family has a nephew who is older than his uncle.

[Feytalist]

I think in the not too distant future I'm going to start taking some courses to the end of being able to manage a restaurant. Not that I've long dreamed of being a restaurateur, but I've recently been dazzled by the idea of being a working partner in a brewpub and that sounds like a mighty nice way to spend my days.

Friendly word of advice: read something like Kitchen Confidential and see if you still feel up to it. :smallbiggrin: Restauranting is a hard business. But fulfilling, apparently.

[banjo1985]

I'm 26 and happily married, having just bought my first actual house after renting for the past four years. Life appears to be a constant stream of buying stuff for Christmas and packing, including packing the stuff I need for Christmas then having to unpack them again to use them.

I've got a degree in Business Computing, and work in research admin at a university; not the most challenging or interesting job in the world, but it pays okay and gives me a fair bit of free time. I write in my spare time, when I have any, and just got confirmation of my first publishing credit this morning!

Happy Banjo is happy. :smallbiggrin:

[The Succubus]

I'm 26 and happily married, having just bought my first actual house after renting for the past four years. Life appears to be a constant stream of buying stuff for Christmas and packing, including packing the stuff I need for Christmas then having to unpack them again to use them.

I've got a degree in Business Computing, and work in research admin at a university; not the most challenging or interesting job in the world, but it pays okay and gives me a fair bit of free time. I write in my spare time, when I have any, and just got confirmation of my first publishing credit this morning!

Happy Banjo is happy. :smallbiggrin:

When you put it like that, you are one lucky son of a puppet. :smallsmile:

[Dogmantra]

I'm 17 and I'm a student studying media production at college. Hoping to be a writer of some sort (script writer or pote hopefully) but I'd also absolutely love to be a voice actor.

[Dallas-Dakota]

18 years old, studying to get my Bachelors in Media Design(Audio Visual productions) with a focus on camerawork. A couple of my hobbies are photography, extreme sports, going to festivals and LARP'ing.:smallsmile:

[KuReshtin]

A couple of my hobbies are photography, extreme sports, going to festivals and LARP'ing.:smallsmile:

Also, DD's hobbies include gathering a large harem of wenches who adore his flowing blonde locks of hair, and drinking mead.

[Tyndmyr]

I think in the not too distant future I'm going to start taking some courses to the end of being able to manage a restaurant. Not that I've long dreamed of being a restaurateur, but I've recently been dazzled by the idea of being a working partner in a brewpub and that sounds like a mighty nice way to spend my days.

I've got a friend what used to do that sort of thing(though it might have been heavier on the brewing side), and he said that it was ridiculously busy, but lots of fun. If it's the time of thing you love, I could see that being a great plan. That said...the guy works IT now.

[Zherog]

[side track]


27, with a BA in Biblical Studies and a minor in Youth Ministry. I work at Wal-mart in the deli. The plan had been to become a Youth Pastor, but life turned another way. I'm one more dreaming the "get published" dream. I'm also interested in tabletop game design but have no clue how one gets into that field.

One very good way to get started is to enter (and be chosen) for Paizo's RPG Superstar (http://paizo.com/rpgsuperstar). First round entries are due by January 6th, with the list of contestants announced by January 24th. I know a handful of folks who have gotten their break in the RPG Freelance industry through this contest. And, in fact, all the ones I know didn't even win; just getting exposure as one of the 32 finalists is oftentimes enough.

Also, keep an eye on Kobold Quarterly. They've done contests in the past that result in some fun stuff and good exposure. In addition, You can send queries for the magazine itself. (http://www.koboldquarterly.com/k/submit) Getting publishing in the magazine (or even on the website) is another good way to get started. Finally, from a KQ perspective, joining up as a patron on one of the Open Design projects gives a lot of opportunities for freelance work, where you get to pitch your ideas to fellow patrons and if the idea is liked you get to do the design work. (And, if your ideas aren't accepted, you'll still get some cool "behind the scenes" looks at design that may help.)

Hope that proves helpful...

[/side track]

[Tyndmyr]

I'd honestly take a gander through the homebrew forums here first, and kick a few submissions into the forum for feedback. Once you feel pretty confident in that, hitting up Pazio or another, smaller publisher would be a great way to go.

[truemane]

*gasp!* I'm not the only grandpa here anymore? When did this happen? :smallcool:

Well... since my grand-daughter is, in fact, four months old... I'd have to guess... about four months ago? :smalltongue:

[enderlord99]

I recite weird internet memes and fire my lazors, and/or I'm over 9000 years old.

[Nerd-o-rama]

I'm 25 and I bum around message boards while I maintain server and data storage environments for third-party clients at a data center.

[Zeb The Troll]

I've got a friend what used to do that sort of thing(though it might have been heavier on the brewing side), and he said that it was ridiculously busy, but lots of fun. If it's the time of thing you love, I could see that being a great plan. That said...the guy works IT now.This amuses me in a "the universe has opened up my position for me" kind of way. In fact, "heavier on the brewing" is more or less what I'd be going for.

[Vknight]

18
College
Going to be a Forensic Chemist... CSI if you don't understand:smallcool:
I had a job but I lost it. So job hunting to help pay bills etc

[Mauve Shirt]

22. I am the person on the phone between the software developers and the users.

[Tyndmyr]

This amuses me in a "the universe has opened up my position for me" kind of way. In fact, "heavier on the brewing" is more or less what I'd be going for.

Hmm, seems oddly fitting, then. =)

Should you open such a place, definitely post it up here, I know a few folks who enjoy checking out local places like that.

[enderlord99]

22. I am the person on the phone between the software developers and the users.

I didn't know there was a Pelican City, India:smalltongue:

[Zeb The Troll]

Hmm, seems oddly fitting, then. =)

Should you open such a place, definitely post it up here, I know a few folks who enjoy checking out local places like that.Absolutely. I'd pay for banner ads and everything! :smallcool:

[Fri]

hmm.. just finished my bachelor of arts in product design, but I decides against working in any design related work from the start. I'm just starting my work in a company that subtitles foreign movies now, but I'm still pursuing my dream to be a journalist.

[Lady Moreta]

I'm a 28 year old who has yet to end up in his target industry in spite of his education.

Wow... except for the gender being wrong, that's an incredibly accurate description of me.

I am 28 (though will be 29 in about 2 months)... I have a BA(Hons) in Anthropology (with a minor in Classics), and a MA in Archaeology - astonishingly enough, they've proved useless and I tend to make my living as a receptionist/general office admin.

Currently I'm working as a housewife (:smalltongue:) but I plan to find myself a job once my husband and I get home (we're currently at my parent's place in another country). I plan, when time and finances permit, to go back to university to do pretty much whatever it takes to make my New Zealand degrees usable in Australia... or a museum curator course, I'd like to do that :smallsmile:

[DeusMortuusEst]

24, started on a bachelor in maths a couple of years ago, but I got tired of it. Now I'm working in the IT-department for one of the larger stock companies in my country, monitoring the trading systems and panicking whenever something goes wrong.

[dehro]

it's funny just how many people in Australia are into history/archaeology..
we've got a 16 yo Australian kid here (in Italy) for 2 months, on a student exchange thing..both his parents are archaeologists and anthropologists (albeit not originally ozzies)..and I seem to notice that several forumites from downunder share that professional/educational path.

[Dusk Eclipse]

19 years old here, and i just finished my first semester of Mechanical Engineering, right now I am a full time student thought I have done some odd jobs such as translating (Spanish to English and vice-versa).

[polity4life]

Wow... except for the gender being wrong, that's an incredibly accurate description of me.

I am 28 (though will be 29 in about 2 months)... I have a BA(Hons) in Anthropology (with a minor in Classics), and a MA in Archaeology - astonishingly enough, they've proved useless and I tend to make my living as a receptionist/general office admin.


It's a shame you aren't in America. The State Department, namely the Foreign Service branch, here is in great need for cultural anthropologists, or anyone remotely related in that field, to staff embassies and assist with foreign relation initiatives writ large. Too few have the academic background to completely fill those positions with the quality necessary to do the job.

Maybe there is a similar opportunity for you in Australia.

[Zaggab]

I'm 22 and studying to become a doctor, expecting to be "finished" in January 2014. I'm supposed to study for an upcoming exam right now. Tonight I should repeat the chapter about acute gastrointestinal bleeding. Or maybe proctology.

Or I could procrastinate further on internet message boards.

hmm... Procrastinate...

[danzibr]

acute gastrointestinal bleeding. Or maybe proctology.
Are those two things strongly related?

[dehro]

I'm 22 and studying to become a doctor, expecting to be "finished" in January 2014. I'm supposed to study for an upcoming exam right now. Tonight I should repeat the chapter about acute gastrointestinal bleeding. Or maybe proctology.

Or I could procrastinate further on internet message boards.

hmm... Procrastinate...

and here I thought that your profile piccy was Darth Vader's helmet from his flower power/psychedelic years..

[Salbazier]

I'm almost 24 now (birthday in three weeks). Astronomy Major. ...that's pretty much it I think.

[TDB Lady]

45 years young. I work as a bus aid with handicapped kids for our local school district, and have been working with disabled people for nearly 30 years now, starting with a Brownie (Girl Scout) troop of elementary kids when I was in middle school.

I also volunteer with my local quilt guild (treasurer this year), help my elderly neighbors, quilt, dye and paint fabric (cotton and silk), garden, backpack, play d&d and other games, and generally keep busy. I've sold some of my small quilts, fabric postcards and silk scarves I've made. Ususally just enough to pay for my fabric habit.

I couldn't have children, but am a 'dog mom' :smallsmile: to a rescue chocolate lab that we've had for 9 years now.

[Burnheart]

I feel lost among all these academics :smalltongue: I'm 21 years old and unemployed, i am looking for work but i'm just not finding any at the moment.

[pendell]

I feel lost among all these academics :smalltongue: I'm 21 years old and unemployed, i am looking for work but i'm just not finding any at the moment.

What do you do, exactly? Got any particular skills or training?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Burnheart]

What do you do, exactly? Got any particular skills or training?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

No i don't :smallsigh:

[Karoht]

No i don't :smallsigh:Everyone always says that.

Did you complete high school?
What sort of optional classes did you take? Computers? Art? Basket Weaving?

For all intents and purposes, anything you did in school counts as a skill or training.

Also, you would be surprised how useful your hobbies are on a job interview. I successfully argued I was a viable candidate for a management position using my raid leading experience in WoW. Laugh, go ahead, I laugh too. But you would be amazed at how many leadership and management skills applicable to raid leading.

If you don't have experience, one of the best ways to get some is to go volunteer. No one ever looks down at the guy who served food in a shelter, let alone if you do more than that.

If you're looking for a job, catering and event staff is very easy to get into on a casual basis at the moment. All you do is go to all the hotels within reasonable distance from you. Tell them you're willing to help them out with events and such, on a casual basis. Set up, lift and tote work, and tear down. As long as you show up, and stay until the end, they'll employ you. Most will offer you a perminent position if you do more than 10 events. And the best part is you can sign up with multiple hotels. Plus, the pay is usually decent AND you get a cut on tips, plus room gratuity depending on the booking. The bigger the booking, the more money you will get from the night.

[Zaggab]

Are those two things strongly related?

Not the really, no, but the chapters are next to each other in the text book. Plus, about 20% of cases with acute gastrointestinal bleeding comes from the lower gastrointestinal tract, of which proctology studies the most distal part of.
The more you know!


and here I thought that your profile piccy was Darth Vader's helmet from his flower power/psychedelic years..

Ah.. here I am, trying to post a creepy picture of my face, and it looks like flower power... Oh well, maybe it's good to have flower power in your eye sockets, maxillary sinuses and frontal lobe.

[Lateral]

Hmm. I'm 14, and a high school freshman. I'm not really sure what I want to do for a living yet, but it'll probably be something to do with science or engineering- physics, biochemistry, or robotics, since those interest me most. I still don't know whether I want to be an academic or not, but I'm pretty sure I've got a grip on which classes I'm going to put the most effort into.

Ultimately, though, I want to do something lasting. I want to find the Higgs boson, or help find a unified theory, or discover a protein that can be used to combat cancer, or come up with a design for a fully functional prosthetic eye. Even if it's something small, though, I just want to contribute to either our knowledge of science or our standard of living through my life's work.

[Prendre]

26, weird freelance combo copywriter/web designer/graphic artist/researcher, generally focusing right now on grad school applications for an MLIS.

Oh, hey Burnheart :smallsmile:
Don't know anything about the job market in the UK or I'd give you some friendly advice.

Re: Social anthropology, an ex of mine went the State Department route, he's now quite well to do and happy.

(I dunno. Family's asleep & there are two feet of snow outside so I'm watching a Firefly marathon apparently & figured I'd peruse Friendly banter...)

[Octopus Jack]

18 and currently a student of Ancient History and Archaeology, no idea what I'm going to do after university as very few Archaeology graduates actually get employed in an archaeology position. I spent a brief amount of time working in a sandwich shop this year before it came under new management and we had a disagreement.

I'd very much like to cross the atlantic and live in the USA or Canada once I complete my degree, though still financial constraints and not having a very valid degree for anything may stop that dream.

[ForzaFiori]

I'm 19 for four more days, and a junior at Clemson (history major). Not sure what exactly I'm gonna do when I finish, but either teach at a public school, or get a Masters to try to teach college is most likely. Depends on how annoyed I am with school when I graduate.

[The Durvin]

Age: 28, job: Logistics Special Ops at an office supply store. This means that I know where everything is and how to do everything except sell product and manager-stuff; I do the tasks that others fail at, and usually, instead of telling me anything to do, the managers just let me do what I want, since I know what needs to be done better than they do. The only guy that didn't ask me for help with stuff got fired for doing everything wrong. Coincidence?

[Sneak]

I'm 18. Professionally, I am a layabout and a wastrel.

And by that, I mean I'm a freshman at a liberal arts college, with no real plans for the future re: jobs. Go me!

I haven't declared a major yet, but I'll probably go for English. Not sure what that translates to in terms of prospects in the professional world, however.

[Leon]

29
Unemployed
Volunteering in a Nursing Home Kitchen

[Artemis97]

I am 23 and currently studying a major in History, minors in Anthropology and Art History, and a certificate in Classical Studies for good measure.

I plan to go dig in the dirt and tell people about the cool stuff I found and how they should pay me to keep doing just that. (I want to be an Archaeologist. Still need the fedora.)

[littlekKID]

16, not doing much, want to be a screenwriter of an animator

[Yardo]

I'm 43, network engineer, keeping those Cisco routers in good shape etc.

[One Tin Soldier]

19, college student, Mechanical Engineering major. (Provided I get my GPA up enough by the end of this semester.)

[Dacia Brabant]

I just turned 34, I'm a reporter and columnist with Masters degrees in Political Philosophy and Humanities, and I'm not married and don't have kids (this almost feels like I'm filling out a dating profile, heh). I have a number of books in various stages of development, mostly nonfiction but a few that are fiction as well; I had intended to become a professor, but I've always been more comfortable communicating (and teaching) in writing. I actually don't enjoy writing very much, I do it because I need to. If things were different in that regard, I would have liked to have followed two of my passions,music and astronomy.

[Vesth]

I'm 17, a junior college student.

Not sure what I want but maybe somewhere in the research industry.....something that has to do with creating, exploring, learning something new......

[Mazeburn]

21. I'm a cutscene animator on videogames. :3 But not entirely sure what I want to be and pretty happy to go where I'm needed.

[TinyMushroom]

14, I go to (I believe you americans call it) grammar school and I leech food and money off my parents for a living :smallbiggrin:

I like science-y subjects, like physics and chemistry. I don't know what I'll study yet, but electrical engineering sounds interesting.

[Zeb The Troll]

14, I go to (I believe you americans call it) grammar school and I leech food and money off my parents for a living :smallbiggrin:You're closer to high school than grammar school. Grammar school is kindergarten through 4th-6th grade, depending on location.

[Tyriont]

I'm 27 and currently working as a Process Improvement Program Manager, which sounds much more impressive than it is. In theory, my job involves analyzing business processes and working out ways to improve them. It took me two months before I realized this basically boils down to making PowerPoint presentations with pretty pictures for people who have less than no interest in improving anything, so now I mostly derp around on the internet.

I do this in order to keep a roof over my head while I aquire the training and performance credits needed to act for a living. Currently getting set up with an agent and realizing the truth in "it's not what you know, it's who you know".

[Scarlet Knight]

I'm 27 and currently working as a Process Improvement Program Manager, which sounds much more impressive than it is. In theory, my job involves analyzing business processes and working out ways to improve them. It took me two months before I realized this basically boils down to making PowerPoint presentations with pretty pictures for people who have less than no interest in improving anything, so now I mostly derp around on the internet.

I do this in order to keep a roof over my head while I aquire the training and performance credits needed to act for a living. Currently getting set up with an agent and realizing the truth in "it's not what you know, it's who you know".

Forget acting, you're already a critic....

[Cristo Meyers]

I haven't declared a major yet, but I'll probably go for English. Not sure what that translates to in terms of prospects in the professional world, however.

Heh, speaking as a 28-year old English major: bupkus unless you're planning to teach (and expect to hear the question "are you planning on teaching?" a lot). :smallwink:

You'll have the degree, which is good, but it's not going to be nearly as much help professionally as, say, the computer sciences.

[Medic!]

A month shy of 29, did 4 years in the Navy as a cop, got out and have been working in Emergency Medical Services for the last 6 years. What can I say, I like flashing lights!

[Othesemo]

Early twenties, and I play (jazz) piano for a living. It's surprisingly lucrative if you're good (and persuasive enough to hook a regular gig).

[TinyMushroom]

You're closer to high school than grammar school. Grammar school is kindergarten through 4th-6th grade, depending on location.

The american system confuses me :smallfrown:

My school teaches ancient greek and latin aside from the normal subjects. I really don't know what that kind of school called in english.

[Savannah]

My school teaches ancient greek and latin aside from the normal subjects. I really don't know what that kind of school called in english.

A school with a really, really good language curriculum? As far as I know, there's no specific term for that.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

The american system confuses me :smallfrown:

My school teaches ancient greek and latin aside from the normal subjects. I really don't know what that kind of school called in english.

Well, in Ontario, Canada there are 12 grades or years of school, in addition to 1 or 2 years of pre-school, or kindergarten. The first 6 are Primary school, the next 2 are middle school, which is sometimes lumped together with primary school, and the last 4 are High school. Curriculum doesn't come into it there, though there are 2 public school systems (the normal school, and, for some reason, the Catholic school system :/), plus various strange alternative schools, some in the public system, some privately funded.

[Temotei]

I'm nineteen and in college as a freshman, majoring in psychology.

[sparkyinbozo]

I'm actually in the same boat as Alarra. I'm currently a child/family therapist working for a nonprofit, but going to school as a pre-med in the fall, as I'll get residency in my current state by then. 25 years young here.

On a more general note, this thread has been really cool to read, it's neat to see such a mix of people (with a healthy dose of traditionally-nerdy fields).

[Savannah]

I'm nineteen and in college as a freshman, majoring in psychology.

Ooh, psych is fun! :smallbiggrin: (Was my undergrad degree.) Whatcha planning on doing with it?

[pendell]

A school with a really, really good language curriculum? As far as I know, there's no specific term for that.

Classical studies. Victor Davis Hanson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Davis_Hanson) was a prof at CSU Fresno in classical studies and produces all kinds of books on things like the Peloponnesian War (http://www.amazon.com/War-Like-Other-Athenians-Peloponnesian/dp/0812969707/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325870380&sr=8-1) .

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[dehro]

The american system confuses me :smallfrown:

My school teaches ancient greek and latin aside from the normal subjects. I really don't know what that kind of school called in english.

in italy that would be, loosely translated, a classic lyceum... liceo classico.
and they'd be telling you that if you really are into engineering, you might be doing the wrong thing :smallbiggrin:
but then... one old classmate went on to do art school after which he studied maths and physics..so..there.

[Mina Kobold]

Seventeen years of age and in second year Gymnasium for me. I believe that would translate to a High School student in America. :smallsmile:

Said Gymnasium class is focussed on Psychology, Social Studies and English as our major classes, but would not normally meet the criteria for studying these at University level under the current rules.

For the future, I intend to study Medialogy at University, which deals with Video Game and Website Design, and hopefully get a job in Video Game Design or the Comics Industry.

I use the majority of my free time drawing, roleplaying, playing Video Games or posting on this wonderful forum. :smallsmile:

That's about what I do, so I will slink back into the darkness and wait for innocent victims yet again! ^_^

[Solaris]

Yeah, I have heard of very, very few homeschoolers who didn't admit to at least some social awkwardness - and the two I knew personally were excruciatingly shy. And, let's face it, for all the importance that is put on academic success, studies have shown that when it comes right down to it social skills are at least as important.
For the person who originally asked the question: if you do homeschool - and there's lots of reasons I can think of to do so, and plenty of people (such as here) who will say you should - make sure you go out of your way to get your kids properly socialised. And not just with adults. With as many people their own age - the good and the bad - you can get your grubby little mits on (metaphorically speaking, of course.).

I must second this. When I wasn't in a holding facility, I was attending public schools (but probably grounded to the back room after school). I was not properly socialized. I can point to several situations where a lack of social skills has hampered my career, even in the field of 'Kill people and break things'.


There have been a great variety of ages in this thread, but this is the first one where someone's child is as old as I am. I feel really young suddenly. Also pretty cool that your family has a nephew who is older than his uncle.

Try having a Joe under you who's the same age as your father. Awkward.


When you put it like that, you are one lucky son of a puppet. :smallsmile:

Luck, nothing. That's what hard work and wise choices get you, son.

[Manave_E_Sulanul]

I'm 23, but I feel much older on account of having to sit down and think about that for about a minute before I was sure that was my age. I'm in the middle of my second year in graduate school working towards an M.A in Philosophy and taking ancient language and cultural classes because I think my academic future is in Classical Studies rather than Philosophy. I was employed until the beginning of 2011 washing dishes and now I live off student loans, because this is the first time in my life I haven't been able to get a local library to hire me.

[Starwulf]

Seventeen years of age and in second year Gymnasium for me. I believe that would translate to a High School student in America. :smallsmile:

Said Gymnasium class is focussed on Psychology, Social Studies and English as our major classes, but would not normally meet the criteria for studying these at University level under the current rules.

Hmm, Gymnasium must have a different meaning wherever you're from then it does here in America. In our schools, Gym(or Gymnasium) means Physical education class, ie: Sports and physical fitness.

[pffh]

Hmm, Gymnasium must have a different meaning wherever you're from then it does here in American. In our schools, Gym(or Gymnasium) means Physical education class, ie: Sports and physical fitness.

I'm guessing he's danish. In Denmark the high school equivalent is Gymnasium which makes sense considering it's greek origin where the gymnasium was both a place for physical training and a place for intellectual pursuit.

[Extra_Crispy]

Just turned 37 on december 20th. Im a RN working at a city hospital in the ICU, been here 4 years now. Hopefully soon going to go back and get my Masters maybe in teaching nursing. Then in a few more years get my PHD and become a NP and do almost everything a general practice doctor does witout the huge amount of money it takes to become a doctor.

[Bhu]

Apparently I am now also a (very) part time tax preparer.

[KenderWizard]

I'm guessing he's danish. In Denmark the high school equivalent is Gymnasium which makes sense considering it's greek origin where the gymnasium was both a place for physical training and a place for intellectual pursuit.

Same in a few European countries. Not here though. Here it's secondary school. (As in, we have primary, secondary and tertiary education.)

[Temotei]

Ooh, psych is fun! :smallbiggrin: (Was my undergrad degree.) Whatcha planning on doing with it?

I was hoping to focus on disability counseling and/or research. There's a surprisingly small amount of help out there right now in that area.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Same in a few European countries. Not here though. Here it's secondary school. (As in, we have primary, secondary and tertiary education.)

Secondary School IS High School. Tertiary is college/university, right? And Primary is, like, from age 7 to age 13 or something around those lines.

Edit: Oh wait, you meant that in Ireland that level of school is just called Secondary School. I seeeeee. My bad.

[Castaras]

Secondary School IS High School. Tertiary is college/university, right? And Primary is, like, from age 7 to age 13 or something around those lines.

Edit: Oh wait, you meant that in Ireland that level of school is just called Secondary School. I seeeeee. My bad.

Run down on British Education:

Nursery: 2-4
Primary: 4-11
Secondary: 11-16
College/sixth form: 16-18
University: 18+

:smallsmile:

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Run down on British Education:

Nursery: 2-4
Primary: 4-11
Secondary: 11-16
College/sixth form: 16-18
University: 18+

:smallsmile:

Woooah.
Ontario (It's different by province)
Nursery: 3-5
Kindergarten: 6-7
Primary: 7-12
Middle School: 13-14
Secondary School/High School: 15-18
College/University: 18+
That College/Sixth form things is confuuuuusing.

[Castaras]

How? :smallconfused: I'd say your system was more confusing - more tiers of stuff and such.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Well, Nursery hardly counts, as it's not really in the school system, it's separate. And Middle School is often folded into Primary School seamlessly, in the same school.

And I thought Colleges were on the same tier as Universities? Then again, the only British university I applied to was Cambridge, but I fore sure had to choose colleges then...

[Objection]

And I thought Colleges were on the same tier as Universities? Then again, the only British university I applied to was Cambridge, but I fore sure had to choose colleges then...

In Britain, universities > colleges (generally).

It appears that in the rest of the world, universities ~= colleges.

[Dogmantra]

Run down on British Education:

Nursery: 2-4
Primary: 4-11
Secondary: 11-16
College/sixth form: 16-18
University: 18+

:smallsmile:
Unless you're in one of the parts of the country where they still use the three tier system. Then it's waaaay more complicated.
The three tier system where I am is years (ages aren't adding up for me) 1-4, 5-8 and then 9-11 (though most schools had a VIth form tacked on, I can't think of any that didn't), but some play about with the first couple a bit.


And I thought Colleges were on the same tier as Universities? Then again, the only British university I applied to was Cambridge, but I fore sure had to choose colleges then...
Unless I'm much mistaken, universities are (sometimes?) made up of different colleges, generally with different focuses (so one might be an arts one and one might be for maths but they're both part of Cambridge University). But college there I think means something a little different from the other version of college. Maybe? I'm confused now.

[Bhu]

And skip the tax job :smallfurious:

They hired former irs agent yesterday so they're calling all the new hires saying they no longer have hours for us and trying to persuade us to become wavers, and in my case they aren't even sure they want me to do that cause of my physical problems. I find out tomorrow if i still have the job, and if i do its 6-8 hours a week...

[Feytalist]

Run down on British Education:

Nursery: 2-4
Primary: 4-11
Secondary: 11-16
College/sixth form: 16-18
University: 18+

:smallsmile:

Still too complicated :smalltongue:

Over here:

Primary: 6-13 (sometimes includes kindergarten 4-6)
Secondary: 13-18
Tertiary: 18+ (includes universities, colleges, technicons, trade schools, etc)

Easy :smallsmile:

[Sneaky Weasel]

Wotcher, everyone.
I'm 15, soon to be 16. I'm home-schooled, probably going to Major in Drama or Marine Biology when I go to college. I spend most of my time writing, I have a novel or three in the wings. Completely confused by the correct terminology for collage in other countries aside from America, but I should probably find out as I will most likely be going to Finland for college....university...whatever it is.

[dehro]

in Italy it's
nursery/creche 1.5/2-4
kindergarten 4-6
actual school 6-18... divided as such:5+3+5
after which you get university which can be either 3 or 5, and can be followed by masters, specialisations and doctorates.

school is as follows:
5+3 are the same for everybody
the last 5 vary. you can choose to go to a technical school, where you'll learn anything from playing with electricity to working on cars or doing accounting or working on 'puters. the principle of the thing is that after that you're ready to take on a range of jobs that your school has prepared you for. depending on what tech school you went to, you also gain access to the university that expands on whatever the main subject of that particular tech school was.
the alternative is going to a lyceum, which doesn't really give you any working knowledge of ..anything.. but it does lay the groundwork to prepare you to better tackle higher education, a.k.a. university. lyceums are broader in the spectrum of things they teach you and there are less of them than there are tech schools. with regards to specialisation, not in number of schools that teach those subjects.
as with most levels of school, I find that in italy they teach more subjects to the same student than they do in many other schools. we've got an australian kid (16yo) who's spending his "summer" holidays here and going to my little brother and sister's school. they're the same age. he tells us that in australia he's studying exactly half the subjects than he'd be studying here, at a similar school.

anyhoo..lyceum is divided into 2+3 years. the first two are called gymnasium.
the last 3 can take slightly different directions, depending on whether one is staying on the "main/classical" path, or doing something slightly different (Again with some form of specialisation in mind for later university).

of course, since every minister of education in the country's history liked to tamper with the fabric of reality the education system... the situation and the number of specialisations or subjects taught can change just about every few years, so things might have changed since when I went to school.

[Mina Kobold]

I'm guessing he's danish. In Denmark the high school equivalent is Gymnasium which makes sense considering it's greek origin where the gymnasium was both a place for physical training and a place for intellectual pursuit.

I am indeed be from the Kingdom of Pastries.

In case anyone wish to infiltrate the place, the school system here usually don't count Nursery or Kindergarten and goes like this:

Folk School/People School (0th to 9th grade, with an optional 10th one) Age 6-15 usually

Gymnasium of either Common, Technical or other variety (1st G to 3rd G) usually age 16-18, but some take year-long breaks or change their mind.

University (No clue) No set age, anyone with the former two can take it if they get in.

And now that you know the exiting details of the Pastry school system, we can get back to brainwash-I mean, establishing friendships with non-Pastry countries!

>_>
<_<

[Karen Lynn]

At the age of 23, and I have written a book. The only two surviving copies of which are stored safely on a blank CD in a firesafe, and the other precariously stored in my email inbox. I am currently an Over-The-Road truck driver, looking to take a local job back home when it crops up. After that, I'll be driving, saving, and attempting to attend school for Chemistry, Physics, and Mechanical Engineering. I haven't decided on my Minors yet, but I was thinking computer science, biology, and creative writing.

Wow... That actually sounds complicated when written down...

[Geode]

47 y/o PhD in Microbiology/Immunology with postdoc work in human genetic disease research. Currently working in a DNA Sequencing Core with PacBio RS and Ion Torrent sequencers.

[Eldariel]

As an addendum to my previous entry, I'm apparently a Finnish-English translator now. That is, as a job.

[The Succubus]

I am indeed be from the Kingdom of Pastries.

Huh? :smallconfused: I thought it was the Democratic Republic of Bacon.

[Zeb The Troll]

In Britain, universities > colleges (generally).

It appears that in the rest of the world, universities ~= colleges.This isn't quite true, though the terms here tend to be used interchangeably.


Unless I'm much mistaken, universities are (sometimes?) made up of different colleges, generally with different focuses (so one might be an arts one and one might be for maths but they're both part of Cambridge University). But college there I think means something a little different from the other version of college. Maybe? I'm confused now.This is a pretty good summation. A university here, generally, is a collection of post-secondary educational institutions under one umbrella. To make things even more complex, some places, like here in Maryland, have several colleges and universities further aggregated into a university system. Though, the reason for this has less to do with school leadership and policies and more with trying to make sure that if someone takes courses at one of the many county Community Colleges, then transfers to University of Maryland, for example, the courses they've taken will be credited at the new institution.

[danzibr]

At the age of 23, and I have written a book.
Word. I'm 24 and wrote a book, most of the way through the second one! I realize it's grotesquely long but I have plans to overcome that. Yay book writers.


It appears that in the rest of the world, universities ~= colleges.This isn't quite true, though the terms here tend to be used interchangeably.
I agree with Zeb. Although I often hear people use them interchangeably, in my mind (as a native English speaker), I think higher of universities.

[dehro]

I am currently an Over-The-Road truck driver.

I am confused:smallconfused:
where else do they drive trucks in your country?
edit: wait, what? "Over" the road? I'm clearly missing something here.. I am now picturing little trucks that bunny-hop criss-crossing all over the motorway. as awesome as it looks in my mind, clearly that can't be right

[Starwulf]

I am confused:smallconfused:
where else do they drive trucks in your country?
edit: wait, what? "Over" the road? I'm clearly missing something here.. I am now picturing little trucks that bunny-hop criss-crossing all over the motorway. as awesome as it looks in my mind, clearly that can't be right

Just a guess, but I'd have to say he probably means "Long-Haul" trucker. Meaning he traverses large amounts of territory per haul, and is often away from home for an entire work week, compared to a "Local" driver, whom only drives shorter distances and is home in time for supper every day.

[Zeb The Troll]

Just a guess, but I'd have to say he probably means "Long-Haul" trucker. Meaning he traverses large amounts of territory per haul, and is often away from home for an entire work week, compared to a "Local" driver, whom only drives shorter distances and is home in time for supper every day.That was my presumption too. Might be that I read "over the road" as "open road" though. :smallcool:

[dehro]

ah..yes..that would make more sense.
I still rather like the bunny-hopping trucks idea though.

[Mina Kobold]

Huh? :smallconfused: I thought it was the Democratic Republic of Bacon.

We are neither a Republic or Bacon. We are a Kingdom and Danish, though.

If it was up to me, we'd be Doofmark, the Sugarcratic Republic of Waffles, but they didn't elect me. T_T

Now, if you will excuse me, I will get back to my new job of fighting this Platypus in a snazzy hat over there! En Garde! (:smalltongue:)

[Saph]

I'm 31, and I'm an author when I'm not working at another job. (Recently finished two years back at college qualifying as a lawyer.)

Just getting the first book of a new series published at the end of next month, which I'm very happy about. :smallsmile:

[Karen Lynn]

As amusing as those were, I will help clear it up a touch.

Over the road, OTR, is, as stated, a term meaning long haul. I drive all over the country, not seeing home for intervals up to several months.

Line haul drivers go home nightly, or at least every week, going from pickup to drop and back.

I now want a bunny-hopping truck...

[KenderWizard]

Run down on British Education:

Nursery: 2-4
Primary: 4-11
Secondary: 11-16
College/sixth form: 16-18
University: 18+

:smallsmile:

I've always been confused by "sixth form". Much of what I know about the British school system, I learned from Harry Potter. :smalltongue:

Just in case there's any confusion, then, the Irish school system is as follows:

Preschool/Montessori: 3-4
Primary: 4/5-12
Secondary: 12/13-17/18
Tertiary (usually an IT or University): 17/18+

Edit: And we usually call it "playschool", "primary school", "secondary school" and "college".

[Castaras]

I've always been confused by "sixth form". Much of what I know about the British school system, I learned from Harry Potter. :smalltongue:

Comes from oldieworldy times (:smalltongue:) when instead of the years system going Reception Year 1 - Year 13 (which includes Primary, Secondary, and College) you had something or other at primary school, then First Form, Second Form, Third Form... Sixth Form was the 16-17 year olds. :smallsmile:

[danzibr]

I'm 31, and I'm an author when I'm not working at another job. (Recently finished two years back at college qualifying as a lawyer.)

Just getting the first book of a new series published at the end of next month, which I'm very happy about. :smallsmile:
Oooh will you elaborate on this? What all have you written? Or is it ok to ask on here?

[Dogmantra]

Comes from oldieworldy times (:smalltongue:) when instead of the years system going Reception Year 1 - Year 13 (which includes Primary, Secondary, and College) you had something or other at primary school, then First Form, Second Form, Third Form... Sixth Form was the 16-17 year olds. :smallsmile:

My old school still does a version of that, except it goes First Form (year 4), Lower 2, Upper 2, Lower 3, Upper 3, Fourth Form (year 9, when you changed to the senior school), Lower 5, Upper 5, Lower 6, Upper 6. What is up with that.

[Dallas-Dakota]

I'd try to explain the Dutch education system, but it's ridicilously complicated.:smallbiggrin:

So here, have a graph of how it works.:smallbiggrin:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Dutch_Education_System-en.svg/250px-Dutch_Education_System-en.svg.png

[Starwulf]

I have to say, I'm glad the American education system is so uncomplicated.

Elementary School: K(Kindergarten) through 5(ages 5-10)
Middle School: 6-8(ages 10-13)
High School: 9-12(Ages 13-17/18)
College/University/Whatever(Ages 18+)

[enderlord99]

I have to say, I'm glad the American education system is so uncomplicated.

Elementary School: K(Kindergarten) through 5(ages 5-10)
Middle School: 6-8(ages 10-13)
High School: 9-12(Ages 13-17/18)
College/University/Whatever(Ages 18+)

In some parts of America, 6 is part of Elementary (rather than Middle), but it's otherwise pretty consistent. I think.

[dehro]

I'd try to explain the Dutch education system, but it's ridicilously complicated.:smallbiggrin:

So here, have a graph of how it works.:smallbiggrin:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Dutch_Education_System-en.svg/250px-Dutch_Education_System-en.svg.png

I started there..and yet, every time my cousins or my mum try to explain it to me, I still don't get it.

[Coplantor]

22, 23 in just a few days.

To add some extra confusion to the whole different countries different education systems, here in Uruguay, you have to choose an orientation in your penultimate year of highschool, they are called Biologic, Scientific and Humanist (some schools have recently added Artistic, but it didn't existed back when I was a highschooler). Each orientation had thematically appropriate classes, a lot of math and physics for Scientific, biology and chemistry for Biologic and history and sociology for Humanist.

Each one of those branched into two different specializations in your last year of highschool, Biologic branched into Medicine and Agronomy, Scientific into Engineering and Architecture and Humanist into Laws and Economics.

I took the economics path but then took one year of communications in college to switch the following year to graphic design.

Now I'm working as both designer and creative at an advertising agency, I'm midway through my college studies and I plan to take some advertising courses.

[Zeb The Troll]

I have to say, I'm glad the American education system is so uncomplicated.

Elementary School: K(Kindergarten) through 5(ages 5-10)
Middle School: 6-8(ages 10-13)
High School: 9-12(Ages 13-17/18)
College/University/Whatever(Ages 18+)


In some parts of America, 6 is part of Elementary (rather than Middle), but it's otherwise pretty consistent. I think.I've seen K-4/5-8/9-12;K-6/7-9/10-12; and once I even saw K-6/7-8/9-12. The first and second are much more common though.

[Saph]

Oooh will you elaborate on this? What all have you written? Or is it ok to ask on here?

Sure! I've written a few older novels, but the first of the new series is called Fated. All the details are on my website (http://www.benedictjacka.co.uk/).

[KenderWizard]

I'm made progress since I posted in this thread the first time: I have completed my undergraduate thesis, so I'm a quarter finished my degree! All I have now are exams in May. (I'll have classes until then.)