What do you do for a living?

[cinnamongrrl]

Currently I am owner and operator of my own green cleaning business. I have worked previously as a CNA/PCA with emphasis on dementia/Alzheimer’s patients.

I also have a small “from home” organic dog biscuit making business.

I have considered both nursing and social work as careers. I have an associate’s degree in Liberal Arts and at least 20 credits towards my bachelor’s. With my mother’s recent illness and passing, I’m leaning towards returning to health care. I would love to be like the comforting hospice nurses who were SO good to mom...and to us.

[Plaidandroses]

I will spend the next nine months trying to convince 22 children that reading and science are as fun as video games. Wish me luck! :-)

[CherylNYC]

I'm a scenic artist/sculptor. That means that I create scenery for the movies, tv and theatre that you watch. My specialty is in sculpture, so I can be called upon to make anything from an excellent copy of a classical sculpture, or an amalgam of several, to a convincing rock cliff for a stunt which involves pizza loving turtles and their careening vehicle. Faithful reproduction of the historic Copacabana palm trees? I'm your gal. Soft surfaces for stunt people to land on which look exactly like asphalt? Yup. I can do that. The work is hard and our days are long, but usually interesting.

I'm a professional sculptor. I still make my own art sometimes, but I need to set aside chunks of time off to do it. After ten intense hours of producing scenery my creative moment is usually over for the day. I really like what I do, and I'm good at it, but I'm much happier now that I've come to realize something really important about myself and my profession. I have an art career in order to finance my motorcycle adventures. Artists usually finance their art career with some other form of employ, but I'm doing it the other way around. It's weird, but I'm a lot happier now that I understand this important thing about myself.

[Andrea]

I am a paper pusher for the State of California. Years ago, before knowing what I wanted to do with my life and having tried a number of office jobs, I was working temp at a mortgage company and found I loved the part numbers have to work and the part detective work of processing mortgages.

After 20 plus years in the private world of mortgages, I went to work for the state underwriting mortgages for lower income borrowers. I have since moved agencies and now work with grant funds to provide housing for lower income borrowers.

In a few months, I will retire from the state and just might sign up to do some temp work at mortgage companies again. Or not!

[candy_coated_bitch]

I'm disabled so I don't have a "regular" job, but I'm an artist and currently working on a project funded by a grant I recently got! I feel this is a turning point in my career as an artist.

[ProfPacker]

I have been in human services for 39 years (did I just say that, omg) and social work for 30 years. I have worked in many settings in social work. I am currently full time faculty and one of the founders of an accredited Masters in Social Work program in the NYC university system. I love what I do, would like to retire but, alas, not this year. If I have to stay working this is as good as it gets: three days teaching and other days home or other work and summers off. Good retirement job for the time being. I am fortunate.

[WheatToast]

Originally Posted by CherylNYC

I'm a scenic artist/sculptor. That means that I create scenery for the movies, tv and theatre that you watch. My specialty is in sculpture, so I can be called upon to make anything from an excellent copy of a classical sculpture, or an amalgam of several, to a convincing rock cliff for a stunt which involves pizza loving turtles and their careening vehicle. Faithful reproduction of the historic Copacabana palm trees? I'm your gal. Soft surfaces for stunt people to land on which look exactly like asphalt? Yup. I can do that. The work is hard and our days are long, but usually interesting.

I'm a professional sculptor. I still make my own art sometimes, but I need to set aside chunks of time off to do it. After ten intense hours of producing scenery my creative moment is usually over for the day. I really like what I do, and I'm good at it, but I'm much happier now that I've come to realize something really important about myself and my profession. I have an art career in order to finance my motorcycle adventures. Artists usually finance their art career with some other form of employ, but I'm doing it the other way around. It's weird, but I'm a lot happier now that I understand this important thing about myself.

What an interesting job! Have you experimented with polymer clays for smaller jobs? You can use dryer lint mixed with Fimo to create craggy little rocks or cliffs.
I'd love to see pics of some of your creations.

[JDeere]

Ive mainly had manufacturing jobs with a few office/admin jobs in between.

Right now I'm awaiting to see if i get hired to fix computers.

[Mel C.]

My undergraduate degree is in Microbiology and I am certified as a Public Health Microbiologist, but I am not a Microbiologist.

I have a K-12 teaching credential, but I am not a teacher

My graduate degree is in Forensic Science, but I do not work in a crime lab.

I am a Quality Assurance Director for a medical device company. I ensure that our company manufactures devices that meet regulatory requirements for the US and other countries that we do business in. It's a lot of paperwork, but I enjoy what I'm doing. My education post High School is not directly relevant to the work I do today, but it showed employers that I am teachable. In my experience, it's useful to take what you learned and apply it to whatever job you have. I've worked in Research, Academia, Government, and so on. If someone were to follow my career path, they might have exited at various stops along the way.

[Lyte]

As I pondered this questions I got a little... whoa, I've worn quite a few hats.

My education is Criminal Justice and Psychology so... I started in enforcement then …. Counselor, Traffic/Shipping, Inventory Control, Logistics, Retail Distribution and the last 15 plus has been in Customer Service / Sales / Call Center Management.

I don't think I'm done yet... there are a few more hats I'd like to try.

[CherylNYC]

Originally Posted by WheatToast

What an interesting job! Have you experimented with polymer clays for smaller jobs? You can use dryer lint mixed with Fimo to create craggy little rocks or cliffs.
I'd love to see pics of some of your creations.

Yes, I've used Fimo and Sculpey for some of our projects. I haven't tried the dryer lint trick. Thanks for the tip. Are you making cliffs for model trains?

If you use Fimo and its ilk I hope you have a dedicated toaster oven for baking your projects. That stuff is super toxic and it's terrible to cook it in the oven you use for your food. I sometimes cook my projects with a heat gun and work outside when I'm using those polymer clays. One of the drawbacks to my job is that so many of the materials we use regularly are shockingly toxic.

[nycfem]

Originally Posted by CherylNYC

One of the drawbacks to my job is that so many of the materials we use regularly are shockingly toxic.

Cheryl, has that affected you at all or no (since I know you are careful)? Just curious.

[JDeere]

I can't forget my time on a pig farm.

[CherylNYC]

Originally Posted by nycfem

Cheryl, has that affected you at all or no (since I know you are careful)? Just curious.

Well, I'm ummm... not always that careful. I've had a dangerous exposure to urethane casting resin once many years ago, and then a near miss with a similar product since then. I'm fine now, but I'm not allowed to use that product, or anything like it again. I don't think I've had any ill effects from the massive amount of styrofoam I carve, but I've been kind of forgetful lately, and... what was the question?

[WheatToast]

Originally Posted by CherylNYC

Yes, I've used Fimo and Sculpey for some of our projects. I haven't tried the dryer lint trick. Thanks for the tip. Are you making cliffs for model trains?

If you use Fimo and its ilk I hope you have a dedicated toaster oven for baking your projects. That stuff is super toxic and it's terrible to cook it in the oven you use for your food. I sometimes cook my projects with a heat gun and work outside when I'm using those polymer clays. One of the drawbacks to my job is that so many of the materials we use regularly are shockingly toxic.

++
No, I don't make little cliffs, but I did laugh at the idea, so thanks!
I collect gem stones, and I'd love to put some giant specimens in the long planters in front of my house, but I fear someone might make off with them. So I use Fimo, Sculpy, Kato, Primo and Pardo to replicate mostly opaque rocks, like turquoise, malachite, amethyst, rose quartz, citrine, tiger eye, fool's gold, hematite, copper, and snowflake obsidian.
Pardo makes nice translucent, mica and other clays that help with replicating quartz or filling veins with shiny stuff.
The rocks I use are either smooth, oval pond rocks, around 2-3 pounds each, or I use large, craggy rocks. First I base paint the craggy rock gold, silver or copper, then cover with clay, letting the metallics peak out. Then I seal them with clear acrylic so the garden soil and water don't mess them up.
On really hot days, I just bake my clay on the dashboard of my car, and park it in the sun. I swear, I could bake a turkey on that dashboard in the summer. Maybe a chicken in early fall.
Thank you for the tips on toxicity; I'll keep them in mind.
I don't use my oven much, but it's self cleaning and I blast it several times a year. So far so good.

[WheatToast]

Originally Posted by CherylNYC

I'm a scenic artist/sculptor. That means that I create scenery for the movies, tv and theatre that you watch. My specialty is in sculpture, so I can be called upon to make anything from an excellent copy of a classical sculpture, or an amalgam of several, to a convincing rock cliff for a stunt which involves pizza loving turtles and their careening vehicle. Faithful reproduction of the historic Copacabana palm trees? I'm your gal. Soft surfaces for stunt people to land on which look exactly like asphalt? Yup. I can do that. The work is hard and our days are long, but usually interesting.

I'm a professional sculptor. I still make my own art sometimes, but I need to set aside chunks of time off to do it. After ten intense hours of producing scenery my creative moment is usually over for the day. I really like what I do, and I'm good at it, but I'm much happier now that I've come to realize something really important about myself and my profession. I have an art career in order to finance my motorcycle adventures. Artists usually finance their art career with some other form of employ, but I'm doing it the other way around. It's weird, but I'm a lot happier now that I understand this important thing about myself.

Hi Cheryl!
I thought about making this a private message, but others may want to know about a new product I've discovered.
Have you heard of or used Thibra?
It's a versatile, thermoplastic sheeting you can turn into anything as long as you have a heat gun.

A friend of mine gave me a sheet to mess with, but I'm waiting for the midterm election results to see if Good Toast or Bad Toast gets to try it out first.

Check it out!

http://www.thibra.com/

[rustedrims]

I work for a major laundry company. I run the paint booth. We paint with power. Kinda interesting how things are done. Been working for the same company for 35 years. For many years I ran weld machines. I liked doing that. As things change over the years so did my job. I lost it because we were outdated and new models were being made. very physical and easy to get hurt bad if we weren't careful. Now I have a thinking job and not so much physical. I like it and am around good people mostly. The horrible thing about the job is that the paint powder says right on the Barrell that contents may have cancer causing contents. Thing is I breathe that stuff every night and eat it on my ham sandwich. We try to be as careful as we can. Going to try to stick it out and retire in around a year. November 1st is 3 years I have been in that Dept. Yeah it is stupid to stay there.

[Lyte]

Several hats ago... I managed OSHA/safety compliance for this manufacture company. So, I can't help but ask... the company doesn't provide y'all with breathing gear... aka respiratory protection?

Originally Posted by rustedrims

The horrible thing about the job is that the paint powder says right on the Barrell that contents may have cancer causing contents. Thing is I breathe that stuff every night and eat it on my ham sandwich. We try to be as careful as we can. Going to try to stick it out and retire in around a year. November 1st is 3 years I have been in that Dept. Yeah it is stupid to stay there.

[CherylNYC]

Originally Posted by WheatToast

Hi Cheryl!
I thought about making this a private message, but others may want to know about a new product I've discovered.
Have you heard of or used Thibra?
It's a versatile, thermoplastic sheeting you can turn into anything as long as you have a heat gun.

A friend of mine gave me a sheet to mess with, but I'm waiting for the midterm election results to see if Good Toast or Bad Toast gets to try it out first.

Check it out!

http://www.thibra.com/

Ah, yes. I've been using those amazing thermoplastics for specialty pieces. They're wonderful. Thanks for the tip.