That time of the week again, friends! A new riveting 5 for Friday up in hurrr! ;) I know you’ve been on pins and needles all week long waiting for this, so let’s get right to it. Haha… today it’s all about you and your job secrets. And to keep it as “real” as possible in here, feel free to leave out any details like company names/etc so you don’t get into trouble or anything. I just think it’ll be fun to get a snapshot of all our different situations out there. We’re a diverse bunch! Here we go…
- How long have you been at your current job?
- Are you happy?
- What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title)
- How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!)
- What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there?
- *Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless)
I’ll go first. Cuz you’re still sleeping as I’m writing this ;)
- Length: Officially, almost exactly 6 months! But more like going on 3 years ;)
- Happy? YES! Busy as balls, but incredibly happy to wake up and do this every single day. And I mean – every single day.
- What I do: I blog, tweet, work on projects, brainstorm, build, create, network with tons of other bloggers and financial friends, travel across the country, maintain all my sites, watch marketing, business, and tons of other things ;) I’m the CEO and the janitor and everything else in between.
- Pay: On a good month: $9,000 (gross). On a low one: $3,000. I plan for $5,000.
- Craziest thing: Hmm… at my OLD job it was blowing thousands of dollars in Vegas! But in my new one I’d have to say flying to a new state each month but not knowing where exactly we’re going until 30 days out (Love Drop). It keeps my on my toes, but also very hard to plan things ;)
- *Extra Credit: I’m fortunate enough to be DOING my dream job right now, but if that genie was forcing me to choose another, haha, I’d have to refer back to my top 10 jobs I still wanna try one day. Two of which I apparently did within the last year! Woohoo!! But out of the remaining 8, I’d have to go with Professional Poker Player. A REAL one that goes to live tournaments and plays all over the place – not online. Which is still cool, don’t get me wrong, but if I’m switching fields I don’t wanna be behind a laptop all day long again ;)
Your turn! Dish out the dirt! Excited to see how different all our backgrounds are here. The cool thing about money is that it crosses all barriers. A dollar is worth the same to me, as it is you. What we do with it, or HOW we get it, however, can be completely different. Which is exactly why I like the “personal” part of finance! We’re all unique snowflakes here (awwwwww). Now answer the questions :)
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1) 2 years
2) Very, very happy
3) Economics Professor
4) 80,000 at a state university
5) Nothing crazy…….no real boss, I come and go as I please, I study things that interest me
6) I would do this job even if I won the lottery. Don’t hate me :)
This is a liberating topic because people usually keep their income pretty close to the chest…here we go
1. Length: 6 months at the current job, 2-3 years in this field. graduated college in 2006 and still not sure what i want to be when i grow up
2. Happy?: ehh, I don’t mind what I do but I don’t love it (I’m at my desk by 5 am everyday) nuff said
3. Fabrication Scheduling….I buy raw materials and schedule machinery and labor to produce parts that are required for mass production assembly lines
4. Salary, $70,500
5. The products that we build require trace amounts hydrogen and someone accidently filled the finished goods with 100% hydrogen…which was caught before the product got out the door but could have been interesting if these made it to the marketplace and the customer ended up with a bomb instead of the product they bought.
6. Extra Credit: I would be managing a portfolio of residential/commercial properties that I own outright, managing my investments from that income and enjoying life…fyi this is the goal i’m working towards and once my house is paid for in 2016 hopefully I can stack enough cash to get started.
How long have you been at your current job? About 3 years
Are you happy? Not particularly
What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) Review engineering documentation
How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) ~$75,000
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? Vegas trip with co-workers
*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless) The reason I am still here is I do not know that answer!
1) Length: coming up on 5 years in July
2) Happy?: I am content, still trying to figure out what career I want to pursue. I have found jobs that i def DONT want to do
3) Third party vendor software implementations, basically buying software suites and making it work internally. Currently a content management system, previous gigs include database developer on a mainframe and business analyst for a short stint… oh yeah and blogger.
4) $67k
5) Nothing crazy is allowed to happen at a financial services company that follows the rules, we aint Goldman Sachs… ooooo actually, one time a guy wore jeans to work!!!
6) Honestly, I think my dreamjob would to be to work on a sportstalk radio show like the Dan Patrick show, not even as the host, as one of his sidekicks. Thats the dream job, but going to shoot for reffing hoops professionally one day.
In J$ I trust.
How long have you been at your current job?
–2 Years and leaving soon!!!
Are you happy?
–Far from it
What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title)
–Collections
How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!)
–Commission based so if varies. On track for about $75k this year
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there?
–Meh, I don’t care enough to think about it, lol!
*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless)
–Pediatrician of some form (I’m working on it btw)
1.How long have you been at your current job? 3 years
2.Are you happy? Yes
3.What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) District Property Manager – I oversee the operations of two multifamily communities (450 units total)
4.How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) 45,920 + commissions/bonuses (4k – 7k per year) + benefits + free apartment
5.What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? Everyday is CRAZY!
*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless) I’d like to move a beach destination and take tourists out on charter boat tours.
1. How long have you been at your current job? About a year and a half now.
2. Are you happy? Absolutely! There’s a lot of pressure having people lean on you for all sorts of financial and tax advice, but I love helping real people with real problems.
3. What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title): I’m a CPA working at a national bank for very high net-worth individuals (multi-multi-millionaires). I prepare tax returns, financial statements, and give financial planning advice.
4. How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!): Around $70,000 this year.
5. What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? Nothing too crazy… But I’d say the craziest part about my job is seeing these millionaires not know how to manage money properly… I usually have to put them on a tighter budget than I have.
*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless) Hmmm, I’d say being a chef and owning my own restaurant.
1. 3 years
2. Yup! At least most days.
3. My official title is something like “graduate research assistant.” My research group is developing a really cool new way to keep track of what you eat.
4. I prefer not to say. I get $7K more than the standard in our department though, so that’s cool.
5. I guess I can’t think of anything too crazy off the top of my head. One time the fire alarm went off the entire day. That was crazy.
Extra Credit: I’d probably be a doctor in pediatric oncology or pediatric neurology.
1. Almost exactly 2 years.
2. YES!!! Like all jobs, it has bad days. But overall, I love it!
3. News reporter. Stories and photos of several different beats, from government to education to public safety to extra-large vegetables!
4. About a third of what most of the above posters have listed.
5. Last week, I took a front-page photo of a nudist at a house fire.
EC. I’d be a “dabbler” and just do whatever I wanted every day when I woke up. But it would be productive things.
1. Been here since January
2. I am so happy! I love my JOB!
3. I am a Health Educator. I get to talk about sex all day long with super diverse people in my community.
4. $38K
5. Every day is pretty crazy, because we talk about sex all the time, haha! People ask some crazy questions on this topic for real!
6. If I could be anything, I’d be a commentator on NPR, because I have a lot of opinions about stuff and I’d love to get paid to make people listen to my opinions!
1.How long have you been at your current job? – 8.5 years
2.Are you happy? Meh…I mean, I like my boss, I like our clients, I have a ton of autonomy and flexibility, but it’s not really taxing, and some of my co-workers are morons.
3.What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) – Mostly push papers around on my desk (i.e. call a client, no answer, put paper in pile; call a client, answer, file; etc.)
4.How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) – when all’s said and done, between $50000 and $55000 depending on whether I hit my bonuses or not.
5.What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? – we had one former agent who told a client he was just doing an informal inquiry to see what he’d be rated for life and disability, fast forward 5 months, the agent is gone, and this client is freaking out because he has policies he’s paying for that he never agreed to…and my boss and I had to clean up that mess.
6.*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless) – work for the Red Sox or, at least, in major league baseball.
I haven’t had my coffee yet, will revert back
1. I’ve been here just over a year.
2. Yes, definitely! I just graduated a year ago, and I can’t imagine a better job to be in. It’s pretty awesome.
3. I’m a magazine editor at a really small publication, so I’ve somehow become de facto in charge of almost every department. It’s pretty crazy most days, but it’s never boring.
4. Not enough. Sigh. Such is the industry, though.
5. One time in the final, final, FINAL round of proofing in the magazine, I found the words “negro” and “oriental” in two separate articles. I have no idea how it got through so many people without flagging it (myself included!) but I was pretty horrified!
6. In a dream world, any of my favourite American publications (like Wired, Vanity Fair, NPR, How Stuff Works, Esquire, etc.) would decide to open up a Toronto office and put me in charge of it. Realistically, I just wish the whole journalism industry could be a little more lucrative.
How long have you been at your current job? About 3 months.
Are you happy? YES! I love it. I feel like I have been waiting since I graduated college for this job.
What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) I am a grant specialist for schools. I basically work with schools and help them use the money that the governement gives them. Usually these are schools with very, very low-income students (over 60 percent of kids are homeless.)
How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) If I hit goal, anywhere from 48-52K
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? I left a message with a secretary at an administrative building once, and somehow the message got screwed up. The Superintendent of Los Angeles ended up calling me back, left me a message, and gave me his cell phone number (he thought there funding was being cut.) I felt so bad!
*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless)
A contemporary ballet dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company.
How long have you been at your current job? almost a year and a half
Are you happy? Damn skippy!
What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) I’m a Project Coordinator for a web development team. I basically coordinate all projects, making sure they stay within budget, have the proper staff with the right skill set working them, procurement of software or hosting, forecasting of project staff and project logistics.
How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) Let’s just say I am very very comfortable, although I would like to reach 80k within the next two years.
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there?
*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless) Probably a doctor or a teacher. I love medicine and was premed when I started college. I love teaching. I majored in English and would love to teach literature.
I”ve been a long time reader and lurker! Thanks for all your inspiration, J$. :)
1) 3 years
2) Not really. It’s not horrible, but I work too much and would like more time for myself.
3) Civil engineer. I review and design how to fix or restore buildings.
4) $60,000
5) Mass exodus of a lot of staff last year
6) I would love to travel the world and cook, eat great food, and share it with friends and family.
1. How long have you been at your current job? 1 month lol
2. Are you happy? So far, so good. Great group of guys.
3. What do you do there? Executive Assistant
4. How much do you get paid to do it? Over $70k
5. What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? Not much so far, I’m still new!
6. *Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? I would choose a wealthy stay at home, homeschooling mommy to 3 wonderful children. OR a life coach, which is what I do on the side now. (and soon will do full time for myself :))
1: 11 Years
2: Funny you ask. No I am not happy. Why? Look at #3
3: Lets see. Because of outsourcing my last 2 positions in programming are gone. I mean, at least I was not laid off like others, but that may have been a blessing now that I look back. Now I am stuck doing financial stuff that is a far from my original position as possible. Can’t quit because I am the sole breadwinner and need the insurance, and pay. UUGGGHHH!
4: Around $70k
5: Training my replacements and then attending lunch parties with them
6: Photographer where I can set my schedule. I would be able to take care of my little one who is disabled and needs 24/7 support. This is the reason my better half can’t work. With a flexible schedule and job that I love, I would be able to spend more time attending to family needs.
Dude, thanks for the opportunity for me getting that off my chest. You can’t imagine the timing off this.
1. How long have you been at your current job? 4 years this June. (wow – that surprised me a little, I hadn’t calculated it before)
2. Are you happy? Mostly. I LOVE the flexibility (I can come in whenever I want and have little supervision) and the research, but there’s no growth potential and the salary is a little low.
3. What do you do there? I think my official title is research technician. Basically I run experiments for professors, grad students, post docs, etc. We look at vision and the brain and how they interact. I get to use all kinds of cool equipment like motion trackers and eye trackers and custom stuff.
4. How much do you get paid to do it? $35,000ish I should be getting a raise soon though!
5. What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? We had a squirrel get in and live in the room for a week before it was trapped.
6. *Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless) It sounds really bad to say this, but I have wanted to be a homemaker for a long time. I’d totally be a stay at home mom (don’t have kids yet) who works on being as close to self sufficient as possible with regards to food etc.
How long have you been at your current job? 2Yrs
Are you happy? Very much so… I love it here
What do you do there? Thats CLASSIFIED and TOPSECRET if I told you I’d have to kill you :-)
How much do you get paid to do it? Over + $100,000.oo (give or take a nickle)
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? See answer 3 :-)
*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? I’ve always wanted to be a Hockey Player, or Own my own Bar out in Vegas, (HIGH DOLLAR BAR)
1. How long have you been at your current job? 18 months
2. Are you happy? Its not bad, I don’t love it but I think that has more to do with me not liking to work than the job itself.
3. What do you do there? District Manager
4. How much do you get paid to do it? $50k
5. What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? We almost lost our funding & had to shut down.
6. *Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? I would be one of the adventure tour guides in Mexico or the Carib who takes tourists on dune buddy excursions & snorkeling.
How long have you been at your current job? Since September of 2010 – which I am thankful for because I have fellow college grads from the class of 2010 who STILL haven’t found employment
Are you happy? I enjoy my job. There are days I don’t like certain people, but thats gonna happen no matter where you go or what you do!
What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) I am a Human Resources Assistant – I manage the entire retail side of the operation at our geographic location from the HR aspect
How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) Not much. Really. $22,467 a year. About a third of what I was making while bartending through college! Thank goodness I have my husband. :)
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? Just a couple of weeks ago there was a huge blow out between all the ladies in the department upstairs from me. It was really bad – and my boss was an instigator. (Back to not liking people some days) It has ended in a Union Grievance which is going to be a really big headache for me. Oh well.
*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless)
I would *love* to have a radio talk show. (I did go to school for Communications – Radio/Television concentration) I would also *love* to run a food bank/ small apartment building where I (and a team of professionals) could help people get on their feet or help uplift them to a life with better opportunity and financial peace. Actually, I have the plans all laid out in my head – but for now, I will have to stick with my monthly donations to the food pantry and charity works. But maybe one day, once all of our other goals are realized, I can make this happen!
1. How long have you been at your current job?
2 1/2 years
2. Are you happy?
Yes – it was getting boring for a while but I’m transferring to a new state, with new projects, and new responsibilities – yay!
3. What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title)
Civil Engineer (water and wastewater distribution/collection and treatment)
4. How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!)
$55,000
5. What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there?
Not much… engineering offices are relatively tame
6. *Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs. What would it be?
I would be a travel and food critic – visiting and reviewing new and exciting exotic locations, sampling delicious local cuisines and wines, attending festivals and events…. darn.. now I have to go back to working in this boring office :(
1. 3 years
2. Happy in life, with the job not so much.
3. Financial Controller
4. 65k
5. Sadly, too much to weed through….
6. Well, if I could be paid to be a stay at home mom… otherwise an operational efficiency expert. In efficiency drives me batty.
Love the f*cking video. haha
1) It looks like I’m the only one with out a job so far, been that way for 3 years.
2) Oh yes, definately happy.
3) Since I don’t have a job, I just hang out, work on my blog, try to figure out more about Thesis—tricky stuff, earn money online, read ( I love reading) etc. I guess mostly I’m doing stuff online and learning.
4) Zero, Zilch, Nada! But that’s ok.
5) Doesn’t apply
6) The President then I could really try to make things better for normal people. Not just big companies and rich people. Oooooh, I can could have big a$$ parties in the white house. OR an X-Files agent.
1. Length: 2 Years.
2. Happy? Nope. Too much drama and unprofessionalism. Looking for a new job and better pay since my husband got laid off
3. What I do: Graphic Designer and have my own company on the side. I also work at night at a graphic design studio (I’m tired of working)
4. Pay: $50,000 from my current job and a few thousand from side jobs.
5. Craziest thing: So much so little time.
6. *Extra Credit: If my husband had a full-time job that paid for benefits than I’d really work on my company and become a freelancer.
1) Two years on the 24th
2) Yes, I love my job!
3) Homemaker and stay-at-home mother.
4) Technically, nothing. But since staying home, getting frugal and taking over the finances, my household has gone from saving 6% of its income to saving 70%. So we’ve got more money to spare now than when I was working!
5) When my son was 18 months old, he got a simultaneous double ear infection and stomach virus. It left him so dehydrated and disoriented that he had to be hospitalized. Caring for a toddler who is that sick was the most physically and emotionally draining experience of motherhood so far.
6) Wouldn’t change jobs if I had the chance. I love what I do!
Thank you for that epic video. Made my Friday morning in the office.
1. Just over one year.
2. Yes.
3. Community Manager.
4. Enough.
5. Driving 39 hours straight to get to SXSW.
6. Currently? Open a real brewery in China.
1. How many years? 4
2. Meh. Love lots of the work that I was hired to do, love some of the newer responsibilities but hate some of the other additional crap, and am not too fond of the people – at all!
3. Operations and Project management – that’s the stuff I love to do – deadlines, team managment, document managment, frenzied activity with interspersed periods of calm. The other crap that has grown exponentially that I’m not fond of doing: managing the website; designing surveys; etc.
4. $80K plus benefits
5. Can’t think of anything crazy. People are nuts, but no situation has been too nuts.
6. Teach English as a second language internationally with personal safety, great accommodations and fabulous food guaranteed.
1. Almost 15 years at the day job
2. Thrill is gone baby!
3. computer engineer
4. 100k+ depending on bonus
5. My boss got fired a week before Christmas in 2009. This means he got no bonus for the year and only two week severance pay. It’s pretty tame around here.
Extra: Own and run a backpacker hostel near a beach paradise. Stay at home dad is pretty good too. I’m doing that right now and I like it a lot more than the day job.
Peace bro!
1. How long have you been at your current job? 2 years
2. Are you happy? Yes
3. What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) Special Education Consultant ~ Work for myself :)
4. How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) I charge whatever I want, so depends on the project. Right now, due to the recession, I charge $35-$50 per hour
5. What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there?
6. *Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless) Already in my dream job!!
J$ — I think you should have included location as the salary is usually comparable to standard of living in particular areas.
1. Two years
2. Love it here!
3. Payroll Admin/Sr. Accounting Analyst
4. $50k
5. Oh, for crazy, we pay $5 for charities to wear jeans on Friday. No more than 8 times per year.
EC: Go back to working in retail as a seller or buyer of surf products/apparel.
1. 1-1/2 years
2. Not really, casually searching for jobs still
3. I was supposed to be doing financial tasks, but seem to be moving more and more into HR
4.$39,000 which is not very much after my private school loans kick in.
5. The amount of temp people that come through here and you have to figure out where everything is and what happened
6. I love writing up budgets, possibly do that for a large corp or for the government. But I would love to build golf courses as well.
Oh wow, this is super interesting! I love reading about everyone’s jobs.
1. 7 years since we started this company. That’s hard to believe for me.
2. The flexibility is awesome but frankly, I’m bored.
3. Chemical engineer in water/wastewater. I design sewage plants all day, LOL. Well, and manage our R&D, write and present papers, and a lot of marketing too.
4. A lot more than most everyone here has mentioned, but I haven’t had a raise in like 3 years. But I’m an owner, so there’s major future potential in my stock options…which is why I stay.
5. In this current job? Getting sued by my former employer. Not fun, but we won.
6. If I didn’t have kids I’d want to be a music photographer, tour with bands and stuff. Or manage the social media for a band. Maybe sing backup occasionally. That’d be awesome.
How long have you been at your current job? next month will be 22 years…yikes!
Are you happy? Every day is an opportunity to acheive happiness. Some days I fail miserably.
What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) Sales & service (Insurance for a big name company)
How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) not enough!
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? a car crashed into the front of the office on a weekend when noone was here.
*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless) I would love to be paid a salary and be able to do volunteer work for my church. That really sounds dumb when I read what I wrotet…getting paid for volunteer work….duh! How about if I was independently wealthy so I could volunteer my time.
1. How long have you been at your current job?
2 years this June.
2. Are you happy?
I am content. The work is sometimes challenging, I love my coworkers, and I love the company mission. There’s also plenty of room for growth.
3. What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title)
Marketing department assistant, which does not even begin to cover what I actually do. I’m far less an administrative assistant than I am department coordinator, and I also handle our very, very large mailing projects (email and direct mail). I’m also the primary contact for many of our vendors.
4. How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!)
About $36.5k – decent, but not really what my job duties entitle me to. That said, I started fresh from college at $31k and have been one of the few in the company to receive repeated, and rather quick, raises. Almost 20% since I started! Still got a ways to go (market value is closer to $45k), but getting there. :)
5. What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there?
It’s marketing – EVERYTHING is crazy! The strangest has been how quickly they’ve thrown a new grad with no field experience (that’s me) into managing major company vendor accounts. I work very closely with the CEO/president on a regular basis, and I’ve been tapped to make department director very quickly – within the next 5 years, possibly, which would make me the youngest executive in the company by 10-15 years. (I’m already the youngest employee.)
6. *Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless)
I would choose to be able to choose whenever I felt like it. My interests and passions are incredibly varied – I’ve seriously been on track for jobs in fields from technical theater to museums to academia to neuroscience to publishing. That said, my current job would be perfect if the money was good.
1. I have been doing this job for about 3 months now
2. Yes, but I’m adjusting to it still!
3. Bodily fluid and bowel movement manager, personal aide, etc (new mom!)
4. Smiles and spit-up and lots of love
5. Can’t think of anything specific right now
6. I’d love to work as a marriage and family therapist (I have a degree in that) or a writer. Heck, if the money was better, I’d love to do THIS full time forever!
1. How long have you been at your current job?
2 years, 8 months
2. Are you happy?
Depends. :P Love my boss and coworkers. I love making a difference. I dislike that my job is phone heavy and that I have to take all the crap like a whipping post for others mistakes or having they are having a bad day. I dislike that my support team isn’t very supportive.
3.What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title)
It boils down to being phone support for a large payroll product, but it also involves resolving tax issues and educating clients on various aspects of payroll. Throw in a side of helping with HR related items too.
4. How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!)
Currently $21.51/hr with a potential 7% annual base pay bonus based on certain factors I know but not sure I can share publicly. :P BUT I’m moving to a new position in July that is a 7% increase but no possibility for bonus.
5. What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there?
The craziest thing was this one (former) coworker getting into it with a bunch of people, obviously having a delusional moment, and then storming off threatening to shoot people. She was put on administrative leave (aka work from home) for three days while management sorted it out, then fired her. We had police doing rounds of our building during office hours for two months after she was fired just in case she came through on her threats.
6. *Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless)
I want to sit in a back office researching, playing with spreadsheets, and making projections. I’m great at analysis and regularly make great projections from data provided as far as 15 years in the future.
1. I’m coming to the end of my 4th year
2. Most of the time, yes, I’m happy
3. I’m a social studies teacher (I teach AP Human Geography, AP Psychology, and government…no history anymore, thank God)
4. About 51K per year base, but I do tons of extra work so realistically I probably bring in 56K-57K per year
5. Oh, tons of crazy stuff happens all the time…drugs, weapons (brass knuckles brought into my classroom last year at summer school..yikes), fights, plus all the normal teenage drama. It’s never a dull moment at my job.
6. I wouldn’t change jobs, but I’d change some aspects of the job I have, particularly the pay structure. Incentives flow the wrong way in public education, and I’d re-align them. Like, if X number of kids get a 3 or better on my AP exam I get $X bonus. Also, fire all the lazies, effective immediately. There are so many….
How long have you been at your current job? I’ve worked for the same company a total of 3 times. Twice in our convenience stores and a third time as a leasing agent and transitioned into my current position 3 years ago….but all together, I’ve worked for the company about 5 years.
Are you happy? I stay stressed but I’m super happy with the flexibility my job gives me.
What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) I’m a personal assistant to the largest industrial real estate developer in the south east. I deal with the house, the boats, the cars, the parties, the holidays, the gifts, the dogs, and anything else you may be able to think of. Since starting this job I’ve had bar tending classes and private cooking lessons from a chef. Lots and lots of cool stuff.
How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) I make somewhere between 24k and 30k yearly. Of course there are lots of perks too and I do get an occasional bonus :)
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? Wouldn’t even know where to begin….crazy things happen every day.
*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless) I’d want to work on Necker Island. My boss took a trip there and judging from the pictures he brought back I don’t think I’d mind working there one little bit.
1. How long have you been at your current job?
7 months
2. Are you happy?
99.999% of the time, yes. And that remaining 0.0001% of the time makes for awesome stories, once the moment has passed ;p
3. What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title)
I’m a behavior tutor/behavior therapist for kids with autism. I do everything from teaching kids how to talk to reading Dr. Seuss and singing nursery rhymes to discussing exactly why we aren’t supposed to go outside naked to going to kindergarten to keep a kiddo from biting her classmates. Every day is full of amazing, brilliant, hilarious, inspiring kids who do their best to challenge me every moment I’m with them. It’s exhausting, but I love it :)
4. How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!)
$15 an hour, with about 35 hours of work a week (slightly higher or lower depending on the week). Doing the math, that means a bit over $27k a year if I worked every day (which I don’t, in part because we aren’t funded when our kids are on break from school except summer).
5. What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there?
Oh gosh, where do I even begin. Crazy kind of comes with the job. Recently, having to check with a supervisor about whether she thought I needed to go to the hospital after I was bitten by a kindergartener– I was wearing a shirt, a sweater, and a leather jacket, and the kiddo STILL managed to break the skin! Jaws of steel, that one…
*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless)
This is what I want to be doing, to be honest. I’d like to feel more confident in my abilities, and I’d like to be making enough to feel more financially comfortable, but I love my job and I love the kids I work with.
1. 6.5 Months
2. For the most part I’m happy. The job is fairly draining.
3. Child Abuse Investigator
4. $40,000 per year
5. A lot of crazy stuff. Every case is unique.
6. I would be the Director of a resort or Camp.
1. 2 weeks! It’s a new job.
2. Extremely. I think it’s going to be great.
3. Customer service + internet marketing.
4. $29,000 day job + $10,000 from side hustles
5. Nothing crazy yet.
EC. Nothing. I like where I’m at now… but I’d take a raise!
How long have you been at your current job? 14 of my 31 years
Are you happy? VERY!
What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) varies annually but generally speaking i work in forest fire control
How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) it depends on the season and overtime but average $50,000 for 8 months work
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? well, cities burn down and aircraft crash… i fight fires so many of my days get pretty crazy
*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless) I LOVE MY JOB! but if i do find myself fantasizing about anything, its moving back to a farm (grew up on one) and growing and raising all my own food, having a few horses, and just chilling out. maybe growing and selling veggies. i think its the counter to the craziness of my regular job!
1. Length: about 18 months
2. Happy? No, No, No. The people are mean, rude, bullies.
3. What I do: I’m a Program Manager in the Aerospace industry.
4. Pay: $90K
5. Craziest thing: Nothing to crazy…just crazy customers always threatening to call the company CEO when their deliveries are late.
6. *Extra Credit: If money were no object, I’d be a housewife.
1. Length: 15 years
2. Happy?: Oh yes! Love my job. Love going to work.
3. What I do: Superior Court Court reporter
4. Pay: $120k
5. Craziest thing: Defendant had fake seizure, shut down the courtroom, paramedics came. . . quite entertaining!
6. If money were no object, I would open a vintage clothing store.
How long have you been at your current job? 1 year.
Are you happy? Yes.
What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) I’m a departmental manager at a Public Library. I buy materials, manage staff, and work the Information desk.
How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) ~$43,000
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? At a Public Library – you had to deal with the Public every day. Many of our patrons are crazy (for realz).
*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless)
Just a promotion. I’d like to be an administrator. Possibly a director.
1. Currently unemployed; was at my previous job 10 months and would have stayed for a few more years, at least, had life circumstances not forced me to move
2. I LOVED that job.
3. I was a veterinary technician. I took care of animals (and their owners) – I got to do lab work, help in surgery, take x-rays, and do all sorts of other cool stuff.
4. I was paid $11/hour
5. Only one? There are lots of crazy things that happen there.
6. I’d keep the same job.
http://southcountygirl.blogspot.com/2011/05/five-for-friday-round-4.html
9 years, various positions. My current position I’ve had for 5 years.
2. Most days… some are just long and hard and i’m not motivated… but lately I’ve really been enjoying me job.
I’m a “jack of all trades” gal and I work in the RCS department. I manage the desk and office work, design flyers, design website content, teach safety classes, lifeguard, work on special events and projects, process AP and AR, input gym memberships, etc.
It’s under $20 an hour plus benefits and my pension
Someone broke their arm in an elliptical… we’ve had people take to many meds and spend to much time in the jacuzzi and had to call 911 when they no longer became responsive… we’ve had homeless people try and move in… (i could go on forever).
EXTRA CREDIT: I’d work for Child share and find kids good loving homes in a safe environment.
Thanks for all the honesty, guys! These were some of my favorite comments to read :) Just love hearing all the different kinds of jobs out there, and all the salaries attached to ’em. I could never even guess for some of these! Thanks for sharing them with us – made my day :)
@Jennifer – Haha, Great!!! You’re in a spot most want :)
@Matt – Yeah, I kinda snuck it in there hoping people would share it with us ;) And looks like we got a lot of takers! Love that portfolio idea too – hope to see you there one day.
@Philip – Haha, I used to be like that too. And coincidentally enough I was making about $75k myself AND going to Vegas w/ my coworkers too! haha… not so much on the engineering part though.
@S – Haha, I do still want to work in a financial field “professionally” myself one day ;) Though I imagine it’s not nearly as fun as I feel like it is in my head, haha… Love you bro – hope you’re enjoying the weekend!
@Chris – Awesome!! That’s exactly what I like hearing – people working on their dream jobs. Congrats :)
@J.O. – Free apartment? WOW. That alone is incredible for your finances! Well done my friend, well done.
@The Tax Guy – Hah! Do you blog about that over on your site? Or try not to in case someone finds out? Would make for a pretty fascinating series ;) “Millionaires who can’t manage their money well” haha… at least they’re doing something right.
@CityFlips – That’s def. cool. $7k more? I’d take it :)
@Jennifer – Ahahahahahha… you get the “Craziest story” prize so far. Haha… that one killed me.
@Bonnie – Wow! That’s awesome! Def. makes for some interesting stories :)
@Stephanie – What if the genie granted you a position w/ the Yankees? Would you take it? Haha…
@Kathryn C – Okay! I’ll be watching for it missy…
@Melissa – Ooooh I love the magazine industry… tried doing graphic design for some up in NYC after graduation… didn’t work out so well ;) Had fun at my school paper though!
@Meredith – Woah, that’s specific! Haha… gotta love a woman who knows what she wants, though!
@Monique – Ooh that seems like a cool job. I kinda sorta did that at my old one, but not officially. $80k is a great salary for it too :)
@fabulouslyfrugirl – Oh cool, thanks for leaving a comment and saying hi! Nice to *meet* you, dear lurker :)
@Dani @ OK, Dani – Executive assistant! Always love the way that sounds, haha… not sure exactly what that entails, but for $70k I could be happy with it ;)
@Jake – Oh man, sorry to hear that. Glad you got some frustration out though!! It was quite enjoyable to read! :) Though now I’m racking my brain to see how you can get out of such a mess…. crazy they made you party with those replacements.
@Leslie – Motion trackers seem fun :) Don’t they use that kinda stuff for video games?
@Kevin – Haha nice… now for real, tell me? ;)
@Random Guy – Oh man, I looooove snorkeling. That would be pretty dope.
@katie – Yeah, do it! You can run the food bank during the day, and then have your own podcast at night :) You could even start the latter asap to start building up your audience – I’ll listen!
@Jen – We got a couple Civil Engineers up in here, I like it. And each one of you does something different w/ it too :)
@Sasha Ray – Hahahaha… at first, I thought you said “too much weed!” haha… that would def. make things more crazy ;)
@Jen – Yeah Thesis! This blogs is run on it too – pretty good for customizing stuff. Glad you enjoyed the video too – it cracked me up :)
@Jaclyn – Yeah graphic designers! Represent!
@Jennifer Lissette – Awwww, that sounds wonderful :) GREAT job on the increase of savings, jeez!
@Jenna, Adaptu Community Manager – Haha, it was good to see you at SXSW too! 9 more months until the next one…
@sandra – You can make a lot of money teaching English too, esp in some areas. Would be a great adventure!
@retirebyforty – Haha, you’re getting closer and closer to retirement every single day sir! Can’t wait for when you blog about the announcement :)
@bleu – You’re a lucky woman! Not many people can say they’re rockin’ their dream job right now, congrats :)
@Becky – Crap! Yeah, I should have thought of that… would have put more context to things for sure. Where do you live? :)
@Tim – Build golf courses? Haha… you don’t hear that every day!
@Sarah – I used to be obsessed with wanting to be a rockstar myself. Only problem was I couldn’t play an instrument! haha… I just loved the whole atmosphere about it :) Hope you find ways to spice it up more at your company!
@Kathy – I think you win the prize for the LONGEST time at a job! Wow… you don’t see that much anymore these days. I hear ya on the volunteering stuff too. One day my friend, one day. (and car through the office??? that’s a first! haha…)
@Aidee – Nicely done on that 20% – that’s a damn godo start! :)
@Debra – Haha… you had me confused for a second there with “Bodily fluid and bowel movement”… I was like, what the?? But yes, very very rewarding job indeed :) Can’t wait to be a dad one day!
@BoeshaneHR – Wow that’s scary!!! Freaks me out man – when people can just snap like that. I watched Full Metal Jacket tonight for the first time and it’s just so crazy what happens to people in life.
@TeacHer – Woahhhhh that’s too freaky. I feel like kids are getting meaner as the years go by, do you? Like, now social media is making it easier for them to be mean too… I dunno, could be just that it’s all I see about kids on TV too… crazy media ;)
@Wendy – I want your job!! Seriously!!! haha… maybe I should start my “A day in the life of” series and come down there to see what’s it’s like ;) I swear I’m gonna do that one day… try a new job every day (or week) and blog about it. Would be so much fun!
@Blue – That is wonderful, Blue :) I can only imagine the interesing stuff y’all get into. I’ve only been around kids with autism once (for our Feb Love Drop), and after just 45 mins it amazed me at how much focus you need… some of those kids are non-stop! I’m glad you found your calling in life, you’re helping out so much :)
@Dan – Woah… yeah, that sounds like it can be rough for sure.
@Meeeee – Haha, congrats! That’s a great start so far ;)
@flyer – Mannnnn that sounds so rewarding though. Another job I have a lot of respect for, and know damn well I couldn’t do it myself ;) Would be cool to hang around you for a day and see what it’s like. Love the growing-your-own-food plan too, that’s sweet.
@myloverswife – Oh no, sorry to hear that! Hopefully the money makes up for it a bit! :)
@D – hahaha, wow. that takes some talent to pull that off! :) Nice pay too, well done.
@S – I believe that. Every single time I go to the library there are some interesting people roaming around. It’s kinda faschinating that so many *different* people surround us every day. I like that.
@P – I hope you can find that same position wherever you live now?! It’s great you know what you want to do – many of us take a while to figure it out :)
@South County Girl – Haha, wow. Never a dull day over there!
How long have you been at your current job? 27 months.
Are you happy? Miserable. In fact after I am done answering these questions, I will apply for 3 other jobs. Sadly jobs that pay more than $12/hr are rare around here.
What do you do there? Internet tech support. People call in and scream at me because their internet is still broken. I spend 10-15 mins playing shrink to calm them down. Then I fix their issue which is usually pretty difficult because it involves a tremendous amount of audience participation that usually involves me repeating each instruction 3-4 times or being interupted in mid sentence as I try to give the damn instruction. Usually 40-60s mins later I fix their issue and end the call without as much as a thank you. Then someone who has never taken a call in their life scrutinized my call for quality assurance to find fault with it. I do this for 7.5 hrs a day. it’s mentally and emotionally exhausting. Most people go through their work day without the slightest thought of confrontation. I go to work every single day knowing that pretty much every single person I will speak to is going to try to pick a fight with me.
How much do you get paid to do it? 39K which is a pretty high salary for tech support. But most days, there is not enough money in the world for the nonsense I have to put up with. It’s hard to repeat “address bar” 100 times a day without losing your mind.
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? We had an earthquake one afternoon. You can’t just stop your call and say WTF? Naturally our customers did not believe us and heaped more verbal abuse on us when we told them we have to get off the phone to evacuate the building.
Dream Job?I have never had a job I’ve liked so my dream job would be do independently wealthy and have the choice to do nothing all day. I would probably spend a lot of time reading because that makes me happy. BUT if I had to call tech support for an issue, no matter how mad I was, I would be a patient and co-operative customer. And no matter what the resolution was at the end of the call, I would thank the agent for their work.
1- 5 years in october
2 – somewhere in between content and happy
3 – Application Developer / IT Specialist
4 – $72,000
5 – I work from home most of the time. But while I was working at home the toilets on the first floor of our office building exploded and crap was everywhere.
6 – CEO for multi billion dollar company. Why? because their job consists of spending little time in the office, traveling in style all over the world for work, attending high profile parties, power (who doesn’t want a little of that), and even though they are rich and could retire at any time they continue to do it because the experience the job offers is engaging.
1. How long have you been at your current job? 20.5 years. I know because I get an additional company allotment to my 401K and after 20 years it goes from 5.5 to 6.5%. Makes turning 50 easier if I am looking at retirement in the next decade.
2. Are you happy? YES. Great wife, two great kids and a nice place to live.
3. What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) Technical Project Manager
4. How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) More than I thought that I would ever make…$145,000.
5. What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? So many things. Where shall I start! As a government contractor, crazy and stupid go hand-in-hand.
6. *Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless) Money manager on Wall Street.
@Slackerjo – Wowwww, that sounds absolutely horrible I’m so sorry! I agree that being nice and thanking the reps is VERY GOOD though. I used to do calls too at my old gig and it makes things SO much worse when you call in yelling and screaming when you’re asking for HELP! It makes no sense really. Why would you piss off the one person who can help you? But yeah, good for you for applying to 3 jobs! I hope you really did it ;) $39k does seem high for that role so a least that’s something… fingers crossed you find a better one!!
@blue – Ewwwww!!! haha… that is GREAT you weren’t there for exploding toilets, haha… nasty. I hear ya on the CEO spot, although I couldn’t handle that pressure or stress. I’d rather just crash the parties as an internet mogul instead ;)
@Steve – That is great, my man! Nice salary and a nice life – congrats :) Any tips for us youngin’ out there to reach the same level? Have a great week!
1. How long have you been at your current job? 2 years, 2 months.
2. Are you happy? Yes and no. I work with great people who do amazing things, but I don’t excel because I’m bored. The job has a lot of opportunity, but it’s 160 miles away from my hometown and I hate living in Sacramento, where my job is located. I’m here because there isn’t much opportunity in my hometown. Also, I’m underpaid.
3. What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) I do administrative work to help surgeons do research, teach residents, write textbooks, and stay licensed.
4. How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) $35,214.40 per year.
5. What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? Some of the groundbreaking surgeries that I get to watch my surgeons perform.
6. *Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless) Owner and manager of a horse barn, or real estate investor with a substantial property portfolio. Both of those are part of my long term plan.
1. 2 years and 3 months
2. I’m happy most of the time. Unless the weather is bad or I have to stay late!
3. Walk around, take pictures, and write reports
4. My salary is $58,000 a year, with overtime last year I made almost $70,000
5. Crazy stuff happens all the time! No one takes to job TOO too seriously. Which is why I’m happy about working here most of the time.
6. I’d like to have a farm that is as self sustaining as possible. I’d have a lot to learn, but it’d fill my days with joy for sure!
1. 6 years.
2. Nope, it is the definition of a dead end job. That’s why I am actively switching over to blogging full time by the end of this year.
3. I am half customer service and half data entry.
4. $35,500 a year before taxes and benefits and $25,500 after…but I am making an additional $1000-$3000 a month from blogging already…I am trying to grow that into a consistent $2500 a month or more.
5. A hawk flew into our window and lived. It is not an exciting job.
*Extra Credit: My realistic dream job is to be successful at blogging from home as planned. My if-I-had-a-genie dream job would be to be paid to volunteer with animals or the elderly. I am starting to volunteer with Meals on Wheels and have volunteered with the Houston SPCA for 4 years now. I was also a foster parent for Pugs for 2 years.
I already posted, but I just wanted to say how awesome it is that there are a ton of women engineers posting here! It’s soooo rare to find women in engineering in the working world – so all the smart ones must congregate here :)
How long have you been at your current job? 4 years
Are you happy? Not really.
What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) I am the Director of Public Relations & marketing for a Chamber of Commerce – I do way too much – Chamber Marketing, PR, Advertising, Graphic Design, Website, Event Marketing, Writing, and Sales.
How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) – I make $22,695.40 a year. Which is a great increase since I made 17K for the three years prior when I worked there, but honestly – it’s still not enough
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? I’d have to say nothing, we’re pretty boring!
*Extra Credit: A magical genie grants you 1 wish to change jobs – you can choose anything in the world. What would it be? (money is good regardless) – I wish I could answer this!
1. How long have you been at your current job? – 4 years, 11 months
2. Are you happy? – nope.
3. What do you do there? (task-wise, or job title) – Architect (licensed and legal)
4. How much do you get paid to do it? (feel free to be anonymous!) – 48,000 (yes, that’s correct. I plan on rectifying this situation this year)
5. What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened there? – My project manager got fired for running his ebay business at work.
*Extra Credit: I’d be Personal shopper and stylist.
@Amy Lou – Horse barn? Cool! Def. sounds adventurous :)
@Mercedes – Congrats on the salary! Def. sounds like you’re overall happy over there, that’s great :)
@Crystal – LOVE IT!!!! You will be soooo happy blogging full-time, I can’t wait for you! And it won’t get in the way of your volunteering efforts either – YOU set the schedule :)
@Jen – Haha, it is kinda a turn on ;)
@Mary – Wow, that sounds like NOTHING for what you’re doing! Can’t believe that… not sure where exactly you live in the country, but that’s pretty crazy. I hope you can figure out what you’d like to do so you can go for it soon!! Would be a world of a difference :)
@kathy – HAH! I got close a couple of times blogging when I shouldn’t have, but it’s not directly related to making money like ebay ;) that’s pretty bad… hard to play that one off, haha…