Great thread, nancedar! Some of you I would have guessed pretty closely --- others I would have been way off!

Me: Freelance editor for the past 18 years or so. I work at home (usually --- this week I'm onsite at a client's) for textbook publishers, government agencies, nonprofit groups, corporate communications departments --- anyone who produces texts can use some editorial help. I also do a little teaching of copy editing and related subjects (an online continuing ed course for a university and a handful of one-day seminars for the Editors' Association of Canad), which is a good complement to a job that otherwise I perform mostly at a computer by myself.

DH works at home, too. He quit a well-paying but soul-destroying IT job around the time I met him 8 yrs ago to focus on his side craft business of woodturning; he has been getting sick of the show circuit travel, however, and wanting a little more control over and predictability of his income stream, and so has just begun work as a medical transcriptionist. (Shout-out to bejay!)

Tclynx --- boy, nothing makes a person feel ROOTED more than composting, does it? I too love the feeling of workign soil that I MADE....

Zabby

An intresting read, indeed!
For the past decade I have been a Safety Director and Assistant to the President of a large motor coach company.

Booted out the cheating husband 12 years ago, raising my daughter on the family Estate...she is the 4th generation to live in this house.

Food, farming or preserving does not come strange to me, as I was born with a spatula in my mouth and swayed to sleep in our large catering/wholesale salads kitchen that was in operation for 40 years.
I began growing unusual vegetables before they were available wholesale for our A rated clients.
Had to take over the landscaping duties of the property when my Mom passed in 1984.

Surprising number of engineers/technicians. Are you attracted by the steam, metal, heat and excitement? I teach languages in a secondary (high) school. But I often wonder whether I should have gone into horticulture.

I'm not here as much as I was, trying to run the farm and take care of everything since Dad's gone, but I still check in.

Me? I run the local Prosecuting Attorney's Office. It's small, 4 lawyers, 5 clerical staff and myself, so I do everything from legal research to drafting motions to doing the payroll and handling the budget. I never get bored.

In my spare time I run the farm I grew up on, Dad passed away in August and I bought a part of the place so stepmom didn't get tossed out by the bank when she couldn't pay the mortgage. I have a Morgan gelding that is my saddle horse, a half Belgian buggy horse that was Dad's, two hereford steers that are this fall's beef and two cows that had better be having calves in the spring, LOL. Oh, and 16 Rhode Island Red hens. If I won the lottery I'd just keep farming until the money was gone.

I divorced several years ago after 30 years of marriage and was a single mother for quite a while. I remarried in May of this year.

Canning and preserving comes naturally to me because I grew up on this farm, my Grandmother taught me to cook and can. I have a big organic garden and it's the natural progression of things.

Annie

Great topic! I'm a scientist (cancer research). I think my talent at growing vegetables carries over into my ability to grow cells. I always think of cell culture as very small scale gardening.

tclynx - I can't imagine combining a love of gardening/healthy eating with a life on the road! My friend does tour managing/merchandise for bands and her tales from the road make me think she doesn't eat, let alone eat in any way that is healthy. I would never have thought to find someone from her industry here on gardenweb - amazingly cool!!

Bellatrix

You can take a kid of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the kid. That is what my mom always says.

I grew up on a crop and livestock farm. Cattle, Hogs, and other grains and hay. It wasn't large enough to support my parents, brother and me. So I moved into another field I enjoyed, Teaching.

I teach K-8 math in a small school. My primary job is 6-8, but I do assist with K-5.

Being a teacher, I have some extra time in the summer. I started to garden more when we moved to our home on 5 acres.

Currently I am up to around an acre garden. I will probably break out another 1/8-1/4 of an acre for more growing room. I currently have two small hoop buildings and I have the supplies for two larger ones. The ground is just to frozen to put them up.

I garden to keep busy and have fresh food. My whole life I have been busy. I hate sitting still. I find the more I have to do, the more on task I am. I have 3 girls and a new baby any day now. I love to teach them how to grow stuff and how to try new things. My wife loves fresh produce more than chocolate, so I am always on her good list. I taught myself how to make jelly and can. My mom and grandparents canned stuff, but they never taught me. Now they are sharing after they see I enjoy it.

Some people find it strange that a guy can make jelly. I always chuckle inside when people say, "Did your wife make this?" I say no, I plant, grow, harvest and make the jelly.

I grow and sell produce 20 plus weeks a year and make jams and jellies year around. I have found some of my favorite receipes from here. It is challenging to teach, garden and be a dad of, soon to be, 4 kids under 7 years old, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Never a dull moment here.

It is neat to hear what everyone else does.

Jay

Hi Everyone,

I am pretty new to this forum so this is a great way to formally introduce myself.

My name is Shannon and I am a kitchen and bathroom designer for a small family owned remodeling firm. Here is a link for a kitchen I designed that was recently in a magazine!
http://signaturekitchensandbaths.com/galleries/article.cfm?title=largerthanlife

I grew up in south Florida, born in the Chicago area, and never dreamed I would have a garden! My husband is from Vermont, I guess going up there in the summers and seeing a completely different way of life than what I grew up with has opened my eyes. Also, having a 3 1/2 year old has made me really scrutinize the crap that restaurants and stores pass of as food!

Great thread. I've been working in the field of quality control for over 20 years. Currently at an aerospace repair station in northern Michigan. Mostly I test; Dimensional, chemical, destructive and non-destructive (level II PE). I enjoy it, but would rather be home in the garden.

Kay.

I used to work in lesser-developed countries with fish farming - designing, building, and managing tilapia farms, then got into small-scale, regional development projects. Had to stop that when I got hit with autoimmune nerve paralysis, so now I garden.

Great job on the kitchen Shannon! I remodel houses in my spare time so I definitely appreciate a nice kitchen design. Spare time...hmmm....60-80 hours a week at work, 5 kids at home, 10 acres, a fairly nice sized garden (60' x 80'), 5 rental properties, etc, lol.
Rick

We are retired also.. in my former life I was a secretary for a group of detectives in a State I will not mention, also a secretary for a medical management company and my husband is retired out of the USCG. We have moved around quite a bit with his career and his lust for travel. We have lived in every State that begins with an M except for 2. I am hoping to move just one more time, back to the Midwest! and yes, it begins with an M also.

It's nice to get to know you all-- I'm new here, so it's a nice intro opportunity.

I'm what I like to call a papersmith-- calligrapher/ paper artist/ paper jewelry artist. Just over a year ago, decided to switch to it full time, working my way into the show circuit (shout out to Zabby's DH!), wholesaling to galleries, etc. Before that, I was a PhD student in linguistics.

I don't have much room for a garden-- what I do have is dedicated to herbs-- but the local farmer's market is a constant source of inspiration and yummy things.

What a great thread! The diversity is impressive.

I'm a CPA. I am employed by a Fortune 500 company and am responsible for their state income tax returns (yes, they file in all 50 states).

My co-workers are amazed that I can find the time to cook from scratch and preserve my own food, but for me it is a welcome break after a long day in front of the computer or arguing with auditors.

I echo the sentiment that I wish I was retired also, but the hubby and I are empty nesters. I started this and the garden because I am not waiting for retirement to enjoy my life. It is smaller scale than it would be if I had more time, but it fits my life at this time.

Nancy

I grew- up in the family landscaping company, then I got tried of all the b.s with help after 30 something years. Went to work for the largest real estate company in the U.S. in the maintenance dept for 4 1/2 years. Next in the local school dist first in the maint dept and then back to where I love to be outside in grounds dept. I have been in the dirt all my life. Growing everying in the garden. I grew trees and evergreen before too. I have along time before I can retire yet. But I just love to play in the garden. It's a form of STRESS relief.

Interesting thread. We are mostly retired, some rental property and I'm a tax preparer out of my home. My parents and grandparents had a garden therefore so do I. The canning, freezing and drying followed. I have about 500 sq feet in my backyard of raised beds. My DH ran a water line to the gardening beds and fenced in the area to keep out our dogs. I now have 3 compost bins, numerous bags of leaves stacked in a corner and a few fruit trees. Life is good.

Retired vegetable food processor.I now garden for friends & myself.Only can pickled veggies.

I'm retired after working in a refinery and chemical plant for twenty seven years. I plant a garden every year and can't even imagine doing without home grown tomatoes. Good luck to everyone.

Fez920! On the pickled eggs thread, there's a question of what technology commercial food processors use that makes it possible for them to can what we cannot (such as pickled eggs and products with dairy). If you have any inside info, would you please join us on the thread?

Melissa

Here is a link that might be useful: why you can't can pickled eggs

I'm retired, gave the state of California 30 years and said goodbye.....now live in Reno, NV.
Lov'n every minute of it....

Linda

I'm a commercial nurseryman and greenhouse operator X twenty one years. Before that I was a registered nurse. Before that I was an associate engineer in a manufacturing environment in process control, and quality control. Hows that for diversity? But, I've always been a gardener.

Ooh! Zabby! Can I pick your brain?

I'm kind of an accidental freelancer. I worked as a writer and editor (technical, business, science) for 20 years, but I've been out of work for the last year and a half. I've recently been trying to get freelance work. I have found one ongoing gig writing articles, but at best that'll pay $500/month, and I need WAY more than that to survive. I bought this house -- my first -- three years ago and was overjoyed to think that I'd finally have a yard and a garden. It tears my soul apart to think that I might lose it. I swear I've aged five years last year, just from the stress.

I can't really find a lot of information on how to get work editing for publishers or companies or writing for companies. About all that I can find consists of writing magazine articles or fiction. Sure, I'll do that, too, but I need work that's steadier and more solid. And I don't want to do the starving writer thing. Not with a house and five cats to take care of.

Too much information? Hijacking the thread? Sorry. But, well, that's what I do. I write and edit when I can get the work. Otherwise I just worry.

lilacs of may -

If I may ----(hijack-so they say).

I'm a retired medical transcriptionist - a suggestion then -
perhaps this is for you. If our present congressional program makers are sincere in giving "health care for everyone" - somebody is going to have to come up with a lot of new intelligent folks to "man" those transcription computer machines.

Don't know where they expect to find the educated people to cover the bases, but from all I hear, they intend to try. We are importing medically-trained, world-general knowledge, and language-minded people now - just to fill the bill.

This may not be for you, but I found it one profession I could do at home, maintain a home, garden and have a lifestyle that I preferred. I was fortunate enough to graduate from one step to another through the years, thereby learning at each step of the way, mostly by listening to a lot of educated doctors. It was a rewarding, financially stabilizing, and stimulating experiencing in it's own right.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

Hi, I check in here from time to time. I am an RN working at a small rural hospital. We moved here several years ago from a bigger town where I worked in critical care. I miss it! I would love to do something from home but it's not in the cards for me at this point. I love gardening and my chickens;) My hubby is heading to Iraq in April and just found out that our older son may also get deployed there. So lots of stress at the moment, I really can't wait for spring so I can work out my frustrations in the garden. Lori

When I was out of the house for the first time, my parents decided to drop out of the rat race. They bout 99 run down acres that included a run down house and barn...they didn't care they loved it and they worked their buns off to make it livable but at least they were their own bosses...I loved loved loved that old place and I went there at every opportunity...I helped out and my husband helped out and I just never got it out of my system. I knew that someday I would live in the country...When I met my husband I mentioned how wonderful it would be and he told me right away that he was strictly concrete and asphalt kind of person...My dream was sinking and lo and behold...at a point after we married, he became a ham radio operator and the next thing I know is he wanted to live in the country so he could have a big tower...Bingo my dream came to pass.

We're both retired. I'm not sure how much we're saving by canning and gardening. I heard on TV today the cost of food is going up again and seed is selling like never before.

lilacs --- I'll be happy to give you some advice if I can. The short answer is that most (really, I expect, all) successful freelance service careers are based on two things: getting good skills (just because someone points out grammar mistakes on billboards doesn't make him and editor) and networking (which means a) knowing some people, b] letting them know what you do, and c) listening for anything you might be able to help them out with).

If your skills are good, then once you get a few jobs, you will be able to get more through networking since those you have worked for will recommend you. At least with editing, getting established as a freelancer is more challenging in a rural place --- it's easier to work FROM one once you have a client base --- but it's not necessarily impossible.

Feel free to e-mail me if you want to discuss.

And maybe I can pick bejay's brains on behalf of my DH, just starting out as an MT, as to how to do that "moving up" thing! ;-)

Z

I produce instructional media at a University. I love what I do, love working with young adults and it's a good thing - I'll probably be doing it for the next 20+ years. So envious of all the retirees....and so thankful they are willing to share their experiences. I have learned so much on this forum - thank you!

I've given up on the idea of ever retiring. The recession ate up my savings, my IRA, my stock portfolio, and my life insurance dividends. Got nuthin' left. I'll die in the harness.

Dont feel so bad. I too have seen all my IRA money go out the window too. Its sad what we think we will have when we retire, and when it comes time to expect it, you get nothing. I am waiting for the time when IRAs are totally drained out and then YOU are billed with 'service fees'...

I work for a steel company, making both residential and commercial deliveries. It's not a glamour job but it pays some of the bills. My wife is a special ed teacher. I do most of the cooking and canning (mostly jams). In order to keep holiday costs down, friends and family received custom baskets of canned jams and fruits this year. It was a hit, especially the apple pie jam that I kept hearing about on this site and finally made.

I am an RN and a Clinical Educator. I can't believe the variety of professions listed here! I am not gardening as much as I would like this year (working on my master's degree) but I do plan to keep canning the few things I can grow. Very few people make my dilly beans in the area and no one makes the Spiced Pear jam my dad loves.

I am also a wife, mother, sister, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, cousin, etc. Those count, right? LOL.

How funny that there are so many people here who are/were in the medical transcription field. I'm on the editing side of medical transcription now, but have done everything from transcription to administration off and on since I was 13. Mom worked as an at-home transcriptionist when I was growing up and would ask me to read her reports for typos. Now she has her own transcription service and I work for her.

Zabby - Speed and accuracy are two key ways to move up, especially if you are on production (which most are here). Is he doing general medical or a specialty?

Jen

How do individuals get started in transciption? Presently I'm a tax preparer and work between Jan 15-April 15 but would like to pick up additional work other than bookkeeping. My degree is Accounting. Do I start with an ad in the local paper and get a good dictionary?

Transcription can be in many different fields. Law, and medical to name a couple. Temp agencies are the first places to look for these kinds of jobs. I used to work in Boston at Beth Israel Hospital and they had several transcribers working there, and we had our own in Nuclear Medicine. The device that recorded the doctors dictation was saved to a DEC computer back then. I was put to the task of verifying data and checking patient ID numbers. Each dictation station also had a bar code reader, and patient bar codes were scanned prior to dictation. One doctor was unfamiliar with the unit and after he was done, he forgot to shut off the record, and filled the whole hard drive up with a bunch of dead air. Things like that are really a pain to deal with, f its a transcriber that eventually gets the info.

I am retired after working as a Lab Tech for a pharmaceutical company in the Bay Area of Ca. My hubby is a retired Elect. Engineer. We left the Bay Area when the crowding got so bad that it would take 45 minutes to drive 15 miles to work. We love being retired. We adopted our two granddaughters when they were babies. We have homeschooled them since kindergarten. They are now 14&15 and becoming young ladies. It has been a delight to watch them grow up into active, productive members in our community and in our church. I enjoy gardening, cooking and sewing. I am starting to can with a pressure canner. We are concerned with the quality of the food in our supermarkets. I have been baking all the bread for our family and I am really surprised by how much our family of 6 can eat. It seems that breadmaking is happening several times a week. I really enjoy reading the Harvest folder. I have learned so much and the posters are so friendly & helpful.

Jen,

Interesting indeed! DH has just started this career --- he trained with an online school, (alas, belindach, in his case, it cost considerably more than a good dictionary, and took months work through it, but it includes an internship portion and has an almost 100% placement rate for graduates; there may be cheaper ways to learn, however, especially if you live in a large centre, which we don't).

The company he interned with is a large one with several major hospital accounts; they offered him a contract when his internship was up, and he works on a couple of their accounts (one's in general medicine, one's in endocrinology; I'm not sure what-all else).

He's not very fast yet, and I'm surprised at how difficult the work seems to be --- my DH is really smart (has a PhD in robotics, and creates crossword puzzles which he's sold to major newspapers), and a very fast typist, but he's still climbing the learning curve. It may sound easy to just write down what someone says, but I hear his files and can't make head nor tail of half of them. Stutterers, heavy accents, weird drug names, doctors who clatter around doing something else while dictating....

Z

Z, what online school did her use?

Hi Zabby - just brushed up on my GW - Harvest Forum. Have had flu and bronchitis - so a few days in the desert seems to have "cured" it for the time being.

My experience with transcription - fortunately - came early. I needed a job after divorce and found a new hospital needing a switchboard operator. The night crew only totaled 4 of us - so when patients were admitted, I had the job of making up their admitting info. That started my "career" and a small dictionary to help with those "words" and spelling of same.

I graduated to the medical record room - where my job was to mark a single recording disk (old vinyl type) that took all of the Dr's admitting information. Law required H&P's to be on the pt's chart in - I believe 24 hrs. The transcriptionist then noted the "stat" stuff on the disk - doing that first - then the discharge summaries, etc., when time allowed.

My first attempt at a job for a radiologist - proved fatal -and I found myself looking for a job in the office again. Fortunately, the hospital I worked for - had a single transcriptionist who advanced up to librarian, when the interim one retired. I jumped and got the job - so was able to slowly work myself up to the next level, getting more experience. After the hospital closed, I free-lanced -leaving my "card" at the Dr's offices in town - picking up work here and there. Some of those old typewriters were really in need of repair or retiring!!

At one clinic - 13 yrs - they had word processors - which actually was a great improvement, because the work could be corrected and saved - big advancement. We then got one personel computer. The company planned to go "network" but eventually merged with another large hospital, that was established. We were job hunting again.

My last clinic/hospital - a large one had a large computerized set up for all. It was pretty funny and hectic, because everyone was learning computers - and we had 8 transcriptionist - I took week-ends, then advanced 2 more days. The entire hospital/clinic had expanded their network - to include even their outbound clinics - some hundreds of miles away. It was great because the dr could punch in the patient's record number, and their record would appear on the screen (if it was transcribed that is).

The company finally set up the transcriptionists in home offices - which was great, except when the computer needed fixing - then the wait was quite long. I learned to "fix" my computer quite well then - LOL.

Soooo - sorry so long - but I think the "computerized medical record" is here to stay.

We were quite a select group in those early days - but now there are medical assistant schools - as Zabby describes - that teach the subject - or at least the basics. After that, it is up to the individual. About those foreign speaking doctors - whee - and it helps to have a little "ESP" - I know, been there, done that.

Bye.

Bejay

Bejay, how interesting. Thanks for sharing. I'm looking at a few online schools but I'm not sure I can learn how to spell. Cost isn't prohibitive. Spell check has been a lifesaver for me. Guess it would be possible to add words to a computer dictionary. I could always be selective in who received a business card and resume.

Yes, indeed, those spell checkers do come in handy. As you say, all of the medical words can be added - as well as the medications. If you work for a transcription service, the boss usually enters all of the new meds, and other words that are "coined" in the medical field all of the time.

One thing about the schools - they can only do so much - especially if you work in a large hospital (thousands of drs, with different specialties - they usually require at least 2 years experience, which isn't always easy to get when your first starting out.

Keep at it - you're gonna love it. I'd still be doing it (at age 87) but lost my hearing a few years ago, decided to spend more time in the garden, canning, etc.

Bejay

Bejay, why is fun?

I did a temp job transcribing accident reports for an insurance company once. I wouldn't mind doing some transcribing from home. I don't have a medical background, but I have a science background.

I've gotten a small, freelance job writing articles for a content site. (I could tell you which one, but then I'd have to kill ya. :-) ) It's interesting if occasionally frustrating work, but it only pays a couple hundred a month. I need waaay more than that to survive as a freelancer.

The nice thing about transcription is - they pay you a base salary, then an incentive - so much per line over that. If you are really speedy - or smart computer-wise, it adds up to a considerable amount of extra money. Soooo - that's why I liked it - a lot. After doing that type of work for over 40 years, it was a "piece of cake" -- that's why I miss it.

I suppose I could get a hearing aid and hook it up to the computer - but ---I like canning and gardening almost as much.

Bejay

I'm not much interested in working a full time go to the office type job. I have a Dr friend in the area. I might get brave and ask him if there is a need for transciption services in our area.

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences, bejay!
It sounds like a great career.

And, like my career of editor, which is the same thing my mother did, it sounds like the technology used day to day has changed greatly over the decade, but the base skills remain the same. As with anything, a lot seems to depend on hardworking, flexible and willing to learn.

(When my mom began as an editor, there were not only no personal computers or word processing software, but no Post-Its or photocopies. In the space of my 17-year career, I've gone from doing all my work on paper to doing 98% of it on the computer, and moved from teaching my editing class in a classroom to teaching it online. But I would say more is the same about my day to day work than different! Dangling modifiers and insecure authors haven't changed a bit.)

ANyway, I'm glad you spend your time gardening, canning, and sharing the stories with us.

Hope you're feeling better!

Z

When I first began as an editor, it was blue pencil and hard copies. Now pretty much all of the editing I do is tracking changes on Word.

I am an elementary school teacher. My dad was also an elementary school teacher. I got the gardening bug from him. He always had a garden every summer when I was growing up. It works out well because it gives me something to do all summer when I'm home (and I'm getting my kids involved). Last year was my first "real" garden. The only problem I encountered was that school starts now in August! That's the worst time for someone who wants/needs to can tomatoes and can/freeze other harvest items! This year I'll have to come up with a better plan. I let too much turn to compost last year.

Most of my working life was a legal secretary doing all kinds of law, most recently immigration. Now, I'm working temporary jobs (with the Census right now) and I'm starting a backyard farm with a mind to selling at the local farmers' markets.

My grandparents were always outdoors people and I learned to love the outdoors as well. Because my grandparents grew up during the depression, my grandmother was always finding ways to reuse something before ever throwing something away.

I find myself more and more like her trying to save this and that and wondering what can I use this for? I was a flower gardener for a long time and am now trying my hand at vegetable gardening. There is nothing like picking my own salad fixings!

Just attended a canning class yesterday and look forward to my garden growing to get started on this!

I am a Financial Aid Specialist at a university. New to gardening :)

I am a food scientist, specializing in shelf-stable foods including thermoprocessing.

To answer your question, in thermoprocessing we have at our disposal software that we connect to actual cans during the thermoprocessing that gives us real-time data on whether the particular product has reached the lethality time/temperature for C. botulinum. Every new product that is pressure canned has the process mapped using the worse case scenario.

Oils and dairy products are not an issue for canning.

Secondly, the food industry has at their disposal rotating pressure cookers. With the rotation, the product is stirred inside the can, which greatly lowers the time it takes for all product in the can to reach C. botulinum spore lethatlity. Most brothy canned items reach temperature lethality in minutes in a commercial cannery processed using a rotary retort versus hours for the home canner.