Freelance medical and bioscience editor/writer.

I'm also a retired English teacher (2005 after 33 years.)

I spent ten years writing marketing materials for an insurance company, another ten as a freelance writer, and now I'm quite happy to be a SAHM.

My sister is a teacher, does that count?

I have been a flight attendant for a major U.S. airline for 18 years. As the airline industry has been extremely troubled for the past five years, I am planning on moving on. So I am also a full-time student, working towards a degree in Respiratory Therapy. That profession carries a great deal of job security, as everyone breathes.

Before my airline career, I was a loan officer in a bank and an office manager.

After teaching full time for 9 years, then staying at home for 12 years-I am now a very busy elementary ed substitute, with a specialty in the upper grades-4 through 6-I've been subbing now for 10 years. I do both day to day and long term. All ready worked this school year-I taught the second day of school! I have several more days booked for September. I also write and edit freelance for educational publishing houses, and am a community volunteer, through the Junior League and at my local library. And for one more year I am a "parent in the stands" at our DS's sporting events.
I am a very bad housekeeper, so I employ someone else to do that for me now and again.

>I know I do not have the patience to teach, esp. challenged kids.

Some days I am not sure I have the patience either.... :)

ccr, my husband teaches 4th-6th grade special ed. We both joke about how we could never do each others job, which is probably a good thing.

I'm a nurse in a Pediatric ICU...most of the time. Because I am semi-retired and book my days through an agency, I can also find myself in the Neonatal ICU, ER, Peds, or WellBaby Nursery (that is the most fun!). What I have lost in income, I have gained in time to read, quilt, garden and spend time with family and friends.

I'm a retired secretary after 45 years of working. They did rename me an executive assistant toward the end. I did check into a new career last week after seeing a flyer in the Sunday paper wanting people with good handwriting to hand address envelopes for charities, etc. You are supposed to be able to earn up to $400 a month. If I do it, I think it will pay a penny an envelope, which would subsidize my present career of lunching with ladies.

Retirement is the best job I've ever had! I love books and travel; and, by the way, there are super airline fares available for September and October from various cities in the U.S. to London.

I'm a transportation engineer. I freelance from home, and lately have been doing more and more technical translations (French to English and vice-versa), which I enjoy a lot. It appeals to my puzzle-loving mind.

I am a medical librarian who runs an independent consulting business from home. I am also a doctoral candidate in medical humanities and am now writing my dissertation.

Prior to running my own business, I was director of medical libraries in a hospital for ten years, and then went into the medical communications industry where I was director of scientific onformation for 12 years.

And before all of this, I was a supervisor at a Planned Parenthood Center (among other things).

RULE34--we should get together!

Have you seen those guys and gals in the airports who are constantly glued to their blackberries and laptops, usually having multiple and loud conversations going on all at once? They call it multitasking, but really it's quite redundant and made unnecessarily complex. Acronyms form the bulk of their vocabulary and half the time I'm convinced even they don't really know what all those acronyms mean. I'm a secretary at a mega consulting firm, and I support those guys.

Another librarian here, -- roughly a quarter of a century working in all sorts of libraries: historical, academic, and public. Before that, a secretary. Now I am a free lance writer, while pet-sitting, editing, proofreading and taking University classes in my spare time. Avocation: nature photographer and bird watcher.

Late last year I took early retirement from my job with a major computer company as a systems engineer supporting sales of large computer systems to the Department of Defense. (I'm afraid I was one of those people georgia_peach supports!) At the time I was also attending law school but I have since "retired" from law school as well. Now I volunteer at a local botanic garden, knit and crochet blankets for Project Linus, and plan to attend master gardener training in January. I also have time to work in my own botanic garden (using the term loosely) and go for long walks with the dog I adopted at the same time I left my job, but I don't have as much extra time to read as I expected.

I work at a credit union. My official job title is Member Service Specialist. I'm the one who figures out the best direction for the members, as in "where are the tellers" (they're kind of hidden in this branch), "where does one go to open/close an account", "Where does one go to open an IRA/checking/savings/Certificate of Depost" and all that sort of stuff.

In my other life (before I moved here a few years ago), I worked as a merchandiser for lingerie products (Sara Lee) and as a library clerk (my all-time favorite job ever).

I am semi-retired from my small breakfast and lunch cafe, which we created 27 years ago and is still going strong.
Semi-retired means I no longer work shifts there. I do the ordering, buying, menu tweaking, hiring, some training and most of the running around.

I have volunteered at a K - 5 school library for 11 years. Summers are devoted to the SF Giants. Besides reading I travel as much as possible, bake for any occasion and am the organizer/coordinator of a cookbook book club. We are doing Deborah Madison this month.

Thanks for this thread, Karalk - it's great finding out a bit more about everyone!

I had all sorts of jobs when younger, because I'd not been allowed to go to art school. Eventually trained as a graphic designer/illustrator when my younger daughter started nursery school; worked in part-time office jobs for a few years to make ends meet but was made redundant last October and finally decided to take the plunge. I'm now trying to make a living with painting and writing fiction. Not easy, but I love having my freedom back!

I'm another special ed. teacher-a class with grades K-6, multiply handicapped including autism and mental handicaps. The toughest part of my job is not the children. It's dealing with the adults that come with them! (parents and administrators, and getting caught between the two.)

No longer employed, and simply delighted!

Though I do sometimes think about getting a temporary job at Christmas in a bookstore, just for the fun of it.

Rosefolly

Well, my clients think I'm an intellectual property lawyer with a background in computer engineering. ;-)

That's what I do to pay the bills and, I must admit, it is quite interesting at times.

I had considered becoming a professional student. After a computer engineering degree and law school, I considered getting an MBA. Unfortunately, my dad saw through my plans and told me to get a job. (Oh, he also told me to cut my hair!)

;-)

> lingerie products (Sara Lee)

Um, with every Sara Lee pie purchase you now can get a negligee? (why yes, I am a bit behind the times :)

>It's dealing with the adults that come with them

Sing it, sister! My motto has always been - close the door and let me teach. Then I'm in second heaven. Once the adults get involved, all hell breaks lose (tho I have to say that the last few years I've had the most delightful parents to work with. Not sure if its because now I am old enough to be all their mothers, and so they have a certain attitude towards me they didn't have when I was their same age!)

oh Cindy-part of it is definitely the age differential!

Yikes, maybe I should quit teaching before I'm of the age when I could be their grandmother! That would be just too trippy. (actually come to think of it, I probably am for some of them already!)

But yeah, I still remember the look on the faces of the 30 somethings at me when I was 25, brand new teacher, trying to give them ideas about raising their deaf child. Um, no, I don't think I was much effective with them!

Well, as "my page" says, I do lots of things, or rather, little bits of lots of things. My paying employment - parttime - is an associate veterinarian.(meaning I don't own the practice, but rather work for "da boss".)It's a small animal practice, primarily dogs and cats, with assorted other little critters...I love it; but it exhausts me. Any of the medical professions (and, definitely, teaching, too) work you on all levels - intellectual, emotional and physical. I worked full time until I was pregnant with my 2nd child, and realized that I had nothing for myself, my kids or my husband left after a full day caring for pets and their people. Yes, there are a LOT of parallels with parents of 2 legged and parents of 4 legged "kids" - and I admit I've been on both sides of the coin!!

In other moments in my day, I read, garden, try to be creative, work in the school garden, and most recently, trying on a new hat as "Marching Band Parent"...DD is in the local high school colorguard (the kids with the flags, rifles(mock-ups of), and sabers trying not to whack each other or the musicians...)

My mother taught high school for many years - and as DD also has had learning/social issues (despite or because of being brilliant)I have a great deal of appreciation for those who work in the teaching and specialized educational fields.

take care - interesting thread!!
litlbit
ps I've been reading the forum periodically but not contributing lately...I was dealing with a bad spinal disc which made sitting at the computer very painful - for that matter, made just about any movement or position very painful - I've had lots to think about and lots of things I wanted to say, but just couldn't...it was depressing, because I couldn't sit and craft, couldn't garden more than the essentials, couldn't even find a position to read for long, wahhh.... well, the d*#% thing is finally easing up, so all this has come pouring out, sorry!! Can't wait to start the fall digging, the books piling up, the mosaics waiting for me....

I write and edit non-fiction books, and in between projects I write brochures and anything else someone will pay me to write.

I also taught writing and editing classes through the university extension program -- does that count?

Another writer here - ten years of freelance writing and editing from my "living room office". And also a stay at home mom. dynomutt, I had considered law school very seriously a few years ago.

PAM

Pam --

Law school was interesting. In a way it was a foregone conclusion for me that I was going -- both my parents are lawyers and to NOT go to law school would have given both my parents coronaries! ;-)

How come you didn't go? A friend once mentioned to me that "life is unfair and lawyers are there to ensure that it stays that way". There's a certain logic to that thought!

I'm a graphic designer. Worked in the high tech industry as a mechanical and graphic designer for 25 years. Eight years ago I started my own home-based design business and while it was successful, it was also very lonely, so I managed to get back into a high tech company again and am just happy as can be.

I also volunteer part time at our local police department helping with officer training programs and doing fingerprinting, among other things. And I'm a trained Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member .

Jodi-

Hematology technologist

Another freelance editor, of science and medical college textbooks.

A professional lurker.... :) I do occasionally post here, but usually what I have to say has been said before and much more eloquently by someone else.

I manage an airborne science program for the space agency.
cheryl

Wow! I only asked if there was another accountant! LOL
Great to see all this stuff about you guys!

See what you started? :) Actually, these have been fun to read, first to see the variety, but also to see the names of all sorts of folks who I never see posting!

dynomutt,
This sounds extremely old-fashioned, but I didn't go to law school because I knew I'd want to be a stay at home mom and it didn't make sense to invest in the education and then not use it. It sounds so utterly foolish as I type this, but it is the truth. I do not regret the decision but the law has always held my interest. It would be great to learn more about what you do, why you do it and how. (Lawyer-ing parents excepted, of course.)

PAM

Pam --

Funny you should say that. My mom went to law school because she was bored. She was a stay-at-home mom until the late 70s. She became a systems analyst and, since she was still bored, she went to law school. She got bored a lot! ;-)

So, what DO I do? Well, I work in patent law. Simply put, inventors see me, they tell me what their invention is, I write up a description of it, I encapsulate the invention in single sentences (these are called claims but they are NOT in regular English!), and I submit it to patent offices in whichever jurisdiction the inventor (or his employer) want protection for their invention. Then, I usually have long running arguments with patent examiners about whether the invention (as defined in the claims) are patentable or not. (I think there's a former US patent examiner on this board!) If I convince the examiner that the invention is new, useful, and non-obvious, then that patent office issues a patent for the invention.

That, in a nutshell, is the gist of what I do. My clients run the gamut from lone inventors with an idea to large conglomerates that have hundred if not thousands of patents to law firms in other countries. These other law firms send us the patent application for filing in Canada. We then file the application for these law firms on behalf of their ultimate clients and we act as the representative in Canada for these clients in respect of the patent applications.

In terms of which patent offices I deal with, I deal directly with the Canadian Patent Office and the US Patent Office. That being said, I've also dealt with (through associates) the Japanese Patent Office, the UK Patent Office, the European Patent Office, and a whole host of other patent offices throughout the world.

The work is always changing and it deals with various subject matters. I could be dealing with cryptography one day, tombstones the next, delta-sigma modulators another day, and chewing gum formulations on another day! Yes, it can be seen as being a fairly dry practice -- we rarely meet clients since they almost never visit us. (This allows me to go to work in shorts and Hawaiian shirts!)

On some occasions, we also provide clients with legal advice as to how to protect their intellectual property. This may involve giving them advice about patents, trademarks, copyright, and industrial design registration. Sometimes we also give them advice as to what their options are if someone is infringing on their rights (i.e. sue, not sue, talk to them, etc., etc.).

I should also mention that I'm also a Canadian patent agent. This means that I can practice before the Canadian Patent Office and, due to a reciprocity agreement with the US Patent Office, I can also practice before that office. Patent agency in Canada is interesting -- only about 30-50 new agents pass the qualifications each year. Arguably, the patent agency qualification is more valuable to me than the law degree. ...

Sarah Canary wrote: "I also taught writing and editing classes through the university extension program -- does that count?"

Absolutely! After getting my PhD in English, I taught in "regular" university for 10 years. It was great and then it wasn't. I just got burnt out and all the side issues of academia wore on me. After a year of free-lance writing, a friend suggested I try extension teaching and it revived my love of teaching. Best students ever! They're (most of them) free of academic obligations and are there because they want to read and talk about the books. It's like having the book group of your dreams.
I've also been doing some book reviewing (food-related books) and hope to do more.

> didn't go to law school because I knew I'd want to be a stay at home mom and it didn't make sense to invest in the education and then not use it. It sounds so utterly foolish as I type this, but it is the truth. I do not regret the decision but the law has always held my interest. It would be great to learn more about what you do, why you do it and how. (Lawyer-ing parents excepted, of course.)

You don't have to defend your decision. It was a choice YOU made for YOURSELF because it worked for you. We all make choices in our lives, and I get bugged by the 'working mom stay at home mom' battles. There's no need for them. No one should be judged for something like that, so don't apologize, 'k? :)

cindydavid4

*vbg* Actually, in the business, we said "We make the cheesecake that adds the pounds on and then we make the girdle that hides it". LOL

Believe it or not, Sara Lee owns a lot of non food companies. I haven't worked for them for 4 years now so they may have shed some of them, but off the top of my head, SL owns: Playtex, Bali, and Hanes. I don't know if they still own these, but they did own Coach handbags,(employee discount was really nice for that!)and Champion sportswear.

litlbit,
good to see you back, I haven't been posting as much myself since we're not allowed to access the internet at work anymore.

Before becoming a software developer, I was a legal secretary who had the pleasure of working for a patent attorney at one time. I enjoyed your description dynomutt. Met some interesting folks at that time myself.

The most rewarding and challenging "job" I ever had was being a full time mother of three.

I am a retired Home Economics teacher ( 27 years!)
New York State Ed. Dept. calls it Home and Careers and
the eighth grade boys called it Homos and Queers.

Don't you just love those mid-schoolers!! :0)

What a diverse group.

I am a physician, have been for twentysomething years (if I don't post more frequently is because of this job). It is exhausting, but interesting at times.

For several years, I worked for a temporary staffing company, and travelled all over the US filling in for physicians away on maternity leave, vacations or practices that were understaffed. Hence "Reader In Transit". I loved the travelling, arriving to a new city and learning my way around it. I had jobs, among other places, in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Tampa, the Barrier Islands in Florida (they put in an apartment on the shore, loved it), Virginia, Washington State, Indiana, and Madison, WI (a favorite place, though not in winter). My mother and friends kept asking me when I would get a "real job".

That travelling job began to dry up, so now I am a Reader in Seattle, where I found that real job. There are days when I miss being on the road. But this is such a beautiful part of the country, that I don't miss it that much, and when I do, I go exploring locally.

cindy,
Thanks so much for your support! Yes, I too get tired of the working mom/ stay at home mom wars. Once a mom I thought was a friend walked past me at the community pool and said, "Enjoy your leisure life." Hah... if she only knew... pros and cons to everything.

Dynomutt, Hawaiian shirts to the office? Toss in flip-flops (a necessary part of my summer dress code) and I may just have to go back to school! Your job sounds like it gets rather interesting at times with the new stuff you see. I bet you've seen some doozies in your time. Any stories you can share? Thanks for the long involved post that you wrote. I enjoyed reading it.

PAM

Pam --

Nahhh....... no flip flops. I usually just wear Hawaiian shirts, shorts, and deck shoes (with no socks) to the office. Today I actually didn't wear Hawaiian shirts since, well, it's time to do laundry. Oh, that and it's kind of cold outside! (Yes, I have to start wearing socks now because of the temperatures outside!)

We're moving to a new building next week and, unfortunately, we'll be sharing office space with at least one older (and more traditional) lawyer. It'll be interesting to see how the cultures clash. I wonder how he'll respond to the Darth Vader mask and the rubber chicken in my office?

Stories I can share? Well ....... there's the story of a start-up here in Ottawa that was in business for less than a year with about a hundred employees. They were bought out for an amount in the upper nine figures. And then there are the crackpots -- about 2 decades ago, one guy went to someone I know and said he had this device for, uh, dropping ordnance on a specific company here in Ottawa. And he started ranting and raving ....... the guy I know slowly eased him out, saying that he didn't do military based inventions. Then he called the cops.

Oh, and if you're looking for some WACKY inventions and patents, the link to the US Patent and Trademark Office is below. You have to read the descriptions of some of these documents! Check out these patents (just enter the number in the link I provided) :

6,571,402 (faster than light energy transmission)
6,960,975 (anti-gravity machine -- creates a localized space-time anomaly!)
7,066,780 (Pet exerciser?)
5,443,036 (How to exercise your cat)
6,329,919 (Bathroom scheduling algorithm -- withdrawn by IBM!)
6,368,227 (This is how to swing on a swing)

Oh, and if you're easily offended, you may want to skip these ....

6,485,773 (has to be seen to be believed)
7,046,151 (I'll leave this one to your imagination ....)
6,805,663 (This one's just funny and kind of weird)

Yes, I seldom get bored at this job. ;-)

Here is a link that might be useful: USPTO patent seach engine

dyno.....I must tell you that #6,485,773 was something that I....well, er... I don't quite know what to say. I would like to have seen (and heard) the remarks in the office when that one came through the mail.

How much experimentation do you suppose he did before he came up with that formula? And what kind of woman would care?
Aggie

Aggie --

Funny you should make those comments. That was EXACTLY what we thought when that one came to our attention. I mean ..... really. How do you TEST it?

Oh, and better yet, how do you come up with something like that?! Truth, to me, is definitely stranger (and more yucky) than fiction.

Well, it is definitely TMI (too much info) about their life!

It would be terrible to go through all that trouble and find out that the girlfriend didn't like broccoli.

dynomutt, you obviously have the answer to what will they think of next! Unreal.

I hope none of you missed the "image" of #7,046,151! It looks just like the language lab we had in high school! I wondered what they used it for at night!

Another teacher here...high school English, for 27+ years all at the same school. I just got to move into a new building and it is so amazingly high-tech. Loving it!

My goodness. The things I learn about on this forum.
I must say, that gave me a good chuckle.
Thanks, Dynomutt.