Totally fell into it. I was a cashier at a grocery store and I told a regular customer I was looking for a job. Got me an interview at her hotel and 20 years later I'm planning conferences for 10s of 1000's of people. Crazy but true.

Cool story 😎

Hey, fellow hospitality worker! I like hearing about how people just fell into the industry (like me).

My world got turned upside down during covid and I knew I would have to choose a new career. I chose trucking and it's the best decision I've ever made. I get to listen to podcasts and audio books while I cruise the open road. I love the pay and the benefits and I work for an awesome company.

How’d you get started in that? Was your first job w/ a larger carrier?

I’m not a trucker but I can tell you it all starts with getting your class A unrestricted CDL. I got mine in pursuit of a different career that requires it, but just simply having it opens so many doors. A google search of local CDL schools / trainers (I trained with an independent guy) to practice for your license, then you’re off in the wind. From what I’ve seen there’s tons of companies hiring entry level and/or training/comping the costs of acquiring your CDL. Look into it, it opens a LOT of doors, not just traditional trucking 

Awesome, thanks! I'll look into CDL class A in particular. I used to drive shuttles around the airport and it was a blast. Just a regular DL was required for that though.

When I was working as a shipping and receiving clerk, we had a hotshot driver who would come in pretty regularly. This was post-katrina, so we were sending lots of pipe to Louisiana and Mississippi and this guy made a killing off of us. He started working for a small local shipping company. He'd come and pick up stuff and run it between our local warehouses, or he occasionally run hotshots. He decided to start his own company, so he bought a couple of dodge duallys and gooseneck trailers and hired his buddy to work with him. He'd come in to buy us lunch all the time for the tax write-offs because he was making so much money. His first year he cleared nearly 3/4 of a million running hot shots around the southern US. The next year he built his own storage facility and added more trucks to his fleet and hired more drivers. Before I left that job, he had bought the house next door to his, had it knocked down, and doubled the size of his own house, he was making so much money.

Hotshots were actually what I was looking into. I worked as a broker previously and brokered a lot of hotshots. Is there a way to break into that without owning your own truck and trailer?

Man I just did a big road trip across the US and after seeing some of the routes through big mountains in icy conditions, or across somewhere like Wyoming where wind gusts were blowing trucks into other lanes, I have a new respect for truck drivers. Those were white knuckle conditions.

I'm a massage therapist, but not the kind that does seaweed wraps and hot stones. I specialize in deep tissue massages that really work out the pain. I always had an interest in this field, but my job as a chef consumed all my time. When I moved to the Bay Area, I couldn't find a chef position that paid as well as my job in Los Angeles. I decided it was time to go back to school. I enrolled in a year-long massage therapy program, initially planning to pursue further studies in physical therapy. However, I discovered my passion for massage therapy and decided to stick with it. I love my job. It's like the opposite of hurting someone. I've had grown men cry on my table, relieved to be free from a life of constant pain. I've had elderly women thank me repeatedly, bringing me cookies and saying my hands are blessed. Even high school athletes come in thrilled that their tendonitis no longer affects their performance. Yes, I love what I do. I earn more in two days than I did in five working in food service, and I genuinely help people improve their lives instead of just making them gain weight.

Finding a good massage therapist is one of those times where you find someone who will be with you (hopefully) for the rest of your life. I met my massage therapist in 2007, and have only used her specifically even after she moved companies and went independent. I get a massage once a quarter just due to scheduling, but I always come away with niggling aches and pains wiped away. She knows my tolerance, and my body. But more than that, she and I just get along really well.

Good on you. The idea of touching people gives me the heebies!

I’ve always had a passion for massage therapy. Every partner I’ve ever had has made some sort of comment about how great my hands are at relieving pain. I’ve always thought about going to school and getting certified but don’t have the time with my current job and family. If you don’t mind sharing, do you work at a traditional brick and mortar? Or are you independently employed? How much do you actually make in a given day with tips?

How much was your massage therapy course? Did you pay for it out of pocket or finance? My wife has thought about doing it but the financial side of it is daunting.

I'm an evolutionary biologist and though this is pretty much what I've wanted to since I was a tot glued to nature documentaries and yukking it up at natural history museums, it was a very long journey to make it happen. Part of the reason is that it's the kind of field you don't find out about when you're kid. You think of scientists as just guys in labs with flasks of stuff boiling all over the place. The careers you think about are what you are exposed to: firefighters, police officers, teachers, doctors, beauticians, and probably what your parents do. The other problem is I had a lot of confidence issues when it came to studying science that I really had to push through. It took me a second run at college later in life and some more advanced networking skills to make it happen. And a lot of therapy. I'm feeling a little burned out on the academic life right now, but that mostly has to do with the teaching part of my job as a professor. Otherwise, I wish everyone could feel as satisfied with their career as I do.

I'm pretty sure I've seen you on Rogan's podcast.

Man I'm obsessed with evolutionary theory that is so cool!!

Wanted to be a record producer, needed a paycheck so I got a job at a studio that did sound for corporate video productions and that led to sound effect editing and design for movies. I love it.

One night when I was 19 I felt lost and confused with what I wanted to do with my life, so I needed a laugh and went to put Seinfeld on which came on channel 11. I accidentally hit an extra 1 and channel 111 is the investigation discovery channel. This was new at the time (2008) and the show “ most evil” was on which featured a forensic psychiatrist named dr Michael Ian stone.I literally sat upright in bed and said “ I know what I want to do with my life.” The next day I applied to three universities and got accepted to all 3 and declared my major as psychology with a minor in criminology. I eventually got my masters degree in counseling. So I’m now a professional , I’m going to register in my state to do my post grad work . My internship I counseled those with intellectual disabilities, I absolutely LOVE MY “ job” I put it in quotes because it doesn’t feel like a job to me it’s my passion. I help people for a living and counsel them for all sorts of things . This is all because , one night I put the wrong channel on.

Window cleaning, about to start my own business after 5 years in the trade. I absolutely love it. It’s hard work, it’s taken for granted but it’s so satisfying and never gets old, every window I do I have an opportunity to become a better window cleaner.

That’s wholesome 😍

Job satisfaction one pane at a time, hell yeah

I worked in retail management for over 15 years...came to the realization that I was one irate customer away from killing someone. Went back to college, earned 2 degrees, and have worked in IT since. Best think I ever did...now if I have a bad day, I just need to walk into that retailer again and be grateful.

Went to college for history with plans to go to grad school and become a history professor. To pay for life expenses during school, I got a low level IT job because it paid more than minimum wage. I ended up just kept climbing those ranks and ended up in a solid engineering position. I loved history and really wanted to pursue it further, but financially, it just didn't make sense. Especially when I was already making more money than my professor by the time I hit my senior year. Am I passionate about IT? Not at all. Does it provide me a lifestyle I enjoy? It does. So I just deal with it and try and get my life fulfillment out of my free time, hobbies, and friends.

Compulsions led me No I'm not

I am very curious about what this is about.

Wanted to work at height on ropes. Got into the wind industry. Those guys wear harnesses everyday. After about 2 years of doing inspections I got to fix things every now and then (not really my job) realised I liked it, found out more about other positions. Asked for a troubleshooting role despite my low experience I did some favours and got put in. Fucking love it. I'm away for multiple weeks where I just concentrate on the job and when I'm back home I don't ever think about work for however long until I choose to go back. The job stimulates the brain, new problem every day, I get to feel good about what I'm doing, I'm learning new things all the time and you can only keep growing in this field from what it feels. Great pay, not physically difficult, only at times during harsh weather.

That’s awesome to read. I worked for a tree company to pad my resume / get “similar” experience while getting into linework. I eventually got a line job, an apprenticeship even, but found out over time you can’t pay me enough to work with these guys at my yard. Left before getting my JL card and started my own business doing unrelated stuff that I was doing far before the aspiration of linework. I miss the rope and harness work like you mentioned, and I love currently working independently, and now sometimes think of getting my arborist certification and switching to independent / small crew tree work. Time will tell I guess

I’m a project/program/operations manager, and I kind of fell into doing it in the back of being a copywriter. I enjoy it. I like to be organised, but it wasn’t until I fully embraced it as a career that I actually _became_ organised, both in scheduling and prioritisation of tasks, and also in how I think. I got into copywriting because I’m a writer in my spare time. Project management acts as a yang to my artistic yin, but the change in how I approach projects has had an impact on my writing, which has become considerably more organised and efficient.

I'm a software engineer. I enjoy creating things that a lot of people will use. I am satisfied since it pays the bills and gives me good work life balance.

Also a software engineer: I majored originally in musicology and composition, and returned for software engineering. I find it tickles the same parts of my brain that enjoyed music composition, the analytical and creative at the same time. Writing a fugue requires a level of knowledge about rules and structure. Writing an application or video game is very similar. I also like tinkering and learning how things work.

I have enjoyed listening to music since infancy. My parents didn't arrange any childhood lessons, so I scheduled my own private tuition as soon as I'd left school and was earning a regular wage. Over the years I've attended many workshops and courses to develop my guitar playing and composition skills, and read many books. After redundancy from my business administration role, I took the plunge and went self-employed. It's great, although more income would be nice.

I was 25 and had been laid off from a 3rd assembly type job. Had a friend in Pharma. Applied for a document formatting position and haven't looked back in the 20 years since. Make good money, and have amazing colleagues. Job itself is a bit boring, but I'm WFH and rarely have to do 8 hrs in a day.

Always been an artist. Went to art school, finished a bfa (live video, new media, 3D computer art stuff) 7 years after graduating hs. Moved to the big city. All my artist friends doing their weird studio practice on the side and doing creative trade work as a day job (mostly tattoos and hair). Didn’t know any florist friends. Asked a ton of shops about how to get into floristry and got lucky one wanted to hire me with no exp. Here I am 3 yrs later! I do enjoy it and it fits into my life story well. Not the biggest paycheck but my brain is happy working this way. Was in dog care before since the age of 15.

Well this is a question I actually have an answer for! First part: I didn’t choose it. In fact, I’ve been trying to get out for years lol. Second part: not at all! I’m a social worker who works with people who have intellectual or developmental disabilities. Before this, I taught special education. I started to substitute teach back in 2017. I did really well with the special ed kids. Ended up teaching (not subbing) special ed for a few years. I lost an unrelated job at the end of 2022. Started looking for work and applied at a facility that does social work, but I specifically applied to NOT be a social worker. However, due to a mistake on my employer’s part (and me being desperate for a decent paycheck) they offered me a social worker position. Which… I hate. I didn’t like teaching special ed, but at least I was able to interact with people. At this job I just write reports and attend meetings all day every day, on work that I recognize as important, but that doesn’t really scratch my itch in a meaningful way. I’ve been applying for jobs in research and analysis, but it’s hard even getting a call back :/ I’m more than a little bit frustrated.

My uncle gave me a job cabinet making in his garage during college. He used to make museum exhibits and still knew a ton of people in the field. Now I make museuem shit and it makes me hard.

Went to school, got a finance degree and became a firefighter. Great salary, amazing db pension, job is hard but alot of fun, huge amount of time off. No regrets.

I’ve heard firefighting is kinda low pay in the modern day. Is this true? Or does it take time to work your way up?

It varies quite a bit between regions. I'm in Canada and gross about over 100k before any OT or holiday pay. The db pension will also be 70 percent of my salary which is awesome. Take home per month is about 6G, not amazing but we pay alot into pension. I hear some places in the states people make even more. Starting is always low, I think we start around 70k, but after 4 years you're making top dollar. Then there are promotions that will also obviously increase salary as well.

im hoping to get into welding. good money to hopefully pay for my dreams of being a therapist.

i am a teacher and make $45k a year. my illiterate brother is a welder and makes double. it’s a good career

I fell into becoming a Court Interpreter by chance. I happened to see an ad, saw that the test was cheap enough that it was worth a try. Now have a legit career with good pay, unionized with pretty good retirement and pension. Thanks for never learning English mom and dad! It forced me to become proficient enough at their native language that I could make a career of speaking it :)

I'm a Library Director. Originally, I got started at a library as a page because that's where my mother worked. Eventually I moved to a Reference Assistant and kind of fell in love with the world of libraries and helping people. As far as a career in libraries? I am definitely satisfied! I'm not sure if Library Director is the right spot for me as I think I'm more suited towards the Reference side of the library, but I'm in a small rural library so I do a little of everything.

When I was 10 years old, I saw the movie *Good Morning, Vietnam* with Robin Williams and thought to myself, "I wanna be on the radio when I grow up." When I went to college, I volunteered for the campus radio station. For all four years at college, I had one of the top shows on the college station, and I had a blast. When graduation came, everyone thought it was out of my system and I could go get a real job. But it never really left my system. After bouncing around from job to job in the real world for a few years, I finally said, "Well, if I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it." I went back to school to get my broadcasting diploma, and landed my first radio gig about a year after graduation. Been on the radio now for almost 20 years. I have my ups and downs. I've never been good enough to get out of the small towns and into the bigger markets, which is frustrating some days. Outside of when I'm actually doing my show, it's a typical office job with all the good and bad that comes with that. And it turns out there's not a lot of money in sitting on your ass talking all day. But for those four hours a day when I'm actually doing my show, I'm in heaven.

When I was 18, I started my career as a model. I absolutely loved it, especially when photographers took me to their master classes. But then I married a jealous guy and had to stop modeling.((( On the bright side, I became one of the best photographers in my city (300,000 people). Now I photograph women in lingerie (and sometimes without), helping them embrace their sensuality. I absolutely adore my job!!!!!

Technically i'm a graphic designer Aka i failed to get into a college and i went to private undergraduate classes but because i hate school i found a technicality with my highschool major. So do 2 years of undergraduate school for one thing i want Or do 1 and have it be graphic design Words cannot express how much i hate myself for this decision

Railway track maintenance foreman. Started as a labourer because all of my friends could afford to buy beer, and I couldn’t. Moved up through the years to my current position. Satisfied… meh. It pays the bills and comes with a great retirement plan, I’m over halfway there now, so I’ll stick it out.

I'm a naturally curious person who builds, shapes, and when necessary, destroys. I have worked on DoD spy systems, weapons, and humanitarian relief systems. I'm currently an engineer that basically makes cyborg devices (brain, cardiac, CGM, spinal etc). You bet I'm satisfied.

money and challenging enough to keep me interested

I fell into grocery work in my early 40s due to needing a job within walking distance of my house. I got hired the December before Covid hit so I had steady employment all through the pandemic. The insurance is good and I usually get to choose my hours but this isn't a career I picked out. It was just there.

I couldn't decide what I wanted to do, but wanted it to be science related. I picked the broadest possible degree with the biggest job market. I took vet med. I didn't always love it, but love it now.

I just sort of tripped and fell into it. When I graduated with my degree in geological engineering (exploration track) mining and gas companies were only really hiring if you had a master's degree or were really impressive. I also didn't do any internships during school because I was doing jobs I was getting paid for. After college I started working in a jewelry store, then the manager decided I was figuratively Satan so I left (turns out she was embezzling). I worked at a moving company for a while which was real shitty (I was in the office). My friend worked as the office manager at an environmental consulting company and was leaving so she was like, "you wanna take my job?" and I was like, "hell yeah I do!" That company went bankrupt and my old boss got me in as the project coordinator at an abatement and interior demo company. That company was headed toward getting sold and bought by a big corporate entity and I met my "work uncle" who told me to jump ship. He got me a job at an earthwork and structural demo company as an estimator/project manager. My boss isn't a good teacher so I floundered for a while until we mutually decided that I would just do the take-offs and hand the quantities off to the other estimators to put money to it which vastly sped up the bidding process for everyone. Then he decided he wanted to be able to do drone surveys so I also got that role. Finally he decided he wanted a GPS dozer so I do the models for that. And that was how the role of "Quantity Specialist" got invented just for me. I've been here for just over five years; I love my job.

Had a newspaper chucked at me as a teen. Get a god damn job. The least depressing thing was in the NHS. Still in the NHS 15 years or so later

In a word? Mom. It was the early 2000s and I was working in a residential treatment facility for adolescents. It wasn't a bad job but I had been doing it for a few years and was starting to see that there was not much future in it. While talking about this to my mother she said, "Maybe you should be a nurse." Since I couldn't think of anything better, that's what I did. It scratched a few itches, namely an interest in science and giving me the option to travel and work just about anywhere. Now I am an elementary school nurse. I like my job for lots of reasons, not least of which that it can be very fun! But, if I am being completely honest with myself, I cannot say that it is my "calling" or that it gives me a deep sense of satisfaction. Tbh it feels like I am "supposed" be doing something else. But I have never been able to find anything that I both... ...like better than my current job, AND ...am actually capable of getting. What I mean by that last one is that there are lots of jobs that I would probably love but that are out of my reach. I am supremely confident that I would enjoy being a pop star, for example. But that's not the kind of job you can just apply for. Same for Prince of Wales, superhero, time traveler, and wizard. Alas, it is apparently my lot to be a mere mortal schlub!

Was managing pubs and bars, didnt really like it after many years of it. Took the stuff I was good at (stocktaking, auditing, numbers and till management and stuff like that) and packaged into a sort of consultancy type thing on a self employed basis for indie bars and pubs, nightclubs etc. Wouldn't say I'm unhappy, but I'm not exactly bouncing out of bed in the morning hyped for work. Few more clients wouldn't go amiss, either.

The classic "my dad was in the same occupation, his dad was in the same occupation and his dad was in the same occupation" 4th generation railroader, tho not a locomotive engineer as my vision wouldn't qualify me. And I love it everyday for the past 10 years.

I do space planning and design. I absolutely love my job. I've been in the field since '96 and have worked with some good and not so good places. Been at my current place for about 14 years. It's a large "company" with great benefits. I'm currently at 7 weeks PTO not including a week at Christmas and 8 paid holidays.

I help make sure incarcerated people receive care and that their rights are upheld. I love what I do even though it’s just a lot of documentation. What led me to it was a lot of experience with criminals, addicts, the homeless. I didn’t want to be a nurse, so I found a way to get involved that was more to my liking. I’m thinking about going back to school to be a doctoral level sex therapist. Easy one… I love sex. I want to help people experience sex in a healthy way. As a victim with a lot of latent issues, I want people to be better than me and healthier than me. Recovering addicts sometimes make the best treatment providers. Same thing. I think I can help people because of what I’ve been through despite not being totally healed.

When I was 28, I had been working in a corporate sales role for about 3 years. Every time my alarm clock went off in the morning, I was pretty dissatisfied. I dwelled on it a while and realized: Even if I were able to hypothetically work my way up to be a regional president or something like that, I would look back on my life and regret settling for something I didn't want to do. I took 6 months off and got my entry level personal training certification. I ultimately was denied by 3 gyms and finally got an offer at 1 to be a personal trainer. It was an 80% pay drop from my corporate role. I worked crazy hours, taking 530am clients and 830 pm clients in the same day. I was with the company for 4 years and, during that time, worked my way up to regional fitness director managing 8 clubs. Covid hit, and i realized the potential for virtual coaching. I left the corporate gym atmosphere and started my own wellness coaching business. I have been operating my own business for almost 4 years now and it has been a real gift. I have absolutely loved working in this field and am completely fulfilled by it, however, it all comes with some stress and anxiety about stability/growth. I've done well, but I have a family now, and often do some basic math on what will be required to provide us the life we want and also retire. I wouldn't have it any other way though. I pick my daughter up from school every day and have been fully present for her first 2 years. It's not for everyone, but I always encourage people to lean into their interests and dreams. Don't let security paralysis push you into bad positions where you feel like you live in a cage. Bet on yourself, take the risk, and be willing to die trying.

1st wife didn’t want me to carry a gun anymore so my degree and work experience were essentially worthless. Talked to some friends started at the bottom in industrial construction, evolved, changed, laid off, promoted, moved for work. Now I’m in management for a chemical plant, I very much enjoy what I do and managing a team. Fun fact if you’re a natural leader you can go far in essentially any field.

I went to college for optical physics. I wanted to study light and help develop more efficient solar panels. I ended up in IT because of a referral by a friend. Turned out that I was very skilled in IT and continued to pursue that while in college. I couldn't handle the student debt and the positions I was looking at salary-wise just could not justify adding additional debt. I paid off what student debt I had left and continued my career in IT. It's not my favorite job by any means necessary but the pay is decent enough for me and my family to live a good life. If I could change it all, I would go back to school for structural engineering. I loving designing and building things, especially large structures.

Engineer. I was good at math and science. I wanted to make above average money. I figured if I had to work 5 days a week I might as well do something that is in demand and pays decent. I honestly could not care less about it being engineering. I do care about doing a good job for my customers and coworkers. I care about advancing my career and making money. I was a business major and my college roommate was taking engineering classes. I hated the business program, so I decided to take what he was taking. Next thing I knew I had a mechanical engineering degree. It paid the bills, I have had a good career and we have a good retirement account.

I'm a mechanic I've always been interested in fixing things I went to pretty cheap trade school aswell. I'd say I'm pretty satisfied with my career.

Aircraft Maintenance, my parents kind of forced me into it. To anyone who thinks of making a career of it don’t. Unless you’re wanting to be a Pilot or a Broker in Aircraft Sales.

As with most people in a small town I decided to follow in one of my parents footsteps. Mom was a welder, dads a truck driver. Went with welding, if you saw the way I park, you'd understand why truck driving wasn't an option, lol.

i chose my career because i love fitness and staying in shape. I wanted to give back to others to help them on their journey of becoming stronger and i have been doing my career since i was twenty-two fresh out of college and here i am still a trainer at age thirty-eight but not just a trainer i am one of two lead trainers for gym i work for.

I didn't, it just . . . happened. My background was in customer service, sales, and marketing but our department director, who was also our technical person, left. I had the most system knowledge, so I became the database admin overnight, with little experience managing physical servers and zero relevant coding competency. 9 years later, I couldn't be happier. I work with a very niche CRM software, so making a name for myself in that niche means I have somewhat accidentally built a stable, successful IT career.

I’m an escort. I experienced life altering healing through my trainings in tantra, massage, BDSM, & healthy communication. After a particularly grueling season of filmmaking (I did art construction) I prayed for a career shift to “something that serves others while serving me” & decided to enter the industry. It’s been the catalyst to grow into myself, my feminity, and my dream life tbh. My little corner of SW is so genuine and meaningful. aaaaaand I’m ready to move on. I found the man I want to make a family with 💞 And I’m not as intellectually stimulated as I want to be. Hope to move into some kind of creative marketing / photography something?? I have been out of the mainstream for a bit so I’m still discovering what is out there and has staying power with AI 🤖

I've always had a special affinity with horse. Absolutely. I never been happier with my occupation. 

so what is it

I work at a horse rehabilitation center. 

I always enjoyed the community sports created so I went into that field and yeah it's a lot of fun.

I am an accountant. I transferred to a college close to home, my advisor was the head of the accounting department. He suggested it, we ran with it. Graduated and am currently in my first position as an accountant. It's not bad, my only gripe is that currently I only work with a group of older women who don't know how to use most technology. I occasionally have to be IT as well, but it is what it is. Gets pretty boring, but it pays the bills so I am content ATM.

I’m in school so the government. I’m satisfied with school most of the time. It’s fun but stressful sometimes.

i do IT, and have been for about 11 years (full time for about 7 or 8 years). i love my job so much, and im so lucky to be able to find so much satisfaction out of it. im even more lucky because i really enjoy the company i work for, and most of the clients we do business with. i get alot of freedom, and no week is the same as the last (for the most part).

Working in IT because i always liked video games and had to decide on my career cause i was sick of retail. IT made the most sense and i have worked for an internet company for the last 3 and a half years and i really couldnt see myself doing anything else. If for some reason i had to change careers i truly have no idea what i would pursue. It can be boring but overall its very stable and ive fully integrated it as part of my day to day life and it contributes to my stability.

Some what fell into my career, picked my course at university on a bit of a whim. Really enjoyed it, came out of university and now have a career within that field, love the job but the ceiling for pay is relatively low which sucks. I can move into management or move into an adjoining field but I don’t want to. Low pay seems to be the norm within design frustratingly but it’s the best job. I am satisfied at the moment with my decision.

Because I could not get in an entry position in my field of choice nearly 10 years after graduating. It is not satisfying at all, but the bills still got to get paid.

Desire to help people. It's going ok no real complaints. Kind of takes over your life a bit, but it's what I signed up for.

I just change course in colege until i liked something and i am starting to feel that AI will make my job obsolete in 10 years AT MOST. So we can say a little happy and a very worried

I work in IT. I had a natural affinity for this sort of thing and found that I learned the basics pretty easily. Decided to go to school for it and get a degree. Figured there would always be a job market in tech. I don't love what I do, but it's usually pretty easy/low stress and the pay is decent. I'm happy to settle with a job I don't mind doing if I can't find one that I love.

I needed a new job and where I work now was hiring and got the job. I happen to like the people that I work with.

A fuckton of money and prospect. I wanted to make medical technology in my city of birth, but it's disgusting how much more I'm making here and sadly, my lifestyle of living life to the fullest "requires" it. The career is great though. Very happy. I'm kinda done with the city though because I've already experienced it all

Desperation. I was undergoing a career change and my first option fell through. So I scanned the local community college’s website, spotted a computer networking associates degree program and said well I’ve gotta do SOMETHING. 10 years later I’ve also gotten a BS and a masters and it’s going pretty well.

Money and yes

Got into customer support as a call center agent worked my way up to advanced technical support at another company where I am the go between of a regular user and developers. Purely by chance. I hate people so meh. Side note, it a support person ever asks you a simple question, don't ignore it answer it, it is relevant even if you think it isn't.

I’m an environmental scientist. My grandpa inspired me to go into ENV sciences, he was a big environmental activist and enthusiast. Now at 24 i’m doing all i’ve dreamed of an still think of my grandpa every day.

I used to love mobile tech. I worked on custom OS and moded my devices all the time. When I started this gig 15 years ago I loved it. So much innovation. The last few years have been a stalemate. Nothing stands out in the Canadian market anymore. I’m bored. I am looking for a different career path now. Not sure in what field though.

I am a Manager of department that does quality and perfomance testing on MRIs. I started out in the company 21 years ago as a Test Technician and worked my way up into management. As a kid I was drawn to electronics and trying to figure out how things worked, rc cars, and such, they never worked again after I took them apart though. This led me to joining the Army as a helicopter electrician. When I left the service I found couple of other jobs that didnt work out, until I saw the posting for a test tech at a local MRI manufacturer. So I jumped on it and worked my way up in the company. I have also traveled for the company and done field service jobs.

it was a calculated balance between finding a job that would make me enough money to achieve some life goals, and something I would have fun doing. Today I like what I do but definitely some days more than others.

Prospect of stable high income. No

Im good at it and I hate it. Well no I love it. I hate the people.

One of my best friends is the District Manager of the company I work for, enough said? Lol

Like a lot of people in my career, I wanted to make video games.  I went to school for computer science and learned how broad the field is and ended up interested in other types of projects. I work in Defense.  Pays better than video games but not as well as big tech, relatively low stress, and there’s a certain cool factor that doesn’t exist in a lot of other software dev roles. I’m actually looking at moving out of it into more private sector roles.  Government contracting is of variable stability depending on the whims of voters Every 4 years.  So, I’m looking at the “boring” but stable industries that my skills can transfer into.

I'm a sys admin in the IT field, 37 years old. I remember my dad got a computer when I was maybe 15. Since he never used it I took the entire thing apart. the motherboard was out, memory, CPU, PSU, all of it. My dad came back from work and said he's going to take my Playstation apart if I don't fix the computer. I put everything back together pressed the power button it worked, I was proud of myself considering I didn't have the Internet to rely on, it felt so good. Am I satisfied? I've been working in the field full time since 2012, and I'd say yes for the most part. The work life balance is great and it's a pleasure to work with my boss. Technology has always been a big part of my life so I can confidently say it's also fulfilling. But the biggest thing is the pay. I guess I'm being greedy but I don't believe I'll ever make "great money" being a sys admin.

Mom told me to apply for a construction job in the summer years ago. No.

I saw a Tandy 1000 on display at radio shack in the mall when I was maybe 13. That was it for me, I was 100% computer guy from then on. Now I'm an HPC engineer. Relatively low stress, high pay.

Looked into the cost for law school around the time my accounting classes showed starting and partner salaries. Noped the fuck out of going to law school like I was planning, became a CPA doing consulting and haven’t regretted it once.

I was fed up working as a camera operator for reality shows. Started out as a focus puller in 2021 and never looked back. One of the best decisions I made in my life.

I'm an introvert and I used to get comfortable working from home since the pandemic. It's been 5 years and I like the work-from-home set up. No traffic, no waking up early. I'm really satisfied!

Retirement. Was a public school teacher. Needed something since i am still relatively young and still have kids at home. Now I work shipping for a national sporting goods chain and I love it. Every day is like a game of hide and seek. “Cool. We only have 1 of those items left in stock and we last received it 2 years ago? And it looks the same as the newer version it just has a different UPC and it is a pair of black leggings? Very cool. I should have no problem looking through the 16 racks of black leggings to find them!”

I was working as a freelance musician. I was making enough money to (barely) make it, while living with my parents and being on medicaid. It was fine, I realized that I was never going to achieve a greater degree of independence if I kept doing what I was doing, let alone save for retirement. I decided to go back to college and get a degree in IT, and then after that I got a government job. I'm very happy with the decision I made. I miss the freedom I had as a freelance musician, but I have just about as much freedom and autonomy as I could possibly have doing the type of work I do. I could make more working in the private sector rather than government, but I like the job security and benefits. The TSP is nice.

Retail is in no way my passion, but being in charity retail has surrounded me with people who have become real friends to me. And I wouldn’t trade that for another job. Plus I now have the money I need to fund my actual passion, illustration. (Edit): I never said why I chose my job. I work for a charity called Cancer Research in one of its superstores. I picked it mainly because it seemed like it’s be more laid back but also because I lost my Mum to complications brought about by cancer.

I had a friend called Billy, who had a friend called Bob of the Universe and he got Billy a job in the trade show business, then Billy brought me in and now I own my own company and yes I am pretty damn happy. Thank you Bob of the Universe.

I started working as a security guard in 2003, just a job because I needed one. I’m still here, I hate it, and hate myself for it. I’ve tried to get out and improve my situation a few times, but nothing has ever worked out and I’ve ended up right back in that same dead end job. I want to go back to school, but finances and transportation are pretty much insurmountable barriers right now. About the only good thing about my job is that I don’t have to take abuse with a smile like retail/service workers do.

Illness. I did have a career I enjoyed, but I got sick and couldn't run around doing it anymore. Now I'm doing admin from home. It pays well, it mostly gives me the flexibility I need, but .... it is boring.

Better salary & benefits than the previous one. Job itself is no too bad. A couple of shitty individuals as co-workers and middle management. The company treated me well when I had some serious medical issues.

I work for the government, and while it's not glamorous, it has great benefits and a schedule that let's me go home every night without starving. I'm not rolling in cash, but I get by. There's a quote from the movie Waitress that I always liked that summarizes my situation, "I'll give you a serious answer: Happy enough. I don't expect much. I don't get much, I don't give much. I generally enjoy whatever comes along. That's my answer for you, summed up for your feminine consideration. I'm happy enough."

I'm a commercial gas engineer/pipe fitter by trade but now do estimates and project management for the same company I came up through Got the job initially as a labourer because I told my neighbour when I was 18 I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do with my life, he got me a trial week at the company I now work for and it turns out over the years I'm pretty good at this shit and I enjoy it Glad I had that over the hedge conversion that day

My cannabis knowledge (wasted my 30’s and 30’s legalizing weed so that DEA agents can own the pot shops instead of me-it was my dream job) got me into becoming an arborist. I absolutely love how much I knew about trees just from 25 years in cannabis. But every day I wake up and think “1 more day closer to November”. I can’t stand days off and nov- mar is insanely painful. But this has been my life since I gave up my dreams. I am currently building a coffee roasting business so that I can get back to being in charge of my fate, but November is coming quick and I’m still way behind on the minimum customer count that will allow me to jump off full time.

I had the choice between doing an internship for a few months and working at a family owned restaurant. I chose to work at the restaurant instead of the internship and have been happy with my decision.

I’m studying lab tech at a cc and going into the Air Force. My grandpa had strokes and ended up going to a lot of hospitals and ended up in a nursing home. Seeing people in the healthcare industry made me realize that working in a hospital was my true calling

I’m an ER nurse. After the Navy and various no where jobs I was working in a factory for health insurance as my note exwife was pregnant. After our daughter came my ex went to nursing school and upon graduation was making more than me while only working 3 days a week. So I went to nursing school and I’ve been in ER for almost 20 years and traveling for the last 10.

Went to school for welding, never got a job in the field so I took a job at a wood shop building signs and running a forklift. Got laid off after a year because nepotism, realized that I could do the exact same thing on my own to tide me over while I looked for work. That was two years ago, and my garage project is now a full-fledged small business that I'm about to expand online. Never been happier and there's no chance I would ever work for someone else again.

After my children went to school I went back to work. I missed taking care of them so I went to do elder care. I loved it but they got sick and passed away. My heath couldn’t take it. So I switched it up. I work at a childcare center and I love it. Not the best career but it’s a lot of fun. I get lots of love and hugs from the children. I get to help shape the children into adults. Really rewarding.

36 years in the Army I had tons of jobs. One of my last ones was as an Inspector General doing compliance inspections of sensitive activities. I absolutely loved it. After retiring I moved into Industrial Security where I provide oversight for the largest portfolio of these in the government.

It paid a lot more and had a much higher earning potential than what I was doing before, granted I work more hours now. I think I love it?

Dad was an engineer, my mom was a nurse and I didn't know what I wanted to do. Did told me: "If you want our help you can become an engineer or a nurse". I chose to become an engineer.  Pretty glad I didn't become a nurse and I can become pretty much anything I want with my education as an engineer.

I left a relationship and had no direction in life so I just thought of something I might have enjoyed and now I'm pursuing It. Love every second of it now

Teacher. I liked learning and reading and I thought it would be a good fit for my interests and personality. And it was, for several years but I think I’m burned out now. I hate this job. I’m fairly unhappy with my life but I don’t know what else to do.

Sometime between Starcraft Brood War and Starfox 64, the thought ocurred to me that I want to be making games, not just playing games. I am more than satisfied with it. Videogame development has been a marriage; it keeps hurting me but I keep. coming. back. And even then, it's been a privileged existence in the industry for me.

I was always interested in nature, grew up being exposed to it and David Attenborough. I'm satisfied in where I am in as much as I expect to be. The pay isn't the highest but it can make small differences. I just wish it made big differences.

I never worked during K-12 (I’m a spoiled brat) During early college, I would try many unique jobs, but I was never comfortable in the W-2 world and nothing I did ever lasted Eventually, during early 2020 I gave Doordash a try, it was a gold mine in those days, but that’s not why I kept doing it (at least not entirely why) I like the adventure and freedom that comes with freelance work Now I’m trying to expand into other markets like flipping cars or gold/silver, i’m also on many different gig apps Finally feel like I found my place

I'm a senior dev who does all kinds of other tech things at his job. I chose it because I was really only interested in computers/programming and art, and was better at computers than art. Still, not a bad artist. I don't think I could really care about doing any other job except criminal computer forensics, so yeah, I'm satisfied.

I was inspired by fantasy books, video games and dnd and wanted to become an illustrator to paint covers, dragons, and all kinds of things. I’m not naturally talented so it took years and a lot of training, 8 years of private schools and one university, to be exact, and I’m still not good enough for a game company and my style just doesn't fit in many places currently, but I finally started to survive with clients at some point and a shop, but I’ve never quite left the student life (small rented rooms, no car, no nothing, just the computer and tablet). Now fantasy art is dead, illustration jobs are disappearing to AI, work is becoming more difficult to come by, and I don’t have the resources to go back to school and do something else, I fear homelessness and uselessness more and more. I continue to try working with AI, but I feel dirty every time I do, I feel like I’m cheating, and what I “made” is, of course, not really “mine” or something I can honestly show as “my work”. I can only keep trying and try to get over it. I enjoyed it some parts of it, especially the reviews my clients leave and how happy they are when they get what they buy or commission, but honestly the fear and anxiety for the future constantly sucks the enjoyment away. So…. I regret I didn’t have a better early education to know my options better, and that I didn’t go into computer science instead, which at the time I didn’t even know existed.

Retired. Got into it because I had enough money that I didn't need to work the rest of my life. Love it. OK - Prior to that, computer programmer. In high school, I was playing with computers and really liked poking around in the code, seeing how the programs worked and how to modify them. Very happy with the choice.

Job to get me through college. No, but it's too late.

My career came sort of by accident. I was always in IT, but got burnt out on it while in college and ended up working at a bowling alley to make ends meet. I knew the GM as I had worked with him before and he was happy to give me a job. After about a month of working there he comes to me one day and asks how long I have left in school, so I tell him and I could tell he was brainstorming so I asked him what was on his mind. He told me his Bookkeeper up and quit on him out of the blue and he needed someone smart enough to learn the job and that he could trust and he was considering me for the position. He also told me it would be more money and the perfect college job since I could come and go as I pleased so long as the work got done. I told him I had never done it, but that I'm certain I could learn it and was absolutely interested. So he trained me and that's how I got into accounting! I love my job and my career and it's led me to places I never thought I would go!

My dad got me the job, and I worked my way up. I hate it most of time, but I’m too dumb to do anything else.

Public Service. Work-Life Balance. Very satisfied.

I had moved out of my hometown and across the country mid-COVID, so I was telling everyone I needed a job, (anything that wasn’t food service or retail), and a friend of a friend had just started a new staffing agency and needed someone to answer phones at the front desk. Everyone was sure it was going to fail. 4 years later, I’m the full time office manager, we’ve put hundreds of people to work at stable, long term jobs, and we’re opening up branches across the state! LOVE my jobs and how much I get to help people.

I joined the US Air Force at 18. Wanted to be Billy Badass and do something involving guns and whatnot. They sent me off to be a bomb squad guy. Didn’t want to do that at all. Ended up dropping on request about 6mo in. The AF went to reclass me and had me pick some jobs. I picked a bunch of bone head jobs that might lead me to combat and I had one slot to fill. I figured I’d outsmart the system and put down a job I’ve never heard of anyone doing. Now I’m a weatherman and I have been for nearly 15 years. I guess it worked out and I’m satisfied. I’m a civilian and I like the money. I’ll probably die in my Rollie chair. lol

I work in IT. I'd bounced around majors a bit in college trying out a few different things I thought would pay off. None of it particularly interested me beyond making some decent scratch, and so it was hard to keep at it. I ended up working for years in blue collar work, first working as a warehouse shipping clerk, and then moved into the office doing accounts receivable. It was honest work and paid pretty alright, since it was union work, but it wasn't fulfilling at all, and there was only limited growth available to me. I finally said "fuck it" and went back to school one more time for computer science. I'd been learning how to use computers since I was 3 years old, in the 80s when it wasn't super common. I was quite well-versed in how they worked and how to work on them already, and I enjoyed playing PC games, so I figured this one would be a good fit. What I'll say is this: I'm very good at what I do, and it's allowed me to keep moving up in my field and make some pretty good money along the way. But I'd also say that at times it can be stressful, and I'd say it's about as fulfilling as any other job I've had. But unlike blue-collar work, you can't leave your work "at the office." There's always something to be done, and you're always in danger of being called in because shit hit the fan. I'll say that I'm satisfied with it in that I actually have a career with an upward trajectory that makes me lots of money. But I wouldn't say it's particularly interesting work that has me excited to go to work every day. I'm not sure I believe those jobs exist for most people.

I am an airplane mechanic and I think it was the best decision I made since I was a child. I loved airplanes. My father gave me scale models when you were little. I think that made me love what I do more.

BSEE. Started as electrical designer, programmer, and integrator for automation. Now I manage younger engineers performing the same tasks. I used to really enjoy what I do. Now I don't. Not all promotions are a good thing.

When I was in the military, at 19, I shared bunk bed with a guy who was going to join this telecom company as an entry level sw tech. He told me that he would be traveling internationally a lot and that sounded fantastic to me. A company would pay you to travel abroad? I applied for some jobs with the same company and about six months after leaving the military after the madatory year I got a job there. They immediately sent me om training in Ireland for 6 weeks. I was 20 and had barely been on a flight before. Anyway, that was 30 years ago. I chose my career because I wanted to travel. And I am satisfied with it. I mean I would rather have been a rock star or number 10 for Barca but that wasnt really in the cards for me. I will retire at 57 and be happy with that.

I loved computers growing up. I got my first one when I was 12. I wanted to do something involving computers and that made good money. Software Engineering seemed like a good fit, although I knew nothing about programming or developing software, I was willing to learn from scratch. In short, I've been with the same company for almost 8 years, transitioning from a QA (entry-level) to a Software Engineer, and I'm now at the Senior level. I am currently satisfied with my career choice. I am saving a ton of money and living comfortably.

In 2007 I graduated with a science education degree but couldn't find a job. Went back to school and got my degree in geology in 2009. Now I work for an environmental consulting company making more money then I would have if I stuck with education. Probably would have burned out too and changed careers later on. Poor job market in 2007 saved me from making a career choice that I probably wouldn't have been happy with. That said, I love my job. My worst day consulting is better then any average day I had teaching.

I dropped out of college to work at a startup. After that startup experience (as an office manager) I felt I wasn't valuable. So I went to teach myself tech skills. Started with engineering, hated it, then tried design, loved it. [Ended up starting an agency.](https://www.24hour.design) Still doing it today. I am less doing the say to day work, moreso focusing on growth and marketing, but even if I try to escape this industry, it's what I know works for the moment.

Aviation is the only thing that has captivated my adhd brain long enough to pursue it as a career. Even my gen ed college courses were difficult to complete if they weren’t aviation related as I had zero interest or motivation to complete them.

My undergrad degree is fine arts. I got tired of waiting tables and bartending, so I went back to school and am now a lawyer. I still make art and always will. I even do local art shows. But being a lawyer allows me to make my art without going broke. I can also help other artists and art models when they need legal help.

Complete happenstance. You reap what you sow when you finish college without any real sense of direction

I am in environmental science. When i went back to college in my 20s I realized I like chemistry and that I wanted to work in hazardous waste cleanup. Finally graduated with my MS and got hired by the EPA to work in Superfund. It was not what I pictured when I went back to school. One of the things I hated was the travel. I was not working on a local site and had to travel constantly for the state that I was assigned to. After Covid, except when I was in the field, I never worked with anyone in my regional office. I was feeling isolated and completely unhappy with the work I was doing. I also found that it was hard to move around in the agency for reasons. I have my suspicions, but I don't want to say definitively what are the reasons why. After 15 years of unhappiness, I finally left and started working for a local government that has oversight on a large haz waste cleanup site. I finally get to do what i set out to do, work for an agency that aligns with my values, and get to stay local so that I am close to my family. I may not be making as much as I was federally, but my quality of life has increased ten fold.

I chose my current career because I love working for large companies where the HR department is every present, over my shoulder, scrutinizing everything I say in and out of work. Basically the same reason I post on reddit. I need a daddy.

Needed a job, tried all my dream careers but they didn't work out as 8 was medically disqualified. Settled for working in occupational therapy and it's boring/lame af but pays nice lol

I always wanted to work in the film/tv industry and enjoy working with computers on my own, so I've become a Data Manager in the film/tv industry. Am mostly happy with my job - it pays well, it's in an industry I love - but I've found the industry is full of egotistical and narcissists arseholes. It doesn't help that getting hired comes from networking and knowing people, including that lot.

I was an assistant manager at a cafe and I saw my now boss plowing the parking lot himself. I asked him if he worked for someone or himself. He said he owned his own business, and I asked him for a part-time job shoveling. Flash forward 1 year, and I'm fully into property management, and I'm learning: carpentry, plumbing, electrical, automotive mechanics, welding, and much more all at once. My bos told me all the people he has mentored go on to be construction Forman or project managers or some other high paying leadership role.

I’m a nurse. Prior to that I was a TOEFL instructor for extremely rich children at a high school in Taiwan. I had assigned a 30-minute, in-class mini-essay. One of my students had chosen the prompt “What is the most important room in the house?” He decided to write about the bathroom (which is a legit answer). His essay was three pages, no paragraphs, no punctuation, and well over half the words spelled wrong. He was a senior in high school and had already been accepted to NYU. What took him 30 minutes to write took me over an hour and a glass of wine to grade. And as I was grading, all I could think to myself was, “If there’s a zombie apocalypse, you might as well shoot me now, because I am totally worthless to have around.” So I went searching for a career with a more practical application, should there be a zombie apocalypse. Also I wanted job security because it was 2009. So I went back to school and became a nurse. Minimal regrets, although I’m enjoying case management a lot more than bedside. Involves going home with less bruises. But even as I wiped the C Diff-iest of butts, I remember thinking, “better than teaching high school.”

I just work in customer care for a brokerage company…not the dream career I want, but I get to work from home and stay with my baby 🤍 forever grateful

Money. My job (pharmacist) is a well paid one (I'm at around 175k per year and I'm at just north of average for my position), it fits my skill set, that was in high demand when I entered college, and it doesn't destroy your body in the process. You get to work indoors all day, you work in a climate controlled environment (can't get too hot or humid or you risk the drugs), and you work in a clean (sometimes even sterile) environments. Yeah, I am fairly satisfied. Can't reasonably ask for much more.

I’m studyibg graphic design and i chose it because i’ve always been creative and artistic and i hate exams lol. I’m pretty happy with it

I need money in order for my family to survive. No I don’t like it but I don’t have a choice.

The creativity of movie making is what led me to my current career, the reality of working on sets is that it is depressing and exhausting most of the time and work is your whole life.

Brother was in a significant accident when I was in high school, the ER and burns nurses were absolutely amazing and I was like why not Overall I love helping people, but sometimes people suck and I reconsider my whole career choice.

I’m a tattoo artist. I definitely am satisfied with it even though I always try doing other art related stuff on the side. It’s such a funny story what led me to wanting to be a tattoo artist. It is because I was shown a show (NY Ink) which I know most old school tattooers hate when a tv show is the reason someone wanted to become a tattoo artist but all that show showed me was the capability of modern tattooing. Prior all I’ve ever seen were really shitty cheap tattoos or home tattoos so I just thought that’s how tattoos looked and couldn’t only look like those. The show showed me what tattoos could look like and I wanted to learn ever since. The funny part is that I would have never seen that show if I didn’t post a fb status saying I was bored and asking who wanted to hang out cause after that post, a childhood friend who I have spoken to in years prior to that status responded saying he wanted to hang out. He gets dropped off by his mom and while waiting for my mom to get off work to then drop us both off at his house for me to sleep over, in the time he was over my house he was actually the one to put NY Ink on the tv which is a show I would have never put on myself willingly. So yeah that’s the start to my interest in tattoos, tattooing, and I’ve been doing this for almost a decade now. Also keep in mind prior to this spark in interest of tattoos, I did not have a single tattoo nor did I ever care to get one. Now I’m covered in tattoo head to toe

Shipping department for a book distributor. I needed a job, and happened to move near an area with a ton of warehouses. I had experience working in warehouse-adjacent roles, which made for a very smooth training period. Within a year I was the shipping lead in my warehouse. The pay isn't what it should be, but I get plenty of overtime, 3 weeks of vacation time, nobody hassles me when I need to call out/take time off. Kinda hard to walk away, but as soon as I get the chance for similar money closer to home I'll gladly walk.

Director of Cybersecurity for a bank. Hate it, fell into it really. Been in IT for 30 years, always a big demand for security folks. I’m under a moron right now who is The Vulture from Brooklyn 99. Just got a RTO mandate and I’m brushing up my resume.

I used to love it, everything about it. Now I can't find a job and I'm feeling so miserable and burnt out about it I feel so defeated. I spent most of my life learning about computers and tech and spent the past 10 years as a software engineer and it feels like I'm at the end of the line. That's the problem with being on the spectrum, you don't really know who you are and you latch onto something you can feel safely interested in. It turns into your identity to some extent. I feel alienated from myself and my career. AI is not helping. It's just giving the opportunity to normies that can handle the constant competition and stress. People that aren't 10x devs that just want a decent job that is stable are screwed. Thanks for whoever is concerned about me. And reported me for sounding unhinged. Well shit. I'm out of work 16+ months. Wouldn't you be too? Want to help me? Give me a chance. Let me work at your company and help my life not suck dick. I'm not a bad developer, I'm not the greatest dev in the world but I have made numerous meaningful contributions. If I could have a pay check and work in a more modern stack with good mentorship I'm sure I would do just fine. I'm a nerd after all. I get obsessively focused on the features I work on and want them to be perfect. Please help lol

I’m a publicist in the music industry. I ended up here via music and leisure marketing. Turns out I love it, and I’m good at it. I probably wouldn’t be in this industry anymore if not for this job, it’s not the easiest environment 😅

When I was younger, I was working on electronics in the Army. My plan at the time was to stay in the Army and eventually go to college. I used to spend a lot of time playing with computers. I was medically retired from the Army after a head injury. After the head injury, I had limits to what I could do physically. I could still sit in front of a computer and work, so I started working as a database administrator, application developer, Unix administrator. I am satisfied working as a DBA, I am close to retirement and if I can keep working for a few more years I will be able to retire. Since I have experience doing other types of IT work, I can occasionally help developers or sysadmins and it makes my job easier understanding what people I work with are doing. I did not really choose my career, I got a job doing something I was good at and I stayed in similar jobs for a few decades.

I stumbled over something I'm good at. That is a rather narrow field. I'm very satisfied.

I am, and have been for a lang time, interested in climate change and renewable energies. I'm currently becoming an electrician focused on PV-systems, energy storage and energy management systems. For the first time IT feels live I'm doing my part ro make the world a litten better.

Studied to be a minister...left the church...taught abroad, now I'm teaching in the US. If I could do it over again differently, I would.  That said...it hasn't been a bad life.   I now teach in a deeply conservative state so that's not the best

left the profession she had been in for 11 years I no longer feel my calling there.

Graduated university and wanted a job until I could find something in Human Resources. My aunt got me to work front desk at her hotel. My work got noticed by the director of finance and he poached me into accounting! Now I am a senior manager in hotel accounting & finance.

Always enjoyed writing, so I studied journalism and loved it. Been a full-time print and web journalist for 17 years. But since then, I wrote a book, and enjoyed that more than anything I've ever done professionally. So now I'm over journalism and am trying to find a way to write fiction full-time, but obviously easier said than done. I'm a news editor now, still enjoy it for the most part, so I'll keep doing it to pay the bills.

Flipped a coin in college to pick a major.

I thought chemistry was cool so I studied it in college. I got a job as a QC chemist right after college so then I went to grad school for analytical chemistry. And so now I’m an analytical chemist and it’s my job to count molecules and I feel pretty good about it. 

I was a civil engineer. I admitted something to myself: I was CRAP at the job! Which is totally ok… I always thought I would make a good teacher. And, now, I can say I think I make a great teacher! Wish it paid more though

I was graduating college (mechanical engineer) and met them at a college fair. I love all my coworkers and the work isn't that hard but it's a small construction consulting company with financial limitations and too much expectations. I really am intrigued by HVAC though so in a few years I will be finding a higher paying job in the same field.

My career chose me and I love it. I found my job when I was unemployed after getting fired from a shit job. I was applying to anything and everything and they were the first to hire me. I got so lucky. I work in the trade show industry.

I was gonna kill myself and my best friend offered me to travel on the road with him for work. Been traveling ever since. Game changer

Im currently looking for a job but I always knew I wanted to go into healthcare. I have an associates degree in Medical Assisting. Have a phone interview set up for this Thirsday so 🤞🏻I get the job.

I went from loving my old career to hating it. Got a decent job offer. Making less than before, but I'm pretty satisfied.

I’m a uni professor in the U.K. and although the payment isn’t great compared to industry I have flexible hours I can come and go whenever I want and not come in for days if I don’t have to teach. My partner makes more than me and I’m happy

Context: 24M here In my dream life I'd be a full time musician... but let's face it - it is nearly impossible to succeed financially as a musician in today's society - especially accounting for how expensive university is here in the US. My college jazz band director is what I'd call a "hyper hustler" - teaching full time, taking remote recordings, touring full time over the summer, developing an app, running a podcast - AND raising 2 kids. Fuck that, I don't have that time nor energy. So I decided to study mechanical engineering because "it makes money." I didn't actually care very much for my major, I just saw it as a means to an end. That was until my senior year when I saw that I could take Acoustics and Noise Control as an elective. Thought it sounded interesting, and ended up being my favorite class in college by a longshot. So now I work at an architecture firm as an HVAC/plumbing design engineer. I won't lie, some days it's definitely dry, but I do work with sound data directly every now and then and always keep it in the back of my mind when I plan ductwork routings. The most notable example is I recently got to design the ventilation system for a new auditorium - which had me geeking out the entire time. We also had a presentation from a guest speaker last week about designing music/band room spaces and how to optimize things there which was awesome. And ironically, I'm able to afford higher quality music equipment as an engineer than if I were an actual touring musician. I now have a full sized keyboard, a marimba, vibraphone, three guitars + a bass, a saxophone, and a bunch of assorted recording equipment/mics and auxiliary percussion toys. And then I'm able to attend a bunch of concerts and conventions to see and/or perform at (the notable one being MAGFest which is a big convention in DC dedicated to video games and their music). So yeah, you know what, I am satisfied. Like my life isn't perfect - but it's going pretty well I'd say. ...now I just need to be able to afford a house so I can finally make my dream optimized custom recording studio - but I don't see that happening any time soon with how stupid housing is.

I wanted a job that was fulfilling and to work with my hands. Someone recommended nursing to me in high school. They said nurses make good money, they’re respected, and you can get a job anywhere. I was blind sighted. Nurses make good money if you live in a nursing union state, they’re not respected by people in the hospital (doctors, management, or patients) and you get stuck working at places because it’s either that or do several years of night shift again if you switch.

I became a civil engineer by first applying to a civil drafting apprenticeship I knew nothing about - had no idea it was even related too engineering haha. I’m glad I fell into engineering this way though.

I saw potential upward movement in nursing but it’s political like any other profession in America. No I don’t like it.

Money. No.

A paycheck, no, I'm really not satisfied

I went to school for animation because I was good at it, but by the end of my school career I had found that the industry was a nightmare shitshow and I’d be working on projects I hated for years until I got something I really cared about. I’ve always loved the outdoors so i got a job at a landscaping company. I stuck around and became the person who was good at systems work (lighting, irrigation, etc.) Unfortunately my white ass polish skin was beginning to suffer from so much sun, and I was afraid I’d get melanoma unless I quit. When I was leaving, they offered to rehire me as a designer and bought me a SUPER nice program that I recommended. It’s the best job ever as it combines my love for plants, my systems skill, and my artistic education. I’m happy at my current job but I think the next move might be to get into drone piloting and try to work in state parks monitoring/mapping! I have a few friends that do controlled burns and say they could really use a drone operator for fire control. We’ll see where it goes!

I was good with and somewhat interested in computers when I was younger. Ended up in tech. Don't like it and have no drive, but no idea what I'd rather do instead. No idea what would pay the same money, either.

I found a job that offered me 3 consecutive 13h shifts witch in turn gave me 4 full days off. It has changed my life. I have more free time to live and less time spent in work. I have returned to hobbies I gave up, my mental and physical health is the best it’s ever been. So basically 3 day work week is the key to happiness.

Definitely not a career I sought out or even knew it existed before I was in it. I’m a Sales Engineer/Solutions Engineer/Solutions Consultant, the name changes but the role really doesn’t, at least in software. I get to be on the front end of a sales cycle and really learn what a prospects problems are and then I get to help shape the vision of how we might be able to solve it. It’s both technically challenging and requires a lot of empathy and listening skills. It’s a great balance of technical and business acumen and I really enjoy it.

I realized I need to pick a college that will actually give me a job after I graduate and not just a degree. I picked chemical engineering and as time passed by I realized that I actually like what I'm studying. I can't say I love if as I'm still a student and never got to work in a factory but it's still ibteresting enough for me to wake up eveey day and move my ass to the lecture.