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Author Topic: It's a job...  (Read 10974 times)

Martin (Admin)

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It's a job...
« on: April 13, 2011, 04:51:05 pm »


I've just been made redundant after 10 years, which a record for me!

So let's find the longest serving Mayhemer on here.

1. What's the longest you've had a job and what was it.

2. What the best job you've had?
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Shipmate60

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2011, 05:01:23 pm »

32 yrs Marine Engineer with RMAS.
Best job by far.

Bob
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chugbug

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2011, 05:13:10 pm »

48 years with a medium engineering co. As to best, who knows, as it was the one and only.
                                                                                                                              Dave Gibson
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wartsilaone

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2011, 05:13:49 pm »

I'm a train driver and it's the best job in the world!

Ali
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Patternmaker

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2011, 05:55:06 pm »

50 years as a Patternmaker, from 16 retired at 68 with a 2 year gap for national service.
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Colin Bishop

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #5 on: April 13, 2011, 05:57:11 pm »

Quote
I'm a train driver and it's the best job in the world!

We'd all like to be train drivers when we grow up but sadly for most of us that will never happen. Lucky you!

Colin
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John W E

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #6 on: April 13, 2011, 06:02:59 pm »

hi ya

I worked for 14 Years at Rolls royce and after the first 3 years literally.  The rest of the time in that company was like a Prison sentence - redundancy was my gate to freedom.

I then joined a tuppenhalfpenny engineering company who never kept people on for long - and everyone dreaded Friday (black spot day) cos you didnt know if you were going to be shown the door - but to me one of the best jobs I ever had. Used to work short contracts all over UK and abroad. Spent many a freezing week in Rosyth in Scotland working on various naval vessels + other naval dockyards around the country.  Whilst contracting for the above company was offered a job for a company which make laminate and it took several of the bosses a long time to convince me  to go back in a factory, but, I was glad I did cos that was a good job as well.   I wasnt located in more than one place, and I think that is one of the bug-bears for me ITCHY FEET now and then ..... but the variation in work /engineering was vast. 10 years blimey....

aye
john e
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Martin (Admin)

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #7 on: April 13, 2011, 06:16:42 pm »

How do you guys concentrate for such long periods when driving?
... on 2nd thoughts, don't tell if you don't!  ok2



I'm a train driver and it's the best job in the world!

Ali
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ACTion

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2011, 06:29:05 pm »

1. 31 years in Her Majesty's Customs and Excise. One promotion. Blagged an early retirement at 54.
2. Running ACTion - no contest!
DM
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Patrick Henry

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #9 on: April 13, 2011, 07:02:43 pm »

Best part of 40 years as a trucker...wouldn't change a thing, loved every mile of it.

Mind you...retirement is sweet.


Rich
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PMK

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #10 on: April 13, 2011, 07:13:22 pm »

Martin, sorry to hear that you've been made redundant.
To answer the inital questions...

1. The longest job was that of electrician since leaving school.
2. The best job was a couple of years working for a local family business down at N. Devon.

Cancer took my then lady, a bad time all round, so I upped roots for a couple years and found myself doing any sort of work that came along - anything to earn a crust. Landscape gardening, white van man, general building maintenence, plumbing, plastering, roofing, installing LAN systems... you name it.
The S. Devon experience was totally different to what I'd been trained to do as an apprentice, but oddly enough was the happiest time ever. The wages were dire, but not such a bad thing because I had free accommodation in a six-berth holiday chalet all to myself. I had free meals, free utility bills, free booze at the end of each day, a gorgeous holiday location right on the doorstep of the local beach, loads of new friends, loads of female holiday makers to take your pick from, was basically my own boss... and then suddenly finding myself back in the building trade when one of my elder bro's needed help with a large barn conversion contract. Basically back to the usual 07:30 to 20:00 hum-drum malarkey. Aforementioned brother ended up ripping me off big time, and then the incident with falling from scaffolding, which pretty much was the start of a downward spiral.
Presently having the time of my life with a hot soldering iron, making circuits and gizmos, building model boats/planes, blah.

</CV>

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funtimefrankie

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #11 on: April 13, 2011, 07:35:46 pm »

........when we grow up but sadly for most of us that will never happen........
Colin
If you read many posts on here none of have grown up.... :}
selective quoting is wonderful :-))

oh.... and 32 years with GPO telephones and BT, retired on 50th birthday with a nice pension...those were the days %)
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Subculture

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #12 on: April 13, 2011, 08:12:18 pm »

I'm a Signals Technical Officer working on the London Underground. 21 years this year, was an apprentice until 1993.

Before that I spent a couple of years as an apprentice engineering technician with a small company in Finchley called Vacuum Interrupters Ltd, who made medium voltage (22kV) switchgear. Interesting place, with interesting people that was, IMHO, asset stripped by GEC Alstom.

My job involves some pretty unsociable hours, being shift based, but I'm usually doing something different each time, and I'm not chained to a desk which is my idea of hell on earth.
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Double D

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #13 on: April 13, 2011, 08:13:14 pm »


I've worked for the local Council since I left school.  I work at a Crematorium and I absolutely love it  :-))  

I wouldn't like a job in private sector because then I would have to start working for a living
%%
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wartsilaone

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #14 on: April 13, 2011, 08:21:04 pm »

Tell me about it. Getting up at 3am is no joke I can tell you.
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oldiron

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #15 on: April 13, 2011, 09:14:21 pm »

 I worked 26 years in the electrical power industry. Started in coal fired generating stations where I got my Stationary Engineers accreditation (all things steamy like boilers and turbines and such), moved on to nuclear power then to power system dispatching for the last 15 years. Finished off in management when they decide to restructure the company and show a bunch of us the door. Got an early pension then went on to steam boat engineer, industrial maintenance, steam consultation, and farming (cattle and sheep). I think I'm pretty well retired now. Time for rebuilding old vehicles and old motor bikes and doing modeling from boats to live steam.

John
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Wetwater

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #16 on: April 13, 2011, 09:28:36 pm »

   
    Longest job  .....   29 years hydraulic engineering.  Everything from palm size tiddlers  O0
    to 1/2 ton monstrosity's.  <:(

    Best job  .....   The last five years.   Now chief ( unpaid ) dishwasher at home.  The only
    downside with being retired is that the days seem a LOT shorter now.   :((










   
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Alan.

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #17 on: April 13, 2011, 10:26:06 pm »

Sorry to hear that Martin. The lad was made redundant (from a pharma co. IT Division) at Christmas and discovered that British Gas were hiring. Worth your while looking in that direction? He was with BG at Staines, now being moved to Heathrow. Hope you find something good soon. I'm done with all that - civil servant, retired. Hooray!!
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Peter Fitness

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #18 on: April 13, 2011, 10:37:33 pm »

I spent 36 years in the family meat business, and after we sold it I had 12 years of coach driving, which I loved. I've been retired for the last 8 years and love every second of it.

Peter.
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RaaArtyGunner

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #19 on: April 13, 2011, 11:03:25 pm »

Raising 4 kids from 1974 and still ongoing, grandkids etc, %) %) :} :}
not to mention 50 years in Building construction  :-)) :-))

What a breeze  {-) {-) {-)
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pugwash

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #20 on: April 13, 2011, 11:23:56 pm »

Only had two jobs - 10 years as  Signalman in the Royal Navy,  27 years in the Police
Best job the Royal Navy curtailed by having to leave to look after my first wife who had bone cancer.

Geoff
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dreadnought72

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #21 on: April 13, 2011, 11:54:17 pm »

I left Uni in 1984 after a degree in Archaeology to become a BBC cameraman. Like you do.

It's a great job if you're young and have no commitments. After eight years of going all over the UK and doing and seeing pretty much everything to do with TV, I decided it was getting in the way of "life outside work". I had to book leave if I ever wanted a gauranteed weekend off, for example. So I took the 'dundancy package offered in '92 (£12k - a fortune!) nearly bought a boat, and did my own thing for a year.

Then I slipped into a job at a Scottish Uni doing video work, later web-work and IT stuff, and after 18 years I decided I needed to get out before I became totally institutionalised. Took the redundancy package offered in 2009 (£30k - a fortune!) nearly boat a boat, and did my own thing for a year.

(There's a pattern developing here!)

These days I do freelance web design work (hi Carl!) but the current state of the economy (there are not enough web jobs) means I have to top up Mr Mortgage's insatiable pockets with a part-time role in a well known supermarket. The pay's awful, the shifts insane, the consumerism and waste I see everyday immoral, but I feel strangely free! More in charge of my life than for a long time. I'm still applying for full-time IT/web posts, but I think my age/general iconclastic & independent attitude/car-crash of a CV are all against me. :-))

Do look at redundancy as an opportunity, Martin. A chance to do something you really believe in.

Andy

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Capt Podge

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #22 on: April 13, 2011, 11:58:41 pm »

Left school at 15 with "no levels" and "nay levels"  {-)

Out into the big world of work:-

Small supermarket as a trainee manager (warehouse boy) then:

Butchers apprentice then:

Fish filleter (cold) then:

Trawler deckhand (VERY cold) then:

Road sweeper then:

Back to butchery then:

Heavy Goods driver then:

Royal Navy then:

Northumbria Police (civvy) then:

Offshore (cold again) then:

Admin Officer DWP then:

Large supermarket (freezers) very cold again ! then:

School Caretaker (current)

.....so I seem to have come full circle  %%

......oh, and somewhere in between that lot I can throw in 12 years with the T/A.

............and now, at last, I've discovered model boats ! Hoping to retire soon.  O0

Regards,

Ray.
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matphoto

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #23 on: April 14, 2011, 12:29:37 am »

Forty years in heavy engineering press shops, in various positions and with various companies - from press operator through the ranks to press shop foreman. Loved it, but totally deaf now. Made redundant in 2003 after serious injury to my back on the shop floor and not worked since, officially retire middle of this year.  :}  :}  :}
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carlmt

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Re: It's a job...
« Reply #24 on: April 14, 2011, 01:19:39 am »

Left school 1980 to apprentice at Architectural Technology with Taylor Woodrow Construction.
5 years day release later I qualified and jumped ship to the south coast designing retirement apartments for McCarthy & Stone.
redundant 1989 - did allsorts for 2 years including postie - until I got back into architecture with local practice in '91. Not much paying work on so took my coach licence to have a fall back. 94 - back to McCarthy & Stone with a step up the ladder (TA!!).
Got very bored with designing the same old thing day in and day out so jumped ship in '99 to work for the Boss' sons designing luxury thatched cottages and the like. We got so busy that I had to recruit more designers quick - so I pulled in some of my ex-colleagues from M&S. Bad move - we now had a nucleus of expertise in retirement apartments, so the sons wanted to take dad on at his own game...........back to designing retirement schemes full time - but with the compensation that i was now a Director. THEN..........
THE RECESSION / CREDIT CRUNCH!!! Massive downsizing, many redundancies (not me) - little work (although it is picking up a bit now).....BUT....after 12 years I am getting just a little tired of retirement flats.......SO...

Am now starting on the new adventure of designing and bringing to market the r/c ferry kits........and Andy (dreadnought72) is designing the website - and a fantastic job of it he is doing too!!!! (Hi Andy!!!!).

Looking forward to the new adventure....................
Carl
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