I'm interested to know what forum members do (or did) for a living. What is (or was) your profession or occupation?

 

For myself, I did many things, none of them particularly well. When I have to fill out a form that asks for occupation, I usually put "layman."

 

I trained in philosophy and was a lecturer for a few years, but never pursued it as a career. I got interested in computers and networking and worked as a system administrator, systems engineer and product manager for most of my career. When I came to Thailand I worked as a web programmer and amateur gemologist. I didn't accomplish much, but I have financial security and good health and a nice family.

 

Paul Laew

 

" I didn't accomplish much, but I have financial security and good health and a nice family."

 

That right there is an admirable achievement, and a damn site more than many have achieved. ????

 

I worked as a veterinarian in private practice in rural Australia.  Heaven on a stick - if you don't mind smelling like sh#t most work days!

I have often pondered and considered that there is a wealth of untapped resource amongst the retired community here.

 

I wonder if there would be any help or use compiling a type of directory of members who have specific skills and professions etc (obviously with their agreement) that would be open and willing to help others if approached ?

 

I know generally that happens on forums in many cases, but thought it could be useful to "know a man that can" and get in touch with them directly rather than hoping they discover a particular thread/topic.

 

 

I wonder if the OP expects honesty?

I have wandered from employment to self-employment to Government employment to  head hunted  contracted private employment until retirement at  50 .

I initially  embarked on an employed career as a Mechanical/Electrical Engineer. Do not confuse that description as being a Motor Mechanic . In these times there may be some credible equivalence but not the same. Over many years I gravitated into a combination of prototype production and  design.

The culmination of my "employment" involved the  concept design of data based systems .

Paid  huge  money to ask programmers to create systems to elicit an outcome advantageous to a government health service  employer on behalf of taxpayers !

That jump  fascinates me to this day !

 

4 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

I have often pondered and considered that there is a wealth of untapped resource amongst the retired community here.

 

I wonder if there would be any help or use compiling a type of directory of members who have specific skills and professions etc (obviously with their agreement) that would be open and willing to help others if approached ?

 

I know generally that happens on forums in many cases, but thought it could be useful to "know a man that can" and get in touch with them directly rather than hoping they discover a particular thread/topic.

 

 

Your pondering  is most likely  on point  but  unfortunately it need be acknowledged that if in any meaningful  manner  "a (non Thai ) man that can" comes  to acquire a reputation for any particular  capacity that embarrasses or conflicts with social norms of expectations may suffer attention less than desirable !

16 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

I have often pondered and considered that there is a wealth of untapped resource amongst the retired community here.

 

I wonder if there would be any help or use compiling a type of directory of members who have specific skills and professions etc (obviously with their agreement) that would be open and willing to help others if approached ?

 

I know generally that happens on forums in many cases, but thought it could be useful to "know a man that can" and get in touch with them directly rather than hoping they discover a particular thread/topic.

 

 

I know how to operate a modern Power Station … guess not much call for that on this forum though…

10 minutes ago, Nojohndoe said:

I wonder if the OP expects honesty?

Honesty would be good. I'm frank about my wandering career and lack of accomplishment. I'm sure many forum members did much better.

 

Paul Laew

Research scientist, mostly in analytical and process chemistry. A bit of a dinosaur now.

4 minutes ago, Paulaew said:

Honesty would be good. I'm frank about my wandering career and lack of accomplishment. I'm sure many forum members did much better.

 

Paul Laew

Lack of accomplishment? Others did better?  In real terms  if there are those who regardless of boastful claims are at the very least  comfortable with their  situation as of the  moment then they  have accomplished the  core of existence regardless of greater  desires !

Pop music musician from 1970 to 2008 mostly Scandinavia & Switzerland. Hotel owner/chef 1986 to 2000. Thailand ever since.

People ask if I was a musician all of my life.......................I answer NOT YET!

That reminds me of the old guy who visited almost daily every afternoon a couple of bars in Soi Cowboy. He always liked to play with the new girls.

One day I asked him what he does for a living and he answered: medical research.

I laughed about that. I knew his name and out of curiosity I looked him up on the internet. I found him on the website of a well know Thai university. His job: medical research...

 

NSA deep operative. 

Retired. 

sold stuff ,anything and everything worked for  others ,worked with partners ,worked on my own .

not always a "good boy"but it gave me a good life ,able to live it the way i wanted to . was never rich ,but always had enough to enjoy everything,

 

1 hour ago, Paulaew said:

I worked as a web programmer and amateur gemologist

How can you work as an amateur?

Got a Master's degree in Oil Well Technology and worked offshore for a year and one year in the office, designing the Piper Bravo oil platform. 

Became an English teacher at universities and businesses in Thailand.

Now, I work as a translator and crypto trader. 

 

Infantryman.

 

Anyone needs a crossroads capturing I'm your man!

4 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

How can you work as an amateur?

Though I studied some gemology and wrote many articles that were read by gemology students, I never obtained one of the gemology degrees that certify professional gemologists. So I was ipso facto an amateur. Got paid nonetheless, even if the money wasn't all that good.

 

Paul Laew

I won't get a pension for 10 years so I'd like to write a book about my life in Thailand or a travel book.

Rocket Scientist (well, parts of it anyway). I designed various ground and space hardware for military, commercial and scientific space projects.  Then when I moved to live in south-east Asia, there were no jobs for rocket scientists, so I built small hotels for a while, then became a science teacher in Laos and Myanmar.

 

Nowadays (well this week at least), you'll find me living on the island of Mauritius, where I still work as a science teacher, but online.  My spare times are filled with various science projects involving satellites and radio transmitters, which often seem to create hostility and suspicion from the police/military etc in whatever country I'm living in at the time ????

Worked for the government for 10 years, 1978-1988, 13 out of 14 days a week, so lots of overtime and would get paid time and a half for Saturday and double time for a Sunday and then double time for the 2nd Saturday, public holidays was also double time plus an extra day added onto your annual holidays with pay, they also paid daily meal and travel allowances as I was a relief clerk, never at one place more than four weeks, free travel as well on public transport. Was a great job.

 

Eventually I wanted a change as there were two shifts, either 7am-3pm or 3pm-11pm and working weekends meant I couldn't go out unless I was doing the morning shift, which also meant going to work on Sunday with no shut eye if out on a Saturday night.

 

After that 1988-2015 went into real estate learning all facets, property management, sales, and valuations, most stressful years of my life, studying at nights doing two degrees and working, also trying to raise a kid with a ball breaker of an X wife now.

 

Has a keen eye on the real estate market and knew when to buy and when to sell and that is were the money was, the 6 figure salary was for survival as the cost of living etc was very expensive, it also helped pay for the short falls from the rents to mortgages, but the capital gains were great.

 

2015 retired in Thailand, was an 8 year plan and since then I buy and sell shares in the stock market and still do some consultancy work for established clients and referrals, and do ok out of it all, that said, all of the hard work over the years and buying property set me up here, suffice to say don't need to invest or do the consultancy work when it comes in, but hey, it keeps me going, albeit in a relaxed environment at my pace and helps pay my living costs here, so why dip into my own funds to survive here.

 

I see a lot of expats living month to month on their government pensions and I don't judge them, but I couldn't do it, i.e. I didn't bust my guts to have to think twice about buying something that I want, that said, I am not a big spender, but when I want something, hand goes in pocket and I buy it, because I deserve it.

 

 

Sales & marketing for custom engineered products. Started in Civil and ended in Mechanical.

 

There is a lot of underutilized brain power among the farangs. It is a shame they don't let us do some volunteer teaching or pro bono consulting. There is plenty of free time for kids that need help with English or Algebra. 

 

I would imagine that a disproportionate number of people who expatriate or spend parts of their year residing outside of their home country, tend to have also dabbled in multiple career fields.   I think that if someone asks your profession, they're trying to get an initial "label" to apply to you as a general indication of your educational/experiential background and possibly socioeceonomic status, depending on who is asking and the context.  The label hardly tells your story, but might serve as a starting point if they are looking for possible commonalities (or conversely if they are trying to sell you something or otherwise size you up for some scheme or another). ????  

 

As for me, I was in the military reserve for 20+ years, also pursued a civilian career in business with an MBA in finance.  If someone wants a label, I give them one of three, inasmuch as each of them is accurate enough as a starting point:

 

     - Poor pensioner (default label as best to give to strangers)

     - Financially independent investor

     - Retired military

   

ex SAS. there's a surprisingly large number of us around soi buakhao bars.

" I didn't accomplish much, but I have financial security and good health and a nice family."

 

 

You got the important things right, and now you can live this chapter for you instead of resting on the laurels of what you did in previous chapters.  I think we've all seen far too many professionals who over-identify with their work, and lose sight of themselves in terms of the things that are ultimately more important.

I wrote government reports for NYC Subway that were almost certainly never seen by even a single human eye. I once put a card in the middle of a typical eight incher offering to pay $50 to anyone who called me to talk about the report. But no one ever did.

 

Great job; a bit of out and about field work, punctuated by quiet computer sessions, culminating in obtuse meetings with other arcane interest paper-shifters.

 

I wrote a lot about lead paint abatement. Best question ever: "Does the abatement include the abutment"?

 

Prob not worth including me in directory of do-gooders to reach out to here. I get that no one really wanted to hear from me at all during my entire professional life, and that any interest has fallen off even more sharply since.

 

 

46 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

I wrote government reports for NYC Subway that were almost certainly never seen by even a single human eye. I once put a card in the middle of a typical eight incher offering to pay $50 to anyone who called me to talk about the report. But no one ever did.

 

 

Interesting, the Subway in Khon Kaen only has 12 inches and 6 inches. 

1 hour ago, simon43 said:

Rocket Scientist (well, parts of it anyway). I designed various ground and space hardware for military, commercial and scientific space projects.  Then when I moved to live in south-east Asia, there were no jobs for rocket scientists, so I built small hotels for a while, then became a science teacher in Laos and Myanmar.

You forgot the SMS things that got you 1 million baht a month for, that I thought was impossible  20 years ago. 

My last work was seaman offshore.Worldwide.Great job.

47 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

You forgot the SMS things that got you 1 million baht a month for, that I thought was impossible  20 years ago. 

Ah yes - a money maker that clearly demonstrated how stupid many males are, who were willing to part with 1.50 quid a throw to receive an abusive or salacious text message from a computer.... good times!