So we can't get paid for reading... what do you do instead?

[Kirsty, Jedi Master]

DEAR GOD I wish i could get paid to read...

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

I have an interview for an admin job at one of the Oxford University colleges :O 11th December, I want the job so badly!

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

Best of luck Rinn :-)

[Kate]

Good luck!

[Ty]

Good luck, Rinn!

[Sarah]

Good luck, Rinn!

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Thanks all :D

Especially exciting because it is *the* Hogwarts college!

[Paul]

All the best Rinn

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Indeed, best of luck, Rinn.

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

Christchurch !!!!

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Yup! :D

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

Sweet. Also Charles Dodgesons Ubiversity so Alice in Wonderland everywhere. ( its one of the last places that had a stuffed Dodo as well ) I really hope you get it. I was in the great hall there and its a great place

[Lel]

Love this thread! It is interesting to hear what people do after chatting to people for so long. Especially when you get an impression of someone and their job just blows holes in your impressions.

Good luck Rinn!!!

I work as a veterinary nurse in London and have done since I left school (more than a few years back now). I love my job despite it not being all the cuddling and puppy and kittens most people think it is. I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

Love the mix of jobs. very interesting. And I now know who I have to be really nice to.

[Freya, Dragon Rider]

Ahahaha agreed Paul :D It is quite interesting the themes that seem to run throughout this thread, but also as someone pondering my career direction it is great to hear where people have begun and so far ended up or where they have fallen into jobs in surprising directions :)

[Kitty-Lydia]

As well as writing fiction, I am an online content writer (think clothing and food websites) and I review video games :) I also draw sketch cards for card companies. I just finished two sets inspired by Hammer Horror and the Gerry Anderson series.

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Now that's a cool job, Kitty-Lydia!

[Kaseadillla]

This thread is awesome! Love to hear what people are doing in the "real world".

Lancer - one of my roommates is a special ed teacher and going back to school too. He would highly recommend it!
Paul - your job sounds awesome! Studied Civil-Environmental Engineering in college and my favorite classes were in the geo dept. working with NOAA data and geo surveys doing city planning. Wicked cool.
Roger - similarly fascinated. Have a lot of family in the Navy. Do you ever get to work on submarines or are you just contracting space?
Hybrid Creature - GO BLUE!!
Rinn - good luck in your job interview.

and Freya - the thing that I dislike about my job is the fact that I have to sit in a chair all day. So antsy!

[Kaseadillla]

Which I should probably explain.

I'm am a financial analyst in investment management at a large investment bank... one of the ones everyone loves to hate post-2008 financial crisis. On the client facing side, doing a lot of trading (which I love), mkt research (semi-love), and presentation prep (meh). If anyone needs financial advice... I'd be happy to attempt to give it to you =).

[Whitney]

Heller,
just came here to be nosey and see what everyone else does. I've never had a full time job so here goes...
I currently teach ESL online through Skype so that I can have enough money to pay for toiletries and my phone bill and maybe if I have enough hours that month I can also splurge on netflix.

I have an Associate degree in Fashion & Marketing... YYYAAAAAY retail.
i have a Bachelor degree in English & Creative Writing with a concentration in Screenwriting ....Yaaaaaay unemployment.

I am now getting my Masters in IT with a concentration in Software Development.... Yyyyaaaay student loans out the wazoo. :)

[Lancer, Warden of the Slums]

I'm not looking forward to student loan repayment but am looking forward to a career I know I will find incredibly rewarding and enjoyable. So an even trade of for me. My wife is currently working full time and picking up the few remaining courses she needs to finish her university and become a teacher. She hates her job and it makes her completely miserable on a daily basis but pays very well. We both agree that money is definitely not worth being miserable. If you love what you do stick with it. You will be happier that way regardless of money.

[Roger, Knight Radiant]

Kaseadillla wrote: "This thread is awesome! Love to hear what people are doing in the "real world".

Lancer - one of my roommates is a special ed teacher and going back to school too. He would highly recommend it!
Pau..."

I've never worked on a sub, but people in my company have. I work on the facility that is used to train the sailors before they go on the sub.

[Suncani]

I indirectly do get paid to read :D. I work as a Library Assistant in a university library so when its quiet I can sit and read books as long its an E-book rather than a physical one.
I'm also waiting to start my Masters in International Political Economy which is going to be the start of a very long journey to hopefully becoming a lecturer. So I feel like I need to get all my reading in while I still can!

[Kimonawhim]

So cool to see what you guys do for a living. Funny how many different working fields we have in this group!

Now I don't exactly get 'paid' for it, but I'm currently studying Mediatechnology. We program and design and do everything that has to do with creating new, innovative technology. Whether that is mobile applications, websites, smart objects, games, and more. I'm having a lot of fun with it atm, but I have no idea which field I'm going to focus on in the next few years. What I do get paid for however, is being an at home tech support specialist. It sounds really fancy, but I work for a company that fixes computers, tablets, phones, etc. mostly for elderly people at their own houses. We offer teaching and whatnot too. It pays very well for a sideline job :)

[Lel]

I don't know how so many of you guys can do office work. I think it would drive me crazy being attached to a desk and computer all day. My hat is off to the lot of you! :)

[Mark]

I was, until April, a research scientist in the area labelled for the layman as "Artificial Intelligence". But now I write full time. And I have to read what I write ... so I guess I do get paid for reading! :)

[Tom]

Does that mean there's a Sci fi novel coming sometime in the future

[Paul]

Mark wrote: "I was, until April, a research scientist in the area labelled for the layman as "Artificial Intelligence". But now I write full time. And I have to read what I write ... so I guess I do get paid fo..."

That reminds me of the quote, “Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.” ― Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Mark wrote: "I was, until April, a research scientist in the area labelled for the layman as "Artificial Intelligence". But now I write full time. And I have to read what I write ... so I guess I do get paid fo..."

If you're making a living from your writing, my hat is off to you. That's a very rare thing, and I both congratulate you and envy you. Only something like 10% of writers actually get to write full time.

[Mark]

Tom wrote: "Does that mean there's a Sci fi novel coming sometime in the future"

I don't see why a scientist should be any better at or more likely to write sci-fi... But it is what everyone asks.

I've no plans to, no. But I'm not a planner.

[Lel]

Mark wrote: "Tom wrote: "Does that mean there's a Sci fi novel coming sometime in the future"

I don't see why a scientist should be any better at or more likely to write sci-fi... But it is what everyone asks."

I would have thought that it might make it more unlikely, cause you might get so caught up making the science part real that the story gets lost. I know a few members on here get annoyed when the science isn't right in books, that to write it must be harder....

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

I always thought there was a little scifi to The Broken Empire books , especially with some of the artifacts from the past.

[Kirsty, Jedi Master]

Wowsa - there's such an array of jobs and backgrounds! I love it! All brought together through books. Man I love books.

Wayland you sound badasssssss btw!

Paul - GIS, I remember this (though didn't have much to do with it) from my archaeology days.

Mark - It must be such a thrill to be able to write full time now, as it is obviously a passion.

Lancer - Totally agree with you on the money-misery sentiment. (As far as possible) do what makes you happy!

Rinn - Huge good lucks to you. Oh man oh man oh man Harry Potter college *Drool* - though you work in a pretty damn cool place already!

[Roger, Knight Radiant]

Lel wrote: "I don't know how so many of you guys can do office work. I think it would drive me crazy being attached to a desk and computer all day. My hat is off to the lot of you! :)"

Just because you are attached to a desk doesn't mean your job isn't challenging or that it is just mindless drudgery. Recently I've found my job to be a beat more challenging than I like...

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

I'm actually craving a desk job at the moment. My current job is ruining my feet (on them all day at work, walking miles around the museum, they have hurt non-stop since July and I have to see a podiatrist because of it!). Hence the admin job interview...

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

I treat most of my work as challanges and research all the newest tech so it keeps it fresh. I'm mainly at a desk but I keep introducing new stuff so it keeps it fun ( i do get to go on surveys from time to time to ) :-) And to the Archaeoligists all over the group I'm actually doing some archaeology work in the next few days. Fun.

[Lel]

Roger: I'm sorry if u thought I meant it like that I didn't at all. I just would hate to be sat down all day. I'm sure the work is interesting it's the idea of being in one place all day i would hate......:(

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Yay, archaeology! <3 I miss proper archaeology...

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Kirsty wrote:
Wayland you sound badasssssss btw!

My running joke is that I'm a professional thug. I get paid to hit things. It's really not as impressive as it sounds. And really, in this line of work, a boring day is something you hope for.

[Shawnie]

I love this thread. :) I'm so interested in what you all do in life outside of books. (Is there one?) I'm an officer in federal government. I find the work rewarding and challenging. It's an office job, but I'm constantly moving around talking to people and working with my team. I don't want to go into details because I cannot answer advice questions. :)

[Roger, Knight Radiant]

Lel wrote: "Roger: I'm sorry if u thought I meant it like that I didn't at all. I just would hate to be sat down all day. I'm sure the work is interesting it's the idea of being in one place all day i would ha..."

Yeah, I can definitely see that, when I was a kid I thought I'd like a job where I would move around a lot and maybe even be outside all day...turns out I'm more of the type that likes to sit a lot

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

I can update this now! Yay!

Tuesday is my last day at the museum (I CANNOT WAIT). I am so so sick of customer service and doing a very dull job where I don't get to use my brain. The following Monday sees me start a new job as an Administrator... part of my backup plan on working within university administration (or rather, at a specific university) if I can't get a museum job.

[Dawn]

Good luck Rinn! Hope the new job goes well :-)

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Thanks Dawn :) I'm looking forward to having a job that keeps me busy - would so rather have that than be bored out of my skull...

[imyril]

Congratulations Rinn! I hope the new job works out and gets you where you want to be!

[Dawn]

Rinn, there is nothing worse than having a boring job simply because time seems to go so much slower and you think you are spending all your life at work! Time flies when you're having fun, even at work!

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Dawn wrote: "Rinn, there is nothing worse than having a boring job simply because time seems to go so much slower and you think you are spending all your life at work! Time flies when you're having fun, even at..."

Exactly, that's how I felt - always at work, especially because I worked a shift pattern where I only got one day off at a time, so I never felt like I had a proper amount of time off. I used up a lot of my annual leave just trying to make weekends so I could see people :/

And thanks Imyril :)

[Tom]

I used to have hat same problem rinn, working 7 out of every 8 Sundays alternating between 6am-2pm and 2pm-10pm shifts weekly.
not fun, especially when you finish 10 pm Friday night then your weekend is just a Saturday that you spend trying to get ready to wake up at 4.30 am Sunday morning.
on nights now but that brings it's own problems so I'm training to drive a forklift on a building site, not exactly glamorous but it's a step up for me

[Jilly]

Congrats Rinn!

I'm a GIS analyst/geologist turned library assistant. We move around a lot for my husband's job, so it can be difficult to find something in my field. I like my current job enough, I get paid to read (sort of) and teach computer classes.

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

Hi Jilly, great to see another GIS analyst in the group. I'm now running a GIS section for an Engineering company which is great but Librarian would be a great job .