OT: What you like and dislike about your job?

[Headwinds]

What I like:

1) I am practically my own boss
2) I have a (very) flexible schedule (lots of time to ride and play!)
3) I work in a good environment (good thinkers, open minded people)
4) I get along with most of my co-workers
5) I have a good vacation and benefits plan

What I dislike:

1) I don't work in a corporate environment, bureaucracy can be a problem at times
2) I would be making more $$$ if I worked for a corporation
3) One of my superiors can ba an arse at times (I guess everyone has one of these)
4) Sometimes it is a pain to be a manager (IT Manager, that is)

[eddief]

Get this. Next week I will start a new gig being the practice manager for a 60 person veterinary hospital open 24 hours a day; general, emergency, specialty. Know a lot about bus., people, common sense, and nothing about an animal practice.

The good from this vantage point:

1. decent pay
2. nothing but opportunity. This place is leaking so much money and efficiency e-richie could fix it with a torch in one hand and something else in the other.
3. it's about 5 miles from my house and I may choose to cycle to work for the first time since I was a paper boy.
4. 60 people are swimming in sh*t and I hope I can help them, their human customers, and their pets.

By the way, I have worked in corporations and the ones I was in were impersonal, spineless, gutless, valueless, bureaucratic bastions of bs.

Stay where you are. Or decide what you really want and get it wherever you can. Nothing like a good career consultant to help paint the picture.

[saab2000]

Likes

1. I get to fly $25,000,000 airplanes. And you don't (except Mdeeds and maybe a few others here)
2. See some cool things.
3. Always learning and always challenging.
4. Very safety concious.
5. Very little supervision - our training and licenses say that we know what we are doing.

Dislikes

1. Wild misunderstanding by the flying public for what we do and the lifestyles we have to lead.
2. Wild misunderstanding by the snot-nosed MBA managers for the what we do and the lifestyles we have to lead.
3. Low pay. That is not a joke. It is the truth.
4. Sporadically at home.
5. The job is the best ever. Ever. Period.
6. The business stinks.

[toaster]

Like: Young female who works front desk.

Dislike: The boss.

[DavidK]

Like:

1) I can work anywhere I want
2) My workmate is wonderful fun
3) I'm my own boss
4) I get to fly around the world on business

Dislike:

1) I have to work with Microsoft products
2) I have to work with Microsoft
3) I can't choose to work with *nix products
4) Have I mentioned Microsoft?

[Ray]

Likes:

1. I'm my own boss
2. I enjoy the work I do (this is HUGE - everything else comes in second)
3. I still get to work with really good people, but I don't have to deal with the jerks everyday (no offense to the Jerk, who is clearly a different kind of jerk).
4. My commute is down one flight of stairs, through the kitchen, and into the office.
5. The work and money seem to be flowing, despite having just started this 'business' a couple of months ago.
6. Extremely casual dress (pajamas would work), except when I have meetings.
7. Very flexible schedule - rare is the nice day that I can't get out and ride for at least a couple of hours.

Dislikes:

1. I'm my own boss - sometimes nice to have the buck stop somewhere else.
2. Lack of social aspects of an office (including the babes in the lunch room and that I used to run into in the hall)
3. Miss the professional perks of an office - really good people to bounce ideas off of at a moments notice.
4. Home used to be my refuge - now my bike is the only refuge. But this isn't because of working at home - this is because home is crazy right now and working here makes it worse because I'm never forced to get away. In a couple of years, I think it'll work as both an office and a refuge again. I hope.

Edit, per EF's request - I'm a land use / transportation planner. Have worked for private consulting firms and public agencies for 20+ years. Now work for my own 1-person consulting firm. I work with local governments (which thanks to PA's balkanized system of local government, there are LOADS of - 73 in my county alone) on Comprehensive Plans, zoning ordinances, traffic calming, bicycle / pedestrian planning, etc. Never a dull moment. Trying to help stop sprawl - losing the battle in new and creative ways every day!

-Ray

[kgrooney]

Likes:

I work at a University here on Long Island, 6 miles from the house. Excellent environment, and the kids keep you young, eventhough the pay is a bit less than the corporate world. But the stress is considerably less and that's worth the decreased pay.


Dislikes:


Can't think of any. Really.

[e-RICHIE]

nepotism, of course - (http://www.onlyinternet.net/preceptor/rm118/grandpa.htm)

[eddief]

please include for curiousity sake.

[twin]

1. Summers off :)
2. Commute to work :) :)
3. Casual dress :)
4. Students really do keep you on your toes about current ideas :)
5. Put my bike in my office :) :) :)
6. Students can be a blast because they are so creative :)

1. Students that really do not want to be in school
2. I have been a teacher for 25 years and the pay is not the greatest however having time off makes up for it :banana:

[Tom]

Good:

- Flexible arrival and departure times and my boss understands my obsession with riding.
- Lots of new material to understand, the dinosaur is evolving into more non-trad areas
- I get to write code now and again, so a little creativity
- One of the senior guys, mostly by default, so I get to debug the weirder problems and work on the harder projects, not too much tape spinning.
- If you get yourself in trouble it's your own damn fault because you didn't plan your backout. It's not like you're a nurse and can't just restore the patient from a backup.

Bad:

- People that gravitated to corporate process and control administration because they can't actually do anything and then they judge how you do your job without comprehending how to do their own job well. They take a necessary role and manage to bugger it hopelessly.
- People that can't write or speak coherently in their native tongue.
- Overnight weekend work. I'm getting too old to pull all-nighters every week.

[e-RICHIE]

Bad:
- People that can't write or speak coherently in their native tongue.

well - as long as they're bilingual!

[saab2000]

well - as long as they're bilingual!

They have forked tongues.

[CNY rider]

Like: 1. I can make a profound difference in someone's life.
2. I work with incredibly talented, devoted people who make a difference in people's lives.
3. Short commute to work, often by bike.
4. I get to live in a beautiful place. If I wanted, I could live just about anywhere and find a position.
5. Good pay.

Dislike: 1. Very hard, sometimes, to leave the job at the office.
2. Sometimes ridiculous work hours (frequent 10 day stretches without a day off).
3. I make a mistake, or my nurses make a mistake, someone might die.
4. Sometimes, patients and families shoot the messenger...... (well so far luckily that's figuratively only ;) )

[Tom]

well - as long as they're bilingual!

What's the term for not having any language at all?

Other than 'middle management'.

[Fixed]

bro nothing it 's a sunny day and i get to ride ...but I 'm am getting a little older now
cheers

[e-RICHIE]

What's the term for not having any language at all?

Other than 'middle management'.
legal department?

[kgrooney]

Construction Contract Manager

Prepare and issue formal bids and contracts for the Capital projects at Stony Brook University.

Very interesting being involved in the development of the campus. For all who live on Long Island and read the papers, Southampton & Gyrodyne acquisition especially, keeping me on my toes.

[Blastinbob]

Like
1. I am the boss
2. I make all the money
3. Helping people with their problems or pointing them in the right direction

Dislikes
1. I work set hours and set days
2. No paid vacations or benefits
3. The ghetto has migrated into my neighborhood
4. The work is hazardous to my health

[Headwinds]

- People that gravitated to corporate process and control administration because they can't actually do anything and then they judge how you do your job without comprehending how to do their own job well. They take a necessary role and manage to bugger it hopelessly.

He, he.... Sounds like the people in the administration here.

[JasonF]

Likes:

1. I am my own boss
2. Unlimited money making potential
3. When trades go your way, it's the most exhillarating thing imaginable. A similar feeling would be winning the lottery...not because you're lucky but because you did your homework and knew the numbers before they were called.
4. Hours are not crushing, but I do a lot of reading in the evening while my family is hanging out with me in my office.

Dislikes:

1. When you hit a bad patch it feels like the world may come crumbling down. You really have to have a stomach for inconsistency and uneven earnings.

This beats the hell out of practicing law, where I would bill out at $350 an hour, get paid about $70 and make the firm's partners rich off of the difference.

[manet]

do people work in toronto?

[CalfeeFly]

They terminated me after almost 29 years because I was hurt on the job and didn't heal fast enough for them. Replacing my position was one thing but they totally nuked me from the corporation. I have a house full of awards and such but no job. What have you done for me today seems to prevail way too much these days.

(Just 2 years ago I made them an extra 20 million dollars because all the "smart big bosses" didn't know how to get a product listed successfully without spending a fortune. Nice reward that they gave back to me.)

[manet]

do people work in provo?

[e-RICHIE]

do people work in provo?


only in pairs, or pairs of multiples...

[dbrk]

Money Magazine just rated being a college professor the second best job in America. I was hugely relieved. I mean, if this is the _first_ best job then I'd have to think, "you mean this is it?" It would only be more disappointing to find out you lived in the "best place" in America. Then you'd really be in for it. You mean, there really is no place better?

But no complaints save the occasional...errr...frequent disdain for the weather up here in the north country, but that has meant relatively little growth and a slower pace of sprawl, though that too is finally reaching my distant farm. Chagrin abounds.

This is my twentieth year at the University of Rochester and I've never regretted turning down more "prestigious" jobs, which don't pay more, offer greater satisfaction, or grant me as much freedom as I have. When it's hot in this kitchen, it's very hot. When it's calm, which is much of the time, I remain the Duke of my own insignificant Fenwick. As for perception, value, and compensation, I aspire to eccentric genius but will settle for pathetic madman. Keeps away the hall lurkers.

Last year we started Matrika Yoga, look at matrikayoga.com to see our quarterly journal. It's for folks who want to learn and be challenged rather then merely entertained or told further the benefits of stretching in Sanskrit. It's a ton of work but so far, so good.

I spend far too much time travelling this faire country to talk to yoga students, nearly every other weekend, but seeing most of America has relieved me of the grass is always greener notions that can infect our imaginations. In short, I like talking to grown ups as much as I do your children, though I find college students younger and younger every year.

I'm sorta'maybe'kinda' in the bike business but I'm not in for profit, only for fun. I'm happy my friends make a living and find my presence a help (when they do) and useful when that's useful.

Good points:
1. I am master of my own quarterdeck. 'Taint nobody tells me what to say or do. I begin the semester reading aloud HM Royal Navy Articles of War, 1749 as the rules of the classroom.
2. We eat, we pay the bills just fine, but whatever you make you eventually find a way to spend. I will likely never figure out how to retire though I would tomorrow if I could.
3. I finally understand my subject (twenty years from finishing my PhD) well enough to simply enjoy it. Sanskrit is like bike racing: it never gets easier, it just goes faster (LeMond).

Downside:
1. People think I don't work but I suppose that's not really my problem.
2. I am PeterPrincipled: this is it. I would NEVER choose to be a Dean or administrator, so this really is it. Get happy, daggnabbit.
3. You ain't gettin' rich but then again I am come in when I like, say what I want, and can't get fired (well, you can, but not in a private University where you do your job...this is a professional place, not a political one).


lucky me, dbrk

[e-RICHIE]

Money Magazine just rated being a college professor the second best job in America. I was hugely relieved. <snipped>

this post is why i love this guy and why i practically
followed him here when it was the phorum. dbrk is
a treasure atmo. sorry pal if that makes you blush;
after all - red is good.

[stevep]

unbeatable gig.
sell bike sh$^%$t...some of it really good ( according to the ads, anyway...sorry )
talk bikes all the time.
tour some summers.
despite the preponderance of crackpots* in this tiny bicycle business...
it feels like home to me.

* not me, i am sane

[Ray]

this post is why i love this guy and why i practically
followed him here when it was the phorum. dbrk is
a treasure atmo. sorry pal if that makes you blush;
after all - red is good.
Word (perhaps it IS the initials). Douglas played a big part in my introduction to nice bikes and we hung out together for some time in IBOB land (and on too rare an occasion, in person), where we both still visit on occasion. I didn't follow him here, but when I stumbled into this joint a few years ago and saw he was here, that was enough to know it was worth checking out. And I still hang around the edges. "Duke of my own insignificant Fenwick" - have to remember that one - just another in a long line of great dbrk lines.

-Ray

[Bill Bove]

unbeatable gig.
sell bike sh$^%$t...some of it really good ( according to the ads, anyway...sorry )
talk bikes all the time.
tour some summers.
despite the preponderance of crackpots* in this tiny bicycle business...
it feels like home to me.

* not me, i am sane
My job: Bike Shop Owner

Likes, all that stevep says.

Dislikes, being pressured by suppliers to buy more from them and to ef the other distributer (not you stevep, think of that bike company in Wisconsin that wants to be a P&A supplier too).

[shaq-d]

do people work in toronto?

na :)

chilling outside his melting igloo, sd

[SManning]

Likes:

1. I love my job and I get to share one of the biggest loves of my life with my students everyday.
2. I work in a school with a great staff and a phenomenal principal.
3. My hours and vacation time. I can officially leave at 3:40, so I'm out the door and on the bike by 4:15/4:30 or so....


Dislikes:
1. Budget cuts. My district is cutting $1.5 million from the budget this year. Due to cuts, I'll have to teach Technology (Thank God, I'm computer literate) and travel to another school for one afternoon a week. Yuck!
2. Red tape. paperwork, and in-services that have nothing to do with music education. I'd much rather spend my time interacting with my students and learning about things to help them be better musicians.

[pbbob]

I work in a nursing home caring for NH residents and sub-acute residents.
likes: 32 hours a week is considered full time. so that's all I do and tomorrow I got 80 miles planned on the eatern shore.
dislikes: the nursing staff responsible for 24/7 care of the residents and patients here are dangerously uneducated and prefer to stay that way.

[cydewaze]

Likes:
- Most of the people I work with are really decent.
- I have my own private office.
- It pays well.
- I get to work from home 2 days a week.

Dislikes:
- I do have to work with the occasional idiot.
- My office has no windows.
- The job can get really boring and repetitive.
- I have a 90 min commute, each way.
- Between gas, parking, and subway fare, I spend about $15/day commuting.

[telenick]

Howdy! First post for me ...but a long time lurker. I really like the vibe of this forum. Mind if I come in from the cold and say hello? :)

Likes:
- Ski every powder day ...and then some.
- Office is 100 meters from a lift.
- Boss is very cool.
- Work hard and play hard.
- 5 weeks of PTO.
- Cycle ~2 hours in the middle of my work day.
- Flex schedule.

Dislikes:
- Not enough powder days. ;)

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/telenick/NickProfessor.jpg

[Bud]

Howdy! First post for me ...but a long time lurker. I really like the vibe of this forum. Mind if I come in from the cold and say hello? :)

Likes:
- Ski every powder day ...and then some.
- Office is 100 meters from a lift.
- Boss is very cool.
- Work hard and play hard.
- 5 weeks of PTO.
- Cycle ~2 hours in the middle of my work day.
- Flex schedule.

Dislikes:
- Not enough powder days. ;)

Bro where do you work? We spend a lot of time up that way (I'm in Louisville, CO). BTW- welcome. I've learned a lot in my short time here and I think you'll like it.

Oh- and it looks like you're a free-heeler too? Sweet.

[telenick]

Bro where do you work? We spend a lot of time up that way (I'm in Louisville, CO). BTW- welcome. I've learned a lot in my short time here and I think you'll like it.

Oh- and it looks like you're a free-heeler too? Sweet.

I work for ...ah, hem... :o Intrawest. I office at Copper. Does it count that I was here before they were?

Thanks for the welcome, Bud. :)

Yes, another half-a-brain / half-a-binding telemark skiing fool.

I just had my Seven Axiom Ti kyped out of my car two weeks ago. It was a very sad day. I'm looking to replace with a Serotta. Not sure which one though.

[manet]

Good points:
'Taint

manet, lowering the forum one reply at a time: "ha... ha... he said taint."

xoxo

[dgauthier]

I'm a lot like you, Headwinds . . .

Likes:

1) I am practically my own boss
2) I have a (very) flexible schedule (lots of time to ride and play!)
3) I work in a great environment (good thinkers, open minded people)
4) I get along with all of my co-workers
5) I have an excellent vacation and benefits plan
6) Steps away from Santa Monica's 3rd Street Promenade and the beach
7) Every Friday night, at around 4-5 PM - I kid you not - the kitchen staff will come around to offer me wine and spirits at my desk. :beer:

Dislikes:

Are you kidding? Did you read 7? None! :D

[terry b]

Factory Automation Manager for large producer of the little slices of silicon you've come to rely on.

Likes:

1) 3.13 mile commute
2) Location - high desert, best cycling weather that still provides four seasons. Medium sized city with empty bike paths
3) Compensation - very decent pay and a generous stock option program that has allowed me to transcend my lower middle class roots
4) Fast paced, smart environment. Risk taking and results orientation can be valued and rewarded. Lots of brainy people around, strong peer group
5) Interesting work - computers, applications, robots, data, security
6) Flexible time - if the work gets done, no one keeps track of your comings and goings

Dislikes:

1) Forced distribution employee assessment process, makes the 1st quarter a complete drain of personal energy
2) Completely independent of the job, I'm simply getting tired of getting up and coming to work. 30 years of this is enough. I'd have this no matter what I was doing

[dirtdigger88]

Commercial Landscaper

Likes-

I love my job- Ive always enjoyed landscaping
flexible schedule
Im my own boss
I wear shorts when I want
I get to play with big trucks and tractors
I can get dirty when I want to

Dislikes-

maybe the crazy pace of the spring- but I dont know- I sorta get off on the insanity also

nevermind- I have no dislikes- I am probably one of the few people who can honestly say that I love my job- I work with great people- I do what I love- I get paid reasonable well for doing it- and I still get to ride-

whats not to like

Jason

[Ginger]

1. Are you kidding? I'm a writer...and right now I get paid to do that.
2. Created an intricate set of documents from nothing.
3. Nobody bothers me.
4. Large, multi-cultural company.
5. I interview SMEs involved in many facets of the company, R&D, Quality, Support, Sales, Marketing.
6. Incredibly interesting high tech software to write about.
7. I enjoy writing, I like the tech stuff...it's a good fit.

Dislikes
1. no peers...
2. I'm actually a copywriter...but I don't get paid like one.
3. My work is not the end product. They do a direct lift with light edit into collateral, and I guess that should be good enough..no?
4. I'm out of the discovery mode of the job and into the slog mode of the job. I had lots of fun getting things to where they are, but I'm about ready to move to "something different." I miss digging into the subject and figuring out what documentation needs to be created, how to create it, and hunting down the sources.

[vandeda]

Likes:

1) Get to design nuclear reactors for the Navy
2) Occassionally get to be on $2.4billion submarines
3) Get to interact with Navy & Gov't personnel occassionally
4) Highly exclusive job
5) Greeeeat location. Company in the suburbs, country only a few miles away, shopping centers only a few miles away, and lots to offer other than just biking (skiing, hiking, NYC, Boston, etc. etc.)
6) Best group of guys in my cube .... though 1 is leaving in a month :( :( :(


Dislikes:
1) Can be very monotonous
2) Sit behind a computer nearly 9 hours a day
3) Pay isn't great
4) Lots of changes occurring, and I see no way my group can meet our deadlines, which is killing me personally. But we just don't have the resources
5) I'd rather be working with my hands. If I ever win the lottery, I'm becoming a bike or auto mechanic

Overall I like the job, and I love the area and friends I have!
Dan

[bluesea]

Likes:
- get to wear surf shorts every day--shirt optional
- designing and creating
- working with wood
- seeing past projects here and there all over town
- lunch! we tend to get extravagant
- happy clients

Dislikes:
- sawdust and sweat
- having to load and unload a truckful of tools everyday

[vandeda]

They terminated me after almost 29 years because I was hurt on the job and didn't heal fast enough for them.

Man ... that really sucks :( It is amazing how companies don't always seem to value their employees. I hope you find something as good if not better soon!

Dan

[sailorboy]

Likes:
Get to move every 2-4 years if you don't like a place

Practicing my craft in the military is far more challenging and rewarding than it is on the outside (IOW, malpractice lawyers don't dictate the delivery of healthcare in the military, therefore you can do more fun stuff)

Pay and benefits are good for the amount of work most of the time (I guess that makes me your typical govt. employee!)

Dislikes:
You have to move every 2-4 years regardless of how much you like the place or friends you've made

Can't attend Finger Lakes Ramble because I'm in Japan!!!

Institutional inertia is depressing; creativity, non-conventional thought or action is rarely rewarded and often frowned upon (yes, it happens from the top all the way to the bottom)

Being a slave to my (future) pension

In a related thought, I'm ready to not be this closely associated with the military-industrial complex anymore; even though just about all of us are on some level

Should I put my papers in???

[pale scotsman]

IS administrator in healthcare

Likes:

Cutting edge technology and a CFO that understands IT
1.4 mile commute
Great boss and co-workers
Get to make decisions and implement solutions instead of just talking about it.
Lot's of PDO's that I can cash out if not used
Nice scenery

Dislikes:

Code browns
GI bleeds
*****y redneck nurses that make you wonder exactly what it takes to be a RN.
Hurricanes

[catulle]

4) (IT Manager, that is)

If there were anything good about work they wouldn't pay you to do it, imho.

BTW, many many years ago I was in a small town in the coast of Andalucia in Spain. It was noon or so and I walked into what the Spanish call a town bar which is not exactly what a bar would be like in the US. There were some five or six old farmer types sipping wine and munching olives and cheese. They were laughing and having a merry time and soon enough I was partaking of their conversation. All was going just fine until my curiosity prompted me to ask one of the old gezzers what was it that he did for a living. I asked: Y usted de que trabaja? (And what is your work/job?). Huge silence. The guys started shuffling their feet and looking to the ground, while the man I had spoken to nailed his eyes to my face. And then he said: Work? Did you have to spoil the day and mention that damned word? Work? We are talking among friends and drinking wine and you say work?

They then turned and walked to the other end of the bar. As I left, the owner of the bar wouldn't take my money. Never again did I or will I mention the word work when drinking wine in a Spanish bar, imho. I also learned that remunerated work is an aberration (Bakunin, Prudhome, Kropotkin, et al.) :no:

[Bud]

I also learned that remunerated work is an aberration (Bakunin, Prudhome, Kropotkin, et al.) :no:


Nice story, Catulle.

Guess I'll play now. At the age of 35, my current job is what I consider to be my fourth "career" (or real job, if you prefer).

PhD student/research assistant/Teacher of undergrads

Likes:
-I'm free to pursue my own intellectual interests
-I'm surrounded by people who contribute to my intellectual growth
-I make my own schedule, therefore I have "time" to do other things, such as ride. (Of course, time is in quotes because sooner or later I pay for playing too much)
- I get to teach :)
-My future is up to me in the sense that what I pursue now is the basis (if I so choose) of my future work as a professor.

Dislikes:
-Poor pay (luckily, I have a supportive and understanding wife who is also a cyclist :) )
-I often miss teaching HS students (physics teacher for 7 yrs)

If all goes according to the current plan, then in 3 yrs or so I will have the second best job (see dbrk's comments :D ).

[lnomalley]

i don't like it when they don't swab the brass pole with alcohol before it's my turn.

[Fixed]

bro for racing i need to ride less but i have to ride everyday wasn't a bad thing until I started racing with the idea of being trained and rested and trying to do well . I used to just do a race like a ride or training . oh well
cheers

[Louis]

Likes: I get to work on some really cool stuff (I mean really, really, really cool stuff). Most of the time the work itself is fun and satisfying. The pay is enough to cover the bills.

Dislikes: It's such a specialized gig done in so few places in the US that I have very little choice in location if I should decide to move.

[Ginger]

Catulle, good story.

When I ask people what they "do" I don't want to know what job they hold, because that's only what you do for money...not what you "do." (I will on occasion ask people what they do for work too...because matching people with professions is interesting.)

Ginger

[67-59]

Likes:

1. Fascinating work. My specialty is in the area of clinical research, so I get to hear about new medical devices, drugs and other treatments long before most others do. Lots of really interesting bioethical issues too. I also help out on patient care issues that arise, which can get interesting.
2. Great employer that, for the most part, understands the concept of "work-life balance."
3. Generally flexible hours that allow me to do stuff with the kids and ride when the weather is nice.
4. Pay is good enough (but not nearly what I'd make at a big firm).
5. Benefits are great. And if I get sick, the best docs on earth are right down the hall.

Dislikes:

1. Call rotation. Just like our docs, we need to take turns taking overnight and weekend call to address legal issues that can arise any time. Can't stand getting paged during a ride, so I need to find a colleague who is willing to cover if I want to go on a ride.
2.Suit and tie every day.

WAY more good than bad.

[Dr. Doofus]

likes

I teach -- that, in itself, is an endless joy.


dislikes

knowing that many students are not yet mature enough to accept responsibility for their learning and actions, or ready to accept that you are there to help them learn how to assume self-responsibility. its like watching someone you care about jump off a bridge on a daily basis.

[bulliedawg]

Likes:

I work for myself;
I work out of my house;
Because I work out of my house, my four-month-old son Hank doesn't have to go to daycare;
I produce a product that people really seem to enjoy;
I produce a product that makes money for newspapers and makes their jobs easier;
I get to write about college football, which in my opinion is the greatest sports spectacle America has to offer;
I only work eight months a year.

Dislikes:

I have to sell my product myself, which sometimes sucks;
I make all my money from August to January, which is kind of wierd;
I work for myself, which can sometimes be scary.

[bcm119]

Geographic information system specialist and cartographer. I work on gov. funded ecological monitoring and conservation projects- at least, the ones that are left.

Likes:
I like what I do- I love making maps, and using the latest applications. My hours are flexible, I can ride for 2 hours during the day, and I have every other friday off.

Dislikes:
Not that many places where I can do this work. Pay isn't great. Funding for this stuff is going down the toilet, and sometimes it seems like a losing battle.

[sellsworth]

I teach environmental science courses at a small liberal arts college at Lake Tahoe. I have my summers off, a month off at Christmas time and a spring break. In other words there is nothing that I don't like about my job.

[Serotta PETE]

What I do???
I give SANDY a rough time,
Hang on to Flydhest saddle going up hills, and
have SPOKES buy me breakfast a few time a week.

Besides that I have been getting to the gym at least 4 times per week, riding my bike at least five times/week and just generally enjoying my new job!!!!!

[keno]

I'm expecting to see one buff dude at Notrott. You, no doubt, will take matters into your own hands and lead the fast group into exhaustion.

keno

[catulle]

This is my twentieth year at the University of Rochester

lucky me, dbrk

Small world...!!! One of my daughter's old school mates is going to the University of Rochester next year. He just returned with his dad from an exploratory trip and he came back totally crazy about U of R. His name is Zach, and he installed the computer on my C-50. He's a great kid and I love him like a son. He is a top rate soccer player and a black belt in Karate. He is a skinny scroungy kid with spiked hair and he is as good as they come.

Now that I get back home I'll call him to find out when he is planning to leave for Rochester in order to send you a rock or a palm tree or something from the tropics. There must be something good going on in Rochester. Groovy. Groovy is my word for 2006. The missus is already about to kill me each time I say groovy. She's no fun. Hey, groovy.

[dbrk]

Small world...!!! One of my daughter's old school mates is going to the University of Rochester next year. ...There must be something good going on in Rochester. Groovy...Hey, groovy.

Be sure to send the little villian my way. Tell him to ignore the sign on my office door, the one that quotes of my favorite-est of disinvitations: "Nobody gets to see the Wizard. Not nobody. Not nohow." And then there are the naked, ash-smeared, bowl-bearing ascetics chanting in Sanskrit in the hallway up there in Rush Rhees Library...So be assured, I will do my best to dissuade him of both our academic excellence and, of course, our claim to the best weather anywhere in these fair United States. Yup, you heard it here: students come for the weather. Okay, I'm lying, but it is fun to say. And a spring day, like today, is just remarkably beautiful. (It's supposed to rain all weekend...)

Thread relevance: Cycling invites torture but nothing beats what we who hold America's Second Best Job can inflict upon your children, You Who Pay Exorbitant Tuitions!

d[second]b[est]rk

[Serotta PETE]

I'm expecting to see one buff dude at Notrott. You, no doubt, will take matters into your own hands and lead the fast group into exhaustion.

keno

Over wine and Sierra Nevada maybe!!!! :beer: :beer: