Professions & Careers

[Jimbo]

Hey all you guys! I was just curious to find out what professions you are all in, or what you are studying, if you are, at the moment?

Jim

[loves to skate]

Hi Jimbo,
I am a retired Medical Technologist certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists.
Sally

[MissEmmyF]

I'm the Traffic Manager at an advertising agency. Since just about no one will probably know what that means, I do all the scheduling, following up, etc. to make sure jobs are on track and ready to ship on time. Basically, the organizational center of the agency.

[MamaBear]

I am a loan processor for GE Money Bank.

[Doodles]

I retired from teaching June '08--mostly 7th and 8th grade English but had upper grades a few years too--after 34 and 1/2 years of teaching. Janet

[loris]

I work in accounting, and I am also currenlty studing to get my bachelors degree after 20 years. (ah what was i thinking going back to school after all this time:rolleyes:)

[Qikdraw]

I don't work right now.

I had to stop because of pain, and now I can't find work at all. :( However I used to work in kitchens for 8 years, worked in software testing for 3, retail sales for 2, and worked contruction in flooring and cabinets for 4 years.

I'm looking to go back to school and get a degree in construction management and possibly civil engineering after that. I'd like to get LEED certification as well.

[sarah105]

I am still an undergrad at George Washington University but I am studying to be a speech-language pathologist.

[pilar]

I'm a student. BA in Anthropology and hopefully going to Grad school for Geography.

[briarrose]

I graduated in May of this year with a BS in chemistry and a BS in biochemistry. I'm currently an analytical chemist. We've been running tests on morphine capsules lately.

[debbei]

I graduated in May of this year with a BS in chemistry and a BS in biochemistry. I'm currently an analytical chemist. We've been running tests on morphine capsules lately.

Isn't that cool!

[debbei]

I'm a Systems Analyst at a telcom company.

[Singer]

I was a journalist/editor for many years -- now I'm a weddings/funerals singer.

[S4Sarah]

I'm a student, I'm not in college yet so I'm not exactly sure what my majors will be but I have a lot of ideas I can't decide, I may go for a double major.
Currently I'm a 10th grader, and I also work as a web mistress/designer.

[LindaRacine]

Great thread Jimbo!

Until getting laid off in April, I did catalog marketing management.

--Linda

[titaniumed]

Im a professional weightlifter now.
Ed

[titaniumed]

One for the ladies.

[Pooka1]

If Ti Ed can be a body builder then I'm a fine arts professor. :)

Go ahead... ask me anything about fine art. :eek:

[Cimbom]

I'm currently working as a freelance writer and studying law

[sed78]

I am a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studying higher education. I will graduate in August and my surgery is scheduled for September.

[concerned dad]

Interesting thread.
I am a “concerned dad”. I didn’t have any special schooling for the job and, as is often the case, it turned out to be completely different from what I had envisioned. I liked the job so much that after two years I decided to double my workload. Having held this position for almost 15 years I can say that I would follow the same career path in a heartbeat and would recommend it to anyone (mature enough to handle the obligation). Compensation, while not in cash, is extraordinary. Watching a child grow into a young adult, molded by your influence and guided by the morals you impart, is priceless. I am also lucky to have a partner in this job; Mrs CD. Who, if the truth be told, is deserving of all the credit for our successful endeavor.

As for my “other” full time job? I am fortunate enough to say I find it almost as equally rewarding. I am a geophysicist (http://www.princetonreview.com/Careers.aspx?cid=73) (I checked the wrong box on a form once). I linked to it there because most folks are not too familiar with the field (my mom used to think I looked for arrowheads or fossils). The *ist part of the job title not only makes it difficult to pronounce, but makes it sound a bit glamorous. I can assure you though that, if I happen to be working near a road, it is not uncommon for a mother to pull her car over and point me out to her children saying “see that fellow over there? That’s what’s going to happen to you if you don’t go to school and study hard”.

An interesting sentence from the “job description” at that link is:

Those who succeed in geophysics seem to have the ability to be flexible and the willingness to challenge previously held assumptions if their data proves those assumptions untrue.

I suppose that may sum up my participation in this forum. I know I’ve flip-flopped all over the place trying to understand the issues surrounding scoliosis treatment. And, I want to thank you all for helping me in my journey to find the answers that are right for my daughter.

[Sharshe]

I had been a floral designer and artist (painting murals and such). Now I do it for my own enjoyment at my own pace (very slow;)

[CHRIS WBS]

I’m a paralegal in the law department of a Fortune 500 company; and I have the best boss in the world.

[LynnMarie74]

I am a Home equity Underwriting Supervisor. Sounds excieting, doesnt it? :rolleyes:

[Jimbo]

Thank you so much for all your responses. It is really amazing to see so many different professions. So many cool jobs you all have! It seems that you all have not let the spinal issues determine your careers and that gives me the much needed confidence to stay on my career path as a registered nurse student. I also currently work as an acquired brain injury support worker. I have also done half a sociology degree and studied alot in physics and psychology.

You all have a wonderful weekend :)

[52skeedoo]

This is a great thread. Fun to read.

My title is "senior marketing associate" at a pharmaceutical but that doesn't explain what I do. Right now I answer inquiry and complaint calls from customer (consumers or health care professionals). My specialty is diabetes and osteoporisis.

Sheri

[titaniumed]

Thanks for the PM compliments everyone. That bodybuilder pic was pretty funny. I might have reached the pinnacle of comedy with that one..... or a least triggered a few hernias.

Jimbo
The main thing with occupations or careers is that you enjoy what it is that you are doing. It doesn't matter what you do, just have a blast doing it. I have always installed this philosophy with my associates and coworkers.

Obviously there are occupations that will not be a proper fit with scoliotics. Weightlifting would be one of them.
Ed

[Wishing]

I'm a retired Psychiatric R.N.

[JenniferG]

Ed, that pic was not "pretty funny", it was a hoot. I (nearly) PMSL actually.

Wow, we have some very interesting careers here! Sadly, I have not had an interesting career, having been, in my youth, a secretary/PA then, needing to get out of the office, hit the road for 13 years as a Company rep. I've also doubled up on jobs when I wanted to save for something e.g. a house, car or travel and have done my share of waitressing and other easily come by part time work. Was a single Mum for many years and I consider that my most interesting job thus far.;)

Currently I am having a year off to worry about nothing more than getting well. After that, I hope to defy the employment downturn and get at least part time work doing anything my back enables me.:)

[naptown78]

I am a Registered Nurse Liaison working for a home health company. I see patients before they discharge from the hospital or nursing home and coordinate the discharge to home health care. It requires a lot of walking which has been a real challenge for me both before and after surgery. But I LOVE my job. To see others in health crises a lot worse off than me helps me to put my own problems in perspective. Nursing is a great career and I encourage anyone to pursue it if they want to.

[swilson]

I am currently a PhD student studying Public Health. I also worked in the government for a little while as a health scientist after I completed two master degrees. I guess you can say I am a professional student! lol. ;)

Best,
Simone

Fused May 11th 2009 T5 to L1.
Home recovering well!

[skoshi314]

I am an executive assistant to an Oklahoma State Senator. He is truly "one of the good guys" and has been incredibly understanding about my back issues and time off. I'm very fortunate!

[leahdragonfly]

I think TiEd's post and photo are hysterical, and CD, I love your post, too. That was funny about what the moms say about being on the side of the road! Isn't being a parent really the most important and challenging job we can have? I found becoming a parent showed me a whole new dimension of love, and, of worry.

Besides being a parent, I am an RN. I worked for 10 years in Critical Care, then 7 in Interventional Cardiology, with 3 years in Endoscopy thrown in. I am now happy to be back in Interventional Cardiology and Radiology. Nursing is really a great career with a lot of flexibility (although not always easy on the back-haha). Jimbo, I wish you well in your studies.

[nervous]

I work at a top 10 Fortune 500 Insurance Company managing succession needs and identifying talent for the organization.

To help give eveyone hope, I went back to work 9 weeks post-op part time. I am now back to work full time and am almost 3 months post-op. :)

This surgery has changed my life for the better! I pray to God everything continues to heal well!

[timetofaceit]

I am an office manager for a general dentist and I own and operate a private piano studio in our home.

[Fit Kit]

I have worked in the deaf education field for 34 years in various areas ranging from a dorm mom to Jr. High girls and boys to a fitness trainer to students and staff for the last 5 years. I made a drastic career change at the age of 50 and became centified as a personal trainer. Oh by the way I was Ed T's personal body building coach..he wanted to buff up a little !!!:D I dearly love my job and hope I can return to work in Aug. and continue to do my job well. My surgery was 5 weeks ago and so far I'm doing amazingly well.
A great thread!!

[RitaR]

Hello All,
I am a Medical Transcriptionist locally having been so for 25+ years...
Thanks.

[asccbodypro]

I retired from teaching June '08--mostly 7th and 8th grade English but had upper grades a few years too--after 34 and 1/2 years of teaching. Janet

All I can say is god bless you for investing your time and energy in to teaching our youth! I am a firm believer that our teachers are far to under paid!

[asccbodypro]

I was a personal trainer up until 5 years ago when my scoliosis started to progress and the pain made me pursue another line of work for a while to give my back a rest. I had a client who sold time share here in Virginia Beach so I gave that a try for 2 years before my back took me out of that as well! Hopefully if all goes well with recovery the personal training industry will see me again. I loved loved loved it! I regret accepting the pain for so long.

[Doodles]

Susan--What a sweetheart you are! I appreciate your kind words. I think more often people think we're crazy to deal with that age--probably some truth there too! I sure hope your recovery is such that you can return to the job you love as a personal trainer. Janet

[JenniferG]

Good luck Susan. It's so special to have a vocation that you love.

[Christl]

My daughter is scheduled for surgery in less than 3 weeks. She is 15 and wants to be a large animal veterinarian specializing in horses. I wonder what her odds are of making this one come true with her scoliosis. Our vet said that large animal care is very physically demanding.

[Pooka1]

My daughter is scheduled for surgery in less than 3 weeks. She is 15 and wants to be a large animal veterinarian specializing in horses. I wonder what her odds are of making this one come true with her scoliosis. Our vet said that large animal care is very physically demanding.

Once scoliosis is stabilized I don't know why she can't do that.

With that said, I know first-hand and from speaking to folks that there is a certain attrition rate in large animal practice with folks working with horses. I personally lost a great vet who said she was just burned out going out on colic cases at 3:00 AM in sub-zero weather to tube a horse, etc. She told me she was taking a break from her career as she was stringing a shoe-lace-type string through two holes in my horse's face to keep the drainage open for a few days.

I suspect unless they have their own practice and have enough clients, the pay, especially at first, simply doesn't justify the amount and type of work involved. And that's a kick in the teeth when it is far harder to get a slot in vet school than in med school.

I don't know about the attrition rate for large animal vets who don't work with horses but I suspect it might be similar.

My fused daughter wants to be a vet with an exotics emphasis and work at a zoo. Very competitive.

My other daughter wants to be a PhD scientist. MUCH less competitive and likely pays more even to start and is less physically demanding in general.

[LindaRacine]

My daughter is scheduled for surgery in less than 3 weeks. She is 15 and wants to be a large animal veterinarian specializing in horses. I wonder what her odds are of making this one come true with her scoliosis. Our vet said that large animal care is very physically demanding.

Hi Christi...

The only thing I would be concerned about is the fact that she may have to routinely lift a lot of weight. Since something like 85% of adults will have at least one episode of back pain in their lives, it's probably pretty close to 100% for people with scoliosis. Routinely having to lift a lot of weight can be hard on one's back. My recommendation would be to see if you can get her into a routine of core strengthening exercises that can limit potential problems.

Regards,
Linda

[Ballet Mom]

Hi Christl,

My veterinarian appears to have had scoliosis surgery at some point in her life although I have never actually asked her to confirm this. I would say she is in her mid-thirties to early forties. She walks very straight and stiff and one shoulder hangs lower than the other. The other shoulder is at the normal position.

She is an absolutely lovely and wonderful vet and I ask for her specifically when I bring my dogs in. Unfortunately, my dogs are quite big and need to be checked on the ground and not on the exam table. And on top of that, both my dogs will lie down on their side to get a belly rub when she comes near. She has to sit on a chair and then try to lean down to them, all the while complaining of her bad back. Perhaps she has a very long fusion or other problems, but if she’s typical, I have a hard time imagining her being able to get down beside large animals on the ground and doing anything more than a quick exam. I can’t imagine her dealing with a difficult birth, for instance.

However, perhaps you could speak with your daughter’s surgeon, he would probably know better than anyone, as he would know the length of the fusion, etc. When our original surgeon was talking about surgery for my daughter, I asked about a professional ballet career after surgery, and he said he didn’t want to crush anyone’s dreams, but he felt a professional ballerina would need all the flexibility in her spine in order for her to be one. He said if she’d just chosen professional tennis as her love, she’d be fine.

Anyhow, good luck to her, hopefully she’ll be fine being a large animal vet, but at least it’s something to consider and ask more questions about.

[wvu90]

I am a Medical Technologist (ASCP). I worked almost 10 years in Transfusion Medicine and now work in the Pathology Lab of a 24 hour Emergency Dept.

[Snoopy]

My 17 y.o. daughter who is fused from T3-L2 wants to become a physical therapist. Any thoughts/concerns on that? She starts college in 3 weeks!


Mary Lou

[Christl]

Thank you for replies on the veterinarian subject. My daughter will have a lot to consider. Of course some of the things I will not mention to her at the moment. Don't want to put tension on her hopes before surgery. ;) But I will keep these things in mind.

[Jimbo]

My 17 y.o. daughter who is fused from T3-L2 wants to become a physical therapist. Any thoughts/concerns on that? She starts college in 3 weeks!


Mary Lou

Tell her to GO FOR IT! She will not only have the skills as a physiotherapist, but can also utilise the rare skill of empathy for her patients.

[Snoopy]

Tell her to GO FOR IT! She will not only have the skills as a physiotherapist, but can also utilise the rare skill of empathy for her patients.


Thanks Jimbo! Those are my thoughts exactly!


Mary Lou

[Lorraine 1966]

This is a great thread, Jimbo. I am not currently working due to pain, but prior and for 30 years I worked in finance. Credit management in personal loans and the like, just loved it. Also collected from the ones who forgot to pay! ha

Lorraine.

[lisanicole]

How fun to finally know what everyone does. Great idea Jimbo.
I have my Bachelor's Degree in Voice, and I have a band and sing around my city & surrounding areas quite often (www.lisanicolegrace.com or www.myspace.com/lisanicolegrace)

BUT my day job is working at a hospital foundation doing fundraising and special event coordination. It's excellent & rewarding work!

Nice to hear from everyone! :)

[thinkinmom]

I'm a speech-language therapist working with preschool-aged children, half of whom have autism spectrum disorders. I love my job, but get tired of sitting on the floor ;)