Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group A Question for all.......

In my working days which ended in 1998 when I took early retirement, I was the Section head of a Process Measurement section in a large Research Division of a major forest company with pulp and paper and lumber divisions.

I spent 39 years with the same company and was treated so well and so honestly, I feel almost guilty when I read about some of you and your job problems.

George

Breb Assyl

I can't believe any of that Steve. We've all seen enough of you on this site to know differently.

Give me your sister in law"s address and I'll straighten her out for you.

George

Breb Assyl

Paul-
I love my job. I work for the school district in a program called FACT. I help link families to government agencies to get assistance. I get referrals for children that need medical attention either physically or mentally, who need financial help or scholastic help. I then connect the families with the things that they need. I have a nurse, therapist, Workforce Service worker, DCFS worker, Juvenille Court Liason worker, and school counselors on my team. I am over the team and I get to help families get back on their feet. The best part is that I do most of it from home. I can send my workers out and they report back to me. I have a great boss and a good team of people that I work with.
De Ann

Hi De Ann,

You have the perfect job for such a loving lady:)

Your rock climbin' buddy,

Pete


"In the game of life, nothing is less important than the
score at half time." --Anon.

Wow. I have to admire someone who makes such a committment to music. I took music lessons right through grade 11, but dropped it when the theory started to out-weigh the performance side...I played trombone and just loved to play....always first trombone, of course....cough cough....but I just HATED learning theory. Now I wish that I'd stuck it out and just learned what I was supposed to learn. BUt, I was a head-strong teenager who didn't like to study....

Now, my 2 boys, ages 7 and 9 are both taking piano lessons and my just-turned-4 year old daughter is going to be starting in a year or two. I love to listen to them practice on our keyboard and I'm always amazed at how much progress they make in such a short period of time...It's expensive, but my wife and I think it's an important part of life, so we spend the money.

I hope you do eventually make it to your doctoral thesis....it's the sort of thing that can really have an impact on your life. A starving musician you'll never be as long as you can teach other's how to play, and spread your love of music.

Bye for now. Darren.

Take Care...

I wish I was one who could say that I love my job.....but no way. I work for the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA), formerly known as Revenue Canada (Our version of the IRS). I work in the Enquiries and Adjustments division, doing just that...handling enquiries and processing adjustments. My job usually has me sitting at my desk processing adjustments to tax returns after client's have written in, or called our call centre and asked to have something changed. So, I spend most of my time sending out cheques to people...not what most would think of when asked to imagine what working at Revenue Canada might be like, I'm sure.

Before I got in at CCRA, I was a part-time bartender, moved up to head bartender (hiring, firing, scheduling, etc...) then brought over to our other hotel as Assistant Manager. After 5 year of this, I could see there was never going to be any money in it, so I applied for jobs with Revenue Canada. I got in to our taxation center on a contract basis, working for about 4 or 5 month of the year, then got in with the Customs side of things. I worked as a Customs Officer (border guard), again on a contract basis, and then went back to taxation. It was a difficult time because the government had a hiring freeze on so nobody was being hired on a permanent basis. In 1996 I got lucky by doing very well on some internal job competitions so I got to stay pretty much year round, although still not as a permanent employee. Finally in 1998, after even more competitions, I was offered a full-time, permanent gig.

I have only 27 more years to go before I can retire with a full pension....ya right! I'm still working, but every day I have to fight like hell to keep from just going home and applying for disability. I am very lucky in one way, and that's because I work for the government, I have very good disability insurance. If I am forced into medical retirement I'll end up with the equivalent of a full indexed pension (70% of my gross wages). There is a carrot dangling in front of me that is also making retirement a difficult thing right now, and that's that we are supposed to be getting a decent raise soon, for the first time in years. My top salary (there are 6 incremental steps, one for each year of experience doing the job, but I'm only at step 3 so far...) may well go up by almost 15% over 3 years, and for me that means an increase of almost 30% (not being at the top level means that each year I move up a pay level, in addition to any salary increases everyone else is also getting). That 30% would make a HUGE difference in my current standard of living and would also make a big difference in my pension for the next 30 years....quite the incentive to stay. The big problem is that my body is putting me into a postition that negates any choice I may have. I'll either be capable of working or I won't. The choice will be made for me.

Fun thread. Thanks for thinking of it! Darren.


Take Care...

Hi, I use to love my job now it takes everything I have to go to work. I am a service manager for a supercenter called Meijer. Anyone that isn't from MI, ohio, In, or ILL. will not know what it is. I have been with Meijer's for 11 years ever since I graduated from High School. The job is like most everyone elses demanding and stressfull. I use to like the challenge of the work everyday is usually different, but now days I can't handle the challenge and beginning to hate my job. The biggest reason is because I am not very Physically able to do it right now, and in a lot of pain. hopefully that will all change and I can like my job again.
As for everyone that is in a job they love, that is wonderful life is so much more fullfiling when you love your work. Considering that is the place we mostly spend our time at.

Bev

Current: Insurance P&C
Previous: Call center Sup/Mang for largest US PC/Banking eqpt repair
Sidelines: Plumber
seamstress
carpenter
dishwasher
carpet cleaner
dog walker
boo boo kisser (technical position)
financial advisor
book keeper
teacher
grounds keeper
cook (really suck at this one)
laundress
medic
singer (OK so my kids don't like me doing that job)
writer
Dog/Rat groomer (Ever tried to bath a rat)
Appliance repair
Painter
Hair stylist
Ok I'm tired now. Think I'll go take a nap. Oh crap I have to get ready for work! Arrrrgggggggggguuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Hugs
Tammy

Hi Paul, good question!!
Well when I left school I was all set for a career in office work, but meeting Shug the day after I left school meant my “career” was over before it was started..lol….
I managed two years before Shug whisked me off in his arms to be wed (those were the days when he could lift me…lol…)

With the moving around every 2 or 3 yrs, then with the appearance of the kids, with little or no childcare and no relatives even in the same country as me to help out, it was impossible to have any sort of “career” anyway!

To help pay the bills I’ve done anything that was available. Cleaner, dishwasher, mushroom picker (they don’t just walk to the supermarket themselves….lol…. When both kids were in school, I got into pre school teaching, a job I loved, but in the end it was poorly paid and a thoroughly thankless job, I mean all we did was play with toys on the carpet, yeah right!! So after moving here I decided the time was right for a change, to something I enjoyed. I was lucky, I found that in Teaching Assistant at the primary school. Although I spend some time during the day doing general classroom chores, marking, spellings, backing artwork, my main job is to provide literacy support to a group of wonderful children who are not attaining the grade the government says they should DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THAT ONE!!!
Anyway, I love my job and not once have I gotten out of bed and thought “Oh no, work”……well ok never except every Monday morning…lol….Today as my group dispersed back to their classrooms, one girl came up to me and said “Thankyou for having me Mrs Sheridan” I was so speechless I couldn’t think what to say! Bless that child….I love my job.

Take care
Jackie.


Sharing some fairy dust

Hi Paul,
I'm a power engineer in a boiler room in a hospital. We produce steam for heat. We installed this system in 1981 and I've been keeping it working since. The company which makes these boilers said we couldn't fit it in the space we had. Well, we proved them wrong. Myself and a few mechanics managed to do what they said couldn't be done. (Actually more thanks to these mechanics than myself). You don't always have to be an engineer to have good ideas and develop them.
Some boiler rooms use natural gas, some use heating oil. In this hospital we use wood chips. Our boiler is like a huge fireplace. Everything is automated so we don't need shovels and there's no need for 24 hour surveillance. Some people find this hard to believe but it's the truth. On our coldest winter days, we use 12 000 lbs of steam per hour.
Oh well, enough blabbing on.
Take care,
mars