What do forums members do for a living?

GeekKopi

Hi All,

Im new here and I thought I would start a thread to get to know members with the cliche question of "what do you do".
Ive done a quick search and couldn't find a thread where this has been discussed so I thought we could do that here..

To get the ball rolling here is my story -

I completed my PhD 15 years ago while I worked as a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer (Electrical Engineering) for a number of years. I enjoyed it but I found the business/admin more appealing, and being highly organised and resourceful as well as influential I fell into project management by default. During this time I got formally qualified in project management and then moved across to an R&D company leading a team of engineers and physicists and consulting with medico's whereby we developed platform technologies for CT and PET scanners. These technologies were quite novel in that they achieved better images for cancer/tumor diagnosis.

More recently (last few years) I worked with the Executive team at Deakin Uni and project managed the start up of Australia's 5th Optometry school including all on-campus and off-site satellite clinics, IT, AV, accreditation, clinical placements and so on. It was one of my best roles and the relationship I formed with the Director turned into a friendship - he's a coffee fanatic too and I am to blame for his cycling (bike) addiction (Harry if you're reading)

Since then I scored a gig at another company for organisation change management and worked on the development of a business case that went to senior management. This gig finished last week.

Funny thing is I have been the office barista across all my roles in the last 6 years and my passion for coffee grew.

My wife and I are expecting the birth of our little girl in about 4 weeks time so I have decide to stay home and help out as much as I can and spend as much time as I can with my little one. I might take the rest of the year off and quite possible be a stay at home dad for a while when my wife returns to work in Jan.

During this time I will be putting together a few business plans based on different models to start my venture into the commercial coffee world - I have a few ideas at this stage but more research is needed.

But right now Im enjoying being the full time 'home' barista....... and that's what I (currently) do for a living.

That's my story,,,, please share yours....

askthecoffeeguy

I've just about done everything in the hospitality industry including big hotels, small pubs, managed bars and restaurants, worked as a sommelier in some of the countries leading restaurants, trouble shooted for hospitality groups, worked as group buyer and operational controller for a hospitality chain, owned my own cafes for 12 years, wrote a monthly wine column for 2 years, co-founder of the Australian Hospitality Review Panel - which set the standards for national competency based training, not to mention co-hosting this forum and writing for crema magazine back in the day! Now im enjoying parenthood, working casually both barista and bar while I get my retail cold filter coffee product off the ground, and looking around for other opportunities as the same time  ;D Pat

GeekKopi

Thanks for sharing Pat. Might be seeking some advice from you sometime soon. Ron

Cuir Beluga

Not much I am afraid. I have 2 boys, the oldest is 16 and the youngest two. I decided to get back to work once my oldest was off to high school as I had been a stay at home mum with him since he was around 3-4 years old. I had been in my document systems handling job for around 9 months when, totally unexpectedly, I found out number 2 was on his way so that has found me back at home once again. I told you there wasn't much to it  :laugh:.

GeekKopi

on 1432686167:

Not much I am afraid. I have 2 boys, the oldest is 16 and the youngest two. I decided to get back to work once my oldest was off to high school as I had been a stay at home mum with him since he was around 3-4 years old. I had been in my document systems handling job for around 9 months when, totally unexpectedly, I found out number 2 was on his way so that has found me back at home once again. I told you there wasn't much to it  :laugh:.

That's a full time gig Sue. And now add to your resume that you're the home barista you should be on penalty rates. [emoji3] I'm looking forward to being a stay at home dad for a while. I haven't had a break in the workforce since I was 14 and looking forward to spending quality time with my little girl when she comes. Ill be making many babycinos [emoji6]

Cuir Beluga

I sure should be  ^-^. Staying at home with kids is fun but tiring too, there is never any "me" time. Oh well, all in a good cause. Matt will make Ben Babycinos but he prefers to scoop the foam from my glass  :-|.

askthecoffeeguy

on 1432686167:

Not much I am afraid. I have 2 boys, the oldest is 16 and the youngest two. I decided to get back to work once my oldest was off to high school as I had been a stay at home mum with him since he was around 3-4 years old. I had been in my document systems handling job for around 9 months when, totally unexpectedly, I found out number 2 was on his way so that has found me back at home once again. I told you there wasn't much to it  :laugh:.

if raising kids isnt as demanding or more so that a full time job then i dont know what is!  I do know that my (already considerably high) coffee consumption doubled when child number two came along! pat

askthecoffeeguy

on 1432688050:

I'm looking forward to being a stay at home dad for a while. I haven't had a break in the workforce since I was 14 and looking forward to spending quality time with my little girl when she comes. Ill be making many babycinos [emoji6]

ditto Ive been working full time for the last 30 years and im actually quite enjoying having a bit of time out for a change  ???

Cuir Beluga

on 1432693298:

if raising kids isnt as demanding or more so that a full time job then i dont know what is!  I do know that my (already considerably high) coffee consumption doubled when child number two came along! pat

They don't half take it out of you and I am not 22 years old anymore either  8).

Brett H

I'm a muso/teacher and all the things that go along with that line of work. 

Dry_bean.

I'm retired! which tells you absolutely nothing ::) however prior to retiring I worked in the Geology section of a large Aust mining company.

Dry_bean.

on 1432708298:

I'm a muso/teacher and all the things that go along with that line of work.

Wish I'd had the opportunity to study music Brett. When I was very young my parents took me along to do a musical aptitude test, sadly I didn't do very well, my parents spent the next week or so telling everyone who would listen what a musical dill I was, then they would roll around on the floor laughing, most humiliating for a kid of tender years. So, my musical career stopped before it even started.

GeekKopi

on 1432708298:

I'm a muso/teacher and all the things that go along with that line of work.

Brett. What type of music are you into? Hopefully you respond with Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Motley Crue or KISS. Then we can start discussing LP collections.

Dry_bean.

on 1432711116:

Brett. What type of music are you into? Hopefully you respond with Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Motley Crue or KISS. Then we can start discussing LP collections.

Do you still have a working turntable Ron? I have quite a collection of LP's, the only Pink Floyd I have is DSM. Still believe well pressed LP's are superior to CD's.

GeekKopi

on 1432711723:

Do you still have a working turntable Ron? I have quite a collection of LP's, the only Pink Floyd I have is DSM. Still believe well pressed LP's are superior to CD's.

I agree regarding well pressed LPs. My fav PF album is wish you were here. shine on your crazy diamond on it is bloody fantastic. I've got a new turntable bought 4 years back. It's a Project Xpression III classic. I run it through a vacuum tube preamp and then my active amp with no processing straight through to 2x Mission speakers.  The aim is to hear the record as it was pressed. Here is a vid I recorded with an original Hendrix pressing from BBC Radio One from back in the day.

Brett H

My job is nothing as exciting as your LP collections guys.  If I had a dollar DB for the number of potentially good or great musicians who were broken before they started I'm an acoustic musician.  I'm a choral director by day and an opera singer by night.  I adjudicate, worksop, coach and teach and I reckon I've the best job in the world.  I was poorly trained initially but then subsequent studies with great mentors has fixed that.  I'm lucky enough to have had a dozen of my students sing professionally with the national company and many more with the state company.  You need to get on to the audio file thread guys.  I've got a set of speakers that would suffice audio-file standards but no turntable or valve amps.... as yet. Kids.....

Koffee_Kosmo

I am " NOT " a millionaire  :angel: Self employed for 9 tenths of my working life Currently into franchising I am still waiting for BrettH to visit me to see & hear my Audio System  :tearhair:

Brett H

LOL... It will happen.  I'm currently in the middle of a music festival, rehearsing an opera and have just finished some adjudicating.  I too work a lot of hours for someone who is not a millionaire

Dry_bean.

on 1432712009:

I agree regarding well pressed LPs. My fav PF album is wish you were here. shine on your crazy diamond on it is bloody fantastic. I've got a new turntable bought 4 years back. It's a Project Xpression III classic. I run it through a vacuum tube preamp and then my active amp with no processing straight through to 2x Mission speakers.  The aim is to hear the record as it was pressed. Here is a vid I recorded with an original Hendrix pressing from BBC Radio One from back in the day.

I have a Rotel RP3000 TT  with an SME tone arm and Shure V15 III cartridge, Cambridge Audio solid state amp, and a pair of VAF speakers http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/vaf-research/dc-x-generation-iv/prd_331500_1594crx.aspx Good setup, though I don't get the full benefit, my hearing is not what it used to be. I was/am a big Jethro Tull fan, favorite album was Thick As A Brick.

Brett H

I have a Cambridge Audio solid state amp in the studio paired with Polk Audio RT12s. Very clean amp considering it's not D-class???? (I think).

Koffee_Kosmo

My system will set you back a small mortgage Sorry can't give more detail KK

Brett H

on 1432792163:

My system will set you back a small mortgage Sorry can't give more detail KK

The pictures burned my eyes

Dry_bean.

on 1432718723:

My job is nothing as exciting as your LP collections guys.  If I had a dollar DB for the number of potentially good or great musicians who were broken before they started I'm an acoustic musician.  I'm a choral director by day and an opera singer by night.  I adjudicate, worksop, coach and teach and I reckon I've the best job in the world.  I was poorly trained initially but then subsequent studies with great mentors has fixed that.  I'm lucky enough to have had a dozen of my students sing professionally with the national company and many more with the state company.  You need to get on to the audio file thread guys.  I've got a set of speakers that would suffice audio-file standards but no turntable or valve amps.... as yet. Kids.....

My/our musical tastes are pretty diverse Brett, cant call myself an opera tragic, however I do enjoy many of the more popular operatic aria's. We attended a couple of short operatic recitals last year during our trip to Italy, one in Lucca, birthplace of Puccini, the other in Florence, the experience left us wanting more. Surprisingly the artists were not even identified, nonetheless thoroughly professional. Sadly not a lot of live performances of this type in the Moonta area. ::)

GeekKopi

on 1432787207:

I have a Rotel RP3000 TT  with an SME tone arm and Shure V15 III cartridge, Cambridge Audio solid state amp, and a pair of VAF speakers http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/vaf-research/dc-x-generation-iv/prd_331500_1594crx.aspx Good setup, though I don't get the full benefit, my hearing is not what it used to be. I was/am a big Jethro Tull fan, favorite album was Thick As A Brick.

Great set up DB. your cartridge costs more than most consumer sound systems these days!  ;D