Have you ever had one of those jobs that you really miss?

About 5 years ago I took a job that was so right in my wheelhouse that I was sure I was going to retire there. Some may remember me posting about it, anyway it's been 3 years since a preventable accident burned the place to the ground.

It was one of two placed on the planet that made the Lacquer recording masters that are used in the production of vinyl records. Apollo Masters/ Trans Co, I was over sight for production and maintenance for the whole operation.
 
Not a career path type of job, but in college I was an ice guard at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign Ice Arena. It was fantastic. Got paid to skate, tell kids not to play tag, make popcorn while they zammed the ice... I couldn't believe they were paying me. Nice people too. I once got to share the ice with Bonnie Blair- I always thought I was a pretty fast skater, but she flew past me like I was standing still. I couldn't believe how fast she was! It was a great job.
 
Here is a pic of one of the punch presses, 20 ton! This one was manufactured in 1945 I believe, I had to mod this one to meet OSHA safety specs.
Sorry I'm shotgunning my posts here I'm getting ready to go on vacation Ha!


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that sucks, sorry that you lost your dream job....
I once had a job that I loved the work but just didn't like the pay and the CFO that I reported to so I left.
 
I had my dream job for a few short years as a golf professional at a SoCal course. Young family needs required a move to a better pay with benefits so moved on to another job for over 20 years. That job took it's toll and can't play golf anymore. I'm now a music/band director and guitarist, my other passion, but I really miss playing and teaching golf for a living.
 
It was a sucky day for sure and the end of an era. Most of the equipment that was there came from Capital Records and had made a lot of the masters that have produced a large majority of the records that people have bought.
 
Being a student studying jazz at UMKC Conservatory of Music and playing in the Jazz Fusion group Mirage.

I had what my Dad called a false start when I began my college career. My dad was never thrilled with my choice of Jazz as a major, so he used to constantly ask me how I was going to make a living and support a family one day. I wasn't having it because I was sure I was going to "make it". So I spent 2 years at UMKC studying jazz and those years were the greatest musical adventure of my life. I was immersed in a pool of extremely talented people and had a lot of fun with the bands I was involved in.

Pat Metheny used to come and do teaching clinics semi regularly since his parents lived in KC. The jazz club scene in Westport was thriving and Mirage, the quintet I was in, was booked regularly at the clubs there. We even got a chance to open for some big name acts at the Uptown theater. It was pure f'ing magic! Mirage had a couple close interactions with A&R for 2 labels, but nothing ever materialized into a deal.

I was so deflated when the deals didn't materialize. So I thought my Dad might be right. I changed my major and switched schools and never looked back. In hindsight I know my Dad had my back since Fusion isn't exactly a genre which set the world on fire in the 80's and 90's (or since!). But I still think of those days as a grand adventure.
 
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Best job ever (as in enjoyable) paid $4.25 plus a hotdog and a soda for one loop of caddying at Medinah CC in Chicago. 2 a day.

My first job ever. The long shadows of a summer evening still get me right in the feels.

Learned to play blackjack quickly at age 13 at the caddy shack.

My last year, I finished 2nd out of ~325 other caddies. Points system.
 
∞Fractals said:
Best job ever (as in enjoyable) paid $4.25 plus a hotdog and a soda for one loop of caddying at Medinah CC in Chicago. 2 a day.

My first job ever. The long shadows of a summer evening still get me right in the feels.

Learned to play blackjack quickly at age 13 at the caddy shack.

My last year, I finished 2nd out of ~325 other caddies. Points system.
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You're right up the road from me! (Lombard) Always wanted to caddy in high school, but never managed to make it happen.
 
My last job was pretty great. The work itself was decently rewarding and the pay left much to be desired, but the guys I worked with were the best. I spent most of the day joking and laughing with those guys so going to work was a joy most days. Even when it was busy and stressful, we always had something to laugh about. That company and my co-workers moved out of state and moving with them was not in the cards for me. That was a tough break.

My current job is ok and the guys I work with now are good folks, but I definitely don't have the kind of comradery I had before. I miss that dearly.
 
One of the jobs I had lasted for almost two decades. The first 2/3 of that time was a lot of fun, travel, upward mobility, and excitement, but during the last 1/3 of my time there things changed in the company and it stopped being fun. Now about 15 years later, I still have angst-filled dreams about working there. So I guess that was my dream job. 🙄
 
Not really. I've enjoyed several of my jobs, but they all had downsides. Things change over the years and the balance of upsides to downsides changes with it.

I really enjoy my current job, which I never thought I would. I'm somewhere between an un-titled CTO and web developer for a marketing company. Different challenges all the time that are fun to figure out. Plus, I get to listen to my mastering speakers every day, and my dog comes to work with me every day...because my office ~1000 miles away. But, I also really like the people I work with, at least over Slack. Well...most of them. One of our vendors/contractors has been pissing me off daily for the past two weeks. But, that too shall pass.
 
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