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

Pro rodeo photography, from inside the arena. I loved it.

It was dirty, it could be terribly hot or cold or rainy/muddy, and then there are the bulls and broncs that'd run me up the fence and leave me babbling, but the people were amazing, I was outdoors, and it was very hard to do technically.

These are some of my favorite people ever…

8si-cliffmaxwell.jpg
8si-jasonmattox.jpg
8si-justinlegler.jpg
8si-shanedunham.jpg
 
Last edited:
Rick said:
Ever since taking the position of retiree at Rick, Incorporated, I’ve been happy as can be. ;)
Click to expand...
Me too! Rex Rox, Inc. is a wonderful place to work. The most challenging part of my days now is being the main caregiver/trainer for two 7 month old healer puppies.

So for everyone still slogging through chins up! There is light at the end of that dark tunnel.
 
I’m 3 years away from retirement, maybe less depending on the market. I was lucky enough to work at a large craft brewery for 6 years. As an industrial electrician and then as an engineer. We built an expansion in a transition from regional to national distribution. One of the founders was long on vision and short on economics so it went downhill and I moved. Better money now, saving a lot, stock grants etc. But the brewery was a great place to work. Always felt blessed to work there. The work was rewarding, lots of free beer and many other perks. I’m still in manufacturing, but making beer is way better than building car batteries which is what I’m doing now.
 
skolacki said:
I’m 3 years away from retirement, maybe less depending on the market. I was lucky enough to work at a large craft brewery for 6 years. As an industrial electrician and then as an engineer. We built an expansion in a transition from regional to national distribution. One of the founders was long on vision and short on economics so it went downhill and I moved. Better money now, saving a lot, stock grants etc. But the brewery was a great place to work. Always felt blessed to work there. The work was rewarding, lots of free beer and many other perks. I’m still in manufacturing, but making beer is way better than building car batteries which is what I’m doing now.
Click to expand...
I can relate. I was a programmer for most of my professional life, though I had music and photography as my passions. I never wanted to retire from a big corporation, I wanted to throw my heart into something small and see it succeed. And, a couple times we nearly did, except for the efforts of those who, like you said, were "long on vision and short on economics", one of which burned through $5M in two years… like… WTF!?

Like you, I ended up in a place that I was able to undo the damage and put enough away that I'm OK. I retired about six years ago, and LOVE being so; I do NOT miss the corporate life, nor do I actually miss coding for smaller companies. We have our nightly happy hour with a nice playlist and I'll have one of my guitars in hand jamming along, and we travel, and cook hellaciously good meals for friends.

And I get to spend time on the porch and tell people to get the H*LL OFF THE LAWN! :)
 
Greg Ferguson said:
I can relate. I was a programmer for most of my professional life, though I had music and photography as my passions. I never wanted to retire from a big corporation, I wanted to throw my heart into something small and see it succeed. And, a couple times we nearly did, except for the efforts of those who, like you said, were "long on vision and short on economics", one of which burned through $5M in two years… like… WTF!?

Like you, I ended up in a place that I was able to undo the damage and put enough away that I'm OK. I retired about six years ago, and LOVE being so; I do NOT miss the corporate life, nor do I actually miss coding for smaller companies. We have our nightly happy hour with a nice playlist and I'll have one of my guitars in hand jamming along, and we travel, and cook hellaciously good meals for friends.

And I get to spend time on the porch and tell people to get the H*LL OFF THE LAWN! :)
Click to expand...
Sounds wonderful! What's for dinner?
 
Last edited:
Greg Ferguson said:
Pro rodeo photography, from inside the arena. I loved it.

It was dirty, it could be terribly hot or cold or rainy/muddy, and then there are the bulls and broncs that'd run me up the fence and leave me babbling, but the people were amazing, I was outdoors, and it was very hard to do technically.

These are some of my favorite people ever…

View attachment 120744
View attachment 120745
View attachment 120746
View attachment 120747
Click to expand...
That's cool! I grew up around rodeos in Colorado and Wyoming, my dad rode bulls at small local rodeos. The highlight of my summers as a kid was going to Cheyenne Frontier Days with my Granddad and Gramma. Always got a new pair of cowboy boots and hat.
 
JoKeR III said:
That's cool! I grew up around rodeos in Colorado and Wyoming, my dad rode bulls at small local rodeos. The highlight of my summers as a kid was going to Cheyenne Frontier Days with my Granddad and Gramma. Always got a new pair of cowboy boots and hat.
Click to expand...
Ah, such wonderful country, and a great memory. I’d get the same, boots and a hat, because we gotta be bona fide! We’re wandering through Idaho into Oregon and Washington in a couple months, and I’m sure I could find some of the major rodeos nearby when July 4th rolls around. Odds we’ll hit the Nampa Idaho night rodeo at least, between my days fly-fishing. :)
 
JoKeR III said:
That's cool! I grew up around rodeos in Colorado and Wyoming, my dad rode bulls at small local rodeos. The highlight of my summers as a kid was going to Cheyenne Frontier Days with my Granddad and Gramma. Always got a new pair of cowboy boots and hat.
Click to expand...
I'm going to the "Daddy of 'em all" (as it's known) this summer with my family. First time I went I was 11. Great family time memories with my family when I was a kid, and great family time now with my kids. Easy for me since Cheyenne is about 50 mins north.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
Ah, such wonderful country, and a great memory. I’d get the same, boots and a hat, because we gotta be bona fide! We’re wandering through Idaho into Oregon and Washington in a couple months, and I’m sure I could find some of the major rodeos nearby when July 4th rolls around. Odds we’ll hit the Nampa Idaho night rodeo at least, between my days fly-fishing. :)
Click to expand...
First of all, apologies for the thread derailment.

You'll be a few hours south of me in Nampa, great fly fishing in the Northwest. Rocky Ford Creek, west of Moses Lake, was where I learned many years ago. But alas, yet another thing I can really no longer do so please give one a sore mouth for me!
 
I'm actually changing jobs as we speak for a lot more pay and better benefits. I'm in the chemical manufacturing industry. I know my new job will have a lot more red tape/bureaucracy, but I would like to retire sooner than later!

My current job may actually be the one that down the road goes down as the job I miss the most. Despite the workload and nit-picky boss, I can honestly say that this is probably the best environment I've had the privilege of being in with regard to co-workers and culture. Everyone here up from management down to the sub-contractor level is just such a joy to work with. It's rare that I go a day at work without a good laugh!
 
I worked at Pro-Co when I was in college. I didn't get to build any rats tho :/
Software Dev ATM and will hopefully transition over to management in the next 10 years or so. I can't really leave cause the pay is so good. TBH my favorite job has always been delivering pizza on busy nights. Sounds silly, but I can zip around town and listen to music all evening. Maybe someday I'll pick that up part time.
 
I really miss being a sound guy.

In my 20's in Colorado I volunteered at a public radio station that had bands come in and play live every weekday over the lunch hour. We would broadcast the performance live while recording it digitally and I learned a lot while working with some really fun people. As a result of the experience developed at the station I got recommended to other venues as a FOH engineer and wound up mixing outdoor festivals, NYE parties, and a sweet venue with a treehouse in the back for a while. I miss how simple it was sometimes: ride my bicycle down to the venue, enjoy my shift meal + beer, mix a show, cash out at the bar, and ride back home.
 
shredmechanic said:
I really miss being a sound guy.

In my 20's in Colorado I volunteered at a public radio station that had bands come in and play live every weekday over the lunch hour. We would broadcast the performance live while recording it digitally and I learned a lot while working with some really fun people. As a result of the experience developed at the station I got recommended to other venues as a FOH engineer and wound up mixing outdoor festivals, NYE parties, and a sweet venue with a treehouse in the back for a while. I miss how simple it was sometimes: ride my bicycle down to the venue, enjoy my shift meal + beer, mix a show, cash out at the bar, and ride back home.
Click to expand...
KBCO Studio C?
 
I was in the restaurant business for over 20 years and while I'm glad I got out of it, there's a lot about it I miss. It was the best study in human behavior I could ever receive, from the crazy people I worked with to the guests. So many great interactions with complete strangers, hearing their stories, sharing a laugh, anecdotes and wisdom from different perspectives, that stuff is truly invaluable. The people that stay in that business for a long time are a subculture onto it's own and there's a lot of good times in there. It's where adults work so they never have to feel like they grew up :D
 
There is one place in my past that I miss working at. Unfortunately, the place and the environment no longer exist. It was the environment that I miss the most. It was truly a collaborative environment where everyone's input mattered and anyone could make a difference. I didn't know at the time that it was a rare thing to experience. We lost that environment through being acquired a couple of times and becoming part of a much larger company. I worked with a good number of the same people during the acquisitions so the people are not what changed. It was the upper management that changed and they pushed their management styles down into the business.
 
Rex Rox said:
I'm going to the "Daddy of 'em all" (as it's known) this summer with my family. First time I went I was 11. Great family time memories with my family when I was a kid, and great family time now with my kids. Easy for me since Cheyenne is about 50 mins north.
Click to expand...
Ft Collins?

A lot of Colorado guys … expat here lol

I lived in the Rockies for a long time
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom