Reading through some of the threads on this board, I often get little glimpses into what catsailors do for a living or what sort of education they have. I know, for example, we get a lot of engineers in our sport for some reason. Made me curious, though - what do you do?

I am a geologist - BS degree from Florida State. I worked in hazardous waste site assessment, designing and installing groundater monitoring and remedial networks. At least until my daughter was born in 2003 - now I do laundry. Groundwater modeling was easier. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

LPN with associates degree from the local J.C. I have a wife, no kids and three cats.

Naval Architecture and MBA degrees from University of Michigan - now an asset manager for a mid-sized property management company in suburban Detroit.

Basically, I keep watch on the physical and financial (mostly the latter) aspects of about 30 properties (apartments and office buildings) scattered throughout lower Michigan and northern Ohio.

I am a Radiologic Technologist with licenses in Diagnostic Radiology, Mammography, CT and MRI. Have worked in all those areas of imaging and now do Surgical Radiology. Basically I help the surgeons make sure they are in the correct place when setting leads, catheters, screws/plates and using dye. It is a really cool job..most of the time. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

BSc Hons; Work in The City for an Investment bank; Generally I muck around with Computers.

John,

I grew up in the Belmont Shores area and have always been told that one day the breakwall will come down. Last week on 2nd street there was a petition signing and 'they' claim they have enough signatures to get rid of the southern most wall (in front of ABYC/ LB peninsula) What say you? Will the day ever come?

Interesting that you would ask that question, John, because I have always thought that it was for the best that catamaran sailing just be a great equalizer, where people did not have to reveal their education or talents or income, etc. Like, you can be a janitor or a ditch-digger or an attorney or a doctor and all are on the same level when it comes to sailing.

"Occupation" is a question I have always asked on our forms for application to participants in Rick White's Sailing Seminars, but I do not ever tell anybody else what somebody's occupation is. I figure that is up to the individual if they want to share it with somebody else. (It can be scary and inhibiting if you know there are lawyers on some of the other boats.)

And I also think that it can be intimidating to prospective sailors if they find out that most sailors are doctors/people in the medical field or lawyers or engineers. It is just not relevant.

Well, it may be relevant in a demographic sense (for commercial purposes?), but I just don't think it is relevant on an individual level.

HOWEVER, what I DO think is interesting and relevant is the other hobbies and interests and sports of sailors, other than sailing. I don't care what you do for a living, but I do like to know what the other things are that sailors do for fun -- like tennis, bicycling, motocross, surfing, kayaking, landsailing, skiing, rock-climbing, ice-fishing, etc., etc.

Okay, please do not anybody start saying anything on this thread about their non-sailing hobbies, because I am going to start another thread for that right now.

And I really hope that people stop inputting their work and education-related information, because I think it is counterproductive.

Hey Mike -

PM on the breakwater on the way in a few minutes.

Seriously? I think it's pretty interesting and in no way is it intimidating. I'm proud of what I do and find it interesting that someone else is interested - I think it adds a bit of human interest to the forums.

I have a BS in Mechanical Engineering and almost a double major as Electrical Engineer, this after investing two years as a music major (Jazz Studies - saxophone). I am currently the Aftermarket Sales Manager for Hartness International and run a small and very hardworking international sales group that has been growing 36% in annual sales for each of the last two years. I've been a designer, Product Manager, Field Service Manager, and led a Lean Process Manufacturing group for a short while.

For the most part of the last year, I feel like my avatar at work.

P.S. I used to think it would be neat if sailors could network and let all their fellow sailors know what they did for a living. I thought it would be nice if you could know a local sailor to contact if you needed a doctor or a lawyer or an accountant, or a plumber or a roofer or a real estate agent. Like, keep the money in the "family," so to speak.

But now I am not so sure that is a good thing.

There are good and bad things about it.

What do you guys think? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

I agree with Mary, but not for the same reason.

Sailing i do when i get away from work.

I don't want to be reminded about work all that much.

Some of us don't have the exciting work life and we do it to make it to the weekend to go sailing.

Not intimidating to you, but totally intimidating to me -- and to the janitor and to the plumber, who are not going to come on and tell you what they do for a living -- and maybe not ever get into racing because some engineer might ask them what they do for a living. "Well, I dig ditches." <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Pre-Press for a local commercial offset printing company.

Hi Mary -

I'm sure that folks can decide if they want to post or not.

Digging ditches - I resemble that remark. Drilling wells is dirty work and at hazardous waste sites, often smelly too. My ditches went straight down and I wore a hard hat. Made me feel like I'd earned the beer at the end of the day. Also made me very good at estimating for new projects - a soft-handed desk-jockey wouldn't have a clue about what it takes to make a hole in karst topography. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

My nickname on the drill rig was "Tex." Great story - ask me at the bar some time.

I've dug ditches, framed houses, mowed lawns, shoveled driveways, built stone walls, bussed tables, and bar teneded. All of this while in high school and college to pay for my flying lessons (and my racing dinghys; a 505 and Laser).

In college after my sophmore year, I got a job flying freight at night in a twin engine turbo prop, hauling cancelled checks and overnight film mostly.

On Monday through Thursday nights, we departed Boston at 9pm, to JFK, to Detroit (City airport, on the shore of Lake St. Clair) then back to JFK, back to Boston, arrive at 0600, then drive to an 0800 class at UNH, a good 1 1/2 hour drive north of Logan, if it wasn't snowing. Sit in classes from 0800-1200, go home, go to bed at 1pm, get up at 7pm, eat, drive to Boston and do it all over agian. This was my job through college. I had to take classes all summer to make up for the ones I slept through during fall and spring semesters. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

In 1981, after graduation from UNH with a BS in Business Admin. (transfered to Business from Engineering when I got that night freight job) I joined the NH Air Guard to fly KC135's and then in 1985 was hired by Delta Air Lines.

Been flying since I was about 8 only because my dad had a Piper Cub and was an instructor at a little grass strip 1/4 mile from our house in Hampton, NH. So I got a lot of stick time early in life from him, but I also pounded a lot of nails in high school. Those flying lessons didn't come cheap!

Now after 22+ years at Delta, I can just sit up there at 35,000' for 16 hours, picking lint out of my belly button, somewhere over Iran or Afganistan or Pakistan, on my way to Mumbai, wondering if Delta is going to survive $100/bbl oil for the next 15 years so I can retire to a big cat in the Keys...or maybe I'll go back to digging ditches, and retire to "Living in a van, down by the River!"

"The world needs ditch diggers too, Danny."

I agree as well. I got a kick out of what one of my foreman told me once, "Work is actually fun about three days a year...the rest of the time it's just a job". I used to be really enamored with my job, can you say workaholic? It was more of a peer pressure thing than anything else, but that's the nature of the construction industry, a dog-eat-dog world with a LOT of type A, "driver" personalities. It feels good to leave daily knowing you gave it your best, you gave your boss his money's worth. For me it makes the hobbies more enjoyable. If knowing what your sailing acquaintances do for a living comes over time in establishing a friendship that's cool.

I do find it interesting to hear what others do, especially celebs like Jake and John! JW you forgot to mention your fine career as a sportscaster/anchorman! I have to admit one of the things I love about my fleet, and catsailors in general, is the diversity. We don't have a lot of racial diversity yet, but the spectrum for careers is pretty vast! My career has certainly given me appreciation for regatta organizers. I'm a waiter and bartender in a convention hotel. In past incarnations there, I oversaw dinners for 1,000+ people, have designed, and implemented a training program, training more than 300 people. It has always amazed me how hard it is to get people to simply set a table properly...I am also a full time caregiver for an Alzheimer's patient. I spent 5 years, off and on at an art school. I was a TA for a portrait sculpture class, and hope to return to teaching that at some point.

If we are getting into past jobs....one of my favorites (and yes I am crazy!) was hand collecting eggs for 28,000 chickens every day. It was very smelly and loud but it was a great way to spend time alone.

Is that time alone during or after that work? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Past jobs? Professional (broke) musician, fast food, Wal-Mart Tire and Lube auto technician, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, had my own business rebuilding RX-7's, interned for Chattanooga Gas Company (before they were bought by Atlanta Gas Light) as a new installation inspector and a pipeline corrosion technician, and a couple of years working on production lines at McKee Foods (Little Debbie).

here's some old stuff I recorded with a group called "The Sygn" while in college in Ohio.

http://www.teamseacats.com/jake/music/London%20Lights.mp3

http://www.teamseacats.com/jake/music/Something%20About%20Ethiopia.mp3

That stuff sure sounded better back then <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I have since misplaced my crowning achievement in a band call "Ummm Clunk" with a 2 song LP where one side was titled "Jammin' Jake's X-rated Chili Theater" where I played piano, cello, (yes) pan flute, flute, and saxophone accompanied by a really, un-sober, rock band. We did a small tour playing planetariums in the mid-west. The band name came from one of the music recitals we were required to attend - it had this Native American Indian guy playing traditional compositions that always ended with "UUUUUUMmmmmmm [clunk]" ... the [clunk] was him beating on something different every time. I have no doubt that THAT one certainly sounded a whole lot better back then. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />