What's your job ?

[Couchy]

Interesting stuff tbh

Me left school at 16 apprentice trained electrician
Left at 21 qualified
Spent a year during HGV trucks
Spent 8 years at British rail/Brush traction Commisioning new electric trains incl the shuttle
Left and returned to electrical contracting starting a test and commission business
Added thermal imaging to the business then sold that bit a few years later
Carried on with the remaining business till life hit me a bit
Had a year or so our and came back with a similar business but also a consultant type job for a local contractors which I still do
Also took a PM job at a new anaerobic digestion plant which put me in the renewables world
Followed 3 years ago by starting a business installing car chargers which has just started turning a profit despite COVID, it’ll prob see me to retirement although I do tend to get bored once things are up and running and I then look for a new challenge lol I may just semi retire to the consultancy job I still have as it’s only a day a week. But I’ve learnt not to plan but to just go with the flow.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Never knew we had so many railway folk in here

[Nordboy]

Ok, i’ll play.

Did shit in school, worked in hotels, bars and restaurants for a few years before actually getting a qualification (hnd) in hotel management. Did that for a few years before going into the training side of the industry.

Soon, i realised I didn’t want to do that forever so decided to pursue the job I wanted to do since I was a kid.

Applied to the police and started early 2001. Did 4 yrs on the beat, before blagging a motorcycle course (which was and still is not heard of unless you were already on traffic). Then got a job on traffic (rpu) as a full time motorcyclist, gaining my advanced and VIP qualifications.

Went on to get the same as a car driver. Stayed on RPU for 13.5 yrs before getting my current role as a car and motorcycle trainer 3 yrs ago, so I basically teach cops to drive and ride police vehicles, blue lights, pursuit, tpac, VIP etc etc. And the job has put me through my pcv (D) and class 1 (C) licences. Oh, and i’m also an ADI qualified instructor.

I’d like to retire in 5 yrs but not sure whether that will be financially viable?

[Horse]

Spent sometime training assistance dogs as a hobby but that doesn't count.

Possibly.

I was a draughtsman for 29 years then, as an alternative to redundancy, software test for 3 years before the axe fell.

At that point, id been doing the bike training as a hobby for 29 years and knew socially a manager at the place I work now. "Git any jobs going". No experience, no qualifications, but managed to talk my way in. 12 years later ...

[Wossname]

Yes - it's railway or IT, and then it's Hawker and me (and Bwana, but he doesn't count cos he's a merikan).

Born/reared in Norn Iron, qualified as a vet in '77; 2 years in N Cornwall, 2 tears in Strabane (that was "years" but look what predictive text did!), then back to Cornwall, where we've been since '81. Became a partner in a mid-size (8 vets) mixed practice doing a bit more large animal than small animal work. Yes - arms up bums, rolling around in the sh%t, fleeing the wild ones, all that. Our 3 kids have grown up here, which has been a treat for them and us. Retired from the practice in 2011 and have spent since then TB testing cattle for other neighbouring practices. Hit another zero in March just as lockdown started, and retired properly. Painted most of the house then, gardened most of the garden, did as much on the bike as I was allowed. Really missed the usual NW200 foursome trip in May, but we were over there for 6 weeks in Aug/Sept so that felt better.

Had lots of other jobs as a student, which helped me decide what I didn't want to do. Did my lorry test - rigids and then artics - about 15 years ago because I wanted to, and do a bit of driving when I get the chance tho I now need a medical every year to stay current.

I feel very fortunate - it's been a full and happy life. Bikes have been very important for the last 25 years after a 25 year gap. 5 granchildren point to more fun in the future.

Hawker - PM on its way.....

[The Afterburner]

I run a team who shut Motorways when required to do so. We also deal with breakdowns, accidents, suicides, issues and problems on my bit of the network. Been doing it for 15 years, before that I was an AA man for 17 years, before that a mechanic on anything, trucks, coaches, vans, cars, bikes.
My life in a nutshell!!
Thanks for asking,
Mick

Ps, I met Horse once!!

I do the same Job as Mick.... Just further North.
After leaving school I did 6 years at various local industries, before joining the Army.... 8 years later joined Thames valley police. Did 10 years coppering before leaving and spending 10 years self employed in the pub/ restaurant/ B&B business. Went back to policing at the grand old age of 50 which was a massive mistake. I moved North where my wife has a shop, and I patrol the NW motorways for Highways England. I’m based at Samlesbury (Preston).

[Mr. Dazzle]

Yes - it's railway or IT, and then it's Hawker and me (and Bwana, but he doesn't count cos he's a merikan)

Trains are one of the vehicles I've never worked on. Done airliners, fighter planes, nuclear subs, F1, MotoGP, supercars, bicycles, autonomous vehicles, military drones...

Never trains though

[millemille]

Yes - it's railway or IT, and then it's Hawker and me (and Bwana, but he doesn't count cos he's a merikan)

Trains are one of the vehicles I've never worked on. Done airliners, fighter planes, nuclear subs, F1, MotoGP, supercars, bicycles, autonomous vehicles, military drones...

Never trains though

You just need to remember; there's the right way, the wrong way and the railway....

[Mr. Dazzle]

I've also just remembered I'm full of it.

I did some fucking massive glass fibre 100,000Nm driveshafts for these. Its the yellow bit between the wheels in the second pic.

[Bigyin]

. Did 4 yrs on the beat, before blagging a motorcycle course (which was and still is not heard of unless you were already on traffic). Then got a job on traffic (rpu) as a full time motorcyclist, gaining my advanced and VIP qualifications.

I spent 20 years trying to get a bike course as my dream job was on the surveillance bike .... i saw assorted blokes who barely rode bikes do the job but i could never get on the team to get the chance as the bloke that ran it and me didnt get on for reasons i wont get into but he managed to block me for so many attempts i gave up after his ultimate boss had a chat with me and openly said it was never happening despite me being over qualified for the job. Ironically one of the lads who was given the course came to me for advice on what kit to buy as he was given a budget and supplier and told to go buy what he needed. I helped him as he was a mate and knew my circumstances with his twat of a boss.

I was offered a post in the ANPR team as an intercept motorcyclist to bring my knowledge of crime and file building to give the team more width but when i asked what else would i be doing when not doing crime work they said "roads policing duties" i declined it. I cant honestly knock people off for speeding when i do it myself for fun. I spent my career locking up people for serious offences so prosecuting someone for speeding or riding like a twat seemed hypocritical so i turned it down even though it meant never getting a bike course

[Yambo]

I’m based at Samlesbury (Preston).

You quite likely know my lad . . .

I used to chat to the Salmesbury Accident Investigators now and again when I worked at LCC.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Why fibreglass rather than steel or whatever?

I'm impressed that fibreglass stands up to that sort of load

Electrical conductivity...or rather, lack of.

There's glass fibre and there's glass fibre. The same is true of most composites!

The material in that shaft is robot placed in a process like this. These particular fibres are very strong in tension, so by winding them at the correct angles you can get the properties you need. You can make a GFRP shaft which is as strong as steel (but then there's steel and there's steel.) like that.

Astute observers will notice this is a carbon pressure vessel, not a glass shaft, but the principal is the same.

[Nordboy]

. Did 4 yrs on the beat, before blagging a motorcycle course (which was and still is not heard of unless you were already on traffic). Then got a job on traffic (rpu) as a full time motorcyclist, gaining my advanced and VIP qualifications.

I spent 20 years trying to get a bike course as my dream job was on the surveillance bike .... i saw assorted blokes who barely rode bikes do the job but i could never get on the team to get the chance as the bloke that ran it and me didnt get on for reasons i wont get into but he managed to block me for so many attempts i gave up after his ultimate boss had a chat with me and openly said it was never happening despite me being over qualified for the job. Ironically one of the lads who was given the course came to me for advice on what kit to buy as he was given a budget and supplier and told to go buy what he needed. I helped him as he was a mate and knew my circumstances with his twat of a boss.

I was offered a post in the ANPR team as an intercept motorcyclist to bring my knowledge of crime and file building to give the team more width but when i asked what else would i be doing when not doing crime work they said "roads policing duties" i declined it. I cant honestly knock people off for speeding when i do it myself for fun. I spent my career locking up people for serious offences so prosecuting someone for speeding or riding like a twat seemed hypocritical so i turned it down even though it meant never getting a bike course

I think not doing a surveillance motorcylist job is the one regret i’ll have when I finish. The surveillance lot still phone me now asking if i’d be interested but they messed me around about 4 yrs ago leading to me taking the driver training job.

Realistically, i’m a bit old and potentially too close to the end of my career to take a new job and have to go to the back of the queue for courses, putting myself through them etc.

[Horse]

I cant honestly knock people off for speeding when i do it myself for fun. I spent my career locking up people for serious offences so prosecuting someone for speeding or riding like a twat seemed hypocritical

One of our tame trafpols joined up because his wife told him to "you keep getting stopped for speeding, join the police and get paid to".

His nickname (although I never heard anyone use it when he was within earshot) was [Book 'em] Danno. But he rarely nicked riders, you'd have to be really naughty to get a ticket from him.

[Scotsrich]

Retired in March just in time for my big retirement holiday/s to get well and truly screwed.

I was a milkman most of my life.

Started off as an architectural technician but I was never creative enough to branch out and it was getting boring.

I had a gift website for 17 years which was fun and gave me a bit of an outside interest but I shut that down when I retired.

Now I’m just taking it easy.

[Tarmacsurfer]

I'm developing the ecu control software for a prototype electric motorcycle at a big oem.

It's interesting, challenging and with a few upsides like riding competitor machines on the road.

Before this I was a software department manager for a few years but became a bit disillusioned so went back to 'real work' ☺

[Horse]

.
with a few upsides like riding competitor machines on the road.

I managed to blag a Fireblade from work. Unfortunately, I had to wear a hi-viz with the company name on, which rather tempered any enthusiastic riding

[slowsider]

.
with a few upsides like riding competitor machines on the road.

I managed to blag a Fireblade from work. Unfortunately, I had to wear a hi-viz with the company name on, which rather tempered any enthusiastic riding

Do you think anyone saw you?

[formula400]

I am a pastry chef, left school after my GCSE's straight into a working apprenticeship, loved it, went from not having much fun at school or doing great to being in a kitchen full of older (18-25 year olds apart from the head and sous chef) and had loads if fun, was hard, but loved it. I started in the hot kitchen and spent around 5 years on that side, then went to work in Lyon for 7 months and sort of fell in love with the pastry side, did a few restaurants back in London then got a job at The Ritz Hotel in 2007, started as a Demi chef de partie (2nd lowest position) and I am now currently the head pastry chef, be so for around 7 years I think.

I get paid to play with chocolate and sugar.

Amedei Chocolate mousse, almond praline by lewis wilson, on Flickr

[Skub]

Pretty awesome man.