What do you do in real life?
CutRock'R - Marc D
Before starting work, did work on holidays in a Wool Bale Warehouse, carting (and sleeping between deliveries) on wool bales.
Mid 70's I did an apprenticeship, Electrical Fitter/Mechanic. Our company built most of its own substations, switchboards, switchgear / CTs from scratch. Great days. (Now you only need to learn how to drill four holes to mount Chinese made rubbish, so many lost skills.)
In between all that, (after hours) I raced cars, became President of the Car Club, and oversaw Club Motorsport for all, for the whole of my state for the CAMS. (Confederation of Australian Motorsport)
As the electrical market became deregulated, I moved over into Contract Management, overseeing the Contractors works. The company got sold off, new management gutted the place, got rid of all the experience, using Gov money in part pay us all off. (Funny thing thing is, 3 years later they employed most of my mates back, they were laughing, stupid management!)
So, Now I'm maintenance manager for the home property. (Ha) As well as diecast race constructor, and bag carrier for when my lady says we ae off on another holiday! Glad to be using all the hand skills I learned from long ago!
Cheers
- Fascinating career Marc. I am really enjoying this topic, reading everyone's career bios. What cars exactly did you race? A coworker of mine used to race Formula Fords under SCCA, but I'm not very familiar with the classes, especially on your side of the world. -Mark H. — GravityThrottleRacing
- Hi Mark thanks for the question. Yes we do race Formula Fords here as well. I preferred to run what back in the day here, we called "Tin Tops" Production Cars/Sedans. I raced in a Category called Club Cars, pretty much Sports Sedans (Modified Road Cars) I raced Mazda Rotaries, up against the big V8s, 6's 4's and the like. Great fun. ! Cheers — CutRock_R_Marc_D
Im a career driver. Started with pizza's 35 years ago and have work my way up to a Tri-axle Dump truck currently. Iv probebly delivered everything that could be delivered...lol! Guitar player, aircraft enthusiest and now... a youtube content creator :)
- awesome... I delivered carpet, refer (food) and gasoline tanker.... my brother Bent Rod flies R?C, has some very cool aircraft! — G_ForceRacing
I have been in the cleaning business since 1998. Starting out in beach resorts. Moving to Janitorial including award winning clean restaurant kitchens and waxing store floors. I spent 14 years Detailing cars. I have wanted to open my own shop, but too many people step in and take that away from me before I can start. I can poilish a perfect black car flat without having to wet sand. I can do anything those guys on the show dirty old cars can do and better. I started inventing tools to help do the job better. My last job, I got fired pretty badly. A girl with give years experience, who only understand the fundamentals stole my department manager job from me. I basically built the detailing department at a new Nissan dealership, (not my first time starting a department). Too keep it short, it was like a first year college student yelling at the University Professor, (leading the Reasurch department) from the fence, trying to tell me about how I didn't know a god damn thing cause I wasn't doing what she was taught by a two week Toyota Touch school of fundamentals. I am ADHD and my emotional control is not so good, so she exposed my vollatility. Eventually getting me fired cause I couldn't stay calm and Professional while she was constantly trying to get me to snap. Two faced type who was sweet as candy with the Dealership Upper Management. While a nightmare to me every time we had to communicate. Somehow she cross referenced my vollatility with my work, stateing, "How can he possibly know anything about how to do the job when he looses his temper with no provocation, he can't even do the basics, which is all Detailing requires. All the rest of what he does is pointless smoke and mirrors designed to fool people into thinking he knows something, which he doesn't, cause nobody understands what he is doing. He's just a fraud trying to make fools of us all.
So, now, I am in my failure at life job for the start of my 3rd season. I am a production line fruit packer at a local plant. I pick up fruit, ( mostly apples all winter ) look at them briefly, then put them in a box or a bag and send them to to pallet stackers.
I have a natural aptitude for art/graphic design & engineering/architecture. Did the graphics class in high school and got nothing less than a 97% in two classes at the same time. Normal procedure is to have the grade 10 level to be aloud to do Grade 11 and 11 to do Grade 12. However, I was allowed to take the 11 & 12 class at the same time.
My math was never good enough to actually succeed in engineering. I'm weirdly dislexic with numbers in my head. I can't spell for shit either. I did some testing for the military sign up and Employment Insurance, both stating that I have a second year, ( or better ) university level understanding of engineering, and an I Q just over the genius line. But I have been treated by my peers and single mother to believe that I am a piece of shit not worthy of the skin I live in. I struggle everyday to keep pushing forward and to try and change 40 years worth of negative programing. I am 50 now and trying to make something of myself that helps to repair my broken and destroyed childhood via these race tracks I built in the back yard. I love gardens so I try to make them apart of the living diorama that is the SNOW LEOPARD MOUNTAIN RANGE, consisting of the DINO RUN, PHEONIX HILLS, Death Drop & Hill Climb, Centre Valley Drag, Anaconda 4x4 Path & Baha/Stadium Truck Drag. I also have 2 indoor tracks;. Canada Hwy 0 Santa's Sleighway, (Hwy of Lost Toys) & the CAGE MATCH.
I Now that they don't look pretty yet. It has been a long windy road for the last three years working on building the Garden Super Speedway Park. I plan to keep going as best I can, so please bare with me. I don't make the kind of money that lets me buy lots of cameras, a computer for editing, three D printers, or buy custom made track. I am doing all of what I have done via working hard at salvaging everything I can get my hands on. I think the only thing I spent real money on is clear coat sealents and screws to build it all & the industrial made Fiberglass for the Pheonix Hills track.
Over the winter this year I will be endeavoring to buy a used computer and a few small cameras to mount around the tracks.
Before I knew about the SKYWAY, I built Santa's Sleighway, which never looked like I envisioned it to. So I want to try and work with Spoolheads to make a bunch of clear/translucent track to create the illusion of the cars flying in from the North Pole to deliver pressents for Christmas. This track will be my greatest effort. It is two completely different single lane routes switching sides and winding around each other before every corner. There are up degree elevation changes, and speed pumps and corners with more than 45°s of banking. It is very fast and technical. Think Downhill Super G skiing style events. Also, Santa is traveling at the speed of light, so.... BUCKLE UP!!!
HAHA!!! OOPS I JUST rambled on an on. Well this is me. Un medicated ADHD. with more trauma and PTSD than I would like to admit. Please bare with me. I'm trying my best.
- CPTSD - ADHD - I hear you. Getting treatment for these, which I only started 2 years ago, has been life changing. If you can, get some help. We think we are coping, until we see what something better is like. — StarCorps
- Hang in there, seems like you have focus and goals, you'll do alright! Cheers — dr_dodge
- I got a very deep cut across the top of my left foot. Could not get to see a doctor for nearly a week. Should have had stiches. Could not pay for the doctors note to give to work. Cut the bottom of my right foot, this causing me to miss 3 days in a row and late for work by 2 minutes. The manager was loud about firing me with disbelief and convinced that I was full of shit and excuses, while physically throwing me out the door. I'm so depressed that I don't know what to do. I called the local hospital/clinic to make an appointment to see a doctor about getting a referral to see a mental doctor to get more help. I have spent most of my life beating my head against a wall, and I'm burnt out trying anymore. This hobby is just about the only thing keeping me going. — Garden_Super_Speedway_Park
What's up friends, Y'all have some really interesting professions. Myself, I'm a tattooer for almost 18 years and have owned my own studio the Golden Owl in Napa, Ca. For almost 12 years.
@donavankinyon_thegoldenowl @thegoldenowltattoo
- You have also a verry interesting job. From my point of view it‘s verry challenging. You have to work with people they know or don‘t know what they want, technics they change, (here in europe they have forbidden most of the usual colors….) you have to be an artist and a perfectionist! Hats of to you! Now i know why your cars always are good looking! — Schottys_diecast
- My daughter is looking for an apprenticeship where she lives in Chicago to become a tattoo artist. — GravityThrottleRacing
Worked on Railroad most of my career, but have been turning wrenches since '84ish.
- Another TrackRat... :) — EnZedRacing
- Hye RSI, great ! Yes down here have many mates that worked the rail. Quite a few, jumped into my industry, nad worked alongside many. Yep great to know how to turn a wrench! Cheers — CutRock_R_Marc_D
...fast food.
so if anyones wondering why I'm inconsistent with some of my building schedule. You can figure why.
...No. I'm not happy about it either.
- I used to work fast food myself, and its a thankless job where, if not legally required to pay the bare minimum, they would pay you less. I hope you can skill up and out or find a job that will pay you what its worth. And what you are worth is more than a 30 years outdated minimum wage. — StarCorps
- Bruh I’m trained to fix cars ik just waiting to get a car I recently bought into fit enough shape in order to go lookin for trade jobs. I hate it here. I hate having to drop tournaments and callouts because so many people CALL OUT of work. I hate being “that guy” that can go entirely be relied on to show up to races, because I always gotta be showin up on my days off cuz NOBODY ELSE FREAKIN WILL. I got a life, outside this damn fast food joint, and I wish that would be recognized but ya know it won’t. Not till I’m good and gone anyway. Thanks for the best wishes though, trust and believe I’m workin on it. — 0utsiders_Street_Racing
- Can’t even tell ya how many times I had to miss out on huge family matters cuz guess what I CANT TAKE VACATION DAYS yo. Family injuries, deaths…graduations and celebrations. Only time I get to mourn or celebrate is the days off I DONT get called in. Which ofc leaves buildin rides on the wayside. But I’m gonna change the script eventually. Get myself into my career field, and not worry bout this ‘no mo. — 0utsiders_Street_Racing — 0utsiders_Street_Racing
- I feel you. I'm glad you have a vector out of the situation. — StarCorps
- I feel ya. my job was 13 days on, 1 day off with forced 12 hour shifts. Now its 6 and 1. A little better, but I hate it here. — DemonPreacher
- all my kids worked food/retail stuff. it is the modern sweat shop. and with the economy in the shape it's in, I'm sure tips are way down, too. but...my son did this for 15 years, and self taught himself to write code, 4 years ago, he got his first job in dev work. now he makes $200k, with no degree. There is always hope, just find a direction, and one foot in front of the other, eventually you'll get there — dr_dodge
- I feel ya!! Life has always been a struggle. I am always trying to push forward 1 step while I get kicked in the face back 3 steps. — Garden_Super_Speedway_Park
- I feel ya!! Life has always been a struggle. I am always trying to push forward 1 step while I get kicked in the face back 3 steps. — Garden_Super_Speedway_Park
A few entry level jobs as a kid before working doing page layout for a local music magazine, followed by 20 years as a stay at home dad with 4 kids. Now I work in a local comic book/ toy/ game shop.
- You are currently working my dream job. — DemonPreacher
- It can be hectic at times but is a lot of fun! — StrayDog
I will give you the last 4 jobs. I worked at Sherwin Williams for 2 1/2 years mixing paint while finishing up some college courses. Then I worked for a land surveyor for about 3 years. That was a fun job!! I got offered a better job as a machinist for a tooling company. I did that for 12 years. Made all kinds of stuff for all kinds of companies. Then in 2009 the economy turned and I was unemployed for about 14 weeks before returning to my old job. I worked there until I got hired by R & G Electric doing maintenance at a Areospace plant in Nashville. That company lost the contract after 2 years and I got hired on by their replacement company who I still work for. I have been doing the Areospace maintenance for 13 years. I do not build the wings but I make sure the machines that do, work. Just flying gas tanks. I have also been doing radio work on the side as mobile DJ but I gave that up about 5 years ago. I have been on a broadcast team for a local Radio station covering high school football for about 9 years. It's a lot of fun and helping out with the high school in a small way is rewarding to me.
I am a single parent, most important job
I'm an Owner/ Operator of a fence installation company and have been self employed most of my adult life. When I lived in Florida [2002-2008] I installed flooring and launched my first company, which didn't last too long. I moved back to Colorado in March 08 and been here since. I can build decks. I can trim and remove trees. And a host of other things I'll never admit to knowing how to do. I really do enjoy building fences though and of course, Racing