Community Chat

[morganjen]

This year will be 36 years as a graphic designer. I started back when everything was done by hand. Over the years we had to adjust and learn where everything is now done by computer.

[Isobel Archer]

I have been retired for about 15years now.

I had a career in Human Resources which culminated in my working primarily in Disputes.  What I noticed was the evolution of the the idea that it was fine to lie if it served the person's interest.

When I started out - in the 70's - there was a more idealistic idea that if you did wrong and were caught - it was actually shameful.  That changed over time to the idea that whatever served your interest was perfectly fine and if you had to lie - even under oath - well of course, that's what you did.

Now I see this everywhere.  

[Pandalady]

Thank you to all of the present, past and future educators!  It is fate that I found this thread on my 1st day of retirement from teaching elementary students.  I served in two districts in my state for 30 years.  

I was hardly ever out and accumulated 214 total sick days from both systems.  This has allowed me to retire a year and two months early with full pension.  As many have stated, I, too, began my career with lofty aspirations and the enthusiasm of someone in her early 20's would have.  Unfortunately, like so many before me, I became disillusioned with so many factors.  I also found my own health began to decline and I refused to let my own health dictate my future, so I cashed in my sick days and retired on my own terms, not decided by my health.

It is my desire to sub in the school that my DH is still working at next year.  I look forward to continuing to work with children but in a different aspect.

@On It , thank you for starting this thread this week.  Blessings to all who posted their own experiences with their chosen professions.

[ECBG]

Very few openings were available in the counties where I wanted to live.  

When I did finally get into a classroom, it was in my area, but not my major.  I spent 4 years there before landing in the classroom of my major.

Technology does open new doorways.  In my case, technology provided extra resources.

My major became more focused in information and contributing to meaningful careers which was wonderful!

I taught in a 3 teacher department.  The other two had been cruel to the teacher which had my position.  I dug my heels in and stayed, finally taking department head, and adding another teacher to the department.

[chrystaltree]

Every career and job on the planet has evolved in that way.  It's called progress.  Even if technology doesn't evolve as quickly as it did in the past 50 years, processes and ways of doing things do.  I retired after 40 years in Health Information Managent which was called  Medical Records cletks back then.  Everything was manual; birth and death certificates, transcribing doctors notes and filing them in stacks and stacks of files.  We pushed shopping carts full of files from floor to floor in the hospital.  There were no computers, everything was on paper.  It was all so labor intensive and physically hard and dark because the file rooms were in the basement. After 3 years, I left and spent 20 years as a sahm and when I returned. EVERYTHING had changed.  Computers changed the work and the role of Medical Records departments.  We became Health Information Management and new jobs that required Associates Degrees were required.  I had that but I had to take Anatomy and physiology and and a pharmacy course at a college...everyone was brilliant  and premed but I held my own.  Exciting new jobs were created and we had to find college courses that gave us new skills ourselves if we wanted to advance.  We were still mostly women and hospital administration wasnt going to make it easy for us.  Between my family, my job, night classes; I was lucky if I got 5 hours of sleep a night but a world of opportunity opened up and I found the work fascinating until the day signed off for the last time.  Of course the work evolved for the better because every advancement ultimately benefitted the patients and the clinicians who treated the patients.  And then there was the pressure of dealing with insurance companies but that is a story for another day.  Many colleges now have a degree programs in HIM and since I have a master's degree and world of experience, I have been asked to teach a course in a local community College.  Intro to HIM.  I haven't decided if I want to.  

[ninjawife]

I have been a speech language pathologist since 1991.  Then it was very rare and a big deal when we suspected a child had autism.  My job now is to evaluate preschool students for special education services.  Since the end of April I have have done 18 autism evaluations and 15 of the children have been classified as autistic. 

[SeaMaiden]

No one learns how to count change back in a money transaction today either.  I learned how to do this in 1974 at  the first  waitress job age 17.  Today, if the register is not working...cashiers do not know how to  count back the customers money...they are not taught how to do this simple thing because they rely on the register to tell them what change to hand back.

[bikerbabe]

@SeaMaiden

I worked cashier in high school at the movie theatre in the early ‘80s because hardly anyone else could make correct change. It’s not new. 🤣

Well, I changed careers later in life and became an RN just before everything went crazy upside-down. Great timing. 😁

[Porcelain]

At my first job, I didn't even know how to make coffee in the break room. The lady who taught me was constantly shocked by all the things I didn't know. She should see me now. I live on coffee and can make it in any permutation except for formal espresso, and I can use or figure out pretty much any office machine, unlike way back then.

[San Antonio Gal]

Wow have things changed from when I began this profession in 1999.  Back in 1999, I had to meet with clients face to face and everything was done with paper.  Nothing was electronic.  Now, I rarely meet face to face with clients.  I have the convenience of working from home.  Everything can be done electronically and I can do business with people out of my area.  Those that are not comfortable signing elecronically will get an overnight package from me.  I love the way things are now!