I almost became a Bell Telephone operator fresh out of high school. I was offered a job but had to wait for a lady to retire. In the meantime, a job moving a radio station came up and it counted toward my broadcast degree hands-on experience. The need for either was quickly diminished by solid-state electronics and computers.
I milked my last cow the day before I left for the university. When there were more than two or three to be milked, we used a Surge milking machine. Familiar?
I used to love antiques...higher quality/more character. I took a class from a well-known guy whose shop was in the Virginia countryside outside of DC. For one class, we went to his shop to see some of the items from Mount Vernon (George Washington's plantation) he was restoring. I once had a couple of Larkin pieces. No one wants the heavy old stuff anymore.
The fact of the matter is that nearly all jobs are OJT, except for perhaps something like accountant, doctor, engineer. Things changed during my career. I got my foot in the door with a high school diploma and hard work. Now you need a 4 year piece of paper as the ticket to get an interview, where they hire you and train you to do stuff their way. It's a stupid, insulting game.
I used four surge milkers at a 57 cow barn and a dumping station. I had muscles that rippled in places. I don't remember the brand at the other farm but the milkers hung on leather belts over the cows' backs!
Welder on oil rigs, moved around a lot, never stayed in one place long, exciting yet boring at same time.
Have seen any number of welders around rigs but one that haunts my memory is an experience when I was with Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Company. I was backing a cemnent truck a long distance over a sandy path to a rig in sort of a depression when the whole area in his mirror exploded in flame. I radioed Midland for medical help and the Haliburton medical helicopter. Apparently the welder set off an explosion due to a gas leak settling in the low depression. Two died, three were hospitalized and recovered. .
Depending on which life I was in at the time, professions/titles would have been listed as lifeguard, night station mgr. (gas station on Rt. 66), highway maintenance worker, computer operator/programmer, mathematics instructor, operation research analyst, national sales manager, international marketing manager, engineering manager, mgt. consultant, director of engineering, VP and board member (5013c) .
@Gloria Mitchell I thought so! I REALLY wanted to gain insight as to WHO might answer the question........ Frank