Years ago when I was in my early 20s I worked as a salesman at the local BMW Volkswagen Mazda dealership. We were located very close to the University of Notre Dame. Many of our customers were professors at the university. Most of the ones I dealt with were probably experts in their field, but would have a hard time tying their shoes in the morning. I still remember one of them who requested that we completely remove the cigarette lighter in a car he was going to purchase. When I asked about the reasoning behind the request, his reply was, "I'm afraid my wife or myself may accidently stick our finger in the socket". I told him it might be good idea just to keep the lighter in the socket at all times.

Scary..... :stupid:

U ol sount juss lik all thye pompuss a$$holes on cornercarvrzxcom. FUing gramer police u think u no it al.l it don't make no diff, bros. i comunicate lik i feel like i say. ne1 juge me cause i talk way i talk is lameo. get ur self a life asap. i shood only nede ot tipe good wen i doing my eglish papeR for skool. datz how u rally lern man, that 1 englis paper mkes me an exprt wen I want 2 B. reely i can turn it on an of any tim i want.

I hope you had to think hard to type like that.

Wanted to revive this thread. I know we've got a lot of new people here . . . heck, even I'm new compared to this thread!

Government Relations for a large hospital in Louisiana. Live in New Orleans (well, what's left). I pay for my hobby by selling stock stuff off my car.

Let's see, for those who don't feel like reading the whole thread, here's the synopsis:

3 Governement-related jobs
2 Lawyers
15 Students (probably all graduated by now)
8.3x10^16 engineers

UNIX System Administrator at a gov't facility.

I'm an electrical engineer as I said a few pages and years ago, but I started my academic career as a mechanical engineering student and interned in a plastics technology consulting group.

It's all been coming back to me lately as I've been digging through wheel designs

Wow, I never added to this thread...

I work at a fruit company. That sells computers. And music players.

I'm a software engineer.

I hope to one day show you guys what I do... and make you all buy it, so I can support my crack habit.

I guess I'm in the minority here having a non-tech job -- I'm a securities attorney and work on the enforcement side (i.e., don't hate me because I'm a lawyer -- I wear the white hat in this job and protect investors).

I'm a 3D Computer Animator by trade but I also do a other Graphics Art, Video and Multimedia. I work for the Marketing department of one of the Big 3 accounting firms, doing from 3D animation for videos to webcasting. I've been there 10 years in a couple months. I also teach 3D animation at the local community college on the weekends, and have done so for 12 or so years. Now I find myself freelancing to feed the need!

Hey Mitch I guess we have a few things in common. My wife is an Artist but is also disabled, Do to a genetic Immune Deficiency and also suffers from Fibromyalgia and depression. So I can understand about your wife not been able to do anymore than take care of herself some days and even struggle at that. We have a Med bag the size of the small drugstore Fortunately the Lord has provided me with a Job with great Benefits to cover the triple digit yearly bills and a great flexible work arrangement that allows me to work from home 1 or 2 days out the week as well as time flexibility, so I can work different schedules to allow me to take her to doctors appointments and her tri-weekly infusions. She loves racing and loves working on the cars when she is able, in fact knew more about cars than I did 3 years ago.

You know, if we all got together to work for one big company, I've got to believe it would be one KICK A$$ business. Legal, marketing, plenty of R&D, Ops, management, private contractors. We've got it all.





Either that, or we'd be bankrupt in 6 months from everyone stealing all the funds for racing!

Oddly, I was thinking both of those same things Matthew.....

Computer engineering undergrad at Texas A&M and part time tire guy.

VP Sales, XPEL Technologies. Frakking awesome job.

Me two weeks ago:

http://www.xpel.com/relations/viewrelease.asp?id=79



Costas
cars and such...

I am digging that Paul but you don't look like you were sweating. It was hot up there!








I am glad someone revived this thread. I figured with all the searches I have done I would have come across it. And seeing what all of you all do, it sure makes things a little clearer.

Me? I am a professional 11 year old. Best job in the world and worth all the sweat and BS I had to go through to land it. You would not believe all the politics and beureaucratic BS!

It would have a oversize parking lot with AutoXing Daily at Lunch, and Friday Burnout Competition to comemorate the coming of the weekend!

IBEW engineering technician, major market broadcaster.
Maintain electronic and satellite news gathering apparatus.
(I go to almost all remote news/sporting events)
This was a career change for me in 1990.
Prior to that I was a field engineer with GE medical systems.
Cat scanner, gamma cameras and xray install/maintenance.
I hate hospitals.
Trade school degree in biomedical electronics.

jb

Device Engineer at a semiconductor company; basically work on silicon level transistors & devices, circuits, and wafer processing. You know, the IC parts that go into your cell phone, computer, etc. I have a physics background which plays into using Device Physics for this job.
It pays the bills

Morgan

"Engineer in Training" is now my job title since I've co-op'd with LG&E so long. LG&E is a subsidiary of E.ON and is our local power company. I'm stationed at a coal burning powerplant and work as an engineer in mechanical maintenance. I get my B.S. in ME this month and am interviewing for a permanent job soon.

1,279 members - am I still the only restaurant manager?!

Feeling a little like a duck in a flock of swans

Senior compliance analyst at north america's 2nd largest stock exchange. I spend my days looking for and punishing the bad applies My background is in finance.

Mike.

If we're hungry, you'll be the most popular guy here.....

Howdy,

I'm a software guy (java/j2ee crap for an intranet app these days) at an insurance company.

Mark

We feel each other's pain ....

Geologist by schooling. Pay for our habit by being a Unix Sysadmin at a company that provides Managed Services and Hosting facilities. Just started the current gig, still learning the ropes, but having fun most days.

My co-driver is a Perfusionist (person who operates the heart-lung machine for open heart surgery). You don't want to see her professionally, but if you have to, you are in good hands.

That's how we afford our 4-wheeled habit. :-)

Marka, let me know if you want to relocate to sunny Santa Barbara.

http://www.citrixonline.com/jobs.tmpl

I can't get you a job, but I can get you an interview.

I'm in Quality Assurance at Citrix Online (although I may have already posted that in this thread).

Jason

There would be one plus! Longer racing season!

Hahahaha....that was the ONLY day I was in a short sleeve shirt! The other days I was in a long sleeve (starched!) corporate shirt w/undershirt and long (starched) pants. I was as cool as ever even though it was about 100 because there was so little humidity. The slight sweat that I DID get (riding in the helicopter comes to mind...) evaporated before I even noticed it. Had I been in Texas I would have been drenched before I could make the 15 steps to the car. 'It's a dry heat', has never been so true.

All the Brits on the team were freaking out that I wan't the least bit uncomfortable (they were, to put it nicely, struggling). The four Japenese engine guys (the brits just called them 'J's)faired pretty well, but the frenchie (Michelin) guy was having as much trouble as the Brits. They were amazed I wasn't exhausted or overheated.

Pansies.

www.bonneville400.com <--they have FINALLY uploaded some of the video...and seeing that little car snap spin north of 150mph is pretty cool. I took over 500 images and 44 vids and hopefully can share some of them at some point.

Costas
cars and such...

I'm an Apprentice Electrician with IBEW Local 134 (Cook County, IL - Chicago).

Right out of high school, I had engineering dreams (ME) but the weed out classes got me because I was trying to work 40+ hours a week and commute to a school over an hour away (U of I, Chicago). Not one of my smarter moves.

So far, the contractor I'm with specializes in building substations for ComEd (Exelon). I've definitely seen some cool stuff but sometimes it's unnerving to walk under/around/past 12KV - 138KV lines and the new sub we're on now is going to be a 345KV building

It's not bad until days like the past few when it was 100+ degrees with high humidity and you're 20 feet down in an excavation running 8" PVC or it's cold, rainy in downtown Chicago across the street from a ghetto on a high traffic intersection and you're pulling cable.

nice... I love hardware and electronics... did lots of it awhile back... but now software is paying the bills/hobbies.

Residential Real Estate Appraiser. I drive about 50,000 miles a year for my work, and about 400 miles a year at something over 90 mph in my Z.

If you are interested, appraising does not actually pay for my habit, but close. My savings from prior lives, and Mr. Visa make up the difference.

Bock

Bock, you could have just said "I'm a racer". It's a standard story around here......

Sweet! Now I know who to PM for my Citrix questions. :-)



I remember many years ago we went back to Edwards AFB (used to live there) to watch the shuttle come back in. I brought my camera gear and 1000mm lens. I set up in the parking lot, while my Dad and his friend went and sat in the grand stands to watch. Under the full midday sun, I felt warm, but not uncomfortable. I got some killer pics of the shuttle spiralling down with the T38 chase planes, getting to once again hear and feel the (double) sonic booms. Afterward, as we drove out, I heard that it was 104 degrees at Edwards. I really didn't feel as uncomfortable as we do here in Houston in July with 90-degree heat by 10:00 in the morning (heat index yesterday at 0600 was 90). Yes, the dry heat really makes a difference.

Gotcha beat. Actual temp in New Orleans at 6:30 was 87*. Humidity was 70-ish%. Heat index of 98*. All know was, when I walked out of the house to go to work, the thermometer needle was pointing at the sticker I have over 100* that says, "GO BACK INSIDE".

Anyone have a job in North Dakota they want to switch with me for a few months????

Paul,

That website is awesome (professional opinion) and you are right, when they were talking 104-108, I would walk out of the Nugget and say, "This ain't so bad". Stay tuned as I may need to pick your brain. The LSR schedule coincides pretty closely to the ORR schedule and I may give it a shot next year. I am in early talks with an engine builder in North Carolina that says he can give me 550rwhp NA with the reliability to run it in an ORR car. He says a 200 shot will put me at 220+mph. It *may* be an interesting winter.

Ooops --minor thread hijack

I'm a (lame) duck ... I've got Ph.D. in philosophy of all things. Think Freud (and Wittgenstein) and therapy and you're pretty darn close.

No, it doesn't pay the bills. I switched back to my computer geek alter ego a few years ago to keep my missus fed, and we now have 2 boys aged 3 and 7.

Nik

--
Black LT1 twin turbo (uh, more parts going into it than coming out of it ...)

I have Gone from the United States Marine Corp, to the Army, Then the National Guard, and Back to the Army. My current Job is a Animal Care Specialist........But I Have been a Tank Commander, Military Police, And a Recuiter. SO I am the NCOIC of the Vicenza Veterinary Clinic Located in Longare Italy. By Venice.....and NCOIC stands for Non Comminsioned Officer in Charge.

My cousin (Navy Chief) just returned from Vicenza! Says it's the most beautiful place he's ever been. Having been in the Navy for over 20 years, that says a lot.

I've been selling GM Parts for 20+ years. Many moons ago I bought a '65 Mustang. Jacked with that car for a couple years before a good friend asked me to help him build a motor for his '67 Camaro. After spending pennies on the dollar to make his Camaro much faster than my Mustang, I converted to a Bowtie Guy. Been Crew Chiefing on a T1 Vette (and a CSR Radical) for several years and bought an AS Camaro a couple years ago. I prefer to be the man making the "the man" go fast but still love to "get behind the wheel" on occasion so I keep this 3rd Gen toy arround for giggles. If you're ever at a Midiv SCCA race or are coming to the Runoffs anytime soon please "look me up". See you at the track!

-Kopp

Another MechE here... While at Tufts, I started Skulte Performance Designs part time to fund my racing habit (damn the f-body email list back in '95 that got me sucked into all this!!! ) after a few folks started asking me to fab T56 xmems for them (and now it's 3 generations later...). Out of school I was getting zoomies doing design engineering at a nuke consulting company, and a few years later, an f-body friend of mine invited me to be the engineer at Mallory Billet Alum. I now had CNC machines to play with! It was great designing parts, then machining the prototypes & programming the CNC's, and finally getting them into production for our parts changers (aka button pushers, or machinists ). During the month or two our sales guy was recovering from surgery, I shipped some MBA engine dress up parts to Julie Bergman at the Gecko Ranch, and also I think to EugenioSS (and probably a few others here). All the while, SPD kept growing (thanks everyone!), and I went full-time last April (April '05) and and also sponsored FRRAX. It's been great so far, and we just purchased a Faro arm to speed up the design process on more new parts. There is still just as little free time as before (and customers now come first before my own car, which is why I'm typing this at midnight, instead of an imaginary lunch break), but it's great seeing something keep growing that started as a part time racing fund. The bonus of using the race car as R&D is nice too. Hopefully it doesn't sound too cheezy, but it's been a dream.

Hey Andris, Thanks so much for the beautiful CNC aluminum that resides in the engine compartment of my '97 Trans-Am. I have a shift knob from you too now that I think about it! Good to see you here....I'll be calling you about a T-56 x-member for my '91 Formula pretty soon! Let me know if you need any geckos, I have some fast ones!

Retired Navy, 20 Years, Air Traffic Controller.... Drove a Semi for the last 6 months and now I'm back to Air Traffic Control for the Department of Defense. Work at Naval Air Station Lemoore doing what I did 5 years ago while there in the Navy but now I wear regular clothes, don't have to clean anything , answer to Mr. instead of Petty Officer and make alot more money

I bet they look cute in their little helmets

I think I may have some of you beat as far as heat goes. It's around 120-140* around the boilers depending upon where you are in the summer. And we have wonderfully heavy, long sleeve FR shirts to wear. I love watching the effects it has on some of our college co-ops who think they should never have to leave A/C behind.

Those crossmembers work great. I installed one of them many years ago and it was truly artwork.

looks like pretty cold down south... we've been having 36'C and 100% humidity, index: 46'C
oh 'F for you guys... 97'F and 100% hum, gave index of 115'F
thunderstorm period here... quite the heat... afraid the igloos aren't holding up.

Rob,
I've done a few FAC (flow accelerated corrosion) walkdowns at dirt burners, I mean coal, plants in NC (Roxboro, and a few other boros...). It wasn't bad with a breeze, but damn did it get hot up there when the air was still! Nice view, though. I never did get a chance to climb up the stack...

As far as heat goes... I work around motors pumping out 1500' F (850' C) exhaust with spikes up 1800' F. Yes, the exhausts glow bright red. The air temperature in an engine cell reach 160' F last week and caused a PVC pipe to start leaking water. Don't ask why there are plastic pipes in there. Fortunately the majority of my day is spent in the hallway which is much cooler, yet the warehouse is not climate controlled.

But hopefully this will change since I just graduated, anyone need an entry level Mechanical Engineer?

Not too many sales guys around either. At least I could make sure everyone is sober enough to drive.




How did the most important part of the car do? (The driver, Alan van der Merwe from South Africa)

Darn South Africans.......

Geez Neil, you'd think you knew had ties to the country or something......