this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2026
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Just curious, what do you guys actually do for a living?

Scrolling through comments here, you can tell there's a huge mix of people, some clearly technical, some more creative, some who sound like they've been in the working world for decades, others who feel like students or early in their career.

No particular reason for asking, just genuinely curious what kind of professions make up this community. Feel free to keep it as vague or specific as you're comfortable with.

Drop your profession below, and if you want, one thing about it people usually don't expect.

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[–] philpo@feddit.org 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

CEO. Disaster/healthcare management consultant. Critical care paramedic.

Well. Technically I am a CEO. My company is smallish, but we are a proper joint stock company (who I am the sole owner)m I founded it in 2020 and we consult in disaster management and healthcare management so for the "hot end" of healthcare.

I am still qualified as a critical care paramedic but only work in that field part time now.

[–] sandhu@thelemmy.club 1 points 2 days ago

pretty good , keep goin sir

[–] Meatwagon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 4 days ago

I'm in education. It's pretty alright. The kids aren't alright, though.

[–] betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world 67 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Space shuttle door gunner. It's a surprisingly easy lateral move from my old job as a submarine screen window repairman.

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[–] n3on_Navigat0r@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Railway signal maintainer.

I take care of crossing warning devices, switch machines, signals, track circuits, and wayside hazard detectors.

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[–] 7uWqKj@lemmy.world 52 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Former rock star, now retired, living on my private island, occasional public speaker, industry leader consultant when bored.

Just kidding. IT of course.

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[–] MintyFresh@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

City bus driver. It's not the most exciting job I've ever had, but it's a union shop(which really kicks ass!!!), has steady hours, pension, vacation/sick days, and healthcare.

It can be infuriating dealing with people who definitely do not have their shit in a pile. But it also feels really good being there for the community. I'll probably stick with it for a bit.

[–] josephc@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Former machine learning researcher. Worked on image search, then language modeling for general search. But then VC started throwing money at it and the landscape just kinda' changed. The research was still great in academia, but a bunch of dipshits took a useful technology and decided to use it as a way to funnel money from everyone into their own coffers.

Now I build stuff to monitor power lines and prevent wildfires.

One thing people don't usually expect: machine learning isn't magic. The computer doesn't just "do the work for you". There's a lot of planning, theory, and experimentation around seeing if and why something works.

[–] HCSOThrowaway@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

But then VC started throwing money at it

I had no idea the Viet Cong was still active in 2026.

[–] josephc@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

After the Kháng chiến chống Mỹ, I can't say I blame them.

[–] HCSOThrowaway@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I don't know what that is, but it looks like Vietnamese script so I'm inclined to agree that's probably relevant.

[–] josephc@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I was just playing off your joke. It's the term for the Vietnam War in Vietnamese. "Resistance War Against America."

[–] HCSOThrowaway@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

Ah okay. Barely related but I read recently that Vietnam is one of the countries that thinks highest about the US. Super strange, considering.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 3 days ago

i assume AI, since its related.

[–] HCSOThrowaway@lemmy.world 10 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (8 children)

Used to be cop.

Went into a completely unrelated line of work purely because it was remote, promoted from there.

Edit for the curious who want to know why I'm not a cop any more: https://lemmy.world/post/43267939

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[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 days ago

Was a wage slave all my life until I retired. The best I could do in life is sell my time for money. I didn't care who I sold it to.

I studied bioinformatics, got into IT, got pushed into sales, got out cause I hated that. Now I'm a barkeeper. Not yet sure what I'll do next. Maybe IT again, if I find a company that sucks less.

Also the sysadmin for a small non-profit, which is a lot more fun than any corporate job I had.

[–] xavier666@lemmy.umucat.day 12 points 4 days ago (2 children)
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[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 38 points 5 days ago (1 children)

“AROO!! AROO!! AROO!!”

No, not really. I’m an English teacher & childcare provider.

Used to work in IT, but preschoolers are generally easier to please.

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[–] Allero@lemmy.today 5 points 4 days ago

Junior researcher in food microbiology, with a background in general food technology.

Figuring out cheaper ways to enrich foods using microbial producers.

[–] quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com 33 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I have no idea what is called in English. I just work at a car park. Just above minimal wage, it pays my bills, finances my hobbies, is stable and once I'm out of the door at the end of my shift it is not my problem anymore.

[–] deegeese@sopuli.xyz 25 points 5 days ago

Parking lot attendant, unless you drive the cars too, in which case valet parker.

[–] 87Six@lemmy.zip 8 points 4 days ago

I'm a software engineer and it feels gross to say for some reason

I'm just a poser though, because I have no thigh-highs

[–] daggermoon@piefed.world 31 points 5 days ago (5 children)

I'm a cashier. Are you proud of me mom and dad?

We are. Love, mum 💐💛

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[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago (4 children)

Freelance artist. Make 2D and 3D digital art.

Commissions are mostly furry. Because of course. But I'm working on a sci-fi universe, and I practice a lot of 3D modelling with Bionicles.

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[–] Abyssian@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago (2 children)
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[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 28 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I used to teach, now I wait tables. I've also been a computer tech, event security, summer camp counselor, and lay minister.

I'm thinking about switching it up again. Maybe electrician?

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[–] PizzaLamp25@lemmy.world 25 points 5 days ago (13 children)

My profession is whatever job I can get with a HS diploma. Right now it's a crane operator, I climb 1-3 stories to troubleshoot problems for a warehouse in 34f or -15f. Actually not bad, coworkers on my shift are pretty cool, pay is good, benefits not bad. Just allot to learn with the program and system they use. Still in training, wish my luck keeping this job till I get a college degree or trade.

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[–] BoxOfFeet@lemmy.world 13 points 5 days ago

Mechanical Engineer. 14 years in automotive interiors. I design tooling for instrument panel toppers, door uppers, arm rests, etc.

Primarily, the type of tooling I specialize in is known as edge wrapping or edge folding. Basically, you have the plastic "substrate" and the leather or vinyl "skin" that is either vacuum formed or press laminated to it. Extra material is left around the edges, and that is heated, wrapped, and glued around the back of the part with a number of metal fingers. I do the wrapping tooling, as well as the lamination tooling.

The most complicated tool I ever designed was for a large, flat component behind the back seat of a car, by the rear window. Let me walk you through the sequence for it.

  • Operator loads plastic substrate in tool upper
  • Operator loads flat skin pattern in the lower on skin pins, and a clamp in the rear
  • The infrared heating shuttle moves in and the upper closes to the heating position, where the skin and substrate are blasted with tens of thousands of watts of IR heat to activate the glue
  • The IR shuttle retracts, and the tool fully closes to the lamination position, and the skin pins all retract. In the case of this tool, it had (I think) 0.25mm of compression a-side of the part.
  • Seven slides extend to laminated areas that were either undercut in tool draw, or protruded in a way that prohibited skin loading.
  • Three 200C hot air heaters extend down from the upper to heat the back edge of the part, and around the two speaker openings.
  • Once those retracts, 25 edgefolding pieces wipe the skin around the back, and up through the speaker openings (that's the coolest part)
  • The edgefolders retract in the reverse sequence of which they extended
  • The slides retracts
  • The tool opens, and the skin pins extend
  • the Operator can now step in the light curtain to remove the part, then return with the new substrate and skin.

So far, I would say it is the pinnacle of my career. But car parts are getting more complicated all the time. My design focuses lately have been focused on simplicity over that level of complexity. Where can we use a guided cylinder where we used to use linear rails? Can this detail be made in multiple pieces to reduce waste material? What components can be 3D printed? It's great fun, really. I do love my job.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 5 points 4 days ago

I am a master of the custodial arts.

[–] mlg@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago
[–] edg@lemmy.world 18 points 5 days ago (5 children)
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