What's your occupation?

[Rob McCance]

Basically a serial entrepreneur since I start to itch every 5-10 years and need a change. Reading this thread is causing me to itch NOW.

 

The itch started early in college when I first majored in Music Performance (Jazz Trumpet) then hung on for a Physics Degree, then an Electrical Engineering BSEE.

 

Undecided from the beginning!

 

Since, I have founded and run three companies, the latest of which is a side-gig Real Estate Company (something has to pay for audio gear), the first non-technical venture.

 

The main job is a Sales Applications Engineer for Cadence Design Systems (http://www.cadence.com/) which keeps me involved with design, but not responsible for my customers' deadlines, stresses or 80 hours in front of simulators every week. It's a good mix!

 

I've read several other occupations in this thread I'm now thinking about...thanks for nothing!

 

 

 

 

[wdomeika]

I run an IT infrastructure architecture consulting practice for a company you all know.

 

On the weekends, a chef in my family's bistro.

 

 

I prefer weekends...

 

[GT in OZ]

.. no matter how poor and rich I've been, I've never owned a car worth more than my stereo, or a stereo worth more than my music collection.

 

Started as an electronic engineer (systems management), paid my way through acting school as a musician, photographer and sound designer, worked professionally as an actor, moved into directing, writing and producing television drama, wrote and taught (directing and acting) at various universities on the side, just retired from Head of Teaching at our national film school, in semi-retirement writing, travelling and taking photographs.

 

And going to lots of concerts.

 

Wouldn't it be great if there were more women on this post?

 

 

[PeterSt]

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/Whats-your-occupation#comment-135010

 

This is a bit of a hidden one.

But she looks to be real.

 

Not sure whether dating is allowd on this site.

 

Anyone running a dating agency ?

 

[Simon Templar]

 

 

.....now consulting for the firm of Dolittle & Loafmore

 

 

 

 

....sT

 

[GT in OZ]

I'm struck by a number of things. Despite a bias towards technically based professionals, there's a pretty broad range of occupations and backgrounds in this blog - except there appears to be only one woman. Yet I know many woman who are musicians or into music, and when I go to concerts there's a pretty even mixture of men and women both on the stage and in the audience.

 

And if there's one thing Apple have achieved it's to get women to love and use technology (plus get many people to accept technological dictatorship in the interests of certainty and style - correspondent ducks and runs for cover).

 

But unless there are hundreds of secret women audiophiles who decided not to put their name to this blog, very few women extend their love of music into love of music-playing technology.

 

Perhaps this issue isn't really in the scope of this blog, but I wonder why. Audio is not model trains (extensions of boyhood) or pig-shooting (though I believe this has a surprising number of female enthusiasts). Any thoughts?

 

[wgscott]

I've wondered about this too, but is it that the preponderance of "audiophiles" is male, or is it people with a proclivity to post stuff at websites like this? It is hard to know which (or if there are other complicating factors).

 

[midfiguy]

Thanks for the bump, Paul. I'd have never seen this fascinating thread otherwise.

Me? I'm an innkeeper on Penobscot Bay, in Maine. I'm basically a food guy with a 10 year detour through the corporate mazes of L.L. Bean.

 

[AudioDoctor]

http://theaudiophileswife.blogspot.com/

 

They have too much sense.

 

[Jetengineer56]

No. No, in fact they don’t count.

Especially when you are a Cheesehead and have Babcock Hall ice cream.

 

Scott

UW-Madison BSEM ’86

Ex-patriot Cheddarhead

High School math & science flunkie

Inventor

NFL Team Owner

 

 

Chris, Thanks….wonderful, informative website, w/good company.

 

 

[mav52]

I'm retired and it's feels great. 35 years with AT&T, Bell Labs,Lucent. Plus I've stayed in a Holiday Inn Express , that should count for something

 

[GT in OZ]

Yes, I recognized some truth in the column, and my wife laughed like a drain when I passed the link on - she's fond of calling out 'It's your dealer on the phone dear.'

 

It did remind me a little of the 'Mere Male' column in old Readers Digests in doctors' waiting rooms. Oddly, the magazine always seemed to fall open right at that page.

 

On the other hand I'm not so sure about women having more sense. I have, for my education and my sins, accompanied my wife shopping for shoes.

 

Perhaps it's just different strokes...

 

And perhaps time to put this subject to bed?

 

[Zakus]

As one of the new users of computeraudiophile.com fair enough to introduce ourselves.

 

Occupation, GP (General Practitioner, I think the US equivalent is Family Physician) in an Australian premium wine producing area :-).

 

Computer audio interest fanned by a couple of good dinner parties, 5 years or so ago, should hear this great CD, hour later, got it! Ok lets rip them to iTunes. Mpeg 3, mmmh doesn't sound right, bit flat. Bites the bullet and re rips all again this time to aiff, thats better. Haven't looked back. Impress people with great sound with ease of use, especially with airplay. Discover 24 bit, but discover airplay doesn't support, Apple TV sounds awful, discover computeraudiophile, thankyou Chris.

 

Audio interest started as student, eventually had nice system, couldn't afford LP12 but happy with Rega Planar 3. Listening to decent audio encourages eldest to pursue music career and now freelance sound engineering.

 

Very happy.

 

[triweaver2]

I've mostly been lurking but found my player via this site. Retired from doing IT, mostly analysis, for many years. Now exploring my creative side.

 

[Julf]

So you have seen both sides? Boy did I miss the sound of ATC the time I lost all my comms in the rather crowded Boston airspace...

 

[koogook]

Im a Poet, artisan of various crafts, tattoo artist of Asian design. Im an informal scientist of thought and in seeking Fact. I love Surfing, technology and occupy as much time as possible with these also. Apart from that i retired from work at the age of 27. I realised at 25 that work was going to stop me from living life as i wanted, so i have internet business's to provide income.

Life should not be inconvenienced at the necessity of work, but lived truly as the things you love to do.

I have built my own house, learnt various vernacular building techniques and hope to enjoy more and more new skills as i come to them in the future.

 

[chrisg3]

Oil, Gas and Petrochemical.

Mechanical and piping design engineer and former stress analyst, nowadays with evergrowing project and commissioning exposure. Living in South Africa - JHB, working for Shell subsidary in CIS countries (in between my music listening sessions:))

 

[bleedink]

I've been a graphic designer, taught InDesign at a University, and am an aspiring writer, mostly of poetry. My interest in music and poetry were intertwined as a teen listening to the Doors and such. Later, the music took a backseat to the actual words and I sought out finer examples than 'rock music' poets. I tend to go primarily for foreign writers and mostly works produced before 1960. It's nice to see another poet out there! Of course, like musicians or audiophiles, there are lots of folks that call themselves poets...

I spend a great deal of time reading french poets in their native tongue. A bit off topic there sorry!

Currently I am disabled after a fall from a really really high building. Luckily most of my gear was purchased before finances became a huge factor. I still do a bit of design work when such is available in this economy.

 

[Edgaronline]

Chief Procurement Officer

 

But also owner of edgaraudio.com and in that sense: web designer, audio equipment manufacturer and designer, marketeer..

 

Graduated in Organic Chemistry, have a patent on electrically conductive polymers... Been product manager, project manager, business development manager..

Also husband, father and musician (active drummer in a prog rock band)

 

So my occupation is CPO but I am occupied with a lot more...

 

-Edgar

 

[crisnee]

@bleedink "Currently I am disabled after a fall from a really really high building."

 

Alright, it's your fault, you mentioned it. I can't believe nobody's asked. WTF? Please explain, if it's not too personal.

 

-Chris

 

[orgel]

I saw a lead-in, so I figured I'd take the plunge:

 

I'm a print broker, which means I'm a middleman in the printing business. I've spent about all of my nearly 40-year working life in print-related pursuits -- editorial, design, production, and now printing (though I don't actually get ink on my hands).

 

In my capacity as small-time digital prepress guru, I, too, teach InDesign ... to professional designers and with limited success.

 

Music has always been a part of my life. I grew up with my (slightly deaf) Dad blasting opera and symphonic music through the house. Played a lot of music in high school and into college but ultimately figured out I wasn't going to make the cut, so switched over to listening. My kid brother's a professional musician.

 

I was involved in audiophile pursuits in my college and bachelor years, but over time, wives, children, iPods, and limited disposable income led me away from the fold. In the past couple of years, I've been dragged back in, mostly as a result of an epiphanic experience when a friend with a good system sat me down and forced me to listen to AAC vs Redbook vs a couple of different high-res formats. Hanging around this place hasn't helped restore my sanity.

 

--David

 

[bleedink]

@Chris--I meant it more as an explanation as to why I'm not currently doing those things on a full time basis...as opposed to being a bum! Thanks for asking though. It was a complete accident but I landed on my feet which is why I am among the living today! Unfortunately my feet suffered a bit of damage. So jogging is something I don't do, among other things! My only problem is my dog! She has more milage than I by a long shot but I have some friends who help walk her from time to time. Thanks for the concern though! I have to stay out of the higher end discussions but I still learn a great deal here.

 

@Orgel--I cut my teeth on the old lightboards with blue pencils and stuff! I was almost entirely devoted to the practice of printing actual books and the like. Never did much on the internet. Now of course these skills aren't needed except to export as an ebook (or a limited print version if you are lucky). Of course there is still a small need for dinosaurs like us out there! I haven't yet completely switched my skill set over to the new trends so work is very spotty if you are freelancing and the like. I remember InDesign 2.0 was the big Quark killer back in the day-that is what I was primarily teaching...InDesign to Quark users in the corporate arena. The funny thing was that I never went to school for graphic design! I was completely self-taught. It was really interesting teaching a workflow to folks who should already have had a pretty good grasp on the subject.

 

[dmormerod]

..working for a mid-sized s/w company in the Boston area. If only they paid me by the number of letters in my title..:-)

 

[orgel]

bleedink wrote:

 

"I cut my teeth on the old lightboards with blue pencils and stuff!"

 

Good times! I used to cut my finger with an X-acto knife on a fairly regular basis. The first publications I worked on were typeset on Monotype and Linotype machines. The typesetters all had burn scars on their hands. Now I'm hoping that someone will still be publishing paper books and magazines until I can retire. I think I can just about make it.

 

"I remember InDesign 2.0 was the big Quark killer back in the day-that is what I was primarily teaching...InDesign to Quark users in the corporate arena."

 

Yeah, that was a fun paradigm shift. I still have a very few recurring jobs that are in XPress but no clients using the current version. Nowadays, Quark is trying to focus on an XPress -> iBooks/iNewstand workflow. Who knows, maybe they'll survive.

 

"The funny thing was that I never went to school for graphic design!"

 

Me neither. I was an English major at a moderately prestigious East Coast liberal arts college. Shows you what that'll get you.

 

Now, back to our show.

 

--David

 

[obt_man]

Large Oil and Gas company with focus on market, strategies, and international development. I see a lot of CA members being engineers or have some technically focused occupations. I am not anywhere near an engineer and wish I had such skills to better understand many hi-fi related matters. I always envied technically proficient people and work a lot with them and hold great respect to what they know and what they do, and frankly all my hobbies, including hi-fi, computers, cars, were more technical then humanitarian. This is sort of a way for me to switch from my everyday business matters.

 

I am a newbie in hi-fi (but love music all my life), but as of right now I am seriously considering branching out and starting up a family business that would be in parallel to my existing job. This surely would be in hi-fi and most probably computer related. I currently see a great deal of unexploited opportunities in the country where I live in, so this business would be focused on exporting and distributing a number of high quality computer audio products that are inexistent in the market here.