What do you do for a living?

[Ray Minich]

My hat's off to you guys (and gals) that do steel guitar full time. You certainly provide permanent newbies like me a whole lot of entertainment and joy.

I design and build stuff, from robots, to big steel fabrications, to production lines, to test equipment.

The underbelly of a push-pull is an awesome place...

[Steve Feldman]

Mineralogist and Steel Guitar Dilettante

[Jerry Van Hoose]

CSX Engineer, 20 yrs (retired )

[Walter Killam]

Tech Support here! this week they're calling me a System Analyst. Next week . . . who knows!

[Karen Lee Steenwijk]

I grew up the ole school way!My dad was a coal miner and my ma drove coal trucks.
So at a very early age I was taught do what you can to make a living.At sixteen I started working in "Geriatric Nursing".I did that for 26 years and loved every minute of it.
My patients became my family,and I just loved everyone of them.I treated them, like I would wanted to be treated when I got old. It was back breaking work..and I am paying for it today...but it made my heart feel good.I learned so much from those folks...and would do it all again. The stories they told were worth more to me than the pay.
It was a learning experience for me that lasted a "Lifetime".I was trained by "Catholic Nuns" that ran a tight ship, and everyone was taken care of properly.
Complete care to a patient back then, was bathing,shaving, you name it! Try to get a back rub in a nursing home today!
I will never forget this and still do it today.The nuns taught us that when we leave a room always look back to see if "everything" is in its proper place. I drive "Ron" crazy doing that, but it works!
No matter what you do for a living...be happy with what you are doing.
At 53 I look back at the many times I took my guitar on many holidays and went up and down the halls and sang for my patients.They loved it!It was the little things,the smiles,the faces lite up,that is what made what I did for a living "A great Job".

Karen

[George McLellan]

I retired as a hard rock miner in 2000 and have been driving a school bus as a keep busy job since. I still sub for local bands from time to time.

Geo

[Jerry Dragon]

I am a CNC programmer/machinist, 40 years.

40 years as a weekend warrior in rock bands on lead guitar and vocals.

[Jani Peter Sandvik]

former truckdriver and after 5 years of that, today im am building semitrailers

[Larry Petree]

Retired from the Kern County Fire Department, after 31 years.

[Greg Cutshaw]

I worked for IBM for 17 years in analog design, microcomputers, CMOS chip design, analog circuits and large mainframe caches. Now I am the plant engineer and electrical engineer at a large spring manufacturing plant where I do everything from machine desigg, automation to lean manufacturing TPM.

Greg

[Frank Sprague]

Been in comercial construction all my life - not so much out in the "trenches" anymore . as I'm now in supervision and management . . can't say if one is better than the other . . If the hard work doesn't get ya ,the stress will .There is always a risk factor in any of the trades, but one thing that makes me leary about welding as a profession is the fumes . I haven't met an Ironwoker yet that likes welding galvy . . As a carpenter ,fotunately ,I still have all my "digits" - - I can't stress that kind of safety enough ! . . . Anyhoo, I used to play out all the time , but now as I'm getting close to retiring . .playing with a few ol' boys for fun on the weekends, or just playing in my studio alone is just fine, , ,and it makes all that stress just go away .

[Farris Currie]

AUSTIN

when handling heavy steel, always watch the person
on the other end, they will get you hurt!!!!!

farris

[Matthew Prouty]

Was a counterintelligence agent for 12 years (got sick of all the travel, constantly deployed). I did learn how to pick locks, crack safes, and open all types of cars, now if I could just find a practical application for those skills.

Been working as a Tier II Telecommunications Support Engineer. I provide support for DWDM, SDH/SONET, and Ethernet.

I am in the process of founding my own company now for technology support.

[Twayn Williams]

Web programmer.

I have made a living in music before, though I've never been on the road. It was when I was much younger and I could get by on just about nothing.

As I get older, more and more I realize I simply am not congenitally disposed to the social/business requirements of the pro musicians life. Coming to terms with this fact has been something of a struggle.

[Ben Jones]

Since moving to the city with the second highest unemployment rate in the nation...I am a bitter low paid paper pusher at a local University. low level accounting.

My skills as an antiquarian paper restoration specialist are apparently only needed in manhattan by the likes of christies and sothebys. In seattle there is no market for my skills. Unfortunately for me, Paul Allan does not collect books and maps from the 1600's.

I am sure my parents meant well when they said "Son , you can grow up to be anything you wanna be. Anything you wanna do you can do it!" but in hindsight I wish they had said "You are gonna be a welding engineer and like it!"..instead of encouraging me to major in fine art

[Kenneth Farrow]

Blessed by having two professions--social worker, and music teacher, retailer and performer

[Bill Duncan]

I'm a mechanical engineer, and I work as a consultant.

[Rick Hulett]

After 30 years as an Electrical Engineer, I now, in the words of Grady on Sanford and Son, have a wife and a TV and they both work. I work about 8 hours a week as the IT guy at a local Hospice, teach guitar lessons and play. So, basically I worked for 30 years in order to be able to afford to eke out a meager living playing music.

[chris ivey]

matt.....many practical applications come to mind with those skills you have!! just don't get caught.

[Austin Tripp]

Lets keep them coming!!

[Jim Bob Sedgwick]

I played professionally for about 10 years. Got sick of it , went to mortuary school, became licensed as funeral director and embalmer. Got sick of making funeral home owners wealthy, quit went to work as a deputy coroner (death investigator) for 21 years with the San Bernardino County Sheriff/ Coroner.

Played part time all along and I am now retired, play part time and fish some.

I have learned that old age ain't for wimps!!!

[Matthew Prouty]

Chris,

All I need now is a partner.... maybe a few ski masks as well. Come to think of it ski masks and 110 degree weather don't mix all that well.

[Kevin Mincke]

I'm a sergeant w/Farmington police 21 years. I started playing pedal steel in the late 70's while growing up that 60's country and 70's southern rock! My 91 year old uncle still plays his Gibson Console Grand and is where I first acquired my love with steel guitar. My auntie played piano, organ, marimba and uke with Vern at the IHSGC for years.

Love that steel guitar

[Larry Hamilton]

Locomotive Engineer for BNSF Railway for 31 years and counting. I manage to keep my hand in music with the steel guitar. I'm glad I don't try to do it on a real regular basis as there isn't much, for me, to work with around here. The country here is screaming guitars and distortion. I guess I'm too old school. And bsides that I look pretty bad in a tight pair of jeans, T shirt and a big old cowboy hat.

[Steve Branscom]

5 yrs US Army, Field Artillery, not much civilian use for skill in firing a howitzer! 20+ years as a stockbroker. Currently on disability from the stockbroker job. Sales jobs are the best if you can deal with the uncertainty of the income stream. Lots of independence in the sales field. Lots of satisfaction knowing that everyone in the company works for you because you're the one bringing the dollars into the company fold.