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General Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Flash Harry on March 25, 2020, 05:31:57 AM

Title: working from home
Post by: Flash Harry on March 25, 2020, 05:31:57 AM
Hi All

These are strange times, I'm fortunate that I can work from home and I'm pretty much unaffected by the social separation.

It got me wondering, I know we are all musicians but many of us work as other things because music seldom pays the bills. What does everyone do when they are not being an active musician?

I'm an IT infrastructure architect, which means that I spend a lot of time thinking and writing technical documents about IT systems.

So what's your day job?

Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Greeny on March 25, 2020, 05:44:37 AM
Even my mum and family don't know or understand what I do  ;D

I'm a Data Strategist. Which means I used behavioural data (psychological mindsets, consumption patterns, transactions, digital footprints) to define marketing and advertising strategies. Basically, I work out which buttons to press so you buy something or join something or do something: how, where and why. But also to make your journey and interactions with a brand as easy as possible. I work with some very big global brands to do this.

The main part of my job is convincing people that my mad ideas are workable and credible  ;D

I've always been slightly ashamed of working in advertising. I never chose to, I'm just good at planning things and ended up here.

When we talk about 'essential jobs' in these troubled times, this is probably one of the least essential ones.

But my job will probably go soon anyway. It's precarious at the best of times.
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: TPB on March 25, 2020, 06:41:41 AM
I work for the U.S Coast Guard was active duty for 23 years search and rescue and anti-narcotics in South America Now I still work for them as a civilian 17 years I am blessed by being able to work for them at my house and only had to go into New Orleans once a week which I do not do anymore I stay hidden out at the farm
Tim
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Ferryman on March 25, 2020, 01:31:38 PM
I'm retired!!!! And therefore have been socially isolated for about 18 months.

Stop wasting time on the computer and get back to work you suckers!

Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Mike_S on March 25, 2020, 02:37:28 PM
I am a freelance graphic designer working from home. I worked and lived a long time in London but came back to Ireland about 10 years ago and decided to try to go it alone with mixed results... I have always managed to pay the bills, but it's always been 1 step forward and 1 step back. But all the same I like what I do...

I never played music as a job, in fact it's only ever been a home hobby for me apart from when I was around 18 or 19 when I played a handful of gigs in local bands as a drummer!
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: drumbum on March 25, 2020, 03:49:12 PM
Been self Employed for about 23 yrs. Commercial Building Maintenance / Management . I must say I am nothing but thankful and fortunate. Always just worked hard no matter what, and the wheel comes around ..as my Dad use to say.  The times now are a strain on me,(and everyone)  but working from home is a nice change from the office and the field. Home schooling my son, and playing Music. Next week or so I have to be out in the field and I am very concerned, but must be as smart as I can and try to survive. Always a helper of people, but how do you in this one?  Pray..

Family and music keep me going and when it gets tougher..more family and more music..    #)
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Redler on March 25, 2020, 10:34:07 PM
I'm a power plant operator and have been on winter holidays for two weeks, going back to work on Saturday. The power plant is a part of the big "industrial park", it's products are copper and nickel. I'm operating with different type of steam boilers, district heating plant etc. and I'm working on shifts. There's two operator / shift. Now, almost everyone on the day shift are working from home because of Corona virus. The control room is now isolated and disinfected and we hope that the virus wouldn't strike to our plant. On the worst case, if we (operators) get sick (corona), everything stops there, production of copper and nickel... The people in the town can't get heat or hot water.

Here's my "office".

(https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=29377.0;attach=189654)
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: maxit on March 26, 2020, 05:29:30 AM
I'm an IT project manager, so I'm allowed to waste time at the PC ... LoL Ferryman you discovered it ...
(uh redler when all this ends I'll come to your 'office' to press some buttons if you let me ;-)
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Farrell Jackson on March 26, 2020, 08:19:09 AM
I've been self employed for 25 years. Before that I was a Maintenance Dept Mgr. for Procter and Gamble for 20 years, when I retired the first time. After that, I started a Residential Property Management Company in 1995. Along the way I acquired enough residential rental properties which allowed me to retire the second time, after selling the business. I still manage and maintain half of my own rentals and let a Management Co. handle the other half. ( I'm not off from letting them manage the whole thing). So I guess I'm really semi-retired right now. I've been staying at home for the past two weeks but I know I'll have to venture out to make a repair when a call comes in. When I do I'll follow all the common sense protocols to stay safe.

Farrell
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: alfstone on March 26, 2020, 10:11:22 AM
I...OK, OK, you know it already...

Alfredo
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Ferryman on March 26, 2020, 10:13:57 AM
Quote from: maxit on March 26, 2020, 05:29:30 AMI'm an IT project manager, so I'm allowed to waste time at the PC ... LoL Ferryman you discovered it ...
I was a Gartner analyst for many years before I retired, if you're in IT you may know what that is. I worked from home when I wasn't on the road, so I am very familiar with the "diversions" that challenge all home workers..... ;)
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Flash Harry on March 26, 2020, 11:32:28 AM
Quote from: Ferryman on March 26, 2020, 10:13:57 AMI was a Gartner analyst for many years before I retired, if you're in IT you may know what that is. I worked from home when I wasn't on the road, so I am very familiar with the "diversions" that challenge all home workers..... ;)

Bloody hell Nigel - I use Gartner all the time, magic quadrants rule my life!
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Ferryman on March 26, 2020, 01:37:50 PM
Quote from: Flash Harry on March 26, 2020, 11:32:28 AMBloody hell Nigel - I use Gartner all the time, magic quadrants rule my life!
Magic Quadrants used to rule mine as well! Absolute bloomin' nightmare they were. Very glad I don't have to do them anymore. Very glad I don't have to do any work any more, instead I'm planning how to put the new pedalboard together when the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle arrives tomorrow!
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Kenneth on March 26, 2020, 04:53:24 PM
I was going to post a pic here, but even though the jpeg is within the limits it won't take. Photobucket charges now and dropbox didn't work either.
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: chapperz66 on March 27, 2020, 03:55:54 AM
I am now happily retired - well, as happily as possible under current circumstances. I spent my working life in logistics management, starting off as the boy in the transport office and ending up as logistics director of a number of different companies.  Just about every glass you have drunk beer out of and cutlery you ate with in a pub or restaurant will have come through one of my warehouses and survived one of my trucks.  I fed you with Mr Kipling cakes, and entertained you with Ferguson, Sanyo and Grundig TVs and audio products.  I promoted world peace and happiness by supplying you with the latest mobile phones that you didn't know you wanted. No - no - please don't thank me!  It was nothing   ;)

Later in life I did a bit of logistics consultancy work for a few companies on a self employed basis but now I am pleased to say I have done my bit. Somebody else can carry the load.  (did you spot the distribution pun there? Oh, how we laughed!!)

This is an interesting thread.

Stay well chaps!

Paul
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: chapperz66 on March 27, 2020, 03:58:54 AM
BTW - I have no idea what a magic quadrant is but it is a great title for a piece of music.  I will write it down in my little book of future song titles.
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: maxit on March 27, 2020, 04:48:03 AM
I think the last reply by chapperz puts us all, if not in the 'leader', at least at the top of the visionaries quadrant ;-)
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Ferryman on March 27, 2020, 05:40:41 AM
Quote from: maxit on March 27, 2020, 04:48:03 AMI think the last reply by chapperz puts us all, if not in the 'leader', at least at the top of the visionaries quadrant ;-)
A Magic Quadrant joke! I am well impressed. You definitely move top right......... ;D
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: hooper on March 27, 2020, 08:38:28 AM
Interesting to see so many really smart people here, but of course I already knew that!  ;)
I am semi-retired and I draw houseplans, self-employed now after doing it full-time for about 30 years.  The loft above our garage contains my workspace with a CAD workstation (about 20% of the room) and my home recording studio built around a DAW workstation.  So, being distracted at work and tempted to play is something I have happily lived with for decades...  8)
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Greeny on March 27, 2020, 10:29:59 AM
I like this thread.
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Hook on March 27, 2020, 11:41:27 AM
Well, I've been self employed as a childrens entertainer for 21 years now. I started as a clown in 1999, I had 7 sub-contractors that worked for me and we did about 20 events a weekend. That all fell apart in 2008 with the recession and I created Silly Sam the Music Man and have performed (as he) full time since, doing concerts and teaching a pre-school music curriculum that I wrote. About 6 weeks ago I started driving for Ubereats as a side hustle and now that I guess is my profession. My wife and I both decided to self Isolate about 2 days ago. We have enough for a month(ish) then we will see what's what..
Stay safe my friends!
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: bruno on March 31, 2020, 05:50:41 AM
Great thread, sorry not been around very much.
I am a IT technical architect for Vodafone, for whom I'm have worked for, for 28 years now. Have spent the last couple of years on regulatory projects GDPR et al, but also on very many other projects - its a long list, and I've had many fingers in many pies :-). Started with a degree in Physics, went into hardware and then into software development, last 10 years drawing boxes in Visio and writing HLD's. Lots of UNIX and Windows dev (I have a real soft spot for Delphi) and worked on lots of Oracle technologies with big databases. Have been fortunate in my career, as I still very much enjoy working in the role that I do, although I miss actually writing code. Music gives me balance.

I miss all you guys - and particularly the one's that I have met. Hopefully we all come out of this unscathed, I do suspect the world of travel will be harder once this is all done. Hook - brother - hope you guys are okay, and I hope that we will be able to meet up again in the future, at some point.

We are all under lockdown, which is hard not seeing the kids - however, we are meeting up for virtual evening meals on WhatsApp video calls, which works really rather well. I recommend anyone in this position to do this, as its fantastic fun and gives a sense of normality to the drudgery of lock down. Any one who wishes to connect on WhatsApp, please do. if you are bored and want a chat - with my name, I'm not hard to find (Bruno Borzoni) :-)

Stay safe all, and continue to make music - its never been more important.

B.

Title: Re: working from home
Post by: kenny mac on April 02, 2020, 10:41:27 AM
I work for the ministry of defence.
I work with a robotic profile cutting machine and basically cut the steel that acts as the rib cage if you like for all the mod ships we create.
I used to physically do this by hand using a profile burner way back in the day but now load the jobs through the computer
and  robotically cut them to size using plasma gas.
Who could have known the biggest threat to our countries would come in the form of a bug.
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Mike Huntingford on April 02, 2020, 02:40:08 PM
I retired from the military after 30-years.  Got bored and went back to work.  I am now an armed Patrol Officer for Colorado State at a major school district in Colorado.  We are classified as mission-critical but we have been reduced to working only 40% of our normal scheduled work - consequently, I work 2 days a week until further notice.

Mike
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: IanR on April 03, 2020, 11:58:52 PM
Hi everyone,

I am the Manager of Strategic Planning at the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning in Victoria, Australia. I co-ordinate the strategic and business planning for the department. That involves all the fun stuff like doing SWOT analysis and developing outcomes and key performance indicators. I am really busy at the moment because plans are changing on an almost daily basis, and we are keeping our executive teams and ministers informed on the impact of the social distancing on the delivery of our high priority projects and services.

Ian
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Ferryman on April 06, 2020, 02:58:36 AM
Quote from: IanR on April 03, 2020, 11:58:52 PMHi everyone,

I am the Manager of Strategic Planning at the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning in Victoria, Australia. I co-ordinate the strategic and business planning for the department. That involves all the fun stuff like doing SWOT analysis and developing outcomes and key performance indicators. I am really busy at the moment because plans are changing on an almost daily basis, and we are keeping our executive teams and ministers informed on the impact of the social distancing on the delivery of our high priority projects and services.

Ian
Well done Ian, that sounds like important work right now. So keep doing what you do!
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Hook on April 07, 2020, 10:12:34 AM
Everybody seems to be so accomplished with important jobs and responsibilities...and then there's me.  !@013
This is an impressive bunch!
Rock on!
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Ferryman on April 07, 2020, 12:01:07 PM
But none of us have a haircut like you.... ;)
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: Tangled Wires on April 07, 2020, 12:43:22 PM
I am a Quantity Surveyor for a Regional House Builder in East Anglia . Its not a very Rock'n'n'Roll profession but have been doing it now for 35 years and despite threats to try something else over the years have never had the inclination or bottle to take a leap of faith, although who knows what direction this crisis will take many of us in now.

Currently half our staff are Furloughed, and I am one of the few still working full time (at home), but with all of our Housing Developments shut down for the forseeable future I am not sure how long that will last. :(

Nice to get an insight into other members day jobs,
Title: Re: working from home
Post by: cuthbert on April 07, 2020, 04:06:16 PM
This has been an interesting thread!

By day I'm a Senior Quality Engineer for a large software company that makes creative tools for designers, publishers, and hobbyists. I marked my 20th anniversary there this past August. I used to commute by automobile down to Boston from Maine three days a week to work in our remote office, but I've been telecommuting from home full time since 2010.

There's quite a bit of drudgery involved in the job itself (writing test plans, test cases, and bug reports, plus creating and running test passes for regression testing). That said, I do enjoy having some design input (and finding new bugs) as new features are planned and implemented. For the product I've been working on for the past four years, we release a new version of the application twice a month, so it's always been very busy. We use Slack for instant messaging and BlueJeans for video conferencing.

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones since little has changed for me as far as work goes. However, there has been the expected adjustment for my colleagues who formerly worked together in the San Francisco office but now must do so from home due to the lockdown orders. Hopefully, this pandemic situation we're all going through will start to resolve soon as the infection rate begins to trend down. So much has changed in just a little more than a month...