What did you do for a living before Aviation

USCG. Learned to fly in Juneau while on active duty, waiting for weather in the Pribilof Islands to improve enough for contractors to get their stuff onshore for a new loran station. Started instructing while still on active duty and just kept on keepin' on after retirement.

Bob
 
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Ice cream parlor
Dunkin' Donuts
Hydroponics shop
Customer service at a flight school
CFI
Aerial photography
Airline Pilot
 
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Trained and raced Standardbreds (harness horses - i.e. trotters and pacers).:)
 
Stock Boy at Big Lots
Zamboni Driver/Ice Hockey Pro Shop guy
Voice/Piano/Trumpet Teacher
Opera Singer
Business Planner
Wall St. Compliance grunt
Freelance Singer
Wall St. Risk Manager
Opera Singer
Budget Analyst
IT Business Analyst

One day I'll teach music and flying...
 
Bus Boy, Dishwasher, Oil Company Scheduler, Gas Station Attendant, Conference Call Operator, Callcenter Technician, Field Service Engineer, Network Management Center Manager, Software Developer, Product Support Engineer, Lead PS Engineer, Data Center Engineer, Linux Systems Administrator, Unix Systems Engineer, "Senior" added to most of those eventually... IT Manager...

But, the topic seems to lean toward folks making a living from aviation, and I'm definitely not. I doubt teaching aviation will accomplish that, either.
 
I don't fly for a living, but:

Commercial Urethane Foam Roofing - High School
Sherwin-Williams - College
Oilfield Pumper
Gas Processing Plant Operator - for the last decade

Pretty mundane, but it's a livin'.
 
Boxboy and farm hand in high school.
Soldier (field artillery) after high school.
Machinist after the Army.
Still a machinist.
 
Aviation is just a hobby.
But lots of stuff:
Farm hand/ Vet Tech/ AI Tech/ Farrier Apprentice including doing stuff you don't want to know about;
Auto mechanic;
Wanna be welder - Dad said I would never be better than a slag welder - and he was right;
Marine Corps (until my motorcycle accident);
College - few community colleges - about 6-7 different majors
College - Gonzaga University and Army ROTC and Reseves post commissioning
Law School - Gonzaga and then back on to active duty with a branch transfer from Infanty to Jag
Lots of law jobs including private practice after the Army. Ended up working in the nuclear industry for the last 28 years.

3 great kids - all married with professional degrees - and 4 grandchildren. My life has been truest blessed.
I can now see retirement and it's not too far away. With good health, more flying.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Before graduating high school:

- Lemonade stand (age 8 or so)
- HTML programmer (age 10)
- Babysitter (14-17)

During college:

- Auto mechanic (specializing in Jaguars)
- Hauling cars around the country/truck driver (pickup, not semi)

I've spent my post-college career in aviation, although I had no interest in flying at first. Although I've been a commercial pilot for 8 years, I've only spent about a year and a half as a professional pilot. Otherwise I've been an engineer/program manager.
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How did you ever find time for Band Camp ?
 
It's always been aircraft maintenance for me since the begining. My father would have signed me off for my A&P license while I was in high school but I wanted to go off to Spartan. My father and brother always thought I would be flying for a living but I liked the maintenance more. No regrets except a shot body and mind.
 
kmead said:
It's always been aircraft maintenance for me since the begining. My father would have signed me off for my A&P license while I was in high school but I wanted to go off to Spartan. My father and brother always thought I would be flying for a living but I liked the maintenance more. No regrets except a shot body and mind.
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You sold your Malibu, correct? I saw it at my airport a few months back. Recognized it immediately.
 
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