Grateful Dead My Gainful Employment

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What is it that you do, anyway?

Railway (Railroad sounds better to me)

Railway despatcher on the East Coast Mainline in the UK - 30 years service this coming October. Doesnt time fly when you're having fun.

Travel

I work in the travel/timeshare sales industry. Good $, but it sucks being the pushy, salesman type guy.

I work for a Telecommunications contractor in PA. My job setup the signal levels on the forward and return paths then certify the plant to the systems and FCC specs. This job means alot of traveling and looking forward to the Grateful Dead channel on Sirrus to help pass the miles.

Grateful Nurse

I'm a registered nurse currently working in pediatric homecare - visit cases and in-home nursing care of kids many of whom in years past would have been institutionalized or hospitalized longer for their needs. During the summer I took time off and worked at a camp mission in northeastern PA which hosts foster and underprivileged children and teens from NYC. Five busloads of kids come in at a time. It was a high just working with these incredible kids for their ten-day stays. I loved every exhausting minute of it. Hope to do it again next summer. The camp is nearby Mountain Laurel where Rat Dog just played last Sat. night, Aug. 18th. Fabulous show. This venue is only a few years old (built where an old resort used to be) but folks, this show topped ticket sales with 9,500 concert goers, more than they've had yet for any other band. Second highest was for Crosby, Stills & Nash a couple of years ago. Hope they'll invite Bob and his band back next year, and sure hope they'll come! They started for The Allman Brothers. The huge parking lot there is extended by acres and acres of grassy fields all around - filled up!

i sell food

i basically run a route for 12-14 hrs a day selling food, talking about food but rarely eating food,tough to do when you love to cook, but a really cool job, getting to meet all kinds of people from all walks of life. Boring story, I now live in Minnesota, but lived in Vermont in the late 80's for about 2 years in a small town of about 2,500 people, and just recently learned one of my customers here over 1,500 miles away lived in that same small town at the same time. Small world.

commodities/futures/forex broker

My workplace is nice. Cool bosses (all like good music), laid back environment, no pushy sales crap. Trading/asset management firm, clients invest in all sorts of commodities, currency exchange, futures markets. I would go crazy if I worked at some nosy, beauracratic, conservative firm. As long as the work gets done, we are encouraged to have a good time and not stress out. If only all white collar jobs were like this...

National Park Service

I work for the National Park Service as a Facilities Management Specialist. So, I work every day in one of this country's most beautiful places. I'm lucky enough to live where I work too. My work commute is about 2 minutes in a car and about 15 on foot. I work for the Facilities Management Division (Maintenance) and I used to work in the field but now work solely on a new database software that tracks our asset information. I loved working in the field and learning how to fix stuff out there with the guys. And I love my geeky computer database job too. I'm pretty stoked. I think the thing that I love most about my job here in the Park is that mostly, the employees are here because they LOVE the park. They are certainly not in it for the money. I worked in the field everyday for about 4 years and I don't think that a day went by where someone in the crew didn't remark about how beautiful it is. Some of these guys are really hard-core, tough folks too. Not the type that you would think would notice the scenery (if you were stereotyping). We'd be out digging some ditch or repairing an underground high voltage line somewhere and we'd be all hot and sweaty (if it was August) or freezing cold (if it was January) and working away and one of these hard-core tough guys would stop, stand up, look around and say, "have you SEEN that waterfall today? C-mon guys, check it out!" and we'd all stand up and look around and then someone else would say, "thank god we're not doing this in Fresno". I love it here.

Iron Worker

I know that 9/11 is a sad day for all, but being an Iron Worker that day is dreaful, not only the lives lost but the man hours in the construction that were lost also. Peace everyone, and Please don't ever forget what happened that day in 2001.

I work at a company as a

I work at a company as a parts room attendant. I pull parts for job orders, cut steel stock for the welders and machine shop. I also get track of tooling and inventory of parts in stock. But, since I work nights 10pm-6am, and we only have 9 people on nights, I tend to do other jobs as well. I have done electrical work, painting, machine shop, welding, maint. work on many nights. So, in all every night I tend to do something different. The company I work for makes/repairs/services crane brakes, hook blocks, magnets,lifting devices,crane parts,brake parts, for the steel industry. Most of our sales go to steel mills, foundries,recycling plants, scrap yards, railroad yards, ship building yards, steel process plants, and construction usage. It's not a bad job. Pays good. Decent people to work with. Laid back environment with great health insurance. Yeah, some days are better than others...but it could be a lot worse!

Retired Railway worker

I retired in 2001 after 36 years on British Railways in what used to be the Southern Region way Back Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam

All you teachers...

I'm here, not with my mod hat on but with my Rex-Foundation-writer hat on, with a request. I've noticed over the last few months that a whole bunch of folks here are teachers or otherwise workers-with-youth, and we'd really like your input. Specifically, on the Rex Foundation Blog, which I'm in the process of updating. As many of you probably know, Rex is big on supporting youth arts programs, especially those that bring arts education to kids in public schools. (See, for example, Little Kids Rock, which does...) In the course of thinking about such things, we realized that there's sort of an underlying meta question, namely, what is public education supposed to be in the first place? What do we WANT it to be? So we've launched blog topic to talk about it here. Please come on down and speak up! (You need a google account to post, but in this day and age most of us do. If this is a problem for you, lemme know and I'll try to design around the problem.) Thanks! ME

My own Company

Working on my own, at home. I fire images onto Bone china, so a lot of clients are car clubs like Bentley and Lotus, and dogs, weddings. I tend to spend hours in front of the computer finding new clients and listening to CDs or Radio 4.After being laid off and business partner doing a runner I'm left with the debts, but determined to make a go of it (good thing the wife works, so the bills get paid). Must not grumble things are going really well at the moment. Good docu on Klimts' The Kiss on radio at the moment.

AAA

I rate / evaluate hotels, restaurants, campgrounds and attractions for AAA. "AAA Approved." That's me in North Georgia and portions of East Tennessee (Chattanooga, Cleveland and Manchester included). We're diamonds not stars ! Hahaha ! It's a great gig. I've been at it since March 1993. I've also traveled across most of the USA doing out of territory work. New York, Austin, New Orleans and Colorado (Estes Park, Glenwood Springs, Denver, Boulder and Winter Park) were places that really stand out in my memory. I've had a grate time and mets lots of grate people. Hope to meet some of you one day. Peace.

I'm a slacker's assistant!

I'm "in between" jobs, and draining savings. That means I spend a bit of time on the computer chatting with people when they are supposed to be working. Being a slacker's assisnt doesn't pay squat, but it's so internally rewarding!

LindaH -slacker's assistant

You should be pretty busy in these parts. Welcome aboard. Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.) Walt Whitman-Song of Myself

Thanks, Hal. :-)

Buy Low, Sell High....

I make buy, sell, or hold recommendations on stocks....alot of fun.

stocks...

Bamski, that's just something I could never get my brain around. What is your job title? are you one of those 'brokers' or something?

Baseball Umpire

I get to work infront of 7000 people a night, many games on TV! Working 3 hours a night is not bad work if you can get it!!!

wow!

That's so cool! In Chicago (guessing from the name)?

R U Employed, Sir?

You don't go out lookin' for a job dressed like that? On a weekday? Is this a...what day is this?

GRTUD, you suck! (LOL)

GRTUD, you fucing suck! (LOL) ( -: you just made me spit up green tea all over the fucking keyboard with that quote. I got a job for you, clean up this mess! "pays good money, 5$ a day..." peace. "What's the point of calling shots, this cue ain't straight in line Cue balls made of styrofoam and no-one's got the time"

CC Joe!

Welcome back.

I see old people...

A lot, actually. I'm a clinical psychologist and I practice in nursing homes. My clientele covers all ages (a surprising number of nursing home residents are under 50, with the youngest having been 18 and the oldest being 104). Driving from nursing home to nursing home creates many chances to listen to music, which helps put the occasional heaviness of my job in some kind of perspective. Joy and beauty keep on truckin' all the time. I got introduced to Dead music in college about 30 years ago and it changed me indelibly. From the Dead I got into jazz and blues, got inspired to learn to play the guitar and have a lot of enjoyment every day of my life as a result. I don't miss the arena days of Dead shows much, but Alpine was a lot of fun, and I think that there is more Grateful Dead music in the world now than there ever was.

Stocks...

What's up Izzi? I am not a broker, but a financail analyst. I follow industrial companies and give recommendations on the stocks of those companies to the brokers who go to their clients and tell them my opinion (buy,sell, hold) on the stocks I follow. Does that clear it up a bit?

Gallery Owner looking for amazing rock art...AMAZING please!!!

I knew right away she was not like other girls Other girls

linda!

where are you located?

stumbler, bumbler and all around mumbler

i am a retired drunk, who occasionally dabbles into a bottle of red wine gold whiskey and am currently a self-employed freedom fighter which oddly pays very poorly so i in my spare time maintain T1 voice and data circuits in an attempt to take over the world along with my large headed mouse friend....

Goin' down the road...

...Feelin' good. When I'm not piloting an 18 wheeled, 80,000 lb, 70' long, 13'6" high vehicle down the highways of this great country of ours, I like to dabble in a little freelance gynocology. Great work, if you can get it.

I go to a very uptight

I go to a very uptight conservative boarding school where merely mentioning The Dead is looked upon with suspicion. I recently bought some two foot high speakers and several new Dead albums. its going to be a fun year Peace

I see old people too :)

Hey. I joined quite awhile ago but life got in the way and I forgot to come back here for weeks. I am a property manager, for senior apartments. Desparate to get back on the road, like I did way back in the early 70's. I was born to wander. And I HATE my job. I feel so bound up when I have to be in the same place, every frickin' day!!! www.FreeMall4All.com

humm.

i;ve done Nursing for 15 yrs.ive been in and out of work due to a back injury.and well good old wrk;scomp.sys.leaves you dagling.i dont understand it their are no ethics in this.hopfully i'll be able to go back to work soon!would like to change line of nursing i've done geriatric for so long im burnt.like to work in icu.w/neo. we'll see what the creator has in store.first is getting done w/work comp.grateful to see that all these heads are not what society has us out to be.good vibes to all of you.for all the service you provide to the world.and to i forgot your name the mum,you have full time many jobs if you were to get paid not sure how they would figure out a pay rate for that.it becomes many proffesions.so dont knock it again i beleive its a nother bullshited stero type from our society."keep up the good work and love on them kids" peace,heathaafeathaa

for now ... acupuncture for dogs and cats

I just got a new job managing an acupuncture and Chinese herb treatment center for dogs and cats. So far, so good, though I'm working towards the day when my primary calling -- writing -- lets me move from project to project and place to place working via a laptop and mobile blogging capabilities!

hey now, Barbara...

Drop me a PM if you're up for consulting with some folks long distance. i have a good friend in Colorado with a very ailing dog, and she's already using eastern remedies for her. You might have some more current info than what my friend can get in the middle of nowhere Colorado.

Software

I toil by day heading a software development team for a prominent Canadian telco. And yes, it's as exciting as that description made it sound! ;)

ESOL English teacher/Canbridge PET/KET/FCE/ examiner/translator/

Wow, the title is loooooooooooooooooooooooonger than the body of the comment, heheheheheheheheheh :).Anyway, I'm teaching English to non Anglo-Saxon "knuckleheads" in the EU right now!. Robert "May your dogs be with you"

Tree hugger

I am the Assistant Forester for a city in Illinois. Mainly I coordinate our tree planting program, Arborday celecration, help with snow operation, and supervise the mosquito abatement program. I love my job beacuse I get to go out in the field when I want and I have enough paperwork to keep me inside when its nasty out.If it were not for having such a great job and my family I would not be in Illinois. I love the west and plan to get out there as soon as possible.

I work inside the belly of

I work inside the belly of the beast otherwise known as a predatory credit card company that shall remain nameless. I work with the customers who unwittingly have been financially steamrolled. If you get me on the phone I'm the best friend you've ever had. I used to play music semi professionally but now my hearing is shredded and I've lost the desire to be around high volume music.

I am a plant Supervisor for

I am a plant Supervisor for the local CATV provider.

I build the trucks that drive America

I toil on the line for Chevy. It's a job and hopefully my kids will never do. Right now as I can figure I'm the only Deadhead in the building---scary.

Golf Professional

I am the Assistant Golf Professional at a private golf club in Victoria BC Canada. I also manage the bag room where the members golf bags are stored. In winter we are short staffed and I work only in the bag room. It is pretty chill I have computer speakers with my Ipod plugged in and I listen to the grateful dead whenever I am in the storage room probably 4 hours a day. In the summer I am very busy working in the proshop assisting members and selling merchandise. This summer coming up is the first time that I will be a qualified professional instructor so I am excited about being outside teaching golf and running junior camp for kids. Thare are not any deadheads who I work with however I am surprised at how many members of the golf club come into the bag room hear my GD playing and recognize it and like that is always a fun time of my day.

New Dead Head in Tech Support

One of the dudes I was working with in Tech Support is a dead head. I wasn't really into the dead, and I placated him a whole lot. Then after he got canned I went to Archive.org to listen to what the whole fuss was about. After listening to my First Dark Star I was hooked. Now it has been a year since I have started listening, and my mother in law (a true dead head) is in shock at my live collection up to now. Man, where have I been all my life. I still work at the Tech Support place and I havent talked to my old coworker since he got canned, but i carry on the dead's spirit here. I guess I'm a Tech Dead Head....

i have no idea what i do.......

anything from blazing a snowshoe trail (only in winter, as it's more work than fun in the summer), to passing medication to someone ("it's medication time"), to crisis intervention, to being a therapist or a wanna be (as im in graduate school), to taking a picture in the woods to reading to my beautiful boy at night....I am poor ass broke because i can't just go get a real job and the government wants all this money I have not even made yet.......

Winter

Blue 22 - I really like your winter photos, thanks for sharing. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake

Film and TV

Yes after being a real hippie and selling burritos at shows and owning my own custom made moccasin store(and Birkenstocks)I crossed over to the other side. Now part of the 'Hippies with Haircuts' clan. I have been working as a 'dolly grip' for nearly 25 years now.A IATSE union member as well. I do camera movement-yes the actors move and we follow them-or lead them or if they don't move -we do- and create the drama! But I have decided that the old body is aging and it is getting harder to carry my 475 # dolly upstairs any more so I have moved up to camera operator. I am the guy that looks through the eyepiece and composes the shots you see (if you watch tv or see movies). I have been a photographer since a child so this really is where my heart is! I do get to wear my tie dyes at work as well as my old show shirts so work is a gas. I currently am working on the Lifetime channel show 'Army Wives', the production designer is a head as well and we try to sneak in little Dead tidbits wherever we can. It is kind of a subliminal game we play. This has been done on many a show I have been on before. We are everywhere!! Never had such a good time...........

A carpenter! Yaay! #2 man

A carpenter! Yaay! #2 man tho. So that's not to baaaad! A dream we dreamed one afternoon long ago... ________________________ www.autoquoteresearch.com

Then one day you find ten years have gone behind you . .

I have ben self-employed for a long time, the last twenty years or so as a landscape contractor. I never intended to start a business. It kind of creeped up on me, little by little. I was going to college and needed money and knew how to fix sprinklers, so I started doing that. I wanted to practice my spanish so I hired a guy from El Salvador, who turned out to be better at the trade than I was. I like meeting people and don't mind selling things, so I kept selling jobs. My worker had an uncle and a cousin who had a nephew who had a brother-in-law. We all started working together. I got married and had kids to support. Now I really needed money. Suddenly, it seemed, I had an honest-to-God business with dozens of employees, all kinds of deadlines and responsibilities, stress and o yes, money. Now I work for really rich people in Silicon Valley and wonder how I ended up doing this instead of one of the many other things I was more interested in. I still have my original employees and now they have families and houses and responsibilities too. More puzzled than complaining. Things are never so bad that they can't get worse and, so far as work goes, this is actually pretty good.

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May 27, 2007 - 9:24am

406 replies

izzie

Joined:
May 26, 2007

What is it that you do, anyway?

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May 31, 2025 - 5:04pm

#1

JungleGhost

Joined:
May 31, 2025

wash dishes

kitchen utility @ KFC but its not paying the bills...
November 23, 2024 - 1:55am

#2

yaffstone

Joined:
July 27, 2014

After 25 years as Chief of…

After 25 years as Chief of Clinical Physics (treating cancer) I took early "retirement". I'm now a professor of engineering and medicine. Recently I resumed work at the hospital to start a medical physics residency program. So - failure to retire syndrome...
September 7, 2023 - 11:42am

#3

abmterrapin

Joined:
November 8, 2014

Looking for Work

Previously a Billing Program Manager with Quality Improvement & Mgmt. training from both Xerox & GE. Looking for a new gig that is DeadHead Friendly!
August 31, 2023 - 4:33pm

#4

rreich_69

Joined:
August 18, 2023

Engineering. First five…

Engineering. First five years out of college was civil/construction in Eugene, OR. Since 1997 it's been software/internet/web in Boulder, CO. What a long strange trip it's been.
August 4, 2023 - 6:59am

#5

iGrateful

Joined:
June 5, 2007

Trader Joe's

So I just started my post-retirement gig with Trader Joe's
I love this place! The people, the employees, the food... all good!
If you have not been to a Trader Joe's in your area, go check it out and tell me what you think. Either way, I feel good about myself helping people find and prepare quality foods they'll enjoy at a reasonable price.
July 31, 2023 - 12:07pm

#6

GratefulTreadHead

Joined:
July 31, 2023

Hello from a Sydney House Painter!

Hey everyone in this awesome forum! 👋 I thought I'd introduce myself and share a bit about my day job. I'm a house painter based right here in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia! 🇦🇺

I absolutely love what I do – transforming homes both inside and out with a splash of color and a touch of magic. From giving exteriors a fresh new look to adding personality to interiors, it's all about creating spaces that truly feel like home. 🌈🖌️

Currently, I'm part of a fantastic team at "Australian Painting and Maintenance Services Pty. Ltd." 🏢 Our crew is a bunch of skilled painters who take great pride in our work. We're all about delivering top-notch results, using high-quality materials to make sure our clients' visions come to life! 💪

If you're curious about our work or just love to see some impressive before-and-after shots, you can check out our website at australianpainting.com.au. We're always excited to showcase our projects and inspire others with our passion for painting! 🎉
Oh, and before I wrap up, I have to mention that besides my passion for house painting, I'm an avid Grateful Dead fan too! 🌹🎶 Their music has been the soundtrack to many of my painting sessions, creating a groovy and inspiring atmosphere. Some of my all-time favorite Grateful Dead songs are "Ripple," "Sugar Magnolia," and "Touch of Grey" - they never fail to lift my spirits! 🎵✨

Speaking of Australia, the Grateful Dead did have a memorable live show here! 🇦🇺🎤 In 1981, they graced the stage at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey, which was broadcasted live on the radio, reaching Deadheads worldwide, including us fans in Australia. Although they never performed a live show down under, their music and influence have certainly traveled far and wide, touching the hearts of many grateful fans across the globe. 🌏🌈 Keep on truckin', fellow Deadheads! 🚚💀🌹
July 29, 2022 - 1:44pm

#7

jwheku

Joined:
April 17, 2019

Short Personal Comment

Hello, my name is Josef from Stuttgart, Germany. I'm working at an publishing house and I have to say, that my english is not very good, so excuse me, but I'm proud to join the community.
Stay safe!
July 12, 2022 - 8:11am

#8

Heilpraktiker

Joined:
July 12, 2022

Homeopath

Im self-employed as a homeopath in Berlin. Glad to be here, great community. I love my job and it's amazing to treat patients from all around the world!

More about me and my job:
naturheilpraxis-homoeopathie-berlin.de
May 26, 2022 - 12:24pm

#9

elenahaper

Joined:
May 26, 2022

The best tutors to complete the task on time.

Get online homework help, assignment help, essay writing services, and many more from anywhere in the world. With the live 24/7 support chat available. Tutor Champs offers an expert tutor for your help in your coursework.
May 24, 2022 - 11:04am

#10

Forensicdoceleven

Joined:
June 17, 2008

I'm an ordinary guy with an extraordinary job......

Forensic pathologist............

Growing up, never would have imagined that......................

Rock on,

Doc
A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better........