# What do/did you do?



## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

Just curious as to what the people here did before they retired. I asked so I'll start. I was a career paramedic/firefighter. I was both an industrial and residential firefighter. Industrial for Exxonmobil and residential for our small town on both a ladder and engine company, wherever I was needed at the time.

I was a volunteer paramedic in our town but also worked for several paid companies. I enjoyed the emergency services.


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

I'll let you guess, since people in my line of work never retire.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

I am only partially retired. I am a geophysicist and spent most of my life studying the movement of tectonic plates and the earthquakes that movement produces. Then I joined the Peace Corps and they sent me to Mexico. After the Peace Corps, I stayed in Mexico and worked for Comisión Nacional Forestal (CONAFOR) for awhile. Now I work part time writing computer code for a non-governmental organization providing emergency medical response services in under-developed countries.


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## buzzbar (Feb 9, 2013)

lagoloo said:


> I'll let you guess, since people in my line of work never retire.


Hmmm..... Homemaker would be too obvious, so could be one of several occupations.

Bankers never retire, they just lose interest. Teachers never retire, they just lose their class. Tire fitters never retire, they just retire. Government workers never retire, they just work the same way they always have. Accountants never retire, they just lose their balance. Cowgirls never retire, they’re just deranged. 

Am I close with any of these?


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

Computer software developer and I know nothing about Windows.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

For most of my working life, I was a language teacher, first of Spanish and then of English as a Second/Foreign Language, working in the States as well as in Mexico, Spain and for one summer in London. After retiring in Mexico in 2007, I continued to teach, working mostly with private students, young and not-so-young adults whose profession required them to use English. Now I've given up teaching but from time to time take on editing and translation jobs for a few private clients, university professors in the US and in Mexico. I enjoy this work, which I can do at home in front of my computer in my pajamas!

P.S. Thanks to Andreas for starting this thread.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

System Administrator for a college campus. Oversaw 340 computers and all Microsoft. MS gave us just about everything for free. MS was in Seattle like we were

Worked a few years with Novell servers but they were on their way out. Linux/Unix were just a hobby


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I ran an import wine division for a large company. and was in charge of sales and administration 13 Western States, before that I was working in logistics and setting up wine warehouses.
I now help indigenous artisans find new markets and teach them about sales and business, also work part time for the National School of Ceramics (Escuela Nacional de Cerámica) that is just getting off the ground. I search for good ceramists amongst artisans and recommend them for scholarships to the consejo..


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

I'm not yet retired. I am a family doctor and love what I do, but I also enjoy distracting myself with non-medical pastimes like this Expat Forum and dreaming of the future in our house in Mexico -- where we plan on spending a lot of our time after I do eventually retire.


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## Howler (Apr 22, 2013)

I retired from the Army in 2001 after 26 yrs of military service (19 yrs active). Afterward I taught Spanish in middle & high school for 8 yrs until the VA & Social Security declared me 100% disabled from my service-connected injuries & conditions. In between my periods of military active duty I was also a radio announcer, owned a video rental store and was an independent immigration consultant & bilingual paralegal for several law firms during the time of the Immigration Reform Control Act of 1986. At present I do some translating & interpreting work for the local courts, bail bondsmen & hospitals when I am able. I'm also waiting on a neurosurgical consult (the 25th) to see if back surgery will improve my quality of life & pain levels.

I learned Spanish as a full time missionary for the Mormon church back in '77-'79 after a hitch in the Navy (right out of high school). I met my wife in Veracruz during that time, then again later in 1986... we got married there in '87 & just celebrated our 29th anniversary. I guess you can say I came by my interest in Spanish, Mexico & Latin American politics honestly.

One of my Mexican friends asked me what I had been doing after not seeing me in over 20 years and I answered that I had been like a "...pulga, andando de un perro a otro" over the years. It seems that way as I look back over it all... :brick:


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## ExpatEmigre (Nov 22, 2015)

I'm a lawyer, not retired, and I hate it (both being not retired & being a lawyer).


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## sunnyvmx (Mar 14, 2010)

Professional dog trainer for 15 years. Trained and sold dogs all over the world. Many times featured in newspapers and on TV. Long distance trucker for 5 years. Saw all 50 states driving coast to coast pulling flatbed trailer with a long nose Peterbuilt and then the new Kenworth they called the anteater. Owned and operated two companies in the CA Bay area. Carpet cleaner and FleaBusters for 15 years. Lived in an RV and sold spices for dips at Fairs all over the U.S. for 2 years. Then cleaned carpets in motorhomes as I kept traveling. During all this I married five good men, trained them, sold them and got a good price.


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

buzzbar said:


> Hmmm..... Homemaker would be too obvious, so could be one of several occupations.
> 
> Bankers never retire, they just lose interest. Teachers never retire, they just lose their class. Tire fitters never retire, they just retire. Government workers never retire, they just work the same way they always have. Accountants never retire, they just lose their balance. Cowgirls never retire, they’re just deranged.
> 
> Am I close with any of these?


Nope, but those were a lot of fun. Wish I could think of some more.

Truth: Artist; art workshop instructor; textbook writer. Still at it.


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## dwwhiteside (Apr 17, 2013)

Still working, for now at least. Twenty five years (and counting) doing a lot of different things in the enterprise software business; sales, design and development, implementation, project management, sales management, etc. Now I work on the implementation side which I can do from anywhere I have a high speed internet connection. Before that I was in the radio business as an announcer, commercial copywriter and sales.

My wife and I just finished building our second house here in Colima that we hope to rent out on a seasonal basis. Hopefully, by the end of this year, we will be able to start on another construction project, four apartments that we would then hope to rent on a more permanent basis. That, then, will help get me to retirement a little faster.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

Mathematics teacher, Computer teacher, AP classes, wrote Curriculum Guide for State of Texas in Computer Math, Girls coach(VB, BB, Track, CC), Boys 6-man football coach, JH & HS principal, school district Technology coordinator, college professor, school district superintendent, retired because of health problems at 57. MA program at Florida State, PhD program at Texas A & M. Most fun job was teaching math and coaching girls in JH.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

Now we know who to ask what.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

ExpatEmigre said:


> I'm a lawyer, not retired, and I hate it (both being not retired & being a lawyer).


Are we allowed to tell lawyer jokes here?


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## TurtleToo (Aug 23, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> Are we allowed to tell lawyer jokes here?


It's required! 

.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> Are we allowed to tell lawyer jokes here?


Only if they're really good ones!


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> Only if they're really good ones!


Most, if not all of my jokes are off color to put it mildly.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> Most, if not all of my jokes are off color to put it mildly.


Then you should be aware of Forum Rule #2, which reads in part, "Sexually explicit, racist, obscene or vulgar language, graphics or behaviour is NOT acceptable on this site." http://www.expatforum.com/expats/general-expat-discussions/2397-forum-rules.html

So you'll have to forego posting your favorite lawyer jokes here or look for new ones. Sorry . . .


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## ExpatEmigre (Nov 22, 2015)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> Are we allowed to tell lawyer jokes here?


I see no reason not to.
Usually, lawyers have the best lawyer jokes.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

Q: What's wrong with lawyer jokes?
A: Lawyers don't think they're funny and other people don't think they're jokes.
Mark Twain notes...
"It is interesting to note that criminals have multiplied of late, and lawyers have also; but I repeat myself."


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## xolo (May 25, 2014)

I was in management, but I'm not really retired, I'm doing something I have been wanting to do for some time. I managed to get into a PhD program in Spanish and I also teach Spanish at my university. 

To all of you who want a change in your careers, I hear ya!


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## Lawgrrl (Apr 24, 2015)

As a former lawyer, here's my favourite lawyer joke:
What do you call a bunch of sky-diving lawyers?
Skeet!

My work life took some twists & turns. I worked as a cocktail waitress in university & law school, and then practiced law in California for 18 years. As an inactive member of the Bar, I worked as a paralegal in Portland, Ore. When we moved to Vancouver, B.C. in 2013, I landed a gig as an executive assistant in a Big 4 accounting firm. I'd still be there but was sidelined by arthritis in my hands & wrists. Now it looks like I may be "retired" and we're planning a move to Mexico, maybe to Mazatlan. Thanks for keeping this forum going!


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

What's the difference between a dead lawyer in the middle of the road and a dead skunk?

There are skid marks in front of the skunk.


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## Anonimo (Apr 8, 2012)

I was a baker from the mid 1970s until semi retirement in 2003. From 1983 until 1995 I had a small but well recognized bakery in a small Arkansas Ozarks town. Later, I worked for two very different bakeries in Little Rock, AR. From 2003 until full retirement in 2005, I worked for a couple of related restaurants in the Little Rock, AR area. My eventual area of specialization was dessert making.

My interests in cooking and baking continue and remain active today.


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## buzzbar (Feb 9, 2013)

Anonimo said:


> From 1983 until 1995 I had a small but well recognized bakery in a small Arkansas Ozarks town. Later, I worked for two very different bakeries in Little Rock, AR. From 2003 until full retirement in 2005, I worked for a couple of related restaurants in the Little Rock, AR area.


Was there a family connection in Michoacán, Anonimo? Maybe it was because I watched Shenandoah yesterday that I'm thinking 12 years in a small Arkansas Ozarks town would have made the move to Mexico a real significant change, even with the time spent in Little Rock.


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## Lawgrrl (Apr 24, 2015)

A classic! Sometimes a dead snake is substituted for the skunk.


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## Howler (Apr 22, 2013)

Okay, here's mine:

Once a high-priced city attorney went duck hunting in (_insert state here_), and finally shot a duck. However, to his chagrin, the poor fowl nosed over & fell in a field behind a prominently posted "No Trespassing" sign on a fence. The self-important lawyer, as full of himself as he was, simply ignored the sign and climbed over the fence to retrieve his duck - only to be confronted by the owner of the property. The old hayseed called the interloper on his willful arrogance, to which the lawyer said "Nonsense, this is my duck and I can sue you!".

"Now, now..." said the farmer "...We have a different way of settling our disagreements here. We use the 3 kick method." The lawyer asked what that was and the old guy explained "Well, each party gets to kick the other 3 times until one of 'em can no longer take it... then the other wins." The out-of-towner sized up the local as an old fart, a bit lean & long in the tooth; probably not one to pack much of a punch at all. So he said "Sure, I'll even give you the first 3 kicks!"

The farmer came down off of his tractor and kicked the trespasser square in the groin, doubling him over & laying him out in the road. Next he kicked him in the gut, then once more across the face leaving him with a profusely bleeding nose. It took awhile, but the lawyer finally struggled to his feet - bruised, bloodied, dirty & sweaty - yet ready for revenge, he announced "My turn!".

At that point the old farmer said "Hell, I give up - you kin have the duck... I just wanted the pleasure of kicking the Hell out of a lawyer and getting away with it!!"


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## Anonimo (Apr 8, 2012)

No, we have no family here in Michoacán.


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## TJGUY (Jan 5, 2016)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> Just curious as to what the people here did before they retired. I asked so I'll start. I was a career paramedic/firefighter. I was both an industrial and residential firefighter. Industrial for Exxonmobil and residential for our small town on both a ladder and engine company, wherever I was needed at the time.
> 
> I was a volunteer paramedic in our town but also worked for several paid companies. I enjoyed the emergency services.


Whose retired? I still have a ways to go. So I work everyday.


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## Balboa (Nov 16, 2010)

Banker, management consultant, and non-profit financial executive... hoping to retire to Mexico some day in the future


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## HolyMole (Jan 3, 2009)

buzzbar said:


> Hmmm..... Homemaker would be too obvious, so could be one of several occupations.
> 
> Bankers never retire, they just lose interest. Teachers never retire, they just lose their class. Tire fitters never retire, they just retire. Government workers never retire, they just work the same way they always have. Accountants never retire, they just lose their balance. Cowgirls never retire, they’re just deranged.
> 
> Am I close with any of these?


All your examples, except one, are good-natured fun. As usual, the only one that's a tad mean is "government workers" - but hey, we're used to it: underpaid, overworked and crapped-on by everyone else. Having split my 44 year working career in half....my first 20 years working for several of the largest corporations in their fields, (International Paints, Monsanto, Domtar, Beloit Corporation, British Columbia Forest Products) and my last 24 years as one of those hated Federal government workers, I can say with some authority that there was absolutely no difference in the work ethics of anyone I ever met in the private sector or the public sector.

Enough whinging (don't you love that word?).

Let's see: Chronologically, newspaper delivery, chinese food delivery, worm picker (really), quality control and research lab technician, customer service rep, purchasing agent/buyer, claims adjudicator, then fraud investigator in Canada's Federal unemployment insurance system.

For the last 10 years, we've been living frugally on my miserly, decidedly not "gold-plated", indexed Federal government pension, for which I paid dearly.


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## sunnyvmx (Mar 14, 2010)

I remember as a youngster, telling my Dad and his good friend (beer drinking buddy), that old truckers never die, they just get a new Peterbuilt. Who knows where I had heard that one, but my Dad who always wished he had been a trucker and passed it on to me to fulfill his dream, knew I had no idea what I was joking about even as his amigo stood there dumbfounded and bug-eyed. Later when I had reached an age where not much was not known, we often laughed at that joking remark and my innocence.


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