Associates in Psychology, BS in ME, Six Sigma Black Belt, technical expert in marine transmissions in the western hemisphere, worked for a supplier to BMW, Mercedes and GM. Now I am the Technical Services Manager for an Engine distributor in the gulf coast.
Failed every grade in high school, except my junior year. Because I did sophomore year twice I earned enough credits to start my senior year on time, which I promptly failed and graduated summer school (because the teacher felt sorry for me).
Spent the next few years finding that the Atlanta job market of the early 90’s was not ready for my unique definition of “work.” Did just about any job you can without experience or a degree and got no closer to college.
Enlisted in the Air Force partially out of desperation, partially to halt the downward spiral my life was taking.
The plan was to do 4 years, get my GI Bill and get out. That was 1991. In late 1997 I completed my associate’s degree in information systems. As it turns out, I couldn’t count to 4, so I was offered a chance to become an officer with an ROTC scholarship to the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1998, got divorced. Graduated in 2000. Somewhere in there I met my wife. My bachelors in Philosophy in my hand, I headed off to pilot training. That didn’t work out, in a conventional sense, in reality best thing that could have happened to me.
Moved around, deployed, deployed, deployed some more, got a Masters in HR in 2008 and here I am with between a year and 18 months left until I figure out what to do when I grow up.
Hoping GRM is hiring soon…
I started this thread on March 1, 2012. Today it is November 5th, 2013. Since I started the thread, I graduated with a BS in Mathematics and minors in Economics and Business. I was hired on with a great company as a seasonal employee. That job was frankly a disappointment--I was looking for work to do, and the work that they had me doing was... well, it wasn't pointless, but it was boring and not what I wanted to be doing with a college degree. But, it got me in the door. I ended up with a position in the same company as a Remarketer, selling cars at auction. I loved it. Awesome job. But you hit the ceiling almost immediately. Good job to start at, good job to ride out the end of your career, not a good career in and of itself. Then my manager told me, I was going to be transferred to an analyst position. I am now in a good position with a great company, and good people around me. But I don't like what I do. Just not something for me. I'll be posting out to other departments soon, but as for right now, I am happy with where I am.
Oh, and I'm still reffing hockey. Makes for good beer money.
I do mobile auto glass replacement. Never was much into sitting around all day and staring at paper. My high school didn't have shop class per se. I had to take theatre class and then I could work on building sets, rigging/programming lighting and sound and causing mayhem. The only thing that got me through and kept me interested in English/history classes was me activly being a pain in the ass.
All through high school I has a summer job working with a flooring installation company making crap pay, but hell I was 14. That (along with having 2 Marines for parents and solid working class roots) taught me the value of a dollar and an honest days work. I felt much more satisfied at the end of the day having done a hard job well and something tangible to show for it.
After graduating high school I worked for a couple months before getting ready to enroll at a local university. My high school was basically a public college prep school because it was in the part of town with super high property values and parents that would pay their kids tuition without batting an eye. Seriously, my sophomore year a girl was pissed that her parents bought her a jaguar s type instead of the slk she wanted... Yeah. Aaaaanyways, high school had only the limited psuedo vocational opportunities that I took advantage of so I almost fell into the trap of getting a job I hate to pay off a college loan bill I didn't want and couldn't afford.
Then, a family friend who was a manager at an auto glass shop and asked if I were interested in learning to do that. I was and I turned out to not be bad at it. Most important of all I showed up on time, sober, and did my best. The owner of that company was a fairly avid autocrosser, not competitively but for fun. So after I totalled my 95 escort I bought an 04 lancer and began down that rabbit hole of driving fun. Left that company after a couple years to work for the family friend that had started his own shop. Been there for the past 8 years.
Being the 20 year old idiot that I was I bought my car brand new and couldnt stomach taking that price hit on it when I had thought about selling it a couple years after buying it.
So I've had it for almost 10 years now and I have irrationally bonded with it. I have changed almost all of the suspension in it and done minor bolt ons for power but now I'm piecing together a turbo kit for it. And that's what led me here. Searching for turbo knowledge and became ensnared with the dry childish humor and banter. 
SVreX wrote:bluej wrote:I'll pass.BoostedBrandon wrote: *paging SVreX, paging SVreX*hahahah! this whole time, i've been waiting for this wall of text with his name at the top and bottom.need to go to bed but will be glad to share tomorrow. best thread idea so far this year.
Read through this whole thing over the last day or so and this jumps out at me. There is only two possibilities, !. and this is the most likely, He is the STIG and he is contractually bound to not reveal his identity. or 2. He is a secret super gubment agent and if he told us he would have to kill us
BTW this thread highlights the reason that this little corner of the internet is the most awesome in the world
Huh, looks like I never participated in this one. I guess helping bring back a necro-thread is better than nothing!
Hi, I'm Bob. ("hi bob!"). I grew up in rural Indiana around tractors cars and trucks. I always liked tinkering. Went to college for 2.5 years as a Music Ed major while working fulltime at Walmart and McQuiks. Realized I was not meant to be a teacher and around screaming rugrats all day and got out before I completely bankrupted myself.
Worked at the Terre Haute airport packing and loading airplanes (another love I have but cannot afford). When the company half shut down and moved I started working in a factory near my home making interior car parts. Lasted 80 days and they made a large layoff of all the new workers. I was unemployed for 5 days before taking a job working for AutoZone (1997). Spent 3 years busting ass and moving up before getting shafted by upper management (2000) and went to work the following week at a steel mill. Worked there running 30+Ton forklifts and overhead cranes (the ones you climb to the roof and ride in. I was good at it, I worked hard and when the place went belly-up in August, that following Christmas I was the last to get laid off. Went from there to a John Deere warehouse running forklifts again. Met my wife to-be in May 2001, decided to look for a job on her side of town and moved in in October 2001 and took my first dealership job slinging parts. Spent just shy of 3 years there before changing franchises and have spent the last 10 years here where last year we started our own website selling honda and acura parts online (.com).
Personally, I got involved in auto-x in '07. Became addicted. Ran the Hyundai Elantra for several years. Dabbled with the Swift GT, then got bored and played with a C4 vette before finding my new (and current) home with the Forte. No kids, nice house and awesome vacations with a fantastic wife.
Is that enough info?
Im an aircraft technician. Got started with a company that did components in the late 90's. Went into the Canadian Forces to become an avn tech, did that for my basic contract and got out, military, not for me. Went in with my dad when he decided to open up his own component shop and now I am no longer on the bench, Ive moved up to sales manager. Had a passion for cars since....hmmm....errr...ever, Ive been tinkering with them from the time I could see over the fenders.
ryanty22 wrote:SVreX wrote:Read through this whole thing over the last day or so and this jumps out at me. There is only two possibilities, !. and this is the most likely, He is the STIG and he is contractually bound to not reveal his identity. or 2. He is a secret super gubment agent and if he told us he would have to kill usbluej wrote:I'll pass.BoostedBrandon wrote: *paging SVreX, paging SVreX*hahahah! this whole time, i've been waiting for this wall of text with his name at the top and bottom.
SVreX is a jack of all trades and master of many. He has dabbled in so many things, I doubt even he can remember them all, which MUST be why he won't tell us. 
Damn I just realized I commented but didnt participate. Im Ryan, I am 33. As a kid I grew up in autoshops, My uncles in california where I grew up owned a couple of full service gas stations in which I pumped gas for tips before starting to work with my cousins doing maintenance at about 9-10. In high school I frustrated my parents to no end by barely passing while still scoring in the high 90th % in every test put in front of me. I hated organized school with a passion, add to that a healthy dislike for directionless authority and it was a recipe for disaster that i didnt help any by being a major E36 M3 disturber. My first job was at an Arbys, I loved it until a management change left me unhappy with the general direction of the store so I left. then went to work detailing and handling the lot for a chevy cadillac dealer in Monroe NC detailed there for awhile. Next stop was a carmax in their inventory department (My dad was a tech for them at the same time) was there for about a year and a half them moved to a lot coordinator/used car managers assistant position at another chevy cadillac dealer. Loved that place, family owned and run, the owner new the name of every employee. Great people. still friends with the owners son. After a while they realized my talents, I became the used car shop/detail/lot cordinator. They had me doing all the wholesaling, pricing and advertising of the used cars. then they started me on buying at auctions when the UCM wasnt available to go. Had a blast but topped out at what I could make without a full time transfer to the sales dept (which I did not want). A friend offered me a position as an emergency industrial technician so I spent the next few years going to oil refineries, Nuke plants, chemical plants, even a couple of oil rigs doing emergency maintenance that they couldnt do inhouse. It wasa fun, got to do a lot of traveling and money was really good especially during outage seasons. That company made a management change and decided I was to close to the former management for their comfort(was good friends with the previous regional mgr before I was even hired) so they laid me off. Day after getting laid off we found out my fiance was pregnant and that ended up being a nightmare pregnancy with her being in the hospital with complications for the last month of the pregnancy. lived off of my savings taking care of the kids for awhile after the baby was born. Wife decided she wanted to go back to work and her earning potential dwarfed mine so I have been staying home taking care of the kids for a while now, last year got totally frustrated with the stupidity of the local school systems and pulled my 15 and 10 yr old stepchildren out of the public schools and started home schooling them along with my 4 yr old. The 18 yr old boy only had a few months left till graduation so we let him stay in (his choice). I lurked without being signed up here for awhile and finally signed up a couple of months ago and its the best corner of the internet out there I dont ever see myself leaving here
mtn wrote: I started this thread on March 1, 2012. Today it is November 5th, 2013. Since I started the thread, I graduated with a BS in Mathematics and minors in Economics and Business. I was hired on with a great company as a seasonal employee. That job was frankly a disappointment--I was looking for work to do, and the work that they had me doing was... well, it wasn't pointless, but it was boring and not what I wanted to be doing with a college degree. But, it got me in the door. I ended up with a position in the same company as a Remarketer, selling cars at auction. I loved it. Awesome job. But you hit the ceiling almost immediately. Good job to start at, good job to ride out the end of your career, not a good career in and of itself. Then my manager told me, I was going to be transferred to an analyst position. I am now in a good position with a great company, and good people around me. But I don't like what I do. Just not something for me. I'll be posting out to other departments soon, but as for right now, I am happy with where I am. Oh, and I'm still reffing hockey. Makes for good beer money.
Update: How the times have changed. Still in this same position, same responsibilities, but thankfully a different and much more interesting sphere. New supervisor (they created a new position between us and the manager) that I really, really dislike. And it is not just me, sadly--since she's come in, 2 people have left with her as a primary factor, and 1 more is trying to get out.
Also since then, I got engaged and moved in with my fiance, who lives and works an hour away from where I work. And we live 2.5 hours away from "home". Well, fiance's mom has MS and was just diagnosed with breast cancer. As far as breast cancer goes, she is very, very lucky--should be "cured" completely. But, we discussed it, and decided we need to move back home. So now I'm looking for employment in Chicagoland. We'll see what happens next.
mazdeuce wrote: Stay at home dad, so....nothing? Schooling as a geological engineer/geophysicist. My wife is a geo eng as well. I worked collecting the data she used to drill oil wells. She got paid more, loved working behind a desk making important decisions. I loathed the same. I quit two days before my first was born and I've been the main man since day one for all four of my kids. Kids are 4, 6, 8, and 10 now. Not every day is a bed of roses and there are things I've had to delay/give up, which is true of anyone idiotic enough to have four kids. I love my life, but you can't exactly plan for something like this, it just sort of happens.
So you were a Doodlebuger in a previous life?
Sort of stay at home dad to a three year old and a five year old here. I work from home hawking nerd toys on amazon and ebay for a small business. I guess you'd call me outside sales. I take product home, list it, ship it, and get a cut of the profit. I've been with he company on and off for 7 years but have only been working from home (and getting commission pay instead of hourly) for three months. Hoping to make some decent scratch as I build my little empire.
EastCoastMojo wrote:ryanty22 wrote:SVreX wrote:Read through this whole thing over the last day or so and this jumps out at me. There is only two possibilities, !. and this is the most likely, He is the STIG and he is contractually bound to not reveal his identity. or 2. He is a secret super gubment agent and if he told us he would have to kill usbluej wrote:I'll pass.BoostedBrandon wrote: *paging SVreX, paging SVreX*hahahah! this whole time, i've been waiting for this wall of text with his name at the top and bottom.
Did you just call me old and forgetful??
You guys (and gal) are funny!
Many, many experiences. Doubt that makes me a master of very much at all.
There is really no mystery- I'm in a mode where I am not to much into talking about myself. Learning humility, and very much in survival mode these days. I'm working my butt off, and can't sit down to try and write a novelette.
Plus, this thread fascinates me, and I have not had the time to commit to sitting down and reading it well. I'm dying to. I don't want to fall into "self-love mode" without first read everything else.
Perhaps that's just a very sorry excuse for excelling at procrastination and over-dramatization.
I grew up as a military brat, which cultivated a healthy appreciation for all things mechanical. Cars, planes, firearms, etc. Moved around the globe quite a bit, and settled in Texas. Went to A&M thinking I wanted to do Aero, changed my mind and moved to Manufacturing. Interned for a small defense contractor doing armored vehicles, and spent about 4 years running various facets of the student chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers. I worked at Texas World Speedway doing racecar prep, cage install/fab, tire mounting, you name it.
After graduation I moved to Houston and worked for a small manufacturing company, and decided that wasn't a good fit. I moved to a large O&G company where I'm currently an engineer in the drilling fluids R&D department.
About six months ago, I started a 3D Printing company with a friend of mine, and we're currently building our first prototype machine that we're hoping will be fairly disruptive.
It has been my observation that SVreX taught Chuck Norris everything he knows.
In the past he also served as the inspiration for the show McGyver and more recently, inspiration for the creation of this character:
I also suspect his reluctance to tell his story is due to potential accusation from the unenlightened that it is a lie.
nicksta43 wrote: None of your damned buisness.
Still applicable.
mazdeuce wrote: Stay at home dad, so....nothing? Schooling as a geological engineer/geophysicist. My wife is a geo eng as well. I worked collecting the data she used to drill oil wells. She got paid more, loved working behind a desk making important decisions. I loathed the same. I quit two days before my first was born and I've been the main man since day one for all four of my kids. Kids are 4, 6, 8, and 10 now. Not every day is a bed of roses and there are things I've had to delay/give up, which is true of anyone idiotic enough to have four kids. I love my life, but you can't exactly plan for something like this, it just sort of happens.
That's fascinating. My wife just went through a big career change and we've discussed that potential path. We're quite a few years behind you, but it's interested to hear.
DukeOfUndersteer wrote:DukeOfUndersteer wrote: From Atlanta Georgia to Medina Ohio. Went from a crew member on Kinetic Motorsports to Porsche Parts Specialist at ECS Tuning. Can thank Brad for this move. From California (my original stomping grounds) to Georgia, was because of my dad. He went from Tiger Racing (the team that recently won the World Challenge GTS Title) to Service Manager at Ferrari of Atlanta. With my prior Ferrari experience (working on the Tiger Racing Ferrari 355 team as well as historic Ferrari's and Maserati's), I went to Lamborghini of Atlanta, only because I couldn't get a job at Ferrari of Atlanta (conflict of interest). Additionally, I have been on numerous race teams. Now, I'm a "key banger"Crazy how things change in 9 months. No longer in Ohio, back in Georgia. Now in Ferrari Parts sales, helping locate almost impossible parts for outrageous prices. Have been the center of interest in being Team Manager for Wheels America SCCA Pro Trans Am Team. We will see what happens...
Welp, now in the position of crew member on a Porsche GT3 Cup team in IMSA as well as fly-in for other teams ranging from Trans Am to IMSA.
nicksta43 wrote:nicksta43 wrote: None of your damned buisness.Still applicable.
Have you at least learned to spell business yet?
In reply to DukeOfUndersteer:
Awesome dude, no more Fogger Jr escapades?
DukeOfUndersteer wrote:DukeOfUndersteer wrote:DukeOfUndersteer wrote: From Atlanta Georgia to Medina Ohio. Went from a crew member on Kinetic Motorsports to Porsche Parts Specialist at ECS Tuning. Can thank Brad for this move. From California (my original stomping grounds) to Georgia, was because of my dad. He went from Tiger Racing (the team that recently won the World Challenge GTS Title) to Service Manager at Ferrari of Atlanta. With my prior Ferrari experience (working on the Tiger Racing Ferrari 355 team as well as historic Ferrari's and Maserati's), I went to Lamborghini of Atlanta, only because I couldn't get a job at Ferrari of Atlanta (conflict of interest). Additionally, I have been on numerous race teams. Now, I'm a "key banger"Crazy how things change in 9 months. No longer in Ohio, back in Georgia. Now in Ferrari Parts sales, helping locate almost impossible parts for outrageous prices. Have been the center of interest in being Team Manager for Wheels America SCCA Pro Trans Am Team. We will see what happens...
That's awesome, man. Sounds like a lot of fun.
Lancer007 wrote: In reply to DukeOfUndersteer: Awesome dude, no more Fogger Jr escapades?
Nope! Matter of fact, the last podium Bob got was with me at Road America OVER A YEAR AGO!!! They have DNF'ed every race this season so far
ryanty22 wrote:nicksta43 wrote:Have you at least learned to spell business yet?nicksta43 wrote: None of your damned buisness.Still applicable.
Nope, but I now have autocorrect on my phone
NOHOME wrote:mazdeuce wrote: Stay at home dad, so....nothing? Schooling as a geological engineer/geophysicist. My wife is a geo eng as well. I worked collecting the data she used to drill oil wells. She got paid more, loved working behind a desk making important decisions. I loathed the same. I quit two days before my first was born and I've been the main man since day one for all four of my kids. Kids are 4, 6, 8, and 10 now. Not every day is a bed of roses and there are things I've had to delay/give up, which is true of anyone idiotic enough to have four kids. I love my life, but you can't exactly plan for something like this, it just sort of happens.So you were a Doodlebuger in a previous life?
Not really. I did a bit of it, but only so I knew what was going on out there. I did rapid data quality control. This was back when data had to be physically shipped from the field to the office every couple of days. Rubbermaid containers of magnetic tape. I would run the data through geometry checks and sweep correlation and basic preprocessing to make sure that anything that had to be re-shot could get done before the spread moved. 12-15 hours a day seven days a week running computers in hotel rooms.
Changing diapers was way better.
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