Hi! Weird request, mildly related, but does any of you fine people have any suggestions for interesting and Lefty-friendly jobs?
After a decade of undoing the universe’s work by completely annihilating my soul in IT, I want out. I’m not looking for alternative jobs in IT, I want out-out. Like, I don’t wanna be usin’ a computer for more than making Spreadsheets, and phones for more than chatting and ignoring emails. Edit here: would also use for graphical design and related, but I’d have to start from scratch. Basic Paint.net usage is my high-score.
In terms of pay, that will be a secondary concern, my priority is establishing a list of potentials in order to have a nice foothold from which to start figuring it out.
If it’s of any help, my “Major’s” QA, mostly Manual and some Automation (Cypress with JS). I’ve also officially done some Project Management, Process Auditing and Optimisation, Data Science, and Community Management (-ish on the last one, training programs/materials and project organiser for a community of freelance testers). Got a Bachelor’s in Theatre Acting, two years as a bass player in two bands, some IT/maths/phys background from high-school (Eastern European curriculum, so they really let us have it…) and I enjoy analysing and solving problems. Heavily into literature, music and visual arts, I can learn absolutely anything and I do not shy away from physical labour - kinda’ miss it, actually.
I’m super-serious about this, I can’t stand the domain anymore and I feel I’ll lose my mind if I have to keep doing this.
Thank you very much even if you’ve only read through this!
No no, please don’t do this without eye protection. I did some grinding without eye protection, didn’t hurt or anything, but day later doctor had to drill metal particles out from my eye balls.
0/10, would not recommend
and they said that I cannot get MRI ever again, because some small particles might be still inside and magnet can pull them out. Fun stuff.
That guy is like, I’m getting paid $18 an hour to hold a plastic bag while they do all of the hard work. I’m just going to sit here and act like I don’t know what’s going on and let them enjoy their laugh while I collect my paycheck.
Honestly, this is pretty much the opposite of what civil construction looks like in our neck of the woods. The roles are inversed, the veterans sit around, not even pretending to look busy, while the Junior works.
Would very much like to get paid to catch sparks. How cool does that sound for a job description!
So I’m a dumb who doesn’t know anything, but isn’t powdered metal like kinda valuable?
He may not be catching powdered metal that is refined to a proper standard, or enough for it to be valuable, but to me, a naïve dork who doesn’t know anything, it sounds plausible.
I’d totally be just that sucker, catching sparks for recycling.
An acquaintance once landed a contract to clear up a gold mine site after shut down. He bid super low for it, the only condition he stipulated was it be left in the condition in which he had inspected it, something like that.
The operator immediately gave him the contract, and he immediately gathered up all the dust from conveyor belts etc sifted through it, separated all the left over gold inside and sold it.
Set him up in a big way, the idiot operator tried to take him to court to claim the gold as theirs, with no success.
So yeah, sometimes there truly is gold in that there dust.
Keep the day job for now and start volunteering what time you can spare to a cause that resonates with you.
That might be the night time soup kitchen, or planting trees with your local working bee, or companionship sessions with the local nursing home. You may find an idea for a vocation reveals itself, and be in a position to hear about any opportunities.
Lefty friendly and community work are pretty well aligned so I think that’s a start.
I feel you re IT and related industries. I just want to close my laptop and never open it again, but it’s not an option right now.
Thank you! I’ve had the immense fortune of landing into some horizontal movement potential, so I can fully quit my job for a while and just do life.
Volunteer work sounds good, thank you! And, yeah, if nothing else, think I could do with the change in social context as well.
Hope the skies open up above you and you’ll one day manage to turn that laptop into a fine powder!
Agreed. I quit my IT job and started volunteering on a a farm animal rescue and it has become a whole thing for me. There are always things to be fixed, built, or town down in addition to days of just mucking stalls which is very meditative. Definitely lefty friendly.
Alternatively, go back to school. I am also pursuing a new degree in Electronics Engineering Technology which can lead to a good trade job or an OT role.
Funfact: they are cutting a train rail (I recognise the machine )
