It's interesting, I own a small business now, but before that I probably went through a job a year for 5 or 6 years.
I work in tech.
I work in tech.
What does everyone do work/careerwise?
I made a joking comment earlier (about spending my time watching the Nix and Cricket), but in seriousness I have been working hard on a SaaS startup the last several months, but also trying to pick up the odd software or web development job here and there directly for clients, to keep some income coming in and fund the project I'm working on (and keep the children feed). If anyone needs any website/software/app development done, feel free to DM me.
I feel like one spam/sales comment in 14 years on this forum should be tolerated!
I feel like one spam/sales comment in 14 years on this forum should be tolerated!
Pretty self explanatory really, leave as much detail as you wish. Feel free to give a background or a story as well. Just keen to see what fellow fever-ites do to make a buck.
I'll start the ball rolling.
I work for Nexans in New Plymouth. Started out in extrusion making TPS cable which is the stuff in the walls and ceilings that makes your lights and appliances and wall sockets work. I did that for almost two years before moving to our MV line which makes a range of cables supporting heavy industry both here and abroad, making cable ranging from 11kV to 33kV. Probably the best job I've ever had, having been in hospitality, banking and a former machine operator previously (in that order).
Decent pay and benefits and a solid amount of work in the pipeline.
Of course if anyone wants to know anything else, feel free to ask. 😎
I'll start the ball rolling.
I work for Nexans in New Plymouth. Started out in extrusion making TPS cable which is the stuff in the walls and ceilings that makes your lights and appliances and wall sockets work. I did that for almost two years before moving to our MV line which makes a range of cables supporting heavy industry both here and abroad, making cable ranging from 11kV to 33kV. Probably the best job I've ever had, having been in hospitality, banking and a former machine operator previously (in that order).
Decent pay and benefits and a solid amount of work in the pipeline.
Of course if anyone wants to know anything else, feel free to ask. 😎
Mechanical Engineer. Best undergrad degree ever. You can go in any direction you want whether it's art, med, engineering, teaching, construction, fitness. The sky is the limit. I've had jobs in programming, worked with little kids, worked in a sports clinic, worked as an engineer. With a mech degree, it seems like jobs are very open to giving you on the job training for the specific role, simply because you have a mech degree.
What an interesting thread.
Detoxin, I've been hanging round you in the english football threads for years and am so surprised to see you are in Japan and have had such an interesting career!
Lots of interesting careers in here actually, pretty cool seeing what people do.
For the record I am a programme manager in IT, previously a project manager, before that a business analyst, in and around different software systems mostly. For a while I was project managing AV installation programmes, so I was quite interested to see a couple of guys talking technical cabling etc!
And yes, the supply chain is an absolute shambles!
Currently attempting to start up a bitcoin consultancy type business. Very early doors but I have high hopes of moving into it fulltime and quitting working for the man!
Detoxin, I've been hanging round you in the english football threads for years and am so surprised to see you are in Japan and have had such an interesting career!
Lots of interesting careers in here actually, pretty cool seeing what people do.
For the record I am a programme manager in IT, previously a project manager, before that a business analyst, in and around different software systems mostly. For a while I was project managing AV installation programmes, so I was quite interested to see a couple of guys talking technical cabling etc!
And yes, the supply chain is an absolute shambles!
Currently attempting to start up a bitcoin consultancy type business. Very early doors but I have high hopes of moving into it fulltime and quitting working for the man!
Serious question. Is an average person going to be able to make any money by investing in bitcoin? My wife and I have been looking at buying an investment property for a while but A) don't feel too good about it as there are lots of Kiwis who don't own their first home yet and B) it's not really been easy given the competition.
I've been thinking about investing a little bit in bitcoin and or the stock market but I'm so risk averse that I haven't been able to seriously even think about it
Everyone will have their opinions on bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, NFTs and other things associated with that world. A lot of them will be very different, and will be backed by their different levels of education, knowledge, and personal opinions.
To sum up my own journey so far...
I have been studying bitcoin, economics and monetary history in my spare time for the past 14-16 months. The first few months of that included learning about other cryptocurrencies before I understood the key difference between bitcoin and everything else: Decentralisation.
Bitcoin is the only cryptocurrency that cannot be changed, controlled or shut down by a single individual or at the very least, a small group of individuals (e.g. the "ethereum foundation" that runs ethereum). Bitcoin simply has no one in a position like that, it is a truly decentralised, unowned, uncontrollable blockchain.
Think of it more as equivalent to the internet. It's a protocol for the future of the financial world, basically. The difference from the internet is that the protocol itself is also a store of value. You can own a part of it. And if you store and secure it correctly, then it is actually the only thing in your life that really is owned by you, and cannot be taken by anyone else - more so than your house, your bank funds, and the clothes on your back. Any of those can be forcibly taken from you. Bitcoin cannot (again the important caveat though - you must store and secure it correctly).
Bitcoin is actually many things though. It is compared to other stores of value and investments often (stocks, precious metals, fiat money), and those comparisons are fair. But it is also compared to other monetary networks, because it is also a monetary network as well - e.g. visa, mastercard, western union, the swift banking system etc.
The coolest thing is that on almost any credible measure, bitcoin beats every other store of value, and every other monetary network.
Bitcoin is to finance, what the internet was to communication. And that also means it is difficult to describe and understand, just like the internet to the average person in the early 90s.
I can't give financial advice here, I must stress that you have to do your own research and understand these things before you decide to purchase some for yourself, but the most important thing to note in my opinion is that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are two extremely different things. Where bitcoin is an internet-level technological advancement, other cryptocurrencies are more like private blockchain start-ups. They are not competing in the same ballpark. There are use cases for them for sure, and some will be very successful. But bitcoin is living in a different reality. It is permissionless, unhackable, unconfiscatable, and it bends the knee to no company or individual or government or anyone else. It is simply there to be used, by anyone and everyone, just like the internet protocol.
Sorry for being off-topic, I haven't seen a thread anywhere for bitcoin so far. If anyone is more interested in chatting about it I will happily start a new thread.
I love reading about people's businesses and ideas, and their brave attempts to go out on their own. Inspiring! Well done lads and wishing you all the best for your respective ventures!
It’s a good thread
last twenty odd years similar to Nixieboys222, but NZ not Australia
last twenty odd years similar to Nixieboys222, but NZ not Australia
I'm looking for w job right now. It's harder than I thought
Any previous experience anywhere or any type of work that might tickle your fancy?
It is an employee's market out there at the moment, employers are fighting it out for the ones that will stick around and get the job done. There's some good benefits to be had if you can promote yourself and leverage your talents/skills/personality in the right way to the right people.
Stick at it and I'm sure you'll land a role somewhere. Good luck 🤞
Yeah it depends on the industry, there's more jobs than there are workers available in some - I've heard that Wellington has a shortage of 800 people in the tech sector alone. However, companies are apprehensive about the upcoming recession too.
What I've found is you can put out lots of CVs and get nothing back and you can start getting pretty down then all of a sudden you can be inundated with interviews. It seems random almost. So, don't be disheartened, there will be a job out there you just have to stick to it.
What I've found is you can put out lots of CVs and get nothing back and you can start getting pretty down then all of a sudden you can be inundated with interviews. It seems random almost. So, don't be disheartened, there will be a job out there you just have to stick to it.
Corrections are looking for front line staff.
I'm looking for new job right now. It's harder than I thought. Luckily I found info what is social work. Now I want to become a social worker. I always wanted to help other people. This worker helps persons and relatives work on their well-being and security. What could be better.
Absolutely wonderful career. I supported disabled individuals for a decade and loved every minute. One of the few careers where you actually go to bed and feel like you've made a difference in the world.
BUT, if you choose to go down that path, be aware of the following:
- The pay isn't great (though the Labour Govt has done some good work in this area)
- The job can be mentally and physically draining, often keeping you up at night or making you work overtime
- I've encountered plenty of bullying and drug abuse in the field. People find ways to cope with what the job, but this isn't always done in a healthy manner.
I don't know how old you are, but if I were you I'd consider a career switch to IT. The sector is screaming out for more employees, the pay is good and the work very interesting.
There are plenty of online courses you could do (DevAcademy or similar) if you don't want to do a full degree.
Worth looking into.
I retrained to work in IT in my mid-30s and my only regret is joy having done it earlier. Absolutely love my job and new career!
There are plenty of online courses you could do (DevAcademy or similar) if you don't want to do a full degree.
Worth looking into.
I retrained to work in IT in my mid-30s and my only regret is joy having done it earlier. Absolutely love my job and new career!
Agree, learning to code does open doors. Lots of demand, and in many cases you don't necessarily need a degree.
If you're still on the younger side <25 and don't have a qualification, might be worth thinking about going to uni and getting a degree in a field that will always be in high demand. For example, any STEM related degree - computer science, engineering, etc. Another really good option is Finance or Econ degree - slightly less math and quant heavy but tons of great opportunities for Finance/Econ majors (moreso Finance imo).
Although I'd recommend uni, if you're not interested in studying (which is fair enough as some people aren't) you could look at getting into a trade, or like mentioned above learning how to code. Those jobs tend to be pretty decent all around once you have the skills and don't have big barriers to entry if you have the ability/skill. Unlike finance for example, where you're going to need a uni degree.
Most importantly.. One step at a time. It's a marathon - think about the long-term, and start working towards that one day at a time. You won't get there overnight, but small incremental improvements build up and are incredibly powerful over time.
Good luck.
If you're still on the younger side <25 and don't have a qualification, might be worth thinking about going to uni and getting a degree in a field that will always be in high demand. For example, any STEM related degree - computer science, engineering, etc. Another really good option is Finance or Econ degree - slightly less math and quant heavy but tons of great opportunities for Finance/Econ majors (moreso Finance imo).
Although I'd recommend uni, if you're not interested in studying (which is fair enough as some people aren't) you could look at getting into a trade, or like mentioned above learning how to code. Those jobs tend to be pretty decent all around once you have the skills and don't have big barriers to entry if you have the ability/skill. Unlike finance for example, where you're going to need a uni degree.
Most importantly.. One step at a time. It's a marathon - think about the long-term, and start working towards that one day at a time. You won't get there overnight, but small incremental improvements build up and are incredibly powerful over time.
Good luck.
Fascinating thread. For my part I'm not in paid work but you can find me at the Citizens Advice Bureau in Petone. We may not always know the answer but we can usually direct you to where the answer is.
When I was doing paid stuff I was a researcher working in banking and management consultancy in London. The banking side was a laugh, I guess, lots of shouting and stupidly short deadlines trying to find data and information that wasn't always in the public domain. I was lucky, I think, to work with a real 'work hard play hard' crowd at one stage. We'd do stuff like work late then head out clubbing and get back to work on no sleep. I can't imagine having the energy for that now.
Anecdote to give you a flavour:
Banker: Get me everything you can on the Syrian cement industry...ok I know it's all family held and they don't talk but try....
I called A in London who sent me across to a Financial Times journalist who sent me to a friend in Denmark who gave me the number of a friend in Damascus. Damascus voice says 'all family and clan' but they'd try. Two days later my fax, yes fax, started running. Loads of information in English and Arabic. Some hand written and some typed.
Not sure whether it was me or banker who was the more surprised. I rang the Damascus contact back to say thanks and see what the fee was. The fee seemed very small...so we increased it by a factor of several times. About two months later the contact called worried we paid them too much.
🤷
I finally fell out of all this due to the GFC in 2008. Friend had a job for me in Hong Kong. Between my friend calling, team of sixteen and hiring, and flying out a week later the job disappeared. Team of sixteen had become two. My friend and one other. Ugh!
When I was doing paid stuff I was a researcher working in banking and management consultancy in London. The banking side was a laugh, I guess, lots of shouting and stupidly short deadlines trying to find data and information that wasn't always in the public domain. I was lucky, I think, to work with a real 'work hard play hard' crowd at one stage. We'd do stuff like work late then head out clubbing and get back to work on no sleep. I can't imagine having the energy for that now.
Anecdote to give you a flavour:
Banker: Get me everything you can on the Syrian cement industry...ok I know it's all family held and they don't talk but try....
I called A in London who sent me across to a Financial Times journalist who sent me to a friend in Denmark who gave me the number of a friend in Damascus. Damascus voice says 'all family and clan' but they'd try. Two days later my fax, yes fax, started running. Loads of information in English and Arabic. Some hand written and some typed.
Not sure whether it was me or banker who was the more surprised. I rang the Damascus contact back to say thanks and see what the fee was. The fee seemed very small...so we increased it by a factor of several times. About two months later the contact called worried we paid them too much.
🤷
I finally fell out of all this due to the GFC in 2008. Friend had a job for me in Hong Kong. Between my friend calling, team of sixteen and hiring, and flying out a week later the job disappeared. Team of sixteen had become two. My friend and one other. Ugh!
Fascinating thread. For my part I'm not in paid work but you can find me at the Citizens Advice Bureau in Petone. We may not always know the answer but we can usually direct you to where the answer is.
When I was doing paid stuff I was a researcher working in banking and management consultancy in London. The banking side was a laugh, I guess, lots of shouting and stupidly short deadlines trying to find data and information that wasn't always in the public domain. I was lucky, I think, to work with a real 'work hard play hard' crowd at one stage. We'd do stuff like work late then head out clubbing and get back to work on no sleep. I can't imagine having the energy for that now.
Anecdote to give you a flavour:
Banker: Get me everything you can on the Syrian cement industry...ok I know it's all family held and they don't talk but try....
I called A in London who sent me across to a Financial Times journalist who sent me to a friend in Denmark who gave me the number of a friend in Damascus. Damascus voice says 'all family and clan' but they'd try. Two days later my fax, yes fax, started running. Loads of information in English and Arabic. Some hand written and some typed.
Not sure whether it was me or banker who was the more surprised. I rang the Damascus contact back to say thanks and see what the fee was. The fee seemed very small...so we increased it by a factor of several times. About two months later the contact called worried we paid them too much.
🤷
I finally fell out of all this due to the GFC in 2008. Friend had a job for me in Hong Kong. Between my friend calling, team of sixteen and hiring, and flying out a week later the job disappeared. Team of sixteen had become two. My friend and one other. Ugh!
When I was doing paid stuff I was a researcher working in banking and management consultancy in London. The banking side was a laugh, I guess, lots of shouting and stupidly short deadlines trying to find data and information that wasn't always in the public domain. I was lucky, I think, to work with a real 'work hard play hard' crowd at one stage. We'd do stuff like work late then head out clubbing and get back to work on no sleep. I can't imagine having the energy for that now.
Anecdote to give you a flavour:
Banker: Get me everything you can on the Syrian cement industry...ok I know it's all family held and they don't talk but try....
I called A in London who sent me across to a Financial Times journalist who sent me to a friend in Denmark who gave me the number of a friend in Damascus. Damascus voice says 'all family and clan' but they'd try. Two days later my fax, yes fax, started running. Loads of information in English and Arabic. Some hand written and some typed.
Not sure whether it was me or banker who was the more surprised. I rang the Damascus contact back to say thanks and see what the fee was. The fee seemed very small...so we increased it by a factor of several times. About two months later the contact called worried we paid them too much.
🤷
I finally fell out of all this due to the GFC in 2008. Friend had a job for me in Hong Kong. Between my friend calling, team of sixteen and hiring, and flying out a week later the job disappeared. Team of sixteen had become two. My friend and one other. Ugh!
Hilarious story about the cement industry! Thanks
Fascinating thread. For my part I'm not in paid work but you can find me at the Citizens Advice Bureau in Petone. We may not always know the answer but we can usually direct you to where the answer is.
When I was doing paid stuff I was a researcher working in banking and management consultancy in London. The banking side was a laugh, I guess, lots of shouting and stupidly short deadlines trying to find data and information that wasn't always in the public domain. I was lucky, I think, to work with a real 'work hard play hard' crowd at one stage. We'd do stuff like work late then head out clubbing and get back to work on no sleep. I can't imagine having the energy for that now.
Anecdote to give you a flavour:
Banker: Get me everything you can on the Syrian cement industry...ok I know it's all family held and they don't talk but try....
I called A in London who sent me across to a Financial Times journalist who sent me to a friend in Denmark who gave me the number of a friend in Damascus. Damascus voice says 'all family and clan' but they'd try. Two days later my fax, yes fax, started running. Loads of information in English and Arabic. Some hand written and some typed.
Not sure whether it was me or banker who was the more surprised. I rang the Damascus contact back to say thanks and see what the fee was. The fee seemed very small...so we increased it by a factor of several times. About two months later the contact called worried we paid them too much.
🤷
I finally fell out of all this due to the GFC in 2008. Friend had a job for me in Hong Kong. Between my friend calling, team of sixteen and hiring, and flying out a week later the job disappeared. Team of sixteen had become two. My friend and one other. Ugh!
When I was doing paid stuff I was a researcher working in banking and management consultancy in London. The banking side was a laugh, I guess, lots of shouting and stupidly short deadlines trying to find data and information that wasn't always in the public domain. I was lucky, I think, to work with a real 'work hard play hard' crowd at one stage. We'd do stuff like work late then head out clubbing and get back to work on no sleep. I can't imagine having the energy for that now.
Anecdote to give you a flavour:
Banker: Get me everything you can on the Syrian cement industry...ok I know it's all family held and they don't talk but try....
I called A in London who sent me across to a Financial Times journalist who sent me to a friend in Denmark who gave me the number of a friend in Damascus. Damascus voice says 'all family and clan' but they'd try. Two days later my fax, yes fax, started running. Loads of information in English and Arabic. Some hand written and some typed.
Not sure whether it was me or banker who was the more surprised. I rang the Damascus contact back to say thanks and see what the fee was. The fee seemed very small...so we increased it by a factor of several times. About two months later the contact called worried we paid them too much.
🤷
I finally fell out of all this due to the GFC in 2008. Friend had a job for me in Hong Kong. Between my friend calling, team of sixteen and hiring, and flying out a week later the job disappeared. Team of sixteen had become two. My friend and one other. Ugh!
I was in London in the mid 90s. Had an old work mate from the Taranaki Regional Council (my first job post uni), who bull sharkted herself into a similar sounding London City role.
In those those days it was near impossible to check out your true work experience on the other side of the world in NZ. She was constantly on edge she would be found out! Survived long enough to earn some nice coin, and then try business ventures like an African overland truck business, and a little cafe on Marine Parade, Napier.
Wot?
Wot?
It's a bot 😅
AI? Bet it can’t figure out that Stefan is still our best goalkeeper by a country mile.
Pretty self explanatory really, leave as much detail as you wish. Feel free to give a background or a story as well. Just keen to see what fellow fever-ites do to make a buck.
I'll start the ball rolling.
I work for Nexans in New Plymouth. Started out in extrusion making TPS cable which is the stuff in the walls and ceilings that makes your lights and appliances and wall sockets work. I did that for almost two years before moving to our MV line which makes a range of cables supporting heavy industry both here and abroad, making cable ranging from 11kV to 33kV. Probably the best job I've ever had, having been in hospitality, banking and a former machine operator previously (in that order).
Decent pay and benefits and a solid amount of work in the pipeline.
Of course if anyone wants to know anything else, feel free to ask. 😎
I'll start the ball rolling.
I work for Nexans in New Plymouth. Started out in extrusion making TPS cable which is the stuff in the walls and ceilings that makes your lights and appliances and wall sockets work. I did that for almost two years before moving to our MV line which makes a range of cables supporting heavy industry both here and abroad, making cable ranging from 11kV to 33kV. Probably the best job I've ever had, having been in hospitality, banking and a former machine operator previously (in that order).
Decent pay and benefits and a solid amount of work in the pipeline.
Of course if anyone wants to know anything else, feel free to ask. 😎
I work as a Farm Consultant in the environmental space. Essentially over the last decade or so regulation has come in to try and minimise environmental effects of farming. So in my role I work directly with farmers helping them to identify exactly what needs to be done and then helping them to achieve it.
A large part of my role has involved QGIS (to produce digital maps - this might be of the farms topography, aspect, soil etc). But this planted the idea of starting a side business producing maps for small to medium businesses who won’t have an internal mapping team. Obviously I have non-competition clauses in my contract with my employer so any maps I do will be focussed outside the agricultural sphere.
A large part of my role has involved QGIS (to produce digital maps - this might be of the farms topography, aspect, soil etc). But this planted the idea of starting a side business producing maps for small to medium businesses who won’t have an internal mapping team. Obviously I have non-competition clauses in my contract with my employer so any maps I do will be focussed outside the agricultural sphere.
