What do you do for a living?

Corporate pilot/Director of Aviation Safety

How would you describe what you do?

My main job is flight operations for a corporation, flying corporate jets for the company employees and perspective clients as well as executives of the company itself. The safety manager side, I’m in charge of ensuring safe flight operations for the travel department as well as the ground crew and our internal travel department, I conduct safety audits, establish a safety reporting system, developing a safety manual and complying with all Federal Aviation Regulations and NBAA and Flight Safety Foundation guidelines.

What does your work entail?

Everything is based off of duty time and duty time is one hour prior to the flight that day and then one hour after the flight.

The other day, I left at eight o’clock in the morning, went to San Diego and back, and was home by one, then went to New York City that night. There’s not a whole lot of people that say they’ve been coast to coast in one day, and then you end up hanging out in Times Square that night, so that’s pretty good living.

If I count just my duty time alone, it’s about 50 hours a week and I normally work about four days a week. A lot of times my weekend is Tuesday, Wednesday or Tuesday, Thursday. And then the safety manager part is about another 20 hours a week. Normally I spend in the air a week, probably about 15 hours.

How did you get started?

I went to school at Kansas State University and went through their Aeronautical Science program. It’s supposed to be a a Bachelor’s of Aeronautical Science degree, but I actually did a Bachelor’s in Aeronautical Engineering. You go through your ground school and flight lessons to private instrument commercial multi-engine and then flight instructor, flight instructor instrument, and then multi-engine instructor. Continue Reading …

What do you do for a living?

I am a Captain on an Embraer 190 for Jet Blue.

How would you describe what you do?

I safely and efficiently operate an aircraft that carries 100 passengers. I fly a schedule from point A to point B and ensure that it’s a safe flight.

What does your work entail?

The schedule entails staying proficient on aircraft systems, staying proficient on flying normal operations, practicing in simulators for abnormal emergency operations that and a good understanding of weather and forecasted weather. I average about 15 to 16 work days a month and trips vary in length from a one day to a four-day trip.

One of the cool things is the fact that you get to fly free on all airlines. So you and your family have the ability to travel and really do exciting stuff…It’s one of the coolest perks in the whole world.

So on a four-day trip, three nights would be spent at three different locations away from my base, which is JFK. My trips all start and end in JFK and kind of take you everywhere in between.

How did you get started?

I was born in aviation. My dad was in airline management for the better part of 25 years.

What do you like about being a pilot?

I like the fact that I can arrange my schedule. I can change it or rearrange to meet requirements for things I want off for whatever reasons. So, I have very good schedule flexibility. Continue Reading …

Peggy McKee, owner of PHC Consulting, can be found at www.phcconsulting.com

What do you do for a living?

I connect sales, sales management, and marketing candidates with companies in the laboratory industry. The laboratory industry supports physicians by providing information about a patient. This information is utilized to determine next steps in the patient’s treatment. I do work with some companies that are research laboratories. Their products are the building blocks of information for pharmaceutical industry and medical device industry to use in product development.

How would you describe what you do?

I get to know my client companies – what they do, why they are unique, what their compensation packages, and specifically what jobs they need to fill and what type of experience, education, and attitude they desire for their successful hire.

If you like a team environment, this is not for you. No one is on your team. The candidate only wants the job. The client wants to fill the position and would rather not have to pay you a fee. So, if you need someone to care about you this is not for you.

I try to find the right person and convince them to interview with my client company. If all goes well, I make a placement.

What does your work entail?

Lots and lots of phone time. I probably spend 5 hours a day on the phone. A wireless headset is a must. I enter information about candidates and companies into a software system that tracks all of my calls and activities. I probably send 100 emails a day that are personal and then another 1000 emails a day to potential candidates. Because you are dealing with people, there are always emergencies and schedule changes. Continue Reading …

What do you do for a living?

I’m the operations manager for a tower company, a company that builds broadcasts and communications towers, but I got my start climbing up and down them.

How would you describe what you do?

We do everything that’s involved with building and maintaining a tower.

What does your work entail as a tower climber?

We build the towers, we take them down, we put the lights on them, we change the lights, we paint them, we scrape them, we run the antennas and lines.

When you go up a tower and you’re climbing 400 feet, you’re not coming down to get a cup of coffee, you’re not coming down to warm your hands, you’re not coming down for a lunch break. When you go up the tower you’re going to be there all day, it’s kind of like being like a mountain climber.

One of the more interesting things for most tower climbers is when they do a really high re-lamp, because most of them they’re are at night, and the broadcast towers could be 1,000 or 1,500-foot tall. They take the station off the air at one or two a.m. and you’re climbing in the wee hours of the morning changing the bulbs. Continue Reading …

What do you do for a living?

I practice general architecture.

How would you describe what you do?

Architects are responsible for anything to do with designing a building or structure.

What does your work entail as an architect?

What I do normally do is I start the design and the project from the very beginning to where I hand it off to one of the other architects in the office where they actually do the working drawings and specifications. I do a lot of preliminary design where I’ll meet with the client, determine what their program is, analyze the site, determine what can be built on site, how big of a building it is, and the preliminary budget.

The greatest thing that I like about it is simply walking into a building after you’ve designed it…and realize that this was a figment of your imagination…Then when you’re done, you’ve got a building standing there. The old saying is, “Doctors bury their mistakes, architects get to drive by them every day.”

I then I do some preliminary building arrangements, or floor plans and elevations and sections so that you can actually see what the building will look like, how big it will be and how it’s arranged and how well it suits their program. It’s mostly done in the office, but of course we’ll meet with clients and go out to sites and I’ll also sit in front of the computer a lot and draw. But, as you get higher up in the hierarchy of an office, you do more client contact and marketing for things outside the office, where a young architect will probably sit there most of the day and draw. Continue Reading …

What do you do for a living?

I’m a neurosurgeon.

How would you describe what you do?

Neurosurgery is a specialty that involves the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and their supporting and surrounding structures.

What does your work entail as a neurosurgeon?

Three days a week I operate on the brain, the spine, or peripheral nerves. Two days a week I’m in the office seeing patients. I also teach medical students and I give lectures to residents.

How did you get started?

I became interested in medicine because I had a brain tumor when I was nine months old, so I was around a lot of doctors. I also watched the Donna Reed Show where Donna Reed’s husband was a pediatrician and I thought he had a nice life. And that’s the truth. Continue Reading …

What do you do for a living?

Construction and Real Estate development.

How would you describe what you do?

I oversee and manage construction and real estate developments for a commercial construction company.

What does your work entail?

We do is anything from land development to the finished product, commercial products, and multi-family products. I’m basically in charge of the initial start of project, all the from when we turn dirt to the finished product.

How did you get started?

My family’s in it and I kind of just fell into it when I didn’t like anything else I did.

What do you like about what you do?

The freedom mainly. It’s basically like being self employed, that’s probably the biggest thing. I kind of set my own hours, leave when I want to, come when I want to. Also I have a lot interaction with people on a daily basis. Continue Reading …

What do you do for a living?

Police Detective

How would you describe what you do?

Investigate crimes against people and/or property (Burglary, Homocide, Forgery, Rape, Criminal Mischief)

What does your work entail?

Typing reports in office/speaking to victim’s via phone/attempt to locate/arrest suspects

What do you like about what you do?

Arresting suspects and bringing them to justice. Defending people that need help. Great feeling when you get a confession about a crime that you did not have a lot of evidence on, and you ended up arresting suspect.

What do you dislike?

I don’t like when the suspect/perp/thug gets away. Whether that is winning in court or slipping away during a chase…Or knowing that suspect/perp/thug committed a crime, but can not prove it.

What skills and education would someone need to follow this career path?

Highschool education and passion for defending people and catching criminals. Action packed job at times. Continue Reading …

What do you do for a living?

Pharmaceutical Sales Representative

How would you describe what you do?

I manage a territory of NW Arkansas that consists of approx. 250 physicians. I am in charge of calling on a list of physicians, created by myself, my partners, and my company, and selling the doctors, nurse practicioners, and physician assistants the efficacy, safety, dosing, and clinical data of two products in which I have responsibilities for: basically bringing educational value to the office and physicians.

I have had patients in the waiting room thank me for what I do or tell me a success story of how my product changed their life. I enjoy the health field and I feel like I am making a difference each day in someone’s life.

I am also responsible for calling on pharmacy’s in my territory to keep up to date on my products and my competition. I am responsible for my "business" and must manage a monthly budget, travel and expense reports, appointments with clients, dinner programs, email, voicemail, and overall coordination with my teammates.

What does your work entail?

As a rep, I am required to make 8-10 calls on physicians a day, 2 pharmacy calls per day, and recording what happens during each call in my computer. I speak with the doctors through walk ins, appointments, lunch and learns, or dinner programs arranged through my company. I travel to each city within my territory and plan out my week based on my partners and the schedules of the physicians or existing appointments. Continue Reading …

What do you do for a living?

I’m a trial attorney.

How would you describe what you do?

I help people in a time of need, when someone has been hurt by someone else’s negligence.

What does your work entail?

It’s a lot of relationship with the clients. My work entails quite a bit of paperwork and discovery with the defendant, and working with the defense lawyers, negotiating skills and trial skills.

The most rewarding thing is helping…Whenever you win that trial and your client is extremely excited and medical bills are paid and they’ve been properly compensated for what they’ve been through and you know that you put it all on the table and you’ve done a great job, that’s the best feeling in the world.

I would say I average 50 to 70 hours a week of work, but it really fluctuates.

How did you get started?

It’s a combination of a few things really. I enjoyed serving people. Continue Reading …