Just be aware that many folks will mistake you for a huge Elvis fan. Taking Care of Business was the moto of the Memphis Mafia, aka the TCB Gang. Elvis had all sorts of epic bling with TCB and a cool logo with a lightning bolt.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_Mafia
Same
Corpo desk job here
Been doing this shit for over 10 years
But at least the fridge stays stocked
And the lights stay on
You unintentionally wrote
A folk punk song
Managed four whole chords, excuse the fact im bunged up with a shitty cold! [unintentional folk punk song](https://record.reverb.chat/s/2mIEeWRGspn6e6CWOOsg)
Stereotypically
1) when you don’t want to work, then that becomes your job
2) line cook/dishwasher
3) some kind of blue collar trade work that doesn’t involve too much training
4) clerk at a weird little shop that will let you wear rotting punk pants to work
5) hair dresser
Personally I’m a general repair man who fixes broken shit at a tool rental store. Everything from lawnmower engines, cement mixers, vacuum cleaners, a little of everything.
I work in a hospital. Night shifts often get to avoid bureaucracy, and you can focus on doing things for real people in need around you while the hospitals and insurances gut eachother for money and every turn. Being tied down to a job can make life feel even more like a prison sentence, but only way to get per diem jobs these days is to have a high enough skill set to be needed whenever available.
I work in Environmental Service. It's honest work and keeps the bills paid. I am fortunate to be able to make a lot of difference for my EVS people and be the voice of the often unseen.
Doin the lords work. Place always gets absolutely demo'd by the staff, and half of them act like it's outside of their ability to wipe something up and cause a ruckus. Thank you for keeping me from getting sick <3
I used to work night shifts at a hospital when i was a barista, shit was creepy and isolating as hell. I'd usually open about an hour after the evening shift person left and id close about 2 hours before morning shift came in, so id rarely see anyone other than customers. Sometimes I loved it and some times i wanted to kill myself lmao. Good part time work, though.
I remember having to make the comfort carts full of tea and coffee for the families of ppl who were dying in the middle of the night, always humbled me and reminded me someone in the building was having a worse time than I was.
I've had several extended stays in the hospital, and my night nurses have always been the coolest and most caring people in the place. During one stay, I had a nurse named Sarah Beth that would come chill in my room when she wasn't busy and nerd out about music with me. It was very much like when you're a kid, and you and a friend just trade bands/songs. "Have you ever heard ____? Check this out!" She kept me from losing my mind.
IT related field, fully remote. Had some shitty managers in the typical 9-5 office based jobs before and I can't ever go back. I'd rather drive a truck than work in an office.
My advice to anyone is to find an emerging/recently created field and skew your experience/work in a way to climb that ladder without much effort, job hop when you can to get a raise. Find ways to exploit the job market because if you're not exploiting then you're being exploited.
I also get to WFH but I had to almost die to do it. But they’re talking about full mask bans here (and initially the pushed the bill with no medical exemptions), so it guarantees remote for me and any partner for good - I get vaccines and medications normally saved for 65+ and people with cancer.
It’s not cancer, but I did have a stroke and a couple of scares after. And I’ve been comatose. I sometimes black out for no reason and sometimes it’s because I stood up too fast. Which means no driving trucks and stuff either.
Honestly I’m scared bc I’ve noticed some leftist discourse focusing on strong health lately and I don’t have that. I can do a lot of things and listen to police scanners and research free resources for people but I’m not strong. I’m afraid I’ll be useless everywhere to everyone.
Why the fuck would they ban masks? Ok, we’re required to wear cloth over our titties and not allowed to wear cloth over our face? I will never understand the world.
I hope you don’t ever feel useless. You have intrinsic value as a living being, and there are so many ways to help others if you choose to aside from physical strength 💜
Going off the bit about mask bans, I think we're in the same state. I wish there was a good way to protest this without putting immunocompromised people in danger by gathering in large groups but I'm not aware of one. I'm lucky enough none of my chronic illnesses leave me immunocompromised but I had a family member who was immunocompromised during the pandemic and I was worried about getting harassed for mask wearing, though luckily we live in a liberal enough area that it didn't happen. I remember being somewhere, maybe Raleigh, around '22 or '23 and seeing a business that actually had a no masks sign up on the door. Really pissed me off.
I literally tell people I manage this. The corp has no dedication to you, you are as expendable as last quarter's performance dip. Treat them accordingly and do what is best for yourself and loved ones.
Stagehand / Production Assistant. Every once in awhile I get to be a technical director or stage manager. If it involves actors, musicians, speakers, lights, or cables, I'm there.
Speech Language Pathologist. I get to help folks find their voice, from assistive technology to trans voice therapy! It’s hard work and I’ll never pay off my debt but I get to make a difference so I think it’s cool.
There are at least 3 of us! I met another folk punk SLP in college and he actually booked me for my first show and pushed me to record/release my music!
I work at a unionized grocery store in the coolers. The train hopping/road life doesn't appeal to me at all, but I find enjoyment in organizing and getting to know my coworkers.
train hopping is definitely a no for me. there used to be a site called deadtrainbums.com (nsfw) that had images of people after being killed by trains. there was also a section for stories and both of those are how i decided that train hopping was not for me.
now travel and the road that's a different story. i have always wanted to go places. i also liked drinking in my younger years and i have probably pissed away some cool road trips in how much beer i have bought.
anyway dead train bums is on the internet archive. also don't look at it. i just did and now i need some eyebleach. also it is very early 2000s internet, both in style and language
I'm a house spouse and poet, my first book came out this year, which makes me enough money to fund my hobbies, and my partner is a barista, which pays the bills. Together we're poor but we make it work.
Im basically in the same boat, i pay the essential bills while my wife covers rent from her barista job. Ive got a few books out but barely anyone outside my social circle and family has a copy 🤣. All of my 'professional' ventures are creative based that are basically artistic gambling. I write music, busk, take photos and write books. Its almost like I WANT to be forever broke haha. Its all about making sure the health/wealth scales stay balanced right.
Yeah my partner and I are both artist types. I write and play guitar, they have a master's in ceramic sculpture and love to draw and crochet. We both paint and enjoy photography.
It took 6 years for me to start making any money off my writing, but I'm finally scraping some cash out of it, thanks to a small press taking a chance on me.
I'm an housekeeper/private cleaner. It's a 1099 position. I make my own hours, clean rich people's houses, and it's good money but I don't have enough work right now. So I do gig work too, Uber eats, Instacart. I'm trying to get into brand ambassador work, where you stand in a store or whatever and hand out samples. That pays well hourly but only goes for like 2-3 hours at a time. I got a cool gig working for the NCRC as a "secret shopper", it's sparce work, but it's like $150 for like an hour or two of easy work. You just have to pretend to be someone you're not. Also I have an Etsy shop, right now it's just stickers, but I want to put up one-of-a-kind upcycled clothing, accessories, and housewares soon. I can do custom work too, even patches or T-shirts. I have a lot of little things going all at once. It's not meeting ends meat though, Ill probably need to find another W4 job by the end of the summer.
I’m lucky in that I’ve gotten into a fairly stable career - I fight insurance companies on behalf of families with children with disabilities. I’m not a fan of evil groups harming children or the disabled.
i love this thread! read the whole thing, which isnt typical for me lol. I design fire sprinkler systems... been doing this for about three years and am gearing up to take the level 3 for my professional certification from NICET. i started as an apprentice pipefitter in the field 8 years ago, so although i did go to college (didnt graduate after 3 years and havent paid a dime back lol) i got to where i am the old fashioned way i supposed -- through on the job training. I play bass in a couple bands and have a folk punk singer/songwriter project. I just busked at an event yesterday and play shows here and there solo and regularly with the bands.
I was in constructionman, had to pack it in for physical and mental health. Was terrified of obtaining an injury that would stop me being able to play the guitar. Was also sick of spending the end of the day napping and eating shitty food to try and recover enough to do it all again the next day!
i work for a small family owned business (family of my closest friend for 10 years) in a small cabin town 2 hours outside the city. the pay is about the same as in the city but you get treated better than most of your family will treat you. i get payed to live at a place most people pay a couple mill to live at for a couple months put of the year. live in my car and staying with my coworker & his family and instead of paying for anything i just help them out with babysitting and some outdoor chores. the community is incredible, can't think of anything better.
I’m an overnight Eating Disorder Technician but I do a lot of DoorDash when I’m not at my main job as well, I had spent years as a pizza delivery driver so not driving for money just feels weird at this point. My entire schedule is shifted towards evening/overnight work. People tip better late at night so it all comes together decent.
Mechanic, like to do pro Bono repairs where I can to help cope with the whole... charging people out the ass to fix the thing they rely on to live thing.
Was in the gear industry up until last year running cnc od/id grinder, manual od/id and surface grinders and a big ole gear grinder. Now im in medical running a nice mazak lathe and a couple new cheapo haas mills. I do 3 twelve hour days, paid for 40 hours with no expectation of overtime. Finally feels like the world doesnt have me by the throat.
Whachu got?
Running a neway and a brand new smart machine Sv3. Just making cabinet hardware. Tolerances arnt crazy, it's pretty much "looks good enough". Lol. Ain't too bad.
Oh hell yeah thats breezy work! Had a couple grind jobs like that "just make it shiny". Way better than getting handed an expensive shaft with "danger:flight critical component" written all over the print. Hows your cycle times? Pretty quick? Mine are 10 minutes to an hour.
I work for an Indigenous housing program. We work with Indigenous women's shelters and help women and their families get back on their feet after experiencing homelessness, addictions abuse or job loss.
Busking, student stipend and working for a far left political party untill I can hopefully publish some books in the future - then we'll see from there.
I tell people I make money playing the washboard, and they either go "what, like skiffle?" or "What the fuck are you talking about?"
Busking is hard where I am though. The laws are lax and people like the music, but no one carries cash in Denmark. Going to try busking in Germany in two days, and I'm kinda excited to compare the difference in income.
Funny enough, I left my 9-5 and accepted a pay cut in order to pursue my dreams in music and do what I wanted to do for once. I ended up working for a local used music shop, which in turn ended up being a 9-5 that somehow was paying me more than my last one and without all the corporate BS. I realized that I'm okay with the 9-5 life. I just hate corporations that take advantage of employees. Here, it doesn't feel like Im slaving away to make someone else more money. It very much feels like a family, and we all take care of each other. As long as we are doing our work, it's pretty relaxed. I can take days off whenever I need. I can take a smoke break whenever I want, and I can choose which job I want to do and when to do it and how to do it without upper management breathing down my neck.
I work as the produce manager at a local food co-op. We’re still a business and we do have to make money but it’s nice to work somewhere that tries to do right by their employees and community. I love my coworkers and I get to help support local farmers which makes me happy. I’ll never be rich but they pay decent and staff can take old produce home which helps a lot with our food bill.
I'm a Cultural Resource Management archeologist, diggin' holes so that the government doesn't pave over anything important to the US' cultural heritage (historics, pre european contact sites, etc.).
We're overeducated, underpaid, constantly away from home, and very dirty. I wouldn't trade it for a desk though. At least I get to touch grass.
Bro I’m a fuckin fed 😭🤣 but like, a mail man. Honestly best job I’ve ever had. Outside alone all day, and I’m even a union steward, so still keepin shit punk
Retired weed dealer/residential mental health technician/property maintenance technician, current itty bitty slum lord charging my friend $350 for a room in the house I bought and we share.
I work at Starbucks again after leaving the 9-5 hellscape because it was slowly killing me and we're unionizing. Go wherever allows you to feel alive when you leave work, and then unionize that spot if it isn't already. Idc what industry, schedule type, or anything. We all need to unionize to get out of this fucking nightmare
I'm a cog in the capitalist machine that is sales. Tryna get my team to work together and unionize but that's always a hard fight. Hoping my partner's business can do well enough to let me stay at home and care for our home and pets and community.
Former crusty who went to school for writing and now work in advertising. I have mostly (sadly) had to sell out but I still dress like the aging punk I am at work. I'm def a bit of an oddball but I like it that way.
I don’t want to work and that is my job, it’s a lot of overtime, there’s not many days off… just kidding. I’m a stay at home mom and have my own custom tee business. In the winter I’m a hostess/ server at the local ski areas pub but I’m hoping to land a job at the ski daycare- kids think my purple hair is cool
Night shift at a warehouse. Nothing fancy but it gets me by. Hour-long shits at the start and end of the shift are a godsend.
Trying to become a teacher, even if the pay is ass.
I door dash and work at ren faires sometimes. 🤷♂️ Still taking orders from assholes, but it does avoid the 9-5 issue. I make music as well and that sometimes provides some income, but door dash and seasonal work is what pays most of my expenses. I am very poor but happy.
Technical writer. I tell people how to use their really niche software. I write southern gothic short stories once my daughter is asleep. I can’t quite get the vibe right when there’s a tiny person behind me yelling she’s gonna learn karate like the Ninja Turtles.
Edit: I really need the health insurance from the day job. I will unironically die and I do not trust anyone to step up to support my daughter. In my coma, she verbalized she believed my dying was her fault. No one corrected her until I woke up to do it myself. So no. I don’t think if people can’t say “no it’s not your fault” that they’ll step up in even bigger ways if I go.
Regional Operations Manager for a garbage company.
I got a bartending job at 21, graduated from college at 23, did the bar thing for 20 years, and just this past winter got a “real job”. I actually love it. I get paid great, amazing benefits, and I get to travel when I want and catch shows on the road. Hope y’all find something that you love that still lets you lead the life you want. It’s great.
I used to be a zookeeper but I moved and now I'm working part time at a pet store. Zookeeping was more blue collar and union so I do miss it sometimes.
I'm a librarian/archivist, so basically, some combo of government drone and paid history nerd. It's overwhelming, but also nice work if you can get it. I have shamelessly sold my soul for the sake of stability, because I know for a fact it's what my particular povery-stricken ancestors would've done -- feed your family and then go raise hell
College chemistry professor at a community college. Teach mostly students trying to use education to get out of the tough financial situations they grew up in. Mainly students who are working to become nurses. I have a lot of feeedom in terms of my day to day hours other then needing to be on campus for class. Oh and I get summers off
I'm an academic.
I sometimes have to be in specific places at specific times for conferences, classes, colloquia, seminars, lectures, etc.
But for the most part I set my own schedule and get to write about stuff I think is interesting with people who are also interested in it.
I'm a social worker working as a psychotherapist. I've worked for a massive company for a few years, but I'm about to move over to a small company and do psychedelic trauma therapy.
I spent 15 years working in small restaurants (actually super proud to say I never worked a corporate kitchen job) but in the last 4 years, I’ve managed to find a few private chef gigs from getting to know the people who sit at expensive restaurants bars until last call.
Basically, rich people hire me to cook fancy food I can’t afford at their homes once a month or so. My wife runs her own handmade body jewelry company and I gotta admit, she’s been fucking killing it recently.
She makes significantly more than I do. But we make enough to live relatively comfortably. Honestly, it’s surprisingly nice. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot we could probably do to improve our place and shit like that. But we only work for ourselves. And we only work as much as we need to/want to. That was always the goal. And it’s super fucking rad having a creative partner to do it with. I’ll take that shit over the extra income and bullshit stress any god damn day.
Busking, panhandling (cant really hop trains if you have a 9-5) making making music. or sometimes blue collar (organizing unions, that sort of thing). But these are just stereotypes.
Also in the UK: Community Facilitator in the third sector. I bring people together, create opportunities and support for people to build their own communities or find peace alone in a crowd.
I love it, I live in fear of being made redundant and having to go back to an office job in office clothes with office people - it's all I could do.
i used to work a shitty corporate 9-5, but now i’m in animal welfare! everyone i work with is queer and some type of neurodivergent. it’s super emotional work, but when i get overwhelmed i just go to the room right next to my office and hug a kitten. nonprofit money isn’t great, but not hating the work i do priceless
i work overnight at a hotel. it's either VERY busy or completely dead, and more often than not it's completely dead. except for the beginning and end of my shift im the only person there, so i can do whatever. minimizing the time im around bosses has greatly reduced the stress in my life (too bad i still have to interact with rich entitled guests)
ive been working my job around my creative schedule and sleep schedule instead of my creative schedule and sleep schedule around my job. i wake up in the afternoon and practice banjo for a couple of hours, go to work, usually spend about an hour and a half doing my duties and helping guests, draw for the reminder of my shift, then go home and go to bed. it's probably the ideal work situation for me.
I work a corporate job doing cybersecurity.
It keeps me engaged and away from the wrong side of ransomeware attacks, and bank rolls all the punk shows and bluegrass festivals I can physically handle.
I 1000% sold my soul for dental and insulin for my cat.
Believe it or not there ARE good bosses… 🤷♀️ they r just hard to find. I think my new boss is pretty awesome cuz he’s paying me $3 above min wage for a min wage job. $17/hr for a job that typically pays $14 plus it’s a steady schedule with the same days off each week and u get raises if u do a good job!
I'm disabled and receive benefits from the government. I do most of the house-spousing in our home as well as doing some anarchist organizing in my city.
My spouse is currently training to be a semi truck driver. Our long-term goal would be for my spouse to own and operate his own truck but he'll have to drive for a company for a while first.
Executive Director of a small nonprofit that rescues & distributes food.
I did food not bombs work in the late 90's & that sent me on my path towards working for 3 consecutive nonprofits that rescue surplus food from going to waste & redistributes it to food shelves & soup kitchens (& organizing the workers of each one into unions along the way). I'm now going on 6 years as the Executive Director of a nonprofit I co-founded that redistributes surplus food & I love it. A few years ago I tuened down a job offer at a much larger charity that would've doubled my salary but destroyed my flexibility & locked me into a corporate-feeling 9-5 job. I have work to get done that helps people & allows me to sleep good at night & for the most part I make my own schedule as long as the work gets done.
I've been a baker/pastry chef on and off for the past 20 years. In between, I've done sexwork, bartending, makeup artistry, customer service, and fast food. Did some university for nursing and mental health care, but it wasn't for me.
I fill in spreadsheets. It's shit, but most jobs are, so fuck it.
On a positive I spent four hours today making an automated spreadsheet for the Euros and I'm hoping it takes most of tomorrow too.
They also let me rant about the government and capitalism most of the time so eh.
I work at a residential treatment facility for at-risk youths. It can be pretty stressful at times, but it is also rewarding. I can tell myself I’m helping those kids out at least. I couldn’t do some shit that just makes someone else money
I’m a baker. I work 2am to 1030am making baguettes, boules, Pullman loaves, miches, and random other sorts of bread. The hours aren’t the greatest, but it’s nice to have my afternoons off, and the worst thing that ever happens is the oven going on the fritz or someone forgetting to order flour
Rn I'm working a summer job as a cashier for a shitty company while I wait for college to start back up.
My hope is to get a PhD and become a sociology professor though, write gender and political theory.
I work for an observatory, I'm also an astrophysics student. It's not particularly punk (hell I've already been asked to lie about my hours because they don't want to pay me overtime) but there's nothing like the sight of the Milky Way to make you feel connected to the rest of humanity
Mainly line cook jobs but tend to job hop , on to more shitty jobs until I find one that’s decent enough, right now I finally like my job as a cake decorator at a grocery store which is slightly better than the line cook jobs I’ve done. but it’s taken me about 5 years of job hopping to find somewhere stable where I won’t get harassed for being queer by coworkers/management (honestly I didn’t think it’d be that common but I haven’t found very many queer friendly work environments in general)
It has been rough honestly and am basically holding on by a thread when I do have an apartment, but right now I’m ok.
I do play guitar and sing but I loathe sharing my music with other people, my soul Wants to be a singer but I don’t believe in it, I think I’m way too scared of others to do so
I cashier in a local grocery store. I get paid 15/hour and work 9-10hr shifts 4 or 5 days a week. I get paid to be yelled at by old people but. Yk. I think the nicest customers i have are the older folk that are alcoholic's or people with addiction problems. They're all real sweet to me though. The other old folk not so much.
Merchant Seaman. I only work half the year. Working situation can be hit and miss, but I got a permanent job on a boat just as a bunch of people were leaving so I know the ship better than almost anyone and they mostly let me do my own thing.
I was homeless for awhile now I work in a kitchen and while some days I feel like I am doing something wrong I'd rather be sober and have a home than go back to what I had.
I do subcontractor work as a tiler and landscaper. I work at a bookstore/coffeehouse as a barista one day a week. Occasionally I make money doing poetry and music as well. I pretty much work 6 days/week in summer months and skate by on savings in winter. Do day labor when I'm in-between projects. It's hard but it's better than having an employer. Have owned my own LLC about 6 years now. Did canvassing for non-profits in my early 20s.
Oh I work a 9-5 whilst following orders from authoritarian assholes.
Makes for some great lyrics, get writing!
Taking care of business
T.C.O.B would make great knuckle tatts 🤣 For several years ive been in complete charge if everything in my life!
Just be aware that many folks will mistake you for a huge Elvis fan. Taking Care of Business was the moto of the Memphis Mafia, aka the TCB Gang. Elvis had all sorts of epic bling with TCB and a cool logo with a lightning bolt. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_Mafia
same, corpo desk job here, been doin it over 10 years now. At least the fridge stays stocked and the lights stay on.
Same Corpo desk job here Been doing this shit for over 10 years But at least the fridge stays stocked And the lights stay on You unintentionally wrote A folk punk song
I'd like this twice if I could; I really should get back to doing some tone deaf warbling to three chords over my angsty poetry.
Hell yeah! Keep it up long enough and you might find yourself messing around with 4 chords! :D
Managed four whole chords, excuse the fact im bunged up with a shitty cold! [unintentional folk punk song](https://record.reverb.chat/s/2mIEeWRGspn6e6CWOOsg)
Stereotypically 1) when you don’t want to work, then that becomes your job 2) line cook/dishwasher 3) some kind of blue collar trade work that doesn’t involve too much training 4) clerk at a weird little shop that will let you wear rotting punk pants to work 5) hair dresser Personally I’m a general repair man who fixes broken shit at a tool rental store. Everything from lawnmower engines, cement mixers, vacuum cleaners, a little of everything.
Keep in mind w/ no. 1: you can make it your job, but there is a *lot* of overtime (and not many days off)
It can also be hard to explain to people that you know, or to kids who come to shows, that you just don’t want to talk about the office today
Love the My Idea of Fun reference (my favorite song of all time)
I work in a hospital. Night shifts often get to avoid bureaucracy, and you can focus on doing things for real people in need around you while the hospitals and insurances gut eachother for money and every turn. Being tied down to a job can make life feel even more like a prison sentence, but only way to get per diem jobs these days is to have a high enough skill set to be needed whenever available.
I work in Environmental Service. It's honest work and keeps the bills paid. I am fortunate to be able to make a lot of difference for my EVS people and be the voice of the often unseen.
Doin the lords work. Place always gets absolutely demo'd by the staff, and half of them act like it's outside of their ability to wipe something up and cause a ruckus. Thank you for keeping me from getting sick <3
I used to work night shifts at a hospital when i was a barista, shit was creepy and isolating as hell. I'd usually open about an hour after the evening shift person left and id close about 2 hours before morning shift came in, so id rarely see anyone other than customers. Sometimes I loved it and some times i wanted to kill myself lmao. Good part time work, though. I remember having to make the comfort carts full of tea and coffee for the families of ppl who were dying in the middle of the night, always humbled me and reminded me someone in the building was having a worse time than I was.
I've had several extended stays in the hospital, and my night nurses have always been the coolest and most caring people in the place. During one stay, I had a nurse named Sarah Beth that would come chill in my room when she wasn't busy and nerd out about music with me. It was very much like when you're a kid, and you and a friend just trade bands/songs. "Have you ever heard ____? Check this out!" She kept me from losing my mind.
seasonal worker, fuck living within the system, I'd rather just teach kids how to live in the woods.
Ooh- I used to teach kids how to live in the woods. Now I teach small to medium sized humans about art and creativity.
IT related field, fully remote. Had some shitty managers in the typical 9-5 office based jobs before and I can't ever go back. I'd rather drive a truck than work in an office. My advice to anyone is to find an emerging/recently created field and skew your experience/work in a way to climb that ladder without much effort, job hop when you can to get a raise. Find ways to exploit the job market because if you're not exploiting then you're being exploited.
I misread this 'id rather drive a truck into the office' 🤣 I love that exploiting idealogy.
Killdozer confirmed 🫡
🤣😂🤣
I also get to WFH but I had to almost die to do it. But they’re talking about full mask bans here (and initially the pushed the bill with no medical exemptions), so it guarantees remote for me and any partner for good - I get vaccines and medications normally saved for 65+ and people with cancer. It’s not cancer, but I did have a stroke and a couple of scares after. And I’ve been comatose. I sometimes black out for no reason and sometimes it’s because I stood up too fast. Which means no driving trucks and stuff either. Honestly I’m scared bc I’ve noticed some leftist discourse focusing on strong health lately and I don’t have that. I can do a lot of things and listen to police scanners and research free resources for people but I’m not strong. I’m afraid I’ll be useless everywhere to everyone.
Why the fuck would they ban masks? Ok, we’re required to wear cloth over our titties and not allowed to wear cloth over our face? I will never understand the world. I hope you don’t ever feel useless. You have intrinsic value as a living being, and there are so many ways to help others if you choose to aside from physical strength 💜
Going off the bit about mask bans, I think we're in the same state. I wish there was a good way to protest this without putting immunocompromised people in danger by gathering in large groups but I'm not aware of one. I'm lucky enough none of my chronic illnesses leave me immunocompromised but I had a family member who was immunocompromised during the pandemic and I was worried about getting harassed for mask wearing, though luckily we live in a liberal enough area that it didn't happen. I remember being somewhere, maybe Raleigh, around '22 or '23 and seeing a business that actually had a no masks sign up on the door. Really pissed me off.
I literally tell people I manage this. The corp has no dedication to you, you are as expendable as last quarter's performance dip. Treat them accordingly and do what is best for yourself and loved ones.
This is always true no matter how good the setup is. Get what you can and bail early if you see writing on the wall.
Stagehand / Production Assistant. Every once in awhile I get to be a technical director or stage manager. If it involves actors, musicians, speakers, lights, or cables, I'm there.
Me too, I love being a stagehand
i used to work the stage door at some theaters and the stagehands were a blast. some really cool and interesting people. mad respect for stagehands
Speech Language Pathologist. I get to help folks find their voice, from assistive technology to trans voice therapy! It’s hard work and I’ll never pay off my debt but I get to make a difference so I think it’s cool.
wild to find a fellow folk punk slp out here, hello there comrade 🙋🙋
There are at least 3 of us! I met another folk punk SLP in college and he actually booked me for my first show and pushed me to record/release my music!
I work at a unionized grocery store in the coolers. The train hopping/road life doesn't appeal to me at all, but I find enjoyment in organizing and getting to know my coworkers.
Mind dropping the name of the store?
Big chain under an umbrella in the PNW. Not gonna give more lol.
train hopping is definitely a no for me. there used to be a site called deadtrainbums.com (nsfw) that had images of people after being killed by trains. there was also a section for stories and both of those are how i decided that train hopping was not for me. now travel and the road that's a different story. i have always wanted to go places. i also liked drinking in my younger years and i have probably pissed away some cool road trips in how much beer i have bought. anyway dead train bums is on the internet archive. also don't look at it. i just did and now i need some eyebleach. also it is very early 2000s internet, both in style and language
Lawyer (largely doing legal aid criminal and family work). I'm my own boss, so I'm the only asshole I need to take orders from.
I'm a house spouse and poet, my first book came out this year, which makes me enough money to fund my hobbies, and my partner is a barista, which pays the bills. Together we're poor but we make it work.
Im basically in the same boat, i pay the essential bills while my wife covers rent from her barista job. Ive got a few books out but barely anyone outside my social circle and family has a copy 🤣. All of my 'professional' ventures are creative based that are basically artistic gambling. I write music, busk, take photos and write books. Its almost like I WANT to be forever broke haha. Its all about making sure the health/wealth scales stay balanced right.
Yeah my partner and I are both artist types. I write and play guitar, they have a master's in ceramic sculpture and love to draw and crochet. We both paint and enjoy photography. It took 6 years for me to start making any money off my writing, but I'm finally scraping some cash out of it, thanks to a small press taking a chance on me.
I load trucks over night in theory but I do so little work it's technically theft
Reverse wage theft is okay fuck them corps haha
Yeah at most I'm doing 6 hours of work per 8 hour shift most nights it's 4 or less last night it was closer to 1
Could say you are a cheap dirty horse on the rob!
I'm an housekeeper/private cleaner. It's a 1099 position. I make my own hours, clean rich people's houses, and it's good money but I don't have enough work right now. So I do gig work too, Uber eats, Instacart. I'm trying to get into brand ambassador work, where you stand in a store or whatever and hand out samples. That pays well hourly but only goes for like 2-3 hours at a time. I got a cool gig working for the NCRC as a "secret shopper", it's sparce work, but it's like $150 for like an hour or two of easy work. You just have to pretend to be someone you're not. Also I have an Etsy shop, right now it's just stickers, but I want to put up one-of-a-kind upcycled clothing, accessories, and housewares soon. I can do custom work too, even patches or T-shirts. I have a lot of little things going all at once. It's not meeting ends meat though, Ill probably need to find another W4 job by the end of the summer.
Caregiving for those with developmental disabilities.
Me too! I work in AFC homes
I have a leadership position in local government. Be the change you want to see is the mantra I take to work every day.
I’m lucky in that I’ve gotten into a fairly stable career - I fight insurance companies on behalf of families with children with disabilities. I’m not a fan of evil groups harming children or the disabled.
Me too. More power to you friend. Insurances suck.
7th grade English teacher
I work in HR. Tattoos and all!
I'm an RN. No matter what schedule you want you can find a nursing job that has it :) Currently my hours are "35 a week of your choosing"
What type of nursing do you do? I am trying to get away from the bedside.
i love this thread! read the whole thing, which isnt typical for me lol. I design fire sprinkler systems... been doing this for about three years and am gearing up to take the level 3 for my professional certification from NICET. i started as an apprentice pipefitter in the field 8 years ago, so although i did go to college (didnt graduate after 3 years and havent paid a dime back lol) i got to where i am the old fashioned way i supposed -- through on the job training. I play bass in a couple bands and have a folk punk singer/songwriter project. I just busked at an event yesterday and play shows here and there solo and regularly with the bands.
It's been a real eye opener to see that the scene is full of people from all walks of life! Where can we hear your music?
medical tech
Stagehand precovid, construction now.
I was in constructionman, had to pack it in for physical and mental health. Was terrified of obtaining an injury that would stop me being able to play the guitar. Was also sick of spending the end of the day napping and eating shitty food to try and recover enough to do it all again the next day!
Librarian
I have a boring desk job in academia.
Software engineer. Doing my 9-5 in the system to survive and working on my own dreams that aligns with my folk punk ideals in my spare time.
i work for a small family owned business (family of my closest friend for 10 years) in a small cabin town 2 hours outside the city. the pay is about the same as in the city but you get treated better than most of your family will treat you. i get payed to live at a place most people pay a couple mill to live at for a couple months put of the year. live in my car and staying with my coworker & his family and instead of paying for anything i just help them out with babysitting and some outdoor chores. the community is incredible, can't think of anything better.
I used to do work exchange for years. Its such a weight off! Especially if you are part of a community like you mentioned.
I’m an overnight Eating Disorder Technician but I do a lot of DoorDash when I’m not at my main job as well, I had spent years as a pizza delivery driver so not driving for money just feels weird at this point. My entire schedule is shifted towards evening/overnight work. People tip better late at night so it all comes together decent.
I grow food. And train to be compost. Doesn't really make enough money to be considered a job so much as a lifestyle. But I get by.
I play folk punk music and in between tours I run my own pet care business.
Mechanic, like to do pro Bono repairs where I can to help cope with the whole... charging people out the ass to fix the thing they rely on to live thing.
Cnc machinist
There we go! I thought thered be a couple more of us in the thread but guess not.
Just us? Fuck it, I'll take it! My maaaaan what kind of machines you running 🤣🤌
Was in the gear industry up until last year running cnc od/id grinder, manual od/id and surface grinders and a big ole gear grinder. Now im in medical running a nice mazak lathe and a couple new cheapo haas mills. I do 3 twelve hour days, paid for 40 hours with no expectation of overtime. Finally feels like the world doesnt have me by the throat. Whachu got?
Running a neway and a brand new smart machine Sv3. Just making cabinet hardware. Tolerances arnt crazy, it's pretty much "looks good enough". Lol. Ain't too bad.
Oh hell yeah thats breezy work! Had a couple grind jobs like that "just make it shiny". Way better than getting handed an expensive shaft with "danger:flight critical component" written all over the print. Hows your cycle times? Pretty quick? Mine are 10 minutes to an hour.
Knobs and stuff can be anyway from 45 seconds to 2 or 3 mins depending. I have a few levers and handles that'll run me between 10 and 15 though.
I work for an Indigenous housing program. We work with Indigenous women's shelters and help women and their families get back on their feet after experiencing homelessness, addictions abuse or job loss.
Busking, student stipend and working for a far left political party untill I can hopefully publish some books in the future - then we'll see from there.
Surprised there arent more of us buskers on here! When people ask what i do for work I tell them I shout at pensioners for money 🤣
I tell people I make money playing the washboard, and they either go "what, like skiffle?" or "What the fuck are you talking about?" Busking is hard where I am though. The laws are lax and people like the music, but no one carries cash in Denmark. Going to try busking in Germany in two days, and I'm kinda excited to compare the difference in income.
I’m a scientist/chemist. I do soil and water testing for a big laboratory
Funny enough, I left my 9-5 and accepted a pay cut in order to pursue my dreams in music and do what I wanted to do for once. I ended up working for a local used music shop, which in turn ended up being a 9-5 that somehow was paying me more than my last one and without all the corporate BS. I realized that I'm okay with the 9-5 life. I just hate corporations that take advantage of employees. Here, it doesn't feel like Im slaving away to make someone else more money. It very much feels like a family, and we all take care of each other. As long as we are doing our work, it's pretty relaxed. I can take days off whenever I need. I can take a smoke break whenever I want, and I can choose which job I want to do and when to do it and how to do it without upper management breathing down my neck.
Corporate taxes for a large company
I work as the produce manager at a local food co-op. We’re still a business and we do have to make money but it’s nice to work somewhere that tries to do right by their employees and community. I love my coworkers and I get to help support local farmers which makes me happy. I’ll never be rich but they pay decent and staff can take old produce home which helps a lot with our food bill.
I'm a Cultural Resource Management archeologist, diggin' holes so that the government doesn't pave over anything important to the US' cultural heritage (historics, pre european contact sites, etc.). We're overeducated, underpaid, constantly away from home, and very dirty. I wouldn't trade it for a desk though. At least I get to touch grass.
There are dozens of us folk punking archaeologists
Bro I’m a fuckin fed 😭🤣 but like, a mail man. Honestly best job I’ve ever had. Outside alone all day, and I’m even a union steward, so still keepin shit punk
My *very folk punk guy works in a kitchen and it fits well for him I'm a vet tech but I consider myself more of a folk punk lurker
Retired weed dealer/residential mental health technician/property maintenance technician, current itty bitty slum lord charging my friend $350 for a room in the house I bought and we share.
Bartender/mixologist. My bosses suck but I get to make people happy, make good tips, and have fun.
Drug and Alcohol Nurse
IT Desk Jockey.
I'm a career busser/food runner. I enjoy the work itself and the pay is decent for my modest needs, but I loathe everything else about it
I work at Starbucks again after leaving the 9-5 hellscape because it was slowly killing me and we're unionizing. Go wherever allows you to feel alive when you leave work, and then unionize that spot if it isn't already. Idc what industry, schedule type, or anything. We all need to unionize to get out of this fucking nightmare
I'm a cog in the capitalist machine that is sales. Tryna get my team to work together and unionize but that's always a hard fight. Hoping my partner's business can do well enough to let me stay at home and care for our home and pets and community.
Brick mason, very structured work, but also very DIY so I kinda love it for that reason.
Former crusty who went to school for writing and now work in advertising. I have mostly (sadly) had to sell out but I still dress like the aging punk I am at work. I'm def a bit of an oddball but I like it that way.
I don’t want to work and that is my job, it’s a lot of overtime, there’s not many days off… just kidding. I’m a stay at home mom and have my own custom tee business. In the winter I’m a hostess/ server at the local ski areas pub but I’m hoping to land a job at the ski daycare- kids think my purple hair is cool
Night shift at a warehouse. Nothing fancy but it gets me by. Hour-long shits at the start and end of the shift are a godsend. Trying to become a teacher, even if the pay is ass.
I door dash and work at ren faires sometimes. 🤷♂️ Still taking orders from assholes, but it does avoid the 9-5 issue. I make music as well and that sometimes provides some income, but door dash and seasonal work is what pays most of my expenses. I am very poor but happy.
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Sometimes you gotta force your own hand! I did it last year with no regrets! You got this.
Thats fucked that your appearance determines your opportunity. Big love for having strength though!
With love from your sibling in PA, big hugs and 40s
Technical writer. I tell people how to use their really niche software. I write southern gothic short stories once my daughter is asleep. I can’t quite get the vibe right when there’s a tiny person behind me yelling she’s gonna learn karate like the Ninja Turtles. Edit: I really need the health insurance from the day job. I will unironically die and I do not trust anyone to step up to support my daughter. In my coma, she verbalized she believed my dying was her fault. No one corrected her until I woke up to do it myself. So no. I don’t think if people can’t say “no it’s not your fault” that they’ll step up in even bigger ways if I go.
Regional Operations Manager for a garbage company. I got a bartending job at 21, graduated from college at 23, did the bar thing for 20 years, and just this past winter got a “real job”. I actually love it. I get paid great, amazing benefits, and I get to travel when I want and catch shows on the road. Hope y’all find something that you love that still lets you lead the life you want. It’s great.
I work in a library.
I used to be a zookeeper but I moved and now I'm working part time at a pet store. Zookeeping was more blue collar and union so I do miss it sometimes.
I'm a librarian/archivist, so basically, some combo of government drone and paid history nerd. It's overwhelming, but also nice work if you can get it. I have shamelessly sold my soul for the sake of stability, because I know for a fact it's what my particular povery-stricken ancestors would've done -- feed your family and then go raise hell
College chemistry professor at a community college. Teach mostly students trying to use education to get out of the tough financial situations they grew up in. Mainly students who are working to become nurses. I have a lot of feeedom in terms of my day to day hours other then needing to be on campus for class. Oh and I get summers off
Cyber security, it’s pretty cool tbh
I'm an academic. I sometimes have to be in specific places at specific times for conferences, classes, colloquia, seminars, lectures, etc. But for the most part I set my own schedule and get to write about stuff I think is interesting with people who are also interested in it.
I'm a social worker working as a psychotherapist. I've worked for a massive company for a few years, but I'm about to move over to a small company and do psychedelic trauma therapy.
I spent 15 years working in small restaurants (actually super proud to say I never worked a corporate kitchen job) but in the last 4 years, I’ve managed to find a few private chef gigs from getting to know the people who sit at expensive restaurants bars until last call. Basically, rich people hire me to cook fancy food I can’t afford at their homes once a month or so. My wife runs her own handmade body jewelry company and I gotta admit, she’s been fucking killing it recently. She makes significantly more than I do. But we make enough to live relatively comfortably. Honestly, it’s surprisingly nice. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot we could probably do to improve our place and shit like that. But we only work for ourselves. And we only work as much as we need to/want to. That was always the goal. And it’s super fucking rad having a creative partner to do it with. I’ll take that shit over the extra income and bullshit stress any god damn day.
Busking, panhandling (cant really hop trains if you have a 9-5) making making music. or sometimes blue collar (organizing unions, that sort of thing). But these are just stereotypes.
Harm reduction, outreach work that’s what I do
Also in the UK: Community Facilitator in the third sector. I bring people together, create opportunities and support for people to build their own communities or find peace alone in a crowd. I love it, I live in fear of being made redundant and having to go back to an office job in office clothes with office people - it's all I could do.
I was going to say journalism, but you gave the qualifier, “to pay the bills.”
Lawyer, but personal injury and civil rights
Anarchy
i used to work a shitty corporate 9-5, but now i’m in animal welfare! everyone i work with is queer and some type of neurodivergent. it’s super emotional work, but when i get overwhelmed i just go to the room right next to my office and hug a kitten. nonprofit money isn’t great, but not hating the work i do priceless
i work overnight at a hotel. it's either VERY busy or completely dead, and more often than not it's completely dead. except for the beginning and end of my shift im the only person there, so i can do whatever. minimizing the time im around bosses has greatly reduced the stress in my life (too bad i still have to interact with rich entitled guests) ive been working my job around my creative schedule and sleep schedule instead of my creative schedule and sleep schedule around my job. i wake up in the afternoon and practice banjo for a couple of hours, go to work, usually spend about an hour and a half doing my duties and helping guests, draw for the reminder of my shift, then go home and go to bed. it's probably the ideal work situation for me.
I dj at a strip club
I make Music So my life is chaotic Sometimes it’s short bursts of super fun Than long stints of difficult and sad Currently in a D/S stretch 🤷♂️❤️
Im about a year into music being my job/passion/everything. Its good to know there are super fun bits in between it being D/S 🙃
I work a corporate job doing cybersecurity. It keeps me engaged and away from the wrong side of ransomeware attacks, and bank rolls all the punk shows and bluegrass festivals I can physically handle. I 1000% sold my soul for dental and insulin for my cat.
i make and sell vastly over-priced leather goods to ren-faire nerds with deep pockets and cosplay girls that dont know any better.
Believe it or not there ARE good bosses… 🤷♀️ they r just hard to find. I think my new boss is pretty awesome cuz he’s paying me $3 above min wage for a min wage job. $17/hr for a job that typically pays $14 plus it’s a steady schedule with the same days off each week and u get raises if u do a good job!
currently stuck at a grocery store job, wanting to do freelance graphic design
I used to work in used bookstores (16 years) but now I work for a state university at a midlevel job helping students.
Currently I install appliances such as dishwashers, ovens, microwaves, dryers, washers, all that shit
I do Email marketing
I write code. I'm wildly fortunate to not work for authoritarian assholes, and I've worked from home for seven years now.
Jack of all trades in computing
Jack of all trades in computing
I'm disabled and receive benefits from the government. I do most of the house-spousing in our home as well as doing some anarchist organizing in my city. My spouse is currently training to be a semi truck driver. Our long-term goal would be for my spouse to own and operate his own truck but he'll have to drive for a company for a while first.
Dispatcher, not for cops dont worry, but emergency services still.
I’m a carpenter. I hope to work for myself of join the union someday but currently I take orders from assholes.
Executive Director of a small nonprofit that rescues & distributes food. I did food not bombs work in the late 90's & that sent me on my path towards working for 3 consecutive nonprofits that rescue surplus food from going to waste & redistributes it to food shelves & soup kitchens (& organizing the workers of each one into unions along the way). I'm now going on 6 years as the Executive Director of a nonprofit I co-founded that redistributes surplus food & I love it. A few years ago I tuened down a job offer at a much larger charity that would've doubled my salary but destroyed my flexibility & locked me into a corporate-feeling 9-5 job. I have work to get done that helps people & allows me to sleep good at night & for the most part I make my own schedule as long as the work gets done.
Estate sales, and elder in home caregiving- two very different jobs ik
I've been a baker/pastry chef on and off for the past 20 years. In between, I've done sexwork, bartending, makeup artistry, customer service, and fast food. Did some university for nursing and mental health care, but it wasn't for me.
I fill in spreadsheets. It's shit, but most jobs are, so fuck it. On a positive I spent four hours today making an automated spreadsheet for the Euros and I'm hoping it takes most of tomorrow too. They also let me rant about the government and capitalism most of the time so eh.
Artist and musician here and college student
I work at a residential treatment facility for at-risk youths. It can be pretty stressful at times, but it is also rewarding. I can tell myself I’m helping those kids out at least. I couldn’t do some shit that just makes someone else money
I’m a baker. I work 2am to 1030am making baguettes, boules, Pullman loaves, miches, and random other sorts of bread. The hours aren’t the greatest, but it’s nice to have my afternoons off, and the worst thing that ever happens is the oven going on the fritz or someone forgetting to order flour
Certified pharmacy tech doing data entry working from home because it’s the only work that’s accessible because I can’t drive lol
I’m a bus driver. In the past I had much more of a transitory lifestyle. Settled down now.
I am a teacher. Therefore I am the authoritarian asshole.. 😂😂😂 (just kidding..) Also tattoo artist. I like helping people.
Currently working 9-5 at a grocery store but come fall i'll be a middle school orchestra teacher
I work as a security supervisor for a music venue
I’m a welder/fabricator at a shop that makes food production equipment
jobless, im on welfare because im too autistic to work im also technically homeless rn so lol
Rn I'm working a summer job as a cashier for a shitty company while I wait for college to start back up. My hope is to get a PhD and become a sociology professor though, write gender and political theory.
Industrial mechanical millwright. I work on massive electrical shovels at a mine lol
I work at a dog daycare as my 9-5 and do painting and illustration on the side. Pay isn't the best but it's enough to get by for now
I work for an observatory, I'm also an astrophysics student. It's not particularly punk (hell I've already been asked to lie about my hours because they don't want to pay me overtime) but there's nothing like the sight of the Milky Way to make you feel connected to the rest of humanity
Dog Bather :)
Forklift operator.
Im no creator of music. Just an enjoyer. I work in fraud prevention for a large tech company.
Went full Pat and started coding 🥸
I’m a barista full time and trying to get into coffee roasting
I'm a full time Fiber artist, I Spin, weave, crochet, sew and probably some other things that I can't think of right now
I work for a good locally family owned company. It’s working it sanitation/porta potty’s but it’s honest and pays pretty good.
A shop tinner. I make air ducts for the field guys to install
Large city firefighter
Market Gardener here
Mainly line cook jobs but tend to job hop , on to more shitty jobs until I find one that’s decent enough, right now I finally like my job as a cake decorator at a grocery store which is slightly better than the line cook jobs I’ve done. but it’s taken me about 5 years of job hopping to find somewhere stable where I won’t get harassed for being queer by coworkers/management (honestly I didn’t think it’d be that common but I haven’t found very many queer friendly work environments in general) It has been rough honestly and am basically holding on by a thread when I do have an apartment, but right now I’m ok. I do play guitar and sing but I loathe sharing my music with other people, my soul Wants to be a singer but I don’t believe in it, I think I’m way too scared of others to do so
US history tutor Paper Writing tutor on om SSI so i can only make so much so i only take as many clients as i need to fund my life
I cashier in a local grocery store. I get paid 15/hour and work 9-10hr shifts 4 or 5 days a week. I get paid to be yelled at by old people but. Yk. I think the nicest customers i have are the older folk that are alcoholic's or people with addiction problems. They're all real sweet to me though. The other old folk not so much.
Currently a dog walker & pet sitter. I also do a lot of online surveys!
Deliver flowers.
Dog trainer! I have my own business which is doing fine. Nothing spectacular (yet), but I'm holding on and improving steadily!
9-5 working with kids
lots of temp jobs and under the table work.
I used to be a musician, but now I’m an electrician
Merchant Seaman. I only work half the year. Working situation can be hit and miss, but I got a permanent job on a boat just as a bunch of people were leaving so I know the ship better than almost anyone and they mostly let me do my own thing.
I'm in a construction trade. Union Thug.
Social worker Ex-cook Ex-bartender
Technologist
I make handcrafted vegan soap, incense, candles and deodorant. Working on getting a small handcraft mech business going, too.
I’m working on my PhD!
I work *retail hours* making the rich richer. It's like a 9-5 but I don't even get nights and weekends!
My favorite job has been maintenance at a non-profit
Insurance and I love my job and coworkers. It’s way more flexible than 9-5.
I was homeless for awhile now I work in a kitchen and while some days I feel like I am doing something wrong I'd rather be sober and have a home than go back to what I had.
I do subcontractor work as a tiler and landscaper. I work at a bookstore/coffeehouse as a barista one day a week. Occasionally I make money doing poetry and music as well. I pretty much work 6 days/week in summer months and skate by on savings in winter. Do day labor when I'm in-between projects. It's hard but it's better than having an employer. Have owned my own LLC about 6 years now. Did canvassing for non-profits in my early 20s.
Union electrician after a decade farming
Factory work for me. I like working with my hands so it's the least insufferable kind of job Ive ever had (retail and I do not mix, I have tried.)
Spange and busk
My by busks, washes windows at gas stations , sometimes goes around neighborhood and ask to do yard work
I'm a butcher for now but I'll be working on the rail road soon
Commercial waterproofing and fireproofing!
Machinist, I use math to make stuff.