What's your job?

I work in finance in the insurance sector, official job title is "Insurance and Capital Manager"

I make sure that insurers have enough regulatory capital available to meet their obligations to the regulator and more importantly to policy holders, so in the event of another global financial crisis we have enough money available so that we don't do an AIG and go belly up.

Pros:
Extremely specialist role, and pays very well because of that.
Involvement in every strategic decision the business makes.
Great understanding of the business as a whole, from reserving to pricing to investment strategy, you need to know it all.
Very solid career trajectory, exposure to the executive committee and NED's on a dialy basis.
Get to be involved in some very important commercial negotiations, helping people hammer out contract terms on deals worth £50m+.
People listen to me.

Cons:
Involvement in every strategic decision the business makes.
High pressure role, errors can lead to the business facing fines or even loss of license, no room for error.
Having to explain technical nuance that comes with years of experience to people with no more than a high level understanding.
Very much a 'learn on the job' sort of role, at times it can be daunting.
Workload, 60 hours a week is a quiet week.
Key man dependency / trouble in finding candidates - very hard role to recruit for, ready made candidates are few and far between, holidays have to be planned either years in advance or last minute when there is an unexpected gap in your workload.
 
I'm a Civilian Detention Officer in police custody. Been in the Five Bar Hotel for that last 13 years.

I look after detainees after they get arrested and booked into custody. I do everything from making tee, via obtaining bio-metric and DNA samples, preparing charges for court, dealing with external agencies such as UKBA, the NCA, and other police forces services, to fighting drunkards and clearing up sick.

We used to be outsourced to external companies, I've worked for 3 different ones, they got progressively worse and worse. In April last year we got taken in house by the police force service (official vocab guidelines state force is too aggressive) and things improved.

Pros:
Every day is different.
Everyone's got a story.
I work with a great team.
Now I actually work for the police and not a contracted company I could move to a different role more easily.
The shift pattern, 2 days, 2 nights and 4 off

Cons:
Same old faces, day in day out! Mind you, sometimes that's a pro.
The smell of some people.
Sometimes hear and see some truly horrific details of crimes.
Kinder eggs are ruined for me.

Since we got taken in-house, I have a side tickle and have joined the Operations Call-out team. They put up tents and lights at crime scenes.

In 14 months, I've been called out twice, both times to put up a lighting tower, once at at fatal RTC so they could take photos and once at a protest so contractors could continue working.
 
Risk Engineer for a large insurance broker, specialising in energy / oil & gas industry. Basically I conduct process safety / risk management surveys at client facilities for the basis of placing their energy insurance. We assess the risk and advise clients where they have gaps versus industry good practice.

Pros:
Fairly decent pay
Lots of travelling (before COVID)
Is rewarding when the client is receptive
I'vellearnt a lot as the job and clients are varied
Opportunity to do a variety of training
Surveys are planned months in advance so your year is quite structured
Can work from home

Cons:
Lots of report writing
Can get repetitive
Clients can make or break enjoyment of the role
 
Hatchery team leader

Pros, get paid for 43 hrs a week even if I do less

Cons, killing poor little chicks that we have left over
 
I work for the Home Office. I basically play a never ending game of Guess Who. People (sometimes) tell us who they are and (sometimes) what convictions they have and it's my job to see if they're telling the truth via Police National Computer.

Pro's:

Steady job
Always work to do
Can work from home
Flexi time

Cons:

Crap wage
Little room for progression
Can be frustrating given certain convictions people may have
 
COO for a mid size IT services and software company

Pros:
  • Amazing flexibility including unlimited holiday. COVID meant all 400 staff across the globe working from home suddenly that had next to no repercussions on business other than folks' mental well being from the situation which was unavoidable and we take very seriously.
  • Work with some fantastically talented people in my teams.
  • Rest of the executive team are a great bunch - no empire building or corporate politics shenanigans.
  • I'm only answerable to one person who trusts me to get on with it. 100% privately owned too so no board/non-exec/VC/PE to keep happy once a month telling them how you're spending their money to make them more money. Also means no prospect of an exit event that would create instability in the job.
  • Really get to develop people into senior leaders as we continue to grow apace.

Cons:
  • Not really. Maybe that the flexibility needs to cut both ways so having teams everywhere from Malaysia to the US West Coast can make for some Zoom calls at odd times of day and night. I don't really mind that though.
 
BigT said:
COO for a mid size IT services and software company

Pros:
  • Amazing flexibility including unlimited holiday. COVID meant all 400 staff across the globe working from home suddenly that had next to no repercussions on business other than folks' mental well being from the situation which was unavoidable and we take very seriously.
  • Work with some fantastically talented people in my teams.
  • Rest of the executive team are a great bunch - no empire building or corporate politics shenanigans.
  • I'm only answerable to one person who trusts me to get on with it. 100% privately owned too so no board/non-exec/VC/PE to keep happy once a month telling them how you're spending their money to make them more money. Also means no prospect of an exit event that would create instability in the job.
  • Really get to develop people into senior leaders as we continue to grow apace.

Cons:
  • Not really. Maybe that the flexibility needs to cut both ways so having teams everywhere from Malaysia to the US West Coast can make for some Zoom calls at odd times of day and night. I don't really mind that though.
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Sounds great!
 
Did run a B&B in somerset, then moved to portsmouth for my wife to be closer to her friends and work.

Now work in a ***** call centre being complained at by RBS/Natwest customers about how crap the bank is.

Currently working from home, so no break from work and home atm. Not much support as its all remote.

Hate every minute of it, wish we hadnt moved lol. but suppose i am lucky to still have a job.

Would like to get back to doing admin work again.
 
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Procurement and supply chain management. 13 years in oil and gas and it got too much for me. Horrible industry to work in so made a break and got into Healthcare for a year. Then went to work for a medium sized business making watches for a few years. It was brilliant for the first half and then progressively got much worse so thankfully my old healthcare company wanted me to go back, which I gladly did and have been here for just over a month now.
I can't think of many cons except that it's mostly UK based so I've gone from travelling every month around the world to working from home full time. Healthcare is a very rewarding industry to work in and sooooo much more enjoyable than the soul destroying oil and gas industry.
 
Technology Lead for one of the largest beauty companies in the world.

Responsible for new technology innovation in all our EMEA doors and managing IT requests for the brands.

Pros:
Get to play with all sorts of great technology for nothing.
Get to travel (not so much at the moment)
Every day is different.

Cons:
Politics, politics everywhere.
 
Currently working as a freelance construction project manager, but I have the most crazy employment history :D

Started off as a mechanic, got fed up with low pay.

Had a couple of years doing analytical chemistry in a factory laboratory, then a year or two temping at Honda Swindon & BMW pressings in logistics/forklift work.

Came back to Oxford and did my carpentry apprenticeship at 24. I was lucky that I was paid well considering, a bit of a struggle with my mortgage though & had to take in a lodger.

Part owned a fishing tackle/bait shop between 28-32 while still working as a chippy.

Started a small business doing refurbs/extensions 33-38.

At 38 went into site/project management for a local construction company, mainly due to back problems and not coping with the physical side of building.

Progressed to their operations manager at 40, bloody hated it as the owners of the company who employed me to sort out their issues didn't like me pointing out said
issues were actually down to the directors making idiotic (bizarre even) decisions regarding liabilities with clients and budgets, not by failing to save 10p metre of sawn & treated.

Aged 41 I left and went freelance & I'm enjoying it far, far more!
 
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Animation Supervisor for one of the big vfx studios in London

Pros:
Great pay
Can be creatively interesting
Working with artists everyday
(Currently) Can work from home

Cons:
Dumb clients with no concept of the process asking for stupid thngs that break all progress
Deadlines that keep getting shorter and crazier
Working with artists everyday
 
Moomalade said:
Animation Supervisor for one of the big vfx studios in London
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It's not Framestore is it? One of my oldest friends from school is a Creative Director there and has been with them 20+ years. He's always loved working there and sounds like a great place, albeit very hard work.
 
Royal Air Force aircraft engineer - 20 years this year, almost a pensioner. Enjoyed seeing all sorts of parts of the world at taxpayer expense...
 
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