Originally posted by @great-big-stees
Veterinarian but ended up in accounting till I decided that, after 30 years, I actually didn't like it and got into sales until I retired 4 (or was it 5?) years ago.
In a month my daughter will graduate as a veterinarian so I guess a "part of me" accomplished my first employment hope. 🙂
I was always interested in the sciences but didn't do so well in college, except in astronomy, music, history and electronics. I probably had ADHD but back in 1960 that wasn't even a disorder. After that I just pursued electronics and got very lucky and got jobs overseas and at Goddard Space flight center working Apollo in 1970 till Nixon killed it, We beat the Ruskies, nothing more to prove....
Got a very interesting job after that at an Island of the Bahama's, Andros Island where there is a British submarine R&D base called AUTEC, Atlantic Underwater Test Center. I could go on and on about that job. I was a contractor with RCA and they lost the contract and Phillips won it and we all had to leave.
Later, got a job in Phoenix with a company called Varian, the Ion Implant division and was given dozens of courses in Palo Alto at Varian HQ (they bought half of Stanford University land) and in Gloucester Mass, the Ion Implanter division HQ. I had a great mentor there, their chief scientist, Ray Callahan, took many courses on the physics of ion implanters given by Ray. He is an impressive fellow, in 1959 at the age of 19, already possessing a BS in physics, was an expert in high voltage power supplies, I mean 100,000+ volt power supplies. NASA hired him at that age to design and build a 100,000 volt power supply in a box about 4 X4X4 odd inches to use on a satellite that had a wire sticking out about 2 feet long and charged up by that power supply. Quite an acheivement for a teenager, eh.
Anyway, my ion implant days took me all over the US, in cleanrooms from Austen to Boise, Florida to Bell Labs, quite the job I might add🙂
It also took me to Israel for 4 years with family, their school (Anglican International School in Jerusalem) 3 kids tuition paid for by Varian, apartment, car, all paid by Varian and we had a great time because we are also folk musicians and there is a thriving folk music community in Israel so it was a great match for us. Now back in the US, working at an R&D place in New Jersey for 6 years and then to a small manufacturing faciltiy one block away from my old job, been doing that 160 mile daily commute for 17 years now. One of these centuries I may even get to retire🙂 All in all a satisfying life.
17 Jan '18 16:33
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