Today is my last day at my current job. It's technically the end of my THIRD career!
Career 1: At 20 years old, while going to college I was hired by the FAA as an Air Traffic Control Specialist (anyone remember the Controller strike under Reagan?). I retired from that job after 25 years and 5 months in February 2008. I could have left at 25 yrs. on Nov. 2007 but I made a deal with my boss to stay on a bit longer.
Career 2: At the time I retired from ATC I owned a business - a wine bar - and took over as manager to work there full time (after part time for 3 years). That lasted about a year. I had gone from working 3 nights a week in ATC to 6 nights a week as a bar owner/manager. With a preschooler/kindergartner at home my wife put her foot down. So I sold the bar.
I was a stay at home dad for a couple years but you never retire from that, lol, they just move out. BTW, that's REAL work!
Career 3: Always having been a computer geek - my stint in college before ATC was studying "Computer Systems Analysis and Design" - and by this time (2010) an avid Linux user, I got a call from a former ATC co-worker to tell me the FAA had purchased room sized Tower Simulation Systems (I had retired out of LAX Tower) and they need someone to program and run the simulations. My third career was born. The sim software ran in CentOS 6.7 along with some Windows machine - 22 PCs in my system alone. I was hired as a contractor to run the LAX sim. After a couple years I had done so well that FAA Headquarters hired me to oversee and support the entire national system of Tower Simulators. About 35 at the time but has grown to more than 90 at this point with just over 200 airports having simulation training databases available. Last Dec. my contract through the company I work for was not renewed by the FAA and so C.O.B. today is my last day.
Now my wife and I get to spend time travelling and spending the kids inheritances!
Career 1: At 20 years old, while going to college I was hired by the FAA as an Air Traffic Control Specialist (anyone remember the Controller strike under Reagan?). I retired from that job after 25 years and 5 months in February 2008. I could have left at 25 yrs. on Nov. 2007 but I made a deal with my boss to stay on a bit longer.
Career 2: At the time I retired from ATC I owned a business - a wine bar - and took over as manager to work there full time (after part time for 3 years). That lasted about a year. I had gone from working 3 nights a week in ATC to 6 nights a week as a bar owner/manager. With a preschooler/kindergartner at home my wife put her foot down. So I sold the bar.
I was a stay at home dad for a couple years but you never retire from that, lol, they just move out. BTW, that's REAL work!
Career 3: Always having been a computer geek - my stint in college before ATC was studying "Computer Systems Analysis and Design" - and by this time (2010) an avid Linux user, I got a call from a former ATC co-worker to tell me the FAA had purchased room sized Tower Simulation Systems (I had retired out of LAX Tower) and they need someone to program and run the simulations. My third career was born. The sim software ran in CentOS 6.7 along with some Windows machine - 22 PCs in my system alone. I was hired as a contractor to run the LAX sim. After a couple years I had done so well that FAA Headquarters hired me to oversee and support the entire national system of Tower Simulators. About 35 at the time but has grown to more than 90 at this point with just over 200 airports having simulation training databases available. Last Dec. my contract through the company I work for was not renewed by the FAA and so C.O.B. today is my last day.
Now my wife and I get to spend time travelling and spending the kids inheritances!
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