What Were You In Your Previous Life?

... no, its not about reincarnation

[austtr]

Its a common misconception that "web people" are IT nerds, programmers and assorted tech-heads. Not true...

What was (and maybe still is) your business/occupation/profession/job etc before getting involved the WWW?

I'm curious to see just how diverse we are as a group, yet share the common interests that bring us to these forums.

Myself: office services & facilities manager, workplace health and safety

[moltar]

I used to live in Russia, i was a student. I was offline computer freak and a little bit of a gamer. Lan parties and such. A bit of BBS and Fido.

[msr986]

I was a software engineer working on embedded systems.

Before that I was a field service engineer.

Before that I was a production manager for an electronics assembly line.

Before that I was....

[4crests]

College (Central Washington U.)

U.S. Navy (NAS Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, Wa.)

Retail Store Owner (Portland, Or.)

Now, online store owner.

That about covers it.

[WildAngel]

college (cape town)

worked at a furniture shop.

now doing SEO/design..etc.

<"web people" are IT nerds> i only got into computers after high school, i was too busy surfing or going to parties with friends to sit behind a computer.

[Marketing Guy]

I was a spy. ;)

Now I have to kill you all..... :P

Scott

[menton]

hi everybody,

I was a student in Television and Broadcasting.

[DaveN]

college.
Inkjet Printer Engineer
Business Development Manager for a Printer Manufacturer.
Business Development Manager for a Printer Repair Company
Managing Director for a ISP / SEM company

DaveN

[jamesa]

I was a professional musician. Did a lot of touring throughout the U.S. and overseas. Didn't know hardly a thing about computers. My ex-wife still teases me about the time she wanted to get a "real computer" and I was just disgusted. Me: "I've got this screamin 386 running DOS, PFSFile, PFSWrite and Lotus123, what more could we possibly need?" Her: "But there's this thing called Windows with pictures and a mouse and the internet..." I just didn't get it. But we ended up getting a Mac (which was what everyone in the music business was using) and the rest is history. Now my guitar mostly gathers dust. :)

[Liane]

Yacht Charter Broker/owner of small brokerage firm

Manager of Yacht Charter Company

Owner of failed Brewery (Beer)

Yacht Broker/owner of brokerage firm

Marketing & Sales Director for a large tableware company

Marketing Director for a medium sized tableware company

General Manager of Olympic Training Complex

Owner of a Students for Hire Company which I later franchised

Swimming Pool Manager

[hannamyluv]

Student
World Stomper (aka a bum with a travel bug)
Warehouse Inventory Control
Temp
Secretary
Student
Marketing Events Coordinator

[Vermont]

I was a land surveyor working in very remote mountains of northern Maine and New Hampshire. Chainsaws, theodolites, handheld computers (this was pre-Global Positioning Systems). Resupplied every 10-days by canoe and logging roads.

Fell into web programming because of my experience in creating survey-related programs on HP-Handhelds for the many and varied jobs.

Laying out a good map is something like laying out a good website. In the early days of the internet that was considered a close match.

Nerd? A realestate client said I look like a bouncer.

[ritualcoffee]

took all this up straight out of college.

[curlykarl]

God :)

[satanclaus]

An alcoholic...........oh wait that hasn't changed. I was in college and an alcoholic.

[hightraffic10]

I also fancied a drink once or twice at collge, it sure does teach you how to drink. Luckily I got a job at a very nice internet company 2 months out of college.

[georged]

College (Eng.Lit, Philosophy)

Retail Assistant in clothes shop

More College (French, Creative Writing, more Philosophy)

Games Tester (paid to play video games...cool!)

Game Developer

Some vaguely MLM-type tomfoolery

More College (Law)

Online Journalism

and then on to:
SEO!

A fairly mixed bag.

You can add to my CV 'rejected for a job by McDonalds'. LOL! That was after the second spell of college.

[roscoepico]

Worked on an assembly line making close to minimum wage. I was hired 7 years ago @ the age of 18 to hand submit sites to Excite and build templates. It's actually amusing now that I think of it. My now current partner was my boss and I remember the first day he said to me, "OK Mike, first thing you want to do is open a browser and go to excite.com." I looked up at him and said, "Huh, whats a browser?" My only experience on a computer up to that point was playing Orgeon Trail on an Apple in the 6th grade. I learned most of what I know now from these here forums and trial and error.

[ska_demon]

I write SCADA control and monitoring systems for a living at the moment but I like to squeeze a bit of aff marketing in here and there. I suppose I'm just a lurker, but I like it here.
ska_demon

[Vampyre]

College Student: Eastern Washington University, attempted CIS major.

Fast Food Worker: Subway

Assembler: Telect, I soldered PC boards, assembled jacks, and the really fun job, running the machine that put the wire wrap pins into the circuit boards.

and now,

Internet Marketing, both as a job and as a hobby. And I'm also, a fractal artist.

[TGecho]

Still in highschool. Paper route.
I just started making money on all of this web design stuff.

[linkshark]

Commercial fisherman. Offshore for 16 years before switching to this.

[Skier]

Packaged goods marketing. Big budgets, national distribution, classic TV/Print /Outdoor advertising, and a sales force. High stress, early burnout. No computer/internet experience at all.

Trying to translate traditional marketing concepts into small budget e-marketing has been an education. Having the ability to manipulate the variables on my own, and instantly, has been a real joy.

So far, much less income. Much more quality to my life. Good tradeoff.

[TheDoctor]

Previously, I worked in IT.

Okay, I know this may have some people puzzled...

[musicman]

Tax Man (I Know...)
Fork Lift Truck Driver (It was more fun)
Management Trainee
Print Company Exec
Cleaning Business Owner
Musician
Composer & Producer (TV Music)
er...still doing that, but love DIYSEO & lurking here

[SlowMove]

Classified "top secret"
I could tell you but then I'd have to...

[tbear]

I was a guitarist, well, I still am actually. Oh, I like to drink too, my kids think I'm kewl......

[Hawkgirl]

A diverse list of various stuff.

• Jack of all trades marketer (PR, business development, yada yada)
  
• Freelance motorcycle journalist
  
• Survey researcher
  
• Adjunct professor of sociology at a few universities
  
• Graduate student
  
• T-shirt tie-dyer*

(* more than 3 years, worked for a real corporation, made a killin', this was my all time favorite job, so don't laugh)

[NFFC]

Insurance Clerk
Telephone Sales
Outside Sales
Taxi Driver
Plasterer
Burglar
Cafe Owner
Gigolo
Scrap Yard Owner
Web Site Designer
SEO
Web Site Owner

Had to miss a few out

[lawman]

I've been a hit-man since 1990 - I'm licensed by the State so I guess it's legal. :)

lawman