[temansertewek]

I'm a draughtsman at a manufacturing company.

[HomePageOEMfreeSOFTWARE]

Biotech lab technician. It's nice because my job is very close to my dojo so I usually can bring my bogu with me to work, leave it in the car, and stay in the area after work until it's time for practice. As others have said, I think the OP needs to pick a career first and then see how they can fit kendo around it. The last thing anybody should do is pick a career they absolutely hate just because it pays well. Pick a career that you enjoy and then fit kendo around it as best you can.

[DoroKickcrofe]

Software Development Business Support Analyst
Basically I monitor trouble logs and try to recreate issues with our software. When a client submits an issue, I try to recreate it, and assign it out to our development team. I also do technical writing and create user manuals.

Teaching my class basically brings in enough money to pay my rent on the dojo, provide bokuto, and a bit of gas money. I'm looking to expand the marketing side of things by adding some budo-related products, but that's not really tied to the dojo.

I do what I do for the love of the art, my own self-development, and just because playing with Japanese swords is really fun.
Brad

[joulseenjoync]

I usually can bring my bogu with me to work, leave it in the car, and stay in the area after work until it's time for practice.

Your car must smell wonderful in the summer.

I teach English at public schools in Japan, which gives me access to a great number of resources. The pay isn't great, but it's a living, and it's better than what I was making in America.

[MauroDarudo]

Self-Employed Beer Taste-tester. I make my own hours.

[AdobeCreativeSuite]

I sit in an office all day, doing some computer stuff, solving other people's mistakes and recently I got to start telling people what to do as well which is "fun".
It's very good for lower back and RSI problems but it pays for my expensive hobby (plus physiotherapy) and I get enough vacation days to go to Japan ^_^

Same here. Just had a great Physio session with a lovely Japanese lady. We chatted about Iaido whilst she worked my kinks out

[UMATURLIN]

I'm an electrical engineer/Senior Level Patent Examiner. Basically I'm an engineer with some legal training (I passed the patent bar, but I am NOT a lawyer). Working as a federal employee, I work at home, set my own hours, and get plenty of vacation. Likewise I have to work 80 hours every two weeks, but I can work them any way I want, for example 80 hours one week, and none the next. This helps a lot if you plan on training. For example I'm putting in a couple hours a day training in the morning in various arts, and an additional hour or two during the day. Right now there is a federal mandate to have 50% of the government workforce to work at home, so many of these flexibile benefits are not unique to my agency.

Strangely enough as we are on a quota, its a white collar job but we get paid overtime or work comp time (work extra hours for vacation use) when I turn in work over my quota, which helps a lot for when I go on extended training trips overseas. If one is looking for flexibility for martial arts, I would strongly recomend the government if you have a technical degree. They're doing massive amounts of hiring due to about 1/3-1/2 of the workforce retiring in the next few years and and big on providing educational opportunites and some agencies pay quite well.

On a side note, as federal employee's we have a pension, and a 401k like plan and even qualify for social security. Whether that cash will be there for the pension/SS is anyone's guess though

[Vagtlaldo]

Your car must smell wonderful in the summer.

I only started my job this past September but after a couple of especially hot days last week I got a pretty good preview. With all the windows cracked open and the bogu out of the bag it wasn't too bad actually, although a few air fresheners might be required after a certain point...

[cargo_brad]

I'm an economist with a state agency that regulates the energy industry. While it's about as exciting as it sounds, it does have its moments, and a static office environment works well with a regular practice schedule. My office is also a couple of blocks away from our practice location on the University of Texas campus.

Being a public employee has its advantages, and I periodically take 2-3 weeks of vacation to go to Japan to visit the wife's family and practice in her hometown and other locales.

[educationonlines]

I am a mechanical engeneer, actually I work for a train manufacturer some 100 km away from my home. This leave only small time windows for (evening) training, but as I have no baby (yet) I can still arrange it...
First work then kendo.......

[LindaSmithXV]

IT developer - creating those wonderful telephone voice robots/systems that people hate.
-Working on Mainframes
-Developing recognition systems
basic computer stuff

[Eeaquzyh]

Real estate consultant for the Governmental Buildings. I visit prisons, courthouses, palaces, finance (tax!!!) buildings, customs buildings and sometimes ruins.
I'm always back home for keiko since I'm a civil servant.........

[WXQMQFIr]

I'm an electrical engineer/Senior Level Patent Examiner. Basically I'm an engineer with some legal training (I passed the patent bar, but I am NOT a lawyer). Working as a federal employee, I work at home, set my own hours, and get plenty of vacation. Likewise I have to work 80 hours every two weeks, but I can work them any way I want, for example 80 hours one week, and none the next. This helps a lot if you plan on training. For example I'm putting in a couple hours a day training in the morning in various arts, and an additional hour or two during the day. Right now there is a federal mandate to have 50% of the government workforce to work at home, so many of these flexibile benefits are not unique to my agency.

Strangely enough as we are on a quota, its a white collar job but we get paid overtime or work comp time (work extra hours for vacation use) when I turn in work over my quota, which helps a lot for when I go on extended training trips overseas. If one is looking for flexibility for martial arts, I would strongly recomend the government if you have a technical degree. They're doing massive amounts of hiring due to about 1/3-1/2 of the workforce retiring in the next few years and and big on providing educational opportunites and some agencies pay quite well.

On a side note, as federal employee's we have a pension, and a 401k like plan and even qualify for social security. Whether that cash will be there for the pension/SS is anyone's guess though

Boy, that's a great gig! I want to get on your gravy train!. I am a senior mechanical engineer at Westinghouse, nuclear services, major reactor component design & analysis. We design and service nuclear power plants. We are just roll out the alternate work schedule 9/80, 4/10, telecommuting (work from home). I need to work out a plan with my boss to let me work from home, that's the #1 goal!!!

[SteantyjetMaw]

We are just roll out the alternate work schedule 9/80, 4/10, telecommuting (work from home). I need to work out a plan with my boss to let me work from home, that's the #1 goal!!!

ugh, 9/80 is a scam, at least around here, you sign up for it, put in your 9 hours a day and then still get asked to come in on your off friday.... I went back to working 8 hour days and having some sanity and semblance of work life balance. Though that's for hardware engineering, I hear the 9/80 stuff works great for the software slackers (no offense)

[gundorana]

ugh, 9/80 is a scam, at least around here, you sign up for it, put in your 9 hours a day and then still get asked to come in on your off friday.... I went back to working 8 hour days and having some sanity and semblance of work life balance. Though that's for hardware engineering, I hear the 9/80 stuff works great for the software slackers (no offense)

it's all a scam. we get to work 7 days sometimes to support "business needs". you get paid (1x) or comp time for overtime though...after 2 hr/day "casual overtime", i.e., work for free. i've done plenty overtimes. if you are lucky, and there's an "emergency", you get to work Christmas, New Year. it doesn't matter.

Wah...............

[Obebtetibre]

if you are lucky, and there's an "emergency", you get to work Christmas, New Year. it doesn't matter.

Yeah, I'm familiar with this. Hospitals don't have holidays... people get sick and injured on Christmas just like any other day... sometimes, more so. Plus? As a single guy, all the married nurses always say "Well, you don't have family, so you don't need the day off!"

[BGThomasis]

Magazine Production Assistant here. I schedule the advertising, layout each issue, do pasteups, check the proofs, then send the whole kit-n-kaboodle to the pressroom for printing. Then I do the accounting paperwork, archive all the files on CD, and then start all over for the next week's issue.

[Sensbachtal]

I run a small (50.000 MT a year) rebar rolling mill. I was an ERP and Mgmt Consultant and an engineer before that. To the OP, look at what you love/like, look at what type of support you can get from your family (they already have a business or have strong connections with one) and use college and internships to see what it's like. Get married and have children and forget about kendo if there are family or work emergencies....

[meencegic]

I'm an electrical engineer/Senior Level Patent Examiner. Basically I'm an engineer with some legal training (I passed the patent bar, but I am NOT a lawyer). Working as a federal employee, I work at home, set my own hours, and get plenty of vacation. Likewise I have to work 80 hours every two weeks, but I can work them any way I want, for example 80 hours one week, and none the next. This helps a lot if you plan on training. For example I'm putting in a couple hours a day training in the morning in various arts, and an additional hour or two during the day. Right now there is a federal mandate to have 50% of the government workforce to work at home, so many of these flexibile benefits are not unique to my agency.

Strangely enough as we are on a quota, its a white collar job but we get paid overtime or work comp time (work extra hours for vacation use) when I turn in work over my quota, which helps a lot for when I go on extended training trips overseas. If one is looking for flexibility for martial arts, I would strongly recomend the government if you have a technical degree. They're doing massive amounts of hiring due to about 1/3-1/2 of the workforce retiring in the next few years and and big on providing educational opportunites and some agencies pay quite well.

On a side note, as federal employee's we have a pension, and a 401k like plan and even qualify for social security. Whether that cash will be there for the pension/SS is anyone's guess though

Wow, small world. I might have seen your work! I'm employed by the European PO and I'm responsible for getting US patent search data into our database

[connandoilee]

it's all a scam. we get to work 7 days sometimes to support "business needs". you get paid (1x) or comp time for overtime though...after 2 hr/day "casual overtime", i.e., work for free. i've done plenty overtimes. if you are lucky, and there's an "emergency", you get to work Christmas, New Year. it doesn't matter.

Wah...............

Hahahaha, no if i'm lucky i wont have to work over christmas/newyears, there is always some emergency and some dolt in contracts always seems to think january 4th(first day we come back from vacation usually) is a good delivery date.... which means we end up working over the holiday to support said delivery. As for overtime, I only get paid for it if I put in at least 8 hours in one week, which translates to I only get paid overtime if said emergency keeps me here over the weekend, not for putting in 'casual' ot during the week. Of course if i decide to take off less than 8 hours they dont count that as casual under time, I actually tried to pitch that to the HR VP, he got a good laugh out of it.