# Members Backgrounds



## Greg's Pea

Hi everyone,

I've noticed on a few forums that a lot of people come from an engineering, technical or scientific background. Wondering how far this goes got me thinking of the standard issue aquarist, where have you folks came from/do now?

Myself; I've got a Microbiology degree from Glasgow, spent a few years working in labs (micro/biotech), worked a few more years in technical sales (potable/boiler/sewage treatment, legionella control), few years teaching Secondary Science and A-level Biology and now I work in Business Strategy Consultancy (unsurprisingly, covering the areas I've previously worked in).


Look forward to hearing from the rest of you chaps and ladies


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## ian_m

Degree in electronics.


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## hinch

meng embedded electronics & business studies
msci comp science & artificial intelligence

been managing director of my own software company for 15 years now.


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## Christie_ZXR

Mine's a bit boring. No important qualifications to speak of, worked in a family business all my life. I've got a little art and craft shop now and I teach cardmaking in the evenings.
I do do my own motorcycle maintenence for the most part though, as long as it's the easy bits! Which is sort of engineering, in a very roundabout way


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## spyder

Now for something totally boring.

I left school with a C&G in catering, had a few nonsense jobs. Was a Dj for a few years in Ibiza during the early 90's.

I suppose my career nowadays is mechanical/electrical maintenance on 10 pin bowling machinery. Been at it now a little over 13 years.

I have just started a business up with my partner making candles which started from a kit I got her for Xmas.


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## Skatersav

I'm an international arms dealer.


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## awtong

I have a Biochemistry degree and currently work for a Scientific / Electronics company.

Andy


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## Morgan Freeman

Hist/Soc Degree.

I have a bigger interest in science now though, mainly evolutionary biology. Have done for the last 5/6 years.


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## geaves

Spent most of my life in the Hotel and Catering industry, started life as a chef and ended as a hotel manager, now do IT support for my wife's school and trade forex from home.


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## MrLarner

brain surgeon.


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## Wallace

No qualifications at all, worked in a factory when I was 18 making air con parts for Denso / Toyota ( that's my engineering bit)  then worked at Heathrow for Cathay Pacific. 

Last job was assistant manager for a kitchen company, I'm now a full time carer for my fiancés autistic son.


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## Greg's Pea

ian_m said:
			
		

> Degree in electronics.



Cool, you work in that field now?



			
				hinch said:
			
		

> meng embedded electronics & business studies
> msci comp science & artificial intelligence
> 
> been managing director of my own software company for 15 years now.



Fully automated self cleaning tank, that is determined to hook itself up to the internet? I think skynet would have been a bit more passe if it had a fish or two in it.



			
				Christie_ZXR said:
			
		

> Mine's a bit boring. No important qualifications to speak of, worked in a family business all my life. I've got a little art and craft shop now and I teach cardmaking in the evenings.
> I do do my own motorcycle maintenence for the most part though, as long as it's the easy bits! Which is sort of engineering, in a very roundabout way



Boring?! You've never had a long conversation with me!! Now that's boring.



			
				spyder said:
			
		

> Now for something totally boring.
> 
> I left school with a C&G in catering, had a few nonsense jobs. Was a Dj for a few years in Ibiza during the early 90's.
> 
> I suppose my career nowadays is mechanical/electrical maintenance on 10 pin bowling machinery. Been at it now a little over 13 years.
> 
> I have just started a business up with my partner making candles which started from a kit I got her for Xmas.



Someone else not realising how cool their job sounds!



			
				Skatersav said:
			
		

> I'm an international arms dealer.



Try supplying hands as an add-on sell?



			
				awtong said:
			
		

> I have a Biochemistry degree and currently work for a Scientific / Electronics company.
> 
> Andy



I was torn over biochem/immunology & micro so I took the easy option!



			
				Morgan Freeman said:
			
		

> Hist/Soc Degree.
> 
> I have a bigger interest in science now though, mainly evolutionary biology. Have done for the last 5/6 years.



My favourite part of the curriculum to teach when I was doing that, Microbial evolution - not every bodies cup of tea!



			
				Wallace said:
			
		

> No qualifications at all, worked in a factory when I was 18 making air con parts for Denso / Toyota ( that's my engineering bit)  then worked at Heathrow for Cathay Pacific.
> 
> Last job was assistant manager for a kitchen company, I'm now a full time carer for my fiancés autistic son.



I couldn't come from the North East and not have spent at least some time working for Nissan, I had the joy of being a seat belt packer and then moved up to seat rubber - good times...

Well so far it seems fairly technical backgrounds for most - interesting stuff! (or am I just very easily pleased?)   

Cheers for sharing folks


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## Ian Holdich

Degree in adult nursing studies and in charge of a cardio-respiratory ward.


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## Gary Nelson

Cisco IT Engineer - buttons, screens and more buttons


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## Ady34

Greg's Pea said:
			
		

> Skatersav wrote:
> I'm an international arms dealer.
> 
> Try supplying hands as an add-on sell?



   

Degree in Geography,..... didnt know what to do with that so entered the family business of car body repairs.... have been there for the last 14 years.
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## OllieNZ

Trained as an Aircraft/Composites Tech with the NZ airforce. Since getting out I've done boat building, pool cleaning, car windscreen/bodyglass fitting and currently working for an engineering firm doing CNC machining and learning to use CAD/CAM


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## foxfish

Left school at 14, trained as a boat builder for 5 years, managed a koi farm come tourist attraction for 5 years.
Went self employed at 28 years old building koi ponds & developed my own company into specialist garden design business.
Sold up the business including a retail outlet about 10 years ago & started working part time building carbon components & handmade furniture.
Now I don't work to much but, I still keep busy building bespoke carbon spear guns.
I have kept a few maintenance contracts going on the bigger ponds that can keep me occupied during the summer but basically I have retired


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## dw1305

Hi all,
A bit of farm work, followed by degree in Botany, a couple of years working as a nurseryman, and a few months as a Brickie's mate, further degree in Horticulture. I looked at a horticultural use (as a potting  media) for "Spent Mushroom Compost" with some money from Heinz. After about 2 years I told Heinz there wasn't one and they kindly removed my money.

A couple of years working in the Horticultural department of a well known University in Bath, until it went belly-up (the Dept., not the University), followed by 22 years looking after a small lab & growing facility in a less well known University in Bath. I also do a bit of Environmental Consultancy and some data analysis for other people.

cheers Darrel


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## Greg's Pea

dw1305 said:
			
		

> Hi all,
> A bit of farm work, followed by degree in Botany, a couple of years working as a nurseryman, and a few months as a Brickie's mate, further degree in Horticulture, (I looked at a horticultural use as a potting for "Spent Mushroom Compost" with some money from Heinz). After about 2 years I told Heinz there wasn't one and they kindly removed my money.
> 
> A couple of years working in the Horticultural department of a well known University in Bath, until it went belly-up (the Dept., not the University), followed by 22 years looking after a small lab & growing facility in a less well known University in Bath. I also do a bit of Environmental Consultancy and some data analysis for other people.
> 
> cheers Darrel



You've got to love the way research grants work, with the frequent "but, that's not what I wanted you to find out!!"

One of my favourite moments was running a small lab commercially growing _Nitrobacter/Nitrosomonas sp_ for waste treatment and _Basillus sp_ for fat degradation; the company director thought a sales boost could be had by "making" the bacteria a nice bright pink colour, as surely more people would buy it then?


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## somethingfishy

Degree in contemporary arts then ended up as an electrician ! 

plus the usual jobs growing up pot washer, bar man, labourer and sales assistant

wanted to put astronaught


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## Mark Evans

I'm a roofer.


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## sparkyweasel

Wow, there is a lot of similarity in most of these careers.
I too have done electronics and engineering, and my own motorcycle maintenance. I've even nearly been an arms dealer, in so far as doing quality assurance on weapons systems; you wouldn't want them to hurt anyone!
I've had a couple of cooler jobs, one in an animal hospital, and one stint as a writer. 
Oh, yes,I used to breed a few fish on the side!
Full-time carer at the moment. Should really do some more freelance writing or part-time consultancy stuff.


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## ghostsword

At 17 I joined the Portuguese Air Force, MP K9 unit, did a tour in Angola and Bosnia, came to the UK 5 years after, and did all sorts, from pizza hut to Security Guard.

For the past 12 years I have been working at a web company, setting up datacenters, call centers and server rooms. I am now the IT Security Manager for the company dealing mostly with compliance and penetration tests of all our sites.

Also have a degree in Computer Science, a Diploma in Law and a Diploma in health and Social Care.  


___________________________
Luis 
@ghostsword


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## Morgan Freeman

Oh my career. 5 years in finance then I got sick, so I'm now off work and have been for 6 months.


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## Alastair

My back ground has been mainly e commerce for a big company, then two years ago gave it up and trained to be a fitness instructor and trainer and sports coach for kids. 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Iain Sutherland

Managing and chefing in pubs, now hotel management.  Hopefully back to a quality food lead pub shortly.....can see a planted nano being a feature


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## steveninaster

Left school after a year of A levels, lots of odd jobs, bingo caller, loader on lorries etc.  Got fulltime work in DHSS then moved to council job.  9 years later got an analyst job for a software house which I feel very fortunate to get.  Moved onto writing code and gradually worked through promotions until I now run a development team.  Pretty dull I'm afraid.


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## Piece-of-fish

Anyone dare to say full time aquascaper?


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## Nathaniel Whiteside

Hey, Im an apprentice Joiner working within a family business. 

Im hoping to finish my NVQ 3 then Bridge into Higher nationals. Hopefully Working up to Site manager


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## Sentral

I've got a degree in multimedia and communication design, currently working for the most valuable company in the world


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## somethingfishy

Sentral said:
			
		

> I've got a degree in multimedia and communication design, currently working for the most valuable company in the world



You work for TGM ?


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## Steveyg81

Spent 12 years in the RAF as an airframe/propulsion technician, now im working as an offshore engineer for a global subsea umbilical company. No formal qualifications as such, just experienced, been engineering my entire adult life  8)


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## Mortis

Degrees in Zoology and Molecular Biology. 
Currently working as a Dental Lab Tech making Implants (not the fun kind)
Also do a bit of car detailing on the side


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## rudirudi

Work for Norfolk & Suffolk probation as a PSO on community payback,meet some interesting people.


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## michj

left school at 14, went to work for my old man for a while repairing plant tools , did variousjobs after he closed his shop,worked for the pdsa as an animal technician, did a C & G in motor mechanics and worked for a bmw dealership for five years and too many others to mention. then 12yrs ago i started working with kids with behavioural problems, worked in a secure unit for a while in london, relocated to norfolk in 2007 and continued working with EBD children and studying for a degree in child and adolescent psychotherapy. been off work for the last year due to ill health but still trying to study when i can..


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## Palm Tree

Not sure if this counts but i'm about to start working in the family buisness as a plumber/electrician on an apprenticeship


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## howanic

I did a degree in Fine Art and then 3 years as a Pharmacy Manager. 

Was really really worried that I don't know what to do now, but after reading this post and seeing that people on here have had very varied jobs throughout their careers I feel a bit better about it.

Did everyone know exactly what they wanted to do or did things just turn out that way?
Seems like everyone around me has a plan.


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## ddam19

White van men don't hate me, but I been doing vehicle tracking for the last 4 years now.


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## Palm Tree

howanic said:
			
		

> I did a degree in Fine Art and then 3 years as a Pharmacy Manager.
> 
> Was really really worried that I don't know what to do now, but after reading this post and seeing that people on here have had very varied jobs throughout their careers I feel a bit better about it.
> 
> Did everyone know exactly what they wanted to do or did things just turn out that way?
> Seems like everyone around me has a plan.


I dont have a plan yet


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## Joecoral

BSc Zoology   And now I work in admin


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## Dexie

I left school with out a clue as to what I wanted to do :?: .  Worked in Selfridges London for a while, then in an Opticians.  Then had various secretarial/admin jobs until I had my daughter at which point I childminded for a while.  Went back to admin jobs .  Completed the Certificate of School Business Management 2 years ago and have worked as a Finance Manager in a primary school since then.  Best job I've ever had love love love it


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## Johno2090

BSc Hons Conservation Biology now working in the local airport with helicopters.


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## Stickleback

Two jobs and somehow find time to run a tank.

VFX

https://vimeo.com/32114777

Time Lapse Photography

https://vimeo.com/11779501

Keeps me off the streets.

S


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## jamesb

Started in the kitchen part time at 14 finished school at 16 went into work as full time chef got c and g 2 and 3 did this till 18 (fed up with getting underpaid and overworked at several restaurants) started roofing for my dad in suffolk and got into lead work (meant to be groomed to take over but dad enjoyed work too much so never looked on the cards. Left after much encouragement to do an access to he science course so I could study veterinary medicine. Met my mrs, only got one conditional offer for Bristol (hoping for london so could commute) couldn't afford to relocate so stopped on the course and started my own little roofing firm working in london an surrounding areas. (I will do vet med when I win the lottery. Still need something to do even if your a millionaire and may as well be something you love)


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## HarryRobinson

A's and A*'s in GCSE's, A levels, then hopefully medical school


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## Danny

Part time html and css writer, seo specialist, couple of small businesses,part time builder ( helping family member currently ) full time dad of 4 soon to be 5. Basically busy as hell but still find time to spend on here lol


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## jamesb

HarryRobinson said:
			
		

> A's and A*'s in GCSE's, A levels, then hopefully medical school


all I can say Harry is stay focused! I always wanted to be a vet when I was younger but I got a part time job doing cooking which I enjoyed at the time (and enjoyed earning £100+ a week at 14 on summer holidays even more!) so when I left school I carried on doing it as i enjoyed the money so much (or spending the money anyway) by the time I realised that although the work was ok, the fact it wasn't veterinary and the money wasn't great full time it was kind of too late to do much. And when I did finally try I met the love of my life and vet med was more than I could afford. Long story short. Don't lose your focus on med school


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## HarryRobinson

Good advice james  Yeah im not going down the medical side of med school more the technical side if you understand?


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## jamesb

That's cool. So end game what are you looking to do?


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## HarryRobinson

That's the thing, I'm not too sure and i don't think i'll be sure until the end of A levels :/


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## jamesb

Well best of luck bud whatever you decide to go with


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## HarryRobinson

Cheers


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