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Non-Road Boards => Off-Topic => Topic started by: ce929wax on December 20, 2018, 06:32:12 PM

Title: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: ce929wax on December 20, 2018, 06:32:12 PM
I'm not asking any member here specifically what they do for a living, that is really none of my business, but I am curious as to what is available, in general, for employment in your neck of the woods.

Here in my area (Kalamazoo, Michigan) there is a mix of factory work, work in the pharmaceutical industry (Pfizer, Zoetis), medical supply (Stryker), big box retail, restaurant, and breweries.  For white collar work, there are three universities in town, plus banking and financial services, plus work for the city and county.  There is a good cross section of employment opportunities.  Some of the smaller towns in the area have different factory and store jobs.  My hometown of Allegan has Perrigo. 

Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: Scott5114 on December 20, 2018, 06:44:45 PM
Oklahoma City is primarily based around "energy" (read: oil). As you would expect for a state capital, there's also a decent amount of state government employees here. There's Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City. OKC is headquarters of Sonic (the restaurant, not the hedgehog), Love's, and Hobby Lobby. Paycom, a payroll firm, is also HQ'd here (I expect nobody's heard of it, since it's not a consumer-facing brand, but it's quite large). There's also a decent amount of employment in casino gaming (there are four major casinos within easy driving distance of OKC, each employing roughly 1,000 people).
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: kevinb1994 on December 20, 2018, 06:54:13 PM
Jacksonville is known for being a regional business center, as it is the largest city in Florida and the largest-sized city in the lower 48 states. Winn-Dixie is headquartered on the Southside, for example. There are also various military installations both former and current scattered around the area (Mayport NAS, JAX NAS, Fort Caroline, etc).
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: Bruce on December 20, 2018, 06:58:46 PM
In Seattle, some of your neighbors are likely to work for one of the big tech firms (Amazon, Microsoft, etc), or in aerospace (Boeing and its subcontractors). Further out, you can also run into plenty of military/DOD types, thanks to the surrounding bases.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: abefroman329 on December 20, 2018, 07:13:06 PM
Little bit of everything.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: bandit957 on December 20, 2018, 08:43:12 PM
Quote from: ce929wax on December 20, 2018, 06:32:12 PM
I am curious as to what is available, in general, for employment in your neck of the woods.

Pretty much nothing.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: bing101 on December 20, 2018, 10:26:19 PM
Solano County, A mix of Bay Area and Sacramento Commuters plus people who work at Travis Air Force Base.

In the Sacramento Area people in general work for the West Coast Branches of Superpacs, State Government agencies and Lobbying outlets given that its the State Capital of California.

San Francisco of Course known for the financial and VC's operations. San Jose Tech Industry of Course. Davis and Berkeley known for being college towns.


Napa Wine processing and tourism in Norcal.

South San Francisco and Vacaville known for the Biotech industry.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: US71 on December 20, 2018, 10:44:14 PM
Walmart and fast food
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: MikieTimT on December 20, 2018, 11:20:56 PM
Used to be either construction or at corporate for Wal-Mart, Tyson Foods, or J.B. Hunt, and there's still plenty of all of those, but everything around here has grown to the point that it's pretty much everything under the sun anymore.  This place is just booming anymore, so the sky is the limit.  2.7% unemployment means that about 10-12 families move into the area pretty much daily and have a decent choice in work since there aren't enough workers with health or motivation to fill the positions otherwise.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: Roadgeekteen on December 20, 2018, 11:24:41 PM
A lot of tech companies around where I live.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: Max Rockatansky on December 20, 2018, 11:52:17 PM
Around Fresno they farm, I'm still not exactly sure what they do in it...
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: allniter89 on December 21, 2018, 01:39:00 AM
Eglin AFB with 35,000 military & civilian employees is undoubtedly the largest employer in Okaloosa County, FL. It is so cool to hear the fighter jets scream overhead daily! There is a huge number of retired personnel here also. If you're in the area you should visit the AF Armament Museum, it's free & there are 24 aircraft on display outside where you can get right up & personal with fighter jets, helos & much much more.

There is a huge amount of people employed by the hospitality field, ie motel, restaurant, tourist services. We have a hectic spring/summer season then the snowbirds come in for a smaller quieter autumn/winter season.
Our beaches are sugar white with beautiful emerald colored water.


Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: LM117 on December 21, 2018, 06:46:02 AM
Quote from: US71 on December 20, 2018, 10:44:14 PM
Walmart and fast food

Pretty much the same here, too. I remember when Coca-Cola closed their distribution center here about a year ago, our previous mayor, John Gilstrap, basically told the newly unemployed to do what a lot of other Danville residents do and commute to North Carolina where the jobs are. There's about to be a lot more commuters now that Petco and Dick's Sporting Goods have announced they're closing next month, which came out of left field.

He wasn't wrong, but you know your city is a dumpster fire when the mayor is telling people to go elsewhere for jobs.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: inkyatari on December 21, 2018, 12:38:18 PM
Farming.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: Brandon on December 21, 2018, 12:42:41 PM
Quote from: inkyatari on December 21, 2018, 12:38:18 PM
Farming.

You mean it's not "commute to somewhere else"?  :-D
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: kphoger on December 21, 2018, 01:35:10 PM
Wichita is known for aircraft manufacturing.  It's a safe bet that anyone in town knows at least one engineer.

When I first moved here, people suggested I look for a job at Cessna or Boeing or wherever.  But it's a really up-and-down industry, so I certainly would have lost my job at some point due to layoffs.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: AlexandriaVA on December 21, 2018, 01:53:41 PM
Government.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: xcellntbuy on December 21, 2018, 02:42:12 PM
Higher education with three colleges in town, Georgia Military College, Georgia College and State University and Central Georgia Technical College.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: inkyatari on December 21, 2018, 02:43:18 PM
Quote from: Brandon on December 21, 2018, 12:42:41 PM
Quote from: inkyatari on December 21, 2018, 12:38:18 PM
Farming.

You mean it's not "commute to somewhere else"?  :-D

Well, that's a given.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: TheHighwayMan3561 on December 21, 2018, 06:22:31 PM
Duluth/Superior: hospitality, and especially increasing in Duluth's case the healthcare industry. There are still machine and plant workers, but that's been in steady decline for decades.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: slorydn1 on December 22, 2018, 04:45:49 AM
Military, Weyerhaeuser/International Paper, Moen, Bosch (dishwasher parts), yacht building, medical field, the usual hodgepodge of retail/food/fuel, and of course, farming.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: kphoger on December 22, 2018, 03:32:34 PM
My wife grew up in Branson, and her family lives there.  For Branson, it's hospitality.  A bunch of people making low wages bringing you food or cleaning your room.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: Sctvhound on December 23, 2018, 12:35:05 AM
In Charleston, SC: Medical care (two large hospitals in downtown Charleston, Roper and the Medical University of South Carolina), Boeing, Volvo, the local Air Force Base + Naval Weapons Station.

Boeing alone has over 7,000 employees. Joint Base Charleston (AFB + Naval Weapons Station + SPAWAR) is 22,000 employees. MUSC is 13,000, Roper St. Francis 5,500, Trident (another hospital) 2,500.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: sparker on December 23, 2018, 12:43:03 AM
If they want to afford to stay, code -- or manage coders!
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: abefroman329 on December 23, 2018, 07:46:50 AM
Coding seems like the sort of thing that could easily be outsourced.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: NE2 on December 23, 2018, 04:54:26 PM
squeak squeak
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: Brandon on December 23, 2018, 04:57:19 PM
Quote from: NE2 on December 23, 2018, 04:54:26 PM
squeak squeak

So they make porn?
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: J N Winkler on December 23, 2018, 06:11:01 PM
Quote from: kphoger on December 21, 2018, 01:35:10 PMWichita is known for aircraft manufacturing.  It's a safe bet that anyone in town knows at least one engineer.

When I first moved here, people suggested I look for a job at Cessna or Boeing or wherever.  But it's a really up-and-down industry, so I certainly would have lost my job at some point due to layoffs.

Greater Wichita Partnership list of major employers (http://greaterwichitapartnership.org/site_selectors/major_employers)

Traditionally, the Wichita economy has been a three-legged stool:  aviation, oil/gas, and agriculture.  But aviation in Wichita is in long-term decline partly because Boeing has made location decisions that have pushed the city further down the manufacturing food chain.  Spirit is basically a spinoff of those parts of Boeing's civilian jetliner assembly operation that were local to Wichita, while Boeing's aerospace and military activities have been transferred to San Antonio and Oklahoma City.  (Air Force One used to be taken to Wichita for maintenance.)

Since the 2008 recession, the bulk of employment growth locally has been in services.  Wichita has recognized problems with startup retention (firms start looking to move to larger cities once they get more than 50 employees) and retaining young college-educated women (fewer women staying in town for their careers means fewer families and thus a constraint on population growth).
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: sparker on December 23, 2018, 07:55:27 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on December 23, 2018, 07:46:50 AM
Coding seems like the sort of thing that could easily be outsourced.

That is something that is done with support/peripheral programs; for QA purposes, most of the major players here (Google, Apple, Oracle, et. al.) prefer to keep their principal/senior coding staff close at hand, paying quite a few of them upwards of $175K/yr to stick around the area (and gobble up most of the available rentals/"starter" homes!).
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: sparker on December 23, 2018, 07:58:00 PM
Quote from: Brandon on December 23, 2018, 04:57:19 PM
Quote from: NE2 on December 23, 2018, 04:54:26 PM
squeak squeak

So they make porn?

Somehow I think NE2's referring to the Disney influence in his area.  Porn's more down Miami way.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: Brandon on December 24, 2018, 07:55:42 AM
Quote from: sparker on December 23, 2018, 07:58:00 PM
Quote from: Brandon on December 23, 2018, 04:57:19 PM
Quote from: NE2 on December 23, 2018, 04:54:26 PM
squeak squeak

So they make porn?

Somehow I think NE2's referring to the Disney influence in his area.  Porn's more down Miami way.

Rule 34.  'Nough said.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: bing101 on December 24, 2018, 10:43:15 AM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murrieta,_California




Murrieta, CA its in a similar situation with Solano County, CA where its residents are commuters for 2 distinct census areas but in Murrieta's and Temecula's  case its Los Angeles and San Diego Commuters at the same time.


I am aware that Murrieta is known for Real estate and the Socal Wine Country though for people who work within the area.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: Roadgeekteen on December 24, 2018, 12:00:33 PM
Quote from: Brandon on December 23, 2018, 04:57:19 PM
Quote from: NE2 on December 23, 2018, 04:54:26 PM
squeak squeak

So they make porn?
I think he's talking about Disney World.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: plain on December 24, 2018, 12:09:12 PM
Around here there are many offices, both downtown and in the suburbs. Also decent warehouse jobs and call centers. Also a lot of people work for the state government and some federal as well. Lots of nursing jobs being there's a fair amount of hospitals and such in the metro. A lot of pharmacists as well (some of which are not so legal....)
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: MantyMadTown on December 27, 2018, 02:05:17 AM
Here in Madison, being the capital of Wisconsin and home to the state's largest university, a lot of people either work for the university or the state government. There's also a growing tech industry, led by the medical software company Epic, and healthcare sector. In addition Madison is also home to the national headquarters to several insurance and finance companies, as well as some companies in other industries.

My hometown (Manitowoc, WI) mostly just has factories, and agriculture in the rural areas surrounding it. There's also a lot of new suburban retail and fast food development on the west side of town, by I-43.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: kphoger on December 28, 2018, 02:04:59 PM
Quote from: J N Winkler on December 23, 2018, 06:11:01 PM
(Air Force One used to be taken to Wichita for maintenance.)

I didn't realize it wasn't anymore.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: J N Winkler on December 28, 2018, 02:57:28 PM
Quote from: kphoger on December 28, 2018, 02:04:59 PM
Quote from: J N Winkler on December 23, 2018, 06:11:01 PM
(Air Force One used to be taken to Wichita for maintenance.)

I didn't realize it wasn't anymore.

That is done in San Antonio now.  The jobs we lost required Top Secret security clearances and paid well.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: DandyDan on December 30, 2018, 12:48:08 AM
Mostly manufacturing with some transportation, health and education jobs, along with the usual retail in a city of our size. Get out of town and there is plenty of farming going on.
Title: Re: What do people do for a living in your part of the world?
Post by: kphoger on December 30, 2018, 02:32:06 PM
Quote from: J N Winkler on December 28, 2018, 02:57:28 PM
Quote from: kphoger on December 28, 2018, 02:04:59 PM
Quote from: J N Winkler on December 23, 2018, 06:11:01 PM
(Air Force One used to be taken to Wichita for maintenance.)

I didn't realize it wasn't anymore.

That is done in San Antonio now.  The jobs we lost required Top Secret security clearances and paid well.

I believe Air Force 1 comes to Wichita every so often, and I think it's because there's a thing or two that they only trust to an expert here in town.  I know my friend has seen it in town within the last two years or so.  I guess I just forgot that routine maintenance had shifted elsewhere, but bells are ringing in my brain now.