Your career - so far?

[djewkes]

Originally Posted by SussexFamily

Ahhh the weapons analyst branch ... at HMS Daedalus ... spiritual home. You have certainly packed a lot in

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I have good memories of Daedalus and Excellent... I only have to hear Rod Stewart’s Maggie May and im back in the “automat” place there... got court marshalled there for being 5 minutes late back, cos I was under 18 had a 10:30 curfew... sharp lesson, I’m never late anywhere since then...

[SussexFamily]

Originally Posted by djewkes

I have good memories of Daedalus and Excellent... I only have to hear Rod Stewart’s Maggie May and im back in the “automat” place there... got court marshalled there for being 5 minutes late back, cos I was under 18 had a 10:30 curfew... sharp lesson, I’m never late anywhere since then...

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Are you sure it wasn’t Cdrs table ? Seems a bit oppressive for being adrift !

Being late is a no no - good lesson learnt - 5 minute rule!


Blue Bird Cafe too? It’s still there!

[djewkes]

Originally Posted by SussexFamily

Are you sure it wasn’t Cdrs table ? Seems a bit oppressive for being adrift !

Being late is a no no - good lesson learnt - 5 minute rule!


Blue Bird Cafe too? It’s still there!

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To be honest I’m not sure could well have been, got marched in, told off, given extra duties (kitchen I seem to think) and marched out again...

[SussexFamily]

Originally Posted by djewkes

To be honest I’m not sure could well have been, got marched in, told off, given extra duties (kitchen I seem to think) and marched out again...

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Yes a court martial is a bit more formal than that!
Were you given the command “off caps”?...

[djewkes]

Originally Posted by SussexFamily

Yes a court martial is a bit more formal than that!
Were you given the command “off caps”?...

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I haven’t a clue, after all it was 49 years ago

[BevS97]

I started in IT in 1991, I was a mainframe programmer, working for Nissan / Sky TV / British Airways and finally outsourced to Morgan Stanley. I didn’t really like banking and it wasn’t very family friendly, so I left when my daughter was a toddler and ended up doing IT Support for a local school.

Everything has changed, my first job at Nissan we had no email / internet etc. I can remember getting the internet at work in around 1996 and not really getting it. No google back then, I think we used Alta Vista?

Work wise Ive gone from mainframe programming to supporting students using iPads in lessons. I still like a bit of programming and run a coding club for kids at school.

[cartoonp]

When I left school I did a wicks course which was a Work induction course at the collage which was fun I learnt a lot not about trades but about people there where a lot of disabled people with different levels some could not read or write and some had had other disabilities. I kept finding I was asked to look after 3 or 4 we world go in to the city and had to do different things ie go to library find x y z ect I found that it was nice to help my own disability was very low my spelling and writeing was really bad still is I was meant to do 13 weeks we got 21 pound a week but one of the tutors asked if I could help with the new group so I went back for another 5 weeks when I left I was unemployed for a year trying to find work. I saw a job advert for working in a chicken factory out at attbough So I aplyed and got it I worked there stated in the packing room they where a lazy bunch they spend 45 minutes outside smoking I did not smoke and was told if you work then you work. My manger came and said will I train as a loader I said yes so that was I did worked there for 8 months they then changed sift patten as a new company took over there was no pick up so I left. I did a lot of part time cleaning then around 1988 I saw a kitchen assistant course out at letchworth which I did first time away from home 8 week course learning everything about helping in a kitchen I all world go over to the main kitchen and work in there real work as I called it the course was meant to take 8 weeks but as I was working in the main kitchen doing the things connected with kitchen assistant so after 5 weeks I did the city and guild and passed I was offered if I wanted to leave or carry on in the main kitchen I said to gain more experience I like to work in the main the chef was pleased so I worked mainly on the dish washer but sometimes a chef world asked can peel some potatoes or carrots I said yes fine some times they world asked can you peel them in different ways. I learnt a lot those 8 months I was there. I came back and went to work at Norwich sport village as a kitchen Porter I wa there before they opened so started as a general dogs body I will add there where others so we took beds ect to different rooms set the rooms up then the room cleaners world come in and make the beds ect. There where a lot of problems at the sport village not with staff but leaky roofs ect I stayed there for around 9 months as they wanted me to be the run around at minimum pay. I then went back to the meat industry I worked in a pork factory where I was in the main part chopping packing bacon meat joints cleaning the cage wash I was so board during meals that I world go back to the floor and set up the machines for the afternoon I learnt about cleaning meat machines on a smaller level at the KA course in lechworth But these where bigger but for some reason I just knew what to do. The manger said you after my job I said no I just don’t like hanging about I like to work if I am in work but still have a laugh and joke. He said they underestimated me. I changed my job and went to the killing floor which was different just slicing up pigs different joints this world help me latter on well that the first few years of my working life 😂


Here what I done after 😝

I did a year course as a painter and decorator when I went to the job centre they said I get a a city and guild but no you just worked in peoples houses decorated gothic them it was with a company called macro which placed offends rather then sending them to bostel or prison I was asked many times what did I do Wong my manger said Kevin just here to keep a eve on the rest 😂

After a year I did a 10 week vocational assessment course at the skill centre

I then started working at Bulins which was fun I started in the kitchen very long story but at the interview the lady that was interviewing me did not seem that interred there was also a man reading the newspaper and one that just seemed board my application foam was on the desk and she seemed board she said do you want to asked any questions I said yes what courses have I done to tell you that I am right to work for you she said pardon so I repeated it she seemed imbassed I then said what our my interests again she seemed as she did not know so I got up and said if you don’t want to bother with me then you should have called and I world not wasted my bus fare to get here I walked out the lady came out she called me back and said sorry please wait so I did went in again to 3 people looking at me they all asked questions after they said we let you know I thanked them by the time I got home my mother said butlins called you got the job so a week later I was at butlins mine head but when I went for the induction on day one the lady said oh no not you 😆 she was joking I worked in the kitchen but one night I was outside reds had my badge on and was just talking to security on the door and this man came up worst for drink and every other world was a swear word becurse he was refused entry to stage one how we all where a bunch of W I said excuse me but if you don’t learn some manners I will have to escort you off butlins he was really letting go so I said put it this way not just you but your family and friends will be banned so I sujest you go to your chalet have a shower and sleep then think about what you said I was carm not theating I am a big boy I am 6 foot 2 he looked at me and nearly fell over so I got a chair was near by sat him down and talked to him. He came out with a lot of stuff about his wife and kids I said your best bet is to go and have a lie down and sleep on it he said yea I will turned to the door man and said sorry mate and walked off the security looked at me and said do you want to change jobs 😆 next day I was asked to go to the manger office the main one lol 😂 I never meet her before she said that she herd good things about me 😂 A member of staff have said I went beyond my job discption all so a member of the public has said that I helped them a lot and the staff are well trained 😂 I said if it gets back as a good report for butlins then all the better. She asked if I mineded training for the door man as well as the kitchen so that’s what I did then when they got more staff in the kitchen I left and done security. I stayed there for over a year no brakes I worked 7 days a week for some reason I found no reason to have a day off. I left because my mother became ill so I wanted to be near her.
After that I went back in to temp work at different places mainly kitchen but I did no manual. One time I was at British Gas doing the pot wash and one of the lady’s asked another lady about can she do some fish for the mangers conference as they where having a working lunch the lady was doing something else so I said I do it I got do I know how to use the fryer I said she said ok so I did after she said why don’t you go for nvm level 1 for chef never really thought about it so said ok. I went to job centre and they said that the training agency at The YMCA has a course so I went there but they wanted me to do cleaning the YMCA Dueing the morning and the course in the afternoon. So that’s what I did then Saturday I world work in the kitchen to gain experience the manger was so nice and said if there anything you dont know what to do just asked. The course was over 13 weeks and I passed and got level 1 did a few things went back to butlins for a few months then did a lot of cleaning then back to temping then I stated to work all over the uk doing kping some painting cleaning and other work afterb3 years my mother was getting worst so needed to spend more time at home I got a job with Norwich city council and worked there for 6 years . I left a lady at the job centre said you done a lot do you want to stay in catering or something else I said yes catering so she put me for level 2 I did a placement at 2 homeless places all so night shelter some was just cleaning and some catering. I passed early and started to look for work I got a lot of chef work temping I all so said I do kitchen Porter cleaning ect I was then asked if I wanted to do level 3 and 4 I said yes but I stated to notce dry skin on my face so went to the doctor and he said don’t work in the catering industry as your skin will get wost so that was the end of my chef’s work. A lady that I know called me and asked if I world talk to her group about bullying I said yes of course so that what I did I did about 7 different groups. I was called to the job centre to see what I wa doing to find work so I to.d them they said I got to do more ok I said no problem and thought nothing of it latter that day Maria was called up for the same thing I went with her and she could not talk she was so nervous the lady said she can not work I am sorry I think she never get a job I worked in the disability department I think she should go for it and you become Maria career I said ok what about this showed her all the information I wa given she said give it here and tore it up then made a few phone calls and the rest is history as I been Maria Carter for a long time hope you got though my history 😆

[BucksBugsy]

Originally Posted by cartoonp

When I left school I did a wicks course which was a Work induction course at the collage which was fun I learnt a lot not about trades but about people there where a lot of disabled people with different levels some could not read or write and some had had other disabilities. I kept finding I was asked to look after 3 or 4 we world go in to the city and had to do different things ie go to library find x y z ect I found that it was nice to help my own disability was very low my spelling and writeing was really bad still is I was meant to do 13 weeks we got 21 pound a week but one of the tutors asked if I could help with the new group so I went back for another 5 weeks when I left I was unemployed for a year trying to find work. I saw a job advert for working in a chicken factory out at attbough So I aplyed and got it I worked there stated in the packing room they where a lazy bunch they spend 45 minutes outside smoking I did not smoke and was told if you work then you work. My manger came and said will I train as a loader I said yes so that was I did worked there for 8 months they then changed sift patten as a new company took over there was no pick up so I left. I did a lot of part time cleaning then around 1988 I saw a kitchen assistant course out at letchworth which I did first time away from home 8 week course learning everything about helping in a kitchen I all world go over to the main kitchen and work in there real work as I called it the course was meant to take 8 weeks but as I was working in the main kitchen doing the things connected with kitchen assistant so after 5 weeks I did the city and guild and passed I was offered if I wanted to leave or carry on in the main kitchen I said to gain more experience I like to work in the main the chef was pleased so I worked mainly on the dish washer but sometimes a chef world asked can peel some potatoes or carrots I said yes fine some times they world asked can you peel them in different ways. I learnt a lot those 8 months I was there. I came back and went to work at Norwich sport village as a kitchen Porter I wa there before they opened so started as a general dogs body I will add there where others so we took beds ect to different rooms set the rooms up then the room cleaners world come in and make the beds ect. There where a lot of problems at the sport village not with staff but leaky roofs ect I stayed there for around 9 months as they wanted me to be the run around at minimum pay. I then went back to the meat industry I worked in a pork factory where I was in the main part chopping packing bacon meat joints cleaning the cage wash I was so board during meals that I world go back to the floor and set up the machines for the afternoon I learnt about cleaning meat machines on a smaller level at the KA course in lechworth But these where bigger but for some reason I just knew what to do. The manger said you after my job I said no I just don’t like hanging about I like to work if I am in work but still have a laugh and joke. He said they underestimated me. I changed my job and went to the killing floor which was different just slicing up pigs different joints this world help me latter on well that the first few years of my working life 😂


Here what I done after 😝

I did a year course as a painter and decorator when I went to the job centre they said I get a a city and guild but no you just worked in peoples houses decorated gothic them it was with a company called macro which placed offends rather then sending them to bostel or prison I was asked many times what did I do Wong my manger said Kevin just here to keep a eve on the rest 😂

After a year I did a 10 week vocational assessment course at the skill centre

I then started working at Bulins which was fun I started in the kitchen very long story but at the interview the lady that was interviewing me did not seem that interred there was also a man reading the newspaper and one that just seemed board my application foam was on the desk and she seemed board she said do you want to asked any questions I said yes what courses have I done to tell you that I am right to work for you she said pardon so I repeated it she seemed imbassed I then said what our my interests again she seemed as she did not know so I got up and said if you don’t want to bother with me then you should have called and I world not wasted my bus fare to get here I walked out the lady came out she called me back and said sorry please wait so I did went in again to 3 people looking at me they all asked questions after they said we let you know I thanked them by the time I got home my mother said butlins called you got the job so a week later I was at butlins mine head but when I went for the induction on day one the lady said oh no not you 😆 she was joking I worked in the kitchen but one night I was outside reds had my badge on and was just talking to security on the door and this man came up worst for drink and every other world was a swear word becurse he was refused entry to stage one how we all where a bunch of W I said excuse me but if you don’t learn some manners I will have to escort you off butlins he was really letting go so I said put it this way not just you but your family and friends will be banned so I sujest you go to your chalet have a shower and sleep then think about what you said I was carm not theating I am a big boy I am 6 foot 2 he looked at me and nearly fell over so I got a chair was near by sat him down and talked to him. He came out with a lot of stuff about his wife and kids I said your best bet is to go and have a lie down and sleep on it he said yea I will turned to the door man and said sorry mate and walked off the security looked at me and said do you want to change jobs 😆 next day I was asked to go to the manger office the main one lol 😂 I never meet her before she said that she herd good things about me 😂 A member of staff have said I went beyond my job discption all so a member of the public has said that I helped them a lot and the staff are well trained 😂 I said if it gets back as a good report for butlins then all the better. She asked if I mineded training for the door man as well as the kitchen so that’s what I did then when they got more staff in the kitchen I left and done security. I stayed there for over a year no brakes I worked 7 days a week for some reason I found no reason to have a day off. I left because my mother became ill so I wanted to be near her.
After that I went back in to temp work at different places mainly kitchen but I did no manual. One time I was at British Gas doing the pot wash and one of the lady’s asked another lady about can she do some fish for the mangers conference as they where having a working lunch the lady was doing something else so I said I do it I got do I know how to use the fryer I said she said ok so I did after she said why don’t you go for nvm level 1 for chef never really thought about it so said ok. I went to job centre and they said that the training agency at The YMCA has a course so I went there but they wanted me to do cleaning the YMCA Dueing the morning and the course in the afternoon. So that’s what I did then Saturday I world work in the kitchen to gain experience the manger was so nice and said if there anything you dont know what to do just asked. The course was over 13 weeks and I passed and got level 1 did a few things went back to butlins for a few months then did a lot of cleaning then back to temping then I stated to work all over the uk doing kping some painting cleaning and other work afterb3 years my mother was getting worst so needed to spend more time at home I got a job with Norwich city council and worked there for 6 years . I left a lady at the job centre said you done a lot do you want to stay in catering or something else I said yes catering so she put me for level 2 I did a placement at 2 homeless places all so night shelter some was just cleaning and some catering. I passed early and started to look for work I got a lot of chef work temping I all so said I do kitchen Porter cleaning ect I was then asked if I wanted to do level 3 and 4 I said yes but I stated to notce dry skin on my face so went to the doctor and he said don’t work in the catering industry as your skin will get wost so that was the end of my chef’s work. A lady that I know called me and asked if I world talk to her group about bullying I said yes of course so that what I did I did about 7 different groups. I was called to the job centre to see what I wa doing to find work so I to.d them they said I got to do more ok I said no problem and thought nothing of it latter that day Maria was called up for the same thing I went with her and she could not talk she was so nervous the lady said she can not work I am sorry I think she never get a job I worked in the disability department I think she should go for it and you become Maria career I said ok what about this showed her all the information I wa given she said give it here and tore it up then made a few phone calls and the rest is history as I been Maria Carter for a long time hope you got though my history 😆

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Wow ! Thank you for that. I thinkni will re-read again later but what a history

[cartoonp]

Originally Posted by BerkshireBugsy

Wow ! Thank you for that. I thinkni will re-read again later but what a history

See more...

Thank you yes for the 56 years I been on this plant I done a lot

[Andy C]

A lot of IT and quite a few military.

Looks like I fit in, then.

Joined the RAF out of University back in '95 as an Engineering Officer (had to do some fast talking to convince them that my Physics degree was applicable). After Initial Officer Training (and may I never see Otterburn again) and Engineering Officer Training (separated by a holding period at RAF Leeming), I got my first posting.

I learned the hard way that you never put "Not xxxx" on the form. I asked for a flying station in the South of England, or at least not a radar station in Northern Scotland (I didn't really want to go that far away from my then-girlfriend).

RAF Buchan was the result (radar station 50 miles north of Aberdeen. Directions to get there: "Drive north. When the wheels get wet, reverse five miles")

An interesting first tour trying to get the balky T93 radar into service (The RAF, in their infinite wisdom, had decided to save a few pennies by not buying any spares or support. Twelve years later, and after pouring God knows how much into trying to get them operational, they still weren't in full service). We just pulled it off when it collapsed during a routine folding exercise.

(The Board of Enquiry found out that my predecessor had flagged it up as a problem when the folding mechanism was replaced and sent it off to HQ Support Command. They'd sat on it for nearly two years due to a gapped post, and by the time I'd arrived, all the files had been archived. Fortunately I was exonerated of any blame, but during Engineering Officer Training Phase 2 (which occurred after your first tour), I was able to say, "Well, during my Board of Enquiry..." when we were being taught about them).

I then asked the Personnel people when asked where I wanted to go next, "Anywhere south of here," figuring that I'd learned my lesson.

When I was sat on top of Mount Alice, on West Falkland, I had the opportunity to reflect on the various flavours of irony.

Having nursed one balky and unsupported Air Defence Radar in a remote location, I suppose I was right at home. The radar there was totally unsupported. When purchased, the full support package had been taken as an option by the sensible purchasers, to be paid annually. Unfortunately, the purchasers had been the Argentinian Armed Forces. We'd pinched it as spoils of war in 1982, the Argentines had unsurprisingly stopped paying the support package, the manufacturers had unsurprisingly stopped supporting it, and we'd spent 18 years (and counting) nursing it along with string and duct tape.

It had an intermittent fault which, to my surprise, I managed to solve (a floating Earth. When I recommended tinfoil in the rotary coupler, my Sergeant thought I was bonkers. When it worked, he thought I was a genius). It did mean that mine was the only working radar when the first airborne incursion from Argentina since the Falklands War came along.

With the sort of timing you don't get in fiction but only in real life, a slightly screwy Argentinian with a private pilot's licence decided to come over to apologise for the entire invasion thing, flying a little Cessna with a big petrol drum on the passenger's seat and a hosepipe leading from there into the fuel tank. Carrying 2,300 tea bags and a load of oranges, so he could "get everyone a nice cup of tea."

During our annual war exercise, "Exercise Stormy Petrel."

So when he popped up on the screen, 100 miles out to sea in the general direction of the Argentine mainland, we rolled our eyes and muttered, "the Exercise staff could have been more plausible. Any decent sized aircraft would have been picked up miles further out."

Nevertheless, we reported it in, and a Tornado was scrambled to meet it. When the pilot reported what he saw, everyone needed to be told a few times before they could believe it. The poor Tornado had a hell of a time escorting the fellow - flying that slowly was a real challenge for the F3. He was practically standing on his tail to try to almost hover beside him.
(The poor nutty Argentinian was put in a cell overnight before being flown back to the mainland. Which I thought was a bit sad; he'd had the best of intentions, even if he was a sandwich short of a picnic).

Anyway, I'm probably going into way too much depth, and I'm only up to 1998, so I'll come back to this later...