I always figured I'd go into the military and try to fly something. The girl I was dating when I graduated wasn't in the military so we went to school together instead. I graduated from there and now I build the airplane parts that I would have probably flown had I stuck with my orig plan. You are so young when you are making these life decisions and you don't realize they are actual long lasting life decisions. I think at the time I thought I'd just go to the military when school didn't work out and it wasn't any big deal. I've worked at a factory now for 25 years. Crazy how life works.

Some pretty cool stuff so far gang!!!
I never was too good in school because my mind was always somewhere else.. I’d usually have a trapping magazine or catalog hidden in my schoolbook and paying more attention to those instead… except for history class… I did pretty good in that class. I also got better grades in German language than I did in English… lol!!!

Went to school and got a degree in wildlife management. Got on with Feds as a biological technician and moved on up from there and retired 34 yrs later as a Natural Resource Manager

I wanted to be a paramedic but then Desert Shield came along, I joined the Marine Corps. Spent 8 years in, during that time I took classes when I could and worked towards a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering. I spent the first four years of my enlisted time doing what I felt a calling to do, the second enlistment, I went for the education and the MOS that would help. Got out, went to work and finished my degree and I have lived a great life so far.

Never graduated high school As my father died when I was 16 so went to work shooting beef for John Morrel at night on the kill line.Joined the service at 18 and my younger brother joined with me at 16. My mom signed him in with a fake birth certificate lol, we went airborne and spent most of the time in the field and didn’t get to Vietnam. Got out and started cutting meat which was a great trade in the late ‘70s, I processed game in the fall and winter since 1977 up until about the time I turned 62 . I retired 3 years ago from meat cutting but still own my own fireworks business that I brought my son into about 8 years ago. I never made huge money but over years of saving and pension we want for nothing it’s been a great ride so far.

I always wanted to be a trapper. Whatever I did I made time to trap. Went to the U of Wyoming in 1970 for dairy cattle management but 2 years in my family sold the dairy cows so I never graduated. Back to New Jersey to run the family mink ranch until we quit that in 1986. Stayed on the farm working in the family zoo until 1994. Bought my own farm, started doing ADC work with my own business. Loved the trapping part of ADC but hate dealing with the clients. Sold that in 2008, quit making snares to sell in 2010 (feeding that monster drastically cut into my trapping time). Did computer work out of my house for my brother-in-law's business from 2011 to 2020 then retired from that. Now just putter around on my farm and trap, fish and hunt.
Was lucky to marry a girl that has a great business mind. She started her own business, sold it 15 years later for boo-koo dollars. She then took over the office part of my ADC business and quadrupled that income in a short time. In 2008 her brother's business was on the ropes, he was broke. He asked Linda to help him out and when he died in 2023 he was worth over 20 million dollars. I mention my wife as without her many of out of state trapping trips would not have happened.

Me Too. But I couldn't figure out how to make a living at it. I decided the closest I could get was to be a game warden. So that's what I did for thirty years. And it was a great choice for me. No regrets.

I did not finish high school either. Worked at a truckstop. No self service back then. Parked trucks often. Worked in the shop some. After the military I started driving. Easy to get a license back then. Still do it in the summer. Dont work for 4 months out of the year. Take days off during driving season for fishing. Kids want me to retire. Dont know what I would do all day if I did. Just run local. Pull a dump trailer. I miss OTR but the job I miss does not exist anymore. Big job north of the Kansas city airport. 3600 acre industrial park being built. Will be biggest in MO when finished. Needs a LOT of rock. Next door they building an AI something or other. Think we got all the rock hauled for that. Grandson is taking leave from the Marine Corps. Buddy from NM is coming for a few days. Going to do some fishing starting Friday. Not sure when I will go back to work. Next Wed.? Taking off in July for FTA show.

Good plan.I just got jobs that would allow me time to trap,hunt,and fish.