100 Years Ago, What Would You Be?

  • I would probably have started out repairing things. In a small town, in a small shop repairing bikes, cameras, or watches. Then moving to a mid-size town with lots of entreprenuers, working on machines in a factory, moving up to a design role somewhere. It seems like there were a lot of opportunities for innovation back then. Edison may have gotten the credit, but I'll bet he had some creative, hard-working people in his lab...

  • Quite an interesting topic. Assuming the same educational opportunities I have had today, I would likely have wanted to work as an accountant or electrician. But I'd want to take part in something unique to the time period so maybe I'd be a whaler or preparing for bootlegging. I asked one of my friends and she said she'd rob banks on horseback. I suggested she'd be more suited to vaudeville.

    My non-rural ancestors were blacksmiths and some of their siblings went to Belize and Columbia to work in the lumber industry.

  • I started out in manufacturing with no skills, just a need to bring home a paycheck. From that experience, I worked my way up from production line to setup, maintenance and repair of the factory floor machinery. Which later ended up leading me to the Toolroom Machining trade. So, I would say that 110 years ago, I would have probably taken the same path, only without the jump from Toolmaker to IT Professional. Though, I would sure like to go back to simpler times.........

  • What I do is a form of skilled labor. Most of the time I feel like a data plumber, but occasionally I'm able to machine a custom-fit part or design a whole new delivery system from scratch. I've cleaned enough toilets to last a lifetime...

  • A kind of librarian, working with pages, Indexes & databases ... transforming data in knowledge.

  • I would have been a farmer and for fun would go fishing, just like 90+% of the rest of the population in my area at the time.

  • Based on my family history, I most likely would have been in the military (hopefully as some sort of repair man and not as a grunt) or a farmer. If the opportunity arose back then, I would have tried to get on with a factory as a machinist since I love fixing things. Come to think of it, most of my family members who went into the military came from farms anyway so I probably would have been stuck as a farmer.

  • As a current day woodworker, and a family history of woodworking I would likely be either a carpenter or work in the creamery like my grandfather did. :w00t:

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  • I would likely have been a carnie, a fur trader, or (dare to dream) both.

  • Play to my strengths in my "second job" as a reservist, pick up a rifle and muster.

    After all, in 1910 a British soldier could look forward to good living conditions, high levels of pay and living to a ripe old age.

    Sorry?

    No, I don't know where the Somme is.

  • where I grew up and family history, Dairy farmer. Actually more likely farm hand, shoveling manure, just like the first job i ever had. Not the worst job i ever had, but getting bumped about by draft horses is something I could have done without.

  • If we pretend that women had equal opportunities back then, I would like to think I'd be engineering bridges or designing public transportation systems or electrical grids. I'm best at taking what exists and improving it, fixing problems, and making practical use of what's available.

  • I guess I have two options:

    Choice A - I'm a weaver now, so I'd hoped I'd be able to do that. Considering looms are primitive computers, I wouldn't have to be too different from what I am today.

    Choice B - With the maiden name of Carney - I probably be working a fair somewhere. :w00t:

  • Andy, this has been a fun, though-provoking topic, thanks!

    Even today, what I like most about my job is working with people, especially teaching them how to solve problems. I'm sure that 100 years ago I would have been a teacher. Especially considering that the students back then seemed to have much more respect for their teachers - which is what made me decide to go into something other than teaching in today's society! 😛

  • With the same education I have now, I would be an accountant or clerk. If we take family history into account, it would be either farming or ranching. I have told my Dad several times that I'm very glad his Dad moved off the farm and into the oilfields, which gave the rest of us a chance to do something other than plant and harvest.

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