I am a Business Analyst. I am responsible for supporting the enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for a mid-size manufacturing business. I do some day-to-day stuff, like helping individual users when they run into trouble, but what I’m working on can vary quite a bit. It all depends on the priorities of the business. We are at the end of our current system’s life cycle, so one of my top priorities is figuring out whether to upgrade to a new version or switch to a different system.
Both options have many challenges, but the latter is a much more complex undertaking, and the one we are leaning towards. With software like this, you don’t just pop the DVD in and hit “install”. Implementing new software will involve working with consultants to learn the specifics of the new system. The real challenge lies with thoroughly understanding the many complex processes in the business, and then devising the best way to model those processes. You must take into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of whatever system we choose, the strengths and weaknesses of the business, and deploy a solution that fits all of the business requirements without creating an unnecessary transactional burden on the end-users.
I’m also a bouncer at a local bar a few nights per week, which is sometimes just as complex and usually a little more fun than being a Business Analyst. Doesn’t quite pay as well though.
I’m a call center manager for a large pharmaceutical and medical diagnostics company. Based in the US supporting a few different countries around the word which has allowed me to enjoy consistent international travel (mostly around Europe).
@countrygirl2016 I think that is fantastic work. You are working to help places exactly like where I grew up, and places like that tend to have a lot of good people living there.
@twojarslave that comment means so much to me, thank you!! Our farmers and ranchers are hardworking and very appreciative of the smallest things. They make me want to work hard at my job to serve and advocate for them. I attend many events to educate people about agriculture and hopefully inspire them to at least support local markets. My job has many different parts but the main goal is to keep agriculture thriving through it’s producers and consumers.
Your job honestly sounds like a complicated nightmare! I would be so lost and confused all of the time. You would probably have to be extremely organized and a great communicator. The second part about being a bouncer sounds like a nice change of pace for a strong guy.
I’m a registered dietician at a long term and sub-acute care center. I sit on my ass 99+% of the day doing glorified data entry, moving information from point A to point B, and attending mostly useless meetings.
Cool thread idea - nice to learn something about our fellow forumites, and sometimes threads like this can drop some interesting knowledge, shed light on other careers we don’t think about or even know existed.
I am the lead biostatistician & epidemiologist for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Heart and Vascular Institute, directing a small group (up to three people now!) that supports clinical-outcomes research from our system - analyzing the effectiveness of different treatments, identifying low-risk vs high-risk patients for certain surgeries, and other things like that. My job includes helping to plan studies, write grants, create databases, analyze data, prepare data for presentation at national conferences, write up the results for publication in medical journals. I also try to stay active in professional statistical organizations and publish my own papers on the “practice” of statistics in medicine.
Or a panicky patient., My optho said ‘oops’ during my procedure, fortunately it was because he squirted too much riboflavin.
I am an Owner’s Project Manager that specializes in K-12 construction. Essentially, I assist school district with determining their critical needs, create a budget, hold community meetings, assist with bond campaigning, and once the bond passes and sells, I conduct the selection process for design professionals, ensure the scope matches design, bid and oversee the general contractor throughout the construction process, ensuring the building is being built in conformance with the documents… and, a bunch of other random coordination.
@tbonito Thank you for asking such an awesome question!! As you can see from my comments and multiple likes I’m very impressed. I can’t believe how much goes into some of these jobs and how stressful they sound. Such a mixed bag and they are all smart and talented people.
I’m a budget analyst/accountant (CMA). I’m currently in operations financial planning and reporting, which, in a nutshell, involves me telling guys like @twojarslave to stop spending so much god damn money…
