What was your career path?

Up until I was about 16 years old, I wanted to follow my dad into the navy but when I went for my medical I had what was referred to as "CP3", colour perception 3! So I was a bit colourblind which meant I would have to be in Engineering or Secretariat. Neither appealed to me so my first job was working at the Govt Tourist Bureau in Auckland. I was inspired by a couple of very famous photographers, Marti Freidlander and Brian Brake, who did some contract work for the GTB and I was their general dogsbody for shifting sets, making tea and carrying gear. I attended the ELAM School of art in Auckland for the arty side of photography and to shorten the story I ended up in London at the Hammersmith Polytechnic doing photochemistry and optics for a diploma. Next thing was I was in Portugal starving as a freelance photographer working through an agency called Paul Popper Ltd. and I fortuitously met a girl whose father had a vineyard near Setabul. I worked for keep for a few weeks in his vineyard then a connection with Barros Almeido winery for real money and from then on it was a change of direction. I became a winemaker! I was so lucky in beginning a 40 year career in an occupation which if I had been obscenely rich I would still have had. The only regrets I have are that I was so excited about every new challenge that I forgot to ask what I was going to get paid! Hence I am not rich.:-D

That sounds like a successful and varied life Ciderman, even if you didn't get rich. Nothing so diverse for myself. I found the job I liked as a 16 years old and stuck with it. I didn't get rich either. Repairing domestic electronics items isn't the sort of job that makes lots of money.

It was a good job though because it involved meeting lots of people from all walks of life. I spoke to everyone from pop stars, film stars, high ranking military officers ..to those whose only pleasurable possession was a rented TV.

I enjoyed finding faults on items that had been given up on by others. Soon known as a 'difficult fault' finder in our area. The hours spent on those items definitely didn't pay but job satisfaction was important too.

All a bygone era now of course but good in its day and I think I was fairly successful in what I did.

Very mundane career really.
General engineering apprenticeship from 1964 until 1969 finishing with a Full Tech. Certificate in Product Design. Worked in drawing office designing mostly floor conveyors for the motor industry. Made redundant in 1973 during the three day week.
Found a job in Luton desiging special purpose machinery mostly for Press Shops again for the motor industry. Made redundant again in 1982.
Went sub contracting as design and detail draughtsman in various places for about 16 years but the work dried up.
Got a job as a maintenance technician in building services, official title but in reality I'm an odd job man. Still at it at 72 next birthday.