What do/did you do for a living?


With the increasingly high priced items people own and are selling, I'm curious about the line of work people do or have done. I thought my $5k integrated was a massive investment, but seeing users searching for $100k speakers or $75k SET amplifiers has me curious about the varying lines of work people do to afford these items. 
128x128j-wall

I'm in Aye Tea business for over 30 years already.

Don't plan to retire. I can do that even if I'm completely measurable and deeply old.

As part of hobby and other source of income, I'm a garage sale junkie and prefer old school finances such as investments into valuables that includes jewelry items and firearms. 

On my hi-end audio I've completely stopped upgrading and repair if anything breaks till I see my personal end. I only add or change music I'm listening to. 

Retired. These days I am papa. Traveled around country, talking to people about how to humanely and ethically support individuals with co-occurring intellectual disabilities and mental illness outside of institutions. Ended my career working pretty exclusively in New Mexico. Serious system upgrade, the Vandersteen 7’s and the Supratek, funded by the interest from a settlement after a truck hit me while I was cycling. Generates almost $40K annually that my wife and I use for play money. She’s going to bicycle from coast to coast next summer. I’m going to be looking for a new DAC. Fun to have the money to play around with, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The accident was almost 4 years ago and I’m still not back on the bike. Nine bikes, including two high-end tandems, hanging in the garage. I have a lot of time to listen to music though. Nice to have a dedicated room far from the bedrooms and the one’s office.

Maan recently -- very recently I've started HEAVILY investing into chicken stock and really became a bullionaire on my brothday!!!

When I was young and a skilled factory worker (offset printing) I could afford budget gear like NAD 3020 amp, Boston Acoustics A40 speakers, Dual TT with Grado MM cart, Heathkit tuner, and I splurged on a Pioneer RT-707.

When I was in my prime earning years (computer programmer) I spent money on PRO-AC and Ref 3A speakers, OTL Tube amp, Class A SS amp, McIntosh Tuner, Benchmark DAC1 preamp.

Now that I am retired I am enjoying also some of the new budget giant killers, for example ELAC DBR-2 Reference speakers, FIIO preamp/dac and AIYIMA A07 Class D amp.

The quality of budget gear - if you were knowledgeable - was pretty great in the 70s, took a dive in the 80s and 90s (like just about everything else except Toyotas) and has seen a resurgence of great value items in the 2020s, IMHO.