What Is Your Profession?

[ParkerDuofold]

...I've given pens to a few co-workers but I think they were mainly interested for the colored inks and I haven't seen them using them since their manager dictated blue or black only.

TYRANNY!

 

That's a shame, but hopefully they still use them at home for cards and lists, etc.

 

- Anthony

Edited January 3, 2017 by ParkerDuofold

[Runnin_Ute]

Spent over 25 years in Accounting and Tax. Technically, I still do as I have a small consulting business, but in reality I haven't done any client work since mid 2012. I do have my hand in it a little though. Doing all my mom's stuff at present since she had her stroke. As the trained accountant and oldest it fell to me. Even when I was working in the corporate world I was the only one using a fountain pen.

 

I currently work for a large (global) advisory firm. We have our hands in risk management, benefits and related industries. The division I work for is the largest Medicare Exchange in the country. I am NOT in an accounting role. Our clientele are large companies (Fortune 500) that have made business decisions to move retirees off of their employer group plans once they become Medicare eligible. We help facilitate that and do some administration as well as many provide a stipend in the form of a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help them pay for the coverage. My job is to help fix problems that the participants are having.

 

I am not aware of anyone in my office who uses a fountain pen. I have had a few people ask about them over the years though, and a number know I use one.

Edited January 3, 2017 by Runnin_Ute

[Mister5]

Lawyer, but I'm the only one who uses a fountain pen at my office. Haven't seen them used in any of our other offices either. We don't have much of a need to use pens other than take notes at my work, honestly. Most folks use the ubiquitous Papermates or whatever is floating around.

 

I also write novels (clearly not successful enough for it to be my day job) and use fountain pens regularly for outlining and writing parts of first drafts, etc.

[Guardy]

University student.

 

There are quite a few people around who use fountain pens - and at least one I dragged down that rabbit hole, hah.

 

The usual breakdown of writing materials among my fellow students seems to look something like this, although it heavily depends on the course and/or lecture:
FP: ~5%-15% (the same percentage applies to my lecturers and professors, surprisingly - and then there was that one German Lit guy who always had at least three different ones on the desk. Needless to say, we got along swimmingly)

Pencil: ~5-10%

Electronics of some kind: ~15%

BP: ~75-80%

... and yeah, that's a thing I actually pay attention to.
I almost exclusively see Lamy Safaris and Al-Stars, although I think I saw a Pelikano once. I know one person who still uses a Lamy abc and has done so since 2nd grade, one has a Jinhao x450, and then there's an assorted bunch of not-obviously-branded or recognizable pens around - at least one fairly nice-looking one, and a pretty large amount of dollar store pens.

 

But then again, I'm a humanities student and we're generally a bunch of weirdos.

[Omaslover]

Fascinating responses! Thanks for participating.

 

Please keep on sharing

[dojocho]

I teach wood working in a secondary vocational school an I use pens for everything, from grading to sketching to writing.

 

regards,

Hugo

[Highbinder]

University student.

 

There are quite a few people around who use fountain pens - and at least one I dragged down that rabbit hole, hah.

 

The usual breakdown of writing materials among my fellow students seems to look something like this, although it heavily depends on the course and/or lecture:

FP: ~5%-15% (the same percentage applies to my lecturers and professors, surprisingly - and then there was that one German Lit guy who always had at least three different ones on the desk. Needless to say, we got along swimmingly)

Pencil: ~5-10%

Electronics of some kind: ~15%

BP: ~75-80%

... and yeah, that's a thing I actually pay attention to.

I almost exclusively see Lamy Safaris and Al-Stars, although I think I saw a Pelikano once. I know one person who still uses a Lamy abc and has done so since 2nd grade, one has a Jinhao x450, and then there's an assorted bunch of not-obviously-branded or recognizable pens around - at least one fairly nice-looking one, and a pretty large amount of dollar store pens.

 

But then again, I'm a humanities student and we're generally a bunch of weirdos.

 

Interesting. Out of my class of 25 I am the only FP user. Funny considering you'd expect the non-disposable aspect of FPs to appeal to Environmentalists, but all I see are disposable ballpoints

[OmegaMountain]

 

Interesting. Out of my class of 25 I am the only FP user. Funny considering you'd expect the non-disposable aspect of FPs to appeal to Environmentalists, but all I see are disposable ballpoints

Working in Environmental Protection is the reason why I switched. I didn't want to keep burning through Pilot G-2s - it seemed contradictory to what I do. We're woefully un-environmentally friendly in my office when it comes to office supplies.

[PAKMAN]

Retired Engineer. I did have several folks at work hooked on fountain pens before I left the workforce .

[MuddyWaters]

I'm a psychiatrist and yes I use fountain pens constantly

 

Aspiring to the same (applying to residency this year). What kind of pen do you use? Separate one for personal notes and charts I suppose? Was wondering what nib sizes you find preferable as well.

[oldrifleman]

Senior mechanical engineer/ professional meeting goer in a large corporation where almost no one I know can even believe they still make them. I am one of the old school who writes down notes in a notebook during meetings. They all stare when they figure out that I am not using a cheap ball point.

[Tasmith]

Retired from my first career, US Marine Corps working in avionics.

 

Second career now is a professional architectural photographer.

 

Use fountain pens mainly while doing paperwork in my office. However, I do use them at times as props when shooting interiors.

 

My calligraphy has been noticed and complimented on by clients.

Edited January 4, 2017 by Tasmith

[PorterPie]

Software engineer. I mainly use a Pilot Prera or Lamy Safari for note taking. In the past year, 2 other people have picked up a fountain pen - one has a Safari and the other got a Pilot Vanishing Point. Just today, the person who just dropped off my new keyboard noticed my pens because he uses them too. We had a nice discussion about inks!

[countrydirt]

I'm a high school agriculture teacher. I have never seen another teacher here with a fountain pen but have at least 1 student each year who appears with a fountain pen.

[Erik Dalton]

Ship's Captain

[ehemem]

I profess nothing...

[ParkerDuofold]

Ship's Captain

What a cool job! (It sounds cool at any rate).

 

- Anthony

[ParkerDuofold]

I profess nothing...

That's right! Admit nothing! And never write anything down.

 

- Anthony

[Beauport]

Retired twice; the first as a career US Marine Corps officer and I used a FP occasionally when working in garrison. There were a few others over the years who also used FP's but we were the odd balls in this regard. Second career; a program manager for a large corporation and I used a FP but mostly at home. I only had a single pen and as I attended many meetings and traveled extensively I chose to leave the pen at home.

[TSB]

College professor (physics/geophysics)