Nope, I work for a large tech company selling enterprise class servers...

Yup and I'm one lucky man . I started my own arcade and pinball tech business 4 years ago ( Reeds arcade and pinball repair) and i love it ! I couldn't have done it without a very supporting wife and really cool people in the hobby and forums like this one. It lets me meet really great people and keep the love for arcade games alive. I still have a lot to learn and experience but wouldn't change it for anything . I love pinball and arcades and haven't lost the passion at all . I love not knowing what game I'll get to work on next or pinball that I can shop to bring back to life. I hope most people really get to experience doing something you love like I have .

BS, you're an undercover site moderator and I know it.

Thumbs up! Well said and congrats.

Producer but I am glad the Duggers were finally canceled! I do not miss it!

Was that one of your shows?

What day job? You guys have a job?

No, but the 17' box truck I use for my business has come in handy a few times for picking up pins!

Higgs Boson, bitches.

My day job is golf media-related. Not bad.

I was born into the industry. Learned as I went. Still doing the same.

LTG : )™

Electrician somewhat glad I don't work in the business. If I did who knows what I would do to escape from work. I find peace and quiet shopping pinballs and arcade games.

Well the job that pays my bills is lighting up rock stars...I like to say I make rock stars look good.

But 4 years ago I started volunteering to help clean pins, that lead to repair, that lead to being paid. So for one day a week I get paid to play pinball..uh I mean, maintain pinball machines. That has lead to a couple house calls and now I have a couple requests to be an 'operator', meaning a couple local businesses have approached me about putting machines in their businesses, which I may end up following through with. (Yes. I have looked into local codes,etc)

Have I really made much at it...no. I have put a fair amount of what I get paid back into parts etc for the place I 'work'. But it is a blast and I think it helps to break even on an addiction, uh, I mean hobby.

Yes

I wish, I don't think my boss would approve of me stuffing a pin inside my helicopter. Although it would make stops way more enjoyable.

Slap down another electrician. I aspire to do more though. I enjoy working on the machines quite a bit. I like the change of pace versus my job. Now if I could ever finish this old house I would have more time for hobbies, pins, mountain bikes, motorcycles, and family.

This is my story as well only 11years ago this past Tuesday I opened Lyons Classic Pinball. It has been a blast. Not easy but fun, mostly happy people coming in and most thank me for being there and I can tell it is truly heart felt.
Thanks to all of you who have been a part of our success .

Lucky bastards!

My background was computer sales, then I spent about 10 years in IT department side of a few insurance companies, but since 2005 I've been running www.bigdaddy-enterprises.com. For the last 3-4 years, it is for sure a "full time job", despite what some of my friends & relatives think!

Not really unless you want to call being part of the design/engineering team on the new mustang involved since Stern is doing a machine based on it

No I did not produce that show, I did all the ariel shoots on the show.

Started with aviation radio for 15 years, now I run three SMT lines building medical electronics.

The pin business is more of a weekend / early morning business that doesn't give me paychecks very often.

Good, I can say I hate that show now.

PC technician, nope. However, being in the hobby has taught me a lot about electronic theory and repair. I was able to fix a broken USB port on a laptop. The culprit? Yep, bad solder joints.

Needs thread: How to find a day job in pinball.

It's like the old adage...

How to you make a small fortune in pinball?
Start with a large one.

I do industrial maintenance. I like to separate my hobbies and jobs.

Yup. I'm a video game designer, and I use lessons I've learned from pinball design in my work.

Gov. computers do not allow access to Pinside. One of many sites they block. Trust me on that one.

I currently work as a welder/maintenance mechanic. I deal with transformers, rectifiers, relays, switches, motors, lighting, optos, limit switches, etc, etc, etc. Just on a much bigger scale. Attended a training seminar with these giant "trainer boards" and in the end I told the instructor to just get some old EMs. (The US Navy actually used them to train airplane electricians once upon a time. If you could diagnose an EM, you could fix the planes...) Principles are the same, just compacted. As to the subject at hand; if by related you mean fixing 30 year old equipment that other people have screwed up(but will never own up to it) by sourcing hard to find parts and using some high end diagnostic knowledge alongside backyard engineering, then yes. It is related.

My background is aviation management, currently doing QA type work for a major airline. The pinball fever came on suddenly and severely a few years back and as far as I can tell no cure is in sight.

I'm not sure if it's my "day job" yet, but I make more money working on pins these days than my "day job".

I used to own a bowling alley, but it was too small for pins. When the economy tanked, so too did the bowling alley - we lost just about everything. Today, I'm always looking for work - and I've done okay fixing pins over the last few years. This year, my wife opened an arcade and I maintain the pins there. Basically, we're going for broke, because we're not making enough money at our other jobs to maintain the house, etc.

The arcade has done okay so far, I'm hoping things pick up more sooner...or things will get ugly fast!

Dude where are you located my buddy literally told me about a place in Weymouth yesterday!

I'm a software architect for a retailing company who is just a few years from retirement. I keep thinking I'll open an arcade when I retire, but it would need to make enough to be at least self supporting. I learned my pinball repair in reverse time order starting with a late 90's SS game moving backwards through the 80's, 70's 60's and even a 1955 PNB. It's fascinating to see how fast the technology evolved and am sure we can't imagine what this hobby will be like in 50 more years.

On Route 3A in Weymouth, on the right, about a mile past the Fore River Bridge - Pop Bumpers Pinball.

I'll be working there tonight between 6 and 9! Stop by if you have the time tonight.

http://pinside.com/pinball/map/where-to-play/pop-bumpers-pinball-6255-north-weymouth-ma-united-states

So this is what happened to American productivity. Clean out your desk. You're all fired. Now go home and play pinball.

Sure do wish you the best and hope that Pinsiders in the area will support you.

I'll def be swinging in at some point. Love supporting endeavors like this!

While you are waiting to be fired, visit pinside!

I market Quibids through Craigslist using pinball machines as the bait, so... yes?

Me too. I'd love to see this become successful enough that we can try a bigger place, etc.

Awesome! Bring a whole crew of people! Make sure you let me know when you get here. It's a cool meeting Pinsiders in the "real world".

Loosely. I repair industrial LASER machines and Press Brakes. And those machines could be used to produce parts for pinball machines.

I work as a handyman, and when its slow or rainy, or crappy, I restore machines in my basement, and a little customizing too!!!KISS final 001.JPGcentaur pf 001.JPGspace invaders with flash 001.JPG

You are the one that's getting all the great name pins for cheap!!! LOL!!!

Space invaders 3d looks cool!

I'm one of the guys thats breaks the kind of stuff you repair lol. The company I work for bought a laser table recently going in the new addition. So I get to run the plasma and the laser apparently. Now I will actually be able to make decent looking parts for my games after I get past the learning curve.

yes,30 years

...maybe in the US...