Hannah / 19 / VT

“Last year I started working as a cabin counselor/art teacher/kid wrangler at a summer camp for young girls and non-binary folk up in the mountains of central Vermont; it was the hardest work I’ve ever done but also the job that felt the least like work. This photo was taken on the afternoon that we let a bunch of 9-14 year olds go wild with body paint on themselves, and also (as shown here) on their counselors. It was hectic and messy and incredibly fun.

This work is important to me because of everything that we teach the campers; everyone is asked what their pronouns are, there’s  a “no body talk” rule, and we run discussions on race/privilege/gender/etc. While working there I definitely learned and grew just as much as the campers did; middle schoolers have a lot to say about the world if you give them the chance.”

Amelia / 28 / Austin, TX

“My work is usually done behind closed doors in dimly-lit rooms, so my coworkers helped me fake this (poor quality) photo op. As a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist, fire cupping is almost certainly the most visually interesting part of my work (although pulling herbs from the hundreds of jars in the herbal pharmacy is a close second). I just finished my Master’s in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in December, and have been so grateful to be able to start to practice in the real world. So far, the red tape and start up effort has been as crappy as one might expect, but the seeing patients/helping people part has been even more wonderful than I had hoped.”

Emma / 25 / Ontario, Canada

“This is about as much of me as I could get in the photo as I often work alone. While waiting to finish up my Master’s degree, I’ve landed a pretty sweet job in a picture framing studio. After years of academia which, apart from the occasional foray into the field, has mostly involved sitting around reading and writing, it’s so refreshing and satisfying to be able to make something tangible with my hands. My job encompasses everything from helping people choose the best frame and mat for their art (and that’s from over 800 frame options!) to putting the artwork into the frames and making sure everything is both physically secured and aesthetically just so. I can’t exactly say it’s my calling, and I probably won’t do it forever, but it’s a pretty great combination of art and craft.”

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Paige / 22 / American Museum of Natural History, New York City, NY

“In this photo I’m holding the fossil eurypterid that I’m creating a 3D digital reconstruction of from CT scanned images of the fossil (pictured on the screen behind me). I work at the AMNH part time and a deli part time (not organized enough to also get a photo at the deli). Two very different but cool jobs!”

Quel / 29 / Lisbon, Portugal

“I work as a sculptor and I’m very lucky I get to do what I love. In this picture I was worried I wasn’t going to finish that piece in time and I didn’t… but all is good!”

Esmé / 23 / At my desk at home in Dublin, Ireland

“In my day job I’m a website administrator but I couldn’t get a photo in the office, so instead here I am at my desk at home.
I’m trying to write a personal essay about leaving my home as a teen and then returning as an adult, it’s part of a long attempt to fight off 2 years of severe writer’s block!”

Valerie Anne / 30 / Chelsea, Manhattan, NY

“I’m a copywriter during the day, and 90% of my work is digital, so if I only had work-related things on my desk, it would be the saddest desk of all time, therefore I have spent the past seven years collecting gadgets and gizmos aplenty. It’s very ME, if I do say so myself. (My computer background, displayed on the left, is a Business of Ferrets, and on the right I have open a folder of Supergirl screenshots because sometimes I finish up my recaps on my lunch break at my day job.)”

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Rachel / 28 / Milwaukee WI

“I’m the Managing Editor of Autostraddle dot com. This is my home office, with its one tiny window looking directly into my neighbor’s kitchen, so I can watch their cat and houseplants all day.”

Julia / 22 / Geospatial Centroid, Fort Collins, CO

“I’m a GIS (Geographic Information Systems/Science) intern. Though I work in a windowless office and sit at a computer most of the day, my job is super great. My boss is kind and energetic. I’ve become spoiled by having two monitors, and there is no strict dress code to adhere to. As an intern, I analyze data and try to understand the world through maps. Here, I am making giant metadata (data about data!) spreadsheets. I hope to someday work at a humanitarian aid organization doing crisis mapping or something similar.”

Olivia (she·her) / 20 / Reno, NV

“I work as a sales associate at a pet store, this is me posing with a bird we had for sale. My job involves a lot of education on proper pet nutrition and care (your dogs need meat, people!). The unnecessary suffering caused by peoples’ lack of knowledge about animal care is staggering and I am passionate about minimizing it as much as I can. Also getting to play with ferrets and birds is a big plus.”