How are you employed

[oso97]

Well, I have a "career" I guess you could say. Highly educated, highly trained, with benefits and room for advancement and promotion. Regular training on new and upcoming things. I enjoy it, but at the end of the day - its just a way to make money to support me until my fencing salle develops to the point where I can do that full time.

[Ledá]

paying for education in the US is very difficult. The best Universities in the US are around $35,000 for tuition alone plus another $10,000 in room board and compulsory fees. Usually state universities are cheaper but sometimes they are not as good. I am looking at a university in Canada because it is much cheaper and has excellent uducation.

Holy! What! wow! I thought I had it rough as a student! I'm paying £1750 in fees and £1600 in board and I thought I was getting jyped cus I'm paying it all! For most people the government pays most if it! they are giving me a £2000 interest free loan ayear till i'm done! If I never earn more than £15000 after tax a year in my job then I don't have to pay it back!

I'm a freelance journalist...not steady money but still pretty good!

[JackOfHearts]

I used to do some writing for an online videogame magazine. It was distributed in .PDF format, but it didn't last. *shrugs* such is my experiance in journalism.

I earn my way by cashiering at the local target. The money is alright. It pays for the books and classes, at least, and the occasional piece of fencing gear.

[parrythis]

I had a friend once who decided to leave the place where he and I worked. He had this other "dream job" all lined up in another part of the country. He was all excited. While I was happy for him, before he left I took him aside and advised him that there is no such thing as "the perfect job". He did not, of course, believe me and off he went to pursue his dreams.

A few years later, I got in touch with him and asked him how things were going. He confided that the job that he thought was going to be great wasn't so great after all. I refrained from saying, "I told you so."

A job is a job is a job. It's fun at first because it's something new. After dealing with about 100 situations in which you do something that makes no sense to you whatsoever, but you do it because your idiot manager tells you that you have to, you start to realize, you're living someone else's dream. Somewhere out there, somebody owns that company, and THEY have a dream. The people that work for that person are just cogs in the works. The relationship between employer and employee is one born out of mutual need. If either one's need evaporates, so does the relationship. Trust me on this.

The only way to have a dream job is to be the person with the dream. Start your own business. Make it what you want it to be. Keep to your core values and live your dream. You can't do that working for somebody else.

[Inquartata]

I refrained from saying, "I told you so."

Bah! This is one of the main comforts of pessimism! Why deny yourself? What are you, an ascetic or something?

[Ledá]

i love my job v much fun! I'm getting flown to London to go to the pub for my staff do!! hahahahahahaha!

[gojujay]

I'm working towards retirement. I have a good retirement package. At 50, I could retire with about 2/3 of my then current income, and for each additional year worked, I could retire with 3% more up to 90% by the time I'm 58!! The job isn't a perfect fit with my personality, but needing to provide for my family outweighed the quest for perfection. Still, if I hit the lottery, all my coworkers would see are a$$holes and elbows as I left

[Fencergrl]

We're looking at retiring within the next 5 years. My husband will definitely retire as he's got a great pension. I might retire at 47 or keep working and building up my RRSP’s…. Depends on how the figures look. I don’t care either way, so long as we get to move out of the city and into the country.

[Inquartata]

if I hit the lottery, all my coworkers would see are a$$holes and elbows as I left

You have multiple a$$holes?!

[gojujay]

You have multiple a$$holes?!

I'll be moving so fast it'll look like it!!

[Inquartata]

I'm not even going to ASK what sort of job requires you to work naked!

[sabreur]

I think I'm pretty much with Quart on this one.

My job is a way to pay my bills and sustain a very comfortable lifestyle.

I consider myself a kind of technical professional--I have a high-level set of education, skills, experience and abilities, and I get asked to apply them and solve problems, or even better, prevent problems from happening. There is a certain satisfaction that comes from solving or preventing problems, and from doing high-quality work. But I certainly do not identify myself with my work.

My true loves are writing, working with my dogs, fencing, photography and reading literature, especially medieval and Renaissance lit. The odds that anyone would pay me a tenth of my current income for doing any of those things is slim to none. I keep my work world in its own box, don't work stupid hours (except for the very occasional crisis that can't be resolved during normal hours), and don't worry too much about it.

The day I can retire will be the day I retire--I've been making the necessary investments for years to ensure that is possible. I should be able to pull the plug when I'm in my late 50's.

At that time, I will probably buy a small sheep farm near a major university, where the climate suits me and there is reasonably good fencing available, and devote myself to the pursuits above.

MR