Do you like your job/career

[Colossus]

I am trying to figure out where my passion is now a days.  I wanted to go into aviation or law enforcement when I was a kid but both of those dreams are dead due to bad non-correctable health.  I've been a project manager in the telecom industry for much of the past 10 years but I've been out of work mostly the past year and a half as I care for my dear sweet old widowed mother who is succumbing to cancer and only has a few more months left.  Once she is gone, I have no idea what I am going to do.  I was anticipating croaking from a heart attack or something before she did, she should have lived to be 90 or so with how healthy she ate and all that crap but alas.. like my father- who died from a massive heart attack at age 56 while out exercising despite having had a physical and heart stress test a few months prior which he passed with flying colors.. there are no guarantees.  eat right, stay fit, die anyway.  I add to that now.. eat crappy, die happy.   

[zach1990]

Fulltime Paramedic for a private company. Love every minute of it. Even got the experiance of helping with the Hurricane Florence relief recently. The hours suck at times 24 to 48 hours at a time, but that's standard. Wouldn't trade it for the world.

 

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[pronstar]

Love it.
Spent 23 years in automotive advertising, at the factory level. Working at a large advertising agency has its perks.

Now I work in car prep and transportation for carmaker/advertising/film/TV industries. Basically for a vendor I used when I was in agency life.

Loved my first career.
Am really loving my second career.


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[RecurveBow]

Reading some of these replies and it got me thinking about what my wife and I talked about the other day. I think few people actually have a passion for what they do. In other words, I think most of us just fall into a career and either enjoy it, tolerate it, or flat out hate it. What I mean is, my wife is an Orthopedist. She felt the call for the medical field from the time she was in elementary school. Her sister is an Ophthalmologist and in similar fashion, knew what she wanted out of life. So, when I say few, I simply mean a minority of us have a true calling/passion. A majority of us just have a path we have to find and graduate high school or college and work in a few fields until we find something we can stay in. I can't go into detail with what I do for various reasons, but it was my case. I started out in a job I hated and worked my way into a field I actually enjoy. It isn't my passion, but I don't dread coming to work. I make great money and have a ton of time off to pursue my passion bow hunting. 

 

To sum it up (I thought of a better way to explain what I'm saying), people like my wife look at their "job" as a life, career, and hobby and will do it as long as they are able. She doesn't mind 12 hour days and will come home and study techniques in her field. A majority of us look at our job as a means to pursue other passions. Our jobs buy us a house, put food on the table, pay the bills, pay for vacations, and allows us to have a hobby. 

[Kbzeluck]

I don't mind my career. It just comes down to how well the company you work for operates. Which my current one is ran like a drunk teenager looking for his car keys in the dark. Pay is okay for not having a college degree worth while. But the best perks is the people you come in contact with and the relationships you make with customers. Makes for great side work which is where the real money is made. 

[j-ten-ner]

Having worked my way up into the management, that's what it feels like, sometimes...

 

 

I still love my job and I have great co-workers.

 

so long

j-ten-ner

Edited December 9, 2018 by j-ten-ner

[93S15Dave]

When I got out of the Navy in '79, I took my GI Bill to the community college and said I want me an edukation.

They said:  What do you like to do?

I said:  I like to help people, you know, like stop at car crashes and stuff like that.

They suggested I pursue the Paramedic profession, so I did.

Been one (except for a little break in the late 80's) ever since.

Threw in the fire side of the biz in the early 90's.....Fire/Medic.

Moved up the food chain, found it not to be satisfying at all....remembered what the college asked me in '79, and returned to the "line" in '07......

I LOVE MY JOB

[jimmyboy8301]

Been in public safety / law enforcement since i was 18 and have 7.5 years left. I love my job but hate the trends that are going on so 7.5 years can’t go fast enough. I have one more rank to achieve then I’ll be on cruise control until retirement.

 

 

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[SteveC]

On 7/29/2018 at 12:12 PM, starman8tdc said:

There is not much future working for someone else.

 

I highly recommend becoming self employed. 

 

Just follow your passion. Do what you like to do. 

That’s a problem in this country. I think many more people would do this if they didn’t have to worry about benefits like health insurance. Many people are a slave to their current occupation because of this issue.

[SnakeEyeSS]

On 12/1/2018 at 11:32 AM, j-ten-ner said:

Having worked my way up into the management, that's what it feels like, sometimes...

 

 

I still love my job and I have great co-workers.

 

so long

j-ten-ner

At my work the management becomes reliant on algorithms to tell them how to manage, and get so used to it you can watch as their intelligence goes down over time. A few years ago, they started making us use tech for what we used to just use our brain for, and productivity has gone to crap, because the tech is slower as it has to communicate instructions, and they now keep workers around that would have never made it in the past. Guess what happens when the tech doesn't work one day.....can't wait to watch the madness unfold when the power goes out for a few days. 

Edited December 10, 2018 by SnakeEyeSS

[j-ten-ner]

4 minutes ago, SnakeEyeSS said:

At my work the management becomes reliant on algorithms to tell them how to manage, and get so used to it you can watch as their intelligence goes down over time. A few years ago, they started making us use tech for what we used to just use our brain for, and productivity has gone to crap, because the tech is slower as it has to communicate instructions, and they now keep workers around that would have never made it in the past. Guess what happens when the tech doesn't work one day.....can't wait to watch the madness unfold when the power goes out for a few days. 

Funny that you say that.

In my business it's quite the opposite.

The old technology required more physical effort to get the job done AND go home in one piece.

The new technology requires more maintenance and a solid understanding of how it's functioning. Once you understand that concept, you'll be more efficient and get the job done faster.

However, I have the hardest time of my life to bring this point across.

The same guys who used the old equipment in the past were complaining about getting dirty and the risks involved by operating it.

Now they have new stuff. They can stand 30' away, no dirt and out of harms way and still do not appreciate the advantage of the new technology.

Simple steps to keep the equipment clean and dry are ignored. At the end of the day they just toss it in the work truck and the next day I'll get a call " this POS doesn't work". And it's even funnier when they start to argue, like I'm fresh out of school.

 

so long

j-ten-ner

[K2xxSteve]

I'm in my early 40's and an engineer. I've worked in the cellular phone industry, defense industry, and currently work in RFID. I used to be really enthusiastic about just about everything I'd worked on, but my perspective changed when I was diagnosed with cancer earlier in my 30's. I'm very blessed that I was able to be cured, but working on the latest electronic widget that either everybody would forget about in a year or wouldn't care about at all (technologies that are largely invisible to most people) just wasn't fulfilling any more after that. I guess maybe I was happier working in defense, but no real reason to leave where I've been. Great people, interesting technology, and an unbeatable 1 mile commute. 

 

It's great if you can make a career doing what you're passionate about, but times change, people change, and lives change as far as what you care about, too. I'm not sure what else I'd rather be doing, but engineering pays the bills. Some non-profit and volunteer work on the side in the past definitely helped me feel like I made a difference in the world somehow, and that's important when you feel like your days are numbered with an uncertain future. Life could always be better, but I'm happy with what I've done and what I've achieved, and most definitely appreciate what I've got.

I think in a parallel universe I became a pilot. Have always been interested in aviation and love the engineering aspects of all sorts of aircraft, but the career and all of the time away from home just isn't viable with two kids, a disabled adult that we care for, a dog, and a wife who is a busy professional also. If I'm blessed enough to make it to 50, I think I'm going to reward myself by finally taking flight lessons and getting my private pilot license, and that will be a dream fulfilled. Engineering will pay for my flight lessons, too.       

[rkj__]

Work, well, it's ok.  It's not a passion for me, just a job.  It's the people I work with that make all the difference as to how much I enjoy my time at work. 

[Mikebtte]

I worked for myself once and it was the best time I ever had, I really enjoyed myself. Unfortunately I was not able to maintain that career and perform my Navy reserve commitment. I started and hourly career to keep the Reserves strong and have hated work since. Currently attending collage in hopes of growing. 

[pronstar]

Transitioning to become a full-time house flipper/rental property owner within the next two years (hopefully).

Terrifying and exciting at the same time.
It’s not gonna be easy leaving my career/steady paycheck.