Are you happy with your career choice/profession?

[Party Elephant]

Originally Posted by Galakanokis

Any truth to this or am I missing out on a another CP inside joke? Both are entirely possible.

Pretty sure it's a joke. I think if albertaGQ was really Curtis Glencross he wouldn't be that coy about it.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Locke

I could see you as a Cop.

Maybe a fish cop!

I work for myself and I love it. I echo a lot of the sentiments from Locke here when I say that I meet a lot of great people and try my best to help them out. I also find some aspects of my business fascinating. I left a 9-5 job to enter the career and at the time I'm sure my family was thinking "what the hell is he doing?!" but frankly I just wanted to work for myself and do what I enjoyed.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Slava

Maybe a fish cop!

I work for myself and I love it. I echo a lot of the sentiments from Locke here when I say that I meet a lot of great people and try my best to help them out. I also find some aspects of my business fascinating. I left a 9-5 job to enter the career and at the time I'm sure my family was thinking "what the hell is he doing?!" but frankly I just wanted to work for myself and do what I enjoyed.

I could never work for anyone else again. Its a night and day change and I dont think I could go back.

And yeah, I could see troutman working for Canada Fish and Wildlife. That could be his retirement plan. Great benefits.

[CaptainCrunch]

I like the company I work for

I like the people I work for

Sometimes what I do makes me realize that its not what I want to do much longer.

[pylon]

It depends on the day.

When I am getting blasted for other peoples screw-ups, or factors out of my control, I really wish I was just running my own company. It is also frustrating working in a team where you have 2/3 of the team kicking ass and, and 1/3 just coasting along with a minimal effort or care.

When things are going smooth though, I love what I do.

[Ozy_Flame]

Anyone aspiring to be a project manager in any industry - can you please just be good at it?

Thanks,

Ozy

[wwkayaker]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

I would suggest doing a comprehensive vocational appraisal. Many of the things that were highlighted in that testing for me were things I didn't imagine being possible and 6 years later I'm in the thick of it doing them.

It might really alleviate some of the things 'blocking' you from looking elsewhere.

Agreed. I have done several aptitude tests and it turns out that my current position in education is amongst the poorest fits. Chemical and materials engineering are tops. Ironically, I started college in chemical engineering and dropped out as partying took priority. I have been doing calculus and chemistry through Athabasca Univeristy and find I enjoy it and am quite capable.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Locke

I could never work for anyone else again. Its a night and day change and I dont think I could go back.

.

See and I hated working for myself.

[wwkayaker]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

When I got out of teaching I didn't know what I wanted to do, needed money so I took a job that went in the direction I thought I wanted to go in.

I met with an industrial psychologist and we did some testing over a series of days. A lot of testing. They helped explain where my skill set and interests overlapped and pointed me to some fields/industries I might find rewarding.

At the time I wasn't really ready to take the advice but it's ringing true now.

The person who did my testing isn't in practice any more so I can't give a personal recommendation, but there's gotta be loads of companies/people doing it, especially in the Calgary area due to their high concentration of management positions.

Very interesting. I have never heard of an industrial psychologist. I relied on aptitude tests, skills appraisals, etc but all done online through various career sites. Alis.gov.ab.ca has many resources. I am now off to google industrial psychologists. Thanks..

[Finger Cookin]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Maybe if they jazz it up with funky lighting and rock music, it will make it more exciting. Those access codes aren't going to find themselves.

I would watch this show.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Finger Cookin

I would watch this show.

You are a glutton for punishment sir.

[Stormageddon]

I work for a large electrical utility as an Electrical Technologist (power system electrician). I love my job. Good money, good benefits, work in my home town, I work with 2 other guys on my crew and we get along fantastic. There are other crews around Alberta and I could safely say that I would not love my job so much if it wasn't for my co-workers, my team lead in particular.

It's about the perfect situation for me and I don't see myself changing jobs, just moving up to team-lead when I get the chance. Unless something unforeseen happens and I lose my job, in which case I'll go farming with my in-laws 15 minutes away.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Johnny199r

I'm a lawyer and don't really like it anymore. I used to, but now I'm a bit jaded by the fact that there's so many #######s in it and so much B.S. I've certainly lost any passion I had for it.

I'm actually jealous of my pal who works as a heavy duty equipment mechanic. Gets to be outside, B.S around with the boys, not always having to worrying about stupid complaints. I'm seriously considering going into the field (I'm in my early 30s with no kids, no debts and some money saved up)

How about everyone else?

Another lawyer here. I graduated about 8 years ago.

IMO the biggest issue with the current practice of law is that the firm model is broken. Law firms simply cannot afford to function and pay their lawyers a fair wage. They've also increased the workload substantially as customers have become much tighter on what a billable hour looks like. So you've got a situation where young lawyers are doing more but less interesting work for far less pay. It also doesn't help that many of the "perks" like cocktail lunches have been stripped from the job.

I found at all the law firms I worked at, other lawyers looked at you as a competitor or cheap labour...or possibly someone they wanted to harass if you were a good looking young female. Lawyers, particularly those at larger firms, were not a good group of people to be around.

I also found many senior lawyers at bigger firms to be just straight out incompetent and offer little in the way of mentorship. They'd gotten to the position they were in by screwing other lawyers over or having family connections. In order to stay on long term at the large firms, you need to be a "rainmaker". The issue is how are you going to do that if your locked in your office 12 hours a day with little interaction with clients.

A few months ago I moved to a small firm, where I will be working on 100% commission. It's a big risk, but I'm also being given the opportunity to build my own practice. I get to chose which clients I take. I've taken a big pay cut this year, but if does work out, I'll be potentially making much more in the future.

It might be an option to look into before you consider abandoning law altogether.

[fulham]

I Inherited a Multi-Res Real Estate company based in Vancouver, from my father when he passed away suddenly, just after finishing my Economics Degree at UofC.

I love real estate, Creating value that others didn't see is rewarding for me.

I love meeting other people who are equally passionate about their job(even Competitors)

I hate the fact that I fully support many members of my family, thru jobs My father gave despite knowing that they were not remotely capable

Nothing more irritating than, watching my family live a more lavish lifestyle than myself while paying for all of it.

I love my work, and working for myself, but i hate the "family" aspect of my business

[Igottago]

Like many in this city, I work in the energy sector. Good pay, good people. Projects can be interesting, but lets face it, aspects of it can be mundane as well. I often wonder about the possibility of getting out of "work" and into doing your life's work. That thing that you really pour your soul into. Is that even a real thing? Every line of work will have its ups and downs, but at the end of your career will you look back with a degree of satisfaction with what you did?

I'll always remember when my old boss retired a few years back, and gave a small speech to the team. He said -- I'll miss the people, but I won't miss the work. That line has stayed with me. He spent most of his working life doing something and couldn't wait not to be doing it anymore. I wonder if I can avoid being in the same boat when I retire.

[Locke]

Jesus, this place is nothing but Accountants and Lawyers, someone ought to just drop a bomb on the whole place.

[Finger Cookin]

Originally Posted by Igottago

I often wonder about the possibility of getting out of "work" and into doing your life's work. That thing that you really pour your soul into. Is that even a real thing?

It's not.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Finger Cookin

It's not.

I think you can do it, but you have to "work" (ie support yourself) at the same time. If your comfortable doing anything from Walmart greeter on up to try and support "your life's work" all the power to you IMO.

[Johnny199r]

Originally Posted by MattyC

I think you can do it, but you have to "work" (ie support yourself) at the same time. If your comfortable doing anything from Walmart greeter on up to try and support "your life's work" all the power to you IMO.

Yes, like a lot of musicians with crappy day jobs.

[calf]

Originally Posted by Locke

Or have the lab guy staring intently at the screen...

"Enhance...*tap, tap*"

Or put CRA paper in one of those little test-tubes with liquid in them and then spin them around.

"Analyzing!"

Nope. Still dull as hell.

Boss: Dammit, Jim, these numbers just don't add up!!

Jim: My Excel formula was wrong, it's fixed now.

/Scene