Are you happy with your career choice/profession?

[IliketoPuck]

Originally Posted by Locke

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

Don't forget us former bankers and finance types!

[Locke]

Originally Posted by calf

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

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

/Scene

"These Document Control Numbers just dont make sense. I see....theres more than one Joe Smith! Diabolical!"

If this show's target market is: "Incredibly Baked Stoners" it might just have a chance.

"Yeah man....that guy's accrued future tax liability account is so totally unbalanced...he hasnt accounted for his timing differences properly!! Dude...."

[V]

When I think of doing my life's work, I ask myself, would I do this job if I won the lottery? I have a hard time imagining anything that I would do long term if I didn't have to support myself financially.

[millhouse11]

IT for 27 years. First 17, loved it. Last 10 years have gotten progressively worse. This past year was hell, and my wife talked me into quitting this past June...I think I was getting pretty tough to live with. Now I fix bikes in my garage. Much happier, and zero stress.

[polak]

Originally Posted by calf

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

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

/Scene

Story of my life. Except I inherited an Access database that is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaay over the limits of Access as a database program.

[Travis Munroe]

Great thread and very interesting to read what everyone has posted.

I always did well in school. Never had any concerning grades but also wasnt at the top of my class. Being quite active with extra curricular activities outside of the classroom kept me happy vs stuck inside studying but I knew I didn't want to go to post secondary unless I absolutely knew what I wanted to do and knew that I would love it.
I have always considered myself to be extremely efficient at anything I do which had me leading towards careers where you are paid by how much work you actually get done.

All in all, I became a Realtor at 19. The first several years bring in a negative income which is why something like 80% of Realtors quit in the first few years. Being 19, I didn't have a family to support or a mortgage to pay so I was fine with putting my time in.
Nearly a decade later, I could not imagine doing anything else. The hours are long (often 10 hour days 5 days a week and a couple of 4-5 hour days however it is barely work when you look forward to the following day.

I couldn't imagine myself being married, having a family and making the career change with the years of no pay. It would be way too stressful and has to be one of the large reason so many in my "real estate course" lasted less than a year. I consider myself lucky getting into something I enjoy at such a young age.

[Nufy]

Originally Posted by V

I have a hard time imagining anything that I would do long term if I didn't have to support myself financially.

This...

I enjoy what I do (Engineering), but if I didn't have two kids a year or two away from post secondary, I would be working a trade job somewhere instead.

Until then I suck it up and carry on...

[You Need a Thneed]

Already shared what I do, but I'll share some more about what I like about it.

I get to see very tangible results of my work. Two years ago, there was nothing there, and two years from now, 500+ people will call it home. I make decisions that will hopefully make the experience of living there a pleasant experience.

I'm not stuck in an office all day. My job is sometimes in the office, sometimes on the job site, sometimes in meetings somewhere else, sometimes doing various running around. Every day is different than the last.

I'm not working for myself, so I don't have the pressure that that brings. However, I have lots of freedom to do what I need to do. I'm trusted to make the decisions that need to be made.

There's lots of potential to grow, and the company is setup fairly well to whether economic hard times. In our office, we literally just turned the last bit of space remaining in the main area (was a storage room) into an office, cause someone was hired, and needed a office, and everything else was taken.

[Galakanokis]

What would I do if money was no issue? Other than nothing or two chicks at once?

When I spent the weekend in Gibsons and area all I could think about was what a great job it would be to just be a general handyman in a town like that. I lot of summer places to keep up and aging retires that can't quite do the little things around the house anymore. I imagine you could keep yourself quite busy without having to take on too much. Kids out playing, cold beer in the fridge when I get home. Not too much to ask.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by fulham

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.

Regarding the 'remotely capable' part, then why continue doing it? Serious question, unless you're exaggerating.

[Nsd1]

Growing up I never really aspired to be anything. Nothing interested me and I didn't know what I wanted to do. I have a job now but it will never be more that a job, something to survive day to day. I still don't know what I want to do. I recently got into achitecture. Creatiing and building something out of nothing sounds enticing.Anyone work in architecture? Commercial or residential drafting? I know starting out will just be grunt work but I'm curious what the job is like a few years down the road.

[Party Elephant]

Originally Posted by Nsd1

Growing up I never really aspired to be anything. Nothing interested me and I didn't know what I wanted to do. I have a job now but it will never be more that a job, something to survive day to day. I still don't know what I want to do. I recently got into achitecture. Creatiing and building something out of nothing sounds enticing.Anyone work in architecture? Commercial or residential drafting? I know starting out will just be grunt work but I'm curious what the job is like a few years down the road.

I've always dreamed of pretending to be an architect

[Robotic]

Originally Posted by Cameron Swift

You're my hero right now. I've gotta ask though... married? kids? etc....

No kids, and not married. However I do have a girl friend who's very understanding and allows me to pursue my dream.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Fascinating thread.

a great prof convinced me to take what I enjoyed. So I did. And it was great. But didn't like the work.

Since then I've never really had 'a career' but have done things that I thought were interesting til they weren't, then found something else. I always had one eye on what am I learning and what could I do next though. Sometimes I think my lax career planning was a mistake but reading this makes me think the trade off is probably ok.

I've always done a lot of volunteer stuff too. Whatever my job was missing in things I enjoyed I found a volunteer gig to fill, and for me at least it's been helpful both personally and professionally.

[Sylvanfan]

My job would be more satisfying if not for the poverty level salary. But I get out of bed and do it every day. It's interesting because the work impacts production in a manufacturing plant, and on the construction site, than add in having to manage people, it doesn't get dull.

No doubt I would rather be a golf pro, or be in sports media. But like many other draftsman. I hate myself and love misery...so Ilike the job. Unfortunately a VCR repairman or womens shoe salesman is paid better. As they say, accountants who can draw.

[V]

Learn Microstation and come to the utility, man. All of my draftspeople make over 40 bucks an hour. With a nice cushy pension. Leave the consulting world behind!

[vegasbound]

I'm in the beginning stages of finding a career/job. Originally went to school for Agriculture and then realized how crappy the Ag industry was at the time and my family decided to sell out of our family farm on a whim and life changed and switched schools. Now about to graduate next year with a useless degree. Now thinking about moving down to the coast to try something different and a friend said I'd always have a job at his farm if I wanted it so really trying to get back into the Ag industry. I have a very well paying job in Calgary that I fell into but I despise it. I don't want that type of job to be my career. My ideal job would be something that pays decent and enough flexibility so that I can go rodeo on weekends.

[DylanScores]

I am a proud Registered Nurse. Its tough emotionally, mentally and physically as I work long hours and do shift work, but I seriously enjoy it.

[Jets4Life]

I was recently laid off my job, but I loved Land Surveying. I also really liked Line Locating. Unfortunately, I completed a year in Occupational health and Safety, which I tried for a couple of months, and realized it was not for me.

I hope I can find a job surveying again, and this time really take advantage of my respective company's training. I just wish i had taken it in post-secondary school back in the late 90s.

[Sr. Mints]

I'm in this sorta existential crisis at the moment, where I feel like I work all day just to pay bills, then go to sleep. Repeat. And I'm going to do this until I die and what in the hell is the point, there has to be more.