Career and its meaning to you

I'm interested in what your job and work means to you.

For me, I need to feel good about what I do and how it contributes to the world but I don't believe what I do defines WHO I am.

Do you do it just because it pays the bills, do you do it also because you love it, does your job contribute significantly to your sense of self worth?

Coming out of college alot of my colleagues went for the big corporate dollar. I chose not to, not purely out of selflessness. I also saw that working for the big firms (we call them the 'Big 5' law firms here) meant that I would pay with a slice of my personal life for every single cent and it would not leave room for much else.

I envisaged myself a haggard, lined forty with a bad home life (yes, call be negative) and went, no thanks.

Of cousrse, you are either working for the "man" or the "machine" and I chose the man.

At least in gov't, I feel I am contributing to people's life, still earn a realistic and decent salary that lets me fulfil my number one love- see the world, and have some kind of life. Of course there is the flip side, which is that even though you are 'apolitical', you actually aren't, and sometime work on policies you disagree wholeheatedly with. Since our gov't has changed to a more leftist one I feel better about my job.

I get very bored in the mutual admiration societies with people blah blahing about how much they billed and how rabid and hardline they are. I prefer to hear about changes you have made that make our world a better place.

My wierd mix of being cyncial and idealistic means I am forever restless, and think maybe soon I might throw in the bigger bucks to go teach little ones, or travel around the world until I land on something that really makes my heart sing.

i live life vicariously instead through my man, being a musician his work both please himself, makes others laugh and smile, and he is fortunate to be able to travel and live on it.

It always makes me laugh seeing grey suits cross the street when he waits for me outside in his rasta bright and long ass dreadlocks, tall and dark as hell.

What about you?

 

Actually my career is really important to me. Like you said you could have chased the big dollar working for the big corporates..Some of my University classmates did just that...I chose not to.For me its about looking forward to going to work everyday, and being mentally stimulated and enjoying what I'm doing. Living in London money is quite important because everything is quite expensive.I studied engineering, and have chosen to stay in the industry for the moment. Engineering pays okay, but I could have followed the route of my other classmates, and worked for an investment bank..but they work nearly double my hours..I'm talking 70 hrs a week here...There is just no work-life balance..its a case of living to work, rather than vice-versa.To me, my personal time is more important then any amount of money..

 

The most important thing to me, is that I enjoy what I do- whatever it is. I could also have had a much "better" job with a higher pay, but it would probably not be a job I enjoy as much.

I try to live my life so that I have a balance between work and personal life that works. For instance, I love travel. So I need to have enough free time to do that, but also enough money to do it.

Education is more important to me than career. For instance I have a friend with an MBA who work in a kindergarten, simply because he like small children. His job makes him come home happy every day. I have great respect for that.

 

I work for health insurance. I do still love aviation, but if it werent for disease and Americas heath care system, I would have retired a while ago.

Personally, I am tired of being a slave to my possessions. I dont want to compete for iPods and BMWs.

I do get a lot of fulfillment out of my political activities. I do a lot of work for different organizations from November Coalition to CAIR to 9to5. Just recently signed up to teach some classes at a new flight school founded by a former Tuskeegee airman for kids age 8-18.

 

Well, I'm still a student, but the whole point of it is to allow me to do a job I love. Heaven help me if the hours are long, because I'll let my personal life suffer in the name of my job, if it comes to that, and I'm sure it will. I've never really had a job I enjoyed, so once I graduate that will be quite an interesting experience. I can't really say much on what I'll be doing, as I'm not sure yet, though my three choices I'm playing around with are either tweening at a 2d animation studio, working on cinematics at a video game company, or heading to hollywood and doing cg graphics for movies. Not to mention I've got a couple scripts for cartoons and comics I'd like to produce indepentantly, and there's always my paintings needing finished...If I'm not careful I'll very likely turn into a crazy workaholic and never sleep after graduation. And it'd be so worth it!

 

I'm studying real hard at the moment to provide for my future family, happy wife = happy life, Dads advice at it's very best

 

I'm still a student, but actually about to graduate in the summer. And career means A LOT to me. it means being indepedent, successful, self-sufficing, harmonious and so on. I do me best to get the job I'll be happy to spend my time at. I just wanna do that i love to do, because I'll fulfil the God's plans for me then. cause i believe everyone is meant for doing something, that he\she can be the best in and do a lot for the people (to help them or make them happy)!

 

Haitian Aussie, I love your Dad's advice!

My career is an expression of who I am. I love the work that I do now and I am taking it a step further by completing another degree so that I can do similar work with more depth and satisfaction. I am a workaholic, I love what I do, I will work till I die because I am doing exactly what I want to do. My work (medicine) will take me around the world and educate me like no school ever can.

I am so excited!

 

just have to say congradulations! :smt038because not everyone can say I love what I do, i'm so excited. this is what I'm trying to reach.

 

I am a Tier 2 Computer Systems Administrator and team lead for a major software company. I do not enjoy what I do. It is not challenging. The pay is good, though.

Up until a few months ago, I'd be at work an hour and a half early every day to prepare. I would stay to all kinds of odd hours at night. Then, my company showed me that I am just another number to them.

Now, I've made the decision to do what I have to do to get paid.... and enjoy the rest of my life.

 

I work in Home Health, and do enjoy it but it doesn't pay well at all, and I drive a lot, and train and constantly deal with caregivers who really don't care, most do but the ones that don't cause a lot of trouble, and I get real tired of the lack of integrity.

I am currently looking to change jobs and get into office management.