What we do for a living

Whitmores75087 · Post by **Whitmores75087** » Sat Sep 14, 2002 10:12 pm

When I was in Thailand on business I met a guy called Paul at an Irish pub. We enjoyed each other's company and I learned about his family and other personal details. When I got back to the US an acquaintance here asked me that this Paul fella did for a living. I din't know because I didn't ask. The American was astounded.
Now I see herethat the thread about what we do for a living has gone into multiple pages. (BTW, I operate a computer keyboard and a phone, and travel now and then.)

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Sat Sep 14, 2002 10:46 pm

People define their whole identity by their job. When they come to the point where they can no longer do that job they have a major identity crisis. Many commit suicide, others die of depression-related ilnesses. It's sad.

Chuck_Clark · Post by **Chuck_Clark** » Sat Sep 14, 2002 11:10 pm

On 2002-09-15 00:46, Walden wrote:
People define their whole identity by their job. When they come to the point where they can no longer do that job they have a major identity crisis. Many commit suicide, others die of depression-related ilnesses. It's sad.

Not everyone. I'm retired, partly for medical reasons, and don't seem to having any great difficulty with being non-productive. Gives me more time to waste on the internet.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Sat Sep 14, 2002 11:20 pm

On 2002-09-15 01:10, Chuck_Clark wrote:

Not everyone.

Of course not everybody, but it's all too common. Most of my great-grandparents adjusted well, and lived relatively contentedly for decades as retirees. But their children, my grandparents, have taken it far worse, having defined themselves so by their jobs.

burnsbyrne · Post by **burnsbyrne** » Sun Sep 15, 2002 9:03 am

I don't remember

Lizzie · Post by **Lizzie** » Sun Sep 15, 2002 9:35 am

Oh, boy, is this me or what! When I left teaching I didn't know what to call myself...like what would I put on a form that asked for 'occupation'? I worked for a publishing company as writer, but 'writer' sounded too pretentious..now I have an Internet business....'entreprenour'? also sounds too pretentious....maybe just 'self-employed' now. Sounds vague.......

msheldon · Post by **msheldon** » Sun Sep 15, 2002 9:58 am

On 2002-09-15 00:46, Walden wrote:
People define their whole identity by their job. When they come to the point where they can no longer do that job they have a major identity crisis. Many commit suicide, others die of depression-related ilnesses. It's sad.

Wow, if that's true, I must be the ultimate in multiple-personalities.

I've been: cook, combat medic, police officer, printer operator, system administrator, computer programmer, graphic designer, vice-president of a printing company, leatherworker and actor/entertainer.

I still do programming, sysadmin, leatherworking and acting.

And these are just the things I get contracted and/or paid to do. My hobby list is nearly twice that long. If I actually tried to define myself by what I do, I'd end up more confused than I already am.

susnfx · Post by **susnfx** » Sun Sep 15, 2002 10:50 am

However....many of us (if not most) do for a living something that is not our dream job - I mean, it's not US. It is a job we do for a paycheck to get through life financially. For instance, I am a medical transcriptionist, but only because of circumstances, chance choices, needing a job NOW, etc., not because it's what I would do if I could really be me. I'd be a wildlife biologist - now THAT'S me!
Susan

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Sun Sep 15, 2002 10:52 am

heh...I'd be a multilingual photojournalist!

susnfx · Post by **susnfx** » Sun Sep 15, 2002 10:54 am

Beth - you're still young - GO FOR IT!

Susan

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Sun Sep 15, 2002 10:57 am

Nah I'm already getting roots but I am still working on the lingual aspect.

There are lots of careers I would have liked to pursue but they wouldn't have given me much of a means of survival unless if I tuedn out to be one of the TOP TOP people in the field...and I'm not motiviated enough to be THAT good! I almost went to school in Boston (hink it was Brown Univ?) for linguistics/egyptology. Good thing I didn't, as I don't like hot weather.

Edited to remove foot from mouth.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: avanutria on 2002-09-15 12:58 ]</font>

Whitmores75087 · Post by **Whitmores75087** » Sun Sep 15, 2002 1:07 pm

This "what do you do" question bugs me. It's really about status. My status has nothing to do with what I work at. (BTW I enjoy my job and make decent money doing it). Next time someone asks me what I do, I think I'll answer: "I scratch a lot".

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » Sun Sep 15, 2002 1:10 pm

I should have been a cowboy.

chattiekathy · Post by **chattiekathy** » Sun Sep 15, 2002 2:32 pm

Well, I should have been a princess

Edited to fix smiley.
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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: chattiekathy on 2002-09-15 16:36 ]</font>

jim_mc · Post by **jim_mc** » Sun Sep 15, 2002 5:42 pm

On 2002-09-15 15:07, Whitmores75087 wrote:
This "what do you do" question bugs me. It's really about status. My status has nothing to do with what I work at. (BTW I enjoy my job and make decent money doing it). Next time someone asks me what I do, I think I'll answer: "I scratch a lot".

I'm afraid that in many cases, you're right. Sometimes, though, it's just a polite question, meant to keep a conversation moving along.

I grew up in a very nice NYC suburb. When people ask where I'm from, they sometimes ask me what my father does! Now there's a really blatant status check! I'm 41 years old. Who should really give a rat's patoot what my father did? I've taken to telling people that he was the town drunk.