Do you like your job?

I know it sounds like an easy answer, but I was wondering how many PP guys really can honestly say they like their job.
I'm sure we could all do something we like more, but I'm asking if you're happy with what you make in salary and your day to day routine at work.
Is it time to reasses the career or stay right where you are?

JD

I'm good with mine.

at age 45 sh!t! i am sure every job has it's repetitive crap. there is only one job that i feel could be great. the repetitive drudgeries would be welcomed. hugh hefner has the job of jobs.

Dear Mr. GayBar-

You are not only the president of the oregon twenty club, you are probably just 20. Put in a few more years on the wheel of life and then ask again.

As for me, I'm a figurehead with no spending limit, I have a prune for a wife, and a secret romance with AuntyM. I'm good here.

love mine you can't beat retirement

Which one?

As I [censored] canned work and joined the ranks of the retired, I can say I like my present job, hours required, and overall job environment.

Retired is a really good occupation!!!!

Banker job is a bit of a bummer at the moment, and will likely be that way for a few years. Sad seeing folks I know take a turn for the worse.

The contracting job I have on the side is interesting, rehabbing foreclosed properties. Cleaning out people's crap can be mind numbing, but it can also be rewarding. I found a trombone last night! The day before I found some vintage porn.

Loving my life, beit making a dollar or two... I pay my bills and play a-lot...

That's what it's all about isn't it?

Keith

Here's a post that'd get me fired if my boss ever read it... maybe I'll delete it in a day or three...

I dislike my job but I'm stuck there for the time being. I enjoy the subject matter and responsibilities I have. It's mainly due to the quality of people I am forced to work with and for. I'll just say every once in a while you have to pull some weeds to keep the garden looking pretty......and my workplace seems to have no one close to a gardener.

My Boss is a spineless Indian(from India) man who doesnt stand up for himself or anyone else on his staff.
He's way too gullible and passive(clammy & limp handshake kinda guy)
He'll publicly berate someone for making a common or honest mistake, which in front of his staff and peers, he loses much respect.
He's the classic techie who had no management skills or training, got promoted due to someone making a knee-jerk decision, and now supervises 65 people. /rant

On a positive note, I probably wont be working for him by the end of 2011. I've done pretty good for myself at my present company and have a good life. We have newer cars and a good piece of property, all stuff I can can afford with a decent salary and a wife who graduated from U.W. majoring in business/finance, she keeps our books clean/bills paid. 35 vacation days a year, decent benefits, free cell-phone use, etc.


Many times I've either been offered a job or about applied for one, and in retrospect I'm really glad I didn't pursue or accept. Many of my old co-worked said F! this place and bailed, only to find the company they left for to make a 10% raise is now closed, or they got laid off 6 months later (Cough-Clearwire) and are now unemployed for the last year.

It could be worse, right?

yeah..I know it could.

There are a hundred things I'd rather do, but this job pays the bills better than all hundred of those things right now...and it's stable.

Dogfish, I appraise quite a few REO properties and I cannot believe the amount of trash, etc. that there is in alot of these homes. Sometimes it is just flat out gross.

To answer the question: I have two jobs. I am a full time residential real estate appraiser and I also drive a school bus part time. The school bus gig became necessary 4 years ago when the sub prime bomb went off and appraising came to a stand still. As I started to did out of the hole, the HVCC regulations went into effect and I lost all my clients so I got to start over again.

Today, my appraisal business is doing quite well and I still drive a bus for the University Place school district. The appraisal industry is pretty much the same as being in sales, some months are great others less so. However, on the whole it was a good choice for me. The job has allowed me to work from home and therefore we have not needed to use day care as I can work my schedule around our 2 kids. Some days I definitely wish I had an office somewhere else to go hide in but overall I have a good career , good wife, good kids, house, nice truck and a restored 1987 Olympic Hardtop that is the love of my life. I can honestly say that I have been blessed.

i loved my old job printing newspapers. good paying honest work, and couldn't beat the hours for fishing(wednesday - sunday, 6pm-1:30am). unfortunately that business is in the crapper now, along with all other commercial printing, so my training isn't doing me any good now.

now i'm a small engine mechanic, it's not a bad job but i hate small business BS even more than dealing with the red tape working for a big company. i get to meet a lot of interesting people and my job gives me a new challenge every day.

the thing that tortures me though is living within 20 miles of about 7 different fishable rivers and being stuck working banker's hours with weekends off now. gonna look into one of those pontoon building jobs once they start hiring i think...

That depends on what day you ask and sometimes what time of day you ask.
I am not looking for something else. Sometimes I am proud of that and sometimes its just plain stupid. I guess the good out weighs the bad but it can get hard to remember the good.



sometimes

I love my job, have just over 20 years with them. Although all the time away from home can get old, you cant beat the benefits.

Lets see if I can even get into this without getting too pissed, and deleting everything.

Do I like my job?

Short answer: No.


Before starting where I am now, I spent about 5 years chasing med. calls, car accidents and fire. I was fun, felt like I was doing something good, blah blah. BUT, there was always a call here and there to bring me back to the reality of what I doing; emergency response. Emergencies don't always end well. Trying to cut the top of a car off as fast as you can, while the occupant is screaming, "CUT MY f"ING LEGS OFF!!!", his bilateral femur fractures easily diagnosed by the bones sticking out of his pant legs. Or the car accident where five of the people I grew up with were killed. Or breaking the back window out of a sinking car in a canal, so I could sit in the back seat, stabilizing the broken neck of a pregnant woman, while the rest of the guys worked to pull the car out...Or, or, or... $hit that sticks with you, steals your sleep at night.

*Career change*

Next, I spent 9 years chasing forest fires around the country. Exciting, different, no car accidents or med calls! Instead, I spend three weeks in one state, get a day or two r&r, and be in some other state for three weeks, r&r...., repeat. My two week time sheets, 212 hrs. Flying around in helicopters, taking expensive fire trucks into holes they don't belong... great stuff for a single, young dude. I felt like I was making more money than God. I paid my way through four years of college, and paid it off before graduating. I bought a new diesel pickup, and paid cash. Then a drift boat, and another car...all while still being able to squirrel money away in the bank. But then I found out $hit happens in that career choice as well. Family life suffers, free time is non-existant, and then there are bad fires. Cramer Fire This one blew up in our face. I had stayed with these two guys at their helibase the night before, and less than 24 hrs later, sat looking through the smoke wondering where in the hell they were at up the hill from us. We heard them call time after time for a pick up. Our helispot had burned over as well, so we made the call to hike down to Cache Bar, on the Salmon River. Hiking out through that fire, we heard one last call, "We're buggin out"... and nothing more.

*Current*

I graduated with a B.S. in Fisheries Science, hoping to work with what I loved most; fish. I intended to be in a Bio position somewhere, working to correct the errors of our past. Alas, Bio. positions are more rare than leprechaun gold. After 4 years of looking, I finally decided a job, is better than no job, and began working at, choke, a hatchery. Now, before you burn me at the stake, the majority of what we do, is make planter trout for lakes/ponds, with no native populations, no outfalls, just a bunch of people and happy kids with bobbers and worms. I drive the 'fish truck'. I have to have a CDL, and if I ever blow over .04, be it on a road stop, or even a random 7:30 a.m. workday screen test, I lose my job. I had to pay for the license, and future renewals, and get no added pay for having it. I am required to live on station (in a 79 year old house, with no insulation), and rotate duty shifts with a couple co-workers. Run out of milk, or t.p.? Next week when I'm off duty I can drive 20 miles to get some. Someone has to be here 24hrs a day, every day of the year. Thanksgiving, I'll be cleaning raceways (no holiday pay, but I do get an extra day off next week!) The pay is beyond horrible... Last month, my check was $1,547.20 "But you have benefits" I always hear. True...but I don't utilize them. Can't afford to add the co-pay to my other expenses. I suppose if I had a family, it would be more beneficial...but can I afford a family? With one child, I literally qualify for low income assistance; food stamps. My annual income is less than what I paid each year for the damn degree that got me here. "But you get to live on a river!" True... but how many of you would really like to live on the hatchery stretch of a river? Countless shifties rummaging around your home before dark, making campfires they burn garbage in, rocking out to pre-dawn masterpieces such as Eminem. Not to mention dealing with the public, many of whom are extremely anti-govt. Last year, while planting trout into a fishing pond, I was cornered by two drunk dudes, and spit on, because ODFW is raising fees. Guess I missed the memo that I had something to do with that. Then there was the guy on another popular fishing forum, who made a post, complete with the contact info for the higher powers to be in Salem, urging people to write in for me to lose my job because I didn't stock a location for Free Fishing Weekend. A location that was not scheduled to even get a plant.

Thank God, I have a few side gigs which, combined with my pay, almost covers my monthly expenses...almost. Thank God also for that squirreled away fire money.

My boss asked me just last week, "How long are you going to be here?"
I answered, "I look for something new everyday."

So, to answer JDarr's question... No, with things the way they currently are, I do not like my job. It wouldn't take much to train a monkey to do what I do, and that pisses me off. I didn't bust my ass in school (only getting 4 C's in 4 years of college) to do this. I feel like I'm selling myself short, and it frustrates the hell out of me daily.


whew... I'm out. Gonna go walk the dog down the river.

If jobs didn't suck, they wouldn't pay you for being there.

On my third career now...this one pays the least, by far, but I enjoy it the most, by far...I'm my own boss, which means I get to have free time while others have to work, and it also means sometimes I work til well past midnight several nights in a row, no matter what day of the week it is...

Fish on...

Todd

Wow, great question. I ask myself this daily..and have been for several years...

Do I like my current job? No!
Do I need my current job? Yes!
Big, Big difference in these two questions...
Everyone have a great Thanksgiving, I know what I'll be thankful for this year!!

See ya, RJ

Oh Oh... I pick this one!!!
Are there any important skills or classes I need to take to sign up as the fishing bum husband of a wealthy wife?

JD

I'm a Cooger hunter...lotsa divorced women on the Eastside that took their Exs to the cleaners. Wont go over 60 though...

I have a pretty kickass gig...

RJ,

Best of luck to you and your wife.

Dogfish, that sounds awfully fishy to me. You are in the banking business, foreclose properties and then get the peoples stuff and the remodel work to boot?

It sounds like you could be working for the fed gov't.

"Wow, how do you get all those nice insurance jobs?" I once asked a contractor competitor.
His reply, "My brother sells insurance."

I believe Dogfish's ethics are beyond reproach.

The asphalt business suck's ass right now,however I'm happy I have a job and have had it for 24 years.Sure I'd like to make a little more coin with a little less drama,but it is what it is for now.It pay's the bill's and makes a guy humble @ times.@ the age of 43 I don't see a change coming any time soon.Good luck,
SZ

"Do you like your job" I'll go with "YES".

Ya gotta be able to lick your eyebrows and breathe through your ears.

Do I like my job? Not really, but it pays the bills and seems pretty stable, so I'm content for now. Could be (and has been) a lot worse.

I don't put a lot of stock in zodiacs and such, but the Chinese have me pegged by labeling me an Ox. The ox, it is said, thrives on orderliness and hates uncertainty. Pretty much describes me to a T, which I think explains why I don't have the mind (or the stomach) for running my own business. The only way I could take the plunge into entrepreneurship would be if I could find a fool-proof way to incorporate the things I love to do into something reliably marketable. Sounds like I may be slogging it at the office for a few more years....

Love the job, love the enviroment, and work with great people. There is life after getting hit in a RIF. Grass is greener.

Its the ones that live off L&I that some how are able to fish...I hope get what they got comin----but thats another subject..

Ok back to work

Still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Until then, I'm stuck in an office making just enough to have fun on the weekends and save a little bit. Could be a lot worse, I suppose.

Pretty much everyone I know has a passion in life. Seldom is it work but for the lucky few. Work pays for fishing/hunting/outdoors, that is about it. Love it, hate it, whatever. Even if you hate it, it allows for things you love.

Just look at that next hour as payment for that boat/reel/rod/gas/bait/ect. Seems to get me through the tough days.

Now back to work with the standard chant......Seasport, seasport, seasport.

My job is pretty directly tied to the economy, and so the last couple years, and the next couple of years may be a little lean and scary.

I am a minor principal/manager of a small Civil engineering firm.

Some days (we landed a huge project!) are great, some days (you need to go lay someone off) suck. Most days are just fine, and I don't hate my job at all.

Yesterday, I had eight hours of frantic phone calls, e-mails, and meetings due to too much snow on the roof of an old manufacturing facility. My boss said I looked like: "A cat covering sh!t and getting the sand from the next county", but I can't complain. I was earning money for my firm, and ultimately helped keep the facility up and running, thus keeping about 50 people working in the times before holidays.

When I shut down my computer yesterday, it felt pretty good.

This morning I had a meeting with some people who we are doing a design/permit/build project for. The project is about 50% completed they were so happy with the results, we added a bunch of add-ons this morning. So, two great days in a row.

I'm going to cut out right now to make sure if something goes wrong now, it happens when I am on holiday.

Good post twitch! I feel your pain.

I have had jobs where I literally wanted to puke before going because I hated the job/people I worked with. After a moment of clarity I decided to go back to school. That was the best decision I could have made. Better pay and better gig, now I just have to pay off my $50,000 in student loans. sh't happens.

One of the best decisions I have made recently was to ditch the spinner gig. actually get to see my kids and fish once in awhile!

I feel really lucky to have a great paying job that can support putting the kids through school and paying for my fishing habit and still have enough for a comfortable life for my wife and me.

Is it my favorite way to spend my days? No way. I'd love to be able to retire and spend my time with the fishing and the volunteer stuff I do that I don't get paid for. But it's not a bad deal at all. So all around, yeah- I'm a happy camper and I like my job.

I love being a chiropractor and a small business owner, even though it comes with a ton of debt.

The only hard part about it is the insurance companies. They make it as hard as possible to get paid and then pay you less and less. There has not been a year that insurance companies did not lower the amount I get paid for services. Also, every year patients deductibles raise and co-pays raise. That is what pisses me off the most, deductibles and co-pays get higher and my receivables from insurance gets lower, only one winner here.

Most days I like my job, some days take a toll. I'm basically responsible for between $6 to $10 million of production a year, some days I get tired. I'll be 60 next week and figure I have another 6 to 7 years to go. I get paid well enough that my wife rarely works. I just get tired of other peoples emergencies.

How does that go Jerry? Now I remember......."Piss poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine."

My father told me that when I was young and though I was not impressed at the time, I learned to like it.

this Piper loves his job... that's were I get the screen name. I have yet to find someone I would trade jobs with...

Just this weekend I was sitting in front of the tv working on the laptop and my 7 yo comes over and wants to know what i'm doing... I give him a 3d walkthru of my current project and then he asks "can I do that dad?" In 2 minutes he was walking thru the facility better than most people in my office can... "Dad this is just like video games... where's the guns?"

I like laying pipe.

4 weeks for huntin 3 for fishin....Ya i like my job...

Chris,, laying pipe to rosie and palmala has gotta get old....

She never has a headache

My dad always said, "If it was fun they wouldn't have to pay you to do it.”

We are all sooo spoiled. I was just reading that the word weekend did not exist before the mid 1900 as no one got them off. Even then it referred to a 1/2 a day Saturday and all day Sunday. It was decades later before most American worked got all day Saturday and Sunday off.

People at work give me grief because I love my job. Would I quit if I won the lottery? You bet! But if I am going to spend 1/3 of my life working, I will love it because I refuse to have a bunch of negativity in my life.

About marrying a rich wife, I default to the words of wisdom from the one and only Jim Rockford. "There's only two things I won't do for money, kill or marry. Anything else I'm open to".

Getting ready to enter the workforce this summer. I'm 3 classes away from having a bachelor's degree in geology from Oregon State. I have no plans to go on to a masters, which is pretty much required for a job in mining or oil exploration. I'll hopefully find something along the lines of a park ranger. Upon graduation, I'm selling all my crap and moving back to Alaska, so whatever I can find there to make ends meet.

I love my job. I have no plans on leaving anytime soon. I think I'm coming on 17 years since becoming salaried. Well over 20, if you include the years I was hourly or a student.

I enjoyed Twitch's story.

I too got a B.S. in Fisheries Sciences, but saw the writing on the wall well before I graduated. The writing said "Stick with Computing".

I keep asking myself what I want to do when I "grow up". Still don't know. Don't think I ever will.

My family always asks me if I like my job and I always respond with a resounding YES. The boss is great...just today I had the day off but went in anyway to do a thing or two because it was too cold to fish. She calls me and is bowed up with a situation and I'm glad to stay and help several hours longer than I planned. That kind of stuff happens pretty regularly. But at the same time, when the deadlines have been met, there is some flexibility. Often times that corresponds to weekdays or when the water is just coming in. I honestly get paid more than what I probably should. Good benefits and I really enjoy the work even though I'm not great at it. I have more finanical responsibility than I probably should but so far haven't done anything to lose that responsibility. Been there 10 years and see no real reason to want to leave...unless it was doing similar work for similar wage in BC. We are lucky to be able to have the wife be a stay-at-home mom. Every year I struggle to take off enough time to meet my mandatory vacation hours. All in all, I have absolutely no complaints. Since I'm married with a family, I wouldn't change anything. If I were single, then I'd want to work in AK in the summer and then take the fall off to steelhead fish and guide in the spring and winter. Yeah, that would be OK too.

Just read Parker's previous post, which led me to Twitch's post.

Twitch that was some story. Fish bio jobs are hard to come buy. Almost need an advanced degree or be willing to tough it out for a long time. I stuck with it for about 4 years, caught a break, paid my dues and then work paid for me to go back to grad school. I got lucky I guess. Yep, lots to be thankful for...like the job in this economy, a goood family, and not being a cooger.

Work to live, not live to work. Love your job or hate it; do your best, work hard, never let your integrity slip, and stay out of the politics, especially the negative vibe many co-workers like to live in. Remember, its your choice to be there. Set a date for retirement and do what you need to do to achieve that goal of retirement. Think long term, not short term. No job stays the same, be flexible and be ready for change in the future. This philosphy got me through my working years.

I have been retired now for four months and what I love the most about retirement is freedom. I can do pretty much whatever I want and most of all I find myself doing things I always wanted to do but never had the time to do during my work life.

Yes and no. I live in poverty to have a job I love. I realize I could be working in some job where I suffer through the days, but make 3 times as much as I do now. Maybe someday things will come through.

I don't especially enjoy my work any more, but otoh I'm glad I have a decent job. We are getting close to paying off the mortgage, and that is the key to our retirement, so at our age I'm glad that we still have paychecks. I can say, though, that I will have no regrets when the door closes behind me as I leave the office for the last time.

Like Todd, I went into fisheries, but saw all the enviros taking over the field, so I went into Fire/EMS, pretty much the opposite of Twitch. Best decision ever! I love the job, wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm not as crazy about the medical side as I hate people, but I still can't imagine doing anything else.

My grandpa told me when I was young to pick a job based on the money, not love of the job. His thought was that if you had to have sex with super models everyday, eventually you'd get sick of that too, but who wouldn't want to try for awhile? ???

No regrets.

Mf

Construction guy....always a new challenge.
Presently hardening infrastructure.....the job is easy, dealing with the gummint is the challenge.
It's been good.

Hehehe.....I would say, on average, about six different people have to say "yes" before I can deviate from the contract documents.
Not to mention at least three gophers shuffling paper.

Now that things are "streamlined" a bit, it takes about 5 working days to get an answer.
That's as good as it gets.

Drive a truck..delivering lumber and such... could be busier... but get to drive all over the kitsap and olympic peninsula looking at the scenery and bueatiful country... I get there when i get there... over time is awesome... when its available...people are super...bene's are good... so yes i like my job... just wish it paid more and the hours were more consistent!!! Fish hard!!!

Sounds like you're on a mission !
Work at it hard and it usually all falls into place.

Food service equipment installers bust their asses at times.
Just trying to get that odd-shaped product in and out of buildings can be a PITA.
Some of those stainless welders are wizards.....

Lol. I am on a design build team for a few small Fed projects. Day one of the first one, I am standing on the site with the Fed project Engineer. I ask him "Does the scope of work require us to replace those beams or repair them?" He answers, "Replace". I said "Okay, well the specs are vague, so I will send in an RFI to harden that up." He agreed that would put the issue to bed.

Later that day I send in the paperwork, and a week later call the PE to ask if we can get that so we can clean up the project docs and make the first submittal. He tells me "I get a maximum of 21 days to answer RFIs, and that is when you will get the response."

About I could do is document schedule impacts due to slow responses and that eventually helped to shorten their response time.
No one on their side wanted to be the bottleneck, so it was a peer pressure thing, I think.

Do i like my job? A resounding yes, moreover I like the company I work for even more. I work for a general contractor in the San Francisco bay area. I started as an apprentice carpenter, turned out to Journeyman. Was assigned lead man status , on to Carpenter Foreman, Assistant Superintendent , Superintendent and now I am Operations Manager, I have a list of field employees that is right around 130 people right now. The best part of my job is watching people develop. I have had several of people I have trained blossom before my eyes, it is very rewarding. As a rule money is not an issue I have plenty of time off, but as Addicted knows I spend the majority of that time working on my house on Whidbey Island. If I were to make a recommendation, follow your passions. if you really don't like doing something don't do it. I know a couple people who have gone their entire careers, hating getting up and going to work each day. That is no way to live .

Do what you love and the money will come.....

I have a friend who is a free-lance masturbater, unfortunately the money hasn't came . . . yet.

RR's words travel far. I had beers with a fellow board member in Chico,CA this weekend. The tramp stamp sig line came up and made us both laugh.

Of course it started with a hottie with a tramp stamp working it. Mike didn't think much of her....I think he's ghey.

JDarr,

Yeah, I like my job as a fishhead since I finished college in early '76. Only worked a few different jobs in this field, plus a little free lancing, and have regretted Monday mornings twice now, I think, and one of them was due to being kinda' hung over. I've had the opportunity to work in harvest management, hatcheries, and habitat management. Also some budget management and supervision, which I found I liked the least. I saw that the future of fisheries would be habitat management, leaped into that and have never looked back. I didn't make much money in my early years, but it was enough to live on, and I was having too good a time to change. I've been with federal agencies for 18 years now, and like what I do all the more as time goes on. I'm pretty good at what I do, working smarter if not harder, and have developed important working relationships with many biologists, engineers, lawyers, and a few policy wonks who enrich the working environment and help make possible the many successes I've experienced.

If I had it to do over, I'd do it about the same, only I'd plan better. I'd stay home sick on the days I made major mistakes, and only go fishing on the days the river was in shape. Now I'm looking at retirement looming on the horizon and don't know how I want to feel about that. So I'm going to keep on doing what I know and like until I feel differently about it.

Sg

I came up with that quote when me and one of my buddies was in the pool in Cabo observing the wildlife. I was looking at a pair of tramp stamps sitting next to each other on the edge of the pool. One was a butterfly with some tribal crap, about 2" by 2". The other was at one time a 2" by 2" butterfly, but had grown to about 6" wide, and somehow traveled about 6" south.

I said, "Well, she certainly got her money's worth out of that ink." Then we had a long drawn out thing about skin elasticity, and aging. Hence the quote.

Love my job, does it suck some days? You bet! But overall it is great and I work with great people who are like family. Twitch hit a few of the bad things about firefighting but overall it is a great life and I get paid pretty good to do it.Have spent a lot of nights up all night at fires or running the wheels off on EMS calls, seen a lot of stuff that I could live with not ever seeing again but that is just part of what we do. It was definately more fun when I was just a Firefighter riding backwards but sitting up front pushing buttons and talking on the radio has it's pluses also. Have plenty of time off and get to spend a lot of time with my family and hunt and fish.

Had some pretty crummy jobs when I was young and it made me apreciate this one that much more when I got it.

Wow, JDarr, you actually started a good thread.

I've probably learned more about some PP people I actually know just by reading this. Some great and truly honest words being typed out by everyone.

I got a BS in Environmental Science but was practically done with the idea by the time I got my degree. It is a mentally tough game "saving the world" when the bulk of the money and power is standing in the way. I then went in a completely different direction and moved onto computer/networking stuff.

Now, I generally like my job. I've worked in the same IT job for 7 years at a financial institution. I think that being in IT is a decent fit for me. Lots of problem solving, independence, with the right mix of dealing with people. I also get a little flexibility as what I do tends to be project based. I get satisfaction from completing projects and making people happy by fixing things for them. I also have a great boss and 3 coworkers on my team that I get to be nearly completely honest with in regards to my beliefs and feelings. I think we have each others' backs. I don't have to worry about politics amongst my team. That being said, I still "work for the weekends and vacations". I don't go through a single day without thinking about a past or future adventure.

Beyond whatever you do, attitude really is everything and it is malleable. It is a constant work-in-progress for me but the change I've made in that regard is probably one of the things I'm most proud of internally. I also find a lot of humor in the absurdity of life and I think that helps me handle some of the more ridulous things I see/read/hear. I try to remember that I have a wonderful girlfriend, a (usually) wonderful dog, some great friends, a stable income, and the health and will to spend my free time doing what I want without feeling bad for it.

If you are looking for some general PP personality types to model, I'd look towards people like Stam, Todd, and Rico. I'm sure they each have their bad moments but in the time I've spent with each of them, I've noticed they smile a lot... regardless of the larger situation. Plus, they all know how to live hard.

Keep your head up, Twitch. You've probably got more friends than you think.

-AP

Cool post hippy.

I love my job every other friday when the check comes in.

I have a nice place on 10 acres for the kids to roam and most of the toys I want.

But the best part is my wife doesnt have to work and can be at home with the kids instead of them being raised by a daycare....

I feel very fortunate!

And we are still far less balanced on the work vs. play scale than much of the world. Europe and most of the Spanish speaking countries seem to have it fairly well figured out. Siesta's and lots of vacation time!

Good post Twitch. Very interesting to follow your progression and shifting system of values and/or pursuits so to speak. Thanks for the insight and I'll be hoping a sweet opportunity comes along soon. It seems we have more than a few things in common.

I firmly believe that good things do happen to good people. That having been said, most of the good people I know choose to put lifestyle and the pursuit of happiness ahead of and in a different category than money. As such, low paying jobs in a field, location, or pay grade that is far from their first choice seems to be the norm rather than an exception.

Perhaps a better question is, "Do you like your life?" If the answer is no, why not, and what can you do about it. It is easy to try and find solutions in the things you don't have and/or think that you want. Money, women, time, possessions, etc. In my experience, getting what it is you want, more often than not, either leads to the wanting of something else, or the creation of new problems that quickly replace the old, leaving you more or less in the same cycle.

I can honestly say I am pretty content in my current situation. I would like to say that I have landed where I am at, doing what I am doing, as a result of clear foresight, hard work, and by strictly adhering to a perfect plan that affords me an ideal balance between work, play, time off and income enough to accomplish my financial goals. Truth be told, I was lucky as hell and wonder every day how the F I managed to catch a few breaks, dodge a few bullets, and wind up in a decent spot doing things that I love next to people I respect and enjoy being around.

In all reality, as someone mentioned above, my answer really depends on the day and the hour that you ask though. Today was a good day. Tomorrow? Who knows.

Pretty early on in my budding "professional progression" I had to make a call between making money and being close to the things that I value outside of work. I chose the latter, and in doing so a minimum wage at a mountain guide service and the 9 best years of my life. Incredibly, that turned into a real job, led to another, and eventually dropped me where I am at. Full time mountaineering ranger, part time fishing guide who lives for time on the river with friends and loved ones.

For me, on the most simple level I can boil things down to, happiness is being close to the things and people that I love. Discontentment, if that is a word, is separation from those things.

Your answer is likely very different than mine, but whatever it is, I hope you find it.

Really good stuff dude.

"Getting away from it all" really tends to put the ordinary into perspective eh.

No doubt about it... Gotta have some sort of passion for what you do... Bring home the bacon, spend some bacon and play all you can.... The time bomb just ticks too fast. I remember high school like it was yesterday and at the age of 35 I want to be sure to play all I can,,,, I don't spend a ton of time living my life though a fishing BB, did that in the younger years. I've come to realize I could give a flying [censored] about what others think about me, I'll do as I please... I just enjoy playin as much as I can, getting out with the buddies hunting, fishing, etc... As I watch some of my older fellows passing away, it's sad to see but makes me realize I better get it all done!

Keith

FWIW, I absofu**in lootli love my job!!!

I will read the other posts tomorrow.

Not rich, but happy.

I like my job as a probation officer. You get to impact ones life or at least attempt to in a positive manner.
Though you cant measure it. If some of these people do not report on a regular basis or if they do not report at all, they are more likely to be involved in criminal activities. If you badger one enough and they start to come around and act like law abiding citizens then you are doing ur job. And that you can feel good about.
The pay is $49K and some change with occasional decreases due to health insurance and now furloughs. But you have weekends all holidays and a 4 10's schedule.
Good thing my wife makes almost twice as much as me.
It seems I don't know what I would do if I were to lose my job. I guess I would find another one.
Down side is you can get killed real easy and quick ..and or you look into the eyes of killers on occasion with Maurice Clemmons being the most recent.

I like my job, and it's probably in the most unlikely of places for that to happen. I originally got into it because I didn't want to work a regular monday-friday, 9 to 5 schedule. I haven't had to fish a weekend in years. People at work often ask me when I'm going to move into a spot with weekends off. They don't get it. Plus, after years of doing a bit of everything there, I ended up with a position I flat-out like.
Saundu, there's no way I'd want to be a CCO. You guys get crapped on in the media every time someone on your caseload commits a crime, as if you should have been there holding his hand.