I've been chided by some around me recently regarding the prospect of my getting a "real" job. When pressed as to exactly what a "real" job entails, they mention the usual things, a consistent 40-hour work week, benefits like vacation time, paid sick days....that kind of thing. First of all, I've never had a job that offered me all those perks in my entire working life. As an automotive service technician, I had one employer who gave the technicians "CSI" bonuses, meaning if your customer service responses came in at a certain level, you got a certain amount. Another briefly offered either demonstrators for the technicians, or a car allowance, but is now owned by another organization, so that was very likely one of the first perks to go, assuming it wasn't lost sooner. Never mind the whole concept of flat-rate, which I know I've explained before, but apparently have to again; if you don't work, you don't get paid, period. After a week's worth of work one summer, after taxes, health insurance and child support, I was left with a whopping $14 and change; so much for the lucrative nature of that occupation. That kind of real job? And, of course, automotive technicians are not the only ones whose pay is tied to their productivity, anyone who sells anything on commission, from watches to real estate, is going to have their entire livelihood tied up in how the economy is at a given time. Not such a good year? Sucks to be you, I guess, hope ya got some savings to dip into.
Or are we talking about a "real" job where you subjugate yourself to a hamster-wheel mentality, living with interminable boredom, co-workers of a questionable mental state, and even more questionable supervisors and ownership? Even as a technician, ADD meant that I wasn't always where I was supposed to be, doing necessarily what I was supposed to be doing; that whole aspect got better, of course, once I started on the Adderall, and made a huge difference in my productivity and "job satisfaction," so to speak, but there's nothing to cure anything if there's just flat-out no work to be done. I would lose my mind in a so-called "cubicle farm," or something equally mind-numbing. Come to think of it, I've lost my job in similar circumstances, numerous times. The object here is not to be in control, but to allow yourself to be controlled; given that my father, even in the grips of Dementia and Parkinson's, still frequently seeks to be able to do as much as possible by himself, much to the constant chagrin of my stepmother, I'd say this state of affairs very nearly borders on genetic. Given, too, that dad didn't really do very well in the corporate rat-race, I mean the money was good, but when he worked for Philip-Morris, he literally had to start smoking. This is considered a big life plus?! Add to that that the fact that he was gone frequently, the strife began, and all in all, debauchery and a seemingly ceaseless workaholic nature probably did his life more harm than good, but hey, who's counting?! We're all gonna die someday. Yeah, with a total cholesterol number of 500+, pulmonary carcinoma, and a bad case of Dementia. Just shoot me.
Or perhaps we're talking about the kind of "real" job Jimmy Hoffa's Teamsters, similar-era UAW employees and others effectively locked future American workers out of, with their interminable greed and complacency? I suppose that kind of "real" job would be terrific, assuming I had the desire to work in Korea again; or China. A big thank you from me to all the previous generations of bas*ards who perpetrated such a brilliantly-conceived demeanor, one that gave no consideration at all to future generations like mine.
Then, of course, there's all the "real" jobs that I've effectively locked myself out of, by not having the right knowledge or education at the right time in my life. Sure, I could have been an engineer, or a doctor or lawyer, assuming that I wasn't in the grips of unmedicated ADD at the age of 18 or 19, when I should have been thinking more seriously about my education. There are, of course, even down-sides to such occupations; interminable hours, phone calls at all hours of the day and night, and having to deal with people's really BIG problems. Which, I suppose, is all very satisfying, if you're of the right frame of mind for it, but just remember that the down-sides really are there. And, of course, at the age of 19, I had no real concept of who I was, or what I wanted, and spent the time until I was in my late 30s battling the consequences. To add to that, most places shouldn't even bother with programs in Journalism; any field where a reporter with 5-10 years experience can't even hope to consistently crack the $30,000 barrier is a field you should be able to learn by the seat of your pants.
As for spending a few months of the year not working, and not getting paid, ya know what? That's a state of affairs you can work around, if you're careful about how you spend your money. And given that teaching is, above many things, (not all,) about control, it makes perfect sense to me as an occupation. As much as trying to subjugate myself to doing anything in business doesn't. I'm pretty sure it's probably written all over my face somewhere, especially when I go in for an interview, "he wants to be in control," and that's that; no job. Not like I really do, I just want a job, something I'd enjoy doing, just like anybody else. Either that, or they see all the "snow" piling up on the roof, (yeah, the grey hairs are comin' in fast and furious,) and immediately take me for an ageism suit plaintiff, and just cut me off at the pass. I can't really say much more about the whole state of affairs, except to thank George Bush and the entire Republican party for being such a bunch of brain-dead dweebs. "Real" job, huh? There's not a whole lot I can say, except that I am who I am, and I've changed plenty in the last few years, I ain't doin' this "re-invent yourself" sh*t again.