Why do you do the job that you do?

[JustTheGent]

I was into sport mainly, but did have an interest in computers and technology as well. I didn't follow or participate in it religiously, but used to envisage what was possible in the not too distant future. What happened was in basic terms - I came up with the idea of Facebook and YouTube pretty much when the internet was in its infancy. Whether I was the first or not, I'm not sure. But I was obviously in the wrong country, didn't have the correct network and was too young to take it anywhere. But my vision was basically what both Facebook and YouTube became. I was pretty sure the world would get up to speed with me at some point.

A bit later on I started using my skills in idea generation and combining it with sports betting. Sport and asking questions such as what if and why was my thing - and I prospered financially. There was a bit of maths and technology involved, but nothing that sophisticated. I made a million quid in my 20s and since then have just done hobbies. They might make a few quid or not so much. It's just the enjoyment really in terms of what you fancy doing in a particular day/week/month.

As you get a bit older, I think it's good to have the experience where being frugal becomes enjoyable and the simpler things in life are those that count. You can still have your treats of course. But taking on liabilities such as car payments and needing to have the latest thing/technology holds little relevance.

 

[Redwurzel]

I'm a postie because I was a teacher for 26 years and it was killing me (literally as it turned out, as my cancer apparently started when I was still teaching.)

It is easy to burn out in many teaching jobs - there are some similarities with been a football manager there is always stuff to do and not enough hours in the day. I found working in special needs gave you a bit more time and a bit less of a hamster wheel with less marking.

 

[NorthStand95]

I surprised myself by doing very well at university so decided to become a lawyer which I did and specialised in a variety of areas of law before becoming an in-house counsel which I did for about 2 years. I then got offered the opportunity to move into Commercial management so I left behind practicing the law. I doubled my salary but don’t get the fulfilment that the law offered. Despite this I firmly believe I should have been a pilot and regret not doing that but I try not to think about it UTB

 

[swordtrombonefish]

I left school not knowing what I wanted to do but was accepted for apprenticeship with BSC as Electrician. I was a bit wild back then and stupid as well and I could do the work but didn't hit it off with some people leading to workplace disruption and eventually got terminated. Thing was there were jobs in abundance and I tried loads of things from planning work to lagging to lathe as a turner, then sewing machine mechanic in a place in Stockton (work was boring but the women were so flirty and dirty)

I had done some computer programming at school so I looked back at that and having been made redundant at BSC I did a cert then diploma in computer studies and then an accreditation at Teesside Polytechnic. I then worked in a ton of places as a contractor or permie using the IT or the day and built from that as an operator, programmer, network engineer then senior of same and enjoyed all of that. I figured if you enjoy it then it really isn't hard work and so it proved. My only stipulation to myself was to never end up as a meetings guy like the architects - I could have done it for sure but it just took me off the tools so to speak which was what I enjoyed. Retired recently and I can't say I miss it because of the wrap around admin it has now but I'm happy with my lot given the uncertainty of my beginnings.

 

[NoloBoro]

I do think that the best job is a blow job, with a hand job a close second. I wouldn’t like to give either, well not unless the money was life changing.

 

[Norman_Conquest]

I started my working life as a welder at Smith's Dock and truthfully didn't have a clue what it really entailed. My grandad was a welder, my father was a welder and two of my uncles were. My dad honestly thought it was a good idea that my brother and I followed in the family footsteps. He wasn't too chipper when I asked him why he thought it would be a good idea.

In my late 30's I had an accident at work and after being on the sick for nearly two years I was told I couldn't go back to welding. I retrained as a counsellor and ended up working for different departments in Connexions but loved working with the harder to reach groups. I used to go into different schools in the East Cleveland area and after improving the NEET figures for one school, I was asked to head up their behaviour unit.

The behaviour unit was very successful and other schools would come in, look at what we were doing and then copy our model. It was highly praised by Ofsted on more than one occasion. I worked in the school for 13 years and one day I decided I'd had enough and without discussing it with the wife, I went in and told them I was retiring. An academy had taken over and my role had changed from keeping kids in school to trying to get them out. That didn't sit right with me and going in to work was becoming harder and harder.

I've been retired now for nearly three years and work for the wife for very little wages.

When I was welding I worked all over the British Isles and was on nearly double the wage I was on in the school but also missed out on the early years of my eldest son's life. I never wanted to go on holiday due to living in boarding houses or hotels and although we had a decent house, car, etc. I would say my lifestyle was poor and I was drinking heavily. When I moved into education, we went on holiday every year and spent six weeks of the summer in France. I wish my eldest son had been part of that but by this time he was working and going on holiday with his parents didn't have the same pull as going to festivals with his mates.

 

[RedAsABeetroot]

My Dad was an engineer and I don't ever really remember wanting to do anything else. Eventually chose electrical engineering despite the fact he was a civil engineer, and ended up working in the Steel Industry which I've loved. Things have changed a bit over the years but still enjoy it.
I'd like a change though before stopping work altogether, and I'd love to do something like volunteer at JCUH as a way of saying thanks for the excellent treatment I've had there on a few occasions.

 

[NoloBoro]

I sort of fell into the only thing I was decent at. At school everyone thought I was a slacker - 40 years later I found I was ADHD. I wish I'd known that when I was younger.

Or described you as naughty, disruptive? Spent countless hours in isolation, or the entirety of your time in secondary school on report or suspensions.

 

[Kinky_Maccarone]

Field Service Engineer. Allows me to travel the world, meet new people, experience different cultures. Pays well, and I only do relatively short trips compared to mates in oil and gas although I'm away more often than them.

Sometimes it's the best job in the world and sometimes you just want to be out of there, but it's always different and a bit of an adventure.

 

[Wiseman_Vaughn]

Or described you as naughty, disruptive? Spent countless hours in isolation, or the entirety of your time in secondary school on report or suspensions.

It was more about total lack of focus or focusing on the wrong things, lack of organisation, anxiety because of this. I read through some old reports and it seem to start at around 12. It's hard to explain but it definitely impacted on my adult life in numerous ways. I went to see a psychologist who diagnosed it. It's a lot to unravel and we tend to develop coping mechanisms as we get older.

 

[Hap]

I’m 56 too.

I could retire, just, but need to do a bit longer to help my two girls get more established.
I fell into construction product sales at 17, with no qualifications or experience, and gradually got into the more technical side (fire and sound performance).

I’m probably less than one of 100 people in the UK who have the knowledge I have, and that goes both ways. Few people would offer me a job as they’d think I’d be expensive and hard to keep - possibly a threat, even. Which I’m definitely not now.

I couldn’t find any work on Teesside, and learnt my job in London, having moved away on my own at 17. Later on I realised that no business in my industry existed on Teesside for me to work for. I opened one in 2002, sold it in 2006; employing 4 people, managed it until 2018 by when it employed 16. New self oriented management have successfully whittled that down to about 8, with one person probably picking up a noteable proportion of the salaries of those lost jobs. We all have our own idea of what success looks like.

Those lost jobs mean a lot to me.

Looking to retire or take a step down. The only obvious steps are up, though. So I’m self employed freelance atm.

Tricky.

 

[Hap]

Following on from my post about approaching a big birthday, I have been reflecting more, particularly on my working life.

Got me thinking about why people do what they do. What made you do the job that you do? Have you always done the same thing? Do you wish you’d done something else?

For me, I have always been a social worker. I didn’t consciously choose this career until late teens but think I was always destined to follow this path due to my early life experiences. Most notably suffering some really difficult times in my early years and then being adopted at 5 years old.

Things improved massively for me then and I had a happy rest of my childhood, but I really believe it left me with an inherent need to try to help others if I could.

How about you?

I would love to do that, and have even recently considered retraining, but imagine it would take too long at my age to be worth anyone’s trouble. If I was to stop doing what I do now, I’d like it to be something that helps people. Teenagers who can’t get a start, people who need to retrain, the elderly, or just helping and counseling.

Must be hard to step away at the end of the day sometimes.

 

[Hap]

I didn't have a clue really what I wanted to do. I applied for a few different things and ended up getting into financial services and have been in the industry for almost 21 years.

I'm 46 now so will have to grow up soon and decide what I really want to do when I'm a big boy.

Don’t grow up, it’s hugely overrated.

I have told both my girls not to run towards responsibility. It’s already rolling towards them like a steam train.

Stay as young as you can, for as long as you can.

I’d like to think I have a younger and more curious outlook now, than I did at half my age.

Excuse the glut of posts. I’m just reading everyone else’s posts and they’re fascinating, inspiring and heartbreaking.

 

[borolad259]

Some may think that I took this job here for the life changing remuneration that Rob was offering, or the pure intoxication of weilding power according to my whims. But you'd be wrong. This is a noble calling for which I have spent my entire life in preparation. Those years spent on the doors of various Birmingham nightclubs and venues in the 80s, ensuring that the majority of customers could go about their frivolity, unhindered by those who arrived with disruptive intent ... or who were just wazzocks/drunks, were just the prelude to this noble pursuit. Weeding out those insidious charlatans who insinuated themselves in amongst the happy go lucky throng, with the intent of performing subterfuge on behalf of some other, less reputable, establishments was a particularly rewarding aspect of this training. The many years of writing and editing copy in my media career were mere preparation for editing copy on this "elite" forum, when it falls below the expected standard. This job truly is its own reward.

 

[festa5]

I'm a civil servant so it's all about the slacking off working from home culture for me.

Assuming it's a rare day I'm not taking a sick day I might roll out of bed at 10, send a few woke emails before nipping out and claiming a full English breakfast on expenses.

Probably work another hour at doing something lefty to undermine the government, cruise past the fridge for a bit of cheese, afternoon nap then log off at 3pm for beers in my taxpayer funded (reasonable adjustment) hot tub.

Why would I leave?

 

[Hap]

I'm a civil servant so it's all about the slacking off working from home culture for me.

Assuming it's a rare day I'm not taking a sick day I might roll out of bed at 10, send a few woke emails before nipping out and claiming a full English breakfast on expenses.

Probably work another hour at doing something lefty to undermine the government, cruise past the fridge for a bit of cheese, afternoon nap then log off at 3pm for beers in my taxpayer funded (reasonable adjustment) hot tub.

Why would I leave?

When do you start? The difference between leaving and staying sound marginal at best

 

[wyliefan]

I was very lazy at school and didn't get a good education though my spelling and maths is well above average.
Being left on my own a lot when my parents divorced I made a lot of my own meals/food so I ended up being a chef from late teens to present day where I've been in my current place of work since 1986 (with a 3 year break in the middle working for Coral bookmakers) Been one of the head chefs for the last 15 years. Hating it now though as I turned 60 this year and finding it physically and mentally difficult. Hoping to pack it in about 3 years when the mortgage is paid off.

 

[Hap]

I was very lazy at school and didn't get a good education though my spelling and maths is well above average.
Being left on my own a lot when my parents divorced I made a lot of my own meals/food so I ended up being a chef from late teens to present day where I've been in my current place of work since 1986 (with a 3 year break in the middle working for Coral bookmakers) Been one of the head chefs for the last 15 years. Hating it now though as I turned 60 this year and finding it physically and mentally difficult. Hoping to pack it in about 3 years when the mortgage is paid off.

Don’t waste time doing something you hate. You won’t get this time back - ever.

It really is later than you think.

In ten years time a version of you will be looking back at you, today, in the same way you might be looking back now, at what you did ten years ago.

 

[borolad259]

I'm a civil servant so it's all about the slacking off working from home culture for me.

Assuming it's a rare day I'm not taking a sick day I might roll out of bed at 10, send a few woke emails before nipping out and claiming a full English breakfast on expenses.

Probably work another hour at doing something lefty to undermine the government, cruise past the fridge for a bit of cheese, afternoon nap then log off at 3pm for beers in my taxpayer funded (reasonable adjustment) hot tub.

Why would I leave?

This is a very good point. The fact that I can sit eating reindeer burgers under the glow of the aurora borealis here in my Swedish Lapland villa, whilst keeping tabs on all things Boro, is a valued perk of this job (it's a bit nippy mind).



Not forgetting that I live rent free elsewhere.

 

[BoroMad87]

I thought engineering sounded important!

It’s been a good career so far but I’d love to do something else. Nothing stopping me I suppose as long as I’m prepared to pay for the training. When is too old to change career? (I’m 44).

Never, you just have to know what it is you want to do and create a plan to achieve it.