Friday, November 11, 2005

Life Purpose Generator

So it seems as though a career in Information Technology will not soon pan out. If ever. That leaves me in a bit of a quandary. What should I do with the rest of my life? I have listed below several options I think I might enjoy. Feel free to add your 2cents. Whichever wins will be the career I choose. Why will I leave the definition of my life's work up to a bunch of yahoos on teh intarweb? Why not? It's not like I've done a great job thus far.

High School English Teacher
I like this idea because it means I will likely get to read a lot more than I do now and I might actally have a positive effect on somebody's life. Sure, I'd have to field the ever-popular "phineas is gay" debate, but I'd get my summers off! That, at least, is a good thing! I would have to go back to school, of course, but I was about halfway to an English degree with all the pointless electives I took. And I've read most of the stuff on uperclassmen reading lists anyway.

Environmental Scientist
I don't have a specific job lined up yet for this field of work. I like the idea of roaming around the woods, stopping to stare at a small weed or leaf on a tree, writing something down in a book, and moving on. I'm kind of an environmentalist. I'd ride my bike to work if I weren't so fat. And lazy. I like caribou. Who knows? It could work.

Writer
You could also replace the title of this job with "poor loser," since my chances of making a successful career out of it are about as likely Zach De la Rocha voting Republican. But you never know. Stranger things have happened. If I could get people to actually pay me for my worthless thoughts and words...that would be the greastest heist ever to befall the days of man.

History Professor
There is a reason why people never pick History when I get to the center of the board in Trivial Pursuit. I know ancient Mayan religious practices like the back of my hand. I can wax philosophicaly aobut both the similarities and differences between Socratic and Sophist thought. I know the other reason why 1066 was an important year. I also know what SPAM is really made of (it's people. IT's PEOPLE!). I could finish up a bachelor's degree in History in about a year or a year and a half and move onto graduate school immediately afterwards. Then all I'd need is a pipe and a tweed jacket with loosely sewn arm patches. Then I'd be set.

Professional Bowler
What? Bowling's a cool sport, right?

Continue wasting my time in search of the Great IT job
Or, should I just spend more time looking for an IT job that isn't likely to come? I have spent the last three years looking for an IT job. Or maybe even an IT niche in whatever job it was I was working. Sure, businesses are willing to let me program applications for them and serve as the company help desk, but ask them to pay for for your services and watch their assholes pucker up tighter than a protestant woman's purse strings. I'd like to do this job. Maybe not as much as a writer or a history professor. but I would like it. And since I have a degree in this field, you'd think something would have come out of the (literally) 12,154 jobs I have applied for. Sadly, I have been a full time professional now for almost 6 years and I still waste most of my time doing stuff like this. Not because I am lazy or shiftless, either. There is only so much you can do in an entry level position before its time to move on. unfortunately, most businesses aren't willing to let their people do that.

Let me know what you think. Throw caution to the wind! If you are the only one who votes, you get to determine what I do with the rest of my life. Just remember...if it end up a failure, I'm coming after you.

Peace,
[the sasquatch]

5 comments:

Jim said...

The way I see it, there are two approaches to choosing a job.

The first approach is that a job is simply a way to earn income. It may be ok, it may suck, but you can get through it because it pays the bills. In this approach, "life" begins after "work." Most "just-a-job" jobs do not follow you home. You go to work, punch the clock, forget about it, and have fun or do charity or build boats in your free time.

The other approach is "job=calling." In this approach, the work itself is fufilling and meaningful. Most of these jobs do not stay at "work." These jobs are rewarding because they make a difference in the world, but they do take a personal toll in time and freedom(often the economic kind).

I wish you luck in deciding!

jimi said...

Maybe its just me, but i found it extremely ironic that "high school english teacher" followed directly after a paragraph that included reference to " teh intarweb".

Todays smartass comment from jimi comes to you from Berkeley, CA.

The Sasquatch said...

ha! Two posts from people named Jim!

Jim...yep. That's how it works. UNfortunately, at the moment I am stuck with a job that both pays very little, requires enormous amounts of time (even if you onsider no-work Monday), and has absolutley no meaning whatsoever. So I think anything could be better that what I currently have.

Thanks for the note!

jim, heh heh. It was joke. I did it on porpoise.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=intarweb

All other gramer mist aches were akchewal. spel chucking is difecult.

Me said...

Um, as a high school English teacher you will not have evenings or weekends for at least two years. Then you will have to choose one or the other.

Your first four summers will be spent getting your extremely expensive Master's degree which will not pay for itself until your career hits the fifteen year mark.

You will urinate on a Pavlovian bell schedule.

You will have less time for personal reading than you imagine, mostly because you're too tired most of the time. Dating and friendships will become something you schedule around your school schedule because when your principal says show up and you're untenured, you damn well better get yourself there even if you had theatre tickets in another city.

You'll get really REALLY good at diplomatic conflict resolution.

On the upside, every day will be an adventure, you'll have a fair amount of control over your own little world of the classroom and be able to make sure your time is meaningfully spent. You'll laugh and bond and get inside kids' heads in ways few adults ever get a chance to experience.

If you can survive the experience, you'll love every minute:)

But start using spell check.

The Sasquatch said...

That was great, Boxy. By the way, how're toilet roll and Meatwad doing?