Your Worst Employment, EVER.

[kwikphilly]

I'm not really sure,there were things I got roped into for a time that I wasn't thrilled about but everything sort of lead to something else and nothing too awful and there was always a method to my madness.. Hard work,yes but I can't even pinpoint a "worst" job ever.Its been a very full life,from the sublime to the ridiculous but lucrative and worthwhile ....can't complain

Glory to God,been Blessed -still here,right?🤗

 

[Starise]

I sometimes see work as a set of goal posts all depending on the job. At the most basic, the goal is a paycheck, or the goal could be seen as an accomplishment with a beginning and an end and something to point to and say I did it.

I always imagined self employment as the most fulfilling because from start to finish the person is usually involved in the process and has control over the prices set and gets to keep all of the rewards .vs working for someone else who may not share the same vision or goals and who is often primarily motivated for themself and only needs employees as the tools to get them there. 

Unfortunately most people work for someone else for various reasons. Several of my friends have gone into business for themselves. When a person is young is the best time to do that because you can develop the operation over time. Company growth doesn't just happen immediately. Small companies can take 110% of you though. My buds who did it are wealthy now but it cost them anything else they wanted to do and to this day they still need to be in the loop. Businesses never run themselves.

I have thought I would love to have majored in Music, but the only jobs in my area were school music teacher jobs or playing in bars and similar. The first one requires constant contact with grade schoolers who don't always get things right away, so one needs lots of patience. I would not be playing music, I would be teaching music sometimes to those who could care less. The second one is learning how to deal well with drunks and in a bar atmosphere. To avoid getting killed or mugged on the way there and to try and get paid by the business owner. 

Leading worship as a paid position is usually not enough pay to survive on . Many church worship leaders never get paid anything for years of work. When they do get paid, it often isn't much. Then  there are those that think it's a sin to pay or edify anyone to learn and play music because the glory should go to the Lord. Music has taken a back seat because it can be so easily had for almost nothing recorded. Non musical people have no idea what all goes into it to make it happen well. The people who do it are usually into it only for the interest in it with many good musicians working another job at poverty wages. I once met world renowned Irish fiddler Kevin Burke and had my pic taken with him. There he was 30 years later playing in small bars to smaller venues. I think he did ok, but not rock star ok. Lots of traveling. One has to be very good to pick up an instrument and play it to a high level in almost any situation on the fly. 

..I'll stop my ramblimg for now 

[Dennis1209]

39 minutes ago, Starise said:

I sometimes see work as a set of goal posts all depending on the job. At the most basic, the goal is a paycheck, or the goal could be seen as an accomplishment with a beginning and an end and something to point to and say I did it.

I always imagined self employment as the most fulfilling because from start to finish the person is usually involved in the process and has control over the prices set and gets to keep all of the rewards .vs working for someone else who may not share the same vision or goals and who is often primarily motivated for themself and only needs employees as the tools to get them there. 

Unfortunately most people work for someone else for various reasons. Several of my friends have gone into business for themselves. When a person is young is the best time to do that because you can develop the operation over time. Company growth doesn't just happen immediately. Small companies can take 110% of you though. My buds who did it are wealthy now but it cost them anything else they wanted to do and to this day they still need to be in the loop. Businesses never run themselves.

I have thought I would love to have majored in Music, but the only jobs in my area were school music teacher jobs or playing in bars and similar. The first one requires constant contact with grade schoolers who don't always get things right away, so one needs lots of patience. I would not be playing music, I would be teaching music sometimes to those who could care less. The second one is learning how to deal well with drunks and in a bar atmosphere. To avoid getting killed or mugged on the way there and to try and get paid by the business owner. 

Leading worship as a paid position is usually not enough pay to survive on . Many church worship leaders never get paid anything for years of work. When they do get paid, it often isn't much. Then  there are those that think it's a sin to pay or edify anyone to learn and play music because the glory should go to the Lord. Music has taken a back seat because it can be so easily had for almost nothing recorded. Non musical people have no idea what all goes into it to make it happen well. The people who do it are usually into it only for the interest in it with many good musicians working another job at poverty wages. I once met world renowned Irish fiddler Kevin Burke and had my pic taken with him. There he was 30 years later playing in small bars to smaller venues. I think he did ok, but not rock star ok. Lots of traveling. One has to be very good to pick up an instrument and play it to a high level in almost any situation on the fly. 

..I'll stop my ramblimg for now 

I feel a little rambling and ranting coming on myself. 😊

Life lessons: My attitude and views have drastically changed over the years. Regarding employment, I once thought I was worth more than I was getting (entitlement mentality).

I do not know of any poor people who offer employment. Companies and businesses must maintain a certain profit margin to remain in business and grow. The owners or investors gambled with their own money, time, and hard work, with the odds stacked against them for success. They are entitled to the fruits of their investments and labor, not me. I agreed to the worker's pay and benefits and have no reason to think otherwise.

Not until midlife did I learn and realize the keys to advancement and success in secular employment. An excellent work ethic, dependability, attitude, advancing your education and skills, social acceptance, making yourself valuable and productive, and making your boss look good even under poor circumstances. In other words, some biblical principles.

Admittedly, as I previously stated, quitting a job can be challenging and trying for a better one, but the opportunity is present for all in America. My attitude adjustment went a long way in life in general and employment in particular.

[Selah7]

I’m a retired radiologic technologist, but along the way, I’ve had little side jobs.  I’m remembering one in particular where I (attempted) to train a bunch of ladies to racewalk. Well, first off, racewalking is a bit technical and it’s a lot harder to do than it looks.  You have to land with a straight leg and keep it straight as you rotate your hip sideways and push off from the back and try to look dignified while you do it.  Whaat? Lol! (hey, no laughing allowed, either)  Anyway, I found out real quick that not only is racewalking hard to do, it’s hard to teach! 

[kwikphilly]

4 minutes ago, Dennis1209 said:

I feel a little rambling and ranting coming on myself. 😊

Life lessons: My attitude and views have drastically changed over the years. Regarding employment, I once thought I was worth more than I was getting (entitlement mentality).

I do not know of any poor people who offer employment. Companies and businesses must maintain a certain profit margin to remain in business and grow. The owners or investors gambled with their own money, time, and hard work, with the odds stacked against them for success. They are entitled to the fruits of their investments and labor, not me. I agreed to the worker's pay and benefits and have no reason to think otherwise.

Not until midlife did I learn and realize the keys to advancement and success in secular employment. An excellent work ethic, dependability, attitude, advancing your education and skills, social acceptance, making yourself valuable and productive, and making your boss look good even under poor circumstances. In other words, some biblical principles.

Admittedly, as I previously stated, quitting a job can be challenging and trying for a better one, but the opportunity is present for all in America. My attitude adjustment went a long way in life in general and employment in particular.

Gee Dennis,you reminded me of how many times I've heard" Hm,must be nice" because of the big house,fancy car and " stuff" that are fruits of your labor .... Finally,I simply replied" yes it is" after years of thinking " WHAT?NICE? Nice to sleep 2 hrs a night?Nice to pull your hair out of your head doing the books,paying the bills,dealing with the employees,the patrons and working 18hrs AND being a single parent and and and....lol

No,business do not run themselves and I've found exactly what my Dad told me when I first shared my plans to go into business for myself with him,he said":Well babe,basically you buy yourself a job" and boy was he right but that job you can't leave at work,it's your responsibility 24/7 and so are all the people that work for you. ... It's a huge burden and I'm not sure I'd do it again if I could do it all over

Sure,the " stuff," you can afford is NICE but you hardly have time to really enjoy it and many other areas of your life may suffer for it if you don't find a good balance of the life of your business and your own personal life...like family for example . But you can be a Blessing for many if you aren't greedy,pros & cons --- isn't this life full of compromise?

[kwikphilly]

15 minutes ago, Selah7 said:

I’m a retired radiologic technologist, but along the way, I’ve had little side jobs.  I’m remembering one in particular where I (attempted) to train a bunch of ladies to racewalk. Well, first off, racewalking is a bit technical and it’s a lot harder to do than it looks.  You have to land with a straight leg and keep it straight as you rotate your hip sideways and push off from the back and try to look dignified while you do it.  Whaat? Lol! (hey, no laughing allowed, either)  Anyway, I found out real quick that not only is racewalking hard to do, it’s hard to teach! 

Love it,you created a really clear " visual"- I'm sitting here cracking up imagining the graceful ,dignified,elegance you've described!!!!! Too funny😂

[Selah7]

14 minutes ago, kwikphilly said:

Love it,you created a really clear " visual"- I'm sitting here cracking up imagining the graceful ,dignified,elegance you've described!!!!! Too funny😂

I’ve been racewalking for a long time—23 years, I think.  It’s actually a very smooth walk and allows me to go really fast.  In other words, I like. 

[kwikphilly]

16 minutes ago, Selah7 said:

I’ve been racewalking for a long time—23 years, I think.  It’s actually a very smooth walk and allows me to go really fast.  In other words, I like. 

You must have the right conformation for it too though,right? All I can relate to is trying to get a Trachaener Stallion to " pace",not gonna happen!Or a little Quarter Horse to do the Tenesee walker " big lick"

When you were teaching others to racewalk were there not some that you thought" she's just not built for it"  Like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole,or do you think anyone can be taught( but maybe not good at it as theyre not the best body type)?

[Starise]

I didn't realize that was Selah7 immediately as she has changed her pic. I like the new look.

Certainly the businessman or business woman are the ones taking the hit to make things work, so yes they deserve the rewards over and above treating workers fairly.

Employees are more like independent contractors that stay long term if the deal works out. I have had lots of pie in the sky ideas I thought about marketing but never did it because that's what they were, pie in the sky ideas. People actually need to want the products or services and they have to be made to produce a profit. At one point I was going to make custom light post fixtures. I could set up a jig and make them from scratch. Then I began to consider what I would need to do it. A decent amount of room to work. Lots of soldering,glass cutting welding, metal working gear. Any variation in design would mean more time= more money. Then there are the permits. How  would I distribute all of it and how I would let people know I existed? How many would I need to make in a week to make enough money to live? How much profit per unit? Where would I source my materials from at a good price? How many people would really spend a bit more for a custom made fixture over a Home Depot one made in China? Days would be spent building and shipping and tracking and dealing with customers....for one man. 

So I guess I sort of talked myself out of it lol. If things lined up though, like an idea where materials could be had and there was a demand, and probably most importantly, I could live without a profit for a long time until the operation gained momentum, then maybe it could happen. Most work nowadays is short term and very specific. 

The US economy just lost over 100,000 tech sector jobs since Jan 23'. Big places like Google and Amazon just laying people off. GM recently announced a big buyout offer to all US white collars. This is while they expand an EV factory in Mexico. One large bank just closed in CA. The Fed has said they aren't going to help with a major bailout beyond their requirements.

Employment seems to be going more into a more opportunistic direction. It takes money to go into business and that's why not many do it in addition to not knowing how to manage a business.IMO.

Interest rates are climbing. Not attempting to incite fear. God is in control. But I think we need to navigate carefully in the future to stay afloat. 

 

 

[Marathoner]

1 hour ago, Selah7 said:

I’m a retired radiologic technologist, but along the way, I’ve had little side jobs.  I’m remembering one in particular where I (attempted) to train a bunch of ladies to racewalk. Well, first off, racewalking is a bit technical and it’s a lot harder to do than it looks.  You have to land with a straight leg and keep it straight as you rotate your hip sideways and push off from the back and try to look dignified while you do it.  Whaat? Lol! (hey, no laughing allowed, either)  Anyway, I found out real quick that not only is racewalking hard to do, it’s hard to teach! 

Neat! 

Just a little aside. Speaking of walking...

One of our clients here at the shelter is a real hoot. I enjoy our conversations throughout the day. He's a good brother who has devoted himself to helping his roommate who suffers from dementia. It warms my heart, but this guy also cracks me up with his sense of humor. He's a senior himself --- he uses a cane and a walker at times --- but I've observed our brother during his early morning walks. He's blazing fast! 

Every day, he pulls his roommate outdoors to join him on walks. "Exercise helps the brain!" he exclaimed to me, and I can't argue the results. His roommate has improved greatly. 

However... his roommate decided to walk on his own after a while. "I have to run to keep up with you!", he complained. Having walked alongside our brother with his cane, the fact that I'm tall with long legs was the only reason I could match his pace.