High powered jobs
 

Hello, symbols of free time. I haven't posted in a few days because I have been so rushed of my arse in my head fucking deadline dictated piss boring stress inducing supposedly 'high powered' job that I haven't had time to think. Or eat. Or sleep. For three days. Can you either a) make me feel better by telling me its worth it for the money and I'm proving myself and I'm successful or b) tell me it's all a load of shit there's more to life it doesn't mean anything and give me the incentive I need to just quit and go and live in a camper van somewhere in Wales.

Make lots of money *then* bugger off to the welsh caravan.....ask yourself how you'd feel if the job was taken away from you. Imagine it. If it happened right this minute would you be mainly upset/disappointed with a little bit of relief or would you be mainly relieved but a little upset?

Completely relieved. No upset.

If that's more than just the stress of a bad week talking then maybe now's a good time to look at alternatives in your life. *smiles*

Yes, have been considering alternatives all my life. Cognitively agree with the Buddhist notion that happiness is not dictated by situation, therefore it doesn't actually matter what I DO, I should just BE. But some things are definitely more pleasant to BE than others. Have therefore decided to make the Big Change in the ill-fated hope it will (affix 're-' to any of the following) energise/vamp/invigorate/solve aspects of my life I am unhappy with. Options include writing full time, a high-flying career in the music industry, a wandering guitarist, a well-respected philosopher and/or a Nobel prizewinning scientist, having discovered something of incredible humanitarian/environmental worth. The ladder is high and I'm just one step away from the bottom. Any inspiration would be most welcome.

this may sound weird , but take up fly fishing , it can be VERRRRY zen like , just imagen you standing out in a srping sreek in waders with a vest containing every thing you need to fish , the syenergy of a good fly cast , a fish desides to hit your fly , you pull up on the line , feel the fish pull back , you play it up and down the river , playing the fish just enough to tire it but not ware it totaly out , net it , remove the fly , admire the beauty of such a vividly live creature , take a pic , then relese it back to the river with a wave and a " see you next time " , rince off your hands and start all over again , or walk over to the bank and pull a cold beer from the stream ( they have been cooling in the water ) or smoke a "J" and start all over again .

Life is to short not to get SOME pleasure from the experence , and also if you work all the time and stress all the time when do you have time to enjoy ALL the money that you are makeing ???

Read my sig line and understand what it is saying !!

It depends on what your high powered job consists of. Are you writing advertising copy for some worthless item that no one especially wants or needs or helping build bigger and even more destructive weapons of mass annialation? Or are you doing something that you feel is a contribution for the good, what Buddhist's call "right livelyhood"? Answer me that, and I'll be able to give you an opinion.

Yes.

or helping build bigger and even more destructive weapons of mass annialation?

In the sense that adverts mass annihilate culture, conscience and control, then yes.

Or are you doing something that you feel is a contribution for the good, what Buddhist's call "right livelyhood"?

No.


PS. zippyt - fly fishing.... I'm a veggie and don't eat fish and couldn't forgive myself if I killed one by accident, and don't like the thought of teasing them. How would you like to be dunked in water with flies all over you then pulled out again because some supersize fish thought it would be a fun way to relax after a long day at the fish farm (I think I've missed the point haven't I) :rolleyes: Might try the stand-in-a-river-with-a-joint thing though... :joint:

Re: High powered jobs
 

Aww, c'mon. How stressful can it it be to write opening paragraphs for trashy romance novels?

However, to be fair this phrase did arouse more than the usual interest:

I have been so rushed of my arse in my head fucking deadline dictated piss boring stress inducing supposedly 'high powered' job that I haven't had time to think.

Ya gotta love this interweb thingy.

NBN I assume the trashy romance thing was an allusion to my profile in which I describe myself as a writer, which I am, but it brings me no maaney, so I work as an account exec/copywriter in an ad agency to pay for home/car/food/bottled oxygen (which is 10 times purer than normal oxygen!!!!!). God I hate this job. It doesn't sit well with my 'I like to help the planet and stroke little furry animals' ting.

You `re contributing to the polution of our mental environment and a tragedy of the commons, you should feel guilty. Sorry.

Get out, do something that doesn`t make you feel like you need to shower every 10 minutes, your concience will thank you.

I know. You're right. I'm sorry I whined. Thanks for helping me through it. And bah yourself.

anytime

I don't think you should feel guilty at all unless you are not doing as good a job as you can. Screw the self-rightous, judgemental, idealistic bullshit that some would spew as though they knew anything about the real world and be true to yourself.

There is a lot you need to think about but the first thing I would recommend is taking a long vacation to a faraway place with two goals - 1) relax and clear your mind and 2) decide what you really enjoy and figure out how to do more of it (and what you hate and how to do less of it).

But, before you do anything else, decide if you can live without all the perks that come with the money/presitge or whatever. If you can't then admit it and forget it and get back to work.

If you are hitting the weed hard enough that you have COPD, you need to look at more than just changing your job ...

While I`m *sure* that was not *at all* directed at me in the slightest I have two things to say.

My first statement was meant, to a degree, to be hyperbolic. I think Catwoman got that, even if you didn't.

Secondly, don't try and tell me I don't know about advertising and media, I run and own a growing publication that is making the transition from online to the real world, I've also worked with graphic design firms that do branding campaigns. I dance with that devil all too often.

In my mind there are two types of advertising, reasonable, tollerable types that I am resigned to and the real scum. Very few organisations have the guts to pick and choose their advertisers but if you deal with certain markets, you realize it's in your interest to make sure that the people you sell space to aren't utter assholes, brand association works both ways.

She not the first, nor the last (and correct me if I'm wrong in this assessment) to be...bedeviled by the amorality of her profession, there have been plenty of confessions and defections to those of us that do our best to keep some public space and by association mental space, advertising free.

Beest & Jag: I agree with you both. If it is what I really wanted to do I would do it and not give a toss what other people think. Honestly. But I'm pretty sure it is not what I want to do, for precisely the reasons that Jag states, inclusive of hyperbole.

PS. Beest - a holiday sounds like a wonderful idea... could someone e-mail me my spare time?

If you're serious about change considering employment at an NGO or charity, they need good people and while the money won't be anywhere near as good at least you'll sleep well.

There are also plenty of organisations (and it's growin fast) for whom ethical practices are a core part of their operating charter.

Originally posted by jaguar I didn't. I also didn't think it was very polite.

I realize you have an issue with advertising (you are the one with the pocketknife, no?) but I thought you were a little harsh even so. The "anytime" followup wasn't exactly a post script smilie and my opinion was thusly formed - rightly or wrongly.

I'll withdraw my challenge of your real-world knowledge world but I will also point out that about 6 or 9 months ago you, if I recall correctly, asked a similar question (career/life/what to do). I recall that everyone was helpful to you in your moment of doubt so I considered your response here to be a lost opportunity to return the favour.

Just my $.02.

Yea I understand, it was half in jest, half not. She's far from the first I've heard similar things from and in the end, it is pretty much true.

It was subtle enough that I can easily forgive you for not catching on. It wasn't too polite but if you find a nice way of making that point, tell me. I also wanted to see how she reacted, before that it was not clear whether the bigger problem was the ethics or the hours.

Originally posted by jaguar I'll confess a certain degree of ignorance regarding the profession. Perhaps it would have been better had I just stayed out of it.

selling people things they don't need by showing them things that they don't want to see, oftening targetting kids to nag parents, preying on people's insecurities or targetting disadvantaged people with false hope, join the dots.

That said, not all advertising is the spawn of the devil nor are most of the people that work in it.

A person's job consumes about a third of their life if they work 8 hours a day. I for one always wanted to feel that I was doing something that was a contribution to society, not a taking. I felt so fortunate to be granted the chance for my education and I wanted to give something back in exchange. Early on in my career I had the choice between two job offers. One was a high paying civil service job for the department of defense running the research library in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The other was a far humbler, lower paying job as a science librarian at a little college which had an outreach program for Native American students down in Durango, Colorado. I really agonized over the choice, but in the end I took the Durango job and never regretted having done so.

Its just a matter of where you heart is. There would have been nothing wrong with working for Los Alamos had I believed in its mission, but I am completely anti-war; so I would have been miserable there. Someone else who believed that Los Alamos was doing the right thing would have prospered and been happy.

run for your life
 

That’s a tough one and you are the only one who can decide what is best for you.

I got laid off from my power job a couple of years ago. I worked a lot, somewhere between 60 and 70 hours a week. After I got laid off and spent four months realizing that I had precious little going on in my life other than work, I decided not to go for the power job ever again. It was a little strange at first to be home at 6:00 on a Tuesday night, what do people do at 6:00 on a Tuesday if they’re not working – turns out they play with their dogs, duffer around in the yard, practice the piano, work out… I enjoy not having to carry a picture of my husband around so I remember what he looks like. I have turned down two power jobs since then, one of them for a considerable amount of money – screw the money I don’t care. I don’t want to look back on my life one day and see that all I did was work.

Boys, boys. Beestie your concern is very much appreciated :), but if I were to take offence at what jag said it would be much the same as if I worked for an exploitative, sweat shop owning multinat, and then complained when people told me I was unethical. OK so my job is a lot smaller scale and less influential but the principles remain the same. I am in the business of making people feel bad.

I put a product in front of you that I tell you will make you feel good. You buy it with your maxed out credit card, and it makes you feel worse. There is already a new version to replace the old version and now you can't afford to go on holiday or send little Mary to college. I teach you that if you buy those mints you will look as good as the airbrushed (and physically unachievable) model in the advert, and if you buy that sofa your home life will be as functional and contented as the family on your screen. It's all a myth that you buy into because there is something lacking in your life, and I tell you I can replace it. OK, maybe it's your fault for believing me. But I'm very good at my job. It takes some strength of mind to resist, and I have already made sure I eliminated that by ensuring my flashing screens and ubiquitous billboards play up to your insecurity, self-doubt and curiosity. You don't stand a chance.

I hope this clears up the world of advertising for anyone still sympathetic to it, and while I am not so arrogant or 'high-powered' to assume that I make all that much of a difference, in a few years time I may be, so I figure now's as good a time as any to start pursuing something real.



edited to amend improbably difficult syntax... now you know why I don't work in IT

Well, I have handed my notice in. Leave on the 30th July. And then I'm (hopefully) going camper vanning around England for a month with my housemate (yes, that one). Have been offered a job with my old company for £10K more than what I'm earning now. I could do the job with my eyes closed but I will most likely hate every minute of it. However it will give me an opportunity to save up, pay of debts etc. and hopefully finance the start of a new way of life ie freelance writing/copywriting. Just not sure if I can take another year or two of this mindless bullshit. Do I take the job and put up with the moral/intellectual conflict while thinking of the future, or do I live for now and start up my freelance thing even though it may fall on its head and make me more and more in debt?

Catwoman,
every time you post more information on your situation with this guy, you seem to have changed your direction with him. Last time you posted, you said you realize he doesn't love you, and you were moving out. What happened to make you want to spend a month traveling around with him?

Has he said that the relationship is an exclusive one now?

No, he hasn't, and I didn't really want to go into this one to save everyone's boredom! :rolleyes: I have accepted there's not going to be a relationship, we're going away as friends, and there's no way I can afford to move out right now, esp. after quitting work. It's ok, I'll deal with it, I'm not the first person to suffer from unrequited love. Although we went to a party last week and he took me outside for a joint and said 'I love you' and then I didn't say anything just looked at him so he said 'oops'. Never know if he's joking or not. Whatever. I'd rather still be friends than nothing at all anyway.

You can always put him out of the camper van. It's not like you'd be abandoning him in another country. There are busses and things.

That's the plan ;)

He's just playing with you now to get the attention

Yes, most likely. Doesn't matter. I've accepted there's not going to be a fairy tale ending to this one. I'm going away in the van because I want a break, and I enjoy his company as a friend. Not going with false hopes and not going to shower him with that kind of attention. Have protected myself by knowing nothing romantic will come of it. Problem solved.

You're not bringing a shovel along, I hope :)

Nah, she's just gonna push him into the Irish Sea.;)

Sounds good to me. I did something similar .... having found a place on the edge of civilisation where I wanted to live but the salaries/wages were not enough to get you on the housing ladder I went away to be Something in The City in order to earn me a house in the location of my dreams, calculating that paying the other bills, if no mortgage or rent to cope with, would be possible on local incomes here.
I did not know how long this would take (estimated 10 to 20 years in my head), but got lucky with redundancy and the London housing market, and so got back here in in seven. Broadly speaking, I hated those seven years, but it was worth it to get where I am now. If the job with your old company is less stress and 10k more, I'd take it, and put that 10k a year in the bank.

Right. Problem solved. The job offer with the other company fell through; I was offered more money to stay here and accepted.

However, it may have become apparent to some of you that I am, shall we say, less than enthusiastic about my job. This has also now become apparant to my boss, who has accordingly made me redundant. This decision followed a meeting of which the general gist was:

Boss: You're not doing any work, and the work you do get around to is usually wrong.
Me: I know. I'm bored of my job which is below me and spend all my time on the net.
Boss: Thanks for being honest. You are now redundant.

So I leave in 2 weeks. Nothing to go to. What better opportunity for a change of direction! Now I can actually think about what I want to do. No excuses. No safety. It's a great feeling. Slightly scary having no security, but fuck it I'm only 22. No one but myself to look after, and every choice in the world.

Aaah, freedom... :D

Take a week out in Ireland. Best, coolest most fun place in the world.

Can't afford to, I don't have a job! Would love to go though. Going to get a waitress job in my local strip bar and save money then fuck off somewhere. Can't wait. :)

I'm glad to hear you're on the road to something new, does it feel good now? If you're serious about that job I might have to ask you for a favour, a painter friend of mine and I are research into strip clubs, we've spent the last few weekends trawling around Soho collecting photos, don't spose you could help us convince $manager we're not going to take covert picture of customers? We've got a couple of places to agree but it's a hard slog even after some truly impressive bullshitting.

It feels great. The only thing tying me down is a bit of debt, but hopefully should clear that soon. Yes, serious about the job but I haven't contacted them yet (will be this week sometime). Don't think there'll be a problem getting something though, they always need staff esp. at the run up to xmas. What research are you doing? Proportion of blondes to brunettes; the relative visual excitation of D versus DD? ;) As it's my first job there I won't be asking favours straight away but could let you know in a month or so. :)

voyerism, exploitation (more than one angle on that), the usual catch bag of themes to be honest, I don't have any up at the moment but I'll up a few from some recent trips to soho and you'll get the idea.