Your Job, Your Career, Your Ambitions

[Azurel]

When we were in school, the teachers always ask us, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" A pilot. A teacher. A doctor. A lawyer. An Astronaut. We dared to dream big because of our carefree and simple-mindedness as a child. As we grow older, we are influenced by the people around us, by the media and by the society.

While there are some of us, like myself, still studying in school, wishing there were no assigments, no homework. no exams and MORE HOLIDAYS. There are others here who are working; part-time, temporary or permanent jobs. And I forgot to mention that I'm really amazed by those who juggles both work and studies; their time management is like woah. Anyway, Are u in a job that never crossed your mind as a kid? or are you where you have always pictured yourself and worked hard at to be? Or have you never thought about a career and did odd jobs just to get by?

Everyone reaches a crossroad in their life and they have to decide for themselves which road to take next. I've always thought I had a clear goal but now, I'm questioning myself if I'm making the right choice. So what are your opinions on jobs? Is it just a means of making money to support yourself? Or do you see it as a life long dream? Is it something you choose by interest or by salary? And lastly, what was the dream that you had as a kid? Share your thoughts and experience on this

[PaperYomiko]

Nice topic, Az

Well, like you, I'm still in school, so I can't really answer everything here, but I'll share what I can to get this started

Anyway, like I said, I'm still in school, but for a while I wasn't. I dropped out in the middle of my second year, and didn't think I would be able to finish. When I was young, I never would have imagined myself in this position, but there I was, a full time waitress with no clue what to do with my life. So I guess, for me, this point was really the crossroads you mentioned.

If I had wanted to, I probably could have waitressed as a career and made enough to get by. My family wouldn't have been to happy that I would have seemingly wasted my good education on that, but I was making good money and at the time I couldn't imagine myself capable of doing much more.

But then I realized, I couldn't stand the way people who came into the restaurant every day and saw me working there assumed that because I was a waitress and not in school, I must be some unintelligent drop-out or something. I knew that I wanted to use my mind for much more than putting people's lunch orders through and counting change, but I still didn't know what I really wanted to do. All I knew was that I could never be happy in a job where I was just in it to make money.

Well, anyway, I'm not going to tell you my life story, but basically, I quit my job, spent all the money I had earned wandering around Ireland, and decided that even if I didn't have a clear goal, I would go back to school, study what I had always loved, and just let life take me where it goes.

I think it's easier for us to know exactly where we're going and why, but things don't always work out that way. Just because you don't have a clear goal doesn't mean you're doing the wrong thing. What's really important, in my opinion, is whether what you're doing now and in the future is something that you can be happy doing

Totally cheesy, I know, but that's me, I'm a cheeseball ^^

[the_hellbringer]

I was never the best student in my school, in fact, I usually was the one with the worst grades. Not beacause I were some kind of stupid or something like that. It just w because I didn't like studying, I couldn't stand being told what to do or what to learn.

After finishing the school I didn't had a goal, I couldn't see myself as anything in the future. I visited a lot of universities and learn a lot of different careers and nothing interested me.

One day my mother suggested me to research about Hotel Managment, and finally... something that I liked. So I decided to study that.
I finish studying in 2005 and obtained my degree in 2006 after working 3 months in Spain as a bellboy in a Marriott Resort.

I like the hotel industry. It's very enslaving and you have to make a lot of sacrifices. You don't have holidays, no christmas, no new year, no bithday. While the rest is resting in a holiday or going out to restaurants or whatever, you're working your ass off.
But it's also a very enjoyable and gratifying line of work. Also you can meet a lot of people of different countries and cultures and learn a lot of them.
You can work a lot and finish very tired... but after you solved some guest problems or you if you treated them well and they smile at you and thank you... It's a nice feeling.

Also I've studied Video Edditing, wich I do as a hobby.

After working in a hotel in Cajamarca, wich is in the north part of Peru, I returned to Lima and currently I'm looking for job.
Meanwhile, I've started working in my uncle's bar helping him in the office with some administrative work. This is just temporary after I get a job.

[Impel Down]

I'm just in high school, but I still have a good idea of what I want to do: Journalism. I don't feel that news and such nowadays gives the information the right way, and I'd just like to change that.

[MadDog]

If you can make money at doing what makes you happy, then life is perfect. Realistically, you'll have to make some trade-off's until you find a place where you have a good work/life balance. The important thing is that you shouldn't be afraid to take some risks, don't sell yourself short and don't burn any bridges because you never know where you'll end up. I haven't been working all that long and I've already come 360. This all sounds corny, but I've found it to be true.

[rabb]

well... like hellbringer, i was one of the worse grades in my class, despite being one of the smartest. everyone in my class thought i was an idiot, too, but i didnt mind too much. every now and then some of my teachers did these little in class contests to see who studied, who didnt, and reward the ones that did. that was when i reminded them how little grades meant. and i knew since i was little that my family would never be able to pay for me to go to college, and i realized not to far after that, that we made just enough that the government wouldnt help either. if i do go, i might be able to get a few thousand paid for by various people, but most of it would have to come from me.

so during the summer break between my junior and senior years, i got my first job at mcdonalds, and worked there for three years, right up until they closed the doors and tore the place down. i hated it, but it was something to do, and it paid the bills, which my family has always had an over abundance of. nowadays i work, when i can, at a farm not far from here, picking vegetables.

as for dreams, since i was little, there have been two things i have wanted to do: work with computers, and blow sh*t up. during highschool i took all the programming classes i could, so i know some of the basics, some of the low level languages, and what not. (i also took a class in designing websites for businesses, but that one hasnt really helped me much. since then, i only used what i learned once). so decided to kill as many birds with one stone as possible, i decided to join the military. for a while it was back and forth between the army and navy, but now i like 99.7% sure its the navy for me (first to make a seaman joke dies ). so im going to get to blow some stuff up in training, ill have college paid for, ill be working with computers all the time, and i can make take more programmer classes in college, so that ill be able to do that when im done ^^. also, self discipline will be all but forced on me, which is something i've always needed. so... yay

[Paper]

guys i made a discussion thread so that we don't flood this one: http://www.mangahelpers.com/forums/s...322#post500322

i wasn't one of the academically smart kids in school....i was in a band, and thats all i really cared about. we didn't play a particular kind of genre, we just played whatever was needed....

after i graduated from highschool my band broke up, and i was talked into a crappy hotel school by my parents. i got my associates degree, then i had to move to the Isle of Man to get my Batchelors degree. the place was total crap. i'm talking a dingy ass, old ass building that looks like it was used as a fucking bomb shelter...this was also our dorm...so if you're absent, they know where you are.

i started working in the kitchen of the school as a weekend chef. it paid just enough money for me to buy snacks, cigs, a little booze, guitar magazines, and the occasional bargain bin PC games. as time passed i ditched the school job and started working as a potwasher in a 3-star hotel. the workload was immense but the pay was good(i got a smidgeon over minimum wage). i had to wash dishes and pots, take the garbage out, cut and peel vegetables, prepare desserts, cook (when the chef needs help), serve at the buffet table, and clean up after service...this left little time for me to work on my papers. six months passed and i had to start doing my internship, but i decided to take a 2 month vacation and come home. when i got back i did my internship at the hilton as a function bars bartender. the workload was killer since you never get a permanent day off, you're always on call since working in the function bars meant that any other bar could ask for your help and you can't refuse, or else you'll never get the chance again.... i worked there for 9 months, and had a few mental breakdowns a few times because i still had to do schoolwork while doing my internship....that and the idea of not getting recognition from my parents if in case i flunk out of school. long story short, i dropped out of school since something went wrong with the school's database and i had to re-do tons of papers, and i got fired for a white guy at work. btw the school recently went bankrupt and haven't released any of the updated transcripts...meaning i'll have to start college all over again...

i currently work in a online ESL company....it pays for my internet, WoW, and vices....i also moved back in with my parents...

as for my aspirations...well i've always wanted to become a guitar luthier. i enjoy working on guitars a whole lot, and i love being able to make something crappy sound like a $3,000 guitar...sadly i was denied a US visa by the US embassy....so now i'll have to look for some other course to take here in the Phils....

[Paper]

i thought i'd make a discussion thread so that we don't flood up the original thread

---

@hellbringer- lol...we studied the same thing....the only difference is i hated the hotel industry and you loved it..lol... you're right man, no hollidays what so ever, and you have to keep on kissing the customers ass just to keep them satisfied....god....i hated that part the most.

@rabb- good luck man! i feel for you!

[Fuji]

Have you guys ever seen that bit Christopher Titus did about the perfect normal family with the white picket fence and stuff? Calls up a nice image in your head doesn't it?

Well, that was my house in a nutshell. Unfortunately at the ripe old age of six I was forced to learn that appearances can and often are very deceiving. My early childhood was spent learning about and experiencing things that most people didn't even begin to deal with until they were teenagers. I live in a small out of the way town where it appears that no one does anything wrong. Remember what I said about appearances?

We probably have one of the largest selections of illegal drugs second only to the lovely city of Worcester 15 minutes down the road. Due to this, all through out my years in middle school and high school, I was like the pretender. I phased into one group, discovered what drugs they usually did, and phased right out. This, in turn caused my grades to fluctuate like the red sea, which, of course, caused my parents to go completely off the rail.

This process continued through the first two years of high school. I had no real friends and no real reason to even try in school. I either slept or read novels during most of my classes and still managed to pull fairly decent grades out of it. But of course, picture perfect parents wanted a picture perfect son. I, of course, was not going to be that picture perfect son, even if it destroyed my future. So my junior year I really started slacking off. Yes, as everyone has probably told you, junior year in an American high school is probably the most looked at year by colleges. Well by the end of the year, I was failing a course for the second semester and about to be failing in two more.

But for now I need to back up to the beginning of that year again. Have you ever gotten that feeling where you wake up in the morning and have absolutely no substantial reason to get up in the morning. Ever have that everyday? If you have, you know what I mean when being awake is actually more a chore than going to sleep. I actually looked forward to sleeping, and was always pissed when I had to get up in the morning.

But then I met someone, who would change my life dramatically. She would eventually become my girlfriend, but I met her at a time when I really needed someone, but was too stubborn to full admit it. I don't really know why she took a chance on me, or what I had that caught her eye, but it didn't take me long to appreciate and be thankful that she was there.

I finished my senior year under strict surveillance by my parents to make sure my grades didn't slip, and then started working at EMC, which is the largest provider of Network Solutions in the world.

Through out my hectic, though somewhat tame childhood, I had never had a dream, or an ambition, or even a goal. To this day I still don't. I know what I would like to do, but I have the attention span of a freaking gecko when it comes to picking something and sticking with it.

But now I am going to college for Computer Science, in actually two weeks, I start going to classes again... So, we'll see where I end up. Hopefully it will be far enough away from my parents where I can finally get some peace and quiet...

[the_hellbringer]

@level4paperboy: Well.... yes.. No holidays and you have to do a lot of ass kissing. That's true.
There's also a lot of jerks and assholes that treat you like crap and ask for everything and they want it for free and they start yelling at you for almost everything.
But I forget all about that with a sincere smile and some gratitude. I like to be usefull.

Also you can meet a lot of interesting and very nice people and lear a lot form them, like a couple I met while working in Cajamarca in Peru. They where from Tenesse and they invited me to ther home.... they said that I can visit them whenever I went to the States.

And also.... some guests leave very generous tips.
When I worked in Spain as a bellboy, I made between 50 and 80 Euros a day, only in tips. Some days I even made a 100 Euros.
A friend of mine who works in Santo Domingo makes at least 100 bucks a day in tips.


@Popeye.... I mean... Rabb: The navy? I've always been close to the navy liafe, My grandfather is a Counter Admiral.
BTW, in Peru we have Counter Admirals and Vice Admirals... there are no Admirals... the only Admiral (by law) is Miguel Grau which is a hero from the war with Chile... he also was a congressman and even today they still call his name in the congress at the start of the meeting.
Since I know the navy life so close I can tell that it's not a kind of life for me. I don't know... waking up at 5am every day, accept orders without questions, risk my life... I don't like it.
But I do like blowing things up and shooting guns.... maybe you should consider joining the Mythbusters haha.
But it's true that they give you a good education, a career and a lot of benefits.
Good luck with that...

Where can you find pleasure
Search the world for treasure
Learn science technology
Where can you begin to make your dreams all come true
On the land or on the sea
Where can you learn to fly
Play in sports and skin dive
Study oceanography
Sign of for the big band
Or sit in the grandstand
When your team and others meet

In the navy
Yes, you can sail the seven seas
In the navy
Yes, you can put your mind at ease
In the navy
Come on now, people, make a stand
In the navy, in the navy
Can't you see we need a hand
In the navy
Come on, protect the motherland
In the navy
Come on and join your fellow man
In the navy
Come on people, and make a stand
In the navy, in the navy, in the navy (in the navy)

They want you, they want you
They want you as a new recruit

If you like adventure
Don't you wait to enter
The recruiting office fast
Don't you hesitate
There is no need to wait
They're signing up new seamen fast
Maybe you are too young
To join up today
Bout don't you worry 'bout a thing
For I'm sure there will be
Always a good navy
Protecting the land and sea

In the navy
Yes, you can sail the seven seas
In the navy
Yes, you can put your mind at ease
In the navy
Come on now, people, make a stand
In the navy, in the navy
Can't you see we need a hand
In the navy
Come on, protect the motherland
In the navy
Come on and join your fellow man
In the navy
Come on people, and make a stand
In the navy, in the navy, in the navy (in the navy)

They want you, they want you
They want you as a new recruit

Who me?

They want you, they want you
They want you as a new recruit

But, but but I'm afraid of water.
Hey, hey look
Man, I get seasick even watchin' it on TV!

They want you, they want you in the navy

Oh my goodness.
What am I gonna do in a submarine?

They want you, they want you in the navy

[Paper]

i used to work in a hotel as a bartender. there were times when it felt gratifying...like after a hard day's work, and a manager would let us have a few drinks on the house. or when an we pull through an insane night, with barely anything going wrong; those are the times when it feels great. but there are times when you get assholes for customers and even management...then you start feeling like crap...

as for tips...the most i got was 70GBP...but that was in a 16 hour shift... wedding function+ FC party + pub= nightmare.....sigh...

[the_hellbringer]

70 GBP? what are GBPs? How much is that in dollars?
Mine was in a 8 hour shift.

The hotel industry has some very bad moments where you feel like crap as you say, but, at least for me, the gratifying moments make me forget about the bad moments.

I know very well those times where absolutly everything goes wrong, nothing works, the guests start complaining, you're going insane.... and for some unknown reason you pull through that hellish shift and then you feel very well, proud of your job and tired as hell.
I also hate weddings.

[Paper]

1GBP= 2 USD.....it was sweet...

sadly for me i had a nervous breakdown and the best thing the duty manager could do was to tell me to go home.....3 days later i got fired and immediately replaced by a maltese dude....keep in mind that our department was begging for more staff at that time....out entire workforce (in the bar) was asian...and we were also the only department that was being ignored by the higher management....whicih lead us to believe that they were racist...

[the_hellbringer]

That's another thing you find a lot working in a hotel. Racism.
It can came from the management or from the guests, but it's always there.
I experienced it when I was working in Spain. I was called a "sudaca" (a despective term used to refer to the people from south america) by the spaniards.
Some of the british guests where also a racists and pedantics.
Some of themanagers also were racists...
I know it's wrong.... but that's how life is, so you have to learn to deal with it.

[Paper]

dude, i don;t stand for it, and i sure as hell would have sued them if i wasn't totally depressed at the time....and now it's too late since it's been too long....sigh....