Seriously, that comment made my night.  THIS IS WHY I WRITE!  For the people who get it.  Thank you so much for the kind words. 

Truer words have never been spoken–calling all young, single professors of the world (preferably with dimples)!

I like that.  It sort of implies transforming a hobby into a job.  And if it's a hobby, then it is, by default, something you enjoy.  All for that.

James, I know what you mean about answering the same questions.  I had an unusual/romanticized job for a while and eventually a lot of my small talk conversations felt downright scripted. 

I have to admit, even when I was annoyed with the same questions yet again, I did get liiiittle bit of an ego trip every time someone let out a “That's so cool!” Now my job is not only rather generic but tough to explain.  Even though I like this job more than the previous flashy one, I sort of miss having something nifty to say.  On the surface, I'm more than happy to say, “What these randoms think is not important to me,” but I guess I'm not entirely able to stick to that on a deeper level.  Some part of me likes people thinking I'm independent, non-conformist, daring … and likes the attention, too.

I've lately just been emphasizing why I like my job rather than what tasks I perform.  (I work with people I like, I keep my overactive brain busy, people respect me, etc.) Seems like a good approach so far.  Maybe you could try some variant of that?  Though I guess with those cool jobs, it will always be tough to steer away from the is-it-like-the-movies stuff.

Ha, I'm going to have to start lying all of the time, just for fun and to see the different reactions people give.  Zookeeper.  Former gymnast.  Assembly line supervisor.  Gift wrap designer.  Prison guard.  Welder.  Professional bungee jumper.  I'm sure I could come up with some real doozies, if I were to think about it.  *Evil laugh*

That's interesting!  I've actually never, ever heard that phrase used in Spanish, but as you know, Spanish changes from country to country, and I'm sure this is used in some parts of the world.  I like it!  (Although still despise the idea of having to discuss job responsibilities in conjunction with how I dedicate myself.  Why does one naturally imply the other?!)

Agree with you wholeheartedly!  It's the unnecessary illusion that we must have the perfect career–and the subsequent levels of self-esteem and purpose that we garner based on that one factor–where I think we could all use a little more balance.  In terms of erroneously seeking meaning in our work, you said exactly what I meant by that – “the trouble comes when we seek meaning in work to the exclusion of all other things.”  Thanks, Christine, for helping me to formulate a clearer message – the one I meant to give!

I think you may have misunderstood my purpose in writing this.  It wasn't to advocate for “wage slavery,” it was simply to frame my point of reference for noticing that too often in the states, we define ourselves by what we do to earn money, when, in reality, there isn't always a connection, and there doesn't have to be.  You, on the other hand, are one of the people who has gone out of their way to ensure that what they do to earn money is, in fact, in line with your desires and, as such, a part of the way you define yourself, and that's great.  But…once you're dead, if someone were to ask who Steven Ponec was, would you just say, “Oh, he was a photographer,” and let that be it?  Want to emphasize the fact here that we've got way more going on than whatever it is we do for a living, and we should remember to factor that in when making self-assessments – not strictly by what the larger society would define you as being successful.

1.  Career implies progression toward what?  You just said it yourself: “Wage slavery is wage slavery.”  So what is the end goal of a career that you're defending?  Manufactured, socially constructed status ranks, or as much money as one can possibly make before tapping out at the ripe old age of 65?

2.  “The Central American version feels more like contented defeat.”  You're making this statement through your North American cultural lens, in which you're applying your definition of defeat, as defined by your cultural values, to the lives of people who don't live and play according to your rules, nor would define “defeat” in the same manner.  That's exactly the point I was making – they DON'T seem the least bit discouraged or unhappy performing these jobs, and they certainly would be put off if you were to tell them that the 8 hours they busted selling empanadas on the beach or washing dishes in a hot kitchen, in an effort to live an honest life and provide for their families, was done in vain and they've been “defeated.”  In fact, I think they probably feel pretty damn good about it.

3.  “People with the kind of jobs of which you speak don't want to talk about their jobs because they're not worth talking about.”  From whose point of view?  That sounds ethnocentric if I've ever heard it, and I wouldn't expect that from you. 

4.  “Being happy to put in your 8 hours is still death on an installment plan.”  Yes, nor was I advocating that anyone should go out and get a job, instead of a career.  I was simply making the point that careers often transform themselves into the one overwhelming defining factor that we use to base our self-worth on, and that's just crap.  With jobs, on the other hand, the same phenomenon doesn't seem to occur.  I'm not making any conclusions that one is preferred over the other; simply just saying that we should avoid, as you would say, “the conflation” between “career” and “us.” 

5.  Mad love for you.  Always love a good debate, you know that.

Shit – THAT should have been the title for this post: Careers are dangerous things.  Ha.  It's strange, because people often do have many other aspects of their lives to discuss, but since talking about one's job functions seems to be the social law, it's what people discuss.  I've found myself in new convos with new people who automatically prompt ME to talk about what I do for a living, and my immediate reaction is to deflect the question–not because I don't want to answer it, but because I don't want it to have to be the first thing we talk about, that I get judged on.  I think it's rather irrelevant to who I am as a person – even if I love the stuff i do.  It's still just stuff I DO – not WHY I do it or WHO I am because of it.

Thanks, Everett – I tend to think that jobs or careers might be fine, if you're happy doing what you're doing, but I can't help but notice that the whole concept of “having a career” is largely a fabricated social construct that has become the definition of success–that's what I'm not down with.  And furthermore, if anything is killing your soul, as you put it–I don't care if it's a job, a spouse, or whatever–you need to remove it from your life.  Immediately.  I'll be heading over to your site to check it out!  Always great stuff from you.

Yes – sometimes I've found myself feeling lost if I don't have a particular way to categorize myself, but then I step back and think, “Why do I have to?”