Although I'm actually getting some things accomplished at work today, I'm reading all your old posts in between! I had to laugh at your idea to tell people you were a prison guard. Although my “career” is PR and Marketing, I was once laid off and couldn't find a new “career” in the PR field, so I went through my local police academy and became a corrections officer (preferred term vs. prison guard). Although I only did this “job” for about 2 years, it's one of the first things that people want to discuss when I mention it. Funny how no one wants to talk about the latest marketing techniques or how to write a better media release…BTW, do you think a stripper, prostitue, counterfeiter or any other person who makes his or her money in a “non-traditional” way (no pun intended with the counterfieter reference) considers what they do a “career” or a “job?” Why do we always have to “be” what we “do?”

While you're probably against taking what test tell you to do literally, the results are a little different; they only tell you what you have a natural aptitude for and leave the rest up to you. I'm great at planning things long-term (and using big words?) and if I don't feel like my daily tasks are accomplishing anything that has to do with my goal in life, I will perpetually feel unfulfilled. And the director told me to find something I cared about deeply and incorporate steps towards it in my life.

This basically went along with what you told me about seeking out my life goals. At this juncture, I'm going to look into water filtration, purification, and distribution. Of course my mother told me immediately, “Too bad you don't want to be an engineer! That could help!”

To which I responded, “Mom, engineering requires spatial visualization, which I scored really low on and I'd be completely miserable as an engineer because thinking about things in 2-D in 3-D all the time would be a nightmare and give me a headache. I would perpetually go around in life as drained as I was right after they tested me in that, and you'd hear complaints much like the ones you heard after I had to do the Wiggly Block.” (That is not a fun dance; that is a puzzle nightmare.)

And Daddy, who is an electrical engineer, tells me that instead of doing water filtration/purification/distribution [which they admit they knew about since forever because of me building wells in Vietnam when I was small...(er)], I should take the other suggestion about being a consultant because I can make $150/300 an hour just telling other people how to make things more efficient.

And I nodded while I covertly thought of different majors that I could switch to when I get back to school.

When you hit the States, I would suggest that you take a look at the Foundation and see if you want to be tested. They'll tell you a lot of things that you already know, like: “Wow, you generate a lot of ideas quickly and are able to think of new solutions and new things to do” and “If you stifle your natural innate desire to create, to write, to express yourself, you will become very frustrated by life in general and career-hop aimlessly, because financial gains can only motivate you so far before you suffocate” and “You should be a tutor and an editor, which you listed here on your entrance forms….oh.”

And then other stuff that you haven't reallly thought about like, “You have a lot of artistic ability, but no dexterity, so you should take some art history or photography classes and see how they go.”

And heartbreaking things like, “The reason why you took 10 years of piano plus 2 years of violin and yet cannot sightread is that you don't have innate aptitude for doing musical stuff. You've gotten where you are through hard work, though, so that should be a comfort, right? It's ok to keep it as a hobby, though!”

The work ethic here is intense. To be working overtime is a star on your lapel. To be working on weekends, a gold star. Even the government has its hand in this madness. Workers–of all collars, blue and white–have to “make up” days off by working Saturdays. It's gotten to the point where some workers are known to work as little as possible during normal hours so the boss can see them at odd hours finishing work they “didn't have time for” during the day. Ugh. The Messed-up-ness factor is high.

While I stroll out of the office as soon as the clock strikes 6 PM (yes, it's not 9-5, it's 9-6 here…. <insert furrowed brow>), most of my coworkers are still clacking away until god-knows-when. Keeping my 9-6 hours, if you can believe it, is almost a form of protest.

Anyway, so I totally get you when you say “a job is what you do to survive, and there is no other meaning in it than that.” Hollah, girl. Hollah.

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

Your post at World's Strongest Librarian made me fall in love with your writing. I could never express what you did in precisely the same way, but it's something that I've wanted to. Could you be a little less awesome? You blow my mind.

If you want intellectual, start dating single professors Scientists are a tad bit harder to find/meet in bars/ever see. They're elusive.

It is definitely an annoying mindstate we have over here in the states. We struggle with our identity.In a way it's expected. How do you actually go about describing your identity? I do it in terms of character. I am my character. If someone were to ask me about myself,I'd quickly describe myself as “a beautiful mess.” That's me, if I am my character. I've never thought about describing myself in relation to other people i.e. I am Jennifer's son. They may not know Jennifer. Perhaps it's just the whole atmosphere of living in the states. It's so fast-paced and business-minded. I know I'm not my career, but we have a class system over here in the states. People want to immediately know if you're worth talking to. They think that your profession says a lot about you.But we're never our profession. Our profession is an empty void, until we bring something to it. It's just like when you ask someone how they're doing over here in the US of A. Nearly everyone says the same thing, ” I'm fine. How are you?” But if you ask someone over in another country-of course, not everyone- you'll get a, “oh man, I'm tired. last night….” You get a connection on a much deeper level.

I think the difference is in how we look at the two.

Jobs-at least to me- are a stepping stone. Something I'd rather not be doing. Something to earn me income to support me in whatever endeavors I choose to embark upon. Most likely to help support me while I'm building my skills in the area of my passion.
Sometimes I like jobs, sometimes I don't. The one thing about jobs, I don't feel like I have a lot of freedom. Yeah, I had the choice to choose the job, but once I'm there I feel pretty much dead.

Careers on the other hand, are a consciously chosen path-at least I think they should be. It's something that is going to pay the bills over the long-haul and so I'd like it to be something that I would like to do.

They're both mediums to me. Mediums for self-expression. They don't define me, I bring my essence to them. I'm going with a steve pavlina on this one: the career is the medium, we bring our message to it. Most people never decide what their message is, so they go with a career choice that they think has a great message i.e. I want to be a nurse because they are helpful and caring or I want to be a ceo because they are powerful. The thing is, careers are more fulfilling-again, I think they should be.

But it's all how you see them and what they mean to you. To me, I feel like a job will work the hell out of me. When I go looking for a job, I feel like my options are limited, in terms of the medium, growth and expression. Careers on the other hand, I feel like I have a lot of control over. It's something that I've decided would be a great vehicle for me to express myself; consequently, I feel more alive at my career. I'm not just giving my hours away, I'm putting work in to see my message manifest.

You could argue that you can express yourself under a job too, but it's all in perspective and how we define the two terms.

It is definitely an annoying mindstate we have over here in the states. We struggle with our identity.In a way it's expected. How do you actually go about describing your identity? I do it in terms of character. I am my character. If someone were to ask me about myself,I'd quickly describe myself as “a beautiful mess.” That's me, if I am my character. I've never thought about describing myself in relation to other people i.e. I am Jennifer's son. They may not know Jennifer. Perhaps it's just the whole atmosphere of living in the states. It's so fast-paced and business-minded. I know I'm not my career, but we have a class system over here in the states. People want to immediately know if you're worth talking to. They think that your profession says a lot about you.But we're never our profession. Our profession is an empty void, until we bring something to it. It's just like when you ask someone how they're doing over here in the US of A. Nearly everyone says the same thing, ” I'm fine. How are you?” But if you ask someone over in another country-of course, not everyone- you'll get a, “oh man, I'm tired. last night….” You get a connection on a much deeper level.

I think the difference is in how we look at the two.

Jobs-at least to me- are a stepping stone. Something I'd rather not be doing. Something to earn me income to support me in whatever endeavors I choose to embark upon. Most likely to help support me while I'm building my skills in the area of my passion.
Sometimes I like jobs, sometimes I don't. The one thing about jobs, I don't feel like I have a lot of freedom. Yeah, I had the choice to choose the job, but once I'm there I feel pretty much dead.

Careers on the other hand, are a consciously chosen path-at least I think they should be. It's something that is going to pay the bills over the long-haul and so I'd like it to be something that I would like to do.

They're both mediums to me. Mediums for self-expression. They don't define me, I bring my essence to them. I'm going with a steve pavlina on this one: the career is the medium, we bring our message to it. Most people never decide what their message is, so they go with a career choice that they think has a great message i.e. I want to be a nurse because they are helpful and caring or I want to be a ceo because they are powerful. The thing is, careers are more fulfilling-again, I think they should be.

But it's all how you see them and what they mean to you. To me, I feel like a job will work the hell out of me. When I go looking for a job, I feel like my options are limited, in terms of the medium, growth and expression. Careers on the other hand, I feel like I have a lot of control over. It's something that I've decided would be a great vehicle for me to express myself; consequently, I feel more alive at my career. I'm not just giving my hours away, I'm putting work in to see my message manifest.

You could argue that you can express yourself under a job too, but it's all in perspective and how we define the two terms.

I'm new here; just wanted to say, I really liked this post. When I lived in NYC about 8 years ago, the whole “what do you do?” thing got really outta hand for me – you're always at a party somewhere meeting new people and you get asked this question all night. So when I met new people, I'd either bluntly say, “Sarah, huh? What's your deal, Sarah?” – which always got some type of interesting reply – or I'd ask a two-part question: A) “What do you do?” (pause for brief, pre-scripted answer, then…) B) “Hm. So what do you *want* to be doing?” Nine times out of ten their answer to this latter question was different, and it always led to a way more interesting conversation…

P.S. Soon I'll be hunting you down for advice on a decent, cost-effective camera to purchase!