Jobs that only recently were mostly fun and now are "not fun at all"...

[HsiaoChu]

In the amazed thread I start in the intro section, it migrated into a discussion of jobs that have developed a need for ER.

On of these that I am most familiar is Teaching, caused almost entirely by the idiotic NCLB legislation, where once again, people who know nothing about it, have legislated stuff that to a large part makes no sense.

Other posters have come up with others.

Could we talk about other occupations that have caused lots of people to think seriously about ER, or at least R before they ever thought they would?

And could we stick with ones that have gone south like this from FUN to NOT FUN in the last 10 years.

Z

 

[Gumby]

I don't think the private practice of law was ever what most would consider "fun", but it certainly became less enjoyable to me (and I think most other lawyers) over the years, until I called it quits in 2007. Among other things, the "profession" aspect of practice retreated and the "business" aspect came to dominate. Based on things I have read, that may also have occurred in medicine, but I have no personal knowledge.

 

[ERD50]

And could we stick with ones that have gone south like this from FUN to NOT FUN in the last 10 years.

Z

I think it would be easier to have people comment on jobs that were FUN 10 years ago and are STILL FUN today. Those are likely the exceptions that we would learn from.

Even my FIL felt that his last ten years had gotten far more grueling (he had his own small construction business). Part of it may just be we get tired as we age, tougher to deal with the same stuff over and over. Part of it may be we realize that some dreams are just not going to happen, and that sucks some of the 'fun' and anticipation out of it. And a big part is global competition, putting a squeeze on most jobs.

I always liked the challenges in my job. Sometimes those were very FUN for me. Just like some people like solving puzzles in their spare time, for me a lot of my work was solving puzzles. Throw in the good feeling of drawing on your education, training and experience, coupled with some creativity, and that raised it to another level. Throw in working with some really bright people who would challenge you and work with you to take a project to a higher level than you could have imagined on your own, and that takes it another step higher in FUN. Then see that effort pay off in some small way in a better product, some financial success for your company, more good jobs for people in need of them, and it feels pretty good.

But there was always the junk to deal with along the way. And that just grew worse and worse as time went on. ER is good for me.

-ERD50

 

[HsiaoChu]

Among other things, the "profession" aspect of practice retreated and the "business" aspect came to dominate.

Could you give a couple of examples?

Z

 

[ziggy29]

Could you give a couple of examples?

To me a prime example would be an increasing amount of time spent in meetings and submitting status reports, giving you less time to do the things you wanted your education and training to enable you to do. Less useful work and more corporate bureaucracy and overhead.

Got those TPS reports finished yet?

 

[HsiaoChu]

To me a prime example would be an increasing amount of time spent in meetings and submitting status reports, giving you less time to do the things you wanted your education and training to enable you to do. Less useful work and more corporate bureaucracy and overhead.

Got those TPS reports finished yet?

Tell me.... I'm supposed to be a school counselor. But I can go days without seeing a single child due to endless meetings and accountability paperwork. And I'm not the only one. I was commenting to another elementary counselor about this fact and that I'd actualy seen two of my clients that morning. She said, "Yeah, isn't it a novelty."

And with the PA mandated PSSA tests, who do you think's job it is to manage the logistics of these tests for my two school buildings? Why me of course. From March 17 to May 7, I do almost nothing but oraganize, give and pack up these tests. And heaven forbid that one should disappear. I could lose my counseling certificate. We actually had a student steal one last year and stuff it in a desk. We all almost had a heart attack until the teacher went though every desk in the room. We could have all lost our certificates. Does this have anything to do with counseling and teaching? Nope.

Z

 

[freebird5825]

...And could we stick with ones that have gone south like this from FUN to NOT FUN in the last 10 years.
Z

Engineer for govt agency.
Beginning in the 1990s, I saw the trend steadily go from in-house R&D and real laboratory w*rk to contracting out everything. Promotions were now based on how much $ you managed, not your technical expertise.
I was happy as a clam in the laboratory 100%, but was soon "forced" into doing bureacracratic functions. I fought tooth and nail to retain the 50% in-house lab part. I ended up being appointed as a lab manager, not doing 100% lab design and experimentation, my true forte.
These days, I keep up on technology advances for my own pleasure.

 

[Orchidflower]

I remember yammering to a older male acquaintance about how burned out I was once at the Post Office, and he said something I never forgot, "everyone gets burned out: construction workers get burned out, surgeons get burned out, teachers get burned out, artists and writers get burned out, but you just keep going with what you know." He was right, really. I don't think I ever whined about being burned out ever again either.

 

[growing_older]

these tests. And heaven forbid that one should disappear. I could lose my counseling certificate. We actually had a student steal one last year... We could have all lost our certificates

I do not think it is generally known by students the consequences for teachers and school administration when one of these tests goes missing. Probably best no one tells them.

 

[haha]

Tell me.... I'm supposed to be a school counselor. But I can go days without seeing a single child due to endless meetings and accountability paperwork. And I'm not the only one. I was commenting to another elementary counselor about this fact and that I'd actualy seen two of my clients that morning. She said, "Yeah, isn't it a novelty."

One more reason why the the best thing that could possibly happen to the public schools is that they all close down. Another governmental triumph, coming soon to a hospital near you.

Ha

 

[clifp]

I remember yammering to a older male acquaintance about how burned out I was once at the Post Office, and he said something I never forgot, "everyone gets burned out: construction workers get burned out, surgeons get burned out, teachers get burned out, artists and writers get burned out, but you just keep going with what you know." He was right, really. I don't think I ever whined about being burned out ever again either.

I am sure that is right. I knew a glamor photographer shot beautiful girls for Maxim, Playboy and even he said the job got old. A famous test pilot complained of all the paperwork. Other than Warren Buffett, who say he skips to work everyday, and a serial entrepreneur/inventor I met who always seems to be super excited about his job, I think everybody goes through that burn out stage.

 

[Midpack]

I remember yammering to a older male acquaintance about how burned out I was once at the Post Office, and he said something I never forgot, "everyone gets burned out: construction workers get burned out, surgeons get burned out, teachers get burned out, artists and writers get burned out, but you just keep going with what you know." He was right, really. I don't think I ever whined about being burned out ever again either.

This truly says it all IMO, thanks.

Why anyone would want to compare stories on who has it worse than who is beyond me. YMMV

 

[winger]

That's why it is called work. We don't say "I have to go to fun tomorrow."

 

[Walt34]

There were funny aspects to it but I didn't go into law enforcement to have fun, exactly. I wanted to do something different, something that made a difference, and at the time loathed the idea of working in an office. By the time I was 40 an office job started to look attractive.

I wrote out some of it in this post: http://www.early-retirement.org/for...-of-the-er-forum-folks-me-included-32025.html

But there were a lot of funny things. Like the guy who thought a burglar was breaking in so he runs through a sliding glass door, leaving an outline as one would see in a cartoon. Fortunately he didn't cut an artery. Or dropping water-filled condoms (the all-night drugstore didn't have balloons) from the roof of the parking garage on a cruiser driven by "nervous nellie".

We go to an annual dinner for retirees and the Department has a brand-new cruiser out front. I am envious of those guys now: They have computers to automate the drudgery of report-writing and correcting them instead of twenty-five different forms in a box, GPS navigation (no more fumbling with map books) wireless access to databases of stolen stuff and wanted people and so on.

But they also have to contend with a much more litigious public who will sue over things no one can control, or simply because the outcome was not what they wanted. (Medical folks are certainly familiar with that phenomenon!) They have exhaustively detailed record-keeping to do, to protect themselves against allegations of profiling and the like. So some parts are better, some parts are worse.

 

[Meadbh]

That's why it is called work. We don't say "I have to go to fun tomorrow."

So true!

 

[freebird5825]

That's why it is called work. We don't say "I have to go to fun tomorrow."

But we might say "I have to get up early and goof off tomorrow."
Even when w*rking, I would take periodic "mental health days" if nothing was due and no meetings or inspections were required. Rarely, but able to be done.

 

[HsiaoChu]

I do not think it is generally known by students the consequences for teachers and school administration when one of these tests goes missing. Probably best no one tells them.

There is no way to avoid telling them. They all have to be counted, and the number we receive has to be the same as the number that we send back.

We et a list of the number os the test, and each number has to be assigned to kid or to a pile of extras.

Z

 

[HsiaoChu]

There were funny aspects to it but I didn't go into law enforcement to have fun, exactly.

Those of us who work with people with mental heath issues develop a certain kind of humor that the general public doesn't understand, I call our counselor humor. I work with a secretary who used to be a Philly cop. She understands my humor cause its just like cop humor.

Because we all have such horrible stories about people and their incredible mean-ness or stupidity, we have to find humor in everything even the most macabre, or we would go crazy. You even see it now and then on cops shows like CSI Vegas and that one about the writer who trails a NYC detective.

When these horrible things happen we have to be careful we don't use the humor in front of normal people, or we will bee seen as uncaring horrible people.

Z

 

[Katsmeow]

I don't think the private practice of law was ever what most would consider "fun", but it certainly became less enjoyable to me (and I think most other lawyers) over the years, until I called it quits in 2007. Among other things, the "profession" aspect of practice retreated and the "business" aspect came to dominate.

Truer words were never spoken. I've been in private practice for 30 years and while there are things that I enjoy, it has become less pleasant over the years. I am so glad I'm going to be getting out (well, I am planning to work about 1 day a week doing the things that I enjoy without having the pressure of things that I don't enjoy).

 

[HsiaoChu]

I knew a glamor photographer shot beautiful girls for Maxim, Playboy and even he said the job got old .

No offense intended to the distaff side of the row...... but being a Penthouse Photographer is the dream job of most adolescent boys, AND those of us "boys" who are old chronologically but are really still adolescents in our minds. Since I'm already a wedding and portrait photographer part-time, I'd be lying to say that I had not fantasized about that kind of glamour photography. Unfortunately, most want to specialize like veterinarians(who say practice limited to small animals). They want to say practice limited to Playboy, Penthouse, and Maxim Models or model wannabees.

I had a friend who was a wedding photographer who offered boudoir photo packages to all his brides for their honeymoon. And he showed me some of the packages. Quite honestly, it took me years of hard work to expunge those images from my memory. I guess he felt, like many lawyers who believe everyone deserves a good defense, that everyone no matter how they looked, deserved boudoir photos.

Not me, dudes and dudettes. Admitted Rapists and axe murders should have the common decency not to ask for a good defense. And, there are some things that they make personal digital cameras for.

Z

 

[Westernskies]

In the amazed thread I start in the intro section, it migrated into a discussion of jobs that have developed a need for ER....And could we stick with ones that have gone south like this from FUN to NOT FUN in the last 10 years.

Z

WARNING: Threadjacking Ahead!