ZWTK: Why do you do what you do?

[zobo]

Do you do the job you do because you love it?

Because it pays the bills?

Because you fell into it?

What do you get out of what you do? And would you recommend it to a young 'un wondering what choices to make?

[Flamedance]

I like the freedom to come and go as I please and not have to answer to anyone. I also enjoy being in control of my income. Which is why I own businesses.
It gives me time to dedicate to worthy causes and to spend time with friends.
I would not recommend it to a youngun until they have had sufficient time to learn how to manage money and people. It may seem easy to everyone else but ownership is a lot of hard work that many people dont see. You have to be prepared emotionally and financially to head down that path. But I would never go back to being an employee as my main income.

[chief wiggum]

it pays the bills. and i dont mind doing it. and yes, i'd recommend it to a young un...saw the apprentice's pay slip today, he's on about $70k/year (adult apprentice) but you have put up with a bit of shit to go with it


in case you were actually wondering, i'm a sparky in a mine processing plant

[=Stevo=]

Well at some point I was apparently smart, so I felt the need to go to uni...

Kind of just fell into civil engineering because it seemed to be the best mix of interesting work and money, seems to be going well enough so far...
...the plan since high school has always been to start up my own business down the track after a few years of earning cash in the workforce...

Got a few business ideas and currently trying out one of them which should be underway shortly...
I can't see myself staying in engineering for too long...

[Cam]

My job is a means to an end.

I don't feel passionate about the work in any way at all, but at least I work with decent people. There are other things I'd like to chase, but I need to be a bit realistic and stick with mundane job security for a while... another decade perhaps.

If you don't have any kind of formal responsibility, then I'd probably be far more daring with the career path.

[thro]

It pays bills.

I originally got into it though because I was a nerdy kid (messing with computers and shit since i was 5).


edit:
what flamedance said. i have my own business, but its "sleeping" because the work you need to do (to get it off the ground) is a lot more than you might suspect.

[Revelations]

do my job out of love for fitness, not for the cash. I only work part time, approx 25-30 hrs per week, so good thing for the misses working full time heehee.
would i recommend a youngin into it? Well not really. Most clients look for a bit of age and experience in their trainers, not an 18yo kid. I would recommend they go to uni to do ex physiology or physio or a similar stream as well as fill a few casual hours as a basic gym instructor.
My pay is shit, but i like what i do which is probably rare.

[Captain Starfish]

I can't see myself staying in engineering for too long...

Yeah, that's what I said 15 years ago too...

Sadly the need for regular income (aka wife, kids & mortgage) got in the way of many ideas and now I simply can't make the same money doing anything else. So here I am, waiting for each day to end so I can go do stuff I like.

[thro]

My only real career advice is this:

• take the chance while you're young. absolute worst that can happen is you go broke, get fired, can't find another job and have to move home to mum and dad. more likely, it won't come to that... so yeah, what cam said, be daring while you have no real commitments.
• WHO you are working with is just as important, if not more than what you are doing. if you're working with wankers, leave - your sanity isn't worth it
• don't stay in the same job with no prospect for advancement or self improvement for too long. my first "real" job, i stayed in for about 6 years. in hindsight, i should have moved on after 3, but was "comfortable" (but going nowhere and getting paid shit). If you're not learning anything new, and not likely to be promoted to another position where you can learn more or get paid more - look for another job.

[Dubs]

I work to live

that is all

Dubs

[Desmo]

I fell/was pushed into IT because I got into computers when they first became readily available, I wish I had followed what I actually wanted to do, but that's another story.
I don't know anyone in the IT game who has a true passion for their work anymore, I think the continual courses, training and fuckhead clients tend to bash everyone to a pulp.
Luckily I don't have to worry abut that for now, just have to look after Zach.
Next year sometime I'll end up working on a boat,but that's more because I love being on the water, not because I have to pay the bills. The extra cash will be play (i.e. spend on the bike) money.

[Aphex]

I fell into the field 16 years ago and haven't looked back. I took a short hiatus thanks to long service leave and persued my own business for a while which eventually took me back into my original field due to the increasingly complimentary nature of the two.

Would I recommend it to youngns? Only if they have a genuine interest in what they're doing. It's not the sort of job you can do simply to pay the bills as it were, it'll drive you insane if you use it like that. Alot of people try as from the outside looking in, it's easy to think there's not much too it. 16 years in, I'm still learning. Also, being a realatively small industry, everyone knows everyone else thus your reputation is your passport. You'll never move through the industry without a good one.

[Maxo]

I do what I do because occaisionally I find it interesting and I'm not bad at it. I started a degree in engineering for the same reason as Stevo, but got really bored with it and couldn't stand the thought of doing it for the rest of my life and left.

Advice i'd give someone is take a year off after school and work where ever(temping, t-a, work experience, blah blah blah) for a bit and figure out what they want to do(not what other people think they should do) for the rest of their life.

[Desmo]

Advice i'd give someone is take a year off after school and work where ever(temping, t-a, work experience, blah blah blah) for a bit and figure out what they want to do(not what other people think they should do) for the rest of their life.

Best advice ever.

[Dubs]

dont do what other people tell you to do....but do THIS....take a year off after school and work where ever


Dubs

[Mirkz]

I don't enjoy my job, it's a means to an end basically.
However I work with good people who make it enjoyable, which is probably the main reason I haven't gone elsewhere as yet.

I've done a few different jobs over the years and have experienced quite a few different work places/types.

Personally, I don't like customer service... yet I always find myself in a job that requires it...
oh well


Honestly, I wish I had something set that I wanted to do, something that really interested me, however I get bored easily and end up looking around too much and can't seem to sit still for long.
Would've been nice to goto uni study what I enjoy or what interests me and go from there.
But I've experienced a lot of diff job types etc now so I guess that experience counts for something! (even if it's only personal experience!)

[CT90]

Advice i'd give someone is take a year off after school and work where ever(temping, t-a, work experience, blah blah blah) for a bit and figure out what they want to do(not what other people think they should do) for the rest of their life.

Yeah, because at 17 you are bound to have a really good idea of what you want to do for the rest of your life. What you think would be good at 17 will be vastly different to when you are 30. Your can be up to your elbows in crap everyday, work with good people and enjoy your job or you could have what you think is your dream job and work with real bastards and hate it.

[Lefty]

Zobo, just go and live the dream. And even if you don't quite end up doing that, just tell everyone that you are.

Seriously though, I don't mind my job. It isn't going to go anywhere in a hurry but I'm working on something that is pretty interesting and is "one of a kind" in Australia. I don't really think I'll be here to see out all of the project, but being able to say "I was a part of that" when it finishes I suspect will be nice feeling.

Go and do something you won't regret.

Edit:

Getting it closer to answering the original post, the job I have at the moment all happened a little bit accidentally when I decided being a student was too expensive and imminently unrewarding. I didn't really expect to move back into oil and gas as I had a bit of a bad experience with it the first time around and as far as geology goes I didn't find sedimentology and geophysics massively interesting at uni.

I won't be here forever, but I'm not really lamenting the time that I am.

[Viper]

I started in the warehouse picking parts to make ends meet and wanted to finish my programming certificate. 15 years later I'm still here and a couple levels higher. I still would like to do a programming certificate and get in to IT but probably won't until i'm "Forced" ... read that as asked to move on

[Cbr1k]

I love my job. I live for my job.

Isn't that right boss.