Being Paid To Do A Job You’d Have Done For Nothing!
Discussion
I’ve spent my whole life being paid to do jobs I really loved doing, infact, even now I look forward to going to work!
I’ve had three or four ‘occupations’, both employed and self employed, none of which involved sitting infront of a keyboard all day, all if which I’ve loved. I feel very lucky but at same time, proud of myself that I’ve put job satisfaction infront of salary and I’ve jumped at the opportunity to do something that really interests me. I’ve made enough to get by but more than that I’m super happy, content and feel like I haven’t wasted my life so far…..I can retire in 5 years but I’ll keep doing what I’m doing today for as long as I can drive!
I understand that not everyone can make their passions their occupation but if ever I was asked to give a word of advice to a young’un it would be to do something you love rather than chasing the next dollar!
Sorry if I sound a bit smug, that wasn’t the intention but….Anyone else love going to work?
I’ve had three or four ‘occupations’, both employed and self employed, none of which involved sitting infront of a keyboard all day, all if which I’ve loved. I feel very lucky but at same time, proud of myself that I’ve put job satisfaction infront of salary and I’ve jumped at the opportunity to do something that really interests me. I’ve made enough to get by but more than that I’m super happy, content and feel like I haven’t wasted my life so far…..I can retire in 5 years but I’ll keep doing what I’m doing today for as long as I can drive!
I understand that not everyone can make their passions their occupation but if ever I was asked to give a word of advice to a young’un it would be to do something you love rather than chasing the next dollar!
Sorry if I sound a bit smug, that wasn’t the intention but….Anyone else love going to work?
mickyh7 said:
What do you do then?
I worked in the record industry for 25 years…record shops, record labels (I was involved in everything from A and R to actually producing tracks!), radio DJ, record distribution. I DJ’d at least twice a week for all that time too!Then me and the mrs ran a well known car rally for 8 years which was fun!
I did some celebrity event chauffeuring, Met a whole host of interesting people.
Now I drive press and historic cars for a well known car manufacturer which I plan on doing as long as they’ll let me!
Edited by Lordbenny on Monday 3rd January 15:31
Always enjoyed what so have done across multiple careers. Never seemed like work to me and I still work at 73. If something stopped being enjoyable I did something else.
Still followed hobbies etc but I need work to feel productive and to keep having new experiences. Not for everyone but has always been that way for me .
Still followed hobbies etc but I need work to feel productive and to keep having new experiences. Not for everyone but has always been that way for me .
A lot of this resonates with me. Travel, Photography and Video have long been passions of mine which over the past 20 years or so have become an increasingly significant part of my professional life which was already a highly engaging and interesting endeavour. There are some downsides though that are worthy of note.
If you really love doing something, you can end up doing too much. Because I love editing video, I will happily spend days, evenings and weekends honing something which is generally an unnecessary amount of time and to a level that I can rarely charge for.
I find that I resent paying for flights and hotels for myself and family if I can't charge it to a project (completely irrational I know!).
And life can also become entirely about work. Twice in my career I came close to working in the Motor Sports sector. Looking back, I'm glad that never happened as motor sport is the one thing I enjoy for no reason other than I enjoy it. I like sitting on a grass bank with a beer watching it. I like watching F1 and I like the fact that I can enjoy all that without the burden of timesheets or deadlines.
But all said, I fully agree that you should pursue happiness over everything else because the everything else hardly ever makes up for a lack of happiness in work.
If you really love doing something, you can end up doing too much. Because I love editing video, I will happily spend days, evenings and weekends honing something which is generally an unnecessary amount of time and to a level that I can rarely charge for.
I find that I resent paying for flights and hotels for myself and family if I can't charge it to a project (completely irrational I know!).
And life can also become entirely about work. Twice in my career I came close to working in the Motor Sports sector. Looking back, I'm glad that never happened as motor sport is the one thing I enjoy for no reason other than I enjoy it. I like sitting on a grass bank with a beer watching it. I like watching F1 and I like the fact that I can enjoy all that without the burden of timesheets or deadlines.
But all said, I fully agree that you should pursue happiness over everything else because the everything else hardly ever makes up for a lack of happiness in work.
It's something I recognise must be at least some of the key to a happy life, but struggle to see how I can do it. Which isn't to say I'm not trying, but it's far from easy.
Lots of conditioning from a young age to go to college, get a good degree, join a big company and work hard, blah blah. Done all that, still doing it, have hated it for the last 15 years but must earn, must buy house, must have stable income.
I "just" want my own speed shop - build custom cars, put V8s in things, improve my metalworking to artisan levels.
But aged 48, a brain injury, two special needs kids, trying to banish the ingrained desire for a bigger house and more garage space in an area with great schools for the kids and a nice market town nearby
and petrol engined cars becoming museum pieces by the time I could retire and the kids have left home.
I'd love to square that circle! perhaps the key is to have more than one dream job, but I can only think of one
Lots of conditioning from a young age to go to college, get a good degree, join a big company and work hard, blah blah. Done all that, still doing it, have hated it for the last 15 years but must earn, must buy house, must have stable income.
I "just" want my own speed shop - build custom cars, put V8s in things, improve my metalworking to artisan levels.
But aged 48, a brain injury, two special needs kids, trying to banish the ingrained desire for a bigger house and more garage space in an area with great schools for the kids and a nice market town nearby
and petrol engined cars becoming museum pieces by the time I could retire and the kids have left home.I'd love to square that circle! perhaps the key is to have more than one dream job, but I can only think of one
Its something I'm in the process of doing, I spent over 20 years in an industry that although sometimes interesting, wasn't really for me. I recently started a job for a company in an area/industry I really enjoy and I'm very interested. I've dropped over half my salary but dot really mind, plus there are some great opportunities coming up once I've found my feet. Any luck in the next few months I will be getting paid to do something I volunteer to do in my spare time.
Kind of the same - dreamed of being a pilot all my childhood/youth and spent every waking minute trying to get into the air despite being piss poor - I took flying lessons paid for from weekend jobs, flew for free in the air cadets etc before finally getting my wings as a military (and now current commercial) pilot in 1999, Still absolutely love almost every minute of it and despite everything in flying I'd recommend it.
That said whatever your passion is it is amazing if you can do it for a living....now I get older I find my passion has become history and rather sadly dream of writing/researching for a living instead of flying but I'd do either for free (if I could afford it)
That said whatever your passion is it is amazing if you can do it for a living....now I get older I find my passion has become history and rather sadly dream of writing/researching for a living instead of flying but I'd do either for free (if I could afford it
)MonkeyMatt said:
Its something I'm in the process of doing, I spent over 20 years in an industry that although sometimes interesting, wasn't really for me. I recently started a job for a company in an area/industry I really enjoy and I'm very interested. I've dropped over half my salary but dot really mind, plus there are some great opportunities coming up once I've found my feet. Any luck in the next few months I will be getting paid to do something I volunteer to do in my spare time.
Well done. If you don't mind me asking, is the new salary quite low or were you just very well paid before and no longer need the money? (You could of course, have a well-paid partner or independent wealth/investments.
What sort of industry/work have you gone to?
Thanks
MC Bodge said:
MonkeyMatt said:
Its something I'm in the process of doing, I spent over 20 years in an industry that although sometimes interesting, wasn't really for me. I recently started a job for a company in an area/industry I really enjoy and I'm very interested. I've dropped over half my salary but dot really mind, plus there are some great opportunities coming up once I've found my feet. Any luck in the next few months I will be getting paid to do something I volunteer to do in my spare time.
Well done. If you don't mind me asking, is the new salary quite low or were you just very well paid before and no longer need the money? (You could of course, have a well-paid partner or independent wealth/investments.
What sort of industry/work have you gone to?
Thanks
MonkeyMatt said:
MC Bodge said:
MonkeyMatt said:
Its something I'm in the process of doing, I spent over 20 years in an industry that although sometimes interesting, wasn't really for me. I recently started a job for a company in an area/industry I really enjoy and I'm very interested. I've dropped over half my salary but dot really mind, plus there are some great opportunities coming up once I've found my feet. Any luck in the next few months I will be getting paid to do something I volunteer to do in my spare time.
Well done. If you don't mind me asking, is the new salary quite low or were you just very well paid before and no longer need the money? (You could of course, have a well-paid partner or independent wealth/investments.
What sort of industry/work have you gone to?
Thanks
Fair play to you and I hope it all works out.
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