2 Nov 2009  ::  Work
As some of you know, I'm interning with Springfield Transportation, which is great. I thought I had narrowed what I want to Planning/Policy and maybe more specifically Transportation aspect of the two. Add government to the list, as while I won't make a lot of money, a solid retirement and benefit plan certainly would be nice, as well as offering a chance to retire as soon as I was able and then get rehired in the private sector to work on a more flexible basis.

Working reminds me of why I don't like to work. Not that I avoid work in itself, I just prefer to not deal with others if I can avoid it. There are so many meetings that don't go anywhere, but are held weekly. People take a break around 10am to get coffee and hang out. In my little cubicle I hear so many discussions about fishing, weekend trips and where a jacket was bought that I often listen to my mp3 player so I stand a chance of getting work done.

Do I still want to work a government job in Transportation? I think so. A forty hour week should be available to me, freeing up time to do my passions, while leaving me a job that I don't hate, which actually isn't so bad. I'd rather sleep in until noon and head in to work then (which makes looots of sense. Most meetings are afternoon/evenings, so workers comp the hours and take days off on a regular basis) and I'd rather be free to to actually accomplish something and be creative. Hopefully the idealism fades and I can settle into the rut.

Job that you don't hate = good job for the most part.

I see many people who either hate their job and stick with it (making them unhappy in life) or refuse to take jobs that they don't LOVE (thereby making employment a rare phenomenon). Maybe the job you don't hate, but feel good about, is just the right balance for life. Actually, my wife would probably like me to take my own advice in this respect...

Comment added on 3 Nov 2009 by Dan

I think finding a job you like the idea of ends up being a pretty fair compromise. Work of any sort can suck, even in a job you love. I also hate useless meetings, and most of the time I wonder how anybody is doing any work on top of the time they take to do personal stuff on the job. It's frustrating, but at the end of the day, I like the job... and I like that it lets me do all the things I enjoy outside of work.

Comment added on 8 Nov 2009 by Sweet Caroline