What do you do for a living?

I'm asking because I'm currently unemployed, and this community seems to have different people, with different ages and backgrounds, so I think I'll have blue collars, IT's, and various different jobs and opinions.

I'm on a crossroad right now, between picking a job with less stress, less responsibility and also less pay, that would be more physically demanding, or the opposite, just like the job I had, working in some desk. I decided not to pick a job on sales, although I'm good with people, I don't have any ambition in me. Also decided not to pick a job on auctions, I'd be traveling the country, I don't think I'd enjoy that, I'm like the Hobbitses.

I live a very simple life, I don't spend money on almost anything that's not survival and needed, everything I like it's free, I don't have vices. My only problem is that I don't yet own a house, I have to live with my parents, and since I won't have a relationship in the near (or distant) future, they don't want to see me leaving.

I have enough money for two years without working, it's basically €15,000 divided by the current minimum wage. At the moment I'm receiving from social security, I won't need to touch that money.

I'd need about €50,000 to rebuild a house I have, I'm 27, and I don't want to ask the bank for money, I like to sleep well at night, one of the reasons I don't want responsibility. I've been searching for motivation, people that decided to quit their jobs for something simpler, but people always hide details, like a full bank account.

I've always been happier around people that are on a lower social class, even in the factory I wanted to go and work with them, they are truthful, I don't find any BS in them, most are cheerful, and they have reasons to be the opposite.

I'd very much like to hear your opinion and your experience.

Sounds like an at home position would be great for you. How do you feel about answering a phone all day?

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"This is that human freedom, which all boast that they possess, and which consists solely in the fact, that men are conscious of their own desire, but are ignorant of the causes whereby that desire has been determined." -Baruch Spinoza

That was my life and part of the stress, I don't like phone calls, as soon as I see a phone call it's a Pandora box, you never know what's coming, might be good, might be bad. I like e-mail even less, they are so impersonal and a word changes everything, in Portuguese even worse.

Being home is also not what I pretend, also, I don't have any skill to be able to do that, I don't know, neither would like to learn programming, and I like people and interaction, if I need something I talk face-to-face, sometimes I'd pretend that I had something to do in the factory just to go and talk to people.

I like to be outside and coming home. I remember a film where a guy said: I hated this trip, but on the good side, it made me appreciate home even more. If I were in New York, I'd be working on those food trucks, I'd do good there.

It sounds like you have some strong factors going for you. If you live at home with your parents, then that's a great way to save money assuming you don't have to pay rent.

And you own your own house that need repairs, that's a plus too as you might be able to do some of the repairs yourself and save money and of course it's a financial investment.

Here in the US people by the millions were laid off or quit their jobs during the pandemic, now apparently they are doing what is called a Gig Economy which includes selling items or services on the internet on various internet sites.

Thank you for your comment, Citizen.

I wasn't worried about losing that job, I saw it as an opportunity for something else.

I do pay rent, and money for expenses, at least half of what I make is for rent and house expenses, and I also have other expenses: gas, deodorants, shampoo, haircuts, clothing, every Friday I have dinner with the boys, those four dinners alone are 1/20 of my salary, and obviously those expenses that come at least once a year, changing tires, dentist, a new mattress, something unpredictable, like hitting a tree.

I'd have the money to rebuild the house if all I made I kept. Not only that, but I also paid my sister's housing and expenses for four years when she was in university. My parents don't give hands out, if the lion wants to eat, the lions has to hunt, that's why my sister preferred to be me lending the money, she knows I won't ask it back, I'm a clown.

Gig economy, I had to do a search, I'm probably the least updated person on this community, I'm not kidding, I don't see the news. It seems to be what we called temporary work here, but it's done on the internet selling services or items. Seems not a good choice long term, I don't know?

I'd like to comment on the theory of "doing what you love" and making that your job.

It would be the ideal situation... or at least it seems like it would.

Of course the devil is in the details and this idea is dependent on the conditions.

But it can be a way of turning what you love to do into something you can't stand.

I went to school for art (pre-computer age), intending to someday make a living at it, all because I loved to draw as a kid - although I was not very good at it - for me it was just a way to visually express my various stories, fantasies & ideas.

I had related jobs after graduating college (& art school), some of which weren't so bad - picture framer, color separator, amateur teacher (for both adults & children).

I did freelance cartooning & illustration for years. All the stress of trying to please clients, meet deadlines, collect payments (by those who, once they received the work, decided they didn't really want it), deal with rejections from publications, trying to come up with new ideas, and keeping up with the latest supplies (as things like inks would now only last a few years rather than be permanent due to mandates on how they are made).

Once you become known as an "artist" by those around you it becomes a stigma - everyone wants something from you that they can't find anywhere else. And everyone they know finds out they know an "artist" - and then those people want something from you.

I eventually grew to despise drawing - something I used to love as a private past time.

I even used to make my own Christmas cards every year - and even that became a stress-inducing venture that only added to the stress of the holidays.

I haven't picked up a pencil, pen, charcoal, or brush to draw with for years, while my old art table & supplies are in storage. Whenever I think about drawing (or God forbid have a friend or relative request even a cartoon) I get a tightness in my stomach - much like the conditioning of "Alex" in A Clockwork Orange.

@Captain Steel
Wow, I didn't know that about you. I knew you went to art school and was once interested in cartooning and had done some freelance art work. Maybe I even knew about the frame store job. But I never knew how it turned out for you or how people would want you to do art work for them and how you ended up feeling about that. I have to say I appreciate the candor of your post.

I'd say go get a trade. I got a bachelors. It was doing me no good. Went back and got a trade. Xray tech now. Having a marketable skill rather than marketing yourself makes your life a bit easier. At least for me. Do I love it? Nah. Do I hate it? No. It's a job. Make decent money, but I always have the skill and I'm kept busy. Plus I help people out, that's nice.

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I came here to do two things, drink some beer and kick some ass, looks like we are almost outta beer - Dazed and Confused

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You could try your hand at drop shipping. Could even tie it back to your own hobbies and interests. There’s a lot of options there from what I understand.

@Captain Steel: I identify with your post a lot. I went into the tech field because it was fun in my youth and I liked messing with technology. Now I can’t stand any of it. And I shudder when I get asked tech questions outside of business hours. So yeah, I agree. If you love something don’t ever make it your day job.

@Captain Steel, I know exactly what you mean.

I had a friend in college who loved to draw. He was always drawing or sketching anyone or anything. He was so good that he was offered a job by one of the big comic book companies. (I don't remember if it was Marvel or DC, but it was one of those two.) We were all shocked when he turned it down.

He explained that he didn't apply for the job. (Somebody else he knew was so impressed with his work that they showed it to someone they knew who could get it to the right people.) But he said that he didn't want the job because he loved drawing, but he knew that if he had to do if every day for a living, it would become a chore, and he would grow to hate doing it.

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@John McClane, I also went into the computer technology field, and I studied both the programming and hardware sides of the the business, and I even worked in computer sales for a few years. After a while, I found that I prefer hardware, so I worked for a while building and repairing computers. I became the tech support person that everyone came to with questions, and eventually I grew to hate computers, so much that I haven't even kept up with any of the newer technology, (since around 2000).

But when I worked in computer sales, I learned that I liked working with customers, so I tried staying in retail sales for a while.

Now I still work in sales, but I sell toys and collectibles online on sites like eBay and Mercari, and at collectible shows and conventions. As a collector, I'm enjoying buying and selling this type of stuff, and I get to talk to people with similar interests, so it can be a lot of fun at times.

I'm enjoying very much to hear about your experiences. In kindergarten, we were educated to have playtime and serious time, we transitioned that to the work environment, and work means it ain't fun.

The part of me not wanting to work at home is somewhat around that, my home is my refuge, and I want to keep it that way, the birds ain't in their nest all day.

I don't have a dream job, a job for me is something you do, and certain characteristics will make you good for the job. Therefore, I don't agree with Serpico when he said people in New York are on their way to become someone else.

In Jim Jarmusch's movies there are often characters that do some job, a cab driver, a bus driver, and are passionate about something else. That's also my view of what a job is, as long as you don't detest the job you do.

Some great poets in New York did their job, and poetry on recess, I dig that, that's poetry to me, like Bukowski, worked in the factories and wrote drunk at night. I think having to do something you don't entirely want to do, make you appreciate the time you do what you like to do, it increases gratitude for that moment.

That’s one of the hardest jobs ever especially in NYC. A lot of food truck owners aren’t registered with the city because they can’t get a license. This means they’re constantly harassed by the cops to move from the site they like. They’re also working in all kinds of horrible weather: digging out the truck from snow blizzards or boiling to death inside the truck in the summer.

I don’t know what drop shipping is so guessing the OP doesn’t either as he’s Portuguese.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

"Drop-shipping is where a seller sets up a website and sells products that the seller does not keep in stock. When an order is placed, the seller sends it to a third party — the manufacturer, another retailer, or a wholesaler — who ships the goods directly to the buyer."

Yes, I know all that. It's a hard job, it was the means the immigrants had to survive. Some wake up when I'm beginning to sleep.

Thanks!

Until you decide what you want to do, you might want to look into being a courier as long as you have a reliable vehicle. I do it part time on weekend evenings on call. Last Saturday I made $330 in about 6 hours and Sunday I didn't get a call and never left the house. I wouldn't recommend Uber or delivering food because of the stress and the people. The job I do is no stress and no lifting-very easy. Full time I drive a truck Tuesday through Friday, 5am until about 2 or 3pm on average. Some of the courier work you can just do out of your car and work when you want. Forget gigs like Amazon-too stressful. Speaking of gigs, watch the gig section on Craigslist, I've done a lot of side cash jobs. Put out ads on sites like CL for dog walking, landscaping, and things like that. If you're reliable and have a good personality, you will get repeat clients. You don't sound desperate so dip your toes into several things-something might lead to something bigger.

I agree with you. There are tons of trades that need employees, and pay very well. High school grads should not be encouraged to go to college unless it's for a specific profession, like medicine, where college is necessary. Half the people in college should not be there, and their degrees are useless.

Amen Brother!

I did apply for a courier job on the post office, it's something I'd do. It also crossed my mind to get a truck's driving license, but in here they cost €2,000, and it takes three months to get it, and afterwards, you get a €1000 salary (minimum wage is €705), but it's usually that way because they work overtime every day, and also load and unload the truck.

That's an old debate. Many leave college and go do the so-called "bullshit jobs". I wanted a trade for a long time, but in the region I live, the only trades they're teaching is welding, one course is opening right now, 1200 hours. The problem with welding is they don't pay enough, and it destroys your lungs.