Enjoying the retired life with my beautiful wife. Spending a lot of time with my grandchildren. For most of my working years, I worked as a Professor. Prior to that, I worked for the State Department. Before that, I was in Vietnam.
Good thread. How about why did you choose to do whatever you're doing as a profession? Right now..I'm a student. I want to be a ballboy for the Rockets. I want to work at like Best Buy or something during summer. And ultimately I want to become a successful entrepreneur..or engineer It's cool that you own a popular cafe/bar/place in Downtown. I want to do something like that Pictures please with Light rail
sorry, hope that wasn't too much of a downer. I had thought about creating a thread for it, but couldn't decide what to call it. "Ever been a complete loser?" "Anyone not have a true calling in life?" "When all your hard work amounts to nothing"? But, now that I think about it, I really don't think I even did any major thing wrong, and the minor things were temporary (like being late when I was sick). glynch said it - bs in academia. Heard the stories all my life and decided to try it anyway. I think because I still preferred it to the bs in the corporate world. Really, this whole thing wouldn't have been such a big blow-up if my boss had had more faith in me. Sigh. I'd get a job doing just about anything legal (well, hopefully not shoveling manure or fighting in Iraq ) if it would mean not having to deal with that garbage. The "management" here is a bunch of hypocrites... like any company. So, where can you work where people are honest and nice? And where substance is more important than image?
You're enjoying your day Everything's going your way Then along comes Debbie Downer Always there to tell you 'bout a new disease A car accident or killer bees You beg her to spare you, "Debbie, please!" But you can't stop Debbie Downer
I certainly don't look at life in academia as being a "complete loser" and "not having a true calling in life." From my many years in academia, I have never looked at it like that. I have always thought of what I did as a privilege and an honor. But at the same time, my circumstances are probably different from most on this board. I grew up in Alabama during the height of the Civil Rights struggle. I remember Brown in 1954 and Rosa Parks in 1955. People like me were not expected to go to college, let alone get a Ph.D and become a professor. Although a lot of time has passed, I have not forgotten the ridiculous odds that I beat, and that has been my inspiration. Academia has its BS. I will not deny that. Life as a professor can be hell, especially if you are new and without tenure. But that goes with any job. You will get a lot of grief from those higher in the food chain. The key to conquering the pangs of academia is to have patience. Once you set your mark and once you get tenure, the life of a professor is great. In my book, the best thing about being a professor is the impact you make on others. I know that sounds like something out of PBS, but it's true. Being a teacher is the greatest profession on Earth, and professors are an extension of teachers. If I didn't have great professors in college, the dream of being something special never would have come true for me. I would have been like my father and his father before him. They were good, hard-working people. But they never had anyone that was willing to give them a chance and show them their true potential. That was something I got in college and that played a big role in making me what I am. I am proud to be in academia and so should everyone else. It's a noble calling.
I just finished my Associates in Architectural Drafting and Design but going to UH to get a Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies. I also work part time in a city's Planning department. Do you like being a planner?
BA degree in Advertising from Texas Tech in '99 I work in eMarketing at one of the nations largest tract homebuilders. Unfortunatley playing music only consumes about 5-10% of my day....
In Houston? I think I may know someone you work with. I have a BA in Philosophy and an AAS in Culinary Arts. Right now I own and run a Cake business, teach cooking classes and take care of an adorable baby.
Oh boy, hehe - Rivaldo, he is just kidding. Another Seinfeld reference (George Costanza one). You guys who are doing the kidding need to put smilies - it is confusing the non-Seinfeld crowd!
I use my Ivy League degree to pick pictures of baseball players for use on trading cards (oversimplification of my job). You could say I technically make (valuable) cardboard for a living.
Tommy: Aww c'mon man.. you know where I work Martin: (waves fist) Argghhhh damn Tommy.. you ain't got no job mannnn!!
Yeah that was another Seinfield reference but I actually do work in architecture and urban planning. I am probably better labeled as a generalist since I've also worked on graphic design, product design and housing policy. I deal with city planners quite often and personally I wouldn't want to work for a city government. Too much politics and bureaucracy. My work is mainly in consulting to developers, community groups and local government. As a side note on the academia debate discussion I worked for an urban land use research group at a university for awhile and was pretty fed up with it. The worst was when I was putting a research project together and had to go to another department to run it because of the bureaucracy and politics in my own department. After that I appreciate the freedom of private practice a lot more.
