How can I make a living from doing something reasonably interesting?
- Thread starter Mr. Tea
- Start date
sadmanbarty
Well-known member
Corpsey
bandz ahoy
I might be laughed out of the subforum for suggesting this but: academia?
Obviously there's a plethora of negatives to deal with and in many ways its less attractive than ever before but IF you manage to secure yourself a job you get paid well, spend quite a lot of time sitting around reading books, get to patronise the young, etc... A few of my friends are academics and they seem to be fairly happy with it.
Also, you're a funny/clever sort of guy, so maybe you could write comedy scripts or something?
My final suggestion is to become a writer of erotic fiction.
Obviously I'm projecting my own career frustrations/ambitions onto you here so take it with a pinch of don'tgiveafuck.
Obviously there's a plethora of negatives to deal with and in many ways its less attractive than ever before but IF you manage to secure yourself a job you get paid well, spend quite a lot of time sitting around reading books, get to patronise the young, etc... A few of my friends are academics and they seem to be fairly happy with it.
Also, you're a funny/clever sort of guy, so maybe you could write comedy scripts or something?
My final suggestion is to become a writer of erotic fiction.
Obviously I'm projecting my own career frustrations/ambitions onto you here so take it with a pinch of don'tgiveafuck.
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
I like the idea of academia but I don't have a PhD so I'd be starting from scratch (or at least, from the position I was in as a 22-year-old). And frankly the idea of going back into education, even funded education, as a 35-year-old with nothing much to speak of in terms of savings is kind of terrifying.
Ha, thanks for the vote of confidence, mate. I'd generally assumed the image other users here have of me was something along the lines of 'annoying punster'. The undoubted king of comedy on this forum has to be Owen G with his ongoing Danny Dyer Eastenders saga. Jade Goodie: The Musical (mainly John Eden's work, AFAIR) was superb too.
Erotic fiction? There's certainly money in it, and I've even written sex scenes of a sort into a couple of my stories. There was a (not hugely successful) thread about sex writing not long ago, wasn't there: http://www.dissensus.com/showthread.php?t=13789
I do love writing but if it was tricky to make a living writing a generation ago, it now seems virtually impossible unless you're incredibly persistent (which I'm not, really) and incredibly lucky (which I haven't been, so far, although never say never, right?). I think the success of 'authors' like E. L. James and 'journalists' like Liz Jones, Richard Littlejohn and so on argues quite forcefully that talent per se doesn't have a great deal to do with success.
Last edited:
Corpsey
bandz ahoy
Haha, I've just read through this thread and I see Craner already covered the harsh realities of having a 'passion for scriptwriting' earlier. This is the reality of it, I suppose, though all of these writers have to come from somewhere, don't they? And the quality of a lot of TV shows and films makes me think that it can't be THAT hard to at least qualify as a competent writer. But there again it's obviously so much based on who you know.
This is probably the best advice, actually. Only this morning I was berating myself for not having the urge to do some sort of charitable/humanitarian work. I think it's important for the mechanics of a job to satisfy and stimulate you, but if you're not working towards what you see as a worthy goal, even an interesting job will end up frustrating you. (And that goes for academia too. One of the things that puts me off it - aside from my weak work-ethic - is the feeling that, in the arts/humanities disciplines anyway, you're basically just writing stuff for other academics to read.) Also I would tend to assume that charities, e.g., don't attract nearly as many dickheads as other professions. Having to swallow the dumb opinions of colleagues on the homeless, for example, is something that you won't have to deal with at a charity set up to help the homeless... Again, I'm talking about my own situation here more than yours. But luka is onto something here. Perhaps working for the stimulation of one's own interests is ultimately as lacking in fulfilment as working for one's own financial interests?
This is probably the best advice, actually. Only this morning I was berating myself for not having the urge to do some sort of charitable/humanitarian work. I think it's important for the mechanics of a job to satisfy and stimulate you, but if you're not working towards what you see as a worthy goal, even an interesting job will end up frustrating you. (And that goes for academia too. One of the things that puts me off it - aside from my weak work-ethic - is the feeling that, in the arts/humanities disciplines anyway, you're basically just writing stuff for other academics to read.) Also I would tend to assume that charities, e.g., don't attract nearly as many dickheads as other professions. Having to swallow the dumb opinions of colleagues on the homeless, for example, is something that you won't have to deal with at a charity set up to help the homeless... Again, I'm talking about my own situation here more than yours. But luka is onto something here. Perhaps working for the stimulation of one's own interests is ultimately as lacking in fulfilment as working for one's own financial interests?
Corpsey
bandz ahoy
Hah! I happened across this thread this morning as I lie in bed 'working from home'. I have been let go from my job at a charity - I've got two weeks left. It was a relatively interesting job, well paid (compared to my last job, certainly) and for a good cause, buuuut - I never got into it, I never enjoyed it, I am (despite now having the anxiety of finding another job in about a fortnight) relieved that they got rid of me.
This obviously contradicts what I wrote just above this. Working for a charity has shown me that I'm really not a good enough person to be motivated by a good cause. Ultimately, I still felt bored by the work, miserable to be returning to the same office every day, alienated from the whole thing.
I'm not at an impasse of sorts because I have no desire to do any of the sorts of office job I'm qualified to do.
Does life have to be like this? (I've got a horrible feeling that answer is 'yes, and then some, and it could be worse'.)
This obviously contradicts what I wrote just above this. Working for a charity has shown me that I'm really not a good enough person to be motivated by a good cause. Ultimately, I still felt bored by the work, miserable to be returning to the same office every day, alienated from the whole thing.
I'm not at an impasse of sorts because I have no desire to do any of the sorts of office job I'm qualified to do.
Does life have to be like this? (I've got a horrible feeling that answer is 'yes, and then some, and it could be worse'.)
john eden
male pale and stale
Hah! I happened across this thread this morning as I lie in bed 'working from home'. I have been let go from my job at a charity - I've got two weeks left. It was a relatively interesting job, well paid (compared to my last job, certainly) and for a good cause, buuuut - I never got into it, I never enjoyed it, I am (despite now having the anxiety of finding another job in about a fortnight) relieved that they got rid of me.
This obviously contradicts what I wrote just above this. Working for a charity has shown me that I'm really not a good enough person to be motivated by a good cause. Ultimately, I still felt bored by the work, miserable to be returning to the same office every day, alienated from the whole thing.
I'm not at an impasse of sorts because I have no desire to do any of the sorts of office job I'm qualified to do.
I think this idea that work can be fun and liberating and interesting is completely toxic and raises expectations too much. It's almost like if you don't enjoy work there is something wrong with you.
So really the best way to approach it is that whatever you do will involve quite a lot of tedium, but there will be moments of happiness too. You can keep applying for different jobs or you can bed in and stay in the same place and try and make it better. Both of these approaches have their pros and cons.
Ultimately a fulfilling life is a hard ask and has to be a combination of work and what happens outside it (and the non-work stuff that happens at work).
Liking the people you work with is a big deal, probably more important than "the cause" or end product as long as you're not having a great laugh in the mafia or something.
john eden
male pale and stale
And yes, of course, the situation could be a lot worse. And for many people it is going to get a lot worse too.
We're talking about the top two bits of the pyramid here - which for a lot of people, historically and geographically would have been inconceivable.
There is only so much that can be done about these things as individuals. What we need is collective action that abolishes capitalism and creates a world human community based on fulfilling people's needs.
Until then I'll try and make my life as best as I can and hopefully help people along the way.
We're talking about the top two bits of the pyramid here - which for a lot of people, historically and geographically would have been inconceivable.
There is only so much that can be done about these things as individuals. What we need is collective action that abolishes capitalism and creates a world human community based on fulfilling people's needs.
Until then I'll try and make my life as best as I can and hopefully help people along the way.
Last edited:
firefinga
Well-known member
An interesting and exact observation. The "work is oh so interesting and FUN" is of course pure propaganda and goes well with the fact (at least in my observations) that today work is being synonymous with office work and the actual "working class" has pretty much disappeared in the (semi)public and media. The blue collar types - who are still there and do a lot to keep the crap-machine of today's economy moving - know that work is crappy a lot of the time.
john eden
male pale and stale
You can still take pride in what you do at work, mind. Even if it's making a really good cup of tea.
Leo
Well-known member
i'm self employed, so my "work" isn't one place but with a series of different clients. at the end of the day, i don't "love" what i do but can on occasion feel good about it for the reason john mentions here. for example, i have one client where the CEO is a genuinely good guy who is very passionate about his businesses, so i feel good when i do a good job for him. it's not so much that i get personal satisfaction from helping the business per se, but that i've helped a guy who i like personally. if that makes any sense.