Easy Money or Honest Work?

[Tequila Zaire]

Been in a bit of an inner debate these past few weeks or so. I was offered my old job with a few perks late last year and have to give my answer before the summer. Now at the time I was dead set against it cause "I'd grown up and matured". So I got a day job being a 9 to 5 kinda guy, regular honest man.

Turns out being an honest and upstanding citizen sucks. The people I've worked for are actually WORSE than those I use to work for and those guys are some real scum. Plus the amount of bullshit you have to put up with walking the straight and narrow is insane...I just can't see why people do it. Well that's not all that true, I CAN see why people do it I just don't think the alternative is all that bad.

So I've pretty much been thinking about taking up my old job as a result. It has it's major downsides and I'd be in the legal crosshairs a lot more than before...but the money is really really good. Bit shallow to just focus on that but without a good cashflow you can't really get anywhere or do anything interesting. The legit jobs I had paid well but between taxes and the general crooks of the companies I was slaving for...It just seems pointless.

If being a sucess in that world means being a total prick and beast...I'd rather do that in a world I already know and see better pay and opportunity for it.

At least that's how I'm trying to rationalize it. I'm not fond of the reality I'd have to live and commit to...but if both sides of the coin are the same what's their to lose? I'd rather get killed by a bullet I know that's coming than to slowly die while working in a fucking office or it's millions of variations.

Like anyone I have dreams and ambitions but those get pretty hard to support when good old day to day reality comes knocking your door to pay bills and what not.

Given the position what would you choose?

[kshearsedriver]

man that's a tough one. I don't know your current situation so I'll rationalize it looking at mine. I am married and have three children so if I was to get involved in "questionable" practices there is the possibility of having them get stuck in the crossfire (not necessarily meaning literal bullets but that is always a possibilty during "questionable" activities) So as much as I don't care what would happen to me I would have to think about what would happen to them. That is probably the reason I do the whole respectable thing and try to get the bills paid on time.

Now if I was single, no kids, or was attached and my signifigant other wasn't concerned about the outcome of said decision then yeah I would probably go for the quick cash. I think Angalina Jolie said it best in the new gone in 60 seconds, something along the lines of "I've found you have to work twice as hard when it's respectable"

If given the chance and I was still single/childless I would probably get in the game long enough to get enough cash to open a custom auto shop and then relocate.

Then again I would be less worried about the bullet and more concerned with prision. I would rather be dead then in a 9x9 for the rest of my life.

All in all probably not the most "socially correct" answer but I'm not known as the most PC person. It's your life and you are going to have to live with the outcome of your choices.

If you would like to PM me we could discuss it further with a little more details of your situation. Hope this helps, and good luck with your decisions whatever they may be.

[Nautilus]

It's true dude, if you ever want to make it big you've either got to start with some privilege or steal it. How do you think the men at the top of your companies got there? It might have been legal but they were probably still lying, cheating, and screwing people over. Sometimes illegitimate work doesn't hurt people as much as the ligit stuff does--have you seen “The Corporation”? The atrocities people get away with to make money is incredible.

I am trying to take the high road now by working my way through college. Who knows if I'll ever be out of debt. The “right” way is seldom the way that will make you money or even enough to get by