What do you think the best jobs are?

[Amelia G]

What do you think the best jobs are for someone to have? What are the characteristics which make you think a job is awesome/desirable?

[Wickedanima]

I like a job where you don't see very many other people. Alot of quiet... some downtime mixed with some active brain-work. Research, shuffling paperwork... knowing for certain what is, and what isn't my job . A studio space with white panel walls and lots of natural light. Mmm. I also like digging in the dirt, and talking about things, and learning to do new things.

I think my all time favorite job was doing this freelance work for an Archeology professor. I organized/formatted Liner B translation, and edited some articles. The only drawbacks where that I didn't get to sit in a back room that smelled of old books, and I didn't get paid. :/

[VoldtaEngler]

Being self employed. Or, Doing what ever job you enjoy!
Waking up and going "Ugh..fuck..another day at this dead end shithole" isn't the best.... IMO...

[Bikerpunk]

That depends on the person.
It really does.

[Lady Alias]

I believe she's asking for your opinion, BP.

I want to be an official internet tester. You know, make sure it's working alright. And a secret service agent. And a spy. A Russian spy. Because that is just flat out cool. I mean, you really can't get more awesome than that. It's impossible.

[DJ Bat]

I always enjoyed working with fringe / cutting edge technology.

I have a natural ability to think outside the box and that's come in very handy when new tech has been thrown at me. My first real experience came when I was something like 14 or so at UCLA during an APPLE ][ user meeting (geek I am). There must of been 300+ people there and they were trying to showcase a new 5 MB hard drive the size of a toaster oven. They plugged it in and they had 20 or so pictures on it but for the life of them, they couldn't figure out how to get them to display one after another so people could see how 'fast' it could load.

Ok - I know, trivial child's play but back then, 10 of these 30+ engineers and programmers couldn't figure it out. 15 minutes of this and I don't know why, impatience, boredom, whatever, I got up, walked up, pushed them out of the way and immediately wrote 5 lines of basic code in 30 seconds that did what the needed.

At the end of the meeting while walking up the theater isles to leave, this fat man shoves a book into my chest. "6502 Assembly Programming". He says, "Call me when you're ready for a job and you're hired."

The feeling of figuring out that new technology along with that 'reward' forever setup the vicious cycle within me to always want to dive into the R&D mentality of technology. While I was able to maintain that lifestyle for 10 or more years, the bottom would eventually fall out and technology advancement would become either stagnant or so specific that it was out of my reach for social/locational or educational reasons. However, if I could return back to such an environment, I would in a heartbeat.

Oh yea, that fat man? The president of DataMost. Coolest fat man I ever had for a boss and his front desk receptionist? She was smokin!

[Deadly Envy]

And a secret service agent. And a spy. A Russian spy. Because that is just flat out cool. I mean, you really can't get more awesome than that. It's impossible.

I agree, especially if you're James Bond. That man have awesome life! Unfortunately if someone try to pull James Bond off while being a agent, they'd get killed or imprisoned instantly.

[Amy Villainous]

I love my job. I am a makeup artist.

[Rockwulf]

I think settling for doing one thing is gonna make most people unhappy over the long haul. That's one of the reasons I work multiple jobs.

My standard "big money" day job is working for a forensic psychologist. It's really interesting work, keeps me on my toes intellectually and the boss is a super nice guy.

I do the concert security thing as a side gig. The money's terrible (minimum wage) but the gig is super fun and I can see just about any show I want, any time I want, and get paid to do it. So that's cool beans.

And 2 nights a week I bounce at a local pub. The regulars are all pretty cool and it's a real low key joint so I don't have to do much other than check ID's and pull up a case of beer from the basement occasionally. And it's the easiest money ever.

I'm happy where I am right now. Would it be nice to be making a little more cash and to have some health benefits? Sure. But I'm still young and tough so I don't really need to go to the doctors unless it's a real bad emergency.

[Aza]

I'm in agreement with Rockwulf on this one; any job will get tedious, some faster than others but all of them eventually. The trick is to have either multiple jobs... or one job that's so exceptionally diverse that it can't possibly contain any tedium. That's why I'm an aspiring writer/actor/director, who's made a living in the past decade as everything from a documentation specialist to a security officer.

Unfortunately, I also just turned 33, and the fates will have me screaming for either medical or dental benefits before too much longer.

My favorite jobs in the past have involved physical labor. I like to think on my own time about my own shit; when I'm at work, I'd rather WORK. Perhaps eventually when I have my own production studio and publishing office, I'll be more apt to take my work home with me.

[keiko]

i loved being a dishwasher. there was nothing quite like turning on the fan and the radio and not being bothered by anyone. there was a kind of zen in restoring order to the piles of dirty dishes and a sense of accomplishment seeing the transition between what needed to be done and what was done. I especially liked closing as a dishwasher. straightening everything up at the end of the nigh. a place for everything and everything in its place, order restored.

yeah it got tedious after a while, but it was soothing as far as jobs go. didn't pay much but the work was steady and the hours were straight.

the only work i can stand to do for any length of time is dancing/modelling because its so erratic you can't really get sick of it that fast.

~K

[soma_stardust]

i wanna be a rock star.
crappy pay, but fulfilling. (unless i really reach stardom - ha!)
ok, maybe no pay.
ok, bad answer.
jobs aren't really my thing.
i'd love to be a go-go dancer or something similar.

[Clockwork Jello]

My dream job would be something to do with the Arts. It wouldn't matter if it was music, paint, sculpting, whatever. I have not created any art in a long time due to various reasons, but I remember how it felt to be when I was working on something. I would get started on it and forget everything around me. My mind would be racing. Sweat dripping down my head, heart pounding. That canvas would become my entire world. Time would just cease to exist. I lost count of how many times I would get started on something, lose myself, and not come to again 10 hours later and realise I was the only person left in the building.

Being able to get back to that for a living would be amazing. That would be my dream job.

[rikosaka]

Like mentioned above, being self employed is a good start. You are your own boss. With me, doing what I love and getting paid to do it is about as good as it gets. I'm not always busy all the time with paying gigs so that's one down side but I never dread having to go to the office on a Monday morning. My office btw is a desk just across from my bed :-)

I'm a photographer and so this is my lifelong career. If people did jobs that made them happy and they enjoyed doing then the world would be a better place but that's not always possible so I feel very lucky in having such a great job and am able to make a decent living at it, well, for the most part a decent living. The economy over here is kinda going south like everywhere else in the world.

[Dean4]

Beeing a gamer!!!! that is the shiz!=]

[Velvet-Tongue]

if I could ever stick with a religion I'd like to have been a priest. barring that some kind of federal law enforcement agency would be pleasing. I'd like to protect obama . After college im signing up for local law enforcement that looking towards either Alcohol,Tobacco,Firearms and Explosives....DEA...or Secret Service.

Fantasy jobs..: Official stuff carrier for the Cruxshadows, 1920's "Hysteria" doctor, Armor/Weapon, Or...yeahhh...A Paranormal/occult Detective like Dresden.

[thegreendevil76]

if I could ever stick with a religion I'd like to have been a priest. barring that some kind of federal law enforcement agency would be pleasing. I'd like to protect obama . After college im signing up for local law enforcement that looking towards either Alcohol,Tobacco,Firearms and Explosives....DEA...or Secret Service.

Fantasy jobs..: Official stuff carrier for the Cruxshadows, 1920's "Hysteria" doctor, Armor/Weapon, Or...yeahhh...A Paranormal/occult Detective like Dresden.

I looked at going into Federal LE, but in the end I have never really been impressed with Federal Agents and I love the action on the street. I find it more rewarding to have an immediate imact on crime and I frequently get to help people solve their problems/render lifesaving aid/take really bad people off the street in my own community. When I transposed that against sitting in an office proing over financial documents to build a case against some white collar criminal, I had to go with local LE. It's just damn fun work and very satisfying. If you go with a mid-large size agency there are lots of different things to get into and you don't really get bored. I've worked all of the following in either a full or part time capacity over the past decade (well, a bit more than a decade, but who's counting?):

*Corrections Officer (SUCKED!)
*Patrolman
*Bike Patrol (awesome job, you get to talk to lots of people, you know everything happening on the street, and you get on scene fastest so you're there when shit's still going on...lots of good barfights!)
*Recruiter
*Academy Instructor
*SWAT operator
*Marine Patrol (fun in the sun!)
*CID Detective

and we've got tons of other shit I haven't done yet (aviation, Narcs/Vice, Homicide, mounted patrol, K9, etc.) so there's always something to try if you get bored.

If you go Federal, I'd say go with the DEA because they get more time on the street and the one's I've worked with are like real cops. ATF might be good except when you have to do all the gun compliance checks and stuff. Marshalls is only cool if you work fugitive apprehension, otherwise you are just a Federal bailiff/prisoner transporter. If you enjoy swooping in and picking up cases where the work is already done and then taking credit for it, you should go for the FBI.

[Anna Evans]

Right now, I'm really ridiculously happy being a freelance fetish/bondage model. It's not easy to find enough work to make ends meet, but it's the most fulfilling thing I've ever done. It lets me make art, meet wonderful people, travel...all sorts of things I couldn't do with a more traditional job at my current age, socioeconomic status, and education level.

In the future, I'd like to be able to do more MUA work and hire other models to produce the kind of content I'm currently being hired to produce.

[Buster Friendly]

If you go Federal, I'd say go with the DEA because they get more time on the street and the one's I've worked with are like real cops. ATF might be good except when you have to do all the gun compliance checks and stuff. Marshalls is only cool if you work fugitive apprehension, otherwise you are just a Federal bailiff/prisoner transporter. If you enjoy swooping in and picking up cases where the work is already done and then taking credit for it, you should go for the FBI.

I have a buddy who became a Marshall.

He graduated with Master's Degree in drama, took one look at the job market and was like "WTF?" and became a local deputy sheriff for the podunk where our college was. After several years of doing that crap, he realized that he'd never move up in the dept. being black in the rural south, and all that (maybe different in other areas, but not where we were) and started looking for something else. With his experience as a deputy, and his master's he found that the U.S. Marshalls gave him the best career advancement, with the least hassle and went for it. He said he really was just a glorified prisoner transport, but since he just wanted a job not an action adventure buddy movie that was fine with him.

Great guy.

[nathanmbailey]

I actually really like my job, just not my employer. If I could work on helicopters as a civilian I would, but it's a harder field to get into, especially since there's not as many helicopters to be found as fixed wings and I don't feel much like being a civilian contractor for the army, even though it pays out the ass. What I do is fairly technical since I deal with flight control, navigation, and radio systems, not to mention everything with electricity running to or from it, but unlike most of the people in my shop, I like to help out the power plant, power train, and airframe shops, along with the general mechanics when I'm not busy (which is rare) and they could use a hand.

For me, a good job is one I enjoy and I can keep busy. I enjoyed being a dishwasher because I was always busy. If I go home and feel like I actually did something, it was a good day at work. My usual problem isn't my job or the jobs I've had, but employers.

[TheDeathKnight]

I like jobs where the task changes with each new client.

Movies, TV, advertising, web design, photography, etc.
Even things like working on cars, or doing custom construction work.

I just hate jobs where you are doing the exact same thing, day after day, after day... Like I would hate working on the same exact kind of car, every single day. Or working on the same website, for the same client. Or serving the exact same food, or cup of coffee to people day after day. As long as the job changes every so often, it's good!

[Mr Karl]

the best jobs are the people who do those studies.

[Bacchus88]

Business owner
I could not be any where other than where I am now. You decide your on fate, and you report to no one but yourself. It is up to you, to make the business go or not.

Sales based jobs
even if you do work for someone you still have power of control...
take pride in your job and like your job, life is to short not to do so.

[Iggyisdead]

I'm a housefrau and honestly I can say it's the best job I have ever had. There is minimal actual work that has to be done and I make my own rules and hours. It enables me to spend time with my cats and dog. If I so choose I can make time to work on my creative endeavors such as making clothes and hats, writing, and posting random things on the internet. It also gives me the time to schedule modeling shoots and edit photos from said photo shoots. So I guess I am not entirely dependent on my significant others income as I do make some money from modeling and selling some of my corsets online but when people ask what I do I still tell them that I am a "Punk rock housefrau".

I am a lot luckier than other women to refer to themselves as "homemakers". My mister has no set of standards for me to follow. If he doesn't like the way I do something I tell him, "Do it your damn self then!"

So maybe I am not a housewife as much I am a freelance corsetiere/writer/model.

Either way it's the best job I have ever had.

[Iggyisdead]

if I could ever stick with a religion I'd like to have been a priest. barring that some kind of federal law enforcement agency would be pleasing. I'd like to protect obama . After college im signing up for local law enforcement that looking towards either Alcohol,Tobacco,Firearms and Explosives....DEA...or Secret Service.

Fantasy jobs..: Official stuff carrier for the Cruxshadows, 1920's "Hysteria" doctor, Armor/Weapon, Or...yeahhh...A Paranormal/occult Detective like Dresden.

If you are really serious about signing up for the DEA, ATF, Secret Service, or any other such government job you should seriously consider joining the military as they prefer former military people over civilians. I know this because one of my brothers is a DEA agent and another is still waiting to hear back about the DEA and secret service (for now he is an air marshal. He didn't want to have to go back to the sandbox so he got out of the Air Force and went started training to be an Air Marshal.) The background check for the DEA can take years, especially if you have done any international travel. The same with the Secret Service. But yeah, they all take people with military experience over people with only law enforcement experience.

[homicidal_kiss]

i think the best job is one that isn't really a job, because you enjoy it.

like i love modeling, and i love doing hair and makeup. i want those to be my jobs, and they are. it's also nice because i work for myself and do all my own business stuff.

[thegreendevil76]

But yeah, they all take people with military experience over people with only law enforcement experience.

I would tend to disagree with this statement. If you have prior military AND prior civilian LE experience you will have an edge because of veteran's preference and if you hold a current high security clearance that might help too, but if you are applying to the DEA with only military you probably will not get the job over a seasoned cop. Especially if you have relevent work experience in LE, such as narcotics detective (the best route is to work your way onto a regional DEA drug task force as a member of a state/local agency...the jump to DEA Agent is pretty easy from there).

I mean if you are sitting in an interview and you can explain how you have developed, vetted and registered informants, arranged buys/reversals, and have prior undercover experience you will beat out a guy who says "I was in the infantry" or "I was an MP and have experince working guard gates." Not trying to take anything away from military guys or their experience, but in this case there are very few positions in the military where you can get that kind of experience.