Hellobee Boards

I am

Meh.

I have a good job, and a better salary that most people my age. But I didn't come by it from going to school or working hard. Which is embarrassing to admit. It literally fell into my lap because I was trying to be a lazy ass teenager and my mom forced me to get a job. Which then turned into a career.

It's not an industry I've ever wanted to work in, but it's the highest paying industry in our country and it pays my bills.

I have no idea what my passion in life is and I find that so sad. So no, I don't think I CAN be proud of what I do for a living.

I worked hard to get where I am - both in school and working my way up the ladder - - you better believe I'm proud!

@mrs. bird: oh shut it, you're so pretty.

@mrs. bird: Whaaat?! I recently started nannying and I would be so upset if I heard people saying that about me. How ignorant.

I am, but when I explain in more detail what I do, I think others may not understand why. I'm a newspaper reporter - but for a very small, hyper-local weekly publication. When I tell people I work for a newspaper they think it's awesome, until I explain it's not the New York Times or anything like that. I often get asked, "But don't you want to work for XYZ bigger, more popular publication?" The answer is that I don't! We actually make a huge difference in our community. We cover the things no else would bother to and it's important to people. So...yes, I'm proud, but people don't often understand why.

@mrs. bird:
1. You're beautiful.
2. People watch too many Lifetime movies.

@blackbird: Ha! Yes.

I guess I am proud to tell people what I do for a living - not because I love it (I don't, really) but because it's a pretty cool job, I guess.

@blackbird: shhhhh! i thought we agreed you wouldn't tell everyone here about that?!

@.twist.: i'll never be as pretty as you, but you are sweet, thank you!

@petunia354: thanks! that's wonderful that you guys have stayed in business & have such a great thing going! one of my BFFs used to work at a place that was a middleman business for what you do (from the sounds of it). they distributed hardware for those types of things. she loved it, i think mostly all the nice people she got to work with.

@PermaStudent: people can be mean, mostly when they feel insecure. i hope you can avoid such situations! it really can be a very rewarding job.

@rahlyrah:

@lilteacherbee: pre-k teachers are so important! early childhood education has some of the biggest impacts on future success!

@sslm: oops!

@Weagle: Nope. Why, do they pay well?

@LindsayInNY: sorry lady. I was lucky enough to get out debt free so that probably has a lot of bearing on how I feel.

YES! I would shout it from the mountaintops if I could. I work for a really amazing organization that does so much good!

I used to work for a law school and I was not proud of that! Good riddance!

ETA: I was not proud of the law school because of the specific institution itself, not because it was a law school.

@MsLipGloss: haha, well, I guess I would like to have some sort of life goal or dream or something. I feel like I'm just existing and letting life slip by. Not the greatest existence. I see a lot of people who talk about their passions and reaching them and it just kinda makes me feel like a loser.

I am. It is really hard to make it in my field but I am slowly attaining my goals. I have done it all myself (I have a degree in something else) and have had to really create my own path. It is a slow process however.

I used to be embarrassed to say I was an artist. I had an insecurity that people would think I wasn't working. I am type A and a high achiever (not in personality but in standards). .. I dreaded the question!

It would suck to be getting a phd and not be proud of it, it's such a lonely and long road that you need to have passion to do it! So yes, I'm proud of what I do--I'm being paid to do research on the questions that fascinate me more than any other topic. My fellowship has a more intensive teaching requirement than most, and some people hate that, but I love teaching and working with students. The undergrad teaching system really wouldn't work at my university without us. Most people around me are really supportive, though I have gotten some comments like "when are you going to finish and get a *real* job," but this IS a job: I'm being paid, plus I'm done with coursework and exams so from here out it's just me and my dissertation, plus teaching.

DH's job on the other hand is so complicated to explain--he works in a really niche industry and people never understand what he does...

@nana87: preach, sister! You'd have to be insane not to love what you do here, because we pretty much are fueled by passion (certainly, not the money!) And we have a heavy teaching load, too, so sometimes, I tend just to emphasize that part of it, because it consumes so much of our time!

I've also come to realize that most people, even the good meaning ones, just don't get what getting a Ph.D. in a liberal arts field entails. Other than the "when are you going to get a real job?" question, which I don't get that often, I usually get, "so, when are you going to be done?" Umm, 3 years, if I'm lucky?? Maybe more?? It's a genuine question, but most people are very surprised by the answer, especially since I've already been in grad school for almost 4 years. I usually break it down with, "I'm finishing my coursework, then a year of exams, then research, then writing. During the last few years, I'll have my own classes, too." That seems to be easier for people to process. The next inevitable question is, "then what?" Yeah...then I'll be on a job market where, if I'm lucky, there will be 100-150 applicants per position available. (We try not to think too much about that ) That's why we have to love what we do-because it's hard, it takes forever, and it's risky. But I honestly could not imagine myself being anywhere else!

@LovelyPlum: ahhhh yes, the "when will you be done" question!! I usually say something simple like "I'm in my 4th year, and usually it takes people in my program 7 years, so about 3 more years." but lately it's been more complicated--people, including my parents and in-laws, ask when we're moving out of NYC (since we don't want to live here forever), but I have no idea--it depends on if I teach on campus past my set fellowship, or if I get external write-up grants which mean we could move somewhere else. Except moving sucks and I'd rather not move multiple times, and we'll most likely have to move multiple times for jobs/post-docs later....So I just get flustered and overwhelmed when they ask, haha

@nana87: right. And I hate to break it to them that my first few jobs will more than likely be post-docs or one year visiting professorships or adjunct positions at a tiny branch campus in the middle of nowhere, and then if I'm REALLY lucky, I *might* get a tenure-track gig somewhere. That usually makes people nervous enough to stop asking questions