Dream Job
There was an entry on The Journey recently referring to dream jobs. It got me thinking a little. One question asked was "are you 'working for the man'?" It got me thinking a little about my current situation (something I've thought about a bit recently in anycase). As it stands, I'm very much "working for the man", but I think that may be a blessing as much as a curse.
I've considered other jobs -- someone over at the bicycling.com long distance forum once suggested I should try writing professionally. Well, I do enjoy writing ride reports and other things in this blog when I have the time, but to do it professionally? A number of issues come to mind here. Firstly, does it have enough interest to generate an income? Perhaps not if the counter stats (when it was actually working) were any indication. Then there is the monotony of it. As things currently stand, I can choose whether or not to write on any particular day, if I don't feel like writing, I just don't. I'd hate to have to do it day after day, I suspect some of the inspiration would disappear.
There are also times I've thought about being a cycle-tour guide. Indeed, one of my principle reasons for setting up this page initially was the opportunity to share some of the wonderful places I ride with the world, what could be better than doing that for a living, right? On the other hand, I also think of some of the other things that would go along with such a job, dealing with clashing personalities in the group, with people who turned up totally unprepared and want to blame the "ride leader" for it, trying to cater for different ability levels. I actually experienced some of these things on a smaller scale when organising some rides for Bicycle Gold Coast, and while it was bearable on that scale, to do it day after day, relying on it for a living could cause me to lose my enthusiasm very quickly.
Sometimes I think it's better for a job to just be a job, and leave the leisure activities to be just that. Enjoy them when time permits, and don't over complicate things. After all, beyond simply "making a living", it's the means to enjoy these activities which motivates us to work in the first place.
posted by Chris L @ 8:07 pm
3 Comments:
With all the wonderful places you get to cycle I can understand not wanting to take on any kind of job that would threaten your ability to get out and ride.
I'm constantly blown away by the pictures you post of the places you see on your rides.
Working for "the Man" (or woman) ain't a bad thing. I was actively pursued by a few companies this spring and had to contemplate leaving my job as a professor (where I'm on contract) to go back to the "Real World" and doing 50-80 hours a week. The question was: did I really want to do that?
In the end I decided (and gave off vibes to this effect) that staying as a professor (even if it's contract) is better for me in the long run. I can bike at almost any time I want. Additionally, with the study breaks I can use those for nice short tours. And if I do end up with permanent, full-time status it means two months off (at minimum) in the summer (hard to argue with that benefit).
BTW, being a professional writer doesn't mean quitting your day job. I write an article or two a month and get a few bucks out of it ($250USD per article). It's not enough to make a living out of but it is enough to pay down some bills, set aside some rainy day cash or use for a tour later on.
And it can be a nice add-on to the daily grind of whatever it is you do on the side.
BTW, Chris, do you guys get snow in your "winter" months? (I only ask the stupid question since I've never been and I personally dread our winter months since snow and salt mean spinning a lot inside than outside) :(
You know Ms Mittens, when I was going to university we had some interesting theories about those "study breaks", and from the sounds of it, you've just confirmed one or two of them.
Seriously though, the idea of writing professionally is an interesting one. I might give it some more thought after the CPA exam when I'll have a little more free time.
As far as snow goes, the only place around here that's ever recorded snow is Springbrook (the big mountain in the area). "Recent" snow falls there were in 1965, 1984 and 2000. Stanthorpe a little further inland might get the odd snowfall, but apart from that, it hasn't snowed in Queensland since the last ice age (and probably not even then).
In fact, I'm one of the few people in the world who has seem more summer snow than winter snow -- thanks to my trips to Tasmania and the Victorian Alps. What a crazy country I live in!
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