Do you love your job, and what is your purpose?

newswoman13

newswoman13

Cathlete
Okay, we all have to make money somehow. But, is anyone out there (besides Cathe a few others) who are obviously doing something they love, providing a service and making a business out of it?

I'm really aiming towards being flexible, thinking out of the box, creating, etc. America isn't as "structured" as it used to be, so we must push forward to be happy and logical at the same time. Any of you have real world examples?? Thanks!
 
I used to have a 'job' for a long time but now I feel I have a purpose. I decided to give up Public Relations and become a pet groomer. I work with animals everyday and I personally feel like I am really making a difference. Very often dogs come to me in pretty bad shape and have owners who love their pets but are ignorant about certain aspects of pet ownership. I do feel good about what I can do for them.

I think I am also meeting so many people who are similar to me and I find that I am making quite a few friends which is such a refreshing change after having spent most of my corporate career crying in office bathrooms because of politics and bitchiness. I also love the fact that I am active all the time and no day is ever the same. The only real disadvantage of this career has been that I can't workout as much anymore. But I think I used to workout way too much in any case.

Financially, the grooming business has a good amount of flexibility. The two women I work for own their own salons and are primary income earners for their families. I just need to supplement my husband's income, so I groom only as many dogs as I want to. I basically choose my own hours and days which is great although I do end up working six days a week out of choice.

I believe that everyone should follow their dreams and I hope you will too. It does take some amount of courage to change career paths but I am so glad I did. Best of luck with finding your own special niche.
 
I do work outside of the home ocassionally, but my first love is my home, and it is alot of work to keep things clean and organized, being there for your children and hubby. When I do work outside of the home, everything is so completely disorganized no matter how much I plan ahead and we end up spending soooo much money on eating out because my hubby just will not cook as I usually get home very late. So I prefer to be at home just for the sake of sanity and not so much the money.

Charlotte~~
 
>I used to have a 'job' for a long time but now I feel I have
>a purpose. I decided to give up Public Relations and become
>a pet groomer. I work with animals everyday and I personally
>feel like I am really making a difference. Very often dogs
>come to me in pretty bad shape and have owners who love their
>pets but are ignorant about certain aspects of pet ownership.
> I do feel good about what I can do for them.
>
>I think I am also meeting so many people who are similar to me
>and I find that I am making quite a few friends which is such
>a refreshing change after having spent most of my corporate
>career crying in office bathrooms because of politics and
>bitchiness. I also love the fact that I am active all the
>time and no day is ever the same. The only real
>disadvantage of this career has been that I can't workout as
>much anymore. But I think I used to workout way too much in
>any case.
>
>Financially, the grooming business has a good amount of
>flexibility. The two women I work for own their own salons
>and are primary income earners for their families. I just
>need to supplement my husband's income, so I groom only as
>many dogs as I want to. I basically choose my own hours and
>days which is great although I do end up working six days a
>week out of choice.
>
>I believe that everyone should follow their dreams and I hope
>you will too. It does take some amount of courage to change
>career paths but I am so glad I did. Best of luck with
>finding your own special niche.






Having had a newfoundland and having an Aussie Shephard, I am just in awe of how quickly the groomers can brush out mats, etc. (For those who don't know the breeds, both of them have thick, dense undercots. The newfy practically lived in water, too, wherever he could find it.......even if it was only his water bowl!) What will take me hours and hours is done so quickly and efficiently by them!

I often wonder if I could ever learn that!

those who also amaze me are....vets and their technicians! Being able to handle a scared, angry cat with no problem!

that's awesome you enjoy your work. I for one appreciate the groomers out there! :)
 
Well, I actually rather enjoy my traditional law firm job. I don't know how old you are, but, whatever your age, you may want to take a look at my Uncle's website to see if it gives you any ideas: http://www.2young2retire.com/ Check out the true stories section.
 
I truly do love what I do (veterinarian), but that's not to say that I always love my JOB. The JOB part of it being dealing with my boss, dealing with staff turnover, etc. Taking care of animals and their people is truly rewarding and a majority of the time makes me feel great. The major drawback is lack of a defined schedule - I know what time I go to work in the morning, but not always what time I will be able to leave in the evening. Emergencies, unexpected appointments, etc sometimes keep me at work for 2-3 extra hours at night.
 
>I decided to give up Public Relations and become
>a pet groomer.

Wow that is great! I have thought about doing that myself but when I looked into the schooling needed/the cost/location of schools, it just didn't seem like a viable option for me...not right now anyway.
There are not very options of where to go to school for this in NJ where I live and what I found was in a different part of the state-far commute. Were you lucky enough to live close to a dog-grooming school?

Maybe in the future I can reconsider this an option. I love animals! :)


Have a great work out!

~Wendy~

I smoked my last cigarette on March 17, 2004 at 10:00 pm!

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?WENDYMIN

http://lilypie.com/days/050519/1/0/1/-5/.png[/img][/url]
 
Thanks, prfitness, for your inspiration (and everyone else!). I'll definitely check out the website as well.

Prfitness, I work in news (probably guessed hence the username), and I hate it. I hate the stress, the rudeness, the anxiety, the hard stiffness of it all. It definitely must be someone's passion to survive in this biz. I was a journalism major (started out on the broadcast track, changed to PR), but I still landed at a media giant company working in broadcast journalism. I still have some wiggle room to get to the entertainment networks and want to explore as much as possible. Key still is to think out of the box and take advantage of opportunities that truly feel good to you.

As far as PR work, I'm not ruling it out, but I'd go for more of a nonprofit direction. I've seen a lot here on the PR side that doesn't strike my fancy. You might be saying what DO you like? I love creative writing, and I love aerobics (teaching and taking). So....Hopefully, I can continue combining those passions.

Cheers to all!
 
I do work outside of the home and LOVE it! I do product marketing for a large high tech company. I have a very flexible schedule, can show up for work, leave for work whenever I want, work from home when I want. I work hard but am rewarded via a flexible lifestyle. I would like to work at home someday. But for now while I have 2 kids in daycare, I like my paycheck and still have a flexible schedule. Sometimes it is nuts juggling all the things going on but I know it will someday get better.

We are hoping to move to Florida in the next couple years. My hubby is going to start a fish tour charter business. My company is based in Califoria so being on the east coast I will have an extra 3 hours of flexibility of time in the morning to spend with my kids, get them to school etc. Then hubby and I will split the afternoons...I'll be able to pick my kids up on most days. I will work from home full-time and have even more flexibility! We are also thinking about my hubby and maybe even me getting our real estate license for backup of his biz. We are sooooo excited. :+ :+ :+ :+ :+
 
I love what I do most days:Teaching French at a small university.
My schedule is flexible (I tell my department chair that 8 o'clock classes are not a go with me ;-) ), I have summers off when I want ( and can usually teach a summer course if I want to).

My university isn't a "publish or perish" university, so I can take care of my research/creative obligations by doing book reviews (usually in French) and giving pedagogical presentations at state, regional and national conferences.

Of course, there are days that are harder than others, and the frustrations of having students who don't seem to realize that I can teach them nothing if they don't make an effort to learn. But then there are the wonderful, enthusiastic students whose eyes light up with the discovery of something new, and who are a joy to teach.
 
I love my job. I received my doctorate in Molecular Virology, did my post-doc and then started for working for big pharma and then biotech in various scientist positions, climbing up the traditional scientist career path ladder. While in biotech, a colleague and myself made an intersting discovery which was patented. We were eventually bought by a big pharma compnay. I left as I didn't like big pharma..I preferred biotech. However, my colleague and myself were able to get the acquiring pharmceutical company to out-license our patent back to us. Based on this technology, gene silening, we started a boiotech and got it funded through Series A and Series B financing. We are working on developing antivirals for HBV and HCV infected patients. Since I had previously worked in a biotech, I had gained experience in other areas besides science such as regulatory, and an area involved in developing and protecting Intellectual Property Estate etc and was able to direct not only the research at the company but get involved in other aspects of running the company. I am very busy, always have too much to do but enjoy the adrenaline rush of this exciting time in my life. I also hope to eventually make of difference in other people's lives.
 
newswoman

I think switching to a non profit organisation is a great idea. I switched to working for charity 2 years into my career and I think that is why I was able to survive for a while. But like you I really did hate the rudeness, insensitivity, politics and what kind of material made news. Most of the people in PR who I have still kept in touch with have done well by working in-house for non-profits or educational institutions. I personally miss some aspects of press work but its not too bad because I still do a lot of creative writing in my spare time. I truly hope you will find something that enables you to use your skills and inspires you.

Epona

Thanks for you vote of confidence. Grooming is hard work. Its always wonderful for any groomer to hear that owners appreciate what we do. Particularly the brushing part! I am sure you will be able to master brushing out a dog but it is a labour of love and the only reason groomers are fast is because they do so much of it. The only thing you have to remember is to not brush the skin as you can give the dog brush burn. Thanks again for your kind words.

Wendy

I was lucky enough to find a grooming school in Toronto (which is where I live) and I actually sold some property to fund my studies. Unfortunately most grooming courses seem to be very expensive but I did find my course was very helpful in terms of understanding animal health etc. However I still think working with animals is a very practical and hands on job and breaking into this field is possible if you can find the time to volunteer in some capacity. Hope that helps.
 
I love my job...I teach a kindergarten behavior class. Our goal is to teach behaviorally challenged students the social skills needed to function in a "regular" school classroom. I work closely with a "regular" kindergarten teacher whom I love and adore. She is a wonderful person and we are blessed to also have wonderful assistants. It is so awesome to be able to see how far so many children come in one year. I have to say I've seen some pretty scary and violent behaviors turned completely around with the implementation of our behavior plan. This behavioral turn around is often despite the parent/home situation. The past couple of years I have had some fabulous parents/caretakers who are truly working with me instead of against me and those children are REALLY successful. The downside is a lot of stress comes with the job. There are some kids,no matter what you try, that are disturbed and are going to have to go to an EH classroom the next school year. And then you sometimes have to deal with difficult parents who want to blame everyone else for their child's behavioral difficulty and they constantly interfere all year. The amount of paperwork and meetings that special ed teachers have to do/conduct is about as much as when I worked in an office full time. I am starting to feel burned out and I've only been teaching for 5 years. And this year, I definitely have a parent who has actively worked against me all year and it has just been difficult b/c she is handicapping her child. The sad thing is this child really has/had potential but if parent(s) don't get on board or at least leave us alone long enough to do our job then there is not much we can do. To leave things on a positive note, most of my parents this year have been an absolute joy to work with(key words are "work with") and their children have come a long way!:7
Edited for a typo...:7
 
Prfitness-ty for the info! :)

Oh, and I don't like my job. It allows me to bring home a paycheck..that is it's only purpose in my mind and even that will soon end as I plan on staying home to raise my baby...:)

Have a great work out!

~Wendy~

I smoked my last cigarette on March 17, 2004 at 10:00 pm!

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?WENDYMIN

http://lilypie.com/days/050519/1/0/1/-5/.png[/img][/url]
 
There's a wonderful book entitled, "Your Money or Your Life" by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin I'd encourage you to read. It really helps you re-frame your idea of working for fulfillment vs. money and how much money you really need to be happy. Whether you agree w/ all of it or not, it really helps clarify your thinking about how the drive for money impacts our choices.
I'm a bedside nurse for 23 yrs. Have thought many times about teaching, writing, midwifery school, always staying at the bedside. The hours are unconvential and the stress sometimes very high. Many times people look at me like I'm a glorified waitress or housekeeper, because those are some of my 'other duties as assigned'.
There are countless times when I know it's made a difference that I was working that day, vs. someone else. Many times, it's a word of encouragement, or not wanting to run from the room when someone is bitchy, but rather, sit on the edge of their bed and hear them out. It's not about ego or money, but doing something important in a situation that someone is awkward about, be it getting out of bed the first time after surgery, breastfeeding (I work OB), having an IV etc. Being in the hospital for any reason is like being on another planet, so if I can make that a little better for someone, it's been a great day.
Valerie :)
 
I totally understand the nursing love. I do phlebotomy and when patients tell me that didn't hurt or It's going to *roll* and I say no it's not, I know what I'm doing. I'm satisfied. I have got to say, I have heard more nurses say they love their job then any other profession,well ... maybe my sister who has been a school teacher also for 32 years. God bless as you bring love and cheer to your next patient.
 
>I'm still looking for my purpose.I pray for it but have not
>gotten any answers. :( Very sad about this.
There is still hope for you. I was not quite happy with my first pofession, a policeman/detective. When I turned fifty I went back to school and today I'm a psyciatric nurse and I love my job.
 
Cathy and gogigi-
I can feel your enthusiasm. Finding the career that's right for you is like finding the right mate. It can take a long time, and be painful along the way, but when you get there it's worth everything. You guys really make a difference in this world.

-Nancy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top