Kinda way OT: Who really enjoys what they do?

[billb]

I've been involved in manufacturing for 8 years now (going on 9), and am in a rut. It's a 7:30-4:30 job, but in a shrinking market. I want to do something that excites me, that doesn't make me dread Monday mornings, but also that doesn't totally consume all my time (taking me away from the wife, son, cars, bike, etc.). That sort of rules out a lot of traveling sales jobs.

While I am mechanically inclined, I don't think I would make a good mechanic. I enjoy working on things, but maybe not for a living. I have an Engineering degree (in Materials Science and Engineering), but that's not well-suited to too many fields. I enjoy writing, and considered a career in journalism, but just never pursued it. I enjoy travel, both domestic and international, yet do not speak a foreign language fluently.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone does anything they're really passionate about, that earns them a decent living with a little extra cash at the end of the month for play. Ideally in the $35/hour plus range

[ScottyWM]

That bad Bill?? I don't want to hear any complaints till you've got 25 years manufacturing, 18 of them automotive (::moan::) !! Don't know if you heard, my company just got bought a couple weeks ago. Going from a private german company to a public swiss company. Should be for the good.

You know, we're planning to add 2 engineers soon, and maybe some other positions. Not that this company is any better than where you are, but who knows? Want me to let you know when they decide? (They normally post on monster.com search for saia-burgess automotive.) And they currently have an opening for a supplier quality engineer - it'd be pretty sweet we don't have a lot of suppliers, and the travel is probably less than 10% in reality.

Your's would be the 5th bmw in the lot....

Scott

[Sweetwater]

I've got 24 years in my current job in a hospital as part of the health care team. Passion ebbs and flows depending on life. One thing that helps is that I take students (young, enthusiastic & often female and pretty) that keep things fresh. The latest student from 10 months ago is now a co-worker. In another 6 years, I'll take a phased retirement at the ripe old age of 55.

Then the world becomes my oyster.

[Springfield1952]

Bill, I for one love what I do. I have a degree in Industrial Design and I own a product development consultant office. We work on a wide variety of projects mostely in the medical device field but we've recently completed a new VOIP business telephone systems, a golf swing analyzer and a family of networking products. Every day is a new challenge and every project is a new learning experience. Our site is www.compassdesign.com.

Like you, I was always mechanically inclined but didn't want to work as a mechanic. I liked designing things and originally thought about becoming an architect but found the profession was not as creative as I wanted. Stumbled onto ID in the school library and transferred the next semester. I've got 28 years under my belt and don't regret chosing this field for a minute. Good luck finding that position that feeds your passion.

Curt.
1994 530iT

[rickm]

I loved what I originally started out doing, designing electronics power systems for naval vessels. Then I moved over into switchboard design, then dabbled in submarine cableways (that was rough). After the industry got to the point where layoffs were rapant and the quality of help went down the can I left. Received a nice check for 8 years of backpay that I was owed (they billed all of my hours but paid me for salary only).

Work in a few restaurants, which gave me plenty of surf time. I miss that job quite a bit, it was fun. Never a dull moment.

Now I'm in IT looking over 2 facilities that are 6 hours apart. It's not bad most of the time, this week we've been having some problems with our primary print box that's causing a lot of problems. A crisis can be fun...except it shows who knows what. The guy that was hired to work with me had NetWare guru stamped all over his resume, along with experience with Cisco products and RedHat. The interviewer didn't ask him to document everything...his guru-ness means he can do the tasks if you give him a step by step. Arggggg. I have enough time here so my healthcare is paid for when I retire, next year I'll be returning in culinary and going back to school to get a medical degree of somesort so I can get into the clinical informatics side of things.

[walt]

I'm with you Bill. An engineer for twenty plus years and I'm ready to call it quits. Looking for other opportunities but difficult to make a career change at this point in my life..

[kiNGMak]

love what i do.. Firefighting.. side job with fire/rescue at a drag strip and confined space rescue ..

[Dan in NZ]

When I left high school, I explored my interests and did a year of Electrical Engineering at university, and absolutely hated it. Last year I made a change from physical sciences, to biological sciences and have since been studying Pharmacology & Toxicology. I really had doing lab work, so I'm going to go with the parts of my studies I like the best, and become a Pharmaceutical sales rep. From what I hear it's well paid, easy to move up in the industry and you get to travel a fair bit. I'm only 20 so for for at least the next few years I couldn't imagine anything worse than being settled down with a white-picket fence... Find something you like and just go with it!

[TC535i]

So far this month, I've finished up my licences, got a promotion, the transfer I wanted, and a $6k/yr raise... not a bad month for me! :)

[Michael C.]

Been detailing cars for 15+ years, LOVE IT!!!!!.
I am the gen. mangr. of a medium size detail shop in the Philly suburbs.
Mostly "high-end" cars (but alittle of everything to keep a nice balance),and i am directly across the street from a large volume BMW dealership...(how nice is that?).

Michael C.
95 540i6 M-sport
88 ///M5.........FOR SALE

[bimmerd00d]

I am in Voice over IP for one of my jobs, and IT Manager for another one. I love them both!

[TimGinCentralNJ]

...many people to stop and re-assess what it is they're doing. IMO, where our country is right now economically and with world affairs as they are, it forces us to see life in a different light and really take inventory of what we're spending our time on.

If you were to ask my opinion, I would say you should choose one of the items you've listed (such as writing; something I've also always wanted to explore further, too) and put some of your personal time into it. Maybe even take a night class on writing/journalism at the local community college. If you spend a little time on it, you'll develop a sense of whether or not it's something you could really see yourself doing more, then go from there. Sometime finding the direction you want to pursue is the toughest part. If you were to decide you can't see yourself doing it, at least you've explored it and no longer have to wonder "geez, I wonder if I'd have made a good writer...".

I know a couple people who write for a living; one is a writer for a travel magazine (which involves writing AND travel; two of the things you like to do) and she makes a good living, gets to travel, and loves her job. Who could ask for anything more?

Again--this is just my $.02 worth, YMMV.

Rgds,
Tim G.
'91 535iM
'05 Subaru Outback XT Ltd


I've been involved in manufacturing for 8 years now (going on 9), and am in a rut. It's a 7:30-4:30 job, but in a shrinking market. I want to do something that excites me, that doesn't make me dread Monday mornings, but also that doesn't totally consume all my time (taking me away from the wife, son, cars, bike, etc.). That sort of rules out a lot of traveling sales jobs.

While I am mechanically inclined, I don't think I would make a good mechanic. I enjoy working on things, but maybe not for a living. I have an Engineering degree (in Materials Science and Engineering), but that's not well-suited to too many fields. I enjoy writing, and considered a career in journalism, but just never pursued it. I enjoy travel, both domestic and international, yet do not speak a foreign language fluently.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone does anything they're really passionate about, that earns them a decent living with a little extra cash at the end of the month for play. Ideally in the $35/hour plus range

[Hector]

it's all about going through a mid-life crisis...

[billb]

it's all about going through a mid-life crisis...

31 is way too young for a midlife crisis!!

:D

[Derek A.]

After a few bouts with big corporate life, beleive it or not I went to work for small business. I am now set up with an independant BMW/Porsche repair facility. Helping to manage the business, run the office and handle the marketing. Who know's one of these days I might return to corporate life but for now I am up to my neck in German cars ! I also run my web/marketing business on the side.

http://www.nikolasmotorsport.com/main_1.jpg

[andyman32]

Heh - some of you guys have more or less interesting professions. Throughout (and for a year after) high school I was going for architecture. Did internships and got in to one of the top-top undergrad architecture programs. But I found that you needed a lot of education (M.Arch at least) for a job market with soft demand, relatively low pay (on par with school teachers) and, of course, very little creativity, esp. for the entry-level folks and the folks who make big money (I interned with the firm that handles the design of every Fuddruckers restaurant in the world... DULL DULL DULL DULL DULL DULL). So I basically turned tail and ran to the booming IT field, studied C.S. for a year, left college, got a good job, etc...

I hated it for two years then got laid off.

Now I'm almost done with an undergrad degree in Philosophy and I have NO idea what to do next, mostly because I'm interested in a lot of things. I love wine - a fellow across the street is a wine buyer for a gourmet grocer in this area. I love cars, but I think being a mechanic would be too hard - hard to find the right job, the right working conditions, the right pay... and hard to have enough patience. :) I was going to continue with a Ph.D in philosophy but I don't fancy the idea of being forced by circumstance to wait until my mid- or late- 30s to start a family (my wife is too impatient!). So who knows?

One thing I have found (and you other guys can confirm or contest this): living well below your means makes for a VERY comfortable, relatively low-stress life. I'll never take another loan for a car. I'll never gauge my monthly budget based on 100% of my net salary. I prefer simple pleasures like driving an old 540 or having a very nice espresso machine to things like having an iconic new car, expensive clothes, or a big house. THAT is my $0.02. :)

[632 Regal]

very interesting outlook you have.

[billb]

One thing I have found (and you other guys can confirm or contest this): living well below your means makes for a VERY comfortable, relatively low-stress life. I'll never take another loan for a car. I'll never gauge my monthly budget based on 100% of my net salary. I prefer simple pleasures like driving an old 540 or having a very nice espresso machine to things like having an iconic new car, expensive clothes, or a big house. THAT is my $0.02. :)

My newest car is a '00 Explorer with 74k on it. It's the one we drive the least too, as it's worth the most in our driveway (and most expensive to operate). I would certainly not call that an iconic new car. My last clothing purchase was a $12 pair of shorts. Believe that's all I've spent this year, except for a new pair of safety shoes for work. Granted, we did just move to a larger house, but are planning to be there for 15-20 years, employment permitting.

Wait'll you have a kid, your wife quits work, and you're suddenly not living that far below your means. And hope and pray that the kid is healthy, and that you and your wife can live with sacrifices (dining out 1-2 times per month instead of every weekend, stretching groceries a little longer, store brands for most everything, and holding off on replacing that 1968 Maytag washer and 1969 Kenmore dryer "just a few more years"). And Heaven forbid if you lose your job.

That's why a track day for me in March is such a treat to look forward to.

It's all for love. Love each other, love what you do, life's too short not to live passionately. I guess I'm kinda pumped up, as I've been reading Armstrong's "Every Second Counts", and it really jazzed me up.

[salansky]

I'm in the same boat as you - I'm 33, married with a new baby, and am building a house (probably too much). I'm also an engineer, ME but currently in IT working in manufacturing. Maybe you can try my approach, stay with your current employer, but try to move into another field or department. I'm going back into engineering and am quite pumped about it. In IT, I can only handle baby-sitting the users so much - time to be a user. I also suggest milking you hobbies for that precious YOU time. Sometimes I feel like all I do is make other people happy - I actually feel guilty when I do something for myself - like work on the Chevelle or 540 when I should be doing something for the wifey. I also suggest getting outside and appreciating your health and your surroundings, its amazing what people take for granted. Since I transplanted to NC from Ft Lauderdale, I couldn't be happier being outside enjoying the fine weather and beautiful areas here.
Sounds like we have much in common, maybe we should get a beer and contemplate the origins of an E34's shimmy.
-jack
Pinehurst (soon to be Pittsboro), NC

[Derek A.]

I used to work for an ad agency that serviced General Motors. I was attending a meeting in Detroit after being in Los Angeles the night before. The time, travel and stress took its toll. I passed ou in the meeting, noting like the embarrasment of being hauled out of GM's headquarters on a gurney to make you re-think what you are doing with your life. Since then I have stayed out of the corporate world, granted my income was cut in half but I have not had anu ambulance rides. Don't get me wrong, life still has its stresses but the levels have certainly been reduced by avoiding the worry of General Motor's problems.

[ScottyWM]

Count me in for the beer...

Apex nc, very close to Pittsboro

[bjl4776]

Yea, but it maybe an excuse to get a brand new shiny M5 :D

[Geoff Hoad]

Bill,

All you say is true. I guess my biggest frustration and dissapointment is not being allowed to do what I can do. Since people became commodities rather than assets all results are judged on short term costs as opposed to the creation of greater value. Then there's the expendability factor. We are going through another round of redundancies. If its my turn it will be the fourth time in 25 years. And the sad thing is that all I want to do is be the best I can...

[tdgard]

90% of the time I do really enjoy my job--that is when I'm actually working. I'm a Gaffer (strange word in the middle of the credits on a movie which basically means "In charge of the lighting") Don't work many movies--prefer commercials and other 2-5 day jobs instead but the concept is the same.

Yesterday & today have sucked because I have spent them doing an AutoCAD drawing of some stupid little town from an 8 1/2x11 sheet of paper with no scale. All so the secret service can figure out where to place porta-potties and the like for an event with a former president. I'm now cross-eyed and wishing I never got the EE degree that gave me that skill.

Good points--you work for yourself. 7-8 days a month your expenses are covered. 15 or more your beyond prospering. Next month I have work most days. October I work almost 31 days straight. However, I had 3 days this month and not that many the month before. It always seems to ebb and flow. Don't do ****--don't see home. Don't do ****--don't see home.

The 10% I'm actually working & hate it are those days it's 19 degrees out and I'm standing on a street corner at 4a.m. while they make rain. I'm soaked to the bone, and I know it will be noon before I get home (18 hours after I left). Or it's 6a.m. and you have already changed your clothes twice in an hour (socks and shoes included) because it's 90 degrees with 90 percent humidity. Or it's dawn and all of a sudden the street lights go off because the city did not adjust them for daylight savings time ruining the shot and a whole days work. Maybe I should reverse that 90% 10% number now that I think about it.

I do enjoy it though and it pays the bills--just not this month or last month.

[winfred]

mechanics is ok, mechanics at a bmw/volvo salvage yard is better, turning wrenches for a living you get to have really cool stuff like a tool box that a small famly could live in
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/toolbox2
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/toolbox3
some not pictured toys include plasma cutter, various arc type welders and torch's, bad ass air compressor........ http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/rockin.gif

[Geoff Hoad]

Whooa! The Mother of All Toolchests.

Gee Winfred, when it comes to seeing who has the biggest I think you must be close to the top. Now the rest of us will just have toolbox envy! :)

[Brian C.]

:D
Is there no tradition left in this world!?

Brian C.
:p

[winfred]

it's on the side of chuck's (the other wrench at my shop) toolbox on the other end of the bench to the left of my box


:D
Is there no tradition left in this world!?

Brian C.
:p

[Brian C.]

Share.


I think #1 was...Play Nice
....and #3 was Fukum' if they can't take a joke.

Brian C.

[winfred]

i don't have any pics of the callender so heres some free porn
http://www.worldsex.com/


Share.


I think #1 was...Play Nice
....and #3 was Fukum' if they can't take a joke.

Brian C.

[632 Regal]

sheesh...whats free? try www.creampie.com for a couple free ones each week...also redlight.com If memorys right. I should really post that one I was braggin about a while ago

[winfred]

scroll down to the daily stuff, it starts about a page and a half down


sheesh...whats free? try www.creampie.com for a couple free ones each week...also redlight.com If memorys right. I should really post that one I was braggin about a while ago

[TimGinCentralNJ]

mechanics is ok, mechanics at a bmw/volvo salvage yard is better, turning wrenches for a living you get to have really cool stuff like a tool box that a small famly could live in
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/toolbox2
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/toolbox3
some not pictured toys include plasma cutter, various arc type welders and torch's, bad ass air compressor........ http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/rockin.gif

[Brian C.]

If I were asked by a relatively young, allegedly somewhat fit, intellegent friend who's burned out or bored with their under-appreciated, over-worked and under-compensated employment, I'd tell them what I say about myself sometimes.

Be a Fire Fighter.

Really. I have a couple of buddies who I went to high school with who became FFs right out of HS. They have consistantly made boatloads of money, always seem to be either at home watching ESPN or out fishing, and will retire on +/_ $100k pentions in a year or two! At < 50!!! Some work 24on/48off shifts, while others work 4/10 hour days a week. Early to mid-30's is not too late to start something like that for 25 years and a whole 'nother retirement check. The actual work that needs to be done is something that you'd have to decide if you want to do or not, but it would be fun, a challange, rewarding, sociality needed and give you lots of time to be a parental unit.

Just a thought, but I'd have done it way back when if I knew then what I know now. And ya might be calender material, who knows?? :p Who's a FF here....kiNGMack...right?? Ask him.

Just my 2cts......

Brian C.

[warton]

I've been involved in manufacturing for 8 years now (going on 9), and am in a rut. It's a 7:30-4:30 job, but in a shrinking market. I want to do something that excites me, that doesn't make me dread Monday mornings, but also that doesn't totally consume all my time (taking me away from the wife, son, cars, bike, etc.). That sort of rules out a lot of traveling sales jobs.

While I am mechanically inclined, I don't think I would make a good mechanic. I enjoy working on things, but maybe not for a living. I have an Engineering degree (in Materials Science and Engineering), but that's not well-suited to too many fields. I enjoy writing, and considered a career in journalism, but just never pursued it. I enjoy travel, both domestic and international, yet do not speak a foreign language fluently.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone does anything they're really passionate about, that earns them a decent living with a little extra cash at the end of the month for play. Ideally in the $35/hour plus range

I've really enjoyed learning more about you all. An interesting lot we have here. Me, I've been in the R&D/product side of "high-tech" for more than a dozen years, all of my professional career at Intel. Started out in the supercomputers division, and have done this and that (from servers to high speed IO) and am currently in the communications group. Depending on what I'm doing, and as importantly who I'm working with, I've gone from just "tolerating" my job to really, really enjoying it. I've yet to wake up and think "I don't want to go to work today". There have been stressful times - particularly the last 3 years as the high-tech industry goes through a tumultuous metamorphasis. I was job hunting for a while in 2002, and got pretty lucky that I found another permanent position (though I'm not that happy in my current position) given all of the divisions being sliced from the corporation at that time.

The technology is always cool - I've been playing with Itanium systems for 4 years; was part of the team developing and defining InfiniBand (and therefore PCI-Express ;-); I was on the team that built the world's first 1 teraflop general-purpose supercomputer in 1996; and am currently working on 10Gb ethernet, PCI-Express systems, and other cool stuff. But what's always been most gratifying is working with brilliant people (of which I'm happy to say Intel still has a significant number, and among whom I do NOT count myself ;-). Great people, cool technology, and an open and honest environment can make even this cynic content. ;-)

Now I just need our stock price to go back to $75. :-)

Cheers,
Peter

[black_bird_blue]

Well, I'm late as ever adding my two penn'orth (obviously we don't have cents here). I have a great job and I love it. In fact, right now I like it so much I am wondering how to string it out as long as I live (which I intend to be as long as possible).

There are lots of different types of people, but I am one who thrives on learning and variety. I work in the automotive industry in a company called Prodrive and I have an engineering background. What I'm seeing in engineering is that lots of people want to be "middlemen" - necessary to keep things moving but ultimately a layer of fat that gets pared away from time to time, and ultimately a shitfight just to keep the wheels turning. In the "difficult technical" roles, a lot of people I interact with in the US are indian and chinese - there are almost no multi-generation americans in these roles, despite the fact the skills are coveted by the employers and are not usually in the first line when it comes to costcutting. These roles are the ones that truly shape the product as far as I can see; we're not talking about where to put paint drain holes or how to strap the cars down when they get put on a train - we're talking about how to make the cars crash proof, how to make them stable at autobahn speeds, how to make cars that people really want to drive.

Early in my career I worked for Ford at the R&D centre near London. (I'm proud to say there's part of my soul in the rear suspension of the Ford Focus.) However, I didn't really like being a small cog in a big wheel (although as I said it was perfectly possible to make a difference, it was just wearing fighting the inertia of the company) and the size of the company was starting to beat it out of me. By my late twenties I could feel my zest slipping away and so I started a part-time MSc after changing employers to a small consultancy company. It was hard work doing the part time degree with a full time job but it only took 3 years and we didn't have kids at that point. I was steering (sic) towards vehicle dynamics at that point with the company I was with and then I jumped ship to Prodrive.

Since then I've done nothing but vehicle dynamics work for the last 7 and a half years. I've just written a book on the topic, I've driven all sorts of stuff, done all sorts of exciting things in a lot of different countries. In short, I'm fully engaged in what I do. The downside is that because of my success, people want more and there is only so much I can do; this means in truth I have a small team working for me. I tried it once before and it was a disaster with me "managing" them; now I've got a different team that is much more a loose association of peers. We are all working on continually developing our skill sets and pushing the boundaries.

I'm currently enrolled for a PhD about active vehicle systems, what they can do and what they should do. It's another part-time while working full-time thing.

Oh yeah, and we have a 2 year-old daughter and another unspecified gender offspring due at any moment. My daughter is the light of my life and I spend all the time I can with her.

It gives me enough cash to play, plus I also have made some of the lifestyle choices another poster talked about - hence the old 540. My company car is a Suzuki Hayabusa, I work from home when I need to concentrate properly.

After all that I guess what I'm saying is that, yes, I really love what I do. I've found something that appeals to my core values ("making cars better to drive"), I've got a way of working that suits my lifestyle (chaotic, flexible) and I'm playing to my strengths (analytical, fast-moving). While the details will probably vary for you, I think the most difficult thing is identifying what you really want and being careful not to constrain yourself out of it by setting too many conditions. I'd definitely rate the constraints you have in two categories - "must have" and "nice to have". The basic idea is that the more quickly you want something the more flexible you need to be but that everything comes to he who waits.

Don't imagine one single decision will jump you from where you are to where you want to be; rather you must evaluate every little decision and take the one that steers you closer, however slightly. A Monty Python sketch has a careers advisor talking to an accountant who wants to be a lion tamer: "Isn't that quite a big step? Wouldn't you like to move towards it more slowly, perhaps through banking and then into insurance before going on to lion taming?"

Oh, and there's nothing like your work being something of a hobby to keep you interested. I try and explain that to my wife as I drift the car out of corners; I have to do it or I won't be as good as I need to be at work next week...

Damian

[billb]

Thanks, all, for taking your time to go through this with me (and others!) Since I posted this topic several days ago, I have since had a sit-down with my HR Manager, and my boss, and discussed the past, present, and future of my current employment. To say the least, I am reenergized. I've found a way to enjoy what I'm doing, potentially taking on more responsibility at the turn of the year, and have at least "raised my hand" that I'm ready for more excitement. Not to say chaos, but excitement.

I'm still looking for the side job that provides the fun money...

And perhaps looking at civic organizations and volunteering for being able to "give back" what I've earned (and learned). I have a good friend who was a big brother to a inner-city kid, and they are like father and son...

Thanks again.

[MBXB]

mechanics is ok, mechanics at a bmw/volvo salvage yard is better, turning wrenches for a living you get to have really cool stuff like a tool box that a small famly could live in
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/toolbox2
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/toolbox3
some not pictured toys include plasma cutter, various arc type welders and torch's, bad ass air compressor........ http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/rockin.gif

[winfred]

hmmm theres a joke in there somewhere

[Brian C.]

Rigid Tool Calenders on E-Bay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4948&item=2265128448&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW)
:p

Brian C.

[Jon K]

well i differ drastically. rather than asking myself if i enjoy what i do, i've been asking myself will i enjoy what i will be doing. i'm 19, i went from straight Computer Science at an engineering school, to a Computer Science w/ Business minor at that school, to a new more liberal art school to a Management of Information Systems. The CS was not only hard, but not very promising to take me anywhere as most jobs are off shore. there are a ton of unemployment computer science degree holders. so here i am in college studying for some obscure job at this point. I am focused more on business (accounting, economics...) and have already completed my computer science requirements. i intend to take CSCE and MCSE (i have a partial MCSE in WinNT which is obsolete now) to further enhance the likelihood of a compatible job. i really enjoy netoworking on large scale infrastructures and i've done so at my high school, at my previous college, and did general server maintenance... but i know that in corporate la-la-land this pays minisculely and is stressful. so, while you guys talk of your current full-time, paying jobs, we **** here wondering what the hell we're going to do in life :)

[SharkmanBMW]

As some of you know, I was in a huge car wreck in January 2003.
Life before that was good, I was a general manager for a aromatherapy candle manufacturer.... very chaotic and stressful.... the things I lived on!

Since the accident I have not worked - and won't for another year or two while my jaw surgery takes place and my brain injury heals.

In my case, I could not do what I used to do because of the injuries to my brain... I have NO tolerance for stress, confusion or info overload (too many people talking at once, watching TV while someone talks.....)

I sit here and wonder what the future holds for me, will I be able to earn a living? how will I pay the bills, how will I pass the time without going mad?!
Sometimes I feel like a deer in the headlights, dazed and confused... very different than I felt before (quick witted, bright and funny)

What I learned is that no matter how trapped or unhappy we are with our jobs or life.... it can be MUCH worse and it only takes a second.

Try hard to see the best in what you have around you, enjoy it to the fullest!

[Springfield1952]

Good words Sharkman. It's very easy to become myopic and not see the big picture. Good luck with the healing process.

Curt.
1994 530iT
As some of you know, I was in a huge car wreck in January 2003.
Life before that was good, I was a general manager for a aromatherapy candle manufacturer.... very chaotic and stressful.... the things I lived on!

Since the accident I have not worked - and won't for another year or two while my jaw surgery takes place and my brain injury heals.

In my case, I could not do what I used to do because of the injuries to my brain... I have NO tolerance for stress, confusion or info overload (too many people talking at once, watching TV while someone talks.....)

I sit here and wonder what the future holds for me, will I be able to earn a living? how will I pay the bills, how will I pass the time without going mad?!
Sometimes I feel like a deer in the headlights, dazed and confused... very different than I felt before (quick witted, bright and funny)

What I learned is that no matter how trapped or unhappy we are with our jobs or life.... it can be MUCH worse and it only takes a second.

Try hard to see the best in what you have around you, enjoy it to the fullest!