Jobs? It’s not the job. It’s what you make of it. Afterward. How you process the work-life. How you find the amusement, worth, distaste, hidden value, or transferable skills; that’s what it’s about beyond putting in your time and taking home your pay.
Some of the jobs I’ve had do not appear on any resume of mine or CV. But I learned loads from all of them. This proves a rule that some of the essential lessons from a work-life never get credited to your work history.
I’ve been a folksinger, a Fraternal Brother of the Road( road bum), and been in the Navy. Afterward, I worked in operating rooms as a surgical technician.
After leaving grad school, I worked as an applied anthropologist for about fifteen and a half years. After that, I worked at UPS and ran a small business as a marine woodcarver.
There is nothing I’ve done, and what I’ve listed is only a fragment of what I’ve done that I disparage or am ashamed of. I can talk to a Teamster as a brother, speak intelligently about surgical technique with a surgeon, and turn on a dime into a social scientist.
I’ve found that sometimes it takes a deep dive to find something to take away from a job, but pearls are not easy to find for a reason.
Being a writer helps. You are always looking for something to write about, and yourself is an excellent place to start digging for material.
Can you make decent money doing woodcarving? My daughter is super into it and is a talented artist.
Mike, it depends. I did well with boat shows as a marine carver. It was a niche area for eagles, quarter boards, transom banners and later boat portraits. But I made my booth fees by selling treen (kitchen woodenware), and getting the commissions over the weeks following the shows. While doing this over the years, I saw robo carving (CNC) just about gut quarter boards.
Adaptability is important. You can’t just do one thing.
I must have trained hundreds of students, but only one or two went pro. You need the skills, market, and equipment.
For a beginner, I’d remind them that self-employment does not pay bennies or 401ks. This was why I kept a job at UPS, where I got all of those. I was a part-timer, first as an hourly and then as a supervisor. Never worked weekends, and that was why I could do all the shows.