Search

[Nate Rainey]

I think most of our answers in this thread have been real bummers. It's kind of interesting, if you think about it. Maybe we should start a town and pool our resources.

[Nate Rainey]

^ That last sentence is the most Plan-it-X thing I have ever said, or will ever say.

[ramblinrabble]

Same thing I do with every life, Pinky.  Try to take over the world!

[Courtney]

Didn't Chris already try to start a punk utopia for every dumb young person to pour their savings into?

[Nate Rainey]

Yea, but that was lacking the key ingredient: me.

[skateandannoy]

Let's try again!

edit: I think that if more people had done the move to Cairo that would have worked out at least a little better. Weren't there only like six people that moved there to do the utopia thing?

[RankResistance]

On paper, I think I've got it together on point. In practice, eh, I'm existing.

I'm about to start my third year of teaching high school. I hate it and I am looking to leave the profession as soon as I can. I'll stop there because otherwise I'll write a page-long rant about how much I despise my career.

I just bought a house. I closed last Friday and am almost moved in completely.

I'm getting married in October to my partner of 10 years. She's my favorite person.

That's all I have. I'm the American Dream.

[momitsnowme]

Currently I am mostly being a mom. I'm also working part time, mostly from home, with a company that does consulting, mostly with nonprofits. I'm working slowly through a training to be a doula.

I'm less sure about career stuff than I used to be. I wanted to be a professor and still would love to, but it is so hard to make that happen as a career now without spending 5 years in Kansas or something, which I don't want to do. My last job, I got to do some higher ed administration stuff with teaching as a part of it, and I thought I would do that path, but I got kind of disillusioned with it.

Sad, because I really like the teaching itself...like, I would come out of class with this high feeling like it is what I'm meant to do.

But I like the consulting and think if I moved up in the company I could really like it...there are aspects of it that are like what I enjoyed about teaching. I think the doula stuff is a good combination of my interest in gender issues, politics, and teaching, too. If I follow that path, I am interested in getting into the childbirth education side of things, too..particularly one that focuses on mindfulness.

Maybe I will actually get around to editing and submitting my novel, too, haha.

But yeah, as cheesy as it sounds, in spite of being less sure of career stuff, I feel more "arrived" than I have before. I know some people might roll their eyes, but being a mom to my baby is exactly what I'm supposed to do. I have less imposter syndrome with it than I have ever had with anything and it makes me really happy.

[kw]

i fucking love the baby jonas, my little ducky is the cutest.

[jerkemy]

[Courtney]

Cairo was the dumbest fucking thing to try to get young, poor punk kids to do.

I thought of other non-work-related things I'm doing with my life. I've lost 35lbs, which is kind of a big deal. Trying to stave off the diabeetus that runs strong in my family. Getting more involved in the arts community in my city. I am not artistic at all, but I enjoy helping keep things going.

[Pwoink]

Uhh, sorry guys, I'm gonna want to reply to, like, everyone, and this is gonna be the longest post ever.

I am pretty passionate about fashion for fat girls, but working a corporate job is pretty annoying. I am currently "on track" to be promotable in 6 months, meaning I would be ready to take over and run my own store. The company is looking at opening at least two more locations in the portland area and I am being considered for managing one of them. I am torn about making that commitment because I'm really not interested in working for the company for more than 2 more years at most, but i would make great money and if i did it for that long, it would be much easier to save up for tattoo school, which is what I really want to do [...] my alternate dream is to open my OWN fat girl store that would sell plus size vintage alongside independent designers and after taking some classes to perfect my sewing and pattern making skills, i would launch my own fashion line.

Running a store for a couple of years actually sounds like a great experience to have before opening your own store! Corporate is annoying, but it seems like a safe way to gain experience and get the money you'll need for either one of your plans. Do they want more than a 2 year commitment for you to run the new store? I mean, who knows what'll happen to the company in 2 years, even!

I'm a behavior therapist with kids with autism and it's the one bright spot in my life right now.

How good that your job is making you happy! What's a day-in-the-life snapshot of being a behaviour therapist? What kind of credentials didja get for it?

Getting more involved in the arts community in my city. I am not artistic at all, but I enjoy helping keep things going.

I've been thinking about that; about how there's actually a lot of room in arts communities for people who aren't artists, but are patrons. I wonder sometimes about whether my self-identity as a vague creative-type is justified, but I'm coming around to the idea that identifying as someone who supports creative-types is just as important and valid. I'm much better at organizing and enabling, anyway. Helping keep things going is useful!

I'm going nowhere fast. I live in a small town where employment opportunities are nonexistent even though I'm qualified for most physical labor jobs and office jobs. If I'm gonna go anywhere in life I know I need to move away but there's terrible guilt tripping from my family about it and I don't know if I could take that.

Oh yea....how dare you rob them of watching you be unemployed and miserable, gradually inching toward crippling depression; eventually making a sculpture of Morrisey eating an egg out of earwax. How dare you.

I'm with Nate here -- your family are the ones that should be feeling guilty for keepin' you down instead of being supportive! Anyway, it's much harder to get guilt tripped when you are physically far away.

So in a week I'll be living in an awesome one-room house on the lake in my grandparents' backyard for free where I can work from home and pet my cat all day.

Your whole setup sounds uhmazing! Have you worked from home before? Do you think staying productive will be a challenge in such an idyllic environment?

I have been off the streets for a while. Im stayin at my moms house, livin in a gazebo. Its ok I get to have my dogs. I got a job workin long hours shit pay. Im really missin the streets. I see myself gettin momentum, but downhill.

What would you like to be different? It's hard once that momentum starts going, but before you can change direction you gotta figure what new direction it is that you want to head.

recently moved to toronto from the uk, settling in, working in a vegan bakery and trying to do a lot of my own craft stuff, hoping to visit a bunch of places i have never been to this side of the world. basically.

That's quite a life shakeup, Hannah! I didn't know you had moved recently. What spurred the move? Was it hard to basically shake the etch-a-sketch of your life and start a new one in a new place?

I had to leave my old job as it caused me too much anxiety. [...]
Now I'm pretty confused about what I'm doing. I have no faith in finding a job and I'm really depressed to be totally honest. I don't see myself as having any value and I just feel like a burden to those who care about me. I'm trying to write a documentary on the history of early animation that I have loads of research for, but I'm not sure how I'd make money from it.

Do you think your rubbish experience at your previous job has made you demotivated about finding another one? Sometimes when it's hard to focus and to figure out what to do next, having a job that you're expected to show up at helps at least get up each morning and have something to do. It's great that you're into working on this big creative documentary project despite your depression, though! I hope it gets into a positive reward cycle for you.

My last job, I got to do some higher ed administration stuff with teaching as a part of it, and I thought I would do that path, but I got kind of disillusioned with it.

Sad, because I really like the teaching itself...like, I would come out of class with this high feeling like it is what I'm meant to do.

But I like the consulting and think if I moved up in the company I could really like it[...]

But yeah, as cheesy as it sounds, in spite of being less sure of career stuff, I feel more "arrived" than I have before. I know some people might roll their eyes, but being a mom to my baby is exactly what I'm supposed to do. I have less imposter syndrome with it than I have ever had with anything and it makes me really happy.

What got you disillusioned with your last job? It had seemed like such a good fit based on the FB posts at the time! Also, what is consulting, anyway? I have a bunch of friends that do "consulting," and I... I just have no idea. Do people email you for advice on topics you know about and you answer? Do you go into offices and tell them to do stuff that you think would be good to do?

Man, impostor syndrome, though -- that's a pretty prevalent feeling to have. Maybe you don't have it now because it's our human evolution crying out through our subconscious against all this stuff we're doing instead of making babies, and now that you have one, it's calmed down? Though, I think I've read about parents feeling impostor syndrome, too; thinking that they're not having the right bonding feelings towards their child, or feeling like they have no idea what they're doing. I dunno, future doula, you tell me!

[kw]

I think most of our answers in this thread have been real bummers. It's kind of interesting, if you think about it. Maybe we should start a town and pool our resources.

i thought my answer was quite positive, mister rainey

[skuyler]

I've been living in the east bay for 4 years now (2.5 years Oakland, 1.5 years Hayward). I don't do NEARLY as much outdoor shit as I would like to do (and as much as I used to). But...
I have tenure teaching high school social studies in Hayward. Getting paid real job money.
I have an adorable dog who makes life better
I have had a great, nearly 4-year long relationship with a delightful person
I help run our high school's Outdoor Adventure Club and the Zombie Survival 101 Club.
I've gained ~20lbs since turning 18 (about when I joined the board, I turn 27 this year). Looking to lose 10 this summer.
I got hit by a car a few years back while riding my bike and have a permanently sorta fucked up shoulder. That sucks a lot.
I'm in a masters of education program that is kind of a waste of time, but it'll make me more dollars cuz...
I hope to buy a house, get married, and have kids in the soon.

[Courtney]

I'm a behavior therapist with kids with autism and it's the one bright spot in my life right now.

How good that your job is making you happy! What's a day-in-the-life snapshot of being a behaviour therapist? What kind of credentials didja get for it?

Getting more involved in the arts community in my city. I am not artistic at all, but I enjoy helping keep things going.

I've been thinking about that; about how there's actually a lot of room in arts communities for people who aren't artists, but are patrons. I wonder sometimes about whether my self-identity as a vague creative-type is justified, but I'm coming around to the idea that identifying as someone who supports creative-types is just as important and valid. I'm much better at organizing and enabling, anyway. Helping keep things going is useful!

For my (and most) companies, the therapy is in-home, so I spend a lot of time driving, haha. A typical session is about 2 hours long and the targets worked on depend on the kid. I have kids from ages 3 to 13 with various levels of functioning. Some kids are still working on being able to sign an approximation of "eat" when they're hungry, while others would appear typical if not for social skill deficits. We're very objective and data-driven, but sessions are still focused on having fun (what up positive reinforcement!). Right now I just have my BA in psychology, and I'm working on completing the coursework needed for certification as a behavior analyst (vs. therapist).

There is SO MUCH work that goes into getting a city's arts district happenin'! Plus hanging out and petitioning businesses to let you paint on their walls with the creative types that will be doing the work... some of it's gotta wear off on you!

[Courtney]

I hope to buy a house, get married, and have kids in the soon.

Can I be the flower girl? But instead of tossing rose petals it'll be little flasks of Wild Irish Rose?

[jer]

Cairo was the dumbest fucking thing to try to get young, poor punk kids to do.

I'm less concerned about the kids who were willing to go there than i am about, had it been successful, the end result would have been massive gentrification of a tiny, impoverished town of mostly POC, by young white punk kids. Chris's intentions were great, it just wasn't a good idea.

[momitsnowme]

Alex, you're the best.
Consulting,  for the group I work with, means a lot of stuff. Sometimes it means we plan and facilitate retreats for board members, sometimes it means we help create a curriculum on a certain topic (we are working on one on community engagement and advocacy! ) if an organization has a grant to do that, sometimes it means going through an organization's financials and making recommendations, and sometimes it means doing coaching on things like leadership on an individual level. I get to do a lot of meeting scheduling, note taking, power point making, and research. Sometimes I get to do things like make play lists for retreats or sit around and chat with people who worked with Cesar Chavez. I like it a lot.

And yeah, I think your theory about imposter syndrome makes sense. I also know it is really common for women and people of color, so the pessimist in me thinks it could be partly because I am doing the role I am "supposed to" according to those things. And I do feel it in some ways, more generally. Like, I feel it a little in my moms group or when I am talking to other people I know who have kids. I still have imposter syndrome as A parent, but I am completely confident as MY kid's parent, if that makes sense. Like, I am not an expert at being a parent as like...a THING, but I am an expert in my kid, haha.

[Pwoink]

Huh, that's a big grab-bag of stuff! How do companies find you guys, or even realize they need your guys' help with something? And what in the heck kind of organizations are they that have money for stuff like this, but still do community engagement and whatnot?

Ohh, that makes sense, that when it's just you and your kiddie everything feels right, but when you are interacting socially all the societal conception of being A Parent and Parenting start wooshing around your head like specters. Maybe people are comfortable and confident in their own skin, but the discomfort happens at the juxtaposition of their skin with the rest of the world.

[Seta]

my long-term life plan is: hang out with the baby Jonas

[momitsnowme]

my long-term life plan is: hang out with the baby Jonas

Ha! You need to meet him!

[dakotafloyd]

I lived in Greenville, SC for about nine months, but have since moved back to Atlanta.  I'm in a pretty intensive graduate program right now to get my Masters in Teaching, specifically Language Arts and Social Studies for middle grades.  I have a dog that is awesome.  I still play in The Wild and still have a solo thing with no recordings after all these years.

I live with two people that are weirdly obsessed with pro wrestling.  I can hear it in the background for approximately 15 hours a day.  Absurd.

[kw]

I live with two people that are weirdly obsessed with pro wrestling.  I can hear it in the background for approximately 15 hours a day.  Absurd.

WWE Network is the worst thing, cause if you are even mildly into wrestling ,it is a binge-inducing nightmare.

[tenderfoot_blues]

I live with two people that are weirdly obsessed with pro wrestling.  I can hear it in the background for approximately 15 hours a day.  Absurd.

WWE Network is the worst thing, cause if you are even mildly into wrestling ,it is a binge-inducing nightmare.

Being as I have shitty cable with few channels (and nothing good is ever on, of course), the Network is my go to. Just put on some old WCW pay-per-views and enjoy my day.

My life is sort of weird. Just moved to a new city where I don't know anybody but my girlfriend, am working a shitty part-time minimum wage job, can't find any good career opportunities. That said, I finished my master's degree, I love living with my partner, the music scene's pretty cool and hopefully I can get a band going, and the city's much more interesting than the last few places I've lived. I go back and forth between excited and bummed, but that's really nothing new. I blame this board crashing--it's playing with my emotions!

[pronetoaccidents]

well i'm a plumbers helper and that keeps me distracted 5 days a week from what i'm really doing with my life which is trying to learn how to forgive, forget, to love, to show compassion to those who didn't show it to me, to help my fellow man whenever i'm capable of doing so 

I'm also struggling constantly with myself to see if i'm "growing up" or if i'm been brain washed by society. I wanted nothing more than to be a traveling, vagabond seeing everything there is to see, meeting new people everyday, falling in love multiple times a day over and over again with everyone i meet, hoppin trains, the whole nine 9 yards and now nothing makes me happier than coming home right after work and laying down in bed and watching stupid tv with my lady until we fall asleep in each others arms sometime between 9 and 10 pm.

but i gotta admit it does feel nice to get money every friday. for the last few years everything was a struggle. when i was in jail i didn't have to worry about anything.. guaranteed 3 meals a day, clothes (2 orange jumpsuits, not the most fashionable but better than if i was in some siberian prison camp where you probably walked around naked in the snow digging holes then refilling then for your whole life), free phone calls, got to lay around all day playing cards and talking shits and smoking cigarettes rolled in bible paper.. and when i got out i had nothing and no one. no one to love and no one to love me. i walked around picking up cigarette butts on the floor and smoking them and spent every second scheming anyone to try to get a few bucks to cop a bag or two or million of dope and i can finally admit i like the "straight life".

next step is to get off methadone and finally record all the songs i've been writing and possibly publish one of the hundreds of stories i have lying around random parts of my room