IHYJ Readers Share With Each Other
I’m going a little bit out on a limb here, trusting you to comment to make this post somewhat interesting.
What’s your ideal work situation? Is it no job at all? A wad of money? Helping people? Creating something? Teaching others? Charity, activism, or missionary work? Tell us!
Get to know each other a little. Answer these 3 questions:
- Would you work at all?
- What would you do?
- What would you never have to do again?
Don’t forget to check back in the comments section to read replies and discuss further.
-Chuck
If you enjoy reading this blog, why not tip the author?
19 responses so far ↓
1 Peggy // Aug 2, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Okay….I’ll start this one off…
Would I work at all??? Well, I don’t really HAVE to work but stepping back into a classroom Monday. Now, if I did win the lottery…hmmm…might step out pretty quickly
What would I do?? Seriously, if I could have any job in the world right now…I think I want that job that the “Dirty Jobs” guy has. How fun is that!!!???
What would I never have to do again? I can’t really answer this in terms of a job… Hmmm…have to get back with you on that one…
2 Melissa // Aug 2, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Great idea!
Would you work at all?
Yes, I think so.
What would you do?
I would teach eager and diligent students to write well and speak articulately. I would help them to enjoy and appreciate literature, and I would simultaneously facilitate important moral and spiritual lessons, of course. I would love to work with students who might not usually have the benefit of this kind of education.
What would you never have to do again?
Commute an hour to and from work in traffic, deal with creepy or negative bosses and/or co-workers.
I think myself pretty blessed to have a job very near my ideal. I should keep this in mind when I’m grumbling about paperwork, traffic, or the temperature of my classroom.
3 Rebecca Thorman // Aug 2, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Would you work at all?
Yes. But the television would be flipped on and the channel turned to Top Chef more often.
What would you do?
I would write to make a difference. I would be a speaker. I would be a leader. I would ROCK. THE. WORLD.
What would you never have to do again?
8am meetings. I’m a morning person, but in comfortable clothes, not heels.
And you forgot a question.. if you’re not currently doing what you want, why not?
4 Peggy // Aug 2, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Rebecca…. Excellent last question!!!
5 Elmer Thomas // Aug 2, 2007 at 2:02 pm
# Would you work at all?
Yes. When I work, it not really “work” to me. I genuinely enjoy what I do, so others would likely classify me as a work-a-holic.
# What would you do?
Generally, my main goal in life to create a positive impact on the greatest amount people that lasts for the longest period of time. In particular, that means helping bridge the digital divide using computer/Internet based technology.
# What would you never have to do again?
Menial tasks that do not contribute to my overall main goal.
6 Anita Bruzzese // Aug 2, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Would you work at all? Yes. I can’t imagine just sitting around and not contributing something to this world. That’s why I love being a journalist. Truth, justice…that’s not just for Superman, kiddo. I get immense satisfaction from my job and have done some truly cool things as a journalist. Where else could I have gone on a drug bust, met five presidents, gone to a Presidential ball, caught an armed robber and had Peter Jennings buy me a drink?
What would you do? I’m living the dream I’ve had since I was 17. I just wish I got paid better. Someone catching an armed robber should not be paid such measly sums, but journalists are notoriously underpaid and typically treated like pond scum.
What would you never have to do again? I like everything I do. The only thing I don’t like is grocery shopping, having shoes that never fit both feet (my feet are a size and a half different) and the three times I have lost my hard drive. Everything else is good.
7 Bush Mackel // Aug 2, 2007 at 3:39 pm
# Would you work at all?
I guess it’s what you mean by “work”. I’d definitely keep myself busy by working on my own projects, starting new hobbies and developing my talents. But I most likely would never put myself in a position where I had to be somewhere for 8 hours a day, and where I worked under a boss.
# What would you do?
Most of my interests involve creation, so I’d probably continue to create sites, applications, and I’d probably up my home improvement game. If I was still relatively young, I think I’d go crazy on sports and see if I really applied myself if I could go anywhere with it.
# What would you never have to do again?
Show up when I didn’t need to. Stomach people I shouldn’t have to.
8 Jason Alba // Aug 2, 2007 at 4:03 pm
1. Would I work at all? I would absolutely be engaged in some kind of work. What is the alternative, playing golf and watching movies? There’s too much good to do in the world, and I think the leisure life would get boring after a while without being engaged in something important.
2. What would I do? I would LOVE to change something significant, in a big way, but be sure to affect individuals. In other words, I don’t want to join (or give money to) huge stuff and have most of it go to overhead. I want to make sure that the results get to “the end of the row.” Right now I feel like I’m participating in this kind of cause where I’m empowering the workforce (that’s big, right?) with new tools to manage their career, but I know this affects individuals to the core, because I’ve received e-mails and notes stating such.
I think I’d like to help create hope and inspiration in Mexico by being an angel investor there. How does that sound?
3. What would I never have to do again? Easy - never worry about money, paying bills, future finances, etc. I know it’s my prob and fault now for worrying, but I’m talking about never having to ever think about it again. How would that be? We never think/worry about oxygen (unless we are suffocating), why do we think/worry about money?
9 Ryan Paugh // Aug 2, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Would I work if I didn’t have to??? Hell yeah!!!
Right now my goal is to establish a business that makes a difference, inspire other people to do the same and leave my mark at a young age.
Why do I want to be make it big so young??? So when I’m older I can reinvent myself and do it again. I have a bunch of passions that I’d love to refine. I only hope there’s enough time to do it all!!!
What would I never have to do again??? Damn, I could go on for awhile…here’s a few:
1) Sit in a cubicle
2)Wear khakis and polo (I’m a t-shirt and jeans guy)
3)Use the word “leverage”
10 icedragon // Aug 2, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Would you work at all?
Yes, definitely
What would you do?
Our own projects, like to sponsor a bunch of local kids and teach them to be better persons with nutrition and study; also love to help everyone that wants, to stop dreaming and reach their goals
What would you never have to do again?
Work for someone
40 hours a week (normal)
Overtime
Learning stuff that we don’t like, only for the sake of building a curriculum
Being so lazy
Prioritize my financial freedom
And the forgotten question from @Rebeca, if you’re not currently doing what you want, why not?
Money (Paying debts)
Improductivity (still learning)
until next post, icedragon . . .
11 Jason // Aug 3, 2007 at 9:01 am
Would you work at all?
Absolutely. Relaxation is nice, but boredom and complacency kill me.
What would you do?
Something innovative and exciting. Be able to make projects my own; to see something through to the end and have some latitude about how to do it. Get to be creative, try new things. Really, I guess I’d want what I do to MATTER.
Just doing the same thing over and over again with nothing to show for it but a pay-cheque is my idea of hell. To enjoy work, I have to be part of what I’m doing. It has to have meaning. I want to see results. I want to find out we got the 2% response rate on the mail out. I want to shake my client’s hand as they tell me what wonders I’ve done for them. I want to see that what I did meant something to somebody.
The day-to-day drudgery of small-time jobs are how I’ll pay my dues. Not how I’ll spend my life.
What would you never have to do again?
Work from the same old structure. Wait around. Have nothing to do. I lose so much time on things that don’t matter in the end. I’ve had so many projects (not just in my current job either) that I and/or my team poured a lot of time into that just died somewhere in transit after we handed it off.
12 Maureen Rogers // Aug 3, 2007 at 10:21 am
Paid or not, I can’t imagine not working at something . I would absolutely get bored sitting around the house all day reading novels (which I’ve sometimes fantasized about).
What I would do is a combination of creative work (writing - essays and short stories, even if they never saw the light of published day) and volunteering (currently, most of my volunteer work is around active board membership - which entails fundraising efforts and other tasks - for a social service organization and an arts non-profit. I was until recently doing volunteer work, running a creative writing workshop for homeless folks, which I plan on getting back to at some point). Right now, my combination covers the above, with the addition of freelance technology marketing gigs. I don’t know if I’d dump the freelance paid work entirely, as I love doing it, but I would definitely adjust the balance so there was more creative writing and volunteer time, and less paid work.
What would I never do again? I probably wouldn’t pour so much emotional and psychic energy into some of the losing-proposition companies that I worked for. I would dp a better job of not getting so swept in.
13 Eric B // Aug 3, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Would I work?
Yes, but only part time.
What would I do?
I would like to run my own ice cream parlor. One where I would make my own exotic ice creams like Choc-work Orange, a sherbert / Oreo hybrid, cayenne pepper, etc. All this while in a location at high altitudes like Asheville, NC or Estes Park, CO.
What would I never have to do again?
I would not be managed by anyone other than my wife as well as never have to get up early, unless coffee ice cream in the morning becomes a new fad. Then I would want to profit so I would get up early, but not to early.
14 Mark M // Aug 4, 2007 at 1:48 am
Would you work at all?
If I could, I would never ever work for another person again.
What would you do?
I’d love to be a stay-at-home Dad.
What would you never have to do again?
Interrupt my workflow to attend unproductive meetings.
@Rebecca If you’re not currently doing what you want, why not?
Can’t possibly afford to.
15 Ryan // Aug 5, 2007 at 8:38 am
Would you work at all?
YES!
What would you do?
I would make movies, write more stories, produce music and perform on the weekends.
What would you never have to do again?
Kiss ass, tell people im happy when im not, lying, upholding something called a corporate culture. Letting other social retards say idiotic and disrespectful things b/c its the “norm” and you dont want to look like someone who “rocks the boat”
Screw that, I cant wait to rock every boat in ocean!
16 Liz // Aug 6, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Would I work at all?
Well, for the next 18 years I have a never ending job (raising my 2 awesome kids!!)!!! But once they start going to school and such, I might want to rejoin the outside-your-home work force again, just for fun and to keep me from being bored at home while the kids are away!
What would I do?
Well, I would like put to use my Theatre degree and either teach little kids to dance (or ice skate, since it was my passion for 12 years) or to stage manage shows (I would love to do it on Broadway, but I don’t think I can convince my family to move to NYC-bummer).
What would I never do again?
Change dirty diapers
By the way: I do love being a stay-at-home Mom, its the greatest and most rewarding job there is and everyday I thank God and my awesome husband for letting me do this.
17 allena // Aug 9, 2007 at 7:17 pm
Would I work: YES- on my NOVEL
What would I do: Write and start up a non-profit. I’d also foster children.
Never again: Get out of bed before I’m rested.
18 allena // Aug 9, 2007 at 7:18 pm
oh and at rebecca- I am working everyday on my perfect life.
I write, I work at home, and all my “somedays” will happen. Platitudes aren’t wasted on me. I refuse to die with regrets.
19 Alan // Aug 12, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Wow
I’ll be honest I never thought so many of us would answer affirmatively to the first question. ” would you work if you didn’t have to?” I mean the name of the blog is I hate my job right?? so how come somany of us are drawn to a blog called I hate my job but then when asked if we would work if we didn’t have to there is a resounding yes. Fasinating.
I’ll be honest I worked in international campus ministry for nearlly 4 years before entering the work place, and if I could go back I would. If I had all the money in the world, and could support my family and live in other cultures and contribute to peoples lives in a way that makes an eternal impact I would, but for now I feel like I’m woring hard to be successful, so that one day I can do something that has more significance.. I mean that is the trade off right, Success vs. Significance, if anyone can figure out how to do both at the same time please let me know.
I know this was a response to most of the other responses rather than the original question, but I was so inspired.
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