So where were you?

Oldmanb777

Oldmanb777

Line Up and Wait
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Oldmanb777
When you got THE call. "you have been a successful candidate for your dream job, Your class date is.........."
I remember it well. The memory still brings goose bumps. Who did you call first? I called my older brother. He got my seniority number at another carrier.
 
The call was, "congratulations, you just won the lottery and your going to be a rock star". Or that's the way it felt. Before the "by the way, here is your furlough notice". That's the way it actually was. Our class was furloughed before we got completely trained. But it still was a pretty spectacular moment. After that, no one would hire you. After all you were going back as soon as you were recalled. I quickly had to return to other jobs I had done in the past in other industries. But again., nobody would hire you since you might leave when recalled. I did lots of other odd jobs, mostly freelance stuff, and started a few side line businesses. They kept us going through all the furloughs and bankruptcies. But that's another thread.
 
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tawood said:
Same. "Dream Job" sounds like an oxymoron.
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When I was younger I really wanted to be an architect. That sector went sideways but ended up doing what I thought I wanted to do, even though not an architect but was still in the sector. I burned out in about 3 years.
 
I don't have a "where was I" moment around any job. I remember where I was when I heard someone flew an airplane into WTC, and a couple of others that were bad moments. I do remember my first solo, when the plane cleared the trees at the end of the runway.

I like what I do for a living, and I work with great people, but it's not the culmination of any life long dream.

I think it's great that you have a dream though, it's cool. Friend of mine that used to fly charter had the same outlook. He loved every day of it, said he'd do it for free, other than needing the income.
 
EdFred said:
When I was younger I really wanted to be an architect. That sector went sideways but ended up doing what I thought I wanted to do, even though not an architect but was still in the sector. I burned out in about 3 years.
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Like George? :D

 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I chose the worst possible career for myself. The money is good but I am miserable. I should have listened.
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Oh calm down most careers are miserable. I think I should have done software so at least I'd be miserable and paid better instead of miserable and paid mediocrity.

I just got into consulting with is far better, but I wouldn't call it a "dream job".
 
GeorgeC said:
"Things I'm good at", "things I enjoy doing", "things I'm responsible for", and "things that make money" are four different sets.
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And the circles probably don't all have a common intersection.
 
I told my kids to find a reasonable intersection of things you have talents for, things you somewhat like, and things that create economic value - someone will pay you/ you’ll be able to make money.

Don’t limit your options -jobs will change.
 
'Dream job' invokes images of some kid drawing rainbows and butterflies during recess. :p I wanted to fly airplanes since I was in grade school, but I would have been just fine doing software development or whatever tech-y thing my Dad and guidance counselor thought I should do with my life.

I have no clue where I was when offered the job, or more importantly when it comes to airline jobs - the interview. Probably just sat down with my budget to figure out how to feed my family on 50% of what I was used to being paid!
 
I have been a guitarist in a rock band, full time fireman, paramedic, adhesives salesman, technical rep, landlord, and animal rescue person. All have their merits. Sometimes you find the most satisfaction from the task that has the least monetary reward.
 
I work with people who post on FB about how much they love their job and how it’s always been their dream. That’s great and all but it’s just to try and make their friends feel envious. They’re the same ones that in the middle of the night whine about doing their jobs and in some cases, will do anything to get out of work. Passion for a job always dies and it becomes monotonous.

Nothing wrong with aiming for that dream job but at some point one should work to live and not live to work.
 
No dream job call, but was always pretty stoked when HR called up to make the offer. Haven't job-hopped much, but the few times I did interview for various jobs that call was always nice to get.
 
I’m one of the lucky ones, been there, done that. I decided when I was NINE I wanted to fly jets on carriers. From that moment forward, EVERYTHING I did was in furtherance of that. And while a SIGNIFICANT amount of luck was involved, perseverance prevailed and it worked out.

So there wasn’t “a phone call”, but rather a YEARS long process jumping through window after window. Most rapidly closing at the moment of jumping. I can say, you gotta dedicate yourself to it and NEVER give up.

That era of my life came to a logical conclusion when I was 34 and I don’t regret ANY of it. Being able to say I’ve done what I dreamed of is a gift. Not everyone gets that. It helps make all the crappy parts of life tolerable.

So I don’t know the meaning of life. But I can say this sort of thing DOES exist. If it hasn’t for you, maybe it still can?!! Maybe it has, and you simply didn’t realize it at the time, I dunno... Just realize it’s possible, I can prove it. If I did have to make a guess, I would say my belief is that it’s simply a personal thing, that you and you alone have to create for yourself. It’s NOT easy, the manual of life ain’t easy to decipher, but it’s there for each of us should we REALLY want it.

Tools
 
At this point my dream job is working 1-2 days per week at $0.00/hr at a golf course as a ranger driving around telling people to pick up the pace so I can golf there for free. Unfortunately I can't eat or sleep on 1 - 2 days a week work at $0.00/hr.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Hey!
I'm trying to have a midlife crisis. Don't take that away from me.
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Got to look at the opportunity in this. Mid Life Crisis = ability to do something and blame it on mid life crisis (within reason, and within the boundaries of having your significant other not shoot you).

"Honey, you know I've always wanted a 78 Trans Am with the Chicken Decal on the hood, so don't be surprised when you come home......."
 
My passion wasn't flying, it was race cars. I did just about every job in racing from sweeping floors to driving. After several years I realized I wasn't good enough to get my face on a box of Wheaties so I started flying instead.
 
I got 2/3rd of the way to my dream job, and I'm still attaining both vocational and cathartic satisfaction from my job at age 40. I count myself lucky. With a family now, the 2/3rd dream is actually more accommodating of my household's circumstances/medical/schedules than the full monte would be (especially with CAF deployments as the opportunity cost), so here's a toast to better lucky than good!

I recognize I got (medically) super lucky. This job is fickle to get to, a little easier to hold on to with waivers but still no cakewalk. But I positively (though privately at the time) hated the outlook of the other two vocations I had in front of me when I got the nod for the .mil job. It wasn't a perfect transition (took me 12 years since high school graduation, and 7 from entrance into the military) but I'm not one to look at a gift horse in the mouth anymore.

It's not mutually exclusive. I do believe in dream jobs in my own life, and I am a work-to-live type. So much so I put my wife through nursing school just so I can afford to semi-retire at 50 instead of having to do something else for full time money I wasn't passionate about, after the .mil ...talk about entitled LOL /TC

I second @Tools anecdote/experience on this one. To each their own.

P.S. Now all y'all don't go snitching to my wife about my retirement plan ya hear? Bros before...you know. :D
 
Groundpounder said:
I love my job, and enjoy going to work, but I am planning on retiring as early as I can. There is a big difference between flying for fun and flying for work.
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Right there with you man - I'm trying to get myself in a financial position to punch out at 55. If it stops being fun, it'd be cool to be able to simply walk away.
 
hindsight2020 said:
So much so I put my wife through nursing school just so I can afford to semi-retire at 50 instead of having to do something else for full time money I wasn't passionate about, after the .mil ...talk about entitled LOL
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Doesn't sound entitled to me - you had a plan and you worked the plan! Stupid question - is there a point where you'll be forced out of doing what you're doing? Can you ride it until 50, or even later if needed?
 
I wanted to be an engineer from the time I was a kid flying model rockets and building electronic gadgets for my guitar. When I graduated college, I didn't get "THE CALL." Instead I had several calls and letters. Ended up with Martin Marietta (today's Lockheed Martin) as the high bidder and the most interesting gig.

A dream job? Well, in some ways. Any job will have its frustrations and some level of crap. But over the years I was able to work on lots of cool technologies including night vision avionics, targeting systems, quantum computers, human exoskeletons, tactical missiles, cruise missiles, etc. Along the way I earned patents and awards. I got to do design work as well as management work up to the level of chief engineer, and I was managing our chief engineer department when I retired.

So there was lots of fun, but in the last few years the bureaucratic garbage increased immensely and some stupid organizational decisions were made. Eventually I reached the point where my retirement income would be at least as much as my working income and I just couldn't see doing the job for free, especially once the BS factor began to outweigh the fun factor.

I retired a few months back, but I still love engineering. So much so that I'm now doing pro bono engineering work through Engineering Ministries International.

And I've been able to pursue many other dreams as well. I've been a racing driver, a scuba diver, a rock & roll guitarist, a motorcyclist, a pilot, and more. Not to mention husband and dad. In fact, somewhere along the way I've fulfilled virtually every one of my boyhood dreams (except for that recurring one about this cute brunette I knew in high school, darn it). My professional career provided me the time and money to do all those other things.

So now I'm onto my next dream job, aka retirement. So far I'm loving it, and the future's so bright I gotta wear shades.....
 
Hmm, dream job. All my life, I wanted to play with cars.

Mechanic for a living? Long hours, super greasy every day, surrounded by cigarette smoke and coworkers who were varying levels of insane, pay wasn't very good, hours were long. I remember that job offer, guy who became my coworker saw me driving my '82 Jag and tried to snag me as a customer. The car ended up being my resume, got hired on the spot. I remember that one.

Wanted to go to Detroit and work on cars. Then some tractor engine company that threw their engines in the sky called up and asked if I wanted to work on their cars. I like money so I went to PA and started in aviation. Bonus: Didn't have to move to Detroit. I remember that phone call, and where I was. Some great friends from there, some really poor management and other working conditions.

That one ended after a while, and there was no phone call but I started flying 135. I remember how that started. Lot of fun, really poor pay. Nothing too dreamy about it.

Still wanted to work on cars, but aviation was my career by then so applied to some company with a meatball for a logo to go work on turbine engines. I remember where I was when I got that eMail (no phone call). Working conditions weren't great due to management and some very poor choices for management. Added negative: I had to move to Ohio.

Hated living in Ohio, working conditions and management were wearing. And I got the phone call to move to Kansas and work on in a new aspect of aviation no longer involving engines. I remember where I was when I got that phone call that I would be receiving the offer. Working conditions are overall very positive, but I no longer play with engines.

Dream job? That's when I go out to my shop and play around with my vehicles in there. My dream job is when I'm doing what I do when I make posts to my YouTube channel. But that doesn't pay the bills, and I've been very fortunate to get to do some really cool things in my professional career that has paid the bills. If I made the shop a real job, it would suddenly stop being a dream. I did that when I was a Jaguar mechanic. Jobs have work, you're paid to deal with things that are unpleasant. Part of how all jobs go. Make the best of it.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Oh calm down most careers are miserable. I think I should have done software so at least I'd be miserable and paid better instead of miserable and paid mediocrity.
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I feel sorry for most of y'all. I wanted to do what I do/did ever since I found out it was a thing, which was (IIRC) 7th grade. Much like @Tools I did everything I could to make it happen, and I thoroughly enjoyed my career. Of course there were times when things were less interesting, but being ready for any interesting opportunities or roles that positioned me for interesting opportunities always paid off. Where I was when I got the call depends on which call you want to hear about, but it's usually planning or doing what I do/did before that particular call.

I also really enjoy having people who've never done my job (and might not know what I do) tell me how it is or should be done. ;)

Nauga,
who was happy to toil in obscurity
 
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