| Author | Message | ||
     Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 1966 Registered: 09-2006 |
...becomin' like a ghost town...looks like everybody's going through a burnout period at the same time. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 969 Registered: 10-2008 |
burnout? its minus 17 here in the frozen north!! | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 1535 Registered: 08-2006 |
I'm here! But it's year-end in the exciting field of advertising, clients are trying to trash their '10 budgets by December 31, and my free time consists of meals (at my desk) and bed. That said, I'm finishing come brochure copy, and have some Monk playing in the background. Quite nice writing music. | ||
| Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 1967 Registered: 09-2006 |
It's true, I shouldn't be so quick to generalize...  | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 1536 Registered: 08-2006 |
"Im finishing come brochure copy"? Jeez, I'd better give that doc I working on a good proofing this morning. And you're not wrong, AB. I am all kinds of burned out, even musically. I'm hoping for some year-end lists to get me purchasing again. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3732 Registered: 05-2005 |
Jeez Rob, just what kind of work are you in these days? I guess in this economy you can't be too choosy. | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 1537 Registered: 08-2006 |
I don't suppose I've ever mentioned it, but ad and marketing writing has been the vast (like, 95%) share of my work for 22 years. The journalism was always a sideline - I just don't make enough money doing it. About six months ago, I started doing an on-site project for a graphic design firm downtown and it quickly turned into full-time (and more), even though I'm technically freelance. It's a great gig, with great people, and I enjoy working in an office more than I'd have imagined. But it's true - I wind up writing lots of stuff that's not exactly glamorous. But it keep the lights on. And it's nice to be around people all day instead of hunkered down in my home office. Your question got me thinking, though: Aside from Padraig, I don't really know what the people around these parts do for a living. Chime in if you feel like it. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2528 Registered: 03-2005 |
Well, Rob, we all have to do something to--as you say--keep the lights on. I give legal advice in-house to an insurance company. Many years ago I remember disclosing my occupation to a nice old lady at a neighborhood watch meeting. Her reply: "how horrible!" Worse yet, I remember disclosing my occupation to Michael Steele of the Bangles when she used to live across the street from me. Her reply: "wow, you're in the trenches." | ||
| Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 1968 Registered: 09-2006 |
I think it's always great when one finds an occupation that they actually enjoy (or at the very, very least can tolerate), being that there's so many people who never do. For me it turned out to be caregiving, which I sort of fell into but discovered a deep affinity for and did for many years. Though a patch of burnout has kept me away from the particular kind of care I was doing (work with the retired, and with people with developmental disabilities) I may go back. Path of service work (for want of a better term) is still very much where it's at for me. For the last three years I was living and working at a meditation retreat center, and just recently have returned to (relative) civilization to get married. At the moment my wife and I are kicking around ideas for a business or two of our own. Again, I do feel lucky to have been able to continue doing what I love for so long. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 2111 Registered: 10-2004 |
I thought this thread was going to be about the June Brides. | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 606 Registered: 04-2005 |
Rob, In terms of job I'm in computing, but not exactly in the glamorous forefront of technology. I work in a manufacturing site (parquet flooring) in SW France and whilst the computing side has improved in the last couple of years our sales have slumped drastically because of Chinese imports. Our work force has been halved. The story goes that the Chinese are even sourcing wood in Europe, transporting the raw material to China to transform it into parquet and then exporting the finished product back to Europe. Where it is sold in the shops for less than our manufacturing cost (!). The world is crazy. Before that I was in the hotel and catering industry, with the majority being in various arts venues in Edinburgh, Scotland in the 1980s. Some ridiculously long days, but wonderful experiences, including meeting some interesting characters from Martin Scorsese to Derek Jarman, from Madness to Stéphane Grappelli, from Tilda Swinton to Sheila from Brookside (sorry a UK TV reference that might not mean much to our overseas readers). Guess the fact that I spend all day in front of a screen means that I really don't fancy spending much time on-line at home and thus don't post that often here. I'm one of those people who have never really known what they want to do with their lives and have just 'fallen' into career paths. Which have worked out pretty good so far ! |