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Thursday, March 26, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
What Do We Do Now...
This afternoon I was taken to a lunch with a friend - being hosted by another friend of hers as a meeting and greeting and networking sort of gathering. I knew not one person there other than my good friend who had invited me along. Over the course of about 10 courses of amazingly tasty Korean food (at a ridiculously low per-person price I might add), and several hours, I was charmed by each and every one of these people. I forget, in my insular little world, sometimes that people like this exist.
In my adopted city, all too often I find that people here are very singularly minded. One thing. "The Industry" and that's all. Their lives revolve around the industry, they work in the industry and they socialize in the industry. And through this friend who is, by all accounts, part of that industry and without which I never would have met her - I have now met a group of friends who have more going on in their worlds and heads than most of my colleagues.
At one point the conversation turned to the current state of the world - economic, social, military and other current situations and influences - and as I was explaining that my current work situation is not only less than positive and all less than paying what I need to survive on a weekly basis, it came across to me that in this mess - there are like-minded people who have like myself become energized by the feeling of not that "we, as a global community, can make things better" but rather that "we, as a global community, MUST make things better." I personally have been galvanized into working harder on my personal projects than my paid working ones in the hopes that I can turn my passions into a lucrative business.
It got me to thinking about my father and his generation. When my father grew up there were two paths to take. That was it. You were in one of two groups - you went to college or you didn't go to college. Once you made this choice, those who went to college, picked a major, graduated, got a job, got married and lived on til you retired OR you didn't go to college but then got a job in the service industry of some sort and followed pretty much the same path, with a somewhat lower pay rate, but essentially your life path was picked out for you. My father's worst day I think was when the day that I dropped out of college because it wasn't the right place for me. He has never understood that.
Now, however, you can choose. College doesn't guarantee you anything. Conversely, it doesn't prevent you from anything either. I have a close friend who though he has never attended college has become a designing engineer for a defense contractor through a 20 year career of hard work and self-motivation. He is 38. His house will be paid off before he's 50. I have also heard stories of corporate CEO's who refused to grow with the company and technology, got laid off and are currently delivering pizzas.
Things are all over the place. Money is tight. The economy blows chunks. There is no such thing as security or retirement any longer. But - we have a president who is human enough - and I do mean by that fallible - to make an off-handed joke about the Special Olympics on national television. (You know what, President Obama - just about everyone I know makes the occasional retard joke. No, it's not politically correct, but it's okay. We'll forgive you.) It's this bit of humanity gives me hope that he really gets what we're all going through - in a way that all the recently deposed rich old white guys never could.
I suppose what I'm getting at, is that for the time being nothing is certain. We all have no idea what's going to happen next. But we have to do something. Not to be all platitude spewing and annoying, but this is my advice... who cares what careers make more money. Right now, none of them do. And there is no such thing any longer as job security (except maybe for cops, cause let's face it, some people just like to break the rules). So screw it - just figure out what makes you happy and find a way to make a career doing it. If everyone did what made them happy, then what we would end up with is a well-adjusted, diverse and talented, happy bunch of people - and perhaps less rich old white guys just out to steal all the money.
In my adopted city, all too often I find that people here are very singularly minded. One thing. "The Industry" and that's all. Their lives revolve around the industry, they work in the industry and they socialize in the industry. And through this friend who is, by all accounts, part of that industry and without which I never would have met her - I have now met a group of friends who have more going on in their worlds and heads than most of my colleagues.
At one point the conversation turned to the current state of the world - economic, social, military and other current situations and influences - and as I was explaining that my current work situation is not only less than positive and all less than paying what I need to survive on a weekly basis, it came across to me that in this mess - there are like-minded people who have like myself become energized by the feeling of not that "we, as a global community, can make things better" but rather that "we, as a global community, MUST make things better." I personally have been galvanized into working harder on my personal projects than my paid working ones in the hopes that I can turn my passions into a lucrative business.
It got me to thinking about my father and his generation. When my father grew up there were two paths to take. That was it. You were in one of two groups - you went to college or you didn't go to college. Once you made this choice, those who went to college, picked a major, graduated, got a job, got married and lived on til you retired OR you didn't go to college but then got a job in the service industry of some sort and followed pretty much the same path, with a somewhat lower pay rate, but essentially your life path was picked out for you. My father's worst day I think was when the day that I dropped out of college because it wasn't the right place for me. He has never understood that.
Now, however, you can choose. College doesn't guarantee you anything. Conversely, it doesn't prevent you from anything either. I have a close friend who though he has never attended college has become a designing engineer for a defense contractor through a 20 year career of hard work and self-motivation. He is 38. His house will be paid off before he's 50. I have also heard stories of corporate CEO's who refused to grow with the company and technology, got laid off and are currently delivering pizzas.
Things are all over the place. Money is tight. The economy blows chunks. There is no such thing as security or retirement any longer. But - we have a president who is human enough - and I do mean by that fallible - to make an off-handed joke about the Special Olympics on national television. (You know what, President Obama - just about everyone I know makes the occasional retard joke. No, it's not politically correct, but it's okay. We'll forgive you.) It's this bit of humanity gives me hope that he really gets what we're all going through - in a way that all the recently deposed rich old white guys never could.
I suppose what I'm getting at, is that for the time being nothing is certain. We all have no idea what's going to happen next. But we have to do something. Not to be all platitude spewing and annoying, but this is my advice... who cares what careers make more money. Right now, none of them do. And there is no such thing any longer as job security (except maybe for cops, cause let's face it, some people just like to break the rules). So screw it - just figure out what makes you happy and find a way to make a career doing it. If everyone did what made them happy, then what we would end up with is a well-adjusted, diverse and talented, happy bunch of people - and perhaps less rich old white guys just out to steal all the money.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
St Patricks Day
In the immortal words of some drunk ass somewhere in the middle of the US - Erin Go Braugh! What does that mean? Something about Erin's bra, I'm sure. Dumbass - it's Éirinn go brách. Whatever. It's St Patrick's Day. The day when everyone is a little Irish and for some reason everything turns green. And has puke on it.
Celebrating a Saint used to be a solemn occasion, when people would go to church, have a prayer or two, and say thank you to whichever saint they were celebrating for whatever it was he or she did. St Patrick's is different. Perhaps its because the Irish are pissed that one of the Patron Saints of Ireland isn't actually Irish. He was Welsh. Oh yeah, and the part about how he was kidnapped and forced into slavery by the Irish. Gotta love us, don't ya?
Somehow through some strange twist of fate (and let's say it folks - it had NOTHING TO DO WITH SNAKES!!!!) he became a patron saint of this tiny little island.
But for some reason, and perhaps its just the genetic makeup of the Irish people (of which I count myself proudly) instead of having a solemn thankful day, we make sure to ruin the day with massive amounts of drink, puke and bar fights. GO IRISH!
And oh yeah, I'm staying home.
Celebrating a Saint used to be a solemn occasion, when people would go to church, have a prayer or two, and say thank you to whichever saint they were celebrating for whatever it was he or she did. St Patrick's is different. Perhaps its because the Irish are pissed that one of the Patron Saints of Ireland isn't actually Irish. He was Welsh. Oh yeah, and the part about how he was kidnapped and forced into slavery by the Irish. Gotta love us, don't ya?
Somehow through some strange twist of fate (and let's say it folks - it had NOTHING TO DO WITH SNAKES!!!!) he became a patron saint of this tiny little island.
But for some reason, and perhaps its just the genetic makeup of the Irish people (of which I count myself proudly) instead of having a solemn thankful day, we make sure to ruin the day with massive amounts of drink, puke and bar fights. GO IRISH!
And oh yeah, I'm staying home.
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