"The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one," he said.
"The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one," ...But still, THEY COME!
I concur. I'll also be more sympathetic to the pharmaceutical industry when they stop leaning on doctors to prescribe one medication over another via bribes or other chicanery, typically a more expensive one. I have actually switched MD's over this in the past.
I'll be more sympathetic to the Rx industry when they cease covering up their mistakes and take responsibility for the lives they have potentially ruined. Case in point: There is some preliminary indication that Avandiamet, a medication I am on, has been found to cause heart problems in some patients. Curiously, when I've been getting stressed out lately, my chest starts hurting. Funny, that. There are other cases out there, but little talk of reparation or even apology from the Rx companies unless someone starts priming the Giant Lawyer Faucet in the Sky.
Admittedly, I will also be a little more sympathetic when my accursed employer realizes that you can't raise workers' prescription costs by 50-125% without giving them a salary increase to compensate.
Well, you can, but you wind up with either very sick workers, or very broke workers.
I'm 32. I currently work in enterprise support, and have been in various IT and support functions almost since high school.
I make a point of not bringing my work home with me -- If I do, it just winds up stressing my wife, my roommate, and myself out just that much more, and it isn't worth it.
Shit-tons of work for about 2/3 the pay is getting to be typical for this industry from what I've seen, unless you're either a tiny technological deity or possessed of the gift of gab to a degree that you could convince a rabbi to have a ham sandwich during Passover.
I've bounced around enough IT/tech support jobs and done some consulting on the side, and I know that this is no longer the field I want to be in. There's too much instability, with companies buying and selling each other like children swapping baseball cards. Long hours, at least at some firms, are the norm rather than the exception, and if you insist on having a home life there are always those who think that you're not a team player. There are too many managers who don't comprehend word one of the explanations they demand, and blame you for their lack of understanding, particularly if it means that They Look Bad... even if it's ultimately their fault for not adequately supporting their staff. You're measured by criteria that are composed of formulae that shift according to the political whims of the company.
This is one reason I'm going back to school for a Mechanical Engineering degree -- still involved with technology, but I won't have to worry so much about arbitrary metrics.
I'll be creating, rather than just patching this, installing that, and rebuilding the other.
If/when my wife and I ever have children, I will neither encourage nor discourage them to follow my footsteps. My dad was in IT, until the bottom fell out, and now he sells Harley-Davidson parts in Florida, making a fraction of what he once did, but he's still happy. He's certainly more relaxed than I've seen him in years.
Even when he was still in the field, he made certain to strike a balance between work and home. That was his example to me, and that's the lesson I'm going to pass on to my own kids, should that occur: Do whatever you feel like doing -- but don't take it so seriously that you stop living.
The absolute funniest thing about Gordon was that back at M.I.T, he was such a joker. Seriously. Always kidding around, cracking wise, doing funny tricks with crowbars. We could never get the guy to shut up for more than ten minutes at a time!
My passion is taking ephemeral concept and forming it into the written word, and hopefully fashioning it into an entertaining read while I'm at it. Let's face it though, unless you're a Stephen King, a Rowlings, Jim Butcher, or Dean Koontz, being a writer does not pay well, no matter how passionate you are about it.
Even in the journalistic world, unless you manage to nail a "big scoop" over your more experienced and better-connected superiors, your average "Reporter I" position makes around $10-$16/hour, as shown here: http://tinyurl.com/2vmljv Copy writers make only a bit more.
I've been working various support jobs for hardware, OS, and networking for nigh unto the past decade. Did I initially have a passion for it? Yes, believe it or not. Did I enjoy it? Sure -- on some levels I still do, because I do honestly enjoy problem-solving and helping people... but I don't take as much satisfaction or enjoyment out of working in the IT field as I once did.
I would rather be sitting at my desk, writing interesting things that other people will hopefully read and enjoy, and maybe even pay for. Unfortunately, that doesn't pay the bills, put food on the table, or keep gas in the wife's vehicle or mine.
"Follow your dream" is a nice sentiment, and I'm certain it's well-meant, but in the cold, hard light of reality, it's not always practical, or even possible.
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"I'm Batman, and I can breathe in space."
"The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one," he said.
...But still, THEY COME!
"The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one,"
I concur. I'll also be more sympathetic to the pharmaceutical industry when they stop leaning on doctors to prescribe one medication over another via bribes or other chicanery, typically a more expensive one. I have actually switched MD's over this in the past.
I'll be more sympathetic to the Rx industry when they cease covering up their mistakes and take responsibility for the lives they have potentially ruined. Case in point: There is some preliminary indication that Avandiamet, a medication I am on, has been found to cause heart problems in some patients. Curiously, when I've been getting stressed out lately, my chest starts hurting. Funny, that. There are other cases out there, but little talk of reparation or even apology from the Rx companies unless someone starts priming the Giant Lawyer Faucet in the Sky. Admittedly, I will also be a little more sympathetic when my accursed employer realizes that you can't raise workers' prescription costs by 50-125% without giving them a salary increase to compensate. Well, you can, but you wind up with either very sick workers, or very broke workers.
I make a point of not bringing my work home with me -- If I do, it just winds up stressing my wife, my roommate, and myself out just that much more, and it isn't worth it.
Shit-tons of work for about 2/3 the pay is getting to be typical for this industry from what I've seen, unless you're either a tiny technological deity or possessed of the gift of gab to a degree that you could convince a rabbi to have a ham sandwich during Passover.
I've bounced around enough IT/tech support jobs and done some consulting on the side, and I know that this is no longer the field I want to be in. There's too much instability, with companies buying and selling each other like children swapping baseball cards. Long hours, at least at some firms, are the norm rather than the exception, and if you insist on having a home life there are always those who think that you're not a team player. There are too many managers who don't comprehend word one of the explanations they demand, and blame you for their lack of understanding, particularly if it means that They Look Bad... even if it's ultimately their fault for not adequately supporting their staff. You're measured by criteria that are composed of formulae that shift according to the political whims of the company.
This is one reason I'm going back to school for a Mechanical Engineering degree -- still involved with technology, but I won't have to worry so much about arbitrary metrics.
I'll be creating, rather than just patching this, installing that, and rebuilding the other.
If/when my wife and I ever have children, I will neither encourage nor discourage them to follow my footsteps. My dad was in IT, until the bottom fell out, and now he sells Harley-Davidson parts in Florida, making a fraction of what he once did, but he's still happy. He's certainly more relaxed than I've seen him in years.
Even when he was still in the field, he made certain to strike a balance between work and home. That was his example to me, and that's the lesson I'm going to pass on to my own kids, should that occur: Do whatever you feel like doing -- but don't take it so seriously that you stop living.
The absolute funniest thing about Gordon was that back at M.I.T, he was such a joker. Seriously. Always kidding around, cracking wise, doing funny tricks with crowbars. We could never get the guy to shut up for more than ten minutes at a time!
It's not quite as easy as that, sometimes.
My passion is taking ephemeral concept and forming it into the written word, and hopefully fashioning it into an entertaining read while I'm at it. Let's face it though, unless you're a Stephen King, a Rowlings, Jim Butcher, or Dean Koontz, being a writer does not pay well, no matter how passionate you are about it.
Even in the journalistic world, unless you manage to nail a "big scoop" over your more experienced and better-connected superiors, your average "Reporter I" position makes around $10-$16/hour, as shown here: http://tinyurl.com/2vmljv
Copy writers make only a bit more.
I've been working various support jobs for hardware, OS, and networking for nigh unto the past decade. Did I initially have a passion for it? Yes, believe it or not. Did I enjoy it? Sure -- on some levels I still do, because I do honestly enjoy problem-solving and helping people... but I don't take as much satisfaction or enjoyment out of working in the IT field as I once did.
I would rather be sitting at my desk, writing interesting things that other people will hopefully read and enjoy, and maybe even pay for. Unfortunately, that doesn't pay the bills, put food on the table, or keep gas in the wife's vehicle or mine.
"Follow your dream" is a nice sentiment, and I'm certain it's well-meant, but in the cold, hard light of reality, it's not always practical, or even possible.
[!] We're sorry. You cannot view this message on your current hardware because it is not secure enough for the content of this message. Please consult Windows Help for more information, or your financial advisor.