Survey: Please Answer 3 Questions About Your Job
Since 1997, when my kiddos were young (Brynn was 3 years-old and Aidan & Shea were just one), I have been running an eBay business. It began when Steve was in his last year of law school and we were struggling to make ends meet, get him through school, and raise our little ones without utilizing daycare (which we couldn't afford at the time). To help supplement our income, I began selling odds-and-ends on "The Bay." Mind you, this was back in the day when you could nearly surf through the entire site in an afternoon and view the category list in one swoop. It wasn't brand new, but it was still growing and undiscovered by many.
Before long, it had grown into a full-fledged business. We worked hard to acquire distributors and find our niche. It was successful too. To the extent that Steve hung his law degree up on the wall and we ran the collectibles-selling gig together for nearly a decade, before he started on a new career path in 2007. I have continued running the online business (sans Steve) to this day.
It keeps me very busy and it definitely has its perks. The BEST of which has been getting to be with my kids on such a consistent basis for the last 13 years. I would do it all over again just for that reason alone and feel really lucky to have found something that gave me that luxury, while still earning a living. I have also been fortunate to get to look the way I want and add to my body art collection throughout the years. Being your own boss means you get to dress the way you dig dressing and wear your hair how you like (or shave your hair off in my case).
It's something I certainly never dreamed I would be doing for a living. I have a bachelor's degree in psychology (though I never really saw myself as a psychologist), but I wasn't really headed in any other direction at the time I started down this online path; but still, you just never think that you will reply, "Oh, I sell on eBay" when someone asks you where you work.
While I greatly appreciate the long and successful ride, I find that the tides are changing. An amalgamation of wanting more creative sustentation in my life; longing to share more ideas and skills with others (rather than merely mailing packages full of "stuff"); and sort of just being REALLY tired of the auction game.
And so is the challenge that I know many of you can relate to.
Figuring out how to balance what you "do" with what you "love." It's a quandary for many in life and it led me to the questions I am posing to you today:
I'll go first. =)
1) I peddle merchandise of the collectible-kind in cyberspace, while slinging words via freelance gigs and book projects whenever given the opportunity.
2) Sort of. I want to give up the "stuff-selling" shebang and would in a heartbeat if I had a more stable "back-up plan." I love every ounce of writing I get to the opportunity to do and when it helps with the bills, well then it's just icing on the cupcake.
3) English teacher, writer, or swim coach.
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 8:27AM
Reader Comments (16)
1 I work in an office where I pretend to look busy, but spend a lot of time online.
2 No - it's not. Not at all.
3 A painter.
1) I am trying to conquer a small place on this planet " as my father says ". I am doing something that I never done before in which is an multi-lingual electronic Tattoo magazine, and some other project that I never done before also, I seems never to learn the lesson by always trying to do new things.
2) The tattoo project I love, the Surf Porject I do Like but not really deep on it to really know, the other 2 project, have no clue what will happen. I tend to enjoy almost everything that I do, otherwise i quit them even before I start.
3) though question, the right answer would be not work as a job hahaha but again someone without work isnt good. You need something in life to drive you and keep you busy and keep sane mind. An artist, a tattooist ( working on that one ;) ) or an Architect ( i shouldn't never have quit Uni :P
1. I am a freelance writer who writes assorted articles on Associated Content, writes from a couple blogs, and who has self-published one novel to date.
2. Yes, I enjoy doing what I do. It'd be nice to have something to back me up more financially, though.
3. Along with freelance writing, I'd love to be a paranormal investigator, nutritionist, and/or band promoter/own my own venue.
I manage IT needs for my company's eCommerce ordering applications, but manage to work at home full time, most often tied to my computer screen and phone 24/7.
This is not what I set out to do in life, but being a late bloomer, I didnt figure out what I would like to do until I hit mid thirties.
Being an overthinker by nature, I would love to do detective or investigative work.
1) Spend all day in meetings and after hours get my real work done - ensuring we communicate truthful and complete information related to our products.
2) Yes and no. I like what I do but I wish I could spend less time doing it.
3) I have thought about this a lot! Something where I could turn around, take a look, and see what I have accomplished at the end of the day (florist, gardener), or something in healthcare (hospice, physician assistant, therapist).
1) I am a "legal assistant"/slave to my boss now of 8 years and not making nearly enough money at what I'm doing, nor do I enjoy sitting on my butt inside an office all day.
2) NO! Not in any way, shape or form is this what I WANT to do. I despise law, and how UNlegal it all really is, and again, I HATE being stuck inside. So tired of the hum drum work life I am living.
3) Right now Jinxi Boo, I am in the process of attending school to become a firefighter/EMT within this year. I want so much more out of life, and I want to LOVE what I do, so I'm going for it feet first! ;-)
XOXOXOXOX
1. I work in a locally owned video game store. There's just two of us (my boss and I) because the business is small. Basically, I sell new and used videogames while my boss builds custom computers and repairs computers. I do a lot of organizing and alphabetizing, but usually end up spending most of my time online after my boss leaves for the night.
2. No. While I enjoy working at a job that I don't (entirely) hate, this is not what I want to do for the rest of my life.
3. My dream is to be a writer. I don't care if I work for a magazine, a newspaper, a publishing company, or what, I just want to be able to write poetry and novels. If I had my choice, I would be a best-selling novelist. Not like JK Rowling (being that rich and famous would be frightening), but more like Tamora Pierce or Anne McCaffrey.
1. Oversee the coordination and implementation of international trips for corporate flight crews.
2. Yes...and no. I have been in the aviation industry for over 10 years now. I have been a flight instructor and airline pilot, but the lifestyle was not conducive to raising a family. I still love aviation, but miss the flying aspect. I do see opportunities to fly again soon, so although what I am currently doing is not what I want to do long-term, it works for now.
3. If I wasn't in aviation I would love to be a psychologist/research scientist studying human, specifically baby, development. Since I chose aviation, though, I devour books on baby/brain development.
Hope this helps, Jinxi!
xoxo
1. I coordinate service to be done on Yachts up to 90' and all that is entailed for a private owner.
2. It's obviously something I want to do otherwise I wouldn't be here but is it my DREAM job no. Sometimes we start out somewhere to use as stepping stones to our dream castle :)
3. I can't say I have pinpointed it and when it's IT I will know it but something to do with helping others whether it be children or couples. I enjoy being creative and working with people especially the little people :)
1. I am a mom/freelance photographer/maker of sugary baked goods.
2. For the most part, yes. I do wish that the photography brought in more money, but I'm working on that.
3. I do love what I do, but sometimes I wish i could go back to school and maybe become a teacher. Something to think about once our family is done growing.
1. I run my own vegan food business (www.angelfood.co.nz) and I absolutely love it! Previously, I was a freelance writer for 14 years - which I also loved for the first 10 or so years! And like your eBay business, it allowed me to be at home for my kids.
2. Nothing else I'd rather be doing, just heaps of ideas about directions I want to expand into in the future!
1) i'm disabled so i don't work, but being home to spend time with my 3 beautiful grandsons is an amazing job
2)yes i love being w/ my family ...but wish i COULD work to make things easier as far as earning a living goes
3) i'm not an artist nor do i know all the technical things about it, only that i love it all in all forms it comes in...so i would LOVE to be able to do something to bring all the beauty the art world has to offer to more people so they can see just how amazing it all is
1.I take complaint and inquiry calls in a call center for a big food manufacturer.
2.I don't love my job, but I love my health insurance. I also love that my job morphed to allow me to work on sustainability and corporate social responsibility projects. Sweet! I do not make more than a share-cropping cotton picker, and that means I can't stay there much longer.
3. I want to run a spiritual retreat that involves tattooing someplace beautiful.
1) For the past 3 years I was an on-site apartment manager.It had the pro's of living & working from home, raising my daughter, and no commuting.But the cons outweighed the pro's. Always being bothered 24 hours a day by people knocking at the door, or the phone always ringing.
It was extremely disruptive to our personal lives. We could not get through dinner, bathroom breaks, or even alone time without someone banging on the door.
2)I thought I wanted to do it a few years back,but I changed my mind and quit 3 weeks ago.At 35, I still don't really know what I want to be when I grow up.
3)What I really love doing is vending at Flea Markets in So.CA such as The Rose Bowl, but I no longer live in the state, so that is not an option right now. At this point , I'm planning to go back to Ebay, so I can rid myself of the piles of collectibles I have accumulated. It's really hard moving around when you feel like a prisoner to your own junk. It's finally lost it's pizazz.
1. I get people to click on things
2. Not so much... it's not awful, but it's not particularly fulfilling
3. Pro blogger, or independently wealthy lazy person
1. I work in a fruit & veg shop
2. I really do enjoy my job - I get to share my knowledge of fruit & veg and healthy eating and in turn also learn from my customers, but I wouldn't say it's my dream job.
3. The first things I thought of when I asked myself this question were artist, musician or writer (or all three!).
Thanks for posting these questions jinxy, it's been quite an eye opener for me!
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