The regular job trap

My lovely wife was finally able to find a home for some glass blowing equipment we had kicking around the house. Our youngest daughter had once been into that art and was putting together a studio. Then some other stuff happened. Such is life. I was ready to haul the remaining equipment to the dump, but my spouse found a young man from downstate who was a professional glass blower and could use the stuff.

I’m glad she found someone who needed the equipment. My lovely wife praised the guy for following his dreams and working on his art. Unfortunately, he and his girlfriend are “on a break” because she wants a regular job. Right now she’s training for one of those 9 to 5 positions. She was unwilling to put up with the uncertainties of being an artist.

Regular jobs sound good, but they can be a trap. The consistent paycheck sounds like a good idea. It’s great for your credit rating. With good credit you can buy nice things like cars, furniture and even houses. However, that could be a trap. Once you have those nice things the payments need to be made. For that you have to keep going to that regular job, even when it is no longer any fun at all.

Once could always change jobs they say, but it’s not that easy for most. Even if you find a job you’d enjoy more, it had better pay enough to cover those regular bills.

When you follow your dreams it may or may not pay. A few days ago we were talking to a young married couple we know. He’s avoided regular dreams most of his life. She works as a potter. They were struggling with a problem. He had a job interview for a state mechanic job. It was 40 hours a week with decent pay and benefits. The problem is that he’d have to have a regular schedule and do the same type of work over and over again.

He’s very talented when it comes to mechanical devices. While he could do the job, he said what he really wants to do is things like build rocket powered skateboards. Fortunately, his wife is very supportive of his dreams so I’m sure they’ll work something out.

Another problem with working non-traditional jobs is that it spoils you. After a number of years of that you become unfit for the shackles of the normal working world.

-Sixbears