What do you do?

[Cameron]

I think we must have talked about this before but don't feel like going through 10,000 threads. So what kind of work do you all do? I am trying to get some new ideas and broaden my horizons .Pretty much have done sales for last 7 years and now work in the family business. It seems like a bunch of you are into IT and computer work.

 

I know Yoda is a real estate agent. That seems like a cool job. A girl I was in class with was a real estate agent and she calls me and says I am dropping out for a few months I just got a commission check for $25k!

 

I would have to sell a lot of persian rugs to make a commsion of 25k .And my cousin is getting into commercial real estate. Seems that is where the big money is but you need alot of starting capital to get anywhere it seems.

 

Cam

[Pietro]

I think we must have talked about this before but don't feel like going through 10,000 threads. So what kind of work do you all do? I am trying to get some new ideas and broaden my horizons .Pretty much have done sales for last 7 years and now work in the family business. It seems like a bunch of you are into IT and computer work.

 

I know Yoda is a real estate agent. That seems like a cool job. A girl I was in class with was a real estate agent and she calls me and says I am dropping out for a few months I just got a commission check for $25k!

 

I would have to sell a lot of persian rugs to make a commsion of 25k .And my cousin is getting into commercial real estate. Seems that is where the big money is but you need alot of starting capital to get anywhere it seems.

 

Cam

 

I am into academic research. bioinformatics. mathemathical models of biological systems

 

Pay attention about the real estate. There is quite an agreement that right now there is a big bubble and can explode. Probably it will not explode until the the baby boomers will start to die en masse. But war or financial changes might cause it to explode sooner.

 

Also there seem to be an excess of estate agents right now:

In the uk for example they have so many estate agents... In some places there seem to be more estate agents than pubs. But Yoda for sure can tell you more.

[Yoda]

Having fun is the key with whatever you do. Your classmate got really excited about the potential of real estate and manifested 25k part time. I know a lot of people who made excellent money (myself included) on their first day on the job b/c of their positive energy. The one's that keep having fun and don't get bogged down in the many responsibilities keep making money. I know one guy who got a 60k commission check right off the bat part time and he is blind, but he struggled afterwards, lost his enthusiasm (spent it all on Russian girls ).

 

I've been very inconsistent with it. I feel too much sympathy for people with problems which bogs me down. But it's all good--that's the magic of commission sales, as you well know, it's a laboratory where you get feedback on what feelings you are transmitting and gradually I learn to improve them.

 

It doesn't take any money to do it. Just get licensed, print your cards and you are off to the races! Look up Todd Bookspan, he's a pal of mine in Phoenix and a mtg guy. He might suggest a few brokers to talk to. You can do it while working for the family as a side thing too. Go for a broker with an excellent commission split, not a nationally recognized name. Mark my words on that.

 

I'd say that you are already in sales, so not much would change. Same drill. There are huge benefits to working in a family business, but if you feel that you need to get out of that then there will be more freedom in real estate. What your family gives you is a pre-made energy structure. You walk in the door and the energy says "sell carpets". When I worked for a builder, I had that 'pressure' around me which was good. When I went out on my own, I enjoyed my freedom to post shit on the internet, but I didn't have that pressure to get me off my ass and sell something. You can work for your family and post shit on the internet, best of both worlds!

 

Everyone and their dog wants to be a real estate agent. Half of California is licensed, they say. But there's never enough good agents to go around. As an agent, you can make money in a hot market or a cold one. People will always need a home and people will always need to move regardless of the economy.

 

-Yoda

[thaddeus]

I think we must have talked about this before but don't feel like going through 10,000 threads. So what kind of work do you all do? I am trying to get some new ideas and broaden my horizons .Pretty much have done sales for last 7 years and now work in the family business. It seems like a bunch of you are into IT and computer work.

 

I know Yoda is a real estate agent. That seems like a cool job. A girl I was in class with was a real estate agent and she calls me and says I am dropping out for a few months I just got a commission check for $25k!

 

I would have to sell a lot of persian rugs to make a commsion of 25k .And my cousin is getting into commercial real estate. Seems that is where the big money is but you need alot of starting capital to get anywhere it seems.

 

Cam

T

Edited May 23, 2006 by thaddeus

[Leo]

[Lozen]

I work at the front desk of the public access television station. A lot of it is just filing membership applications and member update forms, answering questions on our five phone lines and transferring people to the appropriate person (or their voicemail), signing people up for classes, booking appointments with facilitators, opening and processing mail, entering tapes we receive and printing out the appropriate labels, etc. I'm also in charge of sending nice letters and gifts to contributors (after they are signed by the folks in charge). The funnest part of my job is taking minutes at board meetings, and typing them up. The worst part is having to deal with crazy people, who all have television shows too. Or dealing with irate callers once one of our channels go down (and it's mostly the Democracy Now! viewers.) Yesterday someone called me a Republican because we didn't air the INN World Report, but it's only because they are doing a pledge drive right now and we're not allowed to sell things on public access. Another person got upset because they thought we were the health care folks, not the TV station. We get that problem a lot because our name is so similar, but he was screaming, "WORK WITH ME GIRL" because I couldn't give him the number of one of our locations that doesn't exist, and I didn't know who Lonnie was. Whatever. One thing that's good is that my job takes a lot of mental/emotional energy so I can tell each and every day how I'm doing...whether I ate right that day, meditated, excercised, got enough sleep, etc. But it is mostly busywork and doesn't take a lot of brainwork and effort. I'm mostly in it for the 401(K) money and the salary and healthcare right now, and the ability to check e-mail constantly at work, but I am looking for other things.

 

My second job is distributing Good Body bars at grocery stores for $18/hr. It's part time contractor position. Solely for the cash.

 

And of course I am trying to get my herb business off the ground.

 

I've toyed with trying to make money off of my writing or editing (I do occasionally get freelance gigs for both of those) or off of healing arts of some kind, but am hesitant to take out money to study things that often leave you broker when you started. Right now am thinking of going back to school to get my education certificate to teach high school English. So I'll be volunteering with kids of many ages to see if I like them. Oh yeah, and I volunteer to work with kids who are about to go through foster care, for women in drop-in shelters, and for various other organizations... and setting up self-defense seminars. Might set up a kid's safety seminar next. I love working with non-profits, and may do that for a living at some point too. Magic word to allow me to quit my job is 100% vested...

[thelerner]

Retired, playing house husband, learning guitar, just finished a childrens writing class.

 

 

Michael.

 

Latest idea.. Recreate Wizard chess. Use computer and printer to create 32 T-shirts w/ chess pieces( and xtra queens) on both them, both sides. Staple together large felt chess mat, save time by only one color, other one blank.

 

Then just need 34 kids to play. Only 2 who need to know the rules. Hmnn, could put pieces legal moves on bottom of each shirt.

[Cameron]

Having fun is the key with whatever you do. Your classmate got really excited about the potential of real estate and manifested 25k part time. I know a lot of people who made excellent money (myself included) on their first day on the job b/c of their positive energy. The one's that keep having fun and don't get bogged down in the many responsibilities keep making money. I know one guy who got a 60k commission check right off the bat part time and he is blind, but he struggled afterwards, lost his enthusiasm (spent it all on Russian girls ).

 

I've been very inconsistent with it. I feel too much sympathy for people with problems which bogs me down. But it's all good--that's the magic of commission sales, as you well know, it's a laboratory where you get feedback on what feelings you are transmitting and gradually I learn to improve them.

 

It doesn't take any money to do it. Just get licensed, print your cards and you are off to the races! Look up Todd Bookspan, he's a pal of mine in Phoenix and a mtg guy. He might suggest a few brokers to talk to. You can do it while working for the family as a side thing too. Go for a broker with an excellent commission split, not a nationally recognized name. Mark my words on that.

 

I'd say that you are already in sales, so not much would change. Same drill. There are huge benefits to working in a family business, but if you feel that you need to get out of that then there will be more freedom in real estate. What your family gives you is a pre-made energy structure. You walk in the door and the energy says "sell carpets". When I worked for a builder, I had that 'pressure' around me which was good. When I went out on my own, I enjoyed my freedom to post shit on the internet, but I didn't have that pressure to get me off my ass and sell something. You can work for your family and post shit on the internet, best of both worlds!

 

Everyone and their dog wants to be a real estate agent. Half of California is licensed, they say. But there's never enough good agents to go around. As an agent, you can make money in a hot market or a cold one. People will always need a home and people will always need to move regardless of the economy.

 

-Yoda

 

 

Good stuff. Yoda, your totally right..the shit I deal with from fam is the same shit I would deal with anywhere else they just have a somewhat more personal input into things.

Edited May 26, 2006 by Cameron

[Yoda]

cool thread idea, btw.

[Lozen]

Latest idea.. Recreate Wizard chess. Use computer and printer to create 32 T-shirts w/ chess pieces( and xtra queens) on both them, both sides. Staple together large felt chess mat, save time by only one color, other one blank.

 

I want to be the queen!

[neimad]

i currently work as a debt collecter.... yeah

it's interesting because i am pleasant on the phones. the other operators around me are not so pleasant on the phone, they constantly escalate into hanging up and seem to get a lot of grief from customers.

i haven't been worked up once yet, i'm calm and it's cool.

funny thing is i have been topping the debts recovered a couple of times in a row since i started... nice guy thing works

 

anyways the job is only temporary and i took it cos i was sick of being unemployed, and it's like 5 minutes walk from my house so i can go home and make a fresh lunch every day.

 

i have been working on being present a lot more lately, and since starting here (over a month ago now)

i have found that not once have i been wishing the end of the day would hurry up. not once have i been wishing the weekend would hurry up.

real interesting as in the past it was so difficult for me to work.

 

anyways what i am doing is saving money up to become an indefiniate nomadic traveller

late september is departure date.....

 

i'm just looking for my tribe/community and i'm gonna search till i find that place to settle down with great people living harmoniously and i can do what i really want to do........ which is grow my own food.

 

idealistic?

probably.

[Cameron]

What tripped me out is my Australian cousin a couple weeks ago was saying how he wanted to take like a year to travel around America with a car. Ime like..dude..I have a job..

 

That nomadic spirit is pretty cool though..I am more of a find a place I like and really get into the community type of person...but definetly it open your mind to travel...

Edited May 5, 2006 by Cameron

[Lozen]

Oh I did that for a year. Here's 2 poems I wrote when I was stranded in Flagstaff in the winter. Living in my friend's all-male dorm room, in a tent and in my car:

 

http://www.thetravelrag.com/docs/10026.asp

http://www.thetravelrag.com/docs/10028.asp

[Trunk]

Freelance database programmer since 95. Burnt out on it and looking fwd to cashing in L.A. chips and living somewhere rural.

[thaddeus]

I've toyed with trying to make money off of my writing or editing (I do occasionally get freelance gigs for both of those)

You should..you're very talented!

[Lozen]

You should..you're very talented!

 

*blush*

[sean]

Web Design. I like it. It's the lazy man's way to showcasing your artwork.

[minimoke]

Ex Federal Reserve Bank Examiner and Ex Chicago Board of Trade Pit Trader. Those are the two things I'm most proud of. Right now due to family responsibilities, am a house dad by day and a night auditor by nights. Also massive time demand administering my dead dad's estate. For some odd reason I hate the term "deceased father". It's kinda impersonal I think. I prefer descriptions based in reality. Selling, auctioning and otherwise disposing of 2 companies, 2 factory buildings, 1 empty lot in Chicago (battling the City about rezoning) 1 house, and multiple years of back tax returns due and unresolved tax issues with IRS.

 

But otherwise I agree with Lozen that I thank God I'm an American.

 

 

Live long and Prosper,

 

Bruce

[mYTHmAKER]

Retired architect.

I recommend the following book: The Richest Man in Babylon

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=nb_ss_...11&Go.y=9&Go=Go

 

At one point I was not happy with my career and was looking to see what else I would be good at - enjoy doing.

I took an aptitude test test given by the Johnson Oconnor Research Foundation

http://www.jocrf.org/resources/index.html

The results showed I would be good at architecture

I'm glad I took the tests as I learned a lot about myself.

 

It was the particuliar situation that was bothering me. I changed the situation and I was back on track.

 

For example, the tests give personality information such as whether you would be happier working in a group or alone.

So if you were skilled in writing but couldn't stand to work alone they might suggest writing for television with a team of writers.

 

It has been my observation that people who do what they love attract money. There are exceptions of course.

[DaoWaDiddy]

Major computer geek.

 

I've been doing this for a long time (first programming job involved punch cards) and like it most days - although there's always the escalation that happens as a project nears completion.

 

The new system goes live tomorrow morning so the past few months have been a very busy. I find myself saying "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

 

Charlie

[minimoke]

past few months have been a very busy. I find myself saying "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

 

Charlie

 

Then I won't introduce you to my Zen master. He gets upset when he hears people working long hours and neglecting "life". He also has problems with multi-tasking, he feels it distracts from "the moment" and in essense you accomplish less when you try to do more.

 

I remember punch cards also. Had to do those while in college.

 

Bruce

[minimoke]

I took an aptitude test test given by the Johnson Oconnor Research Foundation

http://www.jocrf.org/resources/index.html

 

Thanks for the link. They have a center in Chicago. My daughter can maybe use it to help her choose a college and a major.

 

Bruce

[BobD]

I'm in IT. Started after my degree (in Maths and Computing) in a new start up company producing the first cheap Desktop Publishing program. Left there about 10 years ago and been working in academia ever since, doing a bit of teaching and lots of technical stuff (databases, webpages, utility pograms etc)

[Lozen]

The link looks great. Anybody know of any other aptitude tests that aren't $600?

[sean]

The link looks great. Anybody know of any other aptitude tests that aren't $600?

I got some useful info from http://www.livecareer.com/ and also http://www.kolbe.com

 

Sean