What is your idea as to the perfect job??

[xelasnave]

Been taking in Myth Busters and I thought what a job those guys have...lots of gear to build things, guns of every description explosives and no real result required to justify ones time input.
No doubt they work hard but does it not look fun?
So any advance on that?

alex

[Ian Robinson]

For me - a permanent role as Principal Process Engineer of Chief Process Engineer in charge of a multidisciplined technology group , and definitely not a FIFO based role.

Myth Busters are BS artists, I used to watch them but gave up on them as a lost cause.

[jungle11 (Greg)]

I reckon 'The Stig' off Top Gear has got it made!

If i could drive the finest cars ever made (and not just drive -but thrash!), remain anonymous, and get paid big bucks, I'd be in heaven.

[garyp]

The best working hours would have to be 12pm to 1pm with a one hour lunch break

[Ric]

Teaching permaculture and sustanability would be the ultimate job for me.

Getting out in the fresh air of all seasons and teaching people how to give something back to mother Earth.

I still may reach this goal yet.

[Dog Star (Phil)]

I reckon David Attenborough pinched my job , but I'm generally pretty happy doing any work that is outdoors.
Having said that though, I've suddenly remembered a few that didn't make me very happy at all.
What I reckon I need is a government grant to stay home and devote time to my hobbies and studies.
Yup! That's my final answer.

[Starkler (Geoff)]

I wonder just where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all"

[Miaplacidus (Brian)]

I reckon few people are happy to go back to working for somebody else once they've worked for themselves.

[Bobj]

Many years ago, I had "the best job" in that I had to look for gravel deposits and water courses for the Main Roads Dept throughout The Kimberley Region, WA. This gave me the chance to see things not too many people had seen....and people pay a small fortune to do today. How about finding amethyst crystals when looking for gravel, or finding Aboriginal artifacts by the watercourses; or the remains of the original Dunham River Station, as mentioned in the book "Kings In Grass Castles". Or, going over the very spot where the Argyle diamond mine is....without knowing wht was under my feet...
Even had to take the then Main Roads Commissioner's Aide on a barramundi fishing trip.

[Barrykgerdes]

I love my job

The government pays me lots of money as a pensioner with CSS super. I get three times as much as I need for a comfortable living.

This leaves lots of money to be spent on astronomy, computers, travelling sports etc.

Barry

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

I'd love to be talented enough to work as a Freelance Photographer.

[xelasnave]

Well I think I have the perfect job at the moment ....gravity push researcher and dog minder...does not pay much but the conditions are fantastic.

I had a good one...a consultant ...to the NSW Government selling off excess real estate... took the phone out on the boat when I went fishing, and a clip board with the list of calls to make ....

"Hi its AE here from xxx could you have a look at yyy and fax me an auction program at zzz together with an estimate of the selling range"

I never minded staying at the office.

Thinking about myth busters I think they actually work very hard.. I mean there is the set up etc but producing a movie is not easy work in my view.

A motivational speaker job seems rather cool, big money and a room full of folk who hang on every word as it you were God.

One real estate agent who shall remain nameless took $20,000 off one hundred agents for a three day seminar ...$2,000,000 turnover take off the hotel bills and hall hire and I think he did well...

But even that job sounds great but man the set up ...how many agents would you have to canvass to get 100 to shell out $20,000.... so it was more than a three day effort.

I think being a teacher would be good because it is so good to guide kids and inspire them but I guess there would be heart breaks all the time.

A mate started Australasian dirt bike mag and he had a good side because every bike shop wanted him to test the latest bike and do a write up.

He and I did four race bike promotions (enduros) and that was a buzz...but in those days there was no money in it...

alex

[UniPol]

Originally Posted by garyp

The best working hours would have to be 12pm to 1pm with a one hour lunch break

And lunch has to be a seven course meal i.e. a six pack and a pie

[space oddity]

The ideal job ? It does not matter what you do for a living , if you have a PASSION for it, you will do well .The more mundane the field, the better you will go. If you have a passion for killing cockroaches, you might wind up setting up Flick enterprises , a passion for making bombs and murdering people- you could become Osama bin Laden .. So follow your dreams. Having said all that, being a union official sounds nice ,don't have to do hard work just go to work places and make trouble. You may get the reward of a seat in parliament (with all the perks) as a reward and get to hang out with fellow thugs! You also get to sing, with a smirk, the song -you can't touch me, I'm part of the union.... Nirvana

[Kal (Andrew)]

My idea of the perfect job would be to be a novelist. Write when you want, where you want. Shame I lack the imagination, patience, and proficiency to be one though!

[Ian Robinson]

I hate working with a passion , and if I must , I want to be paid a lot of $ for my time and the bother , hence , my target roles as a principal or chief process engineer (not many of that level role about, but I can afford to hang in there and wait for a suitable opening to materialise).

None of that short term contractor or FIFO crap for me (I keep getting asked by dim witted HR people if I am interested i in contracting and FIFO despite clearly stating in the second paragraph of all my job application coverletters that I am ONLY INTERESTED IN PERMANENT RESIDENTIAL ROLES !!!) - more bother than it's worth and too hard on relationships (in that nearly all guys I know on contract and on FIFO rosters who started off as married are no longer (married) and though they might have stacks in the bank , they are burnt out and cactus as functioning engineers after a few years , and stressed to buggery (high blood pressure , heart problems , no long term relationships) .... NO THANK YOU.

Come down to tintaks , most people only work to pay the mortgage and to subsidize the banks , health insurers, and finance companies (via credit cards and personal loans on cars, boats, holidays years ago, electron consumer goods like the biggest plasma tv and latest electron junk, and furnishings all bought on the never-never via those take it now pay in 2 or 3 years time scams you see on TV all the time (HND etc) , and to keep the kids in day care (so mum can work .... ummm where's the sense in working to be able to pay someone like ABC to look after your kids ?) , and to keep food on the table.
If you don't have debt or not much of it, and no longer owe anything on the home, and car is paid for and works OK , why bother working ?

What ever happened to our nice layed back and relaxed culture where there was a healthy work-family-social balance ?
.....seems to me it's gone out the window as we've become more and more americanised and way to wrapped up in buying stuff to do the same thing the old stuff did just fine (just a little slower maybe) ? Stupidity on a national scale all to keep profits up for mostly foreign shareholders who don't give a toss about anything but their short term financial advantage.

[Starkler (Geoff)]

Originally Posted by space oddity

Having said all that, being a union official sounds nice ,don't have to do hard work just go to work places and make trouble. You may get the reward of a seat in parliament (with all the perks) as a reward and get to hang out with fellow thugs!

Oh I don't know, I think being a union official could be a rewarding job.
There's fewer more noble pursuits than being a defender of the downtrodden and disadvantaged, and being successful in such a role could give a great feeling of personal satisfaction.

Personally its not for me though as my constitution couldn't handle dealing with the disingenuous bleatings of "I cant afford it" from the shifty and the dodgy as they leave to climb into their new BMW en route to another 3 hour gourmet lunch courtesy of the taxpayer.

[Glenhuon (Bill)]

Ian, Ian. I spent years on the road mate, never got stressed, no one had enough money to pay me to get stressed (and still don't)
Having said that, it takes a particular kind of spouse to handle that sort of life style. My ex did for many years and when we finally split up, my travelling days were over and other factors were involved. FIFO is not for everyone, and I much prefer going home to my own bed at night nowadays.
But gee, I had fun
If you start getting stressed over the job, give it away, no job is worth it. You do your best, and if your boss is stressing over it, thats his/her problem.
Being the Chief Engineer is not the end mate, there's a bunch of bean counters out there trying to give you a hard time too.
As a lowly supervisor I reckon there was more freedom of what to do and when than our Chief Engineer, and I didn't have to sit through boring 4hour meetings. Just went out there and did the job.

Cheers
Bill

[GrahamL]

Aid worker pays prolly not that great though

[Ian Robinson]

Originally Posted by Glenhuon

Ian, Ian. I spent years on the road mate, never got stressed, no one had enough money to pay me to get stressed (and still don't)
Having said that, it takes a particular kind of spouse to handle that sort of life style. My ex did for many years and when we finally split up, my travelling days were over and other factors were involved. FIFO is not for everyone, and I much prefer going home to my own bed at night nowadays.
But gee, I had fun
If you start getting stressed over the job, give it away, no job is worth it. You do your best, and if your boss is stressing over it, thats his/her problem.
Being the Chief Engineer is not the end mate, there's a bunch of bean counters out there trying to give you a hard time too.
As a lowly supervisor I reckon there was more freedom of what to do and when than our Chief Engineer, and I didn't have to sit through boring 4hour meetings. Just went out there and did the job.

Cheers
Bill

Yep , if you want real power in this economy - become a corporate bean counter.
They are the nemisis of many an engineer.