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I can always answer "I've done a lot of things," because it's true, although the bulk of those things were RN psychiatric jobs. I certainly don't want to hear about someone's second cousin who took Lithium, etc. etc. Maybe I'll say, "My favorite job I had was copyediting and I'd still like to find some work there." Maybe it'd be a good contact.
Have some time before retirement, but, I have been in essence a scientist/engineer since I was 5 years old, and will always be one. This is part of why I am not so eager to retire, at least not right now.
ER, a lot of your posts on here reflect that you are a teacher to the core. Frequently you admonish a poster for loose logic, non sequitur, etc. Which is great, really.
"Teacher" or more likely "Professor" and also "Craftsman" are other blades on the Swiss Army knife that is me, but the main blade is "Engineer". Sometimes a blade is closed, but, it's still there...
Have some time before retirement, but, I have been in essence a scientist/engineer since I was 5 years old, and will always be one. This is part of why I am not so eager to retire, at least not right now.
ER, a lot of your posts on here reflect that you are a teacher to the core. Frequently you admonish a poster for loose logic, non sequitur, etc. Which is great, really.
"Teacher" or more likely "Professor" and also "Craftsman" are other blades on the Swiss Army knife that is me, but the main blade is "Engineer". Sometimes a blade is closed, but, it's still there...
I really like that apt metaphor about the Swiss Army knife and its main blade and its closed blades. Our identities as human beings are complex and are probably composed of all the significant things we have done, not limited to our job/career. And that job/career identity may or may not be our "main blade" as has been made clear in this thread to date.
Math. From the 1st grade thru graduate school math was my life. I loved sports (football and especially baseball) but math even more. But then around age 22-23 I lost all interest in it. Totally. Burned out I think. But that was ok because I'd joined the Army and found another world. The next year I went to OCS.
You move a lot in the Army, so ten years later Huntsville. I was there 3 years, got into math again big-time, it all came back. That was the start. Afterwards, the Pentagon, Ft Monmouth and Europe (Germany and UK). After retirement I worked for a large contractor doing much the same thing for 12 more years. I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of that life (especially the Army), would do it all over again.
But today, retirement is nice. The past is the past I rarely dwell on it. We live well, are in good health, do whatever whim comes along.
I don't feel I was ever defined by my career even when working. I would say the opportunities were more influenced by who I am as a person. Possibly it's because the path was so diverse and afforded a great deal of independence. I have picked up a good bit of knowledge in several areas and prefer it that way.
I don't remember people asking what I use to do. I will comment about having done something if I am in a similar situation, or people will know due to my familiarity with a subject. I appreciate others experience and am accused of being a sponge for whatever I can learn from them if it interests me or if they have fascinating stories. One dimensional people I generally stay away from unless they're experts in their field. I will ask what others have retired from or have done as a means to relate to them as I often can.
I have a strong identify with my profession and honestly I'm guessing it's an identify I'll retain once retired. Maybe the way I do so will be like the musician "Formerly Known as Prince".
I've had strong identities as a fun runner and a martial artist and now still identify with those former passions by identifying myself as a "retired runner" and a "retired karateka". I once knew a person who was retired and jokingly identified himself as "self-unemployed".
Most human beings have an emptiness inside that they continually try to and need to fill throughout life.
They will fill the emptiness with whatever they can, most filling it with as many positive things as possible, others falling into the trap of filling it with negative things.
Having a professional identity as in a career or skills set or expertise is one way to partially or significantly fill that emptiness.
So holding on to that work identity helps to fill whatever hollowness exists inside. It's a very human trait....to feel some emptiness or hollowness inside.
There is a recent song by singer Tori Kelly called 'Hollow' which talks about one form of feeling hollow relating to love, but also relating to life in general.
Most human beings have an emptiness inside that they continually try to and need to fill throughout life.
They will fill the emptiness with whatever they can, most filling it with as many positive things as possible, others falling into the trap of filling it with negative things.
Having a professional identity as in a career or skills set or expertise is one way to partially or significantly fill that emptiness.
So holding on to that work identity helps to fill whatever hollowness exists inside. It's a very human trait....to feel some emptiness or hollowness inside.
Yes, it could be argued that traveling, fishing, gardening, grandchildren, sewing, pets, genealogy, golfing, volunteering, birdwatching, or anything one does or identifies with is a means to "fill that emptiness".
It could also be argued that happy people like to create things, participate in activities, enjoy the world around them, connect with family and like-minded people, and share their happiness with others.
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