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I used to find myself jealous by people who had what I thought were "cushy" jobs because they seemed that way from the outside. However, as I've gotten older and hopefully wiser I realize that there are some jobs that look that way, but are anything but that way. I can think it's cushy when a dentist office closes up on Fridays, but do have the skill set to be a dentist myself to know everything that's involved? Do I know how many times they are getting emergency calls at odd hours outside their office hours? No. Do I know how many hours they are spending on the business aspect of their practice outside of regular office hours?
Teachers are another example. They may only be actively teaching students in a classroom from 8 AM- 3 PM, Monday through Friday with summers off. Sounds cushy, right? Until you consider all the hours (nights, weekends, and summers "off") planning classes, grading papers, doing administrative work, doing continuing education, responding to parents, etc., which eats up way more time than what someone claims is excessive leisure time without being knowledgable about the time commitment to do the job right.
Basically, while there are some jobs that are underpaid/overpaid for their duties and it's easy to view a job as "cushy" but until you have all the information and direct experience with everything involved, it's hard to know whether that's the full picture or not.
I don't know why anyone would think being a teacher is a cushy job. lol
I have it fairly easy. IT at a large organization. I'm just kind of coasting for a year or two while I finish off paying some debt that piled up over the years, and saving up for a move to a more stimulating area.
I had a great job for almost 20 years, as a school library assistant. It was 25 hours a week, on school days. I got a great wage per hour, so it was a perfect job to have while my kid was growing up. The job itself was awesome, and very relaxed. I'm a huge reader and love books, so it couldn't have been a better fit for me. I had lots of paid time off in addition to the unpaid school breaks, and amazing benefits.
Thankfully during those 20 years libraries went through automation, so there was lots of major projects computerizing collections and whatnot, because even with that excitement I was so f-ing bored after a few years in. Couldn't quit, though, because of the family, plus we lived in a small centre with few opportunities for me. I was so relieved when my kid graduated high school and we moved across country.
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Originally Posted by emm74
I had a temp job (pre-internet, so no surfing online to pass the time) where they asked me if I had brought a book with me to read. I was temping for the administrative assistant of high up executive (don't remember the actual position all these years later) and his admin also took vacation. No one expected me to do any actual work other than take phone messages, and most people knew he wasn't there so didn't bother to call to leave a message. But because he was so high level, it would look bad to have his assistant's desk empty for two weeks so I got to sit there. I suppose some people would consider that cushy but I found it tedious and boring, even with being able to read. I'm happier with jobs where I keep busy, it makes the time pass quickly.
I had a temp job like that once, back in the day. There were 6 exec people with 4 assistants between them. They all brought books to read. I was bored within days of starting my assignment. The money was pretty good, so I stayed, but I was so relieved when the woman I was filling in for came back from maternity leave. They hired me back to do some actual specific projects, and I quite enjoyed the organization, so that was a much better assignment.
I had a job years ago. Was paid $9 an hour (Min wage was $5 an hour) to sit in a 15' X 15' room with huge front window, wave as the union longshoremen drove in and wave as they left. 12 hrs a day till the finished loading the ship(s) Watched TV and did a lot of find the word puzzles...Lasted 3 weeks once, then off and on for 5 more months till I got a job sitting at the fifth floor of the First Interstate Bank EDP building and watched as people came and went.....That lasted for 6 months till they got the card readers working.
I worked 2 summer jobs:
In the morning building maintenance at my best friends family owned factory. Very hard physical work that I enjoyed. Complemented by the afternoon, I was a lifeguard at a small quiet private beach, swimming and working on a tan. I went in the water twice that summer to help kids back from deep water.
I guess my job (as a librarian) is pretty "cushy!" There's a lot to do, but most of it is enjoyable - and it's never the same things from day to day, so it's hard to get really bored. I spend a good chunk of time helping people on the reference desk, with questions ranging from the simple "do you have this book?" to more involved research or reader's advisory, and troubleshooting issues with computers/eBooks/etc. The rest of my time is self-directed, usually working on book orders, weeding, preparing for programs, and so forth. It's fairly low-stress overall, and I enjoy most of what I'm expected to be doing. Despite popular belief, however, we do NOT get paid to sit around and read.
Oh, and my salary is quite good by national standards; around the median by local standards, though, since it's incredibly expensive here in the Bay Area.
Rich kid joined family business.. making a ton of money, doing what? Who knows..
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