Did you take them both? What were your results? (The first one already led to a lively discussion in Pamie's forum.)

Are you doing the right thing? Should you leave your job? Do you think you ever will?

My results on the job selector put lawyer second to last. And the kiss my ass test told me to quit immediately. They didn't say anything about paying my mortgage for me, however.

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2000

Answers

The kiss my ass test told me to stick it out at my present job, which is too bad, because if I don't quit I won't be able to pursue a career as a movie star, rock star, artist or...park ranger.

damn.

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2000

Ah yes, what a surprise. I was told:

You should definitely quit your job.

I say this to myself every morning.

You're using your job as an excuse not to do what you are really meant to. Obviously, who you are and what you do are solidly connected in your mind.

Seems resonable. It's actually the money not the job. It's easier to stay here and get paid than risk not being able to make rent.

Chances are your very spirit is entrepreneurial,

Nooooo.

or you have a deep- seeded disrespect for all authority, or you have to do something that is eating at you for your neglect it.

That's more like it. I particularly hate authority for authority's sake, when clearly the person wielding it doesn't know what the fuck they are doing.

Quit already. Go, start your own company, write the novel, paint the picture. People like you, at your stage of life really shouldn't be working for anyone else.

How sweet of you. I'll go get that venture capital right now. I feel so much better.

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2000

well, those were fun... the first says I should be (the 1st four options in order) an author, chef, graphic designer, or web designer, and the second says I shouldn't quit my current job since 'it'll do as well as any other while you decide what it is you want'. All of which is about exactly what I've been telling myself.

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2000

# 1 Astronaut # 2 Chemist

Interesting. How is it that I go about changing jobs again? I want to be a lion tamer!

But it also said I'm not supposed to quit my job yet. As long as I'm doing something fun that will pay my rent and help me to single- handedly fund Moss Motors, I guess I'm okay. [shrug] Astronaut would be pretty cool, though.

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2000

My top four jobs apparently are:

1. Doctor 2. Engineer 3. Geneticist 4. Lawyer

Just show me a corporate environment and a fat paycheque, and I'm there!

Actually, that's not entirely inaccurate, although I'm only an Office Manager at present.

As far as quitting goes, not surprisingly (since I was poached for this job and am only in my third week here) my advice was:

"Don't quit your job. You're happy. You probably have colleagues you can talk to, your boss probably respects you and, if not, you're empowered enough not to care about that. You enjoy what you do most of the time. Sure, you have bad days, but who doesn't? If you have a problem today, you'll get over it this weekend."

Yes, I think I'm doing the right thing. I'm Office Manager at the moment, but I should hopefully get that title changed to General Manager next year - I'm doing all the operational and HR side of business for a JV between a big USA internet company and a big UK supermarket. We're going to be a very successful company, and I'm in at the ground floor, so things are good.

And I'm getting the right experience. I want to be running the show one day - be Managing Director - and I'm starting off here with getting all the operational experience of how a business is run. I'm the only one responsible for co-ordinating with our accountants, our lawyers, our bank ... I'm learning on the job how to run a business and manage an office, and while I'm stressed out and busy all the time, I'm absolutely loving it.

Beth, you should so quit. Can't the cute puppy win some ultra-fancy dog show or something?

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2000

I should stay at my job until I figure out what I want to do, and my top three choices were: 1. Chef, 2. Artist, 3. Author.

I thought the test was really simplistic, but some interestingly accurate results...: #3 author, #9 web designer (both things I do now); #5 mathematician (I minored in math and thought about doing this); and #13 FBI agent (but I'm retired now).

Joanne

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2000

I shouldn't quit my job. This answer feels right: Don't quit your job. Your situation may not be perfect, but it will do as well as any other until you figure out what it really is that you want.

The job selector didn't impress me much. Not enough questions. I like creativity AND being analytical, which I feel is part of both my former job (programmer) and current job (tech writer.) My top ten were: 1 Computer Game Programmer (ugh) 2 Saleman/Saleswoman (ugh) 3 Author (not really me) 4 Chef (ugh) 5 Chemist (ugh)

They also suggested Doctor, Engineer, FBI Agent (?!), Geneticist and Graphic Designer.

Graphic designer is the only one that has ever actually interested me.

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2000

Well, being unemployed I took that quiz based on school last semester, and apparently if that were my job I shouldn't quit. Good to know.

On the other, in order... Artist, Chef, Movie Star, Park Ranger (huh?), Rock Star, Teacher, Astronaut (again, huh?), Author, Graphic Designer, Inventor. Teacher is my "Oh, god no, I'm going to end up doing that, aren't I?" job. Writing, acting, and art are high on the list of "things I would like to do" list. Musician would be there if I could play an instrument.

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2000

Well, the Kiss my ass quiz told me what I already know: that I shouldn't bother quitting, because I don't have anything better to do at the moment. ;)

The job selector had a few surprises in store, however. I thought there should have been a few more questions, but I got:

#1 Artist, #2 Author, #3 FBI Agent.

(FBI Agent?!?)

Number 19 was "Salesperson", which is a total joke; I couldn't sell a starving millionaire a sandwich on sale for half-price.

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2000

I didn't take the freckled ass quiz (hee!) because I don't have an actual job, but I took the other one. I thought as I clicked "submit" - no way! Six questions? Whatever...but the top three were Artist, Author, Graphic Designer...my top three. Spooooky.

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2000

This is so very wrong. I hate my job. I write at great length about my deep hatred of corporate culture and dress codes and productization and ramping up and the fact that if just one more person asks me if I "have the bandwidth" to "drive this project to completion" I'll have to beat them to death with copies of their stock option certificates.

But the quizzy thing tells me "Don't quit! You don't know what you want to do!" and I'm thinking "Lies! LIES!"

I know exactly what I want. I want independent wealth. I would be such a socially concious jetsetter. Really. I don't want my job. Sniffle.

The career thing, though? On the money! Teacher (well, I'm thinking "Professor" has a nicer ring) chef or author. Word. I will teach people how to write about food, and make billions of dollars! Yes!

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2000

Artist Park Ranger Teacher Chef Movie Star Rock Star Astronaut Author Chemist Graphic Designer

Considered all of these except ranger at one time or another.

My actual career -- Web Designer came in at #13. This dovetails exactly with my current inclination to chuck the tech out the window and go back to school for some more art and design credits and concentrate on the artsy side of things.

Donno where the should you quit test is. *grin* But I _know_ I should 'cos I'm getting too stressed.

-- Anonymous, August 11, 2000

(Very bottom of the entry for the 10th, Beth.)

I forgot to list my results:

1. Artist (except I put logic over creativity ... oh, whatever)
2. Park Ranger
3. Astronaut
4. Chef
5. Chemist
6. FBI Agent
7. Inventor
8. Mathematician
9. Movie Star
10. Politician

The artist part is dumb. But I'd like to be a park ranger or a chef!

-- Anonymous, August 11, 2000

Joanne: We got the exact same answers.

I don't even cook, but #2 and 3 are right on. Though oddly, my current job is #25.

-- Anonymous, August 11, 2000

The Job Selector told me I should be an Author. Easier said than done. Disgrunted writer, author manque--those are easy. I can cast the corn. Getting the chickens to peck at it is a different matter.

Kiss My Speckled Ass Goodbye told me I was "very" unhappy and should "probably" quit my job. I may submit an entry, a dream resignation letter, to Kate, this weekend (I'm writing this at work).

My job is how I subsidize the writing. If I sell a book for as much money as a technical writer makes, I quit. If I don't, I stay, and write after work and on the weekends.

You can make a fortune writing, James Michener said, but not a living. All I want to make is a technical writer's income. But I do need to make that.

Could I live on less? I do live on less, because periodically, I get laid off, and we eat up all the gains we've made, paying the mortgage, buying food, clothing, transportation to look for, then work at, another job.

I'm not unhappy at my present job. Compared to being out of work. My co-workers are decent people, I have an interim boss who's a big improvement over the last boss, and we're like casuals, pending the appointment of a new, permanent boss. The work is interesting, if a little repetitious, after doing it for 20 years. I maintain a certain level of professionalism for my own self-respect. Learn to use new tools. (So I can find another job, when sacked.)

I did quit the best job I ever had, because I couldn't convince them to let me work at the level I was capable of, couldn't get them to raise the corporate standard to my personal standard. An act of foolhardy idealism worthy of Don Quixote. Or of Prewitt quitting the Bugle Corps because they made Red head bugler.

In the letter of resignation I gave my manager, I said I loved the company, and hated to leave, but, "This job is too big a waste of my time."

A satisfaction that lived about as long as pissing in the bed to keep warm, or making whiskey out of your seed corn.

Now I just wait for the force management program (FMP) to derecruit (DR) me.

If I sold a book I'd be out of here like a striped-ass ape. Like Lottie's glass eye. Until then, there's nothing I can do as well that pays as much, so I do what I can get paid to do, and write for my own amazement. It beats turning writing into a job, and feeling about writing the way I feel about work.

I didn't arrive here by accident and I didn't arrive here without making what I thought were wise choices, informed decisions, at every point that led, inexorably, to where I am.

I made my bed. I'll lie in it.

-- Anonymous, August 11, 2000

I, the NYC lawyer, was advised to leave my job now and become an artist, a park ranger, or a teacher. They all sound great -- but the outcome would no doubt be different if the test included the question "Do you like to pay your rent and feed your family?" And, like Beth, "lawyer" came second to last on my list.

-- Anonymous, August 11, 2000

I, the PGH/former NYC lawyer on LOA was told to quit my job immediately, and lawyer ranked 20 on my list. I was also told that I should be an artist, and then an author. I am an author, but an artist? The hell? In what medium?

Oh yeah, I forgot, I do a mean colouring book!

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2000