When is a Job Just a Paycheck?

My whole reason for setting up this blog is pretty much down to this question, is my job just a pay cheque! For me the answer was yes, and every day that I travelled in to work a little bit more life was being sucked out of me and I began to exist rather than live. With commuting and time spent at work we spend so much of our life in and around work, shouldnt we take some form of pleasure from it? Does the perfect job exist out there for everyone, well in truth probably not. Every job comes with its benefits and detractions, but shouldnt we strive to try to find a more favourable balance? Attempt to gain some form of enjoyment from what we do, or who we help?

I know that life is not always that simple, with age comes responsiblity and commitments, mortgages and in many instances a clutch of children. So moving job or changing career is not so easy and not without risk. Then again isn't life one big risk? Hell if you live in a big city you take a risk everyday deciding when to cross the road. Besides doesn't being happy or not at work affect your home life, your relationships? Isn't a happier person at work a happier person at home?

Still reading? Well if you are then answer these few short yes or no questions and decide for yourself if you should be looking to make a few changes?

Job or Pay Cheque?

Come Sunday afternoon is your mind drawn to the thought/dread of work Monday morning?
When commuting to work does your face resemble that of a lady who has had too much Botox devoid of expression?
When someone asks you what you do, you answer in a sentence and change the subject quickly?
When at the office does there seem to be time dilation with minutes taking hours as you watch the clock?
Do you view sick days as extra holidays?
Is the highlight of your month checking your bank balance to see you have been paid?

If you find that your answer to the majority of these questions is yes, or you are reading this blog while at work then perhaps your job is not a career more a burden. Realising this is but the first step however don't go home and announce you have quit your job and be surprised to see your wife throw something sharp at your head before taking the car and the children!

Making a plan, before you announce to anyone that you want to change your job it is wise to have a few prepared answers to hand out to the insults and shouts of "are you crazy!" You may not exactly know what you want to do or can do but with the invention of the internet you could use a few google searches for something other than the sports results!

Education, education, education it isn't true that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, you just have to throw

a bigger stick so that with poor eyesight they can find it in the grass! While always being careful of what you sign up to there are now thousands of online courses that you can do depending on your ambitions and ability. You would be surprised at what you can do, although I advise caution when applying to study nuclear physics at home and ordering plutonium to your home address. The FBI I have heard don't tend to knock on your door before finding out how you're getting on with the practical side of your home study course! Seriously though a little bit of self-study can go along way!

They say that some of the greatest inventions were made by mistake or written on the back of napkins or cigarette packets. The vacuum was made by a janitor who eventually had someone else do his cleaning. The flushing toilet was invented by the unfortunately named Thomas Crapper, proving that not all ideas are full of ....... Yes you guessed it! Penicillin was created by mistake after the eminent scientist Sir Alexander Flemming didn't do his laboratory washing up and noticed some interesting fungus, the trick was he acted on it and never had another headache again when speaking to his bank manager! I am not saying that every idea is a good one, the solar-powered torch certainly wasn't a bright one but how do you know without at least trying. You don't need to reinvent the wheel just have an idea and have the courage to investigate it. Mark Zuckerberg had a little idea to make keeping in touch with his friends easier, now he can pretty much keep in touch with anyone around the world on his site Facebook!

So if I have made you think for a faction of a second or raised a nagging feeling then read on with my blog because I would be a hypocrite if I didn't take my own advice and find a job and career that pleases me and in time hopefully my bank manager. I am gradually trying to build my own business and act on the ideas I have so follow be and see how I get on. I would invite your comments and opinions, or even tell me if you have made that jump to something new successful or minor disaster, all views welcome!