[roccman]

Just curious...

[patience]

I have a job because I made one for myself. The one I used to have depended on the auto industry, so in '03 I started a small business.

[vision-master]

mi, maintenance technician 25 years or so.........

Last year was 2003.

[smallpoxgirl]

*A* job? How bout how many jobs do you have? I've got two, have an application in for a third and probably should be hunting for at least one more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpu5_3qk4KM

[Jotapay]

I work at a $9 billion dollar technology manufacturing facility. The parts go into hard drives and phones and such. We'll see how long it holds out. They have a huge investment in the place. But I have no doubt that they would shutter it if/when corporations have to contract due to the credit crisis.

[Cashmere]

I think of all the money I squandered living the consumer lifestyle for all those years and I am ashamed of myself. If I had know then what I know now I would be rich and retired right now.

This is a feeling I have had and I'm sure many have had.

But I don't feel shame.

I worked with the information that I had. What can be said?

If you do the best with the information you have, then you should be complimented.

[Heineken]

Now that I'm "retired" I work harder than ever, and I don't even get paid for it.

[Ludi]

No. I'm self-employed, so I don't have a "job" per se. We have one client currently, and nothing waiting in the wings. So I may be "unemployed" in a couple of weeks. But who knows, always in motion is the show-biz.

[DomusAlbion]

Retired from 35 years in software development.

Now working harder than I ever have.

[Jotapay]

Well that partially explains the outbursts of rage and the scatter brain illogic that speweth forth with old faithful regularity

How about one good job instead huh?
Workaholicism is a disease IMHO but hey, I ain't no "learned" doctor er nothin' hmmmmmm...

Bring them FN mexicans and lil' china men on!!!
Open up those borders and let it all hang out...
Kilo loads of plastic to trade for pumpkin seeds....

Oops sorry, little self aggrandizement there and not so much for exaggeration but the enhancement of content

There is a Greyhound bus somewhere without its self-proclaimed prophet preaching from the rear, and it wants you back.

[Gerben]

I have a job as a consultant. I work part-time like about half the people in the Netherlands. I make enough money to be debt-free and have a nice savings account. I don't buy stuff I don't really need.

[Auntie_Cipation]

I have three or four jobs, depending on how you count them: two regular ol' part-time jobs (one for the county, one for a federal agency -- that one's just for the summer) plus a freelance business. The freelance business has one regular client plus sporadic other jobs.

Until about four years ago, I had a fulltime career with the same government agency mentioned above. Excellent salary, benefits, relative job security, etc. I quit because I didn't like the politics and bureaucracy, and I had an opportunity to go live on an off-grid homestead instead.

Once settled into the homestead, I decided I wanted/needed a *little* paid work, but I wanted to keep it as low as I could, both to reduce my work hours, and to minimize my personal participation in both ends (not just as a consumer, but as a 'producer' as well) of the unsustainable growth economy. One by one the part-time jobs fell into my lap, and now I have more work than I want.

The key to making this work, IMHO, is to have low expectations. Most of my jobs pay me hardly more than $10/hour. Now, I've made several times that much in other jobs in the past; I know that's not my personal worth as an employee. I don't feel the need to be personally insulted about receiving that wage -- it's just what's available here. I also have made sure that my lifestyle doesn't require more money than that -- ie I don't spend money I don't have.

[Jotapay]

Wow, I can't believe 24% of the people who responded are unemployed.

[Byron100]

Wow, I can't believe 24% of the people who responded are unemployed.

I'm not surprised, not in the least.

Actually, as it stands now, 70% of respondents have indicated they have a job, which is higher than the percentage of adults between the ages of 18 and 65 in the US, which is somewhere in the mid-60's. This means, on average, approx 1/3 of working-age adults do not have a job. This could be by choice, or because they're looking for a job, or they're disabled, or they could be your typical stay-at-home mom (or father, in some cases).

Not everyone needs to work, nor should they.

[Daniel_Plainview]

Self-employed consultant. A good chunk of my business is cheap-energy dependent, so I'm preparing for the worst.

[midnight-gamer]

I have a part time job while I do some college catch up. I can afford to live with a small income because I stashed money away over the last 12 years.

[americandream]

I'm a retail day trader...deal in forex. When I tweaked onto the "employment" scam as a marxist (ie, having to gratefully slave away for my bosses high lifestyle. I decided to catch some of that lifestyle without believing the hard sell. I love the freedom I have to tell the world to go get fcukked. I live simply, look like a pauper and don't mix with the Joneses.)

[idiom]

I have started two companines so far and closed out both profitably.

I am between jobs and slumming it in my parents house

But its okay, they owe me. I fixed up their second Alt-A mortgage house (in Australia of all places) and got it sold for $40K more than they paid for it. They are returning that equity to the house I am in right now, and whatever is left is on a fixed rate.

If I can't get the capital to start the company I want to, then I will have to get a day job for a year or so.

[skippyreef]

I am a Registered Nurse so thankfully there are planty of jobs in my area and I have two