A Hand in the Bush is Worth Two on My Bird
Almost a year ago, I found myself out of work. I'd left my rock solid job at an extremely stable company for a development job in a different language for a much less stable company. The new job was in an area in which I had always wanted to work and had a promise of much greater rewards–both emotionally and to a lesser extent financially. It was a very calculated risk. My wife and I went through as many of the possible scenarios as we could think of and determined that none of them would be catastrophic. Unfortunately, I got "laid off" after two months at the new job. I put that in quotes because I think I was actually a casualty of an internal power struggle between the owners/founders of the company. It wouldn't have mattered though, because the victors in the struggle wound up running the company into the ground anyway.
Luckily, my wife and I had enough savings to not have to worry too much about the next opportunity. I didn't start looking for a job immediately because I was waiting to see what happened with one of the deposed owners. He had the intention of starting up a new company and communicated the fact that he would like for me to come along. I stuck around for a while and then eventually thought it would be prudent to at least get a contract position to stop the bleeding of cash. No sense in spending my entire life savings waiting around. Eventually my contract position turned into a permanent position and I was once again back in the realm of (relatively) stable employment.
During the period of time that I was enjoying my unemployment and giving the opportunity at a possible new company a chance to develop, most of the people I know couldn't understand my apparent lack of initiative in finding another job. The problem was that I wasn't even looking for another job. I was pretty confident that I could find employment again in some form when push came to shove. Of course, if I had it to do over again, I probably would have tried to land the contract position immediately–a bird in the hand and all that. However, unemployment was pretty enjoyable to me. It gave me the chance to recharge my batteries and change my perspective on a few things.
But, the whole point of this post is to talk about my dad's reaction to my cavalier attitude about unemployment. My dad was born in the 1930's and grew up in a much different world than I did. Things were often a lot harder in his day than they are in mine. As a result, any time he discusses job related issues with me he often tries to apply his life experience to my situation. It doesn't always work. Case in point, he has an obsession with me digging ditches.
Dad: Well, if you needed to put food on the table, you may need to dig ditches for a living. But you're probably too good for that, huh?
Me: I think they have machines to do that now.
Dad: If I had to, I'd march right in there and tell them, give me a shovel and $0.25 a day and I'll dig that damn ditch for you.
Me: Well, I think I could find something at a much higher pay rate. Oh…you're speaking metaphorically. "Digging ditches" refers to any job I should take in order to make ends meet but that pays less than my desired salary and may also be a job that I would consider beneath my station in life?
Dad: I mean you need to get a goddamn shovel and dig ditches for a living. I had to work two jobs for years.
Me: Oh. I assume you worked two jobs to give your kids a better life and now I've got a better life. You really shouldn't be bitter or resentful that I've got it "so good" because that's the reason for which you were working so hard. Wasn't it?
Dad: Goddamn kids.
We usually have that conversation once or twice a year. His "second job" was his own business that he started and eventually sold for a pretty good profit so he could retire 10 years ahead of schedule. And no, it wasn't a ditch digging business.
Whether it's what he intends or not, to me each time we have the conversation it's all about waking up one day and realizing your life is over. It's about being upset that you didn't do what you wanted to do with the time you had. You settle into the routine of life. Get up, go to work, come home, go to bed, repeat. Your new goals are to make ends meet, maybe retire early so you can enjoy life. Your goals become primarily financial while the things you really want to do become dreams. Goals are something you work toward. Dreams you just impotently wish for. If you're ever going to be happy, you need to turn your dreams into goals and take some chances on making them happen. That's the real reason I took that job.
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