To those of you who are employed and those of us who are unemployed, may your work be full of joy.
Although I am out of work now, I look back on the past couple of years as the best years in my career. The pace was insane, the working space was unworkable (one structural biology lab spread over two buildings and three floors) and the atmosphere pretty stressful. And yet, I can’t remember when I had so much fun. I looked forward to going to work every day and was so wrapped up in it that I found myself still at my desk at 9pm, my hand clenched so hard around my mouse that I couldn’t flex my fingers. I never wanted it to end but sadly it did. My goal is to get back to that frantic pace and insanity because, weirdly enough, that’s where I think I function best. So, good luck to me.
Tell me about your best job and what made it so rewarding to you. And thank someone whose job it was to help you today, including your gas station attendant (if you live in NJ) or the waitress or the handyman who is going to help you hook up your dishwasher.
All work has dignity. All workers deserve respect.
Happy Labor Day!
Filed under: General | Tagged: career, dignity, job, Labor Day |
The Confluence 
Write a book, riverdaughter. This is your chance. You’re better than most who charge, so why do you give it away?
Agreed!!!!
My best job was as a release engineer. At my last company in the US they decided they needed to confide all the tasks involved in pushing new code into production to one person and they asked me to do it. I thoroughly enjoyed mastering a new area of operations, working across teams and providing a desperately-needed service. I turned weekly causes for panic into near non-events. They still speak of me there with faint nostalgia, I hear. I miss them so much.
I joined the FAA 25 years ago as an Air Traffic Controller. I joined the Union ( NATCA ) on the first day it was certified and am a gold card charter member. My facility was the first 100% facility in NATCA. I am still paying dues as an associate member even though I was promoted to management 5 years ago.
I love my job. I know it sounds quaint in this day and age but I believe I provide an important service to the public and am proud to do so. Nothing beats working through a heavy rush of traffic and knowing you are the one that made it all work and work safely and efficiently. And absolutely nothing beats having the supe hand you the phone so a pilot can thank you for saving him and his families lives due to action you took. I am nearing mandatory retirement soon and I don’t know what I’ll do, but I know i’ll miss controlling traffic.
According to Hoffa in today’s Detroit speech as he was warming up the crowd for O’s speech, union members are Obama’s “army.”
“President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. Let’s take these son of bitches out and give America back to an America where we belong,” Hoffa added.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/09/05/jimmy_hoffa_at_obama_event_on_gop_lets_take_these_son_of_bitches_out.html
Oh dear gawd.
That’s pretty funny since for 20 years, all unions have done is to give back gains brought with blood and help capitol strong arm the worker .
But I guess Hoffa was right…union bosses are an Obama army in the give back campaign.
If they do not over see worker give backs, union employees themselves will be pinked slipped. But .even when Walker was trying to get rid of the unions in WI , they were still telling their members to give up the strike, go back to work. They HAD given Walker everything he wanted with a whimper….the problem came when he wanted Union hide as well .
Just recently the Verizon worker’s union halted the strike exactly because it was working….
the governor in my own state,PA ,is wisely using the unions to do his dirty work…they are glad to help!
When you are only 11% strong it’s easy to be the 95lb weakling on the beach. If I got a nickle for every time I heard that “Unions were good back in …” bull exhaust I’d be upper middle-class. Every day 80% of the American workforce cuts their own throat and they been brain washed into supplying the straight razor.
Are you aware that not only does company based group insurance benefits keep you enslaved but is used to coerce you back to the bargaining table if you have the guts to go out on strike.
Why do you think the Big Three automakers hung Hillary out to dry after first going along with the Clinton health care plan?
With benefits not depending on employment the UAW could have stayed out on strike until they got a fair contract.
Which is even more interesting if you recall that Hoffa was W’s army before that. The sole union, enabling the media to say “unions” support W”
If I remember correctly the Teamsters supported Reagan at least the first time.
5 months in “The Music Man”, 8 or 9 performances a week…and singing in the piano bar afterwards.
Nice!
Arhhggggaaayyaasgggggghhhh! {{throws wrench}}. I have the whole shebang hooked up with the dishwasher. Discard tube connected to disposal, new intake hose installed on dishwasher, hole drilled in cabinet to accommodate both and just when I get to the part where I make the final connection to the hot water, I find that one of the fittings on the T splitter thingy is the wrong fricking size. Can’t exchange it. Must wait til morning. So, T had to be removed, faucet reconnected to hot water.
$h#%!
Measure twice buy once?
To celebrate getting the tight size will you throw a Tee party?
:-ppppppp