Blogocentric Formulations

Top 10: Other People's Jobs

I currently work in the entertainment industry, and making movies and television is pretty much my dream job. Over the years, though, I've often wondered what it would be like to have a different career. This is a list of jobs that I'd be most interested in doing if I couldn't work on movies and television. I'm not counting "full time author" because, duh, that one's kind of a no-brainer.

         1. Venture capitalist / entrepreneur
         2. Chief of Staff for someone in government
         3. Teacher (high school history, probably)
         4. Managing Director of a nonprofit or charity
         5. Trial attorney (prosecutor or civil rights advocate)
         6. Chef
         7. General Contractor
         8. Investigative journalist
         9. Police officer or Firefighter
         10. Architect

This is one of those topics where I actually learned a little something about myself in the process! Considering that fully half of my choices are in the public sector and another two are ones that I would most likely veer toward the public good (my interests in investigative journalism and venture capitalism would both be firmly grounded in opportunities to make the world a better place), I've apparently developed a desire to work for causes greater than the success of a single company or project.

Still two more are ones related to some kind of demonstrable skill that would come in handy in every day life. How awesome would it be to be able to cook gourmet meals anytime you wanted? Hell, I'd settle for even knowing what to do with half the spices in my spice rack... And I think it would be supremely satisfying to be able to work outside and build things with your hands as a contractor. Assembling houses from the ground up? Being able to remodel your own kitchen? Carrying around a tool belt and actually knowing how to use all of the implements in it?

The only job on this list that's even remotely like my own is an architect, and that's mostly because I think it would cool to design the buildings that people live, work, and entertain themselves in. Plus the best architectural accomplishments are a feat of creativity as much as engineering, which really appeals to me. That combination of art and practicality is also what draws me to the entertainment industry.

I wonder if this list is a bit of a reaction to the fact that I've had an office job for nearly fifteen years and, although I love what I do, it's been fifteen years of working in office buildings under bad fluorescent lighting, in many cases for the primary purpose of chasing profits for the higher ups. Maybe this is my subconscious telling me that I need to aim a little higher.