101 professions for a self-sufficientish, thinking person

[Jobi1canobi]

I work as a Regional Manager for a Business Support Agency.

I feel like I have a split personality as my job seems to rub up against everything that I hold dear.

As a regional manager - I have to travel around the East Midlands frequently...in my car (I rarely use the car otherwise). As a business support agency, I feel like I'm helping to maintain a consumerist society.

Having said that, I do get the opportunity to work from home as I'm classed as a 'remote worker'. I guess this offsets the travelling around the region a little bit.

Ultimately, it's got to be said that I would prefer to use the skills and knowledge I have to do something entirely more satisfying in terms of my principles however, I'm enjoying it, it pays well and I'm saving up so that I have a sizeable cushion (just in case) for when I do embark on SSish to the max!

[Rod in Japan]

I'm a freelance technical translator.

I have solar panels on my house for electricity and I've ordered a pedal-powered generator so that I can exercise while I work and charge a battery for my electric weed-whacker and other things. I can adjust my clothing according to the seasons - nearly naked in the summer, and in the winter bundled up in all sort of rags and bindings and head coverings. When I answer the phone, I try not to let on what I look like. And generally the only prick that I have to work with is myself. This is good, because I haven't tended to get on very well with managerial-type people in my career as somebody's employee. It's nice to be able to have lunch with the wife, and dinner with the family every day. We get good eats at home.

A lot of my work these days is environment-related, although most of it is a species of green-washing I suppose. Some of it has reasonable social validity though.

I never wanted to be a freelance technical translator, I just fell into it. I really wanted to work in forestry, but I allowed myself to be steered away from that by parental concern at the educational phase. But as it turns out, I think my job and pastimes are actually pretty good from an ish point of view. The situation in the past has certainly been a lot worse. I hope our son follows what he wants to do rather than what we think he ought to do.

For somebody who needs some ideas about ish things to do with their life, I highly recommend "You Can Farm" by Joel Salatin. I find it a constant source of inspiration. There are certainly many many hints in there for somebody who has the freedom to try something new.

[red]

I am full time mum and home educator to a child with learning difficulties. I also work part time (what full time plus part time - yup i end up working in the evenings) as a book keeper, keeping the accounts and preparing the payroll for a small company, which I do from home, choosing my own times. Ideal, I can do more when its a busy time of year and less when quieter.. sort of a 'so long as the job is done' kind of job.
Its great as it puts me at home, so we are able to keep livestock as I am here to keep an eye.

I don't know that its so bad if you dont have a 'self sufficientish, thinking person's profession', we all have to get by, and there can't be enough to go around. Probably a far bigger deal how you spend your hard earned income.

[jampot]

great thread..

i work in a small factory using a big noisy machine to embroider logos on uniforms aaaaaaalllllll the damn day long
but this autumn i will be returning to college to eventually become a social worker (hoping to focus on children with disabilities

[red]

good for you jampot!

[the.fee.fairy]

I work for the world's largest export company. They are also an airline.
I don't like it very much. The people i work with are great, but the office is 'air conditioned' and there's a lack of oxygen in the air. I also need my eyes testing again for the second time this year...i'm sure they've deteriorated...

To help myself i always make my own lunch, i never buy it out of the machines. i split my half hour break into 2 fifteen minute breaks and get outside (admittedly...to the smoking hut...but its outside). Sadly there is a lack of fresh air about because it is on an airport. I also have a plant on my desk. I did have 2, but Heinrich the Herbaceous Border prefers it by the window, and so do Othello and Ophelia the Orange trees, so they live there.

My office is not a healthy place at all, there's no fresh air, the air conditioning is either on hot or cold (i opften work with my hood up because the draught goes straight down my neck), we use old computers and CRT monitors (hency my eyesight gettgin worse...).

Still...only 12 days til i hand my notice in!

Then i'm going to finish my training to be a body piercer, somthing that i've wanted to do since i startd the training in Uni. Then i'm going to get a mundane job that pays enough fo six months or so, then i'm off to China to teach english for six months at least. I visited China a few years ago and fell in love with it! Afte that, it'll be more mundane work to save up before i open my studio.

[Berti]

cool plans, feefairy, GO for it!!!

oh and I myself.......have no job, am a stay at home mom so that sounds perfect right?
I am hunting after a job though......keep your fingers crossed, because.........if I get the (volunteering) job, I will.........
work at a former abdy/ trappist cloister.
now there the Emmaus moved in last year and besides their secondhand shop, they have BIG plans to.........
set up the kind of farm where disabled people can visit/ stay, and BECOME SELFSUFFICIENT.

so far, they have got pigs, a horse and are looking to take bees if someone quits, have veggies and fruits and eggs. and there is a lot of restoration work to do.
the central heating is not working, looking for 50000 euros to get that fixed, etc.
I hope they will "hire" me, I would be PROUD to contribute to such a project although I am as unexperienced as they come but have a knack getting along with people with "problems" be it disabilities or be it that it was "just" life that did things to them.
but I have quite some talents that would do well there too!

*dreamjob* so I will dream on and see if they respond on my email.
berti

[jim]

Dear Berti,

What are the Emaus?

Love and Peace

Jim

[MikeM]

I'm currently retraining as a forester/countryside warden.

[Berti]

emmaus, see this link about international emmaus in english.
http://emmaus-international.org/index.php?lang=english

hope this helps
cheers
berti

[happy place]

quite a varied bunch aint we
me i'm a fireman (no its not realy that exciting or glamorus)but the aim is to buy our own land and become as self-sufficient as poss you know own food off grid.
so heres to the dream
as for dealing with toxic airs/people get out in the fresh air and look at the trees
if world really gets to much climb mountain stand on top and p*^s in the wind

[kathleen]

I used to be a primary school teacher until earlier this year - it burned me out completely!! Went on stress leave, and whilst finding my balance again I decided to start my own music teaching studio and it's the best thing I ever did! Was terrifying to walk away from a government salary & go out on my own, but it's all worked out well. I work from home, wonderful kids come out each week with their guitars & leave with the biggest smiles on their faces. I spent this week (school holidays) singing & dancing in my lounge, writing funny songs about my cat, and putting together a mini guitar orchestra. Because I'm here all the time I don't have to argue with anyone about chemicals or rubbish, and the kids find it totally fascinating that we don't have a rubbish bin! Hopefully they think it's so interesting they tell their parents how cool it is . My husband is a winemaker, working for a biodynamic winery two minutes up the road - we live on one of the vineyards and it's absolutely gorgeous (and no chemicals to deal with! Gotta love biodynamic farming) ! Life's good.

On the way to living a more 'ish' life!!

[poppyfairy]

I am a primary school teacher and I don't like it much. Tried to get out of it many times over the years but always ended up in jobs where I was betraying my eco principles or just didn't fit in. The worst one was working on a reception desk where on the first day I was told to be careful who I let in as 'we often get protesters because of the scientific research we do and the products we make' Well immediately I wanted to be joining them not the company! So far on my jaunts out of teaching I have only managed to land admin jobs in the coal industry, plastics and chemicals and finance and brokering. My problem is I have no idea what it is I want to do and I have always had rent to pay etc etc so have had to take what is available. Surely there are admin or project jobs in eco-friendly industries but so far I have not found any.

[QuizMaster]

I'm a computer programmer. Sometimes I design websites on the side.

[ina]

Surely there are admin or project jobs in eco-friendly industries but so far I have not found any.

Tried these sites?

http://www.environmentjob.co.uk/?gclid= ... 1Qodsm91ng
http://www.countryside-jobs.com/cjsdailyonline/main.htm