The world’s “best” jobs
Sometimes we may look at others with envy and wish that we were in their shoes. We perceive that they have the best jobs in the world and we wish we could do that too. But sometimes things aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be.
I used to think that being a photographer was a glamorous job – and it certainly was a lot of fun – but there’s very little glamour in being in the darkroom at 3 am stressed out and rushing to meet print deadlines. Equally, you might think that staying in luxury hotels and writing reviews would be a cushy number, which is what I do on a part-time basis for someone else. But even that can be surprisingly hard work. You’re not there to chill out and relax, you’re there to meet people, eat things even when you’re not hungry, take photos, ask questions, try to remember not to miss anything and finally make a coherent report at the end of it. Don’t get me wrong, I love it and see it as a fantastic opportunity to try new things but, as I said, it can be hard work.
Dave used to work for the Foreign Office, and many perceive being a diplomat as a glamorous job in a James Bond sort of way. Ha! Try it for a few years and see if you still think so. As well as the official receptions where you get to meet some charming people such as Prince Charles and Lord Weatherill (former Speaker), you also have to put up with the numpties and the downright unpleasant people like Cherie Blair (urghh). And you also get to deal with the many idiots and dinosaurs who are your colleagues. They’re not all like that, of course, and we made many good friends during that time too.
How about being self-employed? That would be great, wouldn’t it? Especially if you can make a living online, you can do what you like, work the hours you choose, and work from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection. Even that has its downsides. You are never truly off work. Even holidays become sources and opportunities for new information, new contacts, and promoting yourself and your online business. You also have to deal with a never-ending stream of net nasties who try to piggy-back on your success or spoil your website with spam. A friend of mine runs an excellent website which has been brought to its knees by hackers – they want him to pay a lot of money to them to call off the attack. Why? Because he is successful and they want to benefit from his hard work.
For me, I suppose the “best” job in the world would be to be paid a fortune to write a monthly column in a glossy magazine or top newspaper. Then I could spend the rest of my time doing what I liked. And what do I like? I suppose I like taking photos, running websites, staying in posh hotels and writing about them, so I guess nothing much would change.
How about you? What do you think the “best” job in the world would be and why?
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