defeated by a ceviche
So, obviously, ordering a ceviche in a small town 250km from the sea is a bad idea. I knew that when i ordered it, but i didn't care, because i hadn't eaten anything all day due to feeling a bit weird and uncomfortable. I now think that perhaps i was suffering from heat exhaustion, and the fish just pushed me over the edge
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You know, the "uselessness of a job" is one of those things I've struggled with for a long time. Like, I want to get a job or start a business, but not one selling useless intangible "info products" to people over the internet, or pushing paper, or analyzing numerical data, or trying to interest people in shit they don't need, whether it's stupid videos or luxury goods or extraneous services. I have a background in childcare, but the economics of childcare are a complete joke and there's really no way to make them better in our current system. I could like, watch a neighbor's kid in my house for pocket money while my own child is at home, but I'd have to be licensed and insured and background checked and a lot of other things nobody has to bother with in order to become a parent in the first place. Anyway. This is something I think about a lot during this period of time when I don't *have* to work, and also having children who are going to need to develop marketable skills. I keep trying to impress on them that "influencer" or "youtuber" are not viable careers and they need a skill or a trade that is durable and transferable.
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Have you read about bullshit jobs? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullshit_Jobs Although i don't agree completely with the theory, i do think that there are a lot of layers of management and bureaucracy that clearly doesn't need to be there for a functioning community, especially when you look at small and poor but otherwise thriving communities where they don't exist.
I think the most broadly useful jobs that also pay well are the trades. Plumbing in particular - nobody anywhere wants to live without running water or flushing toilets. Electric skills are also universally useful, especially in societies where people have become accustomed to owning stuff like washing machines, refrigerators and other power-hungry devices. (In poorer countries, solar power and batteries is enough for phones, laptops, small LED lamps etc.) Mechanics exist in almost every village all over the world, but i suspect that their career is going to change quite a lot over the next few decades as we switch to electric vehicles, so it might not be as future-proof. Actually, that might push electrician further up the list. Maybe welding is a good one? Then you can fix bikes and farm machinery and signs and girders and whatever other stuff people need that's made out of metal.
I had a friend who worked construction and was earning a six figure salary, so that's a pretty sweet deal too, but construction ruins your body a lot faster than the less heavy trades.
It's weird that you have to be licensed to do babysitting. I get the reasoning if you're hiring random people who you don't know who they are, but you'd think if you're just getting a few bucks from a friend or neighbor it shouldn't be necessary. I guess if you didn't earn enough to declare it for tax purposes you could get away with it.
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Childcare regs vary by US state, and I'm currently in one of the more draconian ones. The ostensible reason is to protect children from death or injury by "unqualified" providers, but death rates have not dropped at all since implementing the regs, but there are a lot more bureaucrats that have been hired to enforce compliance. Meanwhile, in immigrant and poor communities, there are still women watching 20 or so kids completely under the table, and nobody is the wiser until a house burns down. But my neighbor who is watching a friend's kids 3 days a week is technically breaking the law, though it's doubtful that she'll get reported.
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