Miss Moneybags
So, I got my masters in museum studies, right? A field that is challenging, competitive, and notoriously underpaid. A field for which you kind of need a related masters degree to get a full-time position at all. That's why I did what I did for the past two years. Well....
About five weeks ago I started work at a very successful, privately owned company that specializes in the sale and distribution of useful objects. I work in a warehouse filling orders and sending them via conveyor belt to be packed up and shipped to customers in the region. I'm not going to get specific about my job or what company due to some paperwork I signed, but suffice to say that it is a large company, and I am at the lowest level of responsibility, and it has little to do with my educational background. But I really like it so far. I like that it keeps me moving and walking and thinking all day long, and at the end of the day there is no expectation that I will be doing work or even thinking about until the next morning I come it. I like that although there are issues like with any workplace, they have a lot of basic things down really really well. Like the hiring process and training. I like that they are also constantly trying to experiment with new and better ways of doing things, not because they are desperate, but because they just feel like they could improve.
But also I like being well-compensated for my work, not only through pay but through benefits and just a general attitude of respect (some coworkers may disagree with that last one, but so far I'm wowed). And the compensation is very, very good. (Because expectations are very, very high. Even at the lowest level.) During high school and college I treated money or the concept of wealth with suspicion, because I was surrounded by people with what I thought was too much money, and they were usually assholes, or at least unaware of their privilege. Not understanding that I too had been very lucky and comfortable for most of my life. (My parents refused to answer my questions on how much the family made, and they never talked about their looming debt until they divorced, so it's kind of their bad too) Over time, I began to realize that people who say money doesn't bring happiness have never been poor. Part-time work and temporary work are stressful. Even it you can rent cheaply, eat cheaply, and get a steady supply of hours (I never could), any minor disaster can completely stretch or overwhelm your resources, and you spend months paying off one car repair. You have to ask relatives or friends for money, or just plain go into debt or make sacrifices. You can't really go on trips without likewise paying for them long term or hoping nothing bad happens. And if you get sick, you have to count on it either not being serious or rely on the charity of health organizations to cover costs (I've done the paperwork. If your job situation is as crazy as mine has been lately, it is almost impossible). And I assume if you have kids it's ten times worse. I still believe that it's possible to earn more money than you need, or to reach a point where more money doesn't mean a whole lot compared to other factors. That's maslow's hierarchy of needs. But wow, can not having money ever make you unhappy.
Anyway the point of that wandering paragraph is this: for the first time in my adult life, I am making enough money. I can live somewhere, and pay off student loans, and save a little money each month, and get some medical problems treated, and still have a buffer for other things, including fun! And it is amazing. Between that and having weekends off every weekend, I have been over the moon. I'm still discovering all the sources of stress that don't matter as much any more. It's really nice, and feels kind of crazy and weird. So, I'm not using my degree, but it helped me get a stable job and a much more secure financial position than I was planning. I'm okay with that for the time being.
About five weeks ago I started work at a very successful, privately owned company that specializes in the sale and distribution of useful objects. I work in a warehouse filling orders and sending them via conveyor belt to be packed up and shipped to customers in the region. I'm not going to get specific about my job or what company due to some paperwork I signed, but suffice to say that it is a large company, and I am at the lowest level of responsibility, and it has little to do with my educational background. But I really like it so far. I like that it keeps me moving and walking and thinking all day long, and at the end of the day there is no expectation that I will be doing work or even thinking about until the next morning I come it. I like that although there are issues like with any workplace, they have a lot of basic things down really really well. Like the hiring process and training. I like that they are also constantly trying to experiment with new and better ways of doing things, not because they are desperate, but because they just feel like they could improve.
But also I like being well-compensated for my work, not only through pay but through benefits and just a general attitude of respect (some coworkers may disagree with that last one, but so far I'm wowed). And the compensation is very, very good. (Because expectations are very, very high. Even at the lowest level.) During high school and college I treated money or the concept of wealth with suspicion, because I was surrounded by people with what I thought was too much money, and they were usually assholes, or at least unaware of their privilege. Not understanding that I too had been very lucky and comfortable for most of my life. (My parents refused to answer my questions on how much the family made, and they never talked about their looming debt until they divorced, so it's kind of their bad too) Over time, I began to realize that people who say money doesn't bring happiness have never been poor. Part-time work and temporary work are stressful. Even it you can rent cheaply, eat cheaply, and get a steady supply of hours (I never could), any minor disaster can completely stretch or overwhelm your resources, and you spend months paying off one car repair. You have to ask relatives or friends for money, or just plain go into debt or make sacrifices. You can't really go on trips without likewise paying for them long term or hoping nothing bad happens. And if you get sick, you have to count on it either not being serious or rely on the charity of health organizations to cover costs (I've done the paperwork. If your job situation is as crazy as mine has been lately, it is almost impossible). And I assume if you have kids it's ten times worse. I still believe that it's possible to earn more money than you need, or to reach a point where more money doesn't mean a whole lot compared to other factors. That's maslow's hierarchy of needs. But wow, can not having money ever make you unhappy.
Anyway the point of that wandering paragraph is this: for the first time in my adult life, I am making enough money. I can live somewhere, and pay off student loans, and save a little money each month, and get some medical problems treated, and still have a buffer for other things, including fun! And it is amazing. Between that and having weekends off every weekend, I have been over the moon. I'm still discovering all the sources of stress that don't matter as much any more. It's really nice, and feels kind of crazy and weird. So, I'm not using my degree, but it helped me get a stable job and a much more secure financial position than I was planning. I'm okay with that for the time being.