ratbastid

Kissing hands? Shaking babies? I CAN DO THAT!!

And nobody'll mind that I go to Kennebunkport or my Texas ranch for months at a time?

ratbastid

Yeaaaah, I suppose I could do that. I've got some good friends who are realtors. Actually, I know one of the top realtors in the state.

Thing is, I know a lot of people who have bailed out of real estate. I think it's a pretty cutthroat business, at least around here.

That and CPA are things to think about, for sure. Y'all better hurry, though! I'm going to start calling to set up job interviews on Monday. I need some great idea from you, or else 9-to-5 ball-and-chain, here I come!

Charlatan

Consulting... It will take a lot of hussle to get the business but you can parlay that into a lot of cash and some down time.

The hardest part of consulting is that you are constantly looking for work.

...so maybe not.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Charlatan

ooooo AMWAY.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

thingstodo

Good luck!

But seriously, the is a great book our called Now, Discover Your Strengths. It includes an on-line test that really helps you understand the top five things/talents you have a natural, although possibly undeveloped talent for.

__________________
If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves.

Stangers have the best candy.

mystmarimatt

You could become a bum and just panhandle. Can you play any instruments, or do any stupid human tricks?

Apparently, some panhandlers do quite well for themselves.

__________________
Words of Wisdom:

If you could really get to know someone and know that they weren't lying to you, then you would know the world was real. Because you could agree on things, you could compare notes. That must be why people get married or make Art. So they'll be able to really know something and not go insane.

sillygirl

Massage Therapist. If you're any good, and have the stamina and desire to push a clientele base, you can be rollin' in some green.

__________________

Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly-Rose Franken
....absence makes me miss him more...

BonesCPA

That gets you some small green. But to get the large green you are looking at 70-80 hour/7 day weeks. Of course, you do need to have some availability during the "offseason" because unless you are doing H&R Block type returns, your clients will have questions throughout the year. (Of course if you are doing them, you can get away with 50-60 hours and just work Lurkette harder the rest of the year.)

Of course I'll give you the advice I give all clients/friends that are looking for a change in profession: You will always be able to find work if you can remember these six words:"Do you want fries with that?"

__________________
Back into hibernation.

sprocket

Yes, im currently in training to be a massage therapist. Was previously working in the computer idustry (QA engineer, web development stuff).

It would be difficult to be able to pull off that salary in a 3-4 month time frame, but certainly possible. And this is one job that definately doesnt feel like work. On top of it, your clients will love you to death. I'm sure Lurkette wouldn't mind having a trained therapist as a husband either..

You can pull off that salary working only part of the year if you work on a cruise ship, or a seasonal resort. The cruise ship idea would leave Lurkette a lonely woman for a few months out of the year, so I'm sure that wouldnt be an option for you. But if there are any resorts near you, or someplace your willing to move together, that is definately worth checking out.

__________________
Remember, wherever you go... there you are.

sexymama

Believe me, there is nothing boring about teaching. After 18 years in the field, like me, you could make $50,000 a year -- have summers, spring break, and winter break off as well as all the major and minor holidays. It can be emotionally rewarding too, if you are willing to hang in there.

Of course, you'll start out in debt from getting an education, working way more than 40 hours a week, having to get a masters, taking summer courses, and only earning $23,000 a year. And everyone will think you are unimportant so you will feel under appreciated.

__________________
If you can go deeply into lovemaking, the ego disappears. That is the beauty of lovemaking, that it is another source of a glimpse of god

It's not about being perfect; it's about developing some skill at managing imperfection.

djtestudo

I know...I was joking. I said it because you get the summer off.

__________________
"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

mystmarimatt

I'd be stoked if ratbastid became my teacher, he's a cool guy.

__________________
Words of Wisdom:

If you could really get to know someone and know that they weren't lying to you, then you would know the world was real. Because you could agree on things, you could compare notes. That must be why people get married or make Art. So they'll be able to really know something and not go insane.

sillygirl

Trust me... it becomes work. You may love it forever, but it will still be work. It's very physically straining at times, depending on the type of massage you do, and in most states it requires at least yearly classes to keep your certificate/license. It takes a lot of time, energy, and stamina. And you have to do things to keep it interesting.

And Lurkette, if he does this, don't set your hopes too high for nightly massages (that is, unless you've got 'im trained REALLY well ) It may be that way for a while, but pretty soon, he'll be the one begging for massage!

Quote:

You can pull off that salary working only part of the year if you work on a cruise ship, or a seasonal resort. The cruise ship idea would leave Lurkette a lonely woman for a few months out of the year, so I'm sure that wouldnt be an option for you. But if there are any resorts near you, or someplace your willing to move together, that is definately worth checking out.

If you want to work at a resort or on a cruise ship, don't get your heart set on it unless you've done your research. It isn't always what it's cracked up to be, or what they've told you in school. Some cruise ships are shit to work for, they treat you like crap, their massage rooms aren't big enough to walk around the table comfortably, and they just kinda crank the people outta there, because the more massages you do, the more money you make. In a setting like that, some values of the massage are lost. Also, some resorts will work you to the bone doing things other than massage, or they'll expect you to work on commission, but still sit on your ass for hours if there isn't anything scheduled.

I love massage. I do it because I love it. I love helping people, I love healing naturally. Massage is a very rewarding career choice, if you put your life into it. You HAVE to love what you're doing. I'm not by any means trying to discourage anyone from it. If you love to help others, and you have the physical/emotional/mental stamina, you'll be awesome.

kulrblind

You could get into the oil rigs... offshore would be better money than onshore, but much more dangerous.

Real estate's not a bad gig, but you can't really take off for months at a time when you have clients depending on you.

VitaminH

And what I ask is the matter with people who work at wal mart???





/Wal-Mart Pharmacy Intern

__________________
"Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

ratbastid

All the negatives aside, it's actually something I've given a little thought to. My state is experiencing a teacher shortage, and there's a program to get teachers in front of classrooms without their needing a teaching certificate, and have them complete their certification later.

I could teach High School computers. That'd be great. Or music. Or, I suppose, English (I only have a BA in English Lit, after all)....

sillygirl

You'd be an awesome English teacher, Ratbastid!!

__________________

Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly-Rose Franken
....absence makes me miss him more...

a2k

Check out Dungaree Dan's Contract Employee's Handbook. It's got some interesting strategies for making a good living as a contractor/consultant, if that's your bag of tricks.

There are tons of internal corporate web projects that need people to come in and lead them temporarily, where you can still charge $100+/hour. That's how I've paid the bills for the past two years with plenty of time to travel.

paddyjoe

yellowgowild

Seriously, if you want that kind of life then you could become a pharmacist, but the schooling takes a long time and alot of money.

Some of my friends started earning 55k right out of college and only had to work 3 or four days a week.

Jam

porn star... working would be fun

a2k

So ratbastid, wanna fill us in on how it's going?

ratbastid

Sure!

This morning I'm headed to the office of the NC Secretary of State to file my new company's Articles of Incorporation. I'm going to be a freelance and subcontract web developer and consultant.

Here's the thing about that: I'm trading months of free time for basically being the master of my time on a day-by-day basis. Working for myself, if I want to take an afternoon off, I can take an afternoon off.

I'm actually a lot more excited about running my own business than I am about the particular work. It just happens to be something I have a lot of experience in, but as far as I'm concerned it may as well be pipe fittings--it's the running of the business that has me interested right now.

tfin

I was going to sugest dealing cards at a casino. Dependig on where you live dealers can make a crap load.

That or make meth. Or you could skip the making of drugs and just become a drug king pin.

__________________
Did I mention that I can't spell or type?
Oh yeah, check out my car
www.cardomain.com/member_pages/view_page.pl?page_id=275916

a2k

Cool! Besides the Dungaree Dan link I provided above, you might find the book "Managing the Professional Service Firm" by David Maister interesting, especially if you are interested in the managing and running side of a services business. It is the bible of professional services firms and is a great short-cut to the longer and MUCH more painful "figure it out as you go along" route (I'm speaking from experience here).

Anyway, good luck.

hyperrust

i don't know much about it, but i've talked to some traveling nurses who make a ton of money in a few months, and then take the rest of the year off. i think some of them can even take their families with them. of course, this involves nursing school, but an associates degree in nursing only takes 2-3 years.

ratbastid

Thanks! I'll add Maister to the list, right after "The E-Myth". Any other recommendations for ratbastid's Reading List? Or is that another thread?

That Dungaree Dan site looked promising, but hard to navigate. I was never sure whether I was looking at the information, or what. THAT guy needs a web design firm!

ratbastid

Quick follow-up: "Managing the Professional Service Firm" is now winging its way to me from Amazon, thanks to a $50 gift certificate my brother gave me for Christmas that I forgot about completely. Isn't it great how things work out sometimes?

a2k

Stupid frames. Frames come in a close second to <blink>the blink tag</blink> as the worst HTML tag ever invented.

Anyway, I think this will take you to the correct framed version of Dungaree Dan's site with navigation.

And enjoy the book. It's a dry topic, but damn enlightening regardless.

Devilinmypants

As always i reccommend not selling drugs; in order to really sell enough to support yourself, you really end up having more people know about it than you'd like. Which bites major ass. Because growing and cultivating psilicybin is way easier and more fun than working. I'd go with mooching in a big city, you can make enough money to buy yourself happiness in exchange for your pride.

Charlatan

You know RB... and I don't mean this to be a downer... Working for yourself just means you never give up looking for a job.

You constantly need to be looking for new clients.

I don't know if I could handle that kind of stress... but more power to you man.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

a2k

It also means you can never be fired... With all of the lay-offs, outsourcing, etc. that's going on, I'm not sure I'd want to depend on anybody else for my job.

jujueye

What a great thread. Hahahaha.

OK, let's get down to it, buddy-boy. You need to reinvent yourself. You have:
- Management skills
- people skills (likely with the mgt skills)
- technical skills (hopefully you learned about what you managed)

I would suggest contract work. Software testing might be something you could tackle with your skills, and you could work a few single-month contracts then split.

As for reinventing yourself: how about managing some other kind of work? People mgt skills can go anywhere. Maybe the Seasonal aisle at Target would be fun (...okay, that's for lurkette because I am mesmerized by her avatar...) What I am saying is apply the skills you have to something you'd rather be doing. Take some time to think about it!

Unfortunately, the real money is in a regular day job. We all hate it. Don't forget to look for some of those, too. *sigh*