Well its nice if you can do that, in fact its wonderful if you can do that, but when you have children, or other dependents then there isn't the choice is there.
Four kids, and I am still beating myself up, I breast fed the lot of them,they had home cooked food, but it was MINCE, was all we could afford, so far no one has showed any signs of BSE. (Although two are vegetarian now.) (Bloody annoying when they come to visit.)
I am extremely fortunate that I am now retired, with a state pension, (ho ho) and a small works pension and partner ditto. No mortgage due to downsizing. Financially I have never been so well off in that bills are budgeted for, therefore paid, and apart from keeping a careful eye on the expenditure I can pretty well do what I want.
But it hasnt always been like that.
Since leaving school I have worked as local government clerical officer, barmaid in a Cornish Hotel,
Proof reader local newspaper, main error, " We sat and saw her stinking", instead of "We sat and saw her sinking.",
Trainee Consumer Protection Officer, Trading Standards, qualified as Consumer Protection Officer, (Diploma in Consumer Affairs = DCA, after my name, ) Senior Consumer Protection Officer, made redundant when the Tories took over, best case, "So,when you described this car as being in 'Mint Condition', you knew it had a hole through the middle?" I won the case, although gathering the evidence I had a pitchfork thrown at me.
Was redeployed rather than redundancy so became a Finance Clerical Officer, got pregnant, became Registered Childminder, got pregnant, set up and ran Playgroup, got pregnant, ran toddler group and playgroup, got pregnant, became a Market Researcher as well as toddler group and playgroup. I am getting tired just reading this again.
College,age 40, became fully qualified Nursery Nurse, NNEB after name, now DCA, NNEB. Along with legal qualification and child development qualification became Inspector of Childrens Day Care for Social Services, role now taken over by OFSTED.
I could not find any images of female inspectors, so ....what does that tell you on Womens Day.
Had 'burnout' one down from nervous breakdown, another story, retired on ill health, but stilll had to bring the pennies in, so -checkout operator at Morrisons,
and special needs teaching assistant with responsibility for three behaviourally challenged primary school age boys, one of which dragged me up a corridor by the hair; funding cut and despite my making vast improvements on all three, including the one who dragged me up the corridor, enough is enough - we moved to Scotland and we then set up and ran a bed and breakfast. Phew.
Then had to deal with people from all over the World, chilli with scrambled eggs (?) Mumbai, the USA's "Waal I have a wheat intolerance, " "How do you cut all that graaaass?" (USA,) Well actually its a field of Barley....
Now retired. And can now really enjoy what I do. Well, it never is that plain sailing is it.
But thats another story. A current one, and looking back on all that, well most of the time, I did enjoy it.
My goodness, how did I do all that, and why?
But I did. Enjoy life. Now what about you?
7 comments:
Mmm yes a somewhat familiar tale - various jobs (including both clerical officer and barmaid!) Culminating in a return to education when youngest of four children was 2. (I was 36). Qualified as a teacher, because I thought it would fit around the family - and it did to a point. Various teaching jobs since, some good, some ok and some that led me to the brink of a breakdown. In October I took my very small teacher's pension early, but it has allowed me to work only part time as a supply teacher. I am only now just beginning to be in a position to choose what jobs I take and when. I finally feel I've got some sort of control over what I do but also have a nagging feeling that really I should do more! Don't know why really, we have to be frugal but have a tiny mortgage and no debts so I actually enjoy the challenge.
Blimey, no wonder you're so slim! xx
That was an interesting post. And humorously writ, especially the stinking..
I enjoyed my working life too. Mostly. But it's probably easier to say that now, from a safe distance. Miles and years.
Today is International Womens Day. I could have written far more gloomier stuff,but this was my own personal road stuff, and thanks for yours, without us where would the world be!?
Goodness me, I'm tired just reading it all.
What a woman!
Wow woman no wonder you enjoy disappearing to paint & drink wine in your den !
For most of my life I have been paid little or nowt...
As a teenager, helped for free at the special needs school where my mother taught.
After art college -
Asistant in trendy Brighton shoe shop where all my wages went on shoes ( how clever of them to give staff a generous discount ! )
Then off to work on a Kibbutz three different times !
I loved it there - pay was just board & keep & a tiny allowance all spent in the bomb shelter bar !
Speech therapy assistant at lovely school for language impaired children. Awful pay but lovely job which included making teaching aids and lots of contact with the children.
Worked on a Moshav -a farm in Israel - long hard hours for little pay but funded travel to Egypt - got dysentry straight away !
Nanny /Tutor in Antigua - crap pay but hey Location Location Location !
Relocated to Spain now married & while pregnant child minded child with cerebal palsey also twins & their brother whom I had to fish out of the swimming pool when he'd fallen in and not tell his mother he'd been messing around by their pool ! Rubbish pay.
Full time mum ( my best job ) rubbish pay long hours lots of rewards !
Charity shop worker - no pay but first dibs on goods & discount !!!
Seeking lucrative employment to fund old age but intend to be eccentric assistant in the CO-OP !!!
Wonder woman extraordinaire! I had a few jobs as a student but only one full time career job. Now, though, retirement is taking up all my time - it's a shame we can't all be retired first and then take up work at 65?, 67? Nah!
Love from Mum
xx
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