Professional jobs

[Purple Banana]

Since I was 16, I've had jobs that require some sort of 30+ hour certification; lifeguarding, substitute teaching, and nursing tech. I work with adults (usually 40 years old and up), and sometimes I find it hard to enjoy work because I simply have no place in common with those with whom I work. They're talking about their kid's soccer game, mortgage payments, who they're cheating on and with whom, and wasn't that a fun time in 1984 when we went to that Billy Idol show?

I feel like I can't go anywhere in my county without seeing a co-worker, thus, I always feel the need to suppress my 'wild side;' I was walking out of a headshop that was not even in my county, and a co-worker walked down the street towards me with a skeptical kind of glance, and I had to make up some dumb excuse that I was buying stickers for my car because if my job suspects I smoke, and they test, I get fired.

I constantly am judged at work for stupid stuff like my car (it's got a good amount of stickers on it), my choice of scrub tops, and my general young adult-ness. I'm not disrespectful, rude, nor a smartass. I kind of wish I worked a regular job, even once, like at a Subway or Target, but it never came around.

Granted, this is most certainly not a career, but more of a job,and I'm only doing this because I like kids, and the money pays better than anywhere else I know. It is temporary, for at most 3 more years. I don't mean to soundy whiney at all, I'm happy I have job security and a good salary, but I feel so trapped to behave in a rigid manner because all of my co-workers are conservative baby-boomer management types.

Are there any teenagers/young adults here who have a 'professional' kind of job where you tend to feel stifled?

[jimmy8778]

yeah dude, all the jobs in maryland are that way, i dont really have jobs that need certification, but i always end up working with people who are atleast 30, my last job was actually an office job doing some accounting clerk/data intry/invoicing, and i worked with all women, and not that it is a bad thing, but being a young man at the ripe age of 18 its not always fun to work with people 2 times my age, no joke, and im not a really social person as it is, so working with people with those kinds of differences makes it tough to talk to a person. But that is how it goes for us here in central md!

[WeedyBoyWonder]

i've only had the opposite, jobs where everyones is my age (or generally on the younger side of life), not considered serious work and the hours are fitted around my liking.
Probably not a great start to get me used to "real" work, but hey, I don't plan on doing alot of that. Manual labor is for suckers.

[Nightcrewman]

Hey, you young whippersnapper, us oldies are allowed to talk about 1984 Billy Idol concerts you know LOL.
All joking aside though you seem to enjoy working with people,are you working with adults 40+ or is it kids you work with, is there no way you can get a job that allows you to work with people your own age, I think you will find that the jobs you have been doing are far more rewarding and interesting than as you put it a "regular job", although there is a a lot to be said for such jobs.
Finding a job you are entirely happy with is one of lifes great challenges, I certainly have never found my ideal job and I am an old person who used to go to Billy Idol concerts.
Keep at it I am sure things will work out OK in the long run.

Cheers

NCM, hobbling along the hall in my zimmer frame, Tina Turner on MP3 player LOL

[GrinS]

When I was working at a sport equipment store, everyone that was just a salesmen was my age, and it was a blast, the managers I had were either early 30's and they acted like 20 year olds. So it was a good time, even though they payed the least amount possible and never gave anyone over 30 hours.

However working for yourself has been rewarding in so many ways. I'm happy.

[XXBlaze of DesiréXX]

For all my jobs I waz alwayz the youngest, i alwayz worked with adults! but i like it tho, cuz im very mature for my age and have alwayz been around ppl older than me, so i enjoy it!:)Cuz i get along great with adults, better than ppl my age or younger. lol I find i learn more, plus then it alwayz gives ppl a good impression of me cuz im so mature, so i usally get offered Supervisor positions and shit even tho im younger, and ppl older than me should be getting these positions!:thumbsup::jointsmile: Love it!:D


Keep on Tokin:stoned:

[13Lack]

Yeh, I work as an IT person for the business department of my university. I was often ridiculed for my hip hop style of dress but after awhile they realized how intelligent I am and that I knew my shit and got off me.

[stinkyattic]

I have to keep things toned down to a point at work (researcher at a university) but luckily in the academic environment there's a lot of leeway to express yourself and short of showing up with pink dreadlocks, I consider myself lucky to be judged on the quality of my work rather than my choice of suit and my lack of kids to brag about, lol!
It's cool, I've got a neighbor who works as a RN and she's about my age (30ish)... she loves to enjoy the herb, and plays in a band, and is just generally a cool chick. I've seen her walk out the door to go to work and she just gives off the appearance of an earthy crunchy yuppie... it's a good balance around here considering how crunchy this whole area is. Even the bank tellers are sometimes known to show up toting beaded hemp-fiber purses and other 'hippie bling', lol!
You'll be fine. :D

[Purple Banana]

Hey, you young whippersnapper, us oldies are allowed to talk about 1984 Billy Idol concerts you know LOL.
All joking aside though you seem to enjoy working with people,are you working with adults 40+ or is it kids you work with, is there no way you can get a job that allows you to work with people your own age, I think you will find that the jobs you have been doing are far more rewarding and interesting than as you put it a "regular job", although there is a a lot to be said for such jobs.
Finding a job you are entirely happy with is one of lifes great challenges, I certainly have never found my ideal job and I am an old person who used to go to Billy Idol concerts.
Keep at it I am sure things will work out OK in the long run.

Cheers

NCM, hobbling along the hall in my zimmer frame, Tina Turner on MP3 player LOL


LOL there's nothing wrong with Billy Idol, he's still good, but it sucks being stuck at a job for 12 hours a day, and your co-workers think the Backstreet Boys are still teen idols :stoned:

But I am really good at relations with older people, I can talk their language and almost mirror their behavior if I need to :)

[Purple Banana]

Hey, you young whippersnapper, us oldies are allowed to talk about 1984 Billy Idol concerts you know LOL.
All joking aside though you seem to enjoy working with people,are you working with adults 40+ or is it kids you work with, is there no way you can get a job that allows you to work with people your own age, I think you will find that the jobs you have been doing are far more rewarding and interesting than as you put it a "regular job", although there is a a lot to be said for such jobs.
Finding a job you are entirely happy with is one of lifes great challenges, I certainly have never found my ideal job and I am an old person who used to go to Billy Idol concerts.
Keep at it I am sure things will work out OK in the long run.

Cheers

NCM, hobbling along the hall in my zimmer frame, Tina Turner on MP3 player LOL


LOL there's nothing wrong with Billy Idol, he's still good, but it sucks being stuck at a job for 12 hours a day, and your co-workers think the Backstreet Boys are still teen idols :stoned:

But I am really good at relations with older people, I can talk their language and almost mirror their behavior if I need to :)

EDIT: Oops, double post! :jointsmile:

[Nightcrewman]

LOL there's nothing wrong with Billy Idol, he's still good, but it sucks being stuck at a job for 12 hours a day, and your co-workers think the Backstreet Boys are still teen idols :stoned:

But I am really good at relations with older people, I can talk their language and almost mirror their behavior if I need to :)


You mean you wee a lot and do things twice because you forgot you had already done them. LOL

Sorry to any old people out there I just couldn't resist it.


NCM

[Demeter]

It's too bad you are stuck with lame oldsters- not everyone over 40 is that way. Some of my colleagues are also stuffy that way, but fortunately, some others, even those over 50 (like me!) are pretty cool... for dinosaurs:D

[GreenLadyOfDankDowns]

I used to work as a portrait photographer for Olan Mills and hated how much of my life I felt I had to hide in order to keep my position. I enjoyed the somewhat artistic aspects of the job, but never felt totally comfortable while working for that company. All the other photographers in my district were much older, conservative, and Christian. I'm pagan, and couldn't even wear my pentacle medallion at work. I tried just putting it inside my shirt, but when I would photograph babies and small children using the floor poser and had to bend over a lot the medallion would slip outside of my shirt and into plain view. My manager saw that while inspecting my studio and observing my work one day and jumped my case. I got sick of the "You represent Olan Mills whether you are at work or not, so walk the straight and narrow." speeches I was subjected to on a regular basis.

[dragonrider]

I've worked in professional environments all my life. I started as the young guy stuck with all the clueless old farts, grew into the magic age where you can relate to both the youngest and oldest, and now I'm verging on old fart (but hopefully not clueless). For me the strange part of working in a professional environment is not age difference, it's about hiding certain aspects of your life from the people you are around for most of the day.