Maybe it's a mid-life crisis. Of sorts. Maybe it's because I want more of a 9 to 5 type schedule. Maybe it's because I want to get paid for walking on the beach. The time has come to reinvent me.
I pretend that I am a good writer. Hell, great blog so far! My creativity is the only thing bigger than my ego. I did receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. (Don't tell me they only gave it to me to get rid of me.) And I did nothing with it. But the problem here is, it doesn't pay the bills. So far, I've lost money in this racket.
I have been trying to come up with a "cool career". One that satisfies my brain and still satisfies my stomach. I don't want to spend the next ten years getting a degree, even though I might actually use that one.
So far the best that I have come up with is appraisals. With everyone thinking they have a treasure trove stashed in the closet, there seems to be a fair amount of work to keep me busy. Plus, as an "info-career", I can do this until senility kicks in.
But before I jump blindly and boldly into anything, I thought I would ask the world (at least the two that have commented here. I appreciate you, John and Kelley!) what other types of careers are there that I might be overlooking?
Some careers I wouldn't do:
Teacher - at least not in a public school setting. In this day and age, a male teacher seems to have a target on his chest.
Anything involving heavy lifting, lots of physical exertion, etc. I want something I can do even when I'm 70.
Cooking. No one would eat it.
Prostitution or Phone sex. That would be like selling my soul.
Lawyer. (see prostitution reason) :p (I'm gonna get at least one response now!)
7 comments:
Anyone out there? Bueller? Bueller?
I know that my filters have hampered my search for something different. I don't see all the trees, just the forest.
I just wondered what others may think of when they think of a "cool career."
You thought you could goad me into a response. ;)
And it worked!
And yet, it didn't!
Really, now. You have no sage advice?
Sheesh...
Oooooh, you want advice. Silly me. ;)
Well, let's see... your cool career is whatever you might enjoy and you're good at (or can reasonably expect to become good at it). Sage, huh? For example, you're an art fart and not entirely without wit--maybe becoming an editorial cartoonist might be your cool career. Or just a cartoonist, ala Berke Breathed or Chris Muir. Or you could do children's books, now that you're tuned into your daddyness.
The art appraisal idea is interesting. Question is, what would it take to become qualified and deemed credible?
There's only two things wrong with editorial cartooning.
1. I cannot draw people, even cartoony.
2. I'm sure I would someday be sued. And while that would be a good thing for YOU...
While there is no "Appraisal School", there are several courses I could take. Even one online. My concern is how do I turn this into a money making scheme.
And as I keep reading the crap, er stories, that are out there for kids, I keep thinking about this as an option.
BTW, have you read "Rainbow Fish"? It's the most blatant piece of socialism I have ever read. And yet most people miss the theme. Incredible.
I thought about getting an MLS and doing the library thing. The down side is that there is little return on investment.
Seems to me that art appaisers are typically employed by museums and auction houses, so you'd want to see if those opportunities exist in your area. I imagine that successful appraisers that work independently of museums and auction houses depend on their reputation, so I don't see where you could just throw out your own shingle without building some credibility. There are also appraiser associations (American Society of Appraisers, Appraisers Association of America, International Society of Appraisers, etc), so you might want to contact them to see what it would take to get into the field. I'm betting a masters in art history will probably be one of those kinda sorta must-have credentials. Also, you may want to do some networking through LinkedIn or other business/social networking mechanism, because you might find a friend of a friend who's in the business.
It's funny you mentioned a MLS. One of the classes I excelled at was legal research and writing and someone made the off-hand comment that if I didn't practice law, I should become a law librarian. Our law library has a mixed staff of "straight" librarians (those with a MLS degree) and law librarians (those with a JD) and some who have both a MLS and JD. Aside from academia, large law firms employ law librarians. I don't think it pays much in relative terms to that of a lawyer, but I bet you could make a comfortable living.
No, I haven't read Rainbow Fish. It ostensibly involves rainbows and fish, both of which I'm deeply suspicious of.
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