What do you want from life?

[shercofray]

What does everyone want to do in life?

As in what career would you like to follow? Do you want to have your own business? Volunteer in the rain forest for 30 years?

And finally, what are you currently doing/could be doing to make this happen?

[Tony Harrison]

The love of a good woman and a hero's death. That'll do. I'm halfway there I reckon.

EDIT: Didn't read the career bit. Careers are a scam, they're just elaborate pyramid schemes. You invest time that you won't get back and your hopes and dreams in some stinking cad that you (usually) have no real control over there. But then I've mouthed off about this kind of thing before and you're all probably fed up with it.

[Rob.]

Have a good handful of my own business's, big booty bitches, money, boats, cars

oh and have my on servants

[Little Yoshi]

To be happy.

[Danny00135]

To be happy.

[dann2707]

I want to settle down mid to late twenties with a good job where I look forward to going to it, and that I don't see as a job.

I want to get a good career first before I have a child as I think it's important to have a stable home for the upbringing.

Basically in this order - job, house, marriage, child

But I don't care if I'm not super rich, I just want to be happyyyyyyy.

[Little Yoshi]

I want to get a good career first before I have a child as I think it's important to have a stable home for the upbringing.

Is that a dig wee man?

[dann2707]

What?

[Blake]

Get a pokey bum wank from dann cox

[Andeee]

My aim for this year is to graduate at university. I will then carry on working at my current part time job but in full time hours until i find a job relating to what i studied (Music Production) this could possibly involve having to move away from where i currently live. Which may seem a fresh start for me. Currently seeing a girl at the moment who i am hoping is going to be different compared to my last lot of ex's if it was to develop into a relationship and i did move away i would feel great. I want to be able to ride for as long as i can and hopefully maybe try and start a band up. I recently got offered to have a business handed down to me by my Dad who i do not have much contact with, the business is a fabrication and welding one which has been running for 20 years and for one i do not have the foggiest on any of it but i would rather be the director of it and put someone in charge to run it.

I just want to be happy for who i have.

Edited January 4, 2013 by Andeee

[Ali C]

I just want a stress free life. I don't want to run a business, I don't want to give my life to a career. How possible this is I don't know, but that's what I want.

[hI-OOPS-CAPS]

I want to try teabagging, either that or spitirtual attainments.

[Brettoll]

Run my own cross discipline clothing company, re-grow my hair, re-stretch my ears and be my own boss

[Tony Harrison]

Cross dressing clothing company.

[Jake.]

To enjoy life and be happy, be in a stable home and have a steady income.

[AdamR28]

I just want a stress free life. How possible this is I don't know, but that's what I want.

[monkeyseemonkeydo]

I just want a stress free life with lots and lots of cats.

Fixed.

I'm pretty good to be fair. 'Career' sorted (reasonably well paid secure job that I enjoy where I'm basically my own boss), happily married with one healthy sprog here and want for nothing. It won't stop me playing the Euromillions but otherwise I can't complain.

Edit: Mr Harrison- what do you do for a not career?

[Luke Dunstan]

To live in some tropical place where the wealthiest man on the island is the one who caught the most fish the day before.

Somewhere in the Pacific to be specific.

[Tony Harrison]

Edit: Mr Harrison- what do you do for a not career?

I work on commercial web projects for people, usually sub-contracting for smallish companies on jobs for big companies. The small company in the middle means someone else goes to meetings whilst I remain in a location of my choice with a laptop and a bottle of Pepsi, happy in the knowledge that there's a good budget behind it all. There's no progression in the usual career sense, i.e. I charge an hour or day rate which may go up a little bit from time to time but there's no promotion or anything like that. It's an honest way of working: if I work a 14 hour day, I'm doing it because I'm billing 14 hours, not as a gesture to my employers because I hope a boss notices my efforts and rewards me when I do some kind of appraisal. Also the people I work for in the small companies generally become friends and are happy with me working in different countries/timezones should I feel the need to do so. In a few months I'm looking to register a 'non resident' company in Hong Kong as I'll be based in Asia, and then I can avoid paying tax (since H-K allows non-resident companies to operate tax-free, so long as trade isn't on their shores) and bank away from the British economy.

The downside is that there's no guarantee of work, and sometimes I wait months to have invoices paid. Also, if you have a month off, the first week is like a week of Mondays... But I like the uncertainty. I used to work in a pretty secure job with career progression, etc, and it gives a comforting (albeit false) sense of security, but ultimately I found it boring and oppressive. Once I threw that job in and got used to the idea of having nothing in any way guaranteed, it made me stop worrying about so many things, especially the future, retirement, 'financial security' and stuff like that. I found that suddenly I was having these crazy moments of euphoria where I'd just think, F'ck, life today, right now, is so goddamn good. And not in a "It's Friday and I just got a pizza" kind of way, but in a completely unreal, all-consuming sense. Just this amazing feeling of well-being that I can't adequately describe.

If my plans for the next few weeks are ok, and the next few months are sketched out in a pleasing way, then generally I'm alright. My only objective is to try to make each year as, or more, enjoyable as the last. To go to new places, to meet new people and to find and embrace new opportunities. To not shy from risk or confrontation of fears. To - as the saying goes - let the chips fall where they may.

I will stress though, I'm not suggesting that this is the way to live life, because it isn't. My dad has always played things safe, and now he's retired, has an amazing house, loads of time and loads of money. He's had an amazing life so far and done so much, and it worked for him. I started out on that path but by my mid-twenties I knew it wasn't for me. Sometimes people ask what'll happen when I'm 60, whether I'll have any assets or anything, but the whole point of what I'm doing is to not worry about all that stuff and let it bog me down.

After all, nothing like saving all your life for those golden years of retirement only to die of cancer the year before you finish work...

[Luke Dunstan]

I work on commercial web projects for people, usually sub-contracting for smallish companies on jobs for big companies. The small company in the middle means someone else goes to meetings whilst I remain in a location of my choice with a laptop and a bottle of Pepsi, happy in the knowledge that there's a good budget behind it all. There's no progression in the usual career sense, i.e. I charge an hour or day rate which may go up a little bit from time to time but there's no promotion or anything like that. It's an honest way of working: if I work a 14 hour day, I'm doing it because I'm billing 14 hours, not as a gesture to my employers because I hope a boss notices my efforts and rewards me when I do some kind of appraisal. Also the people I work for in the small companies generally become friends and are happy with me working in different countries/timezones should I feel the need to do so. In a few months I'm looking to register a 'non resident' company in Hong Kong as I'll be based in Asia, and then I can avoid paying tax (since H-K allows non-resident companies to operate tax-free, so long as trade isn't on their shores) and bank away from the British economy.

The downside is that there's no guarantee of work, and sometimes I wait months to have invoices paid. Also, if you have a month off, the first week is like a week of Mondays... But I like the uncertainty. I used to work in a pretty secure job with career progression, etc, and it gives a comforting (albeit false) sense of security, but ultimately I found it boring and oppressive. Once I threw that job in and got used to the idea of having nothing in any way guaranteed, it made me stop worrying about so many things, especially the future, retirement, 'financial security' and stuff like that. I found that suddenly I was having these crazy moments of euphoria where I'd just think, F'ck, life today, right now, is so goddamn good. And not in a "It's Friday and I just got a pizza" kind of way, but in a completely unreal, all-consuming sense. Just this amazing feeling of well-being that I can't adequately describe.

If my plans for the next few weeks are ok, and the next few months are sketched out in a pleasing way, then generally I'm alright. My only objective is to try to make each year as, or more, enjoyable as the last. To go to new places, to meet new people and to find and embrace new opportunities. To not shy from risk or confrontation of fears. To - as the saying goes - let the chips fall where they may.

I will stress though, I'm not suggesting that this is the way to live life, because it isn't. My dad has always played things safe, and now he's retired, has an amazing house, loads of time and loads of money. He's had an amazing life so far and done so much, and it worked for him. I started out on that path but by my mid-twenties I knew it wasn't for me. Sometimes people ask what'll happen when I'm 60, whether I'll have any assets or anything, but the whole point of what I'm doing is to not worry about all that stuff and let it bog me down.

After all, nothing like saving all your life for those golden years of retirement only to die of cancer the year before you finish work...

I just quit my job, I hope this works. You did guarantee happiness yes?

[Tony Harrison]

Hope is not a strategy. And anyway, there's always Jim Beam.

[tomturd]

I work on commercial web projects for people, usually sub-contracting for smallish companies on jobs for big companies. The small company in the middle means someone else goes to meetings whilst I remain in a location of my choice with a laptop and a bottle of Pepsi, happy in the knowledge that there's a good budget behind it all. There's no progression in the usual career sense, i.e. I charge an hour or day rate which may go up a little bit from time to time but there's no promotion or anything like that. It's an honest way of working: if I work a 14 hour day, I'm doing it because I'm billing 14 hours, not as a gesture to my employers because I hope a boss notices my efforts and rewards me when I do some kind of appraisal. Also the people I work for in the small companies generally become friends and are happy with me working in different countries/timezones should I feel the need to do so. In a few months I'm looking to register a 'non resident' company in Hong Kong as I'll be based in Asia, and then I can avoid paying tax (since H-K allows non-resident companies to operate tax-free, so long as trade isn't on their shores) and bank away from the British economy.

The downside is that there's no guarantee of work, and sometimes I wait months to have invoices paid. Also, if you have a month off, the first week is like a week of Mondays... But I like the uncertainty. I used to work in a pretty secure job with career progression, etc, and it gives a comforting (albeit false) sense of security, but ultimately I found it boring and oppressive. Once I threw that job in and got used to the idea of having nothing in any way guaranteed, it made me stop worrying about so many things, especially the future, retirement, 'financial security' and stuff like that. I found that suddenly I was having these crazy moments of euphoria where I'd just think, F'ck, life today, right now, is so goddamn good. And not in a "It's Friday and I just got a pizza" kind of way, but in a completely unreal, all-consuming sense. Just this amazing feeling of well-being that I can't adequately describe.

If my plans for the next few weeks are ok, and the next few months are sketched out in a pleasing way, then generally I'm alright. My only objective is to try to make each year as, or more, enjoyable as the last. To go to new places, to meet new people and to find and embrace new opportunities. To not shy from risk or confrontation of fears. To - as the saying goes - let the chips fall where they may.

I will stress though, I'm not suggesting that this is the way to live life, because it isn't. My dad has always played things safe, and now he's retired, has an amazing house, loads of time and loads of money. He's had an amazing life so far and done so much, and it worked for him. I started out on that path but by my mid-twenties I knew it wasn't for me. Sometimes people ask what'll happen when I'm 60, whether I'll have any assets or anything, but the whole point of what I'm doing is to not worry about all that stuff and let it bog me down.

After all, nothing like saving all your life for those golden years of retirement only to die of cancer the year before you finish work...

You're in a good position, I'd hesitate to say not everyone can do this, good on you for doing so! I'm guessing you made some good contacts when you were working for a company?

Up until a year ago I'd have said I want to own my own business, but I do now - well a 1/4 of one anyway Maybe up until 3 years ago I'd have said I want to live in a jungle (ok that would still be nice), but more recently I've accepted that I quite like things how they are. Its really boring but I like routine, I like having a cup of coffee in the morning (actually I f**king love it), I like doing normal stuff.

In the future, I would like a house, of any size, as long as it has a bunch of land, so I can build an awesome treehouse and a shed and live in the middle of nowhere. I'd like somewhere where I can melt bronze and make things, and also to go gold mining, and not have to do too much work. That'd be cool.

[Tony Harrison]

I didn't make many useful contacts but I learned a load of good stuff, how to work with people and businesses, that kind of thing.

Your situation with the start-up sounds good too. Believe me, I do envy people with houses - it would be great to have a proper home base where I could just have my stuff, etc, but I just don't have the cash, and mortgages don't interest me.

It's funny, I was thinking only yesterday that if I had the money I'd want somewhere with a tree to build a treehouse in. That would be dope.

F'ck it, that's all I want. A treehouse and a tin of Special Brew.

[Greetings]

In terms of work, I want to have a few independent sources of income. Currently running my 1st business, slowly looking into the property market, renting of farm and building land, and in the next 5-10 years turning the house I live in into a wedding house or whatever you call it. It's going to be a big project, at the moment I'm just looking into the market and getting involved in matters concerning the house, ownership (split between 3 people) and general management. Trying to understand what goes on around here isn't that easy, my family used to own the entire village and about 800ha of land which was all taken away when the Germans stepped in. Now we have pre-emptive rights to a lot of the above and one really just needs to figure out what to do and how so the outcome is as profitable as possible.

[SamKidney]

I'd love to do something with my love for engineering/fabrication and general passion for messing about with machinery.

Im getting my first year of 6th form out of the way, and I've already applied for a place at a college near me to do Land based engineering.
Come the 7th of this month I'll be applying for a position at Rolls Royce Barnoldswick as a practical apprentice, to give me a better chance of getting into something I enjoy.
Should one route be declined, there's a possibility of being accepted onto the other. Widening my horizons.

To give myself a better chance of being accepted (both places look at what you have done previously in that scope of work, if any), I'm arranging work experience in a number of places.
Sorting out work at my uncles garage through the holidays, possibly going down to Bristol in the holidays to experience work on HGV's/agricultural machinery with another uncle, and speaking with another family member about their line of work in design/aerospace engineering, along with more possible work with him.

Keep being told to stick with 6th form and get a job behind a desk telling people what to do, instead of doing it as I'll make more money. I'd hate that. So long as Im doing something I enjoy the money doesn't really matter to me too much.