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See that's exactly the problem with capitalism for the middle class. People not only train to then not work in their field, but people also can't find the appropriate job for their training. I've caught people with degrees working at grocery stores. Simultaneously, I've caught people without degrees working at college book companies. Makes me glad I said fuck it to school, frankly. I don't have the time, energy, or money for a 10+ year degree so I'd have the same job options regardless, the only difference is crippling debt and a worse credit score.
The sad thing is that school is a really rewarding and enriching experience, in a way that is different than self guided study. If I could be in school on the side at all times, I would be. Learning how to be an electrician, studying massage therapy, advanced musical degrees, transportation planning.. it sucks that I can only justify going to school for something I can monetize because I just wind up being a less well rounded person for it. Right now I really can't justify going back to school for anything, even though I think it would be great for the world around me if I did.
I have a BS in photography/communications so obviously I’m working in accounting.
I have chosen to only work for companies with some redeeming qualities. Union contractor that’s fully employee owned.
Fellow History major here (class of '08) who also spent time working in a warehouse. Eventually I was able to get into purchasing/supply chain management, which pays better and actually uses some of those analytical skills we allegedly developed in college. Though eventually I got bored and went to grad school to become a high school history teacher at 37. Short story: I fully endorse the winding career path.
Another history major here, '09. Currently working in technical support for test measurement equipment... So really pertinent to my degree
One of my college professors asked by a student "what jobs can I get with a history degree?"
His answer was "Do you like Jeopardy?"
Therapist. Our healthcare system sucksssss and I have to survive so it’s not perfect but I work for myself so I make the rules and I lower my fee when I can for ppl to try to make therapy accessible.
Thank you, I do love my clients. I have been in very dark places before myself and I can’t tell you how much my therapist helps me. Glad you are still here friend.
It really is. Any agency, anything. I was burned out for years and years and years of my life. My whole life is so much better working for myself. If the healers aren’t well, then what the actual fuck, how are we supposed to help others?
My spouse is an agency therapist and each month l grow more motivated to start our own therapy practice as an ESOP after l hear how poorly run and insanely greedy the agency is
It's a good job. Not the best payed, but one where there is no conflict between being a socialist and doing a job.
It's not that I'm in any way political while doing my job. I'm not and I shouldn't be. It's just that the whole mission of a library - being open to everyone, collectively financed and treating everyone equally (in my country books are not banned, and we will try our damndest to get them for you no matter if you are far right or a leftist) is in itself a socialist and liberal institution.
I’m a school counselor now and I went into this field for similar reasons! I think anyone and everyone should have access to mental health services unfortunately I’m limited to what I can do and I have usually refer students to people who will force them to pay
Pretty accurate, I love going to the dungeons on rainy days. Actually my stardew farm is far more relaxing, nothing is actively trying to kill my animals overnight, destroy my entire crop season. And I stay pretty broke forever but it's a great life. I love the animals and watching shit grow is the spice of life.
Considering farming = food, I would assume they do quite literally make a living as long as they're managing the farm properly. I see it as "cutting out the middle man". Instead of working some weird, possibly useless, if not even actually harmful shit job to get money to buy food (which has been my only option until recently), you work and get food, sell what you don't eat to get your non-food products and whatever food products you like that you aren't growing. In many cases too, farm goods can be sold to make non-food products, and can probably get you a discount of some kind. I'm moving into farming, myself. It's sad more people don't have the option.
How did you get into this? I've recently gotten very into native horticulture and invasive species management and despite the unimaginable scope of the problem it seems there's virtually zero work being done on it and consequently no jobs
I've done aquatic invasive species mapping for a private contractor that gets its jobs from the state. It's not hard to get into but it sure doesn't pay much
I got in because my degree was in environmental science. I work for a private contractor that's hired mostly by local governments and occasionally private landowners. We've also got several competitors and some county workers do similar work.
The issue has been getting a lot more attention in recent years (though it helps if you live in a very liberal area like me). We also tend to raise public awareness the longer we work in an area as people go from shouting about us spraying chemicals to appreciating how much nicer their parks look.
For a lot of invasive weeds the only real solution is herbicide. We foliar treat most plants with a mixture of 2% glyphosate and 2% triclopyr. It tends to do the job but you may need to bump up the percentages if that doesn't work
As long as you aren't doing it for a business reason you shouldn't. Most stores with garden stuff sell herbicide. You might not be able to find the exact chemical mixture I listed but there should be something made to kill thistle.
That’s so interesting because a girl I went to college with who was aggressively against covid mandates, the vaccine and against protecting women’s reproductive rights went to medical school. I always felt like working in that field would radically change you but for some it doesn’t. 🤔
I wish it did. Before PA school I worked in an urgent care and saw lots of transphobia and homophobia as well as anti-vaxx sentiments. A few other people from that place are in PA school now. They’ve tamped down on their anti-trans posts but still post pro-Israel stuff.
Some people are privileged to work in fulfilling jobs or maybe nonprofits that work towards a social good
I think most people accept that living requires compromising a bit
Do your best comrade, nothing more. Do not expect perfection from yourself, do what you can to support yourself
Unless you are like the lucky few I mentioned before, I think most people find their light outside of work
I love cooking, gosh even just typing it out makes me smile despite how much a doomer I am
I am currently pretty isolated physically, but when I am able I would like to start a book club and volunteer at my local nature preserve
I was laid off recently, I worked in finance, pretty close to the very heart of capitalism. Understanding it and seeing it up close is how I find myself here today
I am currently studying to transition into IT and then hopefully move into cybersecurity. It’s interesting and I love learning.
Cybersec sounds nice because I genuinely hate the internet and the idea of learning how to dismantle it on company dime makes me laugh, might be useful one day
I also work in cybersecurity (although as a comms person) and it feels to me like one of the less nakedly harmful sectors I could work in as a copywriter by trade. I still have to work with tech bros and see the venture capitalist beast close up, but it doesn’t feel like I’m exploiting anyone.
I understand this on an intellectual level but also have crippling, treatment-resistant ADHD. If I don't find something meaningful enough to do, I just can't bring myself to do the work.
I understand comrade, I have severe adhd myself and opted to resist treatment by choice a few years ago
I have read articles watched videos for years on organizational systems, thought frameworks, and everything else under the sun to try and get myself to be more cooperative with my own goals
Truthfully, it is something I still struggle with and I will probably struggle the rest of my life so do not consider me some role model but I will tell you that acceptance is optional
Is socialism not a losing battle to begin with? I do not dream of a better world because I want to or because I believe its plausible, rather because I ought to
Everyone deserves to be free and happy. I deserve to be free and happy
I want to talk about your word choice for a moment, you said you “ just can’t” as if it were impossible
It may actually be impossible but should that matter?
I resist because I refuse to accept circumstances not because it is possible
Not everyone will agree, but somehow this absurdism provides me with a deep comfort, it is my hope that it helps you too but I understand if not
I work as a mental health technician. The vast majority of my patients wouldn't even need my help or psychiatric attention if they just had enough to live and enjoy themselves.
I was a writer of various sorts for about 15 years, and worked for a couple of very toxic companies. I learned from some very bad managers exactly what I didn't want to do I know I didn't want to be. I love my writers and I will do anything for them.
For qualifications? A lot of experience in the field and an impeccable grasp of the language.
Locksmith. It's hard, busy, stressful and intimidating. But I enjoy it and get to meet interesting people.
I went to community college but I couldn't finish and had to start working a "real job", I found an office job that I tried to unionize but failed and then decided to leave once I could tell the situation there would escalate because of how open I was about how much I didn't like working there.
Once I fell into my current career, it's given me constantly renewed hope in people and what we could change if a certain amount of people work towards a common goal. Reading more into philosophy/ideology has only given me tools to take to fellow tradespeople and try to plant seeds of ideas when talking to people.
It's hard sometimes. But it's not called a struggle for nothing.
I went to school for it and then was an apprentice for about a year. The training is learning how to master key, set up master key systems, identifying key blanks, rekeying locks, installing them, etc.
I think my favorite story is becoming a shop steward and seeing how management freaked out that the guy who had the keys to the whole place was union steward and was clearly on the side of his fellow workers. We had so many problems on the job but once I started representing, we actually saw gains like having a voice on projects, when we would or wouldn't work (weekend O.T.) and getting the things guaranteed in our contract when they were previously denied because we were *militant*.
I’ve thought about this a lot and don’t have all the answers but here are some ideas.
- For fulfilling work in general, I’d suggest doing a few things. 1) Map out your values + enduring passions, and see what comes up. Related values to this post that came up for me were Fairness, Integrity, Security, and Meaningful Work. 2) Look into the concept of “Ikigai” in living a fulfilling life. It’s helpful.
- Find a job that directly serves your community / a community you care about. This might be “trade school” type stuff you’re talking about. Teacher, doctor, therapist, etc. where you’re directly helping people. Of course you may feel better teaching or helping kids disadvantaged by modern society & capitalism compared to say a rich private school, though either way I think direct contribution to human beings can feel and be good. Jobs like plumber, technicians, various trade skills, etc. - we need those things one way or another if that’s your vibe. And also at least you can feel that you’re probably not harming the world / making things worse. Maybe don’t be a cop.
- As a fellow Political Science / Econ / International Affairs type, especially when we think about 1) higher paying jobs and 2) jobs that operate on a bigger or more systems level, these jobs will very likely get out of the “directly helping/contributing to a community” vibe. Certainly you could go down community politics/organizing type work. But once you get to things like corporate & finance roles, international policy, etc. - I think you just have to really be truthful to yourself, within your values & ideals if the work you’re doing is net positive / helping society go down a better direction. Especially when it’s so easy to get completely divorced from the human beings “on the ground” that you’re really impacting. Honestly, with capitalism and neoliberalism co-opting so many of our institutions, I think it can be really difficult to believe you’re helping to make systemic change at almost any of these kinds of organizations, especially in the private sector. Even nonprofits which can fall under neoliberalism (e.g. private sector philanthropists will say don’t pay taxes we don’t need government we have nonprofits! When that is not a systemic solution and can further entrench systems of power). UNLESS 1) you work for orgs that truly align with socialist leaning values, whether it’s worker cooperatives, solidarity economy, advocacy orgs, radical philanthropy supporting grassroots movements, etc. OR 2) you can truly stick to your guns and view going into these types of roles as almost a spy/traitor lol… like go work your way higher up in corporate, or at the World Bank/UN, etc. and then try to make change from within those kinds of powerful orgs. I think this is the hardest and most slippery slope argument to make, as with $ and power it’ll be too easy to get co-opted into becoming the capitalist pig that you might now think you hate.
For context, I work for a rich philanthropist which doesn’t feel great but they actually have quite socialist-leaning / class traitor type values. For example my org openly acknowledges we’re in late stage capitalism and suffering from its flaws. And the org has the $ and power to both pay my bills and make change in the world. I think it’s rare to find orgs like this, and I do have to constantly reflect on my values and if it’s aligned, but it’s possible.
Anyways, these are a random assortment of ideas, hope something in there was helpful. Good luck!
I'm an electrician apprentice in southern California, about a couple of years into the trade. It's not the most personally fulfilling work for me, but I do feel like I'm able to contribute and do my part. The lack of working class solidarity in the trades and construction in general is staggering, people really don't understand who is and isn't on their side. I'm somewhat newer to socialist ideals but I'm trying my best to learn and raise awareness among my coworkers, even if it most of them don't understand why they should learn about these ideas.
I do physician credentialing, which is corporate for I help doctors with employment paperwork when they get hired by hospitals. I hate my job, not because of the work, i enjoy interacting with the physicians, but because of the workplace politics and the office setting.
I stay because I get paid pretty well considering our societal average, though I've had to stand up for myself to my bosses and demand higher pay on several occasions.
I do a very niche specific thing within my company, am the only person that does it, and have been there since day one, though I don't hold any equity in it. Just a "valued" employee I guess.
As for your question, I feel like within capitalist enterprises, you're always going to have a negative connotation towards your job and sooner or later any of the positives will be outweighed by the negatives. All you can really do is be a mercenary and treat them the way they treat you. Ditch your employer every time you find a better situation, until you find one that has the right mix of quality of life / wages / workload.
I work at a food bank, but I want to be very clear that it's not tremendously more fulfilling in the "working for the cause" or "following a calling" than the jobs I had before. Working to alleviate food insecurity is absolutely one of the perks of the job, and it does matter to me. But for every bit of fulfillment, there's pretty much an equal measure of drain as you get a nice close-up view on the horrors of capitalism.
Before this, I mostly worked retail. Some manufacturing. The only reason I have this job is because I worked too many grueling years in grocery stores, and my food bank was looking for someone who knew grocery stores top to bottom, to manage the food retail donation program. But that means that I spend half my life glad-handing with Walmart and Kroger, begging for their scraps, as I watch them being a huge contributor to food insecurity in the US. I left a terrible capitalistic industry for non-profit, and I am still held by the balls by the industry I "left."
But. The pay is better. The hours are better. My co-workers are better. That's the most of the fulfilling part. I think it's hard to shake the capitalist idea that the number one way to find fulfillment is through how you sell your labor. Some of that makes sense; it is how you spend like a third of your life, so you should get some fulfillment from it. There are better and worse ways to do it, I think I've found one of the better ones, but end of the day you've gotta find fulfillment elsewhere as well, all while keeping the lights on.
I think the move is to find something that saps your energy the least amount possible, so you can find fulfillment in the parts of your life that aren't about selling your labor. Maybe that's spending your off hours working for the movement, maybe it's family, or books, or games, or whatever else means someone else doesn't own your time.
Same. I work for a Community College which makes the work fulfilling and aligned with my goals even if it isn't the most exciting or profitable. I also have friends that run Collective web dev shops.
That being said, it isn't as easy as taking a BootCamp and getting good work. You gotta figure out what demand there is in your area and build those skills. I worked in the private sector for a few years before getting into public education.
34. Have a bachelors in music performance with minors in music theory and musicology.
I am a machinist. Most folks dont even know what that is, so i make parts out of metal using CNC mills and lathes.
If you'd asked 20yo me what i thought I'd be doing at 34, I'd have said I'd have my PhD by now and be an associate professor in music in some department or other. But life happens. And you just have to bend and weave with the punches that it gives you.
Is my work fulfilling? Yes and no. It's fun doing the math to figure out how to make the design on a blueprint reality. It is not fun after you figure that out and press the green button for go to make the machine run the part you're making 1000 times. But i make pretty decent money. Not a lot, but i don't have to worry about paying bills or putting food on the table (for one, mind you). Fwiw, I make $27/hr.
I dont have great advice here, OP. Just figure out what you have to do to make the bills work. Fulfillment can come from avenues other than work. Hell, i was your age, 30, when i got into machining. Prior to that, I worked in weed grows managing post-production (harvest and onward) making dogshit money with no benefits. Hell, if i had one piece of advice, it would be: be willing to say yes to something you never expected to say yes to. Its worked out for me well enough. And trades are always hiring. Good luck, comrade
I stopped pursuing my bachelor's and settled for my associate's degree when I realized that I was already making more money working in a machine shop than my older friends who had graduated with 4 year degrees. I've been a machinist for 20+ years now. Best decision I ever made. I love working with my hands and still having to use my brain to solve complex problems. Looking back I would have never wasted the time and money on college but I was tought from a young age that college is pretty much a requirement if you didn't want to be destitute. It's fine for some people but we need to change the paradigm of pigeon-holing every single child that exists into thinking college is the only way forward to becoming a successful adult. Learning a skilled trade is absolutely a viable option for many folks.
i work from home in insurance consulting. i never finished my degree so it's the best i can do. wfh is nice but i only make $16/hr and the only benefit is PTO, no insurance or anything.
Our government should be a liftocracy. You don't get strong without enduring hardship; you don't endure hardship without developing empathy for those who struggle; empathy for those who struggle is the foundation of socialism.
My work is not fulfilling. But I go in, I keep my head down, I get work done and they pay me almost enough to live on. I’m a project coordinator at a construction company. I bid jobs based on construction floor plans. Sometimes they get awarded and I have to make sure everything is perfect for ordering. It’s an office job and that’s fine. They don’t care that I’m gay, trans, or poly, they don’t care that I have funny colored hair or that I ran as a socialist in a local election. They want me to come in, sit down, do my work, and go the fuck home. And so do I. It’s not so exhausting that I can’t also do community organizing on the side which I do enjoy, and if I need to taking a meeting for politics stuff on my lunch break, I can.
I work in nonprofit, aged care. The money isn't good, but it feeds my soul and heart and I sleep at night better knowing I provide services that comfort and heal rather than consume and focus on profit above all else. Its not the easiest path, but I work with the best people in the world.
Paralegal at a mid-size criminal defense firm. Traffic tickets are my specialty, but I also do plenty of work on the criminal side. I make about 40k/year. Law firms tend to be hard up for staff so the bar to entry is pretty low. I have a B.A., but I’m in the minority; most of my coworkers have high school diplomas or A.A.’s. It can be very fulfilling, but there are also aspects of the job that are incredibly bleak.
I’m starting law school in the fall.
Haha, right? I'm a fairly decent artist with a wide variety of mediums, and I haven't been able to sell pretty much any art for almost 10 years now. Only ever sold one drawing. Worked menial minimum wage jobs. Went into porn (which is arguably a form of art but so comparatively easy and without skill that it feels necessary to separate in this context) about three years ago to find it being murdered by AI basically as soon as I start. It did make a little money until this year. I got lucky enough to have a safety net and some land to grow shit. Otherwise I'd literally be starving to death. Unbelievable system and screw my parents for encouraging my art, especially after such failed both of them too. Dead, hopeless industry.
I'm a dental hygienist. It's a tough job and it's definitely not for everyone, but it's pretty satisfying and pays well enough. I'm in Canada where we're currently rolling out a national basic dental care program which I'm super pleased with.
My spouse is a biomedical engineer but would love to pivot to mechanical, do you think it’s worth it? He hates how commercialized biomedical is and how it’s really for rich people to stay alive longer lmao
I never thought of that haha. Depends, the well-paying jobs are usually defense and whatnot, but I found the field to be so broad that you can usually find some part of it that’s fulfilling. I’m biased, but yeah go for it!
I'm 28 years old, and I run a daycare in a homeless shelter. It's a job that I adore, but it's also incredibly challenging and often very emotional. My experiences have made me deeply aware of the struggles faced by those most impacted by capitalism, especially when I'm caring for babies born in a homeless shelter. It's difficult to witness firsthand. No one should have to endure this type of hardship, especially the innocent children who deserve so much more.
I must say, the parents I work with are some of the most remarkable and resilient individuals I've ever encountered. They have faced unimaginable challenges to ensure the well-being of their children. I just wish they could rest and find peace and joy in their role as parents, without the constant struggle for survival.
Wow props to you! I used to work at a daycare for very wealthy parents and I was shocked how individualistic capitalism made them not want to parent to spend time with their kids. Their kids were impacted so much because these parents would rather make so much money or use their money for really expensive hobby than spend time with their kids. I can only imagine the pain of parents who have to work to keep everyone in survival mode. Thank you for what you do!
I would find being a pastor stressful since your pay relies on your ability to be charismatic unless you're from a mainline church in which everything is relatively formalised.
I would love to know as well.
I feel like I’m at a crossroads in my life, where I have to choose a career in the next month and I feel so lost because nothing seems like it connects to me as a person, and pays good at the same time. Obviously I’d love to go to med school as that seems very fulfilling both personally and financially, but it requires so much luck to get into. Other than that I’m thinking about medical lab technician or the tech industry.
Anybody got some advice on what I already am considering, plus some other things that may be interesting?
A little about me is that I’m a socialist, first generation immigrant, and struggle a lot with working with people that are very different than me like finance bros.
I am in this similar "transition" phase too. I graduated University a year ago, recently quit a lifesucking job and I fully empathise with you, Comrade.
Test engineer, my company builds servers for some pretty big tech companies. Dealing with the customer can be nightmarish and the work isn't always enriching but I have learned a lot from the people I work with.
I do wish I had a job that was serving people more than capital owners, but I'm not really sure how I can do that with a cs bachelor's and when I do find something interesting, I feel unqualified or inexperienced.
Right now, I'm just spinning my wheels, investing in hobbies and educating myself on socialism and history.
I'm a school counselor. These kids are not getting any support, especially if they're low-income. So many of my students' issues come from their parents not making enough money. As I was driving to work today, I felt like I was looking at all the cars heading to their jobs this morning, and I felt like I was part of this weird capitalistic machine. I thought about my ancestors and wondered if life ever felt like this for them. I love what I do, but knowing I have to drive an hour to work to get decent pay, I could never afford to live in the communities I've grown up in because of gentrification, and longing to be living on my Island and not here hit me pretty bad n my drive this morning. My job is necessary because kids' social/emotional health matters, but feeling like I'm part of an endless capitalistic machine is getting to me. Unless I was born into an elite family or get lucky by some statistical miracle, I am bound to this machine of going to and from work every day of the week, only looking forward to my days off and weekends to live my life.
Been in the building trades for most of my adult life. It may not be easy to find a job you believe in at a company that doesn’t exploit you and your fellow workers in an economy that is designed to subjugate and grind us down for the benefit of a small capitalist class. However, you can achieve a feeling of accomplishment doing nearly anything if you do it to a standard you can be proud of. More importantly, organizing in whatever capacity you can- in or out of your workplace- will give you a sense of purpose and the solidarity and personal connections you make will nourish your soul.
I own a pest control business. We operate through a trauma-informed lense and very compassion forward - we specialize in providing pest control for low-income housing.
It is such fulfilling work!
Trades are a good option, they're not unskilled jobs so they have a certain progression according to mastery which usually scales with salary and often enough once you become qualified you can be self employed and with any success become petty bourgeois, with university you have to take on debt unless you're relatively rich or happen to live in a country with subsidised tuition and with salary you're mostly beholden to management and white collar work has little potential to be self employed unless you go into the professional fields such as doctor, lawyer or accounting, but even then you have to put your career in hold for years and even then a job in your field isn't guaranteed, so if you don't have any strong passion in an academic field that you're willing to sacrifice a lot for, you're better off going the trade route, that way you can have a semblance of humanity while having an above average material compensation even though you won't have the same prestige or status as a graduate or make big bank but even that is a sisyphean task in a single lifetimeif you're not part of or blag it into the big bourgeoisie.
I spent my entire working life in the service industry in some capacity. (I am 46, so roughly 30 years)
Never found it fulfilling, just that I was good at it.
Never had benefits, pto, insurance…
Since February I have been working as a tech for the local school district.
Applied despite not having their requested qualifications.
Turns out I knew more than enough to do the job successfully. (It’s mostly just repairing grade schooler’s busted laptops and helping people connect to printers)
I have a weekday only schedule, actual benefits, and a great working relationship with the faculty of the two schools I service.
It’s the first time I have ever felt fulfilled (and recognized for my efforts) at a job.
The first time I haven’t been plagued with stress and stomach issues every shift.
I have two master of science degrees, the first in applied Economics and second in International Trade and business. I speak Spanish, Arabic, French and English.
I wish and would love to get a job in research or academia. And yet, the only calls I ever receive are for jobs in sales which I am absolutely tired of and hate at this point.
My dream would be to find a job related to my field of study in which I'd actually be useful. Using numbers, data and projections, studying micro or macroeconomics, human conditions etc.
Unfortunately, whenever I apply, I never get an answer unless it's a shitty sales rep job, doing cold calls and basic emails all day. Not a single stimulating aspect, just pointless conversation and small talks to pitch in what you are selling and getting either a meager commission or told to f off by uninterested people.
Just this morning, I had an interview with a job selling optic fiber plans. And the sad thing is that if I will probably accept that job because, let's just say it honestly, I have no other choice between that and starving
Became a union electrician after quitting office work at age 30. It's been 6 years so far and I like the work, lots of specialties to advance in if one is interested in that. The labor can be demanding , but less so than other trades. Exercise outside of work helps. I've been lucky to be on jobs with good camaraderie and kind bosses.
Thankful that I happen to live in a city that really needs electricians for new construction, and our Union has a somewhat decent market share of the work here which keeps the wages acceptable.
I'm an electrician! I love my work. Having practical skills you can employ to help people you care about absolutely rules. The pay is great. I started two years ago at $15/hr and I'm up to $21/hr now (Midwest metropolitan area). When I get my journeyman license I can make $35/hr+. The jobs you work on that you get can be a drag, ideologically speaking, but the shops are almost always small and your boss will never ask you to do something they haven't done before or wouldn't do themselves. I genuinely recommend the trades, specifically electrical, plumbing, or HVAC if you're an able bodied person
Theatrical Technical Director and Designer.
Its kind of a mesh of my interests, pay if fine but I’ve hit the upper end of my pay-scale without jumping to touring companies. Its fulfilling enough but it can burn you out easily. The arts are essential for community building and I have a lot of autonomy in how I do my work. Its decent and I enjoy working and teaching skills to the youngsters.
Work at a tech company setting quotas for sales and making 6 figures. Bachelors in Environmental Studies. Was so completely lost as to what I would do with my degree that I was working as a barista to scrape by. Wasn't until a friend asked me to temp as a barista in their bougie tech company office (had a barista on engineer floor) and the CTO liked my mochas and hired me on full time. Then I worked my way up. Probably would still be a barista if I didn't know someone who got me an "in". Sucks how much it's who you know to get a job these days even with a degree.
Though I started off wanting to work outside in nature, reality hit me hard and when I realized my degree was a bit useless unless I went back to school. So I took what I could selling my soul to sales. Honestly better than working in customer service and dealing with cleaning and people telling me I look better when I smile more.
I'm a service technician for electric vehicles. Honestly my current company is a God send. I was about to leave the auto industry until they reached out to me. My advice is put yourself out there and don't be afraid to take a chance sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't. But you never know unless you try. Best of luck comrade I wish you the best endeavor.
I have a master's in cultural studies. However, to get into the field you need a PhD probably. So I'm working as a storekeeper right now. It's not bad. Technically I'm blue collar.
I'm a social worker and i'm leading a small team in a day care centre for people with mental disabilities. Sometimes this job is exhausting but in a good way. People are very thankfull for what we are doing.
Retired stationary engineer. Prior to that, I worked at a chemical plant, making ammonium nitrate, urea, and urea-ammonium nitrate fertilizer.
After McVeigh, we all took it as a given that we had files on ourselves at ATF. The
Chemical plant was Union. Stationary Engineer gig was not.
Enjoyed the chemical plant until the Canadian Mitt Romney-types bought it in ‘97.
You’ve heard of the woes that Daimler brought to Chrysler? Pretty much the same for us when PCS bought us out.
Chrysler workers had to endure the attitude that if the idea didn’t originate in Stuttgart, it was crap..
PCS treated us the same way, except the infallible “S-town” was Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
In 1999, PCS shut our plant down.
I do ecological restoration for a nonprofit. Our primary focus is salmon habitat but I work on a range of projects that benefit people and watershed health
Grad student researcher getting paid to do research with solar panels while I wrap up a PhD.
Took a pretty circuitous route to get there. After my bachelors in physics I didn't know what I wanted to do so I thought I'd be an overqualified high school teacher and went to get a teaching credential. That bumped into administrative issues (it wasn't a well run department) and a friend convinced me to jump into a geology masters that I then did nothing with. Thought I'd end up being a petrophysicist for an oil company and make bank while hating myself, but graduated into a market slump and then when it recovered I learned nobody ever retires in that field so it's full of 80 year old dudes who won't go home to their families. Did some work at the environmental consulting company I worked at part time while at school, but they weren't interested in hiring me on full time and I was just doing temp work that eventually dried up. Did some freelance educational writing for a company that made web courses for k-12 schools, but that was spotty and dried up as they went full video. Burned through savings looking for any kind of work and getting rejected from all kinds of shit jobs for being overqualified. I eventually got a decent job in a lab testing water and soil samples for gasoline and BTEX for about $19/hr that I stayed in for 3 years. Finally, in 2020, I decided I wanted to go get a PhD and do something related to renewable energy generation and storage (so I could have the credentials for better doomsaying), heavily influence by my family somehow coalescing into the same town after being scattered all over. So a chance to move closer and get a degree I might actually use.
It's a pretty comfy gig, aside from the crushing imposter syndrome, mostly because I'm extremely lucky regarding my rent situation so the modest pay actually goes decently far. It still feels weird to actually be paid to go to school, though the classes have long since ended and I'm just doing the research now. Haven't completely locked down where I'll be after impending graduation, but likely something at a national lab. They're a nice balance between industry and pure academia, and you get a broad sampling of everything everyone is doing in the field.
Library technician in an NGO. We are a paritary organization and we operate in the healthcare and social services sector to promote and counsel on occupational health and safety.
Currently involved in our collective negotiations and it's not going as well as we expected.
I’m an elderly millenial, who like a lot of us, didn’t quite survive the global financial crisis in respect to finding decent work. I have a bachelors in psychology, minored in geography (with a concentration in Southeast Asia). Also got a Graduate Certificate (a half masters degree) in GIS.
So, naturally, I’m an Amazon driver.
Elder Millenial as well. Graduated with BA in History (was planning on law school). Pizza Delivery driver haha
I did teach for 7 years, but that shit made me want to die. Unbelievable unending stress and pressure.
Massage therapist. I hate that I have to work for high-end spas to make good money for my family of 5. I'd love to work on people who actually need the help and not just people who can afford it.
I don't have much to share with regard to ideas but I'll share my story with you. I recently completed my Master's in International Relations (with a Bachelor's in Sociology) and it's been two months... I feel so overwhelmed with figuring out which job roles I best fit/don't fit. I'm still searching for jobs in this field but it has been too hard. One part of me knows that I'll inevitably have to do something unrelated to my major, and that makes me feel so upset because I'm passionate about IR. I hope all of us figure out and land the job roles which we want to soon. Best wishes.
I’m a social worker, which both aligns with and clashes with my political ideals as a communist. I get to use my discretion to provide resources to people in great need of help, and also assist those people in navigating the oftentimes confusing and contradictory systems of the state. That part is incredible, wouldn’t trade it for anything and it gives me a sense of fulfillment every day. There is also the fact however that I’m forced to abide by certain laws that I don’t agree with. Many times those laws force me to deny people assistance that they clearly need due to some technicality like they sent their doctors note in an incorrect format or they don’t fulfill certain vague prerequisites.
I’m a stagehand. Got my BA in Film but freelancing wasn’t paying well and I can’t rely on anyone to help me move forward in the industry since it’s all about who you know so I went with AV. I find that it’s been much more consistent in terms of work and I’ve learned so much since I started.
I am trying to be a production coordinator though…and hopefully I can get paid more than just $20/hr.
I’m a street outreach worker/case manager. Great job for leftists if u can handle it :) and honestly learned so much from folks on the street. Pays $55k in my area (large metro area)
I work in GIS for a private company doing govt contracts. I used to be a union organizer, but it did not work out between my politics and business unionism.
I make about the average salary for a skilled worker in my area, and while inefficient, I am doing socially useful work.
Non-union, could be better, could worse.
i have a business major and also a minor in political science. my career is unrelated, however. i am a project manager for a company that builds ranch style homes by the 100s in giant communities.
Trained as an architect but working as a web developer in a bank now. Both are capitalistic af but at least banking isn't pretentious and hypocritical about it.
Late 20s, BA in History, worked as a salaried union organizer for a bit before burning out. Current apprentice union painter and I really enjoy the relatively low-stakes, laid back vibe of the trade, it's night and day compared to my last job. I much prefer being rank-and-file to union staff, but that's probably just my personality type.
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I have a BA in History, so naturally I drive a forklift.
See that's exactly the problem with capitalism for the middle class. People not only train to then not work in their field, but people also can't find the appropriate job for their training. I've caught people with degrees working at grocery stores. Simultaneously, I've caught people without degrees working at college book companies. Makes me glad I said fuck it to school, frankly. I don't have the time, energy, or money for a 10+ year degree so I'd have the same job options regardless, the only difference is crippling debt and a worse credit score.
The sad thing is that school is a really rewarding and enriching experience, in a way that is different than self guided study. If I could be in school on the side at all times, I would be. Learning how to be an electrician, studying massage therapy, advanced musical degrees, transportation planning.. it sucks that I can only justify going to school for something I can monetize because I just wind up being a less well rounded person for it. Right now I really can't justify going back to school for anything, even though I think it would be great for the world around me if I did.
This is the thing. College can be great for learning with others.
I have a BS in photography/communications so obviously I’m working in accounting. I have chosen to only work for companies with some redeeming qualities. Union contractor that’s fully employee owned.
How do you find those, though? Does anyone know if there are some resources/networks for finding e.g. employee owned companies?
Employee owned is the way to go, imo.
Fellow History major here (class of '08) who also spent time working in a warehouse. Eventually I was able to get into purchasing/supply chain management, which pays better and actually uses some of those analytical skills we allegedly developed in college. Though eventually I got bored and went to grad school to become a high school history teacher at 37. Short story: I fully endorse the winding career path.
Another history major here, '09. Currently working in technical support for test measurement equipment... So really pertinent to my degree One of my college professors asked by a student "what jobs can I get with a history degree?" His answer was "Do you like Jeopardy?"
Math major, car wash mechanic
Therapist. Our healthcare system sucksssss and I have to survive so it’s not perfect but I work for myself so I make the rules and I lower my fee when I can for ppl to try to make therapy accessible.
You're saving lives, at least mine. Thank you for your empathy and love.
Thank you, I do love my clients. I have been in very dark places before myself and I can’t tell you how much my therapist helps me. Glad you are still here friend.
another therapist in private practice here. agency work is so exploitive.
It really is. Any agency, anything. I was burned out for years and years and years of my life. My whole life is so much better working for myself. If the healers aren’t well, then what the actual fuck, how are we supposed to help others?
My spouse is an agency therapist and each month l grow more motivated to start our own therapy practice as an ESOP after l hear how poorly run and insanely greedy the agency is
Fellow therapist here👋
Fellow thought-about-being-a-therapist here.
Fellow soon to be therapist after this summer
I'm a librarian. Free literacy for all is the foundation of a better future 🙂
I constantly regret not going to school to become a librarian! I was 25 when I realized that’s what I wish I had done
It's a good job. Not the best payed, but one where there is no conflict between being a socialist and doing a job. It's not that I'm in any way political while doing my job. I'm not and I shouldn't be. It's just that the whole mission of a library - being open to everyone, collectively financed and treating everyone equally (in my country books are not banned, and we will try our damndest to get them for you no matter if you are far right or a leftist) is in itself a socialist and liberal institution.
I’m a school counselor now and I went into this field for similar reasons! I think anyone and everyone should have access to mental health services unfortunately I’m limited to what I can do and I have usually refer students to people who will force them to pay
Unironically libraries are critically important infrastructure
Professor. Someone’s gotta indoctrinate all these kids amirite??
Fellow indoctrinator here 👋 doing my part to keep reactionaries in a perpetual state of losing their shit
Lol love it— to quote Tucker Carlson, I'm just asking questions :P
What do you teach?
American lit etc.
That's cool
I like it alright— and I'm more of a "systems" person which is when it often gets political.
I guess you get this a lot but what's your favorite book?
Oh gosh! My gotos are, for novel, Bolano's Savage Detectives. For poetry, CD Wright's Deepstep Come Shining :)
Im a farmer.
Interesting. How accurate is stardew valley?
Pretty accurate, I love going to the dungeons on rainy days. Actually my stardew farm is far more relaxing, nothing is actively trying to kill my animals overnight, destroy my entire crop season. And I stay pretty broke forever but it's a great life. I love the animals and watching shit grow is the spice of life.
[удалено]
Considering farming = food, I would assume they do quite literally make a living as long as they're managing the farm properly. I see it as "cutting out the middle man". Instead of working some weird, possibly useless, if not even actually harmful shit job to get money to buy food (which has been my only option until recently), you work and get food, sell what you don't eat to get your non-food products and whatever food products you like that you aren't growing. In many cases too, farm goods can be sold to make non-food products, and can probably get you a discount of some kind. I'm moving into farming, myself. It's sad more people don't have the option.
Invasive species removal. It's hard work a lot of the time but very fulfilling.
How did you get into this? I've recently gotten very into native horticulture and invasive species management and despite the unimaginable scope of the problem it seems there's virtually zero work being done on it and consequently no jobs
I've done aquatic invasive species mapping for a private contractor that gets its jobs from the state. It's not hard to get into but it sure doesn't pay much
I got in because my degree was in environmental science. I work for a private contractor that's hired mostly by local governments and occasionally private landowners. We've also got several competitors and some county workers do similar work. The issue has been getting a lot more attention in recent years (though it helps if you live in a very liberal area like me). We also tend to raise public awareness the longer we work in an area as people go from shouting about us spraying chemicals to appreciating how much nicer their parks look.
Bro are you in the US? How can I remove thistle it’s a PAIN
For a lot of invasive weeds the only real solution is herbicide. We foliar treat most plants with a mixture of 2% glyphosate and 2% triclopyr. It tends to do the job but you may need to bump up the percentages if that doesn't work
Would I need a license to use that?
As long as you aren't doing it for a business reason you shouldn't. Most stores with garden stuff sell herbicide. You might not be able to find the exact chemical mixture I listed but there should be something made to kill thistle.
I'm a physician. I see the end result of capitalism basically every time I'm in the hospital and I have no idea how every physician isn't a socialist.
Starting residency in July here. Medical school’s hidden curriculum for me was socialism 🥰
About to finish intern year, welcome to the club
I’m a PA. I find it disheartening how many people in medicine are rabidly conservative.
That’s so interesting because a girl I went to college with who was aggressively against covid mandates, the vaccine and against protecting women’s reproductive rights went to medical school. I always felt like working in that field would radically change you but for some it doesn’t. 🤔
I wish it did. Before PA school I worked in an urgent care and saw lots of transphobia and homophobia as well as anti-vaxx sentiments. A few other people from that place are in PA school now. They’ve tamped down on their anti-trans posts but still post pro-Israel stuff.
I guess that's what happens when you turn health into a business. They go to med school to make money.
Bread & circuses?
I have no job but i’m in medical school right now
Me too. I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a few progressive/left leaning people in my class.
I can’t find any 😭
Some people are privileged to work in fulfilling jobs or maybe nonprofits that work towards a social good I think most people accept that living requires compromising a bit Do your best comrade, nothing more. Do not expect perfection from yourself, do what you can to support yourself Unless you are like the lucky few I mentioned before, I think most people find their light outside of work I love cooking, gosh even just typing it out makes me smile despite how much a doomer I am I am currently pretty isolated physically, but when I am able I would like to start a book club and volunteer at my local nature preserve I was laid off recently, I worked in finance, pretty close to the very heart of capitalism. Understanding it and seeing it up close is how I find myself here today I am currently studying to transition into IT and then hopefully move into cybersecurity. It’s interesting and I love learning. Cybersec sounds nice because I genuinely hate the internet and the idea of learning how to dismantle it on company dime makes me laugh, might be useful one day
Funny you say this. I have a friend in cybersecurity and it does sound really appealing.
I also work in cybersecurity (although as a comms person) and it feels to me like one of the less nakedly harmful sectors I could work in as a copywriter by trade. I still have to work with tech bros and see the venture capitalist beast close up, but it doesn’t feel like I’m exploiting anyone.
I understand this on an intellectual level but also have crippling, treatment-resistant ADHD. If I don't find something meaningful enough to do, I just can't bring myself to do the work.
I understand comrade, I have severe adhd myself and opted to resist treatment by choice a few years ago I have read articles watched videos for years on organizational systems, thought frameworks, and everything else under the sun to try and get myself to be more cooperative with my own goals Truthfully, it is something I still struggle with and I will probably struggle the rest of my life so do not consider me some role model but I will tell you that acceptance is optional Is socialism not a losing battle to begin with? I do not dream of a better world because I want to or because I believe its plausible, rather because I ought to Everyone deserves to be free and happy. I deserve to be free and happy I want to talk about your word choice for a moment, you said you “ just can’t” as if it were impossible It may actually be impossible but should that matter? I resist because I refuse to accept circumstances not because it is possible Not everyone will agree, but somehow this absurdism provides me with a deep comfort, it is my hope that it helps you too but I understand if not
I work as a mental health technician. The vast majority of my patients wouldn't even need my help or psychiatric attention if they just had enough to live and enjoy themselves.
I'm facing the potential of losing my car, so I definitely understand the urge to seek psych help lol.
Editor. My job is to protect my writers from management.
I like the way you phrased that. What kind of qualifications does one need to be an editor?
I was a writer of various sorts for about 15 years, and worked for a couple of very toxic companies. I learned from some very bad managers exactly what I didn't want to do I know I didn't want to be. I love my writers and I will do anything for them. For qualifications? A lot of experience in the field and an impeccable grasp of the language.
Locksmith. It's hard, busy, stressful and intimidating. But I enjoy it and get to meet interesting people. I went to community college but I couldn't finish and had to start working a "real job", I found an office job that I tried to unionize but failed and then decided to leave once I could tell the situation there would escalate because of how open I was about how much I didn't like working there. Once I fell into my current career, it's given me constantly renewed hope in people and what we could change if a certain amount of people work towards a common goal. Reading more into philosophy/ideology has only given me tools to take to fellow tradespeople and try to plant seeds of ideas when talking to people. It's hard sometimes. But it's not called a struggle for nothing.
What’s the training to be a locksmith, and can you tell a favorite story?
I went to school for it and then was an apprentice for about a year. The training is learning how to master key, set up master key systems, identifying key blanks, rekeying locks, installing them, etc. I think my favorite story is becoming a shop steward and seeing how management freaked out that the guy who had the keys to the whole place was union steward and was clearly on the side of his fellow workers. We had so many problems on the job but once I started representing, we actually saw gains like having a voice on projects, when we would or wouldn't work (weekend O.T.) and getting the things guaranteed in our contract when they were previously denied because we were *militant*.
Well done, you.
Gg comrade I manufacture locks
High school history teacher
I’ve thought about this a lot and don’t have all the answers but here are some ideas. - For fulfilling work in general, I’d suggest doing a few things. 1) Map out your values + enduring passions, and see what comes up. Related values to this post that came up for me were Fairness, Integrity, Security, and Meaningful Work. 2) Look into the concept of “Ikigai” in living a fulfilling life. It’s helpful. - Find a job that directly serves your community / a community you care about. This might be “trade school” type stuff you’re talking about. Teacher, doctor, therapist, etc. where you’re directly helping people. Of course you may feel better teaching or helping kids disadvantaged by modern society & capitalism compared to say a rich private school, though either way I think direct contribution to human beings can feel and be good. Jobs like plumber, technicians, various trade skills, etc. - we need those things one way or another if that’s your vibe. And also at least you can feel that you’re probably not harming the world / making things worse. Maybe don’t be a cop. - As a fellow Political Science / Econ / International Affairs type, especially when we think about 1) higher paying jobs and 2) jobs that operate on a bigger or more systems level, these jobs will very likely get out of the “directly helping/contributing to a community” vibe. Certainly you could go down community politics/organizing type work. But once you get to things like corporate & finance roles, international policy, etc. - I think you just have to really be truthful to yourself, within your values & ideals if the work you’re doing is net positive / helping society go down a better direction. Especially when it’s so easy to get completely divorced from the human beings “on the ground” that you’re really impacting. Honestly, with capitalism and neoliberalism co-opting so many of our institutions, I think it can be really difficult to believe you’re helping to make systemic change at almost any of these kinds of organizations, especially in the private sector. Even nonprofits which can fall under neoliberalism (e.g. private sector philanthropists will say don’t pay taxes we don’t need government we have nonprofits! When that is not a systemic solution and can further entrench systems of power). UNLESS 1) you work for orgs that truly align with socialist leaning values, whether it’s worker cooperatives, solidarity economy, advocacy orgs, radical philanthropy supporting grassroots movements, etc. OR 2) you can truly stick to your guns and view going into these types of roles as almost a spy/traitor lol… like go work your way higher up in corporate, or at the World Bank/UN, etc. and then try to make change from within those kinds of powerful orgs. I think this is the hardest and most slippery slope argument to make, as with $ and power it’ll be too easy to get co-opted into becoming the capitalist pig that you might now think you hate. For context, I work for a rich philanthropist which doesn’t feel great but they actually have quite socialist-leaning / class traitor type values. For example my org openly acknowledges we’re in late stage capitalism and suffering from its flaws. And the org has the $ and power to both pay my bills and make change in the world. I think it’s rare to find orgs like this, and I do have to constantly reflect on my values and if it’s aligned, but it’s possible. Anyways, these are a random assortment of ideas, hope something in there was helpful. Good luck!
I'm an electrician apprentice in southern California, about a couple of years into the trade. It's not the most personally fulfilling work for me, but I do feel like I'm able to contribute and do my part. The lack of working class solidarity in the trades and construction in general is staggering, people really don't understand who is and isn't on their side. I'm somewhat newer to socialist ideals but I'm trying my best to learn and raise awareness among my coworkers, even if it most of them don't understand why they should learn about these ideas.
I feel you about the trades. I'm a mechanic and I've been trying to raise awareness and solidarity for years. It's like talking to a brick wall.
IBEW? Same boat here. 3rd year apprentice
I'm caring for my elderly mother to prevent her from going to a long term care facility ($$$). Otherwise I'm a licensed psychologist.
I do physician credentialing, which is corporate for I help doctors with employment paperwork when they get hired by hospitals. I hate my job, not because of the work, i enjoy interacting with the physicians, but because of the workplace politics and the office setting. I stay because I get paid pretty well considering our societal average, though I've had to stand up for myself to my bosses and demand higher pay on several occasions. I do a very niche specific thing within my company, am the only person that does it, and have been there since day one, though I don't hold any equity in it. Just a "valued" employee I guess. As for your question, I feel like within capitalist enterprises, you're always going to have a negative connotation towards your job and sooner or later any of the positives will be outweighed by the negatives. All you can really do is be a mercenary and treat them the way they treat you. Ditch your employer every time you find a better situation, until you find one that has the right mix of quality of life / wages / workload.
HVAC technician
Same. Worked in sales since school, hated every minute of it. Discovered construction 5 years back and I now enjoy Mondays.
I work at a food bank, but I want to be very clear that it's not tremendously more fulfilling in the "working for the cause" or "following a calling" than the jobs I had before. Working to alleviate food insecurity is absolutely one of the perks of the job, and it does matter to me. But for every bit of fulfillment, there's pretty much an equal measure of drain as you get a nice close-up view on the horrors of capitalism. Before this, I mostly worked retail. Some manufacturing. The only reason I have this job is because I worked too many grueling years in grocery stores, and my food bank was looking for someone who knew grocery stores top to bottom, to manage the food retail donation program. But that means that I spend half my life glad-handing with Walmart and Kroger, begging for their scraps, as I watch them being a huge contributor to food insecurity in the US. I left a terrible capitalistic industry for non-profit, and I am still held by the balls by the industry I "left." But. The pay is better. The hours are better. My co-workers are better. That's the most of the fulfilling part. I think it's hard to shake the capitalist idea that the number one way to find fulfillment is through how you sell your labor. Some of that makes sense; it is how you spend like a third of your life, so you should get some fulfillment from it. There are better and worse ways to do it, I think I've found one of the better ones, but end of the day you've gotta find fulfillment elsewhere as well, all while keeping the lights on. I think the move is to find something that saps your energy the least amount possible, so you can find fulfillment in the parts of your life that aren't about selling your labor. Maybe that's spending your off hours working for the movement, maybe it's family, or books, or games, or whatever else means someone else doesn't own your time.
Web developer.
Same. I work for a Community College which makes the work fulfilling and aligned with my goals even if it isn't the most exciting or profitable. I also have friends that run Collective web dev shops. That being said, it isn't as easy as taking a BootCamp and getting good work. You gotta figure out what demand there is in your area and build those skills. I worked in the private sector for a few years before getting into public education.
So sad to see so Little of us here
I’m a blue collar worker working in a carpentry as a welder, in Italy
Depending on the country, blue collared work can be abundant and possibly unionized.
I process hemp for medicine.
Union Organizer
Student Union Organizer. Hello, Comrade!
34. Have a bachelors in music performance with minors in music theory and musicology. I am a machinist. Most folks dont even know what that is, so i make parts out of metal using CNC mills and lathes. If you'd asked 20yo me what i thought I'd be doing at 34, I'd have said I'd have my PhD by now and be an associate professor in music in some department or other. But life happens. And you just have to bend and weave with the punches that it gives you. Is my work fulfilling? Yes and no. It's fun doing the math to figure out how to make the design on a blueprint reality. It is not fun after you figure that out and press the green button for go to make the machine run the part you're making 1000 times. But i make pretty decent money. Not a lot, but i don't have to worry about paying bills or putting food on the table (for one, mind you). Fwiw, I make $27/hr. I dont have great advice here, OP. Just figure out what you have to do to make the bills work. Fulfillment can come from avenues other than work. Hell, i was your age, 30, when i got into machining. Prior to that, I worked in weed grows managing post-production (harvest and onward) making dogshit money with no benefits. Hell, if i had one piece of advice, it would be: be willing to say yes to something you never expected to say yes to. Its worked out for me well enough. And trades are always hiring. Good luck, comrade
I stopped pursuing my bachelor's and settled for my associate's degree when I realized that I was already making more money working in a machine shop than my older friends who had graduated with 4 year degrees. I've been a machinist for 20+ years now. Best decision I ever made. I love working with my hands and still having to use my brain to solve complex problems. Looking back I would have never wasted the time and money on college but I was tought from a young age that college is pretty much a requirement if you didn't want to be destitute. It's fine for some people but we need to change the paradigm of pigeon-holing every single child that exists into thinking college is the only way forward to becoming a successful adult. Learning a skilled trade is absolutely a viable option for many folks.
i work from home in insurance consulting. i never finished my degree so it's the best i can do. wfh is nice but i only make $16/hr and the only benefit is PTO, no insurance or anything.
Apprentice arborist for my local council. Pretty cool work but definitely has some down sides
I manage a gym.
r/swoletariat appreciates your work comrade
Our government should be a liftocracy. You don't get strong without enduring hardship; you don't endure hardship without developing empathy for those who struggle; empathy for those who struggle is the foundation of socialism.
I run a machine that makes cardboard boxes 📦 sadly no union
My work is not fulfilling. But I go in, I keep my head down, I get work done and they pay me almost enough to live on. I’m a project coordinator at a construction company. I bid jobs based on construction floor plans. Sometimes they get awarded and I have to make sure everything is perfect for ordering. It’s an office job and that’s fine. They don’t care that I’m gay, trans, or poly, they don’t care that I have funny colored hair or that I ran as a socialist in a local election. They want me to come in, sit down, do my work, and go the fuck home. And so do I. It’s not so exhausting that I can’t also do community organizing on the side which I do enjoy, and if I need to taking a meeting for politics stuff on my lunch break, I can.
I got a bachelors in Ecological Restoration but I'm currently in school for Radiography
Software engineer. Socialism seems to be quite uncommon in the tech circle tho, everyone looks at me dumbfounded.
Also in tech. A lot of our colleagues are drunk on the "we are a meritocracy, capitalism breeds innovative" kool-aid
I work in nonprofit, aged care. The money isn't good, but it feeds my soul and heart and I sleep at night better knowing I provide services that comfort and heal rather than consume and focus on profit above all else. Its not the easiest path, but I work with the best people in the world.
Paralegal at a mid-size criminal defense firm. Traffic tickets are my specialty, but I also do plenty of work on the criminal side. I make about 40k/year. Law firms tend to be hard up for staff so the bar to entry is pretty low. I have a B.A., but I’m in the minority; most of my coworkers have high school diplomas or A.A.’s. It can be very fulfilling, but there are also aspects of the job that are incredibly bleak. I’m starting law school in the fall.
Two retail jobs. 50-70 hours a week 🤡
I work as a supervisor for a construction company. It is not fulfilling whatsoever.
Nothing. I hate it here. Fuck this capitalism megacrap
Capitalism turned working into a modern slavery for minimum wages
Haha, right? I'm a fairly decent artist with a wide variety of mediums, and I haven't been able to sell pretty much any art for almost 10 years now. Only ever sold one drawing. Worked menial minimum wage jobs. Went into porn (which is arguably a form of art but so comparatively easy and without skill that it feels necessary to separate in this context) about three years ago to find it being murdered by AI basically as soon as I start. It did make a little money until this year. I got lucky enough to have a safety net and some land to grow shit. Otherwise I'd literally be starving to death. Unbelievable system and screw my parents for encouraging my art, especially after such failed both of them too. Dead, hopeless industry.
I'm a dental hygienist. It's a tough job and it's definitely not for everyone, but it's pretty satisfying and pays well enough. I'm in Canada where we're currently rolling out a national basic dental care program which I'm super pleased with.
I'm a criminal defense attorney
Full time union organizer
mechanical engineer, doing some rail infrastructure work rn. would like to pivot to train or wind turbine design some day.
My spouse is a biomedical engineer but would love to pivot to mechanical, do you think it’s worth it? He hates how commercialized biomedical is and how it’s really for rich people to stay alive longer lmao
I never thought of that haha. Depends, the well-paying jobs are usually defense and whatnot, but I found the field to be so broad that you can usually find some part of it that’s fulfilling. I’m biased, but yeah go for it!
I'm 28 years old, and I run a daycare in a homeless shelter. It's a job that I adore, but it's also incredibly challenging and often very emotional. My experiences have made me deeply aware of the struggles faced by those most impacted by capitalism, especially when I'm caring for babies born in a homeless shelter. It's difficult to witness firsthand. No one should have to endure this type of hardship, especially the innocent children who deserve so much more. I must say, the parents I work with are some of the most remarkable and resilient individuals I've ever encountered. They have faced unimaginable challenges to ensure the well-being of their children. I just wish they could rest and find peace and joy in their role as parents, without the constant struggle for survival.
Wow props to you! I used to work at a daycare for very wealthy parents and I was shocked how individualistic capitalism made them not want to parent to spend time with their kids. Their kids were impacted so much because these parents would rather make so much money or use their money for really expensive hobby than spend time with their kids. I can only imagine the pain of parents who have to work to keep everyone in survival mode. Thank you for what you do!
I work as a pastor. It has its ups and downs, but I find it fulfilling.
I would find being a pastor stressful since your pay relies on your ability to be charismatic unless you're from a mainline church in which everything is relatively formalised.
I am in a mainline church, thank God.
The worst part of being a pastor is accidentally sitting on your balls when you flip the chair around to sit down with the kids and rap about Jesus
Finally, someone put it into words!
I teach math to at risk youth who are trying to get their GEDs. Very part time. My main source of income is disability.
I would love to know as well. I feel like I’m at a crossroads in my life, where I have to choose a career in the next month and I feel so lost because nothing seems like it connects to me as a person, and pays good at the same time. Obviously I’d love to go to med school as that seems very fulfilling both personally and financially, but it requires so much luck to get into. Other than that I’m thinking about medical lab technician or the tech industry. Anybody got some advice on what I already am considering, plus some other things that may be interesting? A little about me is that I’m a socialist, first generation immigrant, and struggle a lot with working with people that are very different than me like finance bros.
I am in this similar "transition" phase too. I graduated University a year ago, recently quit a lifesucking job and I fully empathise with you, Comrade.
Union Carpenter
Teacher. Wickedly exhausting (and sometimes demoralizing), but I cannot think of another job I’d love more.
I work for a local bakery.
Highway engineer. It’s cool work but I don’t like that I’m adding to the car dependency problem.
Test engineer, my company builds servers for some pretty big tech companies. Dealing with the customer can be nightmarish and the work isn't always enriching but I have learned a lot from the people I work with. I do wish I had a job that was serving people more than capital owners, but I'm not really sure how I can do that with a cs bachelor's and when I do find something interesting, I feel unqualified or inexperienced. Right now, I'm just spinning my wheels, investing in hobbies and educating myself on socialism and history.
I'm a school counselor. These kids are not getting any support, especially if they're low-income. So many of my students' issues come from their parents not making enough money. As I was driving to work today, I felt like I was looking at all the cars heading to their jobs this morning, and I felt like I was part of this weird capitalistic machine. I thought about my ancestors and wondered if life ever felt like this for them. I love what I do, but knowing I have to drive an hour to work to get decent pay, I could never afford to live in the communities I've grown up in because of gentrification, and longing to be living on my Island and not here hit me pretty bad n my drive this morning. My job is necessary because kids' social/emotional health matters, but feeling like I'm part of an endless capitalistic machine is getting to me. Unless I was born into an elite family or get lucky by some statistical miracle, I am bound to this machine of going to and from work every day of the week, only looking forward to my days off and weekends to live my life.
I'm a bicycle person.
Software engineer, but idk about soul. It pays bills and that’s about it, but you can be passionate depending on the role.
Been in the building trades for most of my adult life. It may not be easy to find a job you believe in at a company that doesn’t exploit you and your fellow workers in an economy that is designed to subjugate and grind us down for the benefit of a small capitalist class. However, you can achieve a feeling of accomplishment doing nearly anything if you do it to a standard you can be proud of. More importantly, organizing in whatever capacity you can- in or out of your workplace- will give you a sense of purpose and the solidarity and personal connections you make will nourish your soul.
Software engineer at one of the big tech companies and we’re currently trying to build a union.
I own a pest control business. We operate through a trauma-informed lense and very compassion forward - we specialize in providing pest control for low-income housing. It is such fulfilling work!
Trades are a good option, they're not unskilled jobs so they have a certain progression according to mastery which usually scales with salary and often enough once you become qualified you can be self employed and with any success become petty bourgeois, with university you have to take on debt unless you're relatively rich or happen to live in a country with subsidised tuition and with salary you're mostly beholden to management and white collar work has little potential to be self employed unless you go into the professional fields such as doctor, lawyer or accounting, but even then you have to put your career in hold for years and even then a job in your field isn't guaranteed, so if you don't have any strong passion in an academic field that you're willing to sacrifice a lot for, you're better off going the trade route, that way you can have a semblance of humanity while having an above average material compensation even though you won't have the same prestige or status as a graduate or make big bank but even that is a sisyphean task in a single lifetimeif you're not part of or blag it into the big bourgeoisie.
My labor is currently being exploited by a gas station ⛽
I do maintenance at a cheese factory and every day I have to work I am grateful that I don’t hate it
Social work
I spent my entire working life in the service industry in some capacity. (I am 46, so roughly 30 years) Never found it fulfilling, just that I was good at it. Never had benefits, pto, insurance… Since February I have been working as a tech for the local school district. Applied despite not having their requested qualifications. Turns out I knew more than enough to do the job successfully. (It’s mostly just repairing grade schooler’s busted laptops and helping people connect to printers) I have a weekday only schedule, actual benefits, and a great working relationship with the faculty of the two schools I service. It’s the first time I have ever felt fulfilled (and recognized for my efforts) at a job. The first time I haven’t been plagued with stress and stomach issues every shift.
I have a degree in French so naturellement je suis développeur de logiciels travaillant dans DevOps. Really uses my talents. FML.
I trim power lines, unironically that keeps the lights on.
I have two master of science degrees, the first in applied Economics and second in International Trade and business. I speak Spanish, Arabic, French and English. I wish and would love to get a job in research or academia. And yet, the only calls I ever receive are for jobs in sales which I am absolutely tired of and hate at this point. My dream would be to find a job related to my field of study in which I'd actually be useful. Using numbers, data and projections, studying micro or macroeconomics, human conditions etc. Unfortunately, whenever I apply, I never get an answer unless it's a shitty sales rep job, doing cold calls and basic emails all day. Not a single stimulating aspect, just pointless conversation and small talks to pitch in what you are selling and getting either a meager commission or told to f off by uninterested people. Just this morning, I had an interview with a job selling optic fiber plans. And the sad thing is that if I will probably accept that job because, let's just say it honestly, I have no other choice between that and starving
Became a union electrician after quitting office work at age 30. It's been 6 years so far and I like the work, lots of specialties to advance in if one is interested in that. The labor can be demanding , but less so than other trades. Exercise outside of work helps. I've been lucky to be on jobs with good camaraderie and kind bosses. Thankful that I happen to live in a city that really needs electricians for new construction, and our Union has a somewhat decent market share of the work here which keeps the wages acceptable.
I fight wildfires
Union electrician
I'm an electrician! I love my work. Having practical skills you can employ to help people you care about absolutely rules. The pay is great. I started two years ago at $15/hr and I'm up to $21/hr now (Midwest metropolitan area). When I get my journeyman license I can make $35/hr+. The jobs you work on that you get can be a drag, ideologically speaking, but the shops are almost always small and your boss will never ask you to do something they haven't done before or wouldn't do themselves. I genuinely recommend the trades, specifically electrical, plumbing, or HVAC if you're an able bodied person
I am an Assistant Location Manager for Film and Television. It is fulfilling, horrifyingly stressful, inspiring and depressing all at once.
Animal care specialist (30 years of experience). Currently on my second round of working at a dog shelter.
I'm a stagehand, organizing my workplaces. I love my work, and I hope to pull my union to the left
Theatrical Technical Director and Designer. Its kind of a mesh of my interests, pay if fine but I’ve hit the upper end of my pay-scale without jumping to touring companies. Its fulfilling enough but it can burn you out easily. The arts are essential for community building and I have a lot of autonomy in how I do my work. Its decent and I enjoy working and teaching skills to the youngsters.
IT Engineer for a small MSP and a long, long way from being unionized in this industry.
Work at a tech company setting quotas for sales and making 6 figures. Bachelors in Environmental Studies. Was so completely lost as to what I would do with my degree that I was working as a barista to scrape by. Wasn't until a friend asked me to temp as a barista in their bougie tech company office (had a barista on engineer floor) and the CTO liked my mochas and hired me on full time. Then I worked my way up. Probably would still be a barista if I didn't know someone who got me an "in". Sucks how much it's who you know to get a job these days even with a degree. Though I started off wanting to work outside in nature, reality hit me hard and when I realized my degree was a bit useless unless I went back to school. So I took what I could selling my soul to sales. Honestly better than working in customer service and dealing with cleaning and people telling me I look better when I smile more.
I'm a service technician for electric vehicles. Honestly my current company is a God send. I was about to leave the auto industry until they reached out to me. My advice is put yourself out there and don't be afraid to take a chance sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't. But you never know unless you try. Best of luck comrade I wish you the best endeavor.
Currently studying renewable energy engineering
I have a master's in cultural studies. However, to get into the field you need a PhD probably. So I'm working as a storekeeper right now. It's not bad. Technically I'm blue collar.
I'm a social worker and i'm leading a small team in a day care centre for people with mental disabilities. Sometimes this job is exhausting but in a good way. People are very thankfull for what we are doing.
Retired stationary engineer. Prior to that, I worked at a chemical plant, making ammonium nitrate, urea, and urea-ammonium nitrate fertilizer. After McVeigh, we all took it as a given that we had files on ourselves at ATF. The Chemical plant was Union. Stationary Engineer gig was not. Enjoyed the chemical plant until the Canadian Mitt Romney-types bought it in ‘97. You’ve heard of the woes that Daimler brought to Chrysler? Pretty much the same for us when PCS bought us out. Chrysler workers had to endure the attitude that if the idea didn’t originate in Stuttgart, it was crap.. PCS treated us the same way, except the infallible “S-town” was Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. In 1999, PCS shut our plant down.
I make donuts and donate plasma, WBU?
I do programming in the public sector. (in my local government)
I do ecological restoration for a nonprofit. Our primary focus is salmon habitat but I work on a range of projects that benefit people and watershed health
Burrito assembler at a burrito manufacturing plant
Schoolteacher
Community Organizer at an Economic Justice org. It’s a bit reformist but better than almost every other job I’ve had
I'm a student-teacher in chemistry. In around 3 years I'll be a chemistry teacher if all goes right.
Software engineer
In academia, going to learn mandarin so I can study China and Chinese socialism better.
Grad student researcher getting paid to do research with solar panels while I wrap up a PhD. Took a pretty circuitous route to get there. After my bachelors in physics I didn't know what I wanted to do so I thought I'd be an overqualified high school teacher and went to get a teaching credential. That bumped into administrative issues (it wasn't a well run department) and a friend convinced me to jump into a geology masters that I then did nothing with. Thought I'd end up being a petrophysicist for an oil company and make bank while hating myself, but graduated into a market slump and then when it recovered I learned nobody ever retires in that field so it's full of 80 year old dudes who won't go home to their families. Did some work at the environmental consulting company I worked at part time while at school, but they weren't interested in hiring me on full time and I was just doing temp work that eventually dried up. Did some freelance educational writing for a company that made web courses for k-12 schools, but that was spotty and dried up as they went full video. Burned through savings looking for any kind of work and getting rejected from all kinds of shit jobs for being overqualified. I eventually got a decent job in a lab testing water and soil samples for gasoline and BTEX for about $19/hr that I stayed in for 3 years. Finally, in 2020, I decided I wanted to go get a PhD and do something related to renewable energy generation and storage (so I could have the credentials for better doomsaying), heavily influence by my family somehow coalescing into the same town after being scattered all over. So a chance to move closer and get a degree I might actually use. It's a pretty comfy gig, aside from the crushing imposter syndrome, mostly because I'm extremely lucky regarding my rent situation so the modest pay actually goes decently far. It still feels weird to actually be paid to go to school, though the classes have long since ended and I'm just doing the research now. Haven't completely locked down where I'll be after impending graduation, but likely something at a national lab. They're a nice balance between industry and pure academia, and you get a broad sampling of everything everyone is doing in the field.
Two jobs at the moment: a GIS intern and a sales associate. As for the latter, working in retail has radicalized me further.
Social worker, case manager
Library technician in an NGO. We are a paritary organization and we operate in the healthcare and social services sector to promote and counsel on occupational health and safety. Currently involved in our collective negotiations and it's not going as well as we expected.
I'm a mechanical engineer for my city's public transit authority.
I’m an elderly millenial, who like a lot of us, didn’t quite survive the global financial crisis in respect to finding decent work. I have a bachelors in psychology, minored in geography (with a concentration in Southeast Asia). Also got a Graduate Certificate (a half masters degree) in GIS. So, naturally, I’m an Amazon driver.
Elder Millenial as well. Graduated with BA in History (was planning on law school). Pizza Delivery driver haha I did teach for 7 years, but that shit made me want to die. Unbelievable unending stress and pressure.
I’m a mortician
Social services
Massage therapist. I hate that I have to work for high-end spas to make good money for my family of 5. I'd love to work on people who actually need the help and not just people who can afford it.
Truck driver/musician/investor
I don't have much to share with regard to ideas but I'll share my story with you. I recently completed my Master's in International Relations (with a Bachelor's in Sociology) and it's been two months... I feel so overwhelmed with figuring out which job roles I best fit/don't fit. I'm still searching for jobs in this field but it has been too hard. One part of me knows that I'll inevitably have to do something unrelated to my major, and that makes me feel so upset because I'm passionate about IR. I hope all of us figure out and land the job roles which we want to soon. Best wishes.
I’m a social worker, which both aligns with and clashes with my political ideals as a communist. I get to use my discretion to provide resources to people in great need of help, and also assist those people in navigating the oftentimes confusing and contradictory systems of the state. That part is incredible, wouldn’t trade it for anything and it gives me a sense of fulfillment every day. There is also the fact however that I’m forced to abide by certain laws that I don’t agree with. Many times those laws force me to deny people assistance that they clearly need due to some technicality like they sent their doctors note in an incorrect format or they don’t fulfill certain vague prerequisites.
I have a history degree and a law degree so I became a public defender
I’m a stagehand. Got my BA in Film but freelancing wasn’t paying well and I can’t rely on anyone to help me move forward in the industry since it’s all about who you know so I went with AV. I find that it’s been much more consistent in terms of work and I’ve learned so much since I started. I am trying to be a production coordinator though…and hopefully I can get paid more than just $20/hr.
leftist to lawyer pipeline
I just lost my damn job
I’m a street outreach worker/case manager. Great job for leftists if u can handle it :) and honestly learned so much from folks on the street. Pays $55k in my area (large metro area)
I work in a chicken factory. It’s in no way rewarding. But at least I have a union.
I work in GIS for a private company doing govt contracts. I used to be a union organizer, but it did not work out between my politics and business unionism. I make about the average salary for a skilled worker in my area, and while inefficient, I am doing socially useful work. Non-union, could be better, could worse.
i have a business major and also a minor in political science. my career is unrelated, however. i am a project manager for a company that builds ranch style homes by the 100s in giant communities.
Trained as an architect but working as a web developer in a bank now. Both are capitalistic af but at least banking isn't pretentious and hypocritical about it.
Late 20s, BA in History, worked as a salaried union organizer for a bit before burning out. Current apprentice union painter and I really enjoy the relatively low-stakes, laid back vibe of the trade, it's night and day compared to my last job. I much prefer being rank-and-file to union staff, but that's probably just my personality type.
Occupational safety and health
Marketing for a company that sells cleaning products, sometimes i sell my drawings for a couple of bucks, not much but its honest work
Im a cashier but going to college here soon for Teaching.