Thread: This is Lame! More Neutering of the American Male!

Originally Posted by gugi

I was just suggesting to compare the salaries of the regular nerd type of jobs and the regular outdoorsy type of jobs. Or the celebrity nerd jobs with the celebrity outdoorsy jobs.

Salary isn't always the key to happiness. Many people would be happy making a smaller salary but doing something they enjoy.

Personally, I regret not following through with my original career choice (wildlife management). I work in a nerdy job, probably making more money than I would have in wildlife management, but there is not a day that goes by that I don't regret my choice.

Originally Posted by 1OldGI

Funny, Michael Moore is a really smart guy and he says everyone in Canada leaves their doors open and there's no violent crime at all. According to him, pedophilia and people getting shot and robbed are a phenomena unique to the horrible, capitalist United States of America. Then again, this guy says health care for the rank and file Cuban is fantastic. You're probably right though, the kind of liberty we had as kids is probably not possible in a city of any size today.

Actually, we frequently have left our front door unlocked in the past.

There's violent crime, but it's not like criminals are running around trying people's doors. Toronto is a bit different than many of the large American cities in that its urban core has grown and developed considerably, with many upscale neighbourhoods springing up in "reclaimed" areas that used to be industrial or, at least, less "chic". The phenomenon in American cities, whose cause can be attributed to many things, has been for the affluent to take to the suburbs, forming an upscale doughnut around an abandoned (in extreme cases like Detroit) or at least a very poor or undesirable, urban centre. These trends are borne out by looking at the top earners in the two countries. In Canada, they are found in the urban centres, in the USA, they are more in the suburbs. We're very similar in many ways, but there are significant differences.

Anyway, there's a bit of a window into the type of analysis I do at work every day

Have a good one.

Originally Posted by gugi

It's Halloween, I always get out for the children!

creepy but I can see that

You'd be a good dracula. I can see you rising out of the coffin with a bloodthirsty smile as the smart children are unsuspectingly receiving candy from the doorman

Originally Posted by fyrfyter43

Salary isn't always the key to happiness. Many people would be happy making a smaller salary but doing something they enjoy.

Personally, I regret not following through with my original career choice (wildlife management). I work in a nerdy job, probably making more money than I would have in wildlife management, but there is not a day that goes by that I don't regret my choice.

This is certainly correct. Money is very important to happiness but only until certain level, after that it's other things like relationships, sense of contribution and accomplishment that dominate.
However, I don't understand if your nerdy job doesn't make you happy, why don't you simply change to the one that would do so. Surely the pay cut couldn't be the issue, if the money doesn't contribute to your happiness.

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

creepy

It's your holiday, I didn't grow up with it, just doing my best to fit in.

Originally Posted by gugi

I don't understand if your nerdy job doesn't make you happy, why don't you simply change to the one that would do so. Surely the pay cut couldn't be the issue, if the money doesn't contribute to your happiness.

Quite honestly, it's a matter of education. I quit college after 1 semester and went to work. I worked my way from an entry-level manufacturing job to the point where I now work in research & development. I did this strictly on my natural intelligence and work ethic.

To switch careers at this stage would require me earning at least a bachelor's degree. With 2 kids in high school and a 1-year old baby, I simply cannot pursue that education at this stage in my life.

So it is the money after all - if you had enough to take care of your family, you probably would've taken the path of reeducating yourself and pursuing a different career. But since you cannot afford that you must weigh the happiness from having and providing for your family against the happiness from a more satisfying career and pick only one of them.
It is not uncommon among people who have earned say tens and hundreds of millions in an executive position, to switch later in life to say teaching, or even a series of careers that are more rewarding to them. But if you need to put in on a regular basis a certain amount of work hours in order to pay your bills the options you have can become very limited.

Originally Posted by jdto

Actually, we frequently have left our front door unlocked in the past.

There's violent crime, but it's not like criminals are running around trying people's doors. Toronto is a bit different than many of the large American cities in that its urban core has grown and developed considerably, with many upscale neighbourhoods springing up in "reclaimed" areas that used to be industrial or, at least, less "chic". The phenomenon in American cities, whose cause can be attributed to many things, has been for the affluent to take to the suburbs, forming an upscale doughnut around an abandoned (in extreme cases like Detroit) or at least a very poor or undesirable, urban centre. These trends are borne out by looking at the top earners in the two countries. In Canada, they are found in the urban centres, in the USA, they are more in the suburbs. We're very similar in many ways, but there are significant differences.

Anyway, there's a bit of a window into the type of analysis I do at work every day

Have a good one.

I grew up not even having a house key, but this was in rural Indiana. The only time we locked up was when we went on vacation.

US cities are quickly becoming gentrified, so it's not so much a suburbs vs. urban centers anymore as the economy shifts from manufacturing to service (for better or for worse). I'm only familiar with Chicago, but the amount Chicago has changed in the past 15 years is really staggering. Most of the 'projects' have been torn down and inner city neighborhoods don't even resemble what they were a decade ago. My aunt bought a good sized house about 20 years ago in an iffy neighborhood since it was cheap and she had 5 boys to raise, in the Bucktown area. She sold it about 5 years ago for 10 times what she paid for it since it went from an iffy neighborhood to a fairly nice one. She bought a modest house in Indianapolis and retired with the money she made.

Pittsburgh is another example of a city that went from urban decay to a really pretty nice city in the past decade. Detroit is a lost cause, I think, but some people think it has potential. So anyway, I think you're behind the times as far as suburban flight goes, it's heading in the opposite direction.

Looking at it that way, then sure, it does have a bit to do with money. Very few families can afford to have 3 people in college full time at the same time.

I certainly can't afford to quit my job and go back to school...not with a wife and 3 kids to feed, with 2 of those kids heading off to college within the next 3 years. But I would be willing to take a pay cut to do something that makes me happy. There's a big difference between taking 4 years off to go to school (essentially having a negative income) and working in a different field making slightly less money (say $10k per year).

And no, night school is not an option for me (or my desired career). There is simply no school within 100 miles that even offers a decent WM program, especially at night.

Originally Posted by ChesterCopperpot

I grew up not even having a house key, but this was in rural Indiana. The only time we locked up was when we went on vacation.

US cities are quickly becoming gentrified, so it's not so much a suburbs vs. urban centers anymore as the economy shifts from manufacturing to service (for better or for worse). I'm only familiar with Chicago, but the amount Chicago has changed in the past 15 years is really staggering. Most of the 'projects' have been torn down and inner city neighborhoods don't even resemble what they were a decade ago. My aunt bought a good sized house about 20 years ago in an iffy neighborhood since it was cheap and she had 5 boys to raise, in the Bucktown area. She sold it about 5 years ago for 10 times what she paid for it since it went from an iffy neighborhood to a fairly nice one. She bought a modest house in Indianapolis and retired with the money she made.

Pittsburgh is another example of a city that went from urban decay to a really pretty nice city in the past decade. Detroit is a lost cause, I think, but some people think it has potential. So anyway, I think you're behind the times as far as suburban flight goes, it's heading in the opposite direction.

What is happening, both in Canada and the US, is that immigrants are starting to land in the suburbs first, rather than the urban cores of the big cities, as well as landing in the second and third tier cities due to the lower cost of living and housing. This is also causing a shift in the urban vs. suburban landscape. It's not all so cut and dried, either, as it depends on each area and it's different for each situation. Of course, when one looks at overarching trends of the last half-century, the well-to-do definitely fled to the 'burbs and we are only now seeing some shifts back to the urban centres. I wouldn't call it a nationwide trend just yet, but it's headed in that direction. And you're right, I might be a bit behind the times on the recent trends. I should probably brush up a bit