My first, and last, five jobs

In what seemed like a long time ago, back when I was working full time at my old corporate job, we used to have these (sometimes cringeworthy) icebreakers every staff meeting. Every week, there would be someone appointed to be the icebreaker person.

It was still a small 20-ish people business back then with a family feel. Off the top of my head, I remember two icebreakers in particular.

One was a puzzle map. I cut up three different basemaps of a region in New Zealand (satellite photo, LINZ topographic 50 map, mapbox) into square pieces, and gave it to three teams to solve in 10 minutes. Somehow, none of our map experts completed the challenge.

In fact, the puzzle pieces stayed in our war room for days, and if I recall correctly, it took like 2 weeks or so before it was solved...

The second icebreaker was #firstfivejobs.

And since I was the icebreaker master, I exempted myself :P. Just to make it more fun though, we had to guess who the #firstfivejobs belonged to.

Being the only one under 30 at that time, I expected myself to be humbled by everyone's slow and steady achievements over time. The results however, were interesting.

Some did start from jobs like babysitting, newspaper delivery and so on. One or two appeared a little more privileged, and there were a few surprising did-not-knows! Heck, one of them only listed one job (the one he was in already).

Why did I come back to this little moment though?

At that point in time, all of us were happily employed. A few months later, a few of us were made redundant. A year since then, maybe half of those in that meeting still work there.

Change happens.

Redundancy isn't a new phenomenom. Some might think that there are pockets of stability in some career paths - government jobs, a special industry niche, etc.

Actually, you might be right, until you're not.

I've lost track of the number of times I've filled in airport arrival cards the past year. There's usually a field - occupation - that needs to be filled in.

What is an occupation really? Am I:

What about the other stuff I sometimes occupy my time on?

I doubt the people/machines scanning these arrival cards will be pleased by a list of answers.

It does make me wonder though, when I will be able to fill in something like not applicable, retired, or unemployed. Socially, these answers don't necessarily mean the same thing, they carry some meaning.

I tried to look up the New Zealand July 2018 international arrival statistics but couldn't find statistics for the occupational field anywhere. So why are they asking for it?

Without going into the issues of privacy, or categorizing occupations, maybe the question is just there to gain some insight about our personal life. Really, if you look at the other fields, it's not like we can decide on our name, date of birth, country of birth, or phone number (except for some providers). Sure, we can geographically decide our address and nationality if we so please, though most people probably stick to whatever place they're given.

If you think about it, the job you choose, or your occupation, does say a lot about it.

It's the reason why most young people are stressed as they get closer and closer to graduation time. Remember how your parents and their friends or relatives always like to ask what university course you'll be going into? Or if you've graduated, and they start nosying about your career plans!

Sure, a lot of people don't go to university, I met a friend on a layover stop back home two weeks ago who seems to be doing well with his sales business. Even if you did go to uni, sometimes you might not end up doing what you studied, like another friend of mine who's a tennis coach and plans to be a teacher.

There is a saying, that "if you don't decide [your job], people will decide for you."

A Zen/Chan-ful way of answering might be this: "My dream job is none at all."

Or the PG equivalent - I don't want bullsh*t

At the restaurant I work at, we have an old man who does the dishes. He's probably in his 60s or 70s, but sharp as a tack.

Over the past year or so, he's been trying to learn English. The reason he started? Well, I'm not sure if this is the main reason, but he said it's so he can understand and explain himself to the police when he gets fined on the road...

Usually he keeps to himself, though once when I had the privilege to be at the back kitchen for a very very long time, he told me a good part of his life story. It was a while back so my memory is hazy, but I think he mentioned taking part in some wars, having had a failed hotel/motel business, some years gambling or drinking a lot, and some really epic stuff back in the olden days in China.

I wonder sometimes why he isn't retired yet. He's definitely eligible for a pension already, his daughter is all grown up with a kid herself. Like sure, he doesn't always get along with his wife, so maybe it's to avoid her at home?

Or maybe it's for his grandkids, he doesn't seem to mind splurging on them. Once, he pulled me into a music shop, and asked me to translate his intentions of buying a piano for his grandson and sorting the logistics of getting it home.

Occasionally when we're at work, he'll come over to one of us, and ask us how to pronounce some English word. We'll say it to him, repeat it a few times, and he'll copy it as best as he can, later mumbling it to himself as he continues washing the dishes.

His practice doesn't just stop with the English lessons he takes at some class. At home, he uses the computer, and continues learning from online videos or something. The different accents online (American) and in class (Kiwi) does confuse him sometimes, but he shrugs it off and perseveres. Really, you can see he's already got a basic grasp of the language in one year, understanding the occasional English words we say.

In a way, his dedication to learning English puts this Chinese proverb to shame:

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

If you think about it, there's no reason not to learn a new language in your 60s or 70s. With life expectancy getting higher, to above 80 now in New Zealand, the old man has maybe 15-20 years to use that English still! My 1990s cohort might live to about 90 (try this calculator)!! Imagine that, at least 25 years after the current retirement age of 65 to do something in this world.

Inspired?

Yes, learning is lifelong.

Jobs, they come and go.

Time, is what you need to master.

So, I'll leave you with my simple #firstlastfivejobs and close it with a simple exchange.

A monk said to Chao Chou, “I have just entered this monastery. Please teach me.”

Chao Chou said, “Have you eaten your rice gruel?”

The monk said, “Yes, I have.”

Chao Chou said, “Wash your bowl.”

The monk understood.