Work. Work. Work. Seems like that's all we ever do anymore. For those lucky few, you work at a job that you thoroughly enjoy. For the rest of us, time can't fly by fast enough to punch that clock at the end of the day.

This thread is dedicated to different aspects of occupation. Whether it's to discuss the type of work you do, to discuss the laws of your country in reference to occupations, or to ask other members questions about various types of occupations you may be interested in learning more about, this thread will cover it all.

We do ask, however, that you don't use this thread to complain about the day you had at work each and every day. If the type of day you had is relevant to the discussion, that's fine.

To start things off, here is an article about work hours in various countries. What hours are you required to work? Do you think the hours the law sets up for full-time is too many or too few?

Yay! This thread is going to be very useful!

To begin with the first topic, I believe that the working schedule has always been a reason of conflict between the syndicates and the employers. There have been many reactions, great strikes, and many laws have been passed during the decades. Some have improved the working conditions whereas others have deteriorated the situation.

What is visible in this survey, is that the working hours are different in every society, and every country. One may be working less hours than others, but they make carry their work at home too. My mum is a teacher and this year she took the second class of primary school. The first two classes have less working hours than the rest because of the age of students. However, in order to rise up to the things she has to teach these kids, she has to study everyday for 1-2 hours. This is extra work, which is not counted in the real working hours. So, I guess this notion is pretty vague. On the opposite hand, for example, we have public servants who work 8 hours a day but their actual work is limited to 2-3 hours.

And then, there are occupations with no actual schedule, like being a doctor or a journalist.
(I know that a few people in here are studying journalism, so we can discuss that later on! )

Australia had a whole bunch of AWA laws passed last year which severely limited the rights of employees. A lot of people employed under the new award are not eligible for sick leave or holiday pay like their coworkers, who were employed before the new laws.

There was a serious uproar over these laws. Barristers tried to have some declared invalid in New South Wales, and it was all over the news for a long time after they were passed.

I was lucky in that when I got my new job in Canberra my employers chose to provide us with certain conditions, which they were not legally obligated to do.

Okay, so here are a few questions to try and get this thread rolling.

What kind of work do you do and do you enjoy it?

What would you consider your dream job and why?

What kind of position would be ideal for you that would fit your personality?

Hmmm. . . I think I'll go ahead and answer one of these right now myself.

What kind of position would be ideal for you that would fit your personality?

I'm very much a behind-the-scenes type of person. My ideal job is one that allows me to sit behind a desk and computer without having to deal with the public.

I've worked both waitress and service jobs before. Although waiting tables wasn't too bad because people are there for a pleasant time and to enjoy food, the service industry was absolutely horrible for me. For example, in the car industry, the main reason someone brings their car in is because they have an issue with it. A lot of times, when someone is having problems with their car, they are in a foul mood and try to lay blame elsewhere. As a service writer, you have to take the brunt of the customers' frustrations even though the issue wasn't your fault. Or if the mechanic does make a mistake, you have to deal with the customer's wrath.

I am the kind of person that hates confrontation. I run away whenever I can. To have someone in my face yelling at me for something that isn't my fault is excruciating. I've been known to walk away and cry from such an encounter. Yep, I have no backbone.

So, to sit behind a desk and not have to deal with customers is perfect for me. It's quiet, peaceful, and with a relatively small amount of stress.

What kind of work do you do and do you enjoy it?
Right now I am not working. But I want to begin my practice on journalism in a couple of months. This equals to no payment and many hours of working, but it is something that everyone's got to do.

What would you consider your dream job and why?

I have many dream jobs. I can't really pick one. What matters to me is having a flexible schedule, not having a boss over my head, and doing a job that allows me to be creative. The flexible schedule is important in order to have a family and not to find myself sacrificing time with my(future) kids and (future) husband for my work. Not having is a boss is what everyone wants I guess. I don't really mind having a superior. I wouldn't like my superior though to pick on me and make my working life a living hell. If my job doesn't make me at least a little bit satisfied, I won't last too long doing it. That's why creativity is an important factor of my dream job. I would hate it if I was stuck at a job where all I do is sign papers and read reports all day long. This kind of job would suffocate me. So, my dream job would be something more free, something where I am the boss of my self.

What kind of position would be ideal for you that would fit your personality?
Anything where I have to deal with people (as opposed to doing paperwork) and where I have to write, or create. I am a social person most of the times, but I also like writing a lot, and doing research on several fields. I would be more interested in cultural issues, and foreign civilizations.

I don't know what I am going to do in the end. That's why I want to work for a while as a journalist to see if it would suit me. I really envy those who know what they want to do. I want a million things, most of which look impossible to me. I just hope for the best.