top 5 dream jobs

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby illustrates, with almost alarming clarity, the inner workings of the young adult male mind. Well okay, so perhaps I can't speak for everyone, but certainly it illustrates the inner workings of my mind. And the illustration is graphic. Like anatomy textbook graphic. Without getting too deep into the What Have I Done versus What Have I Not Done, as compared to the protagonist, Rob, I can say that the former is surely a longer list than the latter.

Regardless, I mention the book only to pay tribute it, because I've been trying to work out my Top 5 Dream Jobs for the past 10 or so years, since I read Rob's list. And wouldn't you know it, they are remarkably similar.





Rob's Top 5 Dream Jobs

1. New Musical Express journalist, 1976-1979
2. Producer, Atlantic Records, 1964-1971
3. Musician (Any kind except for rap or classical)
4. Film director (any kind except for German or silent)
5. Architect

My Top 5 Dream Jobs (all present time)

1. Producer, own label
Yup, this tops even Musician. Because producers not only have staying power, but can potentially to work with a lot of different bands in a lot of different genres. Or, stick with one band and be the guy behind the scenes working the real magic. George Martin is of course the ultimate example of this. The thing is, you know what, I don't need or even want fame; fortune works just fine for me.

2. Musician, i.e. taking The Supergroup That Never Gigs pro
No explaination required, I don't think. It would be really great to be able to write and perform music for a living. I'm frankly not that interested in doing stadium shows, or touring for 3 years without end until I am ready to kill 3 of my best friends. But, I would love to be able to make a (decent) living from just playing and writing music. Awesomeness is what that would be. AWESOMENESS.

3. Owner / cook at a diner
I really like to cook. I probably opposite of hate to cook. The technical side is totally intriguing to me (edible science geekery); knife skills to searing to stocks sauces etc etc. And I totally enjoy the planning aspect of it. And composing a menu. And wine pairing. And and and. However, I am pretty sure I could not cut it night after night on a line. And frankly the pay would suck ass. Enter dream job scenario 3, whereby I win the lottery and/or become independently wealthy, and spend a fraction of said windfall on a small diner type of space. Nothing too fancy; breakfast and lunch, good coffee, rotate soups, daily / weekly specials, etc. Milkshakes! Just a low(er) stress environment in which to cook professionally. (And yeah I realize it's the independently wealthy qualifier that kind of makes it.)

4. Comic or graphic novel artist
Yeah, I know. Well I really love to draw, I mean when I was younger I REALLY loved to draw. Kids would go to soccer camp or hockey camp or whatever, and I was sent - with a smile on my face - to art camp. Loved it. (Incidental note: nowadays, the camps that kids are offered are F'ing insane. This past summer a friend of mine's kid went to (amongst other things) fencing camp and film camp! In a week they made their own movie! I was very envious! Exclamation point!) All through my teenage years I drew all the time. My favourite subject in school was art. If you ever want to check my high school notes, hell even my university notes, most of the margins and/or back pages and/or random pages that should have contained actual scholastic notes, are filled with sketches of cars, guns, bloody deaths, me in some morose and overly dramatic lovesick situation involving a short white girl... Yeah, good times.

5. Engineer
So, Rob had "Architect" - which he was not. I have "Engineer", which I am. And hey, I don't necessarily love coming to work every day, but neither do I hate it, having to grit my teeth to endure each and every day. Pay's decent. Get to boss people around a little. I feel very in control of my professional life. So yeah, it can be #5.

Honourable mention. Professional golfer
Okay, so here's the thing. Two things, actually. 1. I really enjoy playing golf. 2. I suck at playing golf. Thus this is relegated to HM. Well I guess this is all make-believe anyway, so maybe it should have been #5. Well anyway, I would love to be on the PGA tour. I would be very happy to be ranked 100 in the world, making a living - a damn good living - just playing golf. The endless touring again would probably wear you down, but man... still a pretty sweet gig. Golf = best dollar to potential injury ratio in pro sports. Fact.