Career-Advice Please

[Rainbow-Flame Mystic]

Hi. I was hoping someone here could
recommend career-advice for simple-living?

My strengths/interests are: math,
science-fiction, working with nature
and plants, plus music (I play the clarinet).

Right now, I'm a cashier and hoping
to secure something a little bit more
stable, yet not too demanding/stressful?

Thank You - Miguel Gonzalez

[Yppej]

I have a neighbor with two jobs - cashier at a music store and he gives guitar lessons at a community college. Maybe you can have several jobs, then you have more stability rather than relying on just one income source.

[Gardnr]

I fully understand that a college education is not a requirement in life. Do you have a degree in anything? It would be helpful in providing recommendations.

I encourage you to consider the parks departments? Exploring and using your love of nature and plants. Summer children's programs where you can share your love of music. National park work? So many programs.

If you have a degree, teaching math at the middle or high school level? Summers "off" for your love of nature and music exploration.

[Rogar]

I have know a couple of folks who have made a career working in greenhouses and doing floral arrangements. I doesn't seem to pay a lot, but I think they've generally enjoyed it and it's been stable over the years.

[Yppej]

If legal in your state marijuana farms are a growing business (pardon the pun).

[bae]

What would you really enjoy doing?

[Rainbow-Flame Mystic]

Thanks for so many fast responses. I do not have a
degree, but am open to going going back to college.

What I really enjoy doing is: working as a barista
in a coffee-shop, solving math-problems for kids,
playing music for others and tending flowers/plants.

[Tammy]

My thoughts are a little tangential to your question, but I’ve kept my career simple by:

1. Wearing scrubs even when my nurse management position would allow for business casual as an option. Uniforms are so easy and quick. No morning decisions, cheap to buy, easy to launder, etc. My authority comes from my knowledge and experience, not from my wardrobe.

2. Keep a clean separation between work and home. I don’t do social things with people I work with. When I go home, I’m done with work.

3. Make most of my work electronic in that I have almost no paper files. What I have in paper files is 1/8 inch think or less in a folder, and it travels with me and my laptop, I can work equally well in any of the 4 physical locations in our dept. (spread across the city - we’re a huge company)

4. Take my vacations. Every time I return, I have surprising new ideas about how to simplify my work. I wouldn’t see these opportunities for improvement if I didn’t leave the day grind on a regular basis. I love to increase efficiencies in our large bureaucracy.

[Rogar]

I'd have my eyes on the future and what might lead to a comfortable living situation financially and emotionally. Maybe that's college or maybe not. I have a friend who worked as a barista at Whole Foods and eventually worked into a better paying job with them (and more responsibility), just as an example. Another guy started doing volunteer work at the local natural history museum and now has a good job helping manage the exhibits. Maybe a teacher's assistant would lead to other jobs in education. You never know what doors might open where, but there are dead end jobs out there and you probably want something to build upon rather than doing the same thing forever.

[Gardnr]

A teacher’s aid is a paraprofessional who works under the supervision of a teacher and provides instruction to children who may need extra help applying concepts to an assignment. Other titles for a teacher’s aid include teaching assistant, paraprofessional or instructional aid, for instance.

This doesn't require a degree. It could be a good "trial" to see if teaching might be of interest. Key here is you would be working with kids who really need the help so your desire to help with math could be paramount.

On the side you could go with the barrista thing on weekend's (or the early morning rush) and do some gardening/greenhouse work in the summer.

The more variety of work you try will help you decide where you'd like to be and what income level will work to fill your desires for a happy life!

As a Registered Nurse, I will always steer folks there as it's a rewarding career and good $, but healthcare is not your expressed interest.