Intellectually stimulating jobs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to be a reporter and found it very intellectually stimulating. I told people I got to be professionally curious for a living.

Sadly the job market is super unstable, which is stimulating in a much more unpleasant sort of way. I now find myself in a more boring, more stable field.

I was just going to say this. I moved recently from a not very stable newspaper job to writing content for a nonprofit. It's not quite as interesting since it's a niche area, but I think still intellectually stimulating in a more narrow way.

Do you ever have jobs with benefits? Our friend is now writing for various tv shows but it’s always unstable and he gets no benefits - unless you call sudden unemployment a benefit.

[Anonymous]

I am so sad it became a pool of former reporters. I also chose Journalism because it was extremely intellectually stimulation. After almost 20 years, I moved on to another field.

[Anonymous]

I am a research scientist working for a Gov't Contractor. I am the scientist working on hard problems critical to national security and the go to person for certain customers.

Every week presents a new challenge. I need to fuse my experience with new methods to rapidly develop methods to address problems.

I am paid well (~200K), and usually only work 40 hrs/week (though my brain is always on).

Problem is it took about 35 years of education and experience to get where I am today.

[Anonymous]

I also have an intellectually stimulating NGO job - I design and manage public health interventions.

I am also married to a journalist - he’s been laid off three times over 15 years, freelancing successfully now but there is lots of non-journalism writing to pay the bills. It’s such a fabulous profession, and it makes me sad we can’t figure out a model to pay for journalism in this country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to be a reporter and found it very intellectually stimulating. I told people I got to be professionally curious for a living.

Sadly the job market is super unstable, which is stimulating in a much more unpleasant sort of way. I now find myself in a more boring, more stable field.

I was just going to say this. I moved recently from a not very stable newspaper job to writing content for a nonprofit. It's not quite as interesting since it's a niche area, but I think still intellectually stimulating in a more narrow way.

Do you ever have jobs with benefits? Our friend is now writing for various tv shows but it’s always unstable and he gets no benefits - unless you call sudden unemployment a benefit.

PP reporter - my first staff job had benefits. I was then on contract with another publication, where I did not have benefits but made a decent amount (for a digital journalist - it wasn't lawyer money by a long shot). Then when that publication got shut down I was freelance for a couple of years with no benefits. Went on staff with the nonprofit almost a year ago - I do have benefits here.

I don't know the situation with TV writers. It probably matters if you're an employee or on contract?

I think one of the harsh realities behind many many writers is that we need some sort of buffer, or support system - there is a tremendous amount of privilege in this field. I have a husband who gets benefits from his job - and he earns a decent $ (again, not lawyer $, but plenty for our family), so that gives me the freedom to have been able to do these other jobs. It's an unspoken but important part of many of these creative fields that don't pay a lot - there's family $, or a spouse who has a regular job, or something that affords the ability to take on these low paying unstable jobs.

I took this more stable job to take some of the pressure off my husband. He supported me while I wrote a book - also intellectually stimulating! - for a very small advance. I wanted to take some of the pressure off of him for a while. Just be able to contribute more to our household, $$-wise. I still don't earn a whole lot - people on DCUM would likely gasp in horror over my situation - but for now it's working well for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also a reporter here _ very intellectually stimulating, worst part in my book is lack of work_life balance. News breaks and you have to clear your schedule be it your kids bday, Christmas Eve or 11 pm on Tuesday.

Curious what two.recovering reporter PPs are making now as I am very seriously thinking about leaving journalism

PP reporter - I'm not earning very much at this new job either. I am really pretty terrible at earning a living. Making about $60k doing nonprofit comms - the tradeoff is that the hours are SUPER predictable and regular, and we get tons of vacation, and I work from home. I would appreciate about $10-15 more than this - but, ya know, it is what it is. Perhaps I will move on to another job at some point where that is possible. Meanwhile, trying to take advantage of having normal hours and reasonable expectations (quite a difference from journalism!).

I think it's possible to earn significantly more than this.

[Anonymous]

Interesting that several of the PPs echo my experience: government research scientist working in healthcare.

Yes, I have to deal with the bureaucracy but also design programs that can save people's lives. I read the Lancet, take online courses to learn new skills, brainstorm with colleagues about new approaches to tackle problem set x or y, collaborate with colleagues in academia to publish papers. Some days I stop and marvel at how lucky I am to do this type of work. Pretty much over the last 20 years, someone has paid me to learn and use my knowledge to guide their investment strategy, program design, or program implementation.

Some days it's 100% interesting thinking, other days it's 80% pushing paper but on average it's a nice balance.

[Anonymous]

I'm an engineer for a non profit university affiliated laboratory working on space flight projects. It is instinctually stimulating and challenging. We get great benefits and I'm satisfied with my compensation.

[Anonymous]

Former government contractor who was also working in scientific research. It was very stimulating and I did it for many years but when I had the opportunity to move to a more stable, but more boring, FTE position I took it. Too much uncertainty these days and it seemed like every year there was a lot of fretting about the budget.

[Anonymous]

I'm actually afraid to post this here because I think people will laugh at me, but here goes. I teach kindergarten and it is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally stimulating to me. I have 18 kids all with different needs. 6 different languages and cultures. I have kids who know 3 sight words and kids who know 75 sight words. I run 5 different reading groups and get to plan out exactly what each group needs. I get to look at their writing and then figure out how to bring the entire group along one step further. I get to plan all kind of math games to ensure everyone gets the concepts. I deal with all kinds of behaviors and emotional needs and it is so interesting to me to figure out what causes certain behaviors, what works to help cut down negative behaviors, which kid needs a hug every morning, which kid needs to sit right by me, which kid needs to feel important and do "a job". Handling parents and winning them over so that they love me is a favorite. I love reading new research on best practices, new strategies to help our special needs kids....teaching is awesome.
No, it isn't rocket science. But for me, in the sense that there's rarely the same situation twice, there's always something new to do, something new to learn and no two kids are ever the same. I am never, ever bored.
Plus, it is awfully fun to go to work each day and the kids treat you like you are a celebrity. Walk my kids down to the cafeteria so I can go have my lunch? If I see them in the hall on their way to recess 20 minutes later they are all excitedly waving at me calling, "teacher!" as if they hadn't seen me in years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm actually afraid to post this here because I think people will laugh at me, but here goes. I teach kindergarten and it is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally stimulating to me. I have 18 kids all with different needs. 6 different languages and cultures. I have kids who know 3 sight words and kids who know 75 sight words. I run 5 different reading groups and get to plan out exactly what each group needs. I get to look at their writing and then figure out how to bring the entire group along one step further. I get to plan all kind of math games to ensure everyone gets the concepts. I deal with all kinds of behaviors and emotional needs and it is so interesting to me to figure out what causes certain behaviors, what works to help cut down negative behaviors, which kid needs a hug every morning, which kid needs to sit right by me, which kid needs to feel important and do "a job". Handling parents and winning them over so that they love me is a favorite. I love reading new research on best practices, new strategies to help our special needs kids....teaching is awesome.
No, it isn't rocket science. But for me, in the sense that there's rarely the same situation twice, there's always something new to do, something new to learn and no two kids are ever the same. I am never, ever bored.
Plus, it is awfully fun to go to work each day and the kids treat you like you are a celebrity. Walk my kids down to the cafeteria so I can go have my lunch? If I see them in the hall on their way to recess 20 minutes later they are all excitedly waving at me calling, "teacher!" as if they hadn't seen me in years.

This is just SO great to see....

Teachers excited about teaching!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm actually afraid to post this here because I think people will laugh at me, but here goes. I teach kindergarten and it is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally stimulating to me. I have 18 kids all with different needs. 6 different languages and cultures. I have kids who know 3 sight words and kids who know 75 sight words. I run 5 different reading groups and get to plan out exactly what each group needs. I get to look at their writing and then figure out how to bring the entire group along one step further. I get to plan all kind of math games to ensure everyone gets the concepts. I deal with all kinds of behaviors and emotional needs and it is so interesting to me to figure out what causes certain behaviors, what works to help cut down negative behaviors, which kid needs a hug every morning, which kid needs to sit right by me, which kid needs to feel important and do "a job". Handling parents and winning them over so that they love me is a favorite. I love reading new research on best practices, new strategies to help our special needs kids....teaching is awesome.
No, it isn't rocket science. But for me, in the sense that there's rarely the same situation twice, there's always something new to do, something new to learn and no two kids are ever the same. I am never, ever bored.
Plus, it is awfully fun to go to work each day and the kids treat you like you are a celebrity. Walk my kids down to the cafeteria so I can go have my lunch? If I see them in the hall on their way to recess 20 minutes later they are all excitedly waving at me calling, "teacher!" as if they hadn't seen me in years.

Not laughing at you at all. Teachers like you are worth their weight in gold. Thank you for what you do for our kids. And for working so hard to continue learning and growing and staying on top of the science of learning!!!

[Anonymous]

OP, try switching paralegal fields. I practice employment law, and it's definitely not dull.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm actually afraid to post this here because I think people will laugh at me, but here goes. I teach kindergarten and it is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally stimulating to me. I have 18 kids all with different needs. 6 different languages and cultures. I have kids who know 3 sight words and kids who know 75 sight words. I run 5 different reading groups and get to plan out exactly what each group needs. I get to look at their writing and then figure out how to bring the entire group along one step further. I get to plan all kind of math games to ensure everyone gets the concepts. I deal with all kinds of behaviors and emotional needs and it is so interesting to me to figure out what causes certain behaviors, what works to help cut down negative behaviors, which kid needs a hug every morning, which kid needs to sit right by me, which kid needs to feel important and do "a job". Handling parents and winning them over so that they love me is a favorite. I love reading new research on best practices, new strategies to help our special needs kids....teaching is awesome.
No, it isn't rocket science. But for me, in the sense that there's rarely the same situation twice, there's always something new to do, something new to learn and no two kids are ever the same. I am never, ever bored.
Plus, it is awfully fun to go to work each day and the kids treat you like you are a celebrity. Walk my kids down to the cafeteria so I can go have my lunch? If I see them in the hall on their way to recess 20 minutes later they are all excitedly waving at me calling, "teacher!" as if they hadn't seen me in years.

Wow, PP. You sound like a rock star teacher!

[Anonymous]

Academia. I am back in grad school and it is like day and night between any other work. I can now see how stupid you get when you don't learn all the time.