Hello from sewage waste truck driver

[Psychonaut]

Speaking as someone who has done 12 hour factory shifts, and soul-sucking call centres jobs (what is this about 'after call work', I have no idea what you mean?) and been the sole person in a 24 hour petrol station...

If not being able to take a break at will is the one thing that makes parenting hard then give me bloody parenting over a normal job any day (since I certainly couldn't take a break at will).

Unless you think that the retail, industrial and services jobs which form the backbone of our economy aren't 'normal'?

P.S might this not be better suited for somewhere other than being ferreted away in the introduce yourself section?

[Nikolai]

Artistic Solution,

Actually you're making a really good point. My child was not difficult, he was in the singular, and I'm scarred by the type of jobs that psychonaut talks about.

Seems like the only honest position to take then is: some people think staying home is a pleasure, some people think going to work more of a pleasure. How reasonable.

If i was going to be even more reflective I would say that not enough people, especially men, get to learn that staying home can be a really positve experience and one that isn't chracterised by drudgery. On a more ethical note, I worry also that kids in the UK spend too much time in nurseries and schools and not enough time in the early years just hanging out with parents. I would therefore wish to debunk the notion of sacrifice (financial or professional) that inevitably accompanies these decisions. As an educuated professional with kids who tends to mix with other educated professionals with kids I know these are huge modern day dilemmas.

At the risk of sounding vulgar I can reveal that when our first child was born I was the sole bread winner and earning £13,829 per annum. This is significantly below the national average yet we managed fine. There are many couples who might be earning average salaries apiece who genuinely seem to think that they can't afford not to go back to work

[artisticsolution]

Hi Nikolai,

N:I worry also that kids in the UK spend too much time in nurseries and schools and not enough time in the early years just hanging out with parents.

AS: I see your point but you have to remember, we are conscientious parents. Some parents aren't, so maybe for those parents seeking out professional child care is the better scenerio. At least the kids are getting a little time with educated professionals who could make all the difference. Ya never know...


Hi Psy,

Raising a child may be a piece of cake for you but you won't know until you have them. This is one time I can guarantee that no one can tell you what it's like, you have to live it to understand.

[Psychonaut]

I never said it was a piece of cake.

I very much hope for the opportunity to try it for myself, preferably in a full-time role.

[Panos]

Hi all,

I hope I am not joining this discussion too late. Parenting is a kind of topic I wouldn't believe I would find where Gustaf introduced himself.

Parenting is one of my major concerns lately as I am the father of a 11 month boy and I am a part-time stay-at-home dad. I have to say, my son taught me a great deal more than I would ever imagine within just an 11-month period.

I basically agree with Nikolai and Gustaf that parenting depends a lot on the child. It also depends a lot on what kind of a father (or mother) you want to be. Some people allow nature to take its course, by focusing mainly on the survival of a child (feeding, sleeping, excreeting etc.) and others prefer the front seat immediately by investing on the psychological as well as the physical side of upbringing a child.

I guess life is what you make it. The more time and effort you spend on the child the more you get rewarded (emotionally). But I have to say I found out that there is a reason why men in the past did not get involved with the early stages of raising a kid. I don't have the patience or the sweetness of a female nature, which quite a few times bites me right in the ass!

[Typist]

I drive a sewage waste truck, which is a job that requires a great deal more understanding of philosophy than most people would suspect. It also allows me to do quite a bit of reading on the job, as I wait for my turn to dump the sewage waste. So all things considered, it is not a bad job.

Hey, we have something in common! I used to have this job too, for about 6 months, decades ago.

You're right, great for reading. I read tons of Tolstoy and Steinbeck during that period. Many many hours sitting by the river reading, waiting for the next load to be ready.

[Gustaf]

I am back to doing network security. There is simply not enough money in sewage hauling, school bus driving, etc. - especially if you live in an old house that is in serious need of some repairs.

It is nice to have a job where zoning out for a few seconds will not result in me crunching a few cars and/or pedestrians.

Heck, today I totally zoned out for a two hour meeting about new paradigms in promoting awareness of virus-detection technologies. No one came to harm.

[Typist]

When I was in the poop hauling business, one of my fellow drivers finally got fed up with the job, and dumped one of his loads in front the most uppercrust restaurant in town.

Sadly, my career was much less noteworthy.

[chaz wyman]

Hello all.

I drive a sewage waste truck, which is a job that requires a great deal more understanding of philosophy than most people would suspect. It also allows me to do quite a bit of reading on the job, as I wait for my turn to dump the sewage waste. So all things considered, it is not a bad job.

Ethics and epistemology are my main interests in philosophy, and I drive friends, neighbours, family and coworkers crazy by asking, "How do you know this is true?" on reqular basis. I have been trying to write a book, but all I have is a bunch of beer-stained, barely coherent notes.

Good job you aint a dustbin man then you would not have the time to read.

[chaz wyman]

I am back to doing network security. There is simply not enough money in sewage hauling, school bus driving, etc. - especially if you live in an old house that is in serious need of some repairs.

It is nice to have a job where zoning out for a few seconds will not result in me crunching a few cars and/or pedestrians.

Heck, today I totally zoned out for a two hour meeting about new paradigms in promoting awareness of virus-detection technologies. No one came to harm.

I heard being a long distnacve lorry driver give you the same luxury of being able to zone out whilst on long hauls

[Gustaf]

I heard being a long distnacve lorry driver give you the same luxury of being able to zone out whilst on long hauls

That is a common practice in the industry, but it is not what one would call a "best practice".

There is a reason why driving a vehicle for a living puts you in the top 10 most dangerous jobs.

[groktruth]

Hello all.

I drive a sewage waste truck, which is a job that requires a great deal more understanding of philosophy than most people would suspect. It also allows me to do quite a bit of reading on the job, as I wait for my turn to dump the sewage waste. So all things considered, it is not a bad job.

Ethics and epistemology are my main interests in philosophy, and I drive friends, neighbours, family and coworkers crazy by asking, "How do you know this is true?" on reqular basis. I have been trying to write a book, but all I have is a bunch of beer-stained, barely coherent notes.

We share interest in the question, "How do you know this is true?" So, I am interested in your beer-stained notes. Once I learned that the truth is painful, I began to answer that question with, "Well, to start with, it came to me while drinking beer with some buddies. So, anesthetized a bit, I was able to give it a fair thought."

So, what's your plan?

[groktruth]

Oops, forgot the Notify me ...