When I was a kid I used to hanker after seemingly glamorous jobs - brain surgeon, airline pilot, journalist, author, artist, film director, rock musician. They all seemed so exciting, so prestigious, so exotic. Gradually it sank in that the reality was rather different from my imaginings.
Jobs that involve relentless global travel and dreary hotel rooms. Jobs that mean working all hours to finish something. Jobs where the customer is never satisfied. Jobs that attract abuse and hate mail. Jobs requiring scrupulous attention to detail for hours on end. Jobs where you're bullied, patronised or sexually harassed.
Yes, I was a journalist for a few years, but there was little glamour involved. I had to write up such mundane events as golden weddings, church fetes, court hearings or the induction of a new mayor. I had to get quotes from politicians who wanted to keep something under wraps. I had to wait in pouring rain for someone important to emerge from a meeting. Hardly an enviable existence.
There are regular reports of someone in some supposedly glamorous occupation being unable to withstand the pressures - succumbing to drug or alcohol addiction, developing mental disorders or even committing suicide. The glamour can wear off very quickly.
The jobs I did after journalism - bookselling, admin worker - were pretty humdrum. Sometimes I thought, maybe I should be doing something more glamorous? Until I realised all the glamour was an illusion.
Throughout my working life, I was essentially a Salesman but, with fancy titles as I climbed the ladder. Nothing glamorous except for meetings where I had to wear suits and attend parties in 5 Star Hotels. I did not feel that to be glamorous at all and I never hankered for anything different.
ReplyDeleteRamana: The sense of glamour just dissolves the more closely you look at it.
DeleteSorry to pour cold water on your illusion that you were a "journalist". You were a local reporter. Well, we all have to start somewhere. Try my father's investigative journalism which sent him round the world; sometimes on hair raising adventures.
ReplyDeleteTake it from me, not least as - apart from a brain surgeon - I do know quite a few of those in the industries you mention, glamour comes with the job description. Whatever glamour means. Let's say exciting, challenging, not run of the mill.
There isn't a job in the world that doesn't have a downside to its upside.
U
PS You forgot "spy". And Christiaan Barnard, the guy who successfully completed the world's first heart transplant. Now, if that isn't glamorous I don't know what is. And what of the poster boy, Albert Einstein? Not to mention the likes of Che Guevara; not to mention, what's his name, Imran Khan. Now there is a looker. As to Osama bin Laden. I dare say whilst he had the looks and the charisma, the world's eyes on him, he did pay the price. And, like you, he probably didn't even look for glamour.
I've had some glamorous sounding jobs - but they really weren't - although the Champagne parties were a lot of fun!
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Ms Scarlet: Champagne parties are good. But no doubt some overworked junior members of staff were distributing the champagne....
DeleteNo, they weren't, as I think the junior might have been me!! Such parties!! One was held in the Natural History Museum, but usually they were held in fancy hotels, or restaurants such as Green's in London.
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Ms Scarlet: Sounds good. How come you never sent me an invite to these swanky get-togethers??
DeleteThis was back in the 80s/90s!!!
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I’m sure the ‘glamour’ of most jobs wears thin after a certain amount of time.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: I think so. Like an airline pilot having to deal with a drunken passenger who wants to open the exit door.
DeleteWe think that some jobs are great and fun until we find out the truth.
ReplyDeleteMary: Quite so. Lots of things look glamorous at a distance, but a lot less so close-up.
DeleteI never wanted a glamorous job, I wanted one that was interesting and fun. That worked fine for me.
ReplyDeleteJean: Me too. I had a lot of fun in my jobs, however mundane some people might have thought them.
DeleteThis reminded me of Betty White once saying that all those glamorous stay-at-home TV wives were played by full time actresses.
ReplyDeleteLinda: Exactly. Far removed from the reality of the domestic treadmill.
DeleteH'm I had to think about this. Mainly your use of the word glamour. I have thoroughly enjoyed most of my working life and apart from a few rough years I loved doing what I did and I think I made a positive impact. I still love what I do in the writing field. But I never associated "glamour" with any of it. I dressed nicely, I think glamour is all about dressing? I could be wrong. Dyou maybe mean adulation? Fan club? Not sure.
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WWW
www: I guess I mean that intangible quality that attaches to certain people and certain jobs and seems to lift them above the everyday routine.
DeleteSo true that not all that glitters is Gold. My big observation now that I am older is that if you have a passion, pursue it while you are young. You may not have the health or opportunity when you are older.
ReplyDeleteNext to me is a horse farm which is on it's third owner in 20 years. People buy it in retirement and look forward to the pastoral life and find out it is a seven day a week grind.
Ann: I can imagine owning a horse farm is hard work, not at all glamorous. I've never had any grand passion for anything, but I've had a great life nevertheless.
Deleteit has been said that the reason the U.S. is so besotted by celebrity is because we have no 'royalty!' and apparently we have to glamourize something. :D
ReplyDeletethe 30's here seem to me the most glamourous. the way they dressed and the manners. each era has its own I suppose. my 15 minutes of glamour was when I worked for the largest hotel and conference center in the southwest. Years and another lifetime ago! but OH what fun while it lasted! now I'm totally content to have a rather dull (to some people) glamourLess life! XO
Tammy: Well, the UK is also besotted by celebrity despite our royal family! I like the idea of 15 minutes of glamour. Perhaps we should all glam up once a month to give our lives a bit of a boost?
DeleteLike yourself, Nick, I was also a journalist and for several years worked for a weekly newspaper group. I covered council meetings, school boards, Saturday football games and did feature stories on local, but non-famous people. It was actually a job I enjoyed except for deadlines.
ReplyDeleteBeatrice: I quite enjoyed meeting all sorts of different people and learning about their daily lives and problems, but there were several things about journalism I wasn't comfortable with.
DeleteWhat you say is so true. I had no illusions when I aspired to and went to work in communications -- TV in its heyday. The general public thought of the work as glamorous, especially when I was associated with a TV show that was live daily and had a lot of famous guests in person. Like many jobs there were pleasant aspects to the job and some not so desirable.
ReplyDeleteJoared: Some of the stories I hear about what goes on behind the scenes at popular TV shows are quite the opposite of glamorous.
DeleteAfter deciding I would like to win the Miss World contest I then decided I would like to be an air hostess (as they were called then). I didn't do either!!
ReplyDeletePolly: Being cabin crew wouldn't be much fun these days, what with finicky, inebriated, randy and bad-tempered passengers.
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