Still motivated in your day job?

[pennyk]

I'm surprised you'd want to travel more after so much travelling already... travelling for work is one of the most tiring things I can imagine and makes me quite grumpy. That said working til 3am makes me grumpier.

I love it... i travel business class for the most part, so that makes a big difference. and i do really enjoy my job, and the people I work with when I'm travelling, so its very enjoyable. Alot of what I do during travel is schmoozing.. so its lots of dinners and meeting people. not too demanding!
and for me, the plane trip is like a retreat.... 12 or 24 hours of having no-one talk to me, getting food and wine served to me, watching movies and reading books. Fabulous!
Usually I'm tired for a couple of days after I get back... but I don't really get jetlag. I can sleep anywhere, anytime. That also makes a big difference!

Pen

 

[norwoodman]

How long did you spend in Tokyo?

The Imperial Palace grounds are very accessible and huge. Most parks are free apart from some of the very intricate gardens. There are some wonderful parks in Tokyo, did you go to Shinjuku Gyoen among others? Another myth is that Tokyo is a concrete city. Well yeah it is, but its actually really quite green. Plants and trees all over the place, particularly in the suburbs. In summer it feels like a tropical island almost, bar the concrete, but there are that many lovely plants around everywhere. They have the green/concrete balance working quite well for a huge metropolis. In contrast, now Paris is a true concrete/baron city - yukk..

I was in Tokyo for about 10 days back in 2008. Even though Tokyo is very densely built, I never quite got the feeling that it's a complete concrete jungle because in most of the districts the buildings aren't that tall except in Shinjuku and a couple of other areas. I do agree that Tokyo has its fair share of greenery for the most part, but there are some areas that really do lack parks and reserves seen in other parts of central Tokyo (Asakusa being the one that immediately comes to mind).

Back on topic though, I can't really comment about my job because I'm currently unemployed.

 

[Deltaberry]

I love it... i travel business class for the most part, so that makes a big difference. and i do really enjoy my job, and the people I work with when I'm travelling, so its very enjoyable. Alot of what I do during travel is schmoozing.. so its lots of dinners and meeting people. not too demanding!
and for me, the plane trip is like a retreat.... 12 or 24 hours of having no-one talk to me, getting food and wine served to me, watching movies and reading books. Fabulous!
Usually I'm tired for a couple of days after I get back... but I don't really get jetlag. I can sleep anywhere, anytime. That also makes a big difference!

Pen

Hey that sounds like an awesome job. Any spots for someone more junior? I love wining and dining too!!

 

[natedog]

Yep,

still motivated in the day job...i am actually very thankful for the role that i have managed to work in over the last 4 years and hope to continue in it for as long as i want to!

its a far cry from what i was doing 5 years ago though...i am just glad i took a leap back then and learnt all i could about the industry i am in now and decided whic path to take to maximise $ per hour spent working...rewind 5 years ago.... working 3 jobs to make about a quarter of what i am now....and as i see it...and the wife will confirm, currently less taxing on mind and body than back then.

some may see my job as stressful and unstable as i am rewarded directly for my own results, but i love this,the buck stops with me....noone to whinge to, as i pride myself on performing as well as i can day in day out....i am competing against myself to better my previous results, make some good $$ and have fun doing it!!

I still have to answer to a boss, but i dont believe in going backwards in performance...which means i wont get a tap on the shoulder to say "whats with your results lately?"

I too want financial freedom and i am just thankful that my hard work in my current role will see me getting there much faster and more enjoyably than any other job i have had!!

I apologise if my optimism and respect for what my job help me achieve are a downer for anyone...but it does go to show that there are jobs that people can find to suit them that they actually look forward to going to every day!!!!

cheers, Nathan

 

[recruit2]

No don't apologise Nathan. Great for you and glad to hear it.

Anyone who finds your post offensive or overly positive needs to self assess and fix their own negative situation.

 

[RightValue]

Hey that sounds like an awesome job. Any spots for someone more junior? I love wining and dining too!!

Ahh... for a couple of years there I had the near perfect property job. I spent 1/4 of my time travelling and looking at commercial properties (mostly shopping centres) for people around Australia and the world. I would travel business class internationally but in the end I would be upgraded to first class aboout 1/3 of the time.

3 to 4 Round the world trips each year, plus lots of domestic travel.

I would spend 1/4 the time at the office in Melbourne and 1/2 my time living in Asia writing reports or articles and doing research at my home in Phnom Penh or at the Beach.

In 2005 I think I spent 10 weekends at home. Somewhere in there there was was 14 departures from Australia in a year. 4200 Status credits earned in one year.

My last trip in early 2007 included crossing America three times in 10 days, twice in a private Jet, looking at shopping centres.

Then I decided to settle down with my finance and move her to Australia as well as to try my hand at something else property/finance related - property funds management. The timing was lousy. The LPT/ REIT market collapsed.

I went back into Valuing full time as a stop gap measure at the start of 2008. I am still doing it. So now I just spend my days driving around inspecting houses in Melbournes West, working from home. My personal situation has changed. That old life would just not work for me anymore.

Over this period I have had a Daughter, and working from home is now a lifestyle choice (only 4 or 5 trips the office for staff meetings last year - two were actually held at a pub with dinners and an open bar and a taxi ride home) so I am getting to see her grow up. I was working at my desk when she took her first steps, so I saw that.

I could probably get a better paid job in the city in finance, but I earn enough, enjoy what I do, I have lots of flexibility, I can take the afternoon or morning off whenever I want (giving a days notice). Until 2010, I used to take 3 weeks off every 4 months on overseas holiday (until I worked out how much it was costing me, especially in lost income - that stopped last year).

I tried semi-retirement in 2004, when I took 4 months off and lived in Asia. I was bored silly in the end.

My job suits me fine and it is full time in the property industry, plus now with a child I cannot afford to stop working anyhow!

cheers

RightValue