Occupy Occupations

Someone has to be the superstar professional whose job is to put a ball through a hoop. Someone is the acclaimed actor who pretends to be a character and amuses bored people. Plenty of silly jobs await someone to tolerate them and spend a life slogging through their demands.

Doubt arises as you begin noticing massive inefficiencies and dead ends. A lot of the money is companies billing other companies. The worker who bills a customer $500/hr for consulting only gets a third of that if he's salaried. You have to make your own industry contacts and hold productive discussions if you want to realize the full rate of your labor.

Likewise, you observe the executive promotion path and who gets advanced. Some are impressive, some not -- and so many are willing to give up their nights and weekends for the chance to be considered, and if you have other interests then it's easy to measure your prospects.

At some point you realize there's nothing there for you, and hold no false hope.