Sleepy,
Is window washing a soul destroying job? It all depends on how you look at it.
Thanks to the influence of some worldly friends when I was 17, I bucked the JW guidelines about higher education and attended Indiana University for a few years. Going straight from JW life to the freedom of college life was a heady experience, and I did not have the maturity or self-discipline to handle the freedom. It took me until I was a sophomore to learn that one could say "no" when invited to a party. I dropped out before I finished a degree.
At 17 I had little idea of what I wanted to do with a college education. If I were to go back now, I feel I would be a much better student. I am more self-disciplined now and have a clearer idea of what I'd like to accomplish.
After trying many different jobs over the years--in fields ranging from pizza delivery driver, nanny, architecture, landscape architecture, civil engineering, city planning, human resources, insurance, and investing--I have, oddly enough, discovered that manual labor makes me happiest. I like the freedom from worry. I don't take my job home with me. At the end of a day, I have stacked all the boxes I can stack for that day, and there is nothing more I can do until the next day. It is psychologically satisfying; I literally see my daily accomplishments pile up. I listen to music all day, dance around when I feel like it, and holler if I am frustrated. I get loads of exercise, which improves my mood. I am not indispensable; if I want time off, I can usually take it.
As a window washer, I imagine you spend a lot of time outdoors. You probably take for granted the fresh air and being able to glance at the sky and the clouds. There may be people on the other side of your windows who envy the freedom of the window washer and wish that they were free of their draining and soul destroying jobs.
If after thinking about it, you are still very unhappy as a window washer, I recommend two books. One is Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow: Discovering Your Right Livelihood by Marsha Sinetar. Here is a short description from Amazon:
Discover how to tune in to your inner world and your unique talents; evaluate and build your self-esteem, banish your out-moded network of "shoulds" and liberate yourself from an unfulfilling job with this step-by-step guide to finding work that satisfies your passions.
Another book that helped me sort out what I truly value is Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Achieving Financial Independence by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. It's quite common to think that we would be happier if only we earned more. That is not necessarily true.
If you yearn for more education, you are living in a great time. Long-distance learning is hot, colleges and universities are trying to attract older students, and continuing education is a prime concern. At the doctor's office, I read in an alumni magazine about a woman who worked at Indiana University and finished her degree over 10 years, one class at a time. She received fee remission by working at the university, and her education did not cost her a cent. By taking one class at a time, neither did she disrupt her family life.
Whatever you decide, I wish you the best, Sleepy.
Ginny
MBA in Mexico
An American businessman was standing on the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small fishing boat docked. Inside the boat were several large yellowfin tuna a lone fisherman had caught. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."
The American asked, "Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?"
"It's enough to support my family. I’m happy."
The American asked, "What do you do with the rest of your time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children and take siesta with my wife, Maria. Every evening I stroll into the village, sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, señor."
The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. You could catch more fish and buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, señor, how long will this all take?"
"15 to 20 years."
"But what then, señor?"
The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would launch an IPO and sell your company's stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."
"Millions, señor? Then what?"
The American said, "Then you could retire and move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, and every evening stroll to the village where you could sip wine and play guitar with your amigos."
