RevLeft Careers

[Bud Fox]

Wondering what lines of work are most attractive to the revolutionary left? I cant think of too many career choices that dont alienate the worker and consume over 40 hours a week of their time.

[Sleeper]

Find some kind of a job in a good union, then if more than 40 hours per week of your time is consumed, you'll at least be paid somewhat fairly for it.

[Искра]

Find some kind of a job in a good union, then if more than 40 hours per week of your time is consumed, you'll at least be paid somewhat fairly for it.
For selling the working class to bosses? :rolleyes:

[Raúl Duke]

Work in a worker's co-op...

manufacturing...something interesting...

personally I would like to be part of a co-op growing cannabis and hemp...

[Sleeper]

For selling the working class to bosses? :rolleyes:

What? No, I meant find a job where he is in a good union.

[I.Drink.Your.Milkshake]

Wondering what lines of work are most attractive to the revolutionary left? I cant think of too many career choices that dont alienate the worker and consume over 40 hours a week of their time.

the obvious answer is public service work, surely? The most enjoyable, fulfilling job i ever had was working as a bin man for about 2 months during spring and summer 2005. Aside from the fact that i never finished anytime after 2:30 and had the best laugh at work, i felt that i was actually doing something worthwhile which i never felt in any previous employment (web developer for 4 years, general office lackey for 2 1/2 at that point). Cant just let rubbish pile up, can we?

Physical work, too - i lost about a stone in fat and gained about a stone in muscle. Gutted when it came to an end.

[Jimmie Higgins]

Find some kind of a job in a good union, then if more than 40 hours per week of your time is consumed, you'll at least be paid somewhat fairly for it.Right, and as a rank and file union member you also have an opportunity to talk about politics with your co-workers and expose them to radical arguments about the unions, social issues, the limitations of liberalism or reformism/trade-unionism, and the problems with capitalism in general.

[Raúl Duke]

the obvious answer is public service work, surely? The most enjoyable, fulfilling job i ever had was working as a bin man for about 2 months during spring and summer 2005. Aside from the fact that i never finished anytime after 2:30 and had the best laugh at work, i felt that i was actually doing something worthwhile which i never felt in any previous employment (web developer for 4 years, general office lackey for 2 1/2 at that point). Cant just let rubbish pile up, can we?

Physical work, too - i lost about a stone in fat and gained about a stone in muscle. Gutted when it came to an end.

I guess I'll agree to this to a degree

[gorillafuck]

People should try to pursue jobs that they enjoy doing and that don't involve screwing other people over, in my opinion. I can't be much more specific than that because that's different for everyone.

[Drace]

Get a PhD as a revolutionary.

[Chambered Word]

Thread is certainly relevant to my interests, in a couple of years I'll have to find a job. :)


Get a PhD as a revolutionary.

Where do I sign for this?

[bcbm]

"never work"

[Invincible Summer]

Given my academic path (probably heading to a graduate degree in Sociology), I'm going to end up writing boring papers in journals that no one will read

[(A)narcho-Matt]

Wondering what lines of work are most attractive to the revolutionary left? I cant think of too many career choices that dont alienate the worker and consume over 40 hours a week of their time.

It is possible to know that work is alienating and you are being exploited but still have a job that doesnt bore you to death. When you work on a bar, your interacting with people all the time and you can enjoy it, but your still being exploited for the capitalist owners profit.

Just find something that pays enough to live, and that doesnt make you wanna die. (putting light fittings together day after day is really boring.)

[RadioRaheem84]

I am corporate for now but as soon as I save enough money for about a year, I am going back to academia. I'd love to be a professor. I am also a research nut.

[Davie zepeda]

Maybe a professor or union member or actually go and start a revolution. Most people would rather avoid conflict i think maybe rev left buys the means of production from the capitalist by creating work own factories i mean there is a number of thing's you can do it's up to us to make it a reality so in return our work has a valued influence for revolution.

[Davie zepeda]

I am corporate for now but as soon as I save enough money for about a year, I am going back to academia. I'd love to be a professor. I am also a research nut.
OR journalism

[chegitz guevara]

I recommend working at an investment bank. Then give the proceeds to the movement. We can always get another comrade. What we really need is cash. ;)

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Meh, it doesn't hugely matter what one does, as long as it is not inflating the unnecessary sectors of marketing and advertising, or obviously exploiting people.

I'd like to study to postgraduate level, in some area of History - haven't found my specialist area yet -, although only time will tell if my abilities allow me to do so.

[Thirsty Crow]

People should try to pursue jobs that they enjoy doing and that don't involve screwing other people over, in my opinion. I can't be much more specific than that because that's different for everyone.
That's the common denominator, surely.
When it comes to me, I'd like to teach sociology, philosophy and ethics in high school. As a student of English, I guess I could work as a part time translator as well.
But one of my vague personal desires is to establish a co-op community center. Special stress being on its multi-functional nature.

[F9]

I consider teaching one of the best things we can do(basically for me thats what is, but thats not for all).We can teach students with correct methods, and skip the shits other teachers try to push to kids minds..
And threw any subject, a life lesson can be teached. You can as a teacher try to build t the students acceptance to the different, to help them learn that discrimination is wrong, that if they shut up when others get discriminated, when it will come to them, all the else will shut up.

[RadioRaheem84]

OR journalism

That too.

[RED DAVE]

I've been a teacher on and off for over 30 years, and it is one of the best "careers" for a revolutionary. There are political opportunities to work within teachers unions (a majority of teachers are unionized here in the US). There is also, of course, the joy and pleasure of teaching itself. And there is some, small, opportunities for community organizing.

Beware, though, especially in urban areas: teaching is not for the faint-of-heart. The ruling class is in the process of weakening and bureaucratizing the system more and more. And this is reflected both in the negative responses of the students, the punitive actions of the bureaucracy itself, the cowardice of the unions, and will be reflected, often, in your own frustration and exhaustion.

RED DAVE

[Luisrah]

Why don't you go directly into politics?

Go to your political party, and get some work there.
If you really like politics, than you'll find yourself wishing for more time for all the work that is necessary! :)

[Pogue]

what you enjoy

[KC]

Edit

[RadioRaheem84]

I'm going into investment banking.

Believe me you do not want to do that. I interned at an I Bank and found it to be one of the most socially useless jobs ever.

[robbo203]

Nyaa! Yer bunch of white collar woosies ;) Become a gardener like me! Get yer hands dirty and breathe in some good wholesome air. Problem is - on a more serious note - the work is drying up around here. Folk cant afford the luxury of having their olive trees pruned by paid labour or their land strimmed clean. Its called "the crisis". So if anyone knows of anything similar on offer elsewhere be sure to give me the nod:)

[RadioRaheem84]

Whats the situation like in Spain, robbo? I heard its pretty drastic now after the crisis. Spain was heavily promoted as the next big place in the EU and then all of a sudden the press stopped with the praise. How are workers taking it?

[Robocommie]

Do whatever you enjoy, just as long as your job doesn't require you to screw over others. So, repo man and health insurance are both out. :D

[robbo203]

Whats the situation like in Spain, robbo? I heard its pretty drastic now after the crisis. Spain was heavily promoted as the next big place in the EU and then all of a sudden the press stopped with the praise. How are workers taking it?


Its bloody awful. At least in the part of Spain where I am. I do ground maintenance work - strimming, chainsaw work, that sort of thing - as well as landscape gardening. My hourly rate is pretty low because, well, everyone else's rate in this line of work is low too. What work there has been has just dried up lately. Gardening is a luxury that can dispensed with. More generally speaking, one of the big problems in Spain is the housing situation. There was huge overdevelopment particularly along the coast in the last few decades. As a result there is a surplus of 3 million empty houses. Not just houses. There are huge building projects like shopping malls that have been left half completed and decaying away . There is a massive concrete monstrosity just outside Granada. Its marbled frontage has been stripped away to reveal just concrete. Presumbly it will stay in this state indefinitely - an ugly eyesore and a visible testimomy to a totally irrational and scandously wasteful capitalist society. Yet just down the road they are building another big megacomplex. How absurd can you get. I think with all these empty houses and half completed building projects in the pipeline, the building industry is going to be depressed for sometime with knock-on consequences for all. Ironically, now might be a good time if you want to buy a little cortijo and a patch of land and get away from it all in the sun. But if you have to work (like me) then it might be a bit too risky making the move

[RadioRaheem84]

I've always wanted to live in Spain. It's been my dream since I was young. I hate to see it in such a state. What has Zapatero done besides promote business interests in Latin America lately? It seems like he's not much of a real socialist.

[the last donut of the night]

Sorry guys, but I think this should go into Chit-Chat.

[Misanthrope]

Just don't join the military or police force.. please

[Niccolò Rossi]

For selling the working class to bosses? :rolleyes:What? No, I meant find a job where he is in a good union.

Yes, Jurko understands what you meant perfectly. It is you who misunderstands he.


Right, and as a rank and file union member you also have an opportunity to talk about politics with your co-workers and expose them to radical arguments about the unions, social issues, the limitations of liberalism or reformism/trade-unionism, and the problems with capitalism in general.

As a worker in any work place you have the oppurtunity to talk to your workmates about these issues.

[Die Neue Zeit]

I'm going into investment banking.

So much for productive labour, eh? [At least mine is. ;) ]

[KC]

Edit

[Die Neue Zeit]

So a petit-bourgeois aspirant who subscribes to a capital theory of value (and not labour theory of value) is still on this board?

[piet11111]

So a petit-bourgeois aspirant who subscribes to a capital theory of value (and not labour theory of value) is still on this board?

its sarcasm

clearly he intends this thread to be moved to chit chat.

[Robocommie]

Secretly KC has more money than the Bush's, Rockefellers and Al Sauds put together.

[StalinFanboy]

I can't think of any job that isn't going to be alienating or exploitative in some way. You can't really get around that stuff, as it is inherent in the nature of work. Just do something that you can bear for as long as possible.

[Arlekino]

Well I did wrote many application forms which I honest hate them because I have to write about myself my personal skills my ambitions is all crap and nonsense. I work part time as waitress which I still allow exploiting the boss calling us peasants, we work for less money because he told to us he cant’ make more business.
Well I can’t wait when workers take power.

[RadioRaheem84]

Movie director and screenwriter. If Mel Gibson can make his own Jesus Christ slasherfest, then I can make a good Marx bio-pic with Oliver Stone-ish scenes explaining excerpts of Das Kapital and the Communist Manifesto.

I would want to work with Ken Loach!

[Floyce White]

If you ever get a job where you can tolerate your coworkers, stick with that one.

[Quail]

I intend to be a teacher because it's something constructive where I could make a difference to people and I imagine I would enjoy it, although I'm not sure about the way schools here in the UK seem to care more about statistics than actually getting the best out of every student. I wouldn't want to be put in a situation where I was being pressured not to enter someone for an exam because they would do badly (as my school for GCSE did to a few people, I guess so that they didn't have to include the low grades in their stats).

[Invincible Summer]

I intend to be a teacher because it's something constructive where I could make a difference to people and I imagine I would enjoy it, although I'm not sure about the way schools here in the UK seem to care more about statistics than actually getting the best out of every student. I wouldn't want to be put in a situation where I was being pressured not to enter someone for an exam because they would do badly (as my school for GCSE did to a few people, I guess so that they didn't have to include the low grades in their stats).


I think you'd have more freedom as a teacher if you taught college/university; however, you'd probably have fewer minds to brainwash than if you taught high school :lol:. Plus, high schools are much more strict on teachers following the curriculum, at least until they have some seniority; you'd have to play with the rules for maybe 10 years then you can go on and rant about capitalism.

In college/uni, it's almost expected for any social science prof to rant about capitalism

[KayeKorsgaard]

Is there any other career but that of professional revolutionary? Any means of putting food on the table is fine, just so long as the goal and ongoing activity of overthrowing global capital is what you're really substantively doing. Flipping burgers by day, and taking on capitalists by night, as it were.

[Decolonize The Left]

You should always pursue whatever it is you love doing. Remember that Marxism's basis is the relationship between the individual and their labor - this is the most important thing.

- August