The best job in the world

"Are you looking for new challenges? If you are creative, resilient and have good personal skills, this is the job for you." This could be the beginning of the job ad for the best job in the world.

Some years ago, I was the right hand of a big boss. I had a lot of responsibilities: coordinating people, drafting policies of the company and taking care of the "behind the curtains" for my boss. Dirty work included. In other words I had to do everything to give him visibility and let him make "bella figura" [untranslatable Italian expression which means more or less "good impression"].

Among many other tasks, I had to write speeches for my boss. He was considered an excellent speaker and he was invited to many conferences to share his wiseness. Let's give credit where it's due, he was quite comfortable in public speaking and he was able to improvise when necessary. Writing speeches required long researches and a lot of extra hours of work. You are making me imagining myself like this:
Jon Favreau, speechwriter of Obama until Feb 2013. He invented the slogan Yes, we can
 Thank you. I would love to be like this. But I saw myself more like this:


Researching, writing, refining the speech...until the very last minute before the conference. In general I was rather proud of the result. Not that I got any praise for it. In many cases I was not even present at conferences. To be honest, I suspected that my boss didn't use my speeches and sometimes didn't even read my drafts. After a long week end of speechwriting, I once put a gross mistake in a speech. On his return from the conference, he didn't mention it, which confirmed my suspects.
So, in case you are guessing, this was not the best job in the world. But it had some good aspects. A lot of research for example, which nurtured my curiosity.

It was during one of these researches that I ran into an article about "the best job in the world": water slide tester. For a salary of 20,000£ a year, travel and expenses paid.




The guy got the job after a tough selection and I think that his video-application is very captivating. Testing water slides must be a lot of fun. I was a few times at Caneva Aquapark and it was great. Just a small tip, especially for girls. If you dare to go on the Stukas Boom, be sure to wear a resistant swimsuit to preserve your dignity.
Water slide tester, is it the best job in the world? Maybe when you are 20-something and fun is your priority. But then things change. So, no, this is not the best job in the world either.

I got the best job in the world some weeks ago and I consider myself to be very lucky.
Of course, it shares some features with other jobs:
- there may be some communication difficulties, especially at the beginning, because you cannot understand what your client wants. But don't worry, with some efforts on your side communication improves day by day and you  end up understanding your client needs before they open the mouth.
- it's a 24/7 job. No excuses.
- you are not entitled to sick leave.
- it requires strong resilience.
- you may feel frustrated when you have just finished a project and your client gives you shit and you have to start all over again.
- your client can cry and shout at you. You will accept it and do your best to understand why and improve the situation.
- you can do some training and some self-study, but it's mainly based on on-the-job training. And you have to learn fast. Sink or swim.
- you need to be multi-tasking.

What makes this job the best job in the world then?
- it's more than a job, more than a mission. Remember the "I believe in the values of the company and blablabla" that you have certainly heard or used in job interviews? Forget about it. In this job, you really believe in what you are doing. I would say that you literally fall in love with your client.
- you are the point of reference for your client. They will see you as god.
- when you are with your client, you can even sing in the street and nobody takes you for crazy.
- your client will appreciate you no matter what. Even when you sing in the street or say silly things.
- you are so enthusiastic about your job that you talk about it all the time. The others will be very happy for you, will share your enthusiasm and stand you for a while. But for a while only. Don't push it too much.
- your family will probably back you. And they will not get bored when you talk about it. Good, because you need all their support.
- it's a project for life.
- it requires long months of preparation, but when you see the result you are sure it's worth it.
- you will feel pure happiness for every success of your client.

I could go on like this forever, but let me add a last one, which is essential:
- you will give and receive love. For your entire life.

This post is to announce the birth of my first child 7 weeks ago. Being mother (or father, says my husband) is the best job in the world.

What did you think was the best job in the world while you were reading this post? Please write in the comments. If you have found another best job in the world, wow, don't let it go! And if you are so lucky to have the same best job in the world as me, congratulations and all the best to you!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The right to give up

10 things you should have for breakfast. You will never imagine number 7.

What about second breakfast? Homemade breadsticks