Dollife Dreams and Careers

I have no training or qualifications, so I've always just applied for jobs that I could do to make ends meet. My preferred field is administration, but I've also worked customer service, retail, admin, reception and sales.

 

I've resigned myself to a life of earning an average wage, but the bonus to that is I have no stress or worries in my job. I go to work during the day and at the end of the day I put my coat on and close the door behind me and it is all done. My jobs aren't stressful or demanding of me, and for me that's ok.

 

In my current job I'm a Rental Management Representative for a global hire vehicle provider. It's a mix of customer service, sales and administration. At first it was just a job to earn my living, but I've been there nearly two years now and I absolutely love my job. It's simple, but I enjoy attending it every day, I have great colleagues too which is nice, we're like a family.

 

I don't earn a massive wage, but it is a fair amount above minimum wage and I can live comfortably on it. I also work good hours, Monday to Friday 8:30 - 17:30, this works really well for me. I can have my hobbies and social life on the evenings and weekends which keeps me happy.

 

I think that there is nothing wrong with this kind of work. Not everyone has the ability or desire to earn big money and that's fine. For me the most important thing is earning enough to have my independence and working a job that doesn't make me miserable. It's a simple life, but it suits me well.

Ahh... This is rather interesting. I've always aligned everything I do with what I love. I want to be happy all the time, which is the ultimate goal of my lifestyle.

 

From when I was a child, I've always loved Sailor Moon and Card Captor Sakura. I always knew I wanted to do something that was in the artist field. Throughout my high school years, I prepared my portfolio to get into college. Inside my portfolio were my years of sketches and my two years of experience running my high school Anime Club.

 

I majored in Media Arts & Animation, I got to draw my own Anime during school and it was fun. It killed the magic for me though and now when I look at animations, all I think about is how they made it, how much looping they used, if they spent time doing it, what the studios do best or worst, etc. But nevertheless, I still love illustrating and designing. I also got into gaming during these years like Ragnarok Online and Everquest 2.

 

During my years in college, I began looking for internships and worked for a local company that needed ANY role in the gaming field just to get my foot in the door. I became an intern at http://outspark.com/, started as a Game Master and ended up being Production Artist before I left. I worked on the game, "Fiesta". http://fiesta.outspark.com/

 

After I left there, I have graduated college at this point and moved on to work at Crowdstar. http://www.crowdstar.com/ as a 2D Artist that made assets for Happy Pets http://www.crowdstar.com/games/happy_pets and IT Girl (Top Girl) http://www.crowdstar.com/games/top_girl . I decided I hate doing assets. They tell you to draw this, so you do it. they tell you to draw something else, you do it. But it's so boring and it's mostly things you don't want to draw or don't care about. I moved on, I wanted to do something else with my skills.

 

For the next two years, I juggled into two other jobs and also left with a "Lead Artist" title for a local start up that I ended up doing every art asset for. While doing the art assets for EVERYTHING, I realized I really love doing User Interface (UI) artwork. UI artwork is making menus, creating function with beauty. it's hard to make things work with beauty many of the time and it became puzzles to solve at every new menu to design.

 

During that time, I've also drawn at local Anime conventions (Fanime and AoD) and city events (Asian Heritage Street Celebration) to spread my name and my portfolio. It was nice because I got to draw what I wanted.

 

Finally, now, I work as a User Interface/User Experience Designer at Disney Interactive http://dimg.disneycareers.com/en/default/. I've worked on the games including, Gardens of Time https://www.facebook.com/GardensofTime and the recent Marvel: Avengers Alliance https://www.facebook.com/avengersalliance .

It pays well and it is when I started working here, I made enough money to start my Dollfie collecting. It's beautiful, I've always wanted to collect Dollfies. Now, I love what I do at work, get to draw anything I want at home, play all the games I want, still draw at conventions... and have my Dollfies.

I'm 23 and I have a BS in Environmental Biology with a minor in Biology. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with it. When I started college everyone was all about going green. Well now, that kind of fell through. So my advice would be to go for something you know people will always need. But in the end a lot of the time it's that you have a degree not which one you have that matters. Right now I'm working for the infamous Monsanto on one of their research farms. I make less than I did at my last job, but I love it. My previous job was awful. My boss was just the worst kind of person and we followed no kind of OSHA stuff and only got 30 hrs a week. At Monsanto I get 40 hrs and less money but sometimes the job is as tiring if not more than my previous job. The difference? People. I'm basically working with a bunch of friends now (who I never met before). Today I spent the entire day walking up and down corn rows counting each stalk. But b/c of the people I work with and for it's bearable and downright fun sometimes. I've laughed so hard it hurt at this job. I've got to go to Kansas 2 weeks ago and I've been on a few other overnight trips. It's basically what everyone is saying, sometimes it's not the job that matters its the people and the environment in which your working that really makes a difference.

as of now, im a freshmen college student, im taking Information Technology w/ specialization in Digital Arts, let's put it simply to multimedia arts. I love drawing and figure collecting etc.. and im an aspiring anime artist, i have no problem with whatever im taking since i have my family's support! but the only thing about it that i think my "MOM" dislike is me buying anime stuffs, she always say that i should stop buying those because im wasting my money

as of now, im a freshmen college student, im taking Information Technology w/ specialization in Digital Arts, let's put it simply to multimedia arts. I love drawing and figure collecting etc.. and im an aspiring anime artist, i have no problem with whatever im taking since i have my family's support! but the only thing about it that i think my "MOM" dislike is me buying anime stuffs, she always say that i should stop buying those because im wasting my money

 

Use the reasoning that I always do... you need them for drawing references and to see what the current market trends are. If you were a journalist, wouldn't you buy and read other newspapers? In my experience there will always people who don't understand you, within your family and outside of it. This seems especially true if your vocation or hobbies rely on creativity...

 

~Sister Kyoya (who has been an artist since she was a toddler.)

so many of you are the majorly creative type of people!

 

I feel so lame in comparison lol

 

I was a writer from a young age, was praised for being talented so I studied writing and editing at college, when it was all over I discovered firsthand how hard it is to get into the industry. Love ended up coming first, I travelled to countries I never thought I'd get the chance to see... I did free-of-charge proofreading for an online magazine and made a bit of pocket money helping people form professional sounding formal letters.

 

I have found a new life being a mother and thats the best job I could ask for right now. I plan on going back to study after my daughter settles, probably studying online... I feel a calling to be a chaplain, supporting kids in high-school with a friendly ear.

 

My beautiful partner-in-crime makes enough to support us and my shopping habit lol

I am so very grateful for the hard-worker!

Let's see.

 

I'm in the US Air Force and I fix aircraft for a living. DD, Manga, nor Anime was not an influence, I just joined on a whim. Funny, I told my dad I would never join the military until Hell froze over, the night I told my dad, it was snowing in south Texas. (I'm not kidding either...)

 

I didn't get into Dollfies until...2010?

Let's see.

 

I'm in the US Air Force and I fix aircraft for a living. DD, Manga, nor Anime was not an influence, I just joined on a whim. Funny, I told my dad I would never join the military until Hell froze over, the night I told my dad, it was snowing in south Texas. (I'm not kidding either...)

 

I didn't get into Dollfies until...2010?

 

Hahahaha! Love that "hell freezing over" remark

Funny, I told my dad I would never join the military until Hell froze over, the night I told my dad, it was snowing in south Texas. (I'm not kidding either...)

 

That is so funny! I remember we got a white Christmas one year in Corpus Christi. It was like the 7th time in recorder history that they got snow let alone on Christmas. I wonder if it was the same year you are talking about.

Funny, I told my dad I would never join the military until Hell froze over, the night I told my dad, it was snowing in south Texas. (I'm not kidding either...)

 

That is so funny! I remember we got a white Christmas one year in Corpus Christi. It was like the 7th time in recorder history that they got snow let alone on Christmas. I wonder if it was the same year you are talking about.

 

lol it was around Feb of 2004 when I told my dad I was going to join.

Funny, I told my dad I would never join the military until Hell froze over, the night I told my dad, it was snowing in south Texas. (I'm not kidding either...)

 

That is so funny! I remember we got a white Christmas one year in Corpus Christi. It was like the 7th time in recorder history that they got snow let alone on Christmas. I wonder if it was the same year you are talking about.

 

lol it was around Feb of 2004 when I told my dad I was going to join.

 

Small world! I've been working in aircraft sheet metal repair since July of 06, both commercial, Boeing mainly.. and just finished almost 2 1/2 years out here at DMAFB/AMARG restoring aircraft from the "boneyard". Now, I've been repairing/rebuilding RV's and travel trailers until the aircraft industry gets better.

 

As far as I'm concerned, the kiddos and my minor otaku-ism/anime participation doesn't even enter the picture. being in my early 50's, (51 this last June) I'd guess my "peers" wouldn't understand a bit of it, let alone have an open mind enough to try to....

 

 

So, I keep my personal life separate from my work.... (I have plenty of awesome foks here to share it all with, so it's not considered a loss!)

 

And....... to keep with the topic of this thread, I've been a lot of things in my life, Infantry soldier, construction laborer, delivery driver, mechanic, painter, lots of physical labor types of jobs.

I did find that the folks you work with can make or break how you like the job, regardless of pay...

Would I try to make a profit, building/crafting stuff for dollfies or figures?

 

Nah, then it'd seem too much like work.... I enjoy my kiddos too much for that.........

Finally, now, I work as a User Interface/User Experience Designer at Disney Interactive http://dimg.disneycareers.com/en/default/. I've worked on the games including, Gardens of Time https://www.facebook.com/GardensofTime and the recent Marvel: Avengers Alliance https://www.facebook.com/avengersalliance .

It pays well and it is when I started working here, I made enough money to start my Dollfie collecting. It's beautiful, I've always wanted to collect Dollfies. Now, I love what I do at work, get to draw anything I want at home, play all the games I want, still draw at conventions... and have my Dollfies.

 

Nekopon! I work at the same company, but in WA - doing art/animation for the Avengers FB game. Small world!

I haven't told them how addicted I am to dolls yet.... shh

Everyone is giving good advice as far as hobby being a home life thing and work being the means to enjoy that hobby. A lot of the time they don't cross over and thats ok.

 

For me, I would never mix the two. Making things and enjoying this hobby is huge stress relief for me. I wouldn't want it becoming like work. It is nice to come home from work and enjoy something that engages my mind and creativity!

 

I work a regular job doing stock work and shipping. I originally graduated with a 4 yr degree in criminal justice. I have also been many things in life, A security guard, a policeman, a dialysis technician, it goes on. Life is a funny thing, you may not end up where you originally planned, but always make the best of where you are. Find ways to be positive and turn whatever you are doing into something fun. Thats probably the best advice I can think of. (^_^)

I'm studying English philology and German language at university and I'm hoping to get work as a translator. I like learning languages, so this would be great.

I keep my personal life separate from my work

 

Lol you can say that again. Cant imagine what the guys on the flightline would say if they found out I had a doll. Lol

Interesting post.

 

I can agree with the "don't try to make your hobby your work" sentiment to some degree. I wanted to work in video game design from a young age. I did end up going to school for it, but I took the wrong path entirely and wasted what ended up being almost 8 years all said and done. I did learn that creating for someone else, doing something I don't want to work on drained the fun out of it for me though, so it wasn't a total wash as far as I'm concerned.

 

What I did end up having to do, because I took "the wrong path" to realize my goals, was call center work.

 

It paid the bills, and I managed to work my way up into a salary position, but I hated what I did, and I hated the poisonous environment.

 

The positive was that I learned that I wanted to contribute to the good of society. I don't need to love every minute of what I do, but at the end of the day, financial security, environment, and the value of what I actually do with my time matters to me.

 

Now I'm upgrading to apply for nursing. It's been a curvy path to this end, but that's life I guess

 

The advice I could give someone unsure of what they want to do for a living is this:

 

Do your research. Understand that following a dream can be detrimental if you go about it the wrong way.

 

ALSO, your ability to earn money gives you the freedom to change careers later in life if you so choose.

 

The mistake I made was dropping computer systems tech to go to a private school video game design course. Had I completed the computer systems tech, I would have had bankable skills that would have paid for University, or Design college, or whatever down the line.

 

The design school went tits-up not long after I "graduated", and my certificate is like a $30,000 reminder to DO MY RESEARCH! Very costly mistake. I was top of my class, but being the top of a class that has no significance to employers is kind of pointless

I posted in here previously as a college freshman and now I'm a sophomore! I'm out of graphic design and into environmental science, which is what I originally wanted to do.

 

As of now I'd like to be professor for a 2- or 4-year college/university and/or work with wind energy.

 

No more design for me. I find it to be a personal hobby for my own self enjoyment and would probably hate my life if I had to do it everyday.

Now I'm upgrading to apply for nursing.

 

Yay. More Nurses! Its back breaking but never boring. speaking from experience Best of luck in your new career choice

I'm a 1st year engineering student in Australia, doing environmental engineering and music as a double degree. Being a piano teacher for 4 years, I'm planning on using my music degree to boost my credentials as a teacher, adding on to my LRSM and DipAB certificates, and basically following what I enjoy the most, which is music! ^^ My engineering degree would just be a failsafe in case I fail to find work in the future.

 

I think that as long as you enjoy your field of work, salary is of a secondary concern. Why work your butt off and make your life horrible just for your paycheck?

I started studying religious studies and history because I'm more of a learning type and have heavy interest in these two topics/area.

However, I realized very early that the current situation of my country regarding universities is horrible and it's impossible to finish studying after three or four years, no matter what you do, and afterwards you need to keep on studying to qualify for most of the jobs.

But I also don't want to end as a "forever a student" person, so I now try to aim a career as "Beamter" or "civil servant".

You can't get any better in Germany, you get a lot of money for minimal work and very short worktimes. You might not be liked by most of the people and you also have to do a lot to get into this area (sport test, several other loops you have to jump through, you are not allowed to protest etc.), but in the end it's totally worth it.

 

If you really love something (say photography) but you study it and do it for a living, sometimes some of the magic is lost because it becomes a means to an end for you.

 

Quote for truth.

I actually thought about doing something in the photography area, but I already see what happened to my girlfriend. She always loved to draw and loved videogames, so she went into that area.

End of the story: She barely draws anymore and the whole business has made her sick.

 

For many it's hard to make their hobby their job; you have to do what customers want all the time and in the end you have barely time for own projects.

Not to mention that the pure fun of your hobby might be stained as soon as you see how business around your hobby looks like. And that's sometimes so disgusting you start to hate what you loved once.

 

Of course it's hard to do a job that might be boring, but a boring well-paid job allows you to afford the awesome stuff you want to do and buy. The best is usually to find something in between, do something that is not too horrible and boring, but also decently pays you.

Quote for truth.

I actually thought about doing something in the photography area, but I already see what happened to my girlfriend. She always loved to draw and loved videogames, so she went into that area.

End of the story: She barely draws anymore and the whole business has made her sick.

 

For many it's hard to make their hobby their job; you have to do what customers want all the time and in the end you have barely time for own projects.

Not to mention that the pure fun of your hobby might be stained as soon as you see how business around your hobby looks like. And that's sometimes so disgusting you start to hate what you loved once.

 

Of course it's hard to do a job that might be boring, but a boring well-paid job allows you to afford the awesome stuff you want to do and buy. The best is usually to find something in between, do something that is not too horrible and boring, but also decently pays you.

 

Agreed. I'm in that spot right now. Though I knew I did not want to do 3D professionally, as the last thing I ever want to do with my limited creative brain power is be told how to be creative... yet I got hired as one. That said, Civil CAD work is about as far from what I did at home as you can get and still be doing 3d work, but its still really damn boring and sort of spilled over to at home to the point at which I haven't done many projects of my own since I started =.

I'm a graduate of Dressmaking course, and now having my own business..just those small time business..I spend most of my free time sewing at home, :3

Now I'm upgrading to apply for nursing.

 

Yay. More Nurses! Its back breaking but never boring. speaking from experience Best of luck in your new career choice

 

Thanks! I'm excited, it looks like it can be hard work, but rewarding

Now I'm upgrading to apply for nursing.

 

Yay. More Nurses! Its back breaking but never boring. speaking from experience Best of luck in your new career choice

 

Thanks! I'm excited, it looks like it can be hard work, but rewarding

 

It can be a little crazy too and 12 hour shifts can be a killer at first but since I've gotten used to them, I don't think I could get back to working 8 hours. I like my week offs.

ugh i wish i had a great job that paid well but im saving a little by little working at kfc since i dont pay rent but my real dream is to be an animator!