Good job

When I drop the kids off at school everyday, I see teachers arriving, looking fresh and energetic. At the end of each school day, I see their tired faces. I think being a teacher in a secondary school is one of the toughest jobs in the world.

From the stories I have heard from the kids, new teachers get bullied, nice teachers get walked all over on and bad teachers get resented by the students. It's a pretty thankless job I must say.

I think being a physical education teacher can be pretty cool. You get to show up at work wearing sports attire. You get paid to yell at kids and make them run and jump while keeping yourself fit all year round. Nice job indeed.

I can't think of a nicer job....except for my friend Jen who works as a doctor in one of the best airlines in the world. She reports to work at 9am in a posh in-house clinic at the airport, sees patients (mostly airline crew) with small ailments and knocks off on-the-dot, leaving all the worries behind as she steps out of the clinic at 5pm. She's well paid, well-traveled and has plenty of time for aikido and yoga.

Jen's one of the lucky few. I don't envy my other friends like EE and WK or even my brother who work for large MNCs. Thanks to technology, they're always on conference calls with colleagues spanning the globe, which means they practically work from 7am to 11.30pm. As if not enough, they spend more time sleeping in hotels than in their own bed. The lifestyle's too hectic, just thinking about it makes me tired.

Some jobs may sound really glamorous than it really is. Being a model or celebrity requires you to be well groomed and svelte all the time. The loss of privacy is also not enviable. Recently I bumped into an ex-actress whom I had worked with a long time ago when I was in the design business. We engaged her to endorse a client's product because of her wholesome looks and radiance. She had that sparkling quality and was in great demand in her youth.

When I saw her that day at a florist, I couldn't help but notice that she looked so sallow. Now in her early 40s, she's still raking in lots of money as a part-time model endorsing ads for a leading slimming company. While she has aged gracefully, she had lost that radiance and sparkle. I feel a little sad that her once curvy body is now replaced by skin and bones. She looks good in the printed advertisements though. I figured she has to stay this way because of her job. At this age, she must be battling hard to keep her body slim.

Perhaps, being the boss would seem like the perfect job. There are many advantages but like all things, there are downsides too. As a business owner, we're constantly worried about cash flow and survival. Then, there's risk. If you ask me, a boss never really stops working.

So, what's the best job? Having enough money and investments (and residual income) to support your desired lifestyle without having to work. Yah, that'll be nice.