THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: Skewbrow on 04 Feb 2011, 09:57
-
Several of our friends have at some point expressed unhappiness about their line of work. I thought that it might be a good idea to have a thread dedicated to their work/career related dreams and possibilities. Here's your chance to try your hand as a vocational counselor! Which line of work do you think your favorite QC character would excel in? Which job would be the best match to his/her skill set/education/personality? What would be his/her dream job? Is there a realistic shot to get that dream job? Hilariously impossible and unlikely suggestions are obviously welcome, too, but keep the creepy suggestions to yourselves, please.
Polls? Of course, the plan is to have polls for every character with enough interesting suggestions. I may fumble a poll or two, as this is the first time I try my hand at this, so please be patient :-). The first poll is kinda lame. I apologize for that, but I wasn't sure whether it is possible to add polls to a thread afterwards, so I went with this one to get started. If you feel that an essential option is left out, please let me know! Sven, Dora, Tai and Marigold have been left out of this poll, because they seem to be relatively happy with their current jobs. Dale and Steve were left out, because their current employment status is somewhat unclear.
Enough BS. Let's roll. My thoughts for starters. It's more than a bit on the tl;dr; side, so feel free to skip it.
- Sven. He's successful and mostly happy with what he does, so I really don't see him embarking on another career. Occasionally he feels that his artistic integrity is wearing a gimp mask. May be a little genre experimenting would help? With Deathmole, please!! His reputation would survive even a flop or two while trying something different, wouldn't it?
- Dora. I can totally see Dora ruling with fear the umpteenth generation of sassy baristas 40 years from now. Raising her cane to keep them in line, if necessary. She may want to expand her business at some point, but that road leads either to Starbuckdom or into an "alliance" with HannerMom, so may be rather not? If the tides of fortune ever bring CoD down forcing her to join a chain, then let's go with (dun.. dunn... dunnn....) Waffle House!
- Marten. Tougher. As easy going as our protagonist is, I really don't see him being happy as the assistant librarian until the day he retires. Music is waaay more than a hobby to him, so let's take that as our starting point. He doesn't have a big enough ego to be a star. May be he should put his critical theory education to good use, and start seriously blogging? He might catch the attention of a regional newspaper (with a little bit of luck?), and build from there. Eventually he could end up doing freelance work for Rolling Stone and such. In the worst case scenario he joins the ranks of street musicians of Northampton. Help him out with alternatives, please!! A hilarious alternative would be for him to, if not take over the family business from VV, then at least start giving lessions on Japanese rope binding.
- Hannelore. OCD & customer service?? Come on! Undoubtedly it is good therapy for her, but I don't see it lasting. I was quite impressed with her attention to detail in figuring out what was wrong with her Mom's books. She might make the best auditor/public accountant ever! Wouldn't you love to have someone like her go thru the books of that shady company exploiting the folks in your town (replace that with your least favorite faction of the government, if that's more to your liking). Could she take over Mom's business, when the evil billionaire finally retires/dies? Yeah, right. Donald Duck would have a better chance at the helm of Uncle McSgrooge's empire than our darling Hanners. But remember, she is full of surprises!
- Faye. She has talent for sculpting. Would she need to complete her college degree to really pursue that? I don't know how the art scene works, but I would guess that you can get by without a degree. It is probably a lot tougher to get started without the help of the connections of your college teachers, though? May be that one commissioned Espressosaurus Rex will be her ticket out of service industry? Then again, the Pugnacious Peach is a tough cookie, and could handle many a career. Ranging from a sassy feminist columnist to changing nappies.
- Angus. Well, we just learned what his dream job is :-) He is not unhappy with the strawman gig, but it also sounded like he was just rationalizing it to Faye (and to himself). Stand-up comedy? Needs a lot of luck, but you only live once! Politics? Sounded like his family might expect that from him, but does he really want to become the next actor turned into a governor/president?
- Marigold. She knows computers (incl. AnthroPCs) and programming. I don't see her making megabucks with that skill set, but a secure (trickle of) income is there. In spite of the stuff being outsourced to companies based in Bangalore. If the job as her Dad's webmaster doesn't last, she might not mind Dilbert-like life in a cubicle much. Any reason to try another line of work? Her dream job might be coding and testplaying new versions of WoW, but how to make that come true? Teaching computer stuff as a fall back alternative? How long do you think she would last as a high school teacher?
- Tai. Is it canon that she's in grad school? She just might have what it takes to become an author, but would need more than her fair share of luck to do really well. She also has the career as English lit teacher (college, high school) as a viable alternative to fall back on. Grading stuff like Marigold's slashfic for a few decades might get to her eventually, but it is also (close to) her calling!
- Steve, Cosette, Penelope, Wil. I am mostly clueless here. Steve was doing ok with the Department of KYA, but is that over? Cosette's still in college, so we don't know, if she can get something useful out of that. Penelope and Wil following their current paths of broken dreams makes me a little bit sad, but such is life.
- Raven. Wow! Anything from theoretical physics to water slide test pilot. Most likely to generate more than enough alternatives to start a poll?
- Dale. What are his two other jobs? A bar musician? Newspaper delivery (no time conflict with pizza delivery!)? A private eye secretly reporting his findings at CoD to Padma?
-
I wasn't sure whether it is possible to add polls to a thread afterwards
Just for information: a moderator can do that for you if you ask nicely.
-
If Cosette left CoD I somewhat suspect her termination would be involuntary.
-
Is there a clause in her contract that if she accidentally burns down CoD that is grounds for termination? I guess that would fall under force majeure :-), so we would have 5 unemployed baristas instead of just one.
-
Trying to peg a person for a job is a little bit like predicting the weather three months in advance. You can get some general idea of what is going to go on, but you have absolutely no idea what will actually happen.
Oh, and I can say that as someone who did some of his post-grad work as a vocational counselor.
-
- Marten Dream job would be a music critic, musician maybe
He definetly wont quit untill he has another steady gig to go to that either pays tons more or has something to do with music, since he's not unhappy at the library - Faye not a clue what her dream job would be really...she seems to just want to live her life atm, no real ambitions
Of all people i think she's the most likely to quit, she's been with dora for a long time if angus is going to be her anchor to sanity and maybe get her over her issues and that sculpture works out maybe she can move on - Hannelore
She has other issues to deal with, she gets enough money from the odd project her mom drops on her to sustain her and have spare income to boot - Penelope made her dream job plenty clear already
might make a change in the future, but not for any time soon - Cosette
still in college, just got the job save getting fired she's not going anywhere - Wil just like his partner also has a well documented dream job
Wont quit unless he gets noticed for some reason, but since he's a very minor character these days no time soon either (he's more like just a prop for penelope these days) - Angus
maybe he will move up the political strawman ladder? his career is a bit to vague to really call
-
Hannelore's focus and attention to detail, along with her drive to create structure, would be assets for a career as a software developer. She might also make a good research librarian.
The Pugnacious Peach complained to her therapist about being "stuck", and she's gradually waking up and taking charge of her life. Somewhere in the archives there's a thread about what Faye might do next.
Wil probably has the worst job but he doesn't have a lot of options. He can be expected to stay where he is.
This is a great thread.
-
- Marten: I see him moving onto something that is of course music related. Music Teacher? Maybe SMIF has some other department openings for assistants? Like it has been said before, I don't see him moving on until he is 100% sure that he has a job. (as most people should!)
- Angus: Ah, now we're having fun. Ho'kay, Angus changing careers is interesting to me because it's the largest reason I can think of for Faye and Angus not working out. (Or maybe I read too much Octopus Pie :oops: )Angus's line of work is the closest to the Entertainment industry that we've seen. Were he to ever get noticed, he would most likely need to move to either New York or California to pursue any career. While TV Host may be a bit out of his range, I could see him as a comedy writer for late-night TV or a contributer (like the reporters on The Daily Show.)
That's all I have for now, but maybe more will come to mind. I agree though, five star thread idea!
-
OK, maybe this isn't dream-job territory, but...
Tai is going to graduate, and move on, and someone needs to take over the supervisory position at the library. As the only non-student, Marten's primed for the position. After all, students are only around for a few years. Management needs to be more consistant.
Besides, he knows what the trustees were up to in the copy room...
-
Marten seems to have taken an early lead in the poll. I am little bit surprised to see Faye in the last place. More or less for the reasons listed by Antario. Then again, several other characters have shown a real desire to pursue alternative careers more recently.
The next poll will be on Hannelore's options - some realistic, some less so. Feel free to make suggestions for options.
For several characters we already know what their dream job would be. When their turn comes, the semi-serious poll options will be on bits of advice, and, if need be, suggestions for more realistic alternatives. If the thread survives (thanks for the encouraging words!), I plan to insert a poll with the theme "Occupational hazards - the most memorable mishaps at work" at some point.
@Sharp, Antario: A good point about Angus' job prospects being very vague. It will be tough to get a decent poll on his options. Saving that for later.
OK, maybe this isn't dream-job territory, but...
Tai is going to graduate, and move on, and someone needs to take over the supervisory position at the library. As the only non-student, Marten's primed for the position. After all, students are only around for a few years. Management needs to be more consistant.
Besides, he knows what the trustees were up to in the copy room...
LOL! An interesting suggestion for Marten. Wouldn't necessarily surprise me, if SMIF would have the library jobs earmarked as a way of supporting a number of promising students at selected departments. The need for continuity may trump that though? But surely Marten is too nice a guy to ... bring up certain facts in front of a board of trustees? Not that he would necessarily have to actively do anything about it!
-
Hmm, I think that almost none of the cast have anything resembling a dreamjob, so nominating a definite candidate is kinda difficult. But lets try anyway. I'll start from my own poll choices.
- Marten: While he is happy at SMIF library now, I just can't see him working indefinitely as a library assistant. Somekind of career concerning music just sounds too fitting for him. We've seen pretty damn good suggestions (music critic, music teacher), thou i would not count out our protagonist becoming a rock phenomenon (when you think of it, especially how his life has been going lately, I think he could write some kickass Radiohead-like music, maybe even becoming QC's very own Thom Yorke? :-D ). And remembering the everchanging music world, we might see him in very distant future as a has-been rockstar/shady street musican.
- Penelope/Will: The creative couple. While they both are employed at the moment, I think either of them are anywhere near their dreamjob. I think becoming bestselling author would be a dream come true for both of em.
As for the rest of the cast, very few of em have a job that could be described as dreamjob. Maybe, in the future, we'll see Angus as next Conan O'Brien or maybe even as a senator or such. He's got the talent for it, we'll just have to wait and see if he's going to pursue the career in politics or stand-up comedy. Hmm, who else? Marigold? If the webmaster gig turns bad, I could easily see her in the ranks of cubicle workers (think of Dilbert and/or Office Space). And i gotta ask, am I the only one who thought of Steve as QC's Jason Bourne (just replacing the amnesia with huge bender :laugh: )
The characters who are actually doing what they like are Sven and Dora. Dora is running her own business and despite the fact that sometimes things dont go as planned, she's still calling the shots what goes. Sven on the other hand is making music(which he doesen't actually like) and money(which he does like :-P ), and seems to be enjoying life.
-
Everybody winds up working for Bill Gates.
-
Dale needs something that pays well enough for him to work only one job. We don't know enough about him to guess what that would be, though.
EDIT: it took a while, but I finally found the old thread about what the Pugnacious Peach might do after Coffee of Doom: http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,24020.0.html
-
The results of the first poll.
QC character most likely to quit his/her current job?
Marten - 13 (15.7%)
Faye - 6 (7.2%)
Hannelore - 12 (14.5%)
Penelope - 12 (14.5%)
Cosette - 6 (7.2%)
Wil - 8 (9.6%)
Angus - 10 (12%)
Somebody else - 9 (10.8%)
Nobody - they are all content! - 0 (0%)
Nobody - the money ain't great, but it is enough to get waffles! - 7 (8.4%)
Total Voters: 40
The next poll is on Hannelore's alternatives. I will add your suggestions as poll options ASAP. Do remember that my timezone is GMT+2, IIRC 7 hours ahead of US East coast.
-
(I've changed the poll's time to run to 7 days, so presumably you can now adjust it again if you wish.)
As for Marten, my wife, who recently became deputy director of a university library without having any direct experience, commented earlier today that the shelvers are the lowest of the low, quite the bottom of the pecking order. We've certainly seen Marten shelving; but he also does counter duty, presumably because the Smif library is quite small.
-
I've gone with accounting with Hanners, but honestly, I see her more as an actuary. Still, she'd end up counting something with something for someone or something.
-
(I've changed the poll's time to run to 7 days, so presumably you can now adjust it again if you wish.)
Thank you! Unfortunately the box for the time limit still doesn't show in the "Edit poll" -window. May be that simply cannot be changed? I will ask jwhouk and/or BorderRiever for advice on how they run the weekly threads. My plan is for this to be a slow paced thread, but we'll see how it works. It may be simpler to start another thread at some point, so that I don't need to bug you repeatedly?
I've gone with accounting with Hanners, but honestly, I see her more as an actuary. Still, she'd end up counting something with something for someone or something.
:-) An excellent suggestion! A very demanding job, where you need a lot of training. A junior colleague of mine started working on the exams taking him towards actuarial work. He's half way there now, I think. This has been on top of his math PhD, but a doctorate is certainly not required. He's quite happy. You can study for those exams while working. Every time you pass one of the exams it shows on your salary slip starting next month. Not a bad deal at all!
-
Meanwhile you are all welcome to start suggesting better poll options for Hannelore.
I'm amazed she hasn't already been snapped up by the NSA as a cryppie (http://www.jargon.net/jargonfile/c/cryppie.html). I suppose the mad-scientist Dad and Bond-villain Mum might have something to do with it. It would be embarrassing to hire a SPECTRE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPECTRE) princess...
Actually Marigold (programming) and Hannelore (mathematics) could be a formidable crypto-combination...
-
Hanners makes one mean latte, as I recall reading.
-
Actually Marigold (programming) and Hannelore (mathematics) could be a formidable crypto-combination...
Another good suggestion. I added it to the poll. FYI: RSA2048 is a math problem. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSA_numbers) Easy to understand, but no one knows how to solve this kind of problems efficiently. Cryptocompanies like RSA posted this kind of challenges to get a good idea of how much breaking their system (at some limited key size) would cost.
At some point my friends in crypto told me that NSA no longer has the best cryppies. There is just so much money in the commercial applications and NSA can't match that. As evidence in favor of this is that NSA insisted cryptological techniques to be included in the Wassenaar arrangement. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassenaar_Arrangement) The joke was that limit was put to system with secret keys of length 112 bits, because that's the longest NSA can crack (the field moves fast, so that 112 figure probably has been outdated for a few years now). That's what the hulabaloo with making PGP public was also about. It is too strong for NSA to crack. Of course, it may well be that the NSA just wants the rest of them to think that...
-
I think Dora would make a good S&M Nightclub promoter. Either that, or first-lady for our next Republican President.
<.<
-
I don't know about you, but if I were an American I'd rather vote for Dora than Sarah
-
(moderator)Politics can get out of hand in no time flat -- please everyone use your best judgment when you're outside of Discuss.(/moderator)
-
I want to see Tai release a line of Lesbian-Empowerment and Sexuality Novels.
Or a line of Lesbian-Themed action flicks in the vein of 70's blacksploitation films. (Lesploitation?)
"This Summer! Kitty Hunter is on the prowl! IN: HERE KITTY KITTY"
-
Pintsize could be the cameraman and video editing machine. This may be his destiny.
-
Either that, or first-lady for our next Republican President.
Hmm. May be I've read too many Tom Clancy novels, but the secret service dislikes the idea of a First Lady with a career.
Hmm squared. Unless it is Dora, who will be the president. Bringing in a slacker for a ... First Husband?
Arrggh. Ninja'ed by Kugai.
Next poll will be on career advice for Marten. Some time today... I have got to prepare my next lecture first.
Post Simon&Garfunkel musical references are beyond me, so drop me a note if you want yours included in the poll.
-
Career alternatives that Hannelore should consider
Counting (back hair, grains of sand, whatever the customer wants). - 6 (8.5%)
Counting with her body. - 5 (7%)
Accounting. - 8 (11.3%) <----------------- 3rd
Cleaning. "My name is Hannelore Ellicott-Chatham. I END messes." - 16 (22.5%) <--------------- 1st
Software development. The filthy bugs have no chance. - 3 (4.2%)
Research librarian. Bibliodons are NOT on her list of suspicious animals. - 4 (5.6%)
Baking. "Science for hungry people." - 11 (15.5%) <---------------- 2nd
Barista. "Man, I make a really good latte!" - 2 (2.8%)
Research in the algebra of blush quotients. - 2 (2.8%)
Steel herself to take over Mom's business. Sharks ARE on her list of suspicious animals, though. - 4 (5.6%)
Actuary. Check it once more to make sure. - 5 (7%)
Cryptanalysis. Break RSA2048? No problem! - 5 (7%)
Total Voters: 29
The suggestions familiar to us from her adventures in QC raked in the most votes. Of the non-QC suggestions accounting collected a little bit more support than (IMHO cooler alternatives) actuarial and cryptographical work. We shouldn't read too much into that as accounting got a head start as a poll option.
Marten is up next.
-
cleaning isnt exactly an upgrade from working at COD
-
Your dream job is not necessarily a "better" job in the traditional sense.
I know mine isn't...
-
well my point still stand...i think....hanners doesnt actually 'like' cleaning does she? it just calms her down (aka calms her OCD)
allthough im getting a vague memory she did actually say it once...i cba to browse half the archive to find it though >.>
-
well my point still stand...i think....hanners doesnt actually 'like' cleaning does she? it just calms her down (aka calms her OCD)
allthough im getting a vague memory she did actually say it once...i cba to browse half the archive to find it though >.>
Not trying to nitpick or be a dick, just giving a differing opinion about not liking cleaning.. (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=889) :-P
(Yep, i know i spend way too much time browsing the archives, sry bout that :angel: )
-
Good catch!
-
(Yep, i know i spend way too much time browsing the archives, sry bout that :angel: )
Never apologize for your addictions.
Just for the effect they have on you and those you love...
OK, so here's my point; I love math, and get to teach it. That's my profession. But I've also built furniture, repaired cars and appliances, roofed houses and barns, done electrical, plumbing and any amount of restoration work, and every single one of those things leaves me feeling more accomplished and fulfilled than teaching does. You can see what you've done, you can finish a job and take pride in it. With teaching, you constantly stare failure in the face, whether it's your fault or not, and you have to hope and pray that some of what you teach sticks knowing full well that most of what you taught splattered on the back wall after sailing over your student's heads.
It's the Mr. Chips effect, and it regularly has me thinking of doing something else for a living...
Then I hear from some former student about how much they loved my class, and how much they learned from it, and I get all mushy inside. :-P
-
cleaning isnt exactly an upgrade from working at COD
Perhaps it was an error from my part to include a poll option with the air of "neuroses should be put to constructive use". Didn't mean to make it sound like a demeaning job, sorry. But Hannelore doesn't just sweep and vacuum. She disinfects, uses her autoclave and then some! There are many cleaning jobs, where mopping and dusting just won't do and a germophobic attitude is a plus: hospitals, labs,... An experiment at a genetic manipulation research plant goes a little caca. Who're you gonna call? 1-800-HEC-END-MESSES!
-
Hannelore's OCD will blight her enjoyment of any job that doesn't give her the chance to appease her OCD.
-
OK, so here's my point; I love math, and get to teach it. That's my profession. But I've also built furniture, repaired cars and appliances, roofed houses and barns, done electrical, plumbing and any amount of restoration work, and every single one of those things leaves me feeling more accomplished and fulfilled than teaching does. You can see what you've done, you can finish a job and take pride in it. With teaching, you constantly stare failure in the face, whether it's your fault or not, and you have to hope and pray that some of what you teach sticks knowing full well that most of what you taught splattered on the back wall after sailing over your student's heads.
It's the Mr. Chips effect, and it regularly has me thinking of doing something else for a living...
Then I hear from some former student about how much they loved my class, and how much they learned from it, and I get all mushy inside. :-P
Other than a summer job delivering mail and a two and a half year stint at the research center of a cell phone company all my work has been researching/teaching math, so I share the same profession as Carl-E, and his feelings sound familiar, too. I would love to be a bit more research oriented, but I had a chance to do that when I was younger, and the feelings of accomplishment were even rarer then (and never lasted too long). Teaching somehow comes naturally to me. It is a family curse trait. Dad, wife, sis, brother-in-law, uncle, cousin, her daughter... Not all of us teach math, and I'm the only one at the university level, but you get the picture :-). It's not always rewarding, but mostly I feel good after another week's load is done (that never was the case with research). The occasional positive feedback is a bonus. Like when I finally got tenured I wasn't the department head's favorite, but the students cast the deciding votes in my favor at the faculty council. I am also aware of the fact that out of my skills math has the highest market value, so I'm also playing the cards the way they were dealt.
Quick summary: I'm not doing exactly what I was dreaming about 20 years ago. But pretty close!
-
even with that comic in mind it still raises the question, does hanners love cleaning or is she compelled to
aka, if her OCD vanished overnight would she still have the urge/desire to clean?
but taking it to a more advanced level would ofcourse make sense, hanners the super cleaner
-
Hannelore seems to have adapted by learning to enjoy something she's compelled to do anyway.
-
Penelope had the third highest vote count in the opening poll, so it will be her turn next. I have to admit that for a while I was tempted insert a poll on the ways AnthroPCs (mostly Pintsize) could help our cast to follow their dreams. Then I realized that many a poll item would be half-creepy, so I reconsidered...
Everybody agrees that Penelope and Wil both have shitty jobs. But which is worse? Barista or a bartender? I would expect the base pay to be the same, meaning that (in terms of income) it comes down to who will rake in more tips? Any thoughts? For my part I would be more likely to tip a hot barista. But the drinks served by a bartender are more likely to alter my mood towards generosity (if not beyond caring), which would tip the scale the other way.
-
In my experience, bartenders are tipped far more often than baristas. Because you may buy one coffee and leave, but if you stay at the bar, you buy more drinks. And it's customary that one drink=$1 tip.
-
This is certainly true. But does that equation still hold, if you count dollars tipped per hour? That is what a barista/bartender is interested in. Most likely a bartender will collect a lot more tips on a busy night, with the bar packed to capacity, but when taking the average over the whole week the difference is not so clear.
-
Career advice you would like to give to Marten
Deathmole! Deathmole! Start working on it. Harder. - 15 (16.7%) <--------------------------------------------------- 2nd
Genre experimenting helps. What about electro-spaz post-hardcore? Dweooskreedadad. - 3 (3.3%)
"First fame. Then cocaine addiction." - 2 (2.2%)
Make a demo recording. Send it to interesting bands/record companies. And wait... - 3 (3.3%)
Get critical. Captain Blogzorz of Blogosphere! - 10 (11.1%) <----------------------------------------------------------- 3rd (tie)
Jam together with Sven. He can hook you up with a band in need of an extra guitar. - 18 (20%) <------------------- 1st
Look for openings at SMIF Department of Music. - 10 (11.1%) <--------------------------------------------------------- 3rd (tie)
Plenty of young rock star wannabes in the neighborhood? Start giving guitar lessons. - 9 (10%)
Plenty of empty street corners in Northampton, eh? At least if you are avant gar-day. - 0 (0%)
Steel yourself to take over Dad's business. At your own club you can perform every night. - 3 (3.3%)
Steel yourself to take over Mom's business. You would look good in ... - 4 (4.4%)
Stick to your current gig. "Orangutans are skeptical of changes in their cages." - 3 (3.3%)
Look for a promotion at SMIF library. Take that course in library science! Or ask certain trustees for help? - 6 (6.7%)
Rabbit in your headlights. Become Thom Yorke of QC-verse. - 4 (4.4%)
Total Voters: 34
The forumites have spoken. We want to help Marten become a performing artist. Using Sven's help and connections probably sounds more realistic than working with Deathmole, but the two are not mutually exclusive. Personally I am a little bit uncertain, whether it is kosher to start a band with your ex's brother, but I just don't see Deathmole soaring on its own.
The next best altenatives (music critic or teaching) didn't get quite as enthusiastic support. Of the teaching alternatives a position at an appropriate college department has the benefit of a more secure income than teaching privately. OTOH it may be quite difficult for Marten to land a teaching position at SMIF whereas private guitar lessons he can do in his free time.
-
A poll on Pen-Pen's future is up. There is room for more options, so I will add your suggestions upon request. Please allow for a delay of a few hours. There will be enough time to wait and vote later.
-
Marigold will be next (about 15 hours from now). She was not included in the first poll, but I like her as a character, and cannot possibly pass up this opportunity. :evil:
The IT-sector is the most logical field for her, but there are several opportunities! Can she turn her passion for manga/anime into a career alternative? Can she combine the two? Something else? Waffles will be replaced with ... (make a guess :-))
-
Sea cucumbers?
-
Sea cucumbers? But ... in Marigold's inexperienced hands the sheer ... salinity of those things could cause severe dehydration?
-
What will happen in Penelope's future?
It is revealed that Penelope Gaines really is the Pizza Girl! - 8 (18.2%) <--- 2nd (tie)
She keeps the butt-tectonic seismometers going and starts her own gym. - 2 (4.5%)
She grows up and is questionably content as a publishing house lackey. - 5 (11.4%)
She takes that internship and advances by bringing in Wil and Tai as new best-selling authors. - 9 (20.5%) <---- Winner!
She gives the bookstores another chance. While keeping an eye on a possible harassment lawsuit! - 1 (2.3%)
Her resumé is a perfect fit for a Book Café job. A surefire hit in a college town! - 5 (11.4%)
She gets her dream job at a publishing company. And is put in charge of reprinting collected works of Hemingway. - 8 (18.2%) <---2nd (tie)
She ends up working for Bill Gates at the PR department. - 1 (2.3%)
She makes waffles for breakfast. - 5 (11.4%)
Total Voters: 16
By the narrowest margin we steer away from "cruelty to characters". We are a soft-hearted bunch!
-
Marigirl could become the Pocky critic for the New York Times.
-
Or she could be the creator of the Tachikoma.
-
She ends up working for Bill Gates as a micro-serf.
Has anyone here read Microserfs by Douglas Coupland? Really good novel about disaffected Microsoft employees.
-
What will future bring to Marigold?
She sticks to her job as Dad's webmaster. - 6 (12.2%) <----- 2nd (tie)
She temporarily moves to XKCD-verse in order to fix a pair of unmatched parentheses. - 4 (8.2%) <3<3<3 THANK YOU, whoever the 3 other voters were
Dilbert recruits her to work for the Pointy Haired Boss. - 2 (4.1%)
She starts working for HannerDad to develop RoboBF ver3.0. - 6 (12.2%) <--- 2nd (tie)
She joins forces with Pintsize. Together they make best-selling doujinshi. - 1 (2%)
She creates a successful Habbo Hotel -like social networking website designed for Otaku. - 6 (12.2%) <---2nd (tie)
She gets a job coding and testplaying new editions of WoW. - 8 (16.3%) <---- WINNER!
She starts a cryptocompany together with Hannelore. - 4 (8.2%)
She ends up working for Bill Gates as a microserf. - 1 (2%)
She ends up teaching HTML at a community college. - 1 (2%)
Salt seeping shameless sea cucumber? - 1 (2%)
Pocky for breakfast. - 5 (10.2%)
A free lance job as THE pocky critic for NYT - 4 (8.2%)
She joins a thinktank designing AI for the next generation of Tachikoma - 0 (0%)
Total Voters: 18
We foresee Marigirl to have a kind of a dream job where she can combine her passions. Also the runners-up (other than that one choice with potential for creepiness) would be good alternatives.
Wil is next. I feel sorry for poor Wil, 'cause if my passion were for poetry instead of math I could easily find myself in a similar predicament. The alternatives are mostly cruel. Sorry squared. After Wil, we'll have either Tai or Dora. I haven't made up my mind, yet.
-
The "rip off" poll on Wil will run for 24 some hours more(backlog of work). At the moment it looks like Tennyson and Dora fight for the top spot with Carl-E ahead of Douglas Adams in the battle for the third place.
Next poll will be on advice we would like to give to Dora. How to make CoD even better? What kind of contingency plans would we like to suggest?
-
Pick-up line contest. Hanners is judge. Winner gets ... extra abuse?
-
"Sweet Lady Fate, why dost thou piss on me so?" What should Wil do to get a dream job or make more money?
Poetry on tap generates more tips. If done right. - 9 (17.6%) <-- 1st (tie)
Graduate to 10$ adjectives (and higher). - 1 (2%)
Finish his first collection of poems. "Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?" - 9 (17.6%) <-- 1st (tie)
Mail that manuscript of his novel. The publisher will reply... - 5 (9.8%)
Look for gigs involving smoking opium and casual sodomy. - 3 (5.9%)
Claim a soapbox in a street corner. Recite his own poetry. Pass the hat around. - 2 (3.9%)
Become a really ambitious panhandler. - 1 (2%)
Take gigs reciting his own lewd poetry at bachelorette parties. In tights and a codpiece. - 9 (17.6%) <-- 1st (tie)
Work for Bill Gates' PR department. - 1 (2%)
Teach poetry to Vogons. - 6 (11.8%)
Teach poetry at high school (remember to stay above neckline). - 3 (5.9%)
Ode to waffles - 2 (3.9%)
Total Voters: 20
We end in a 3-way tie. Good luck, Wil!
Suggestions for Dora will be on the poll for the next few days. I will add more options upon request. Sunday I will switch to a poll on Tai's possibilities.
-
Quoting Skewbrow's Penelope poll:
She takes that internship and advances by bringing in Wil and Tai as new best-selling authors. - 9 (20.5%) <---- Winner!
What, no Jimbo? I can see the collaboration even now, on an expanded edition of "Quiddich Field Idyll."
-
Me 2! But I saved collaboration with Jimbo as one of the options for Tai :-D. I think that makes even more ... sense?
-
...and sensibility.
:-D
-
... and zombie slut space princesses. In dump trucks.
-
... with pirates in space rikshja's
wait...what?
-
Options for Jimbo's next book. How about it, Skewbrow the Pollster?
-
Faye's dream job would be enforcer for a protection racket.
-
Options for Jimbo's next book. How about it, Skewbrow the Pollster?
Hmm. It depends. Did you mean a poll dedicated to Jimbo's next book or just a few items on Tai's poll? Sure we might run a poll on Jimbo's options later, but I won't give that too high a priority :-). Mostly because Jimbo has dropped out of sight.
If you want to suggest a specific poll option, you can post it hear or PM me. All suggestions are welcome! (unless coming from the bear hat guy)
Faye's dream job would be enforcer for a protection racket.
Or something else :-D. I am undecided about whether we should run a poll on Faye's career plans? She is a very central character, and certainly has many interesting options. If it weren't for the earlier poll (http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,24020.0.html) run by Is it cold in here, I most certainly would do one in this thread. But have we learned enough more about her since then (300+ strips ago) to warrant another survey?
I guess I could also simply stop worrying about it and just do it :-).
-
Help out Dora! How could she make CoD even more successful? Plan B?
Stick to your shtick. "If it ain't broken, don't fix it." - 9 (15.5%) <--------------------------------------------- 1st (tie)
Make a deal with the Secret Bakery. Get your baked goods from there. - 9 (15.5%) <----------------------------- 1st (tie)
Help your fremployees help you. Espressosaurus + Faye worked out. What about the others? - 9 (15.5%) <---- 1st (tie)
Go metal! Nothing else matters! Don't play this soft stuff at CoD! - 3 (5.2%)
Improve the interior. Add tableclothes and cute decorational items. - 1 (1.7%)
Improve the atmosphere. Keep air fresheners in the cave of 20 asses. - 4 (6.9%)
Waffles and whipped cream on the secret menu. - 4 (6.9%)
Run annual pick-up line competitions for male customers. The first prize is "go fuck yourself". - 4 (6.9%)
A hostile takeover of the Secret Bakery. - 1 (1.7%)
A hostile takeover of the restaurant at the end of the universe. - 4 (6.9%)
"Dora is a computer ninja." Internet café of Doom is the full service solution. - 3 (5.2%)
Open Dora Bianchi school of business administration and the opposite of social graces. - 1 (1.7%)
Hide some hemp plants under Melvin. Sell the weed under the counter. - 3 (5.2%)
Become Veronica Vance's protegé. You're in control? - 3 (5.2%)
Guide the youth. Become a Wiccan priestess! - 0 (0%)
Total Voters: 22
3-way draws are becoming a habit. Let's try Tai.
-
Later today (mid to late afternoon in US time) we'll begin an attempt to predict Angus' professional future.
-
Here's a poll about Tai's future work, where plans, dreams and tautologies meet reality. What's gonna happen?
Reading Marigold's fanfic makes her realize that teaching creative writing IS her calling. - 5 (11.1%)
Reading Marigold's fanfic makes her realize that teaching creative writing is NOT her calling. - 4 (8.9%)
She studies gender/sexual orientation discrimination in her first novel and wins the Pulitzer price. - 5 (11.1%)
She writes a line of lesbian empowerement novels. - 1 (2.2%)
She signs a contract with Logo TV and writes screenplays for three prime time shows. - 4 (8.9%)
She makes a living writing a string of lesbian Harlequin novels. - 3 (6.7%)
She co-authors LARPer steampunk young-adult romance novels with Jimbo. - 7 (15.6%) <-------- WINNER
Her documentary "Tongue baths to kittens" on "Nature untamed" causes National Geographic to get sued. - 2 (4.4%)
She writes Ron <3 Snape slashfic together with Marigold. - 1 (2.2%)
She studies gender/sexual orientation discrimination in her first novel, is accused of ripping off Harper Lee, and decides to try teaching. - 2 (4.4%)
She ends up teaching English lit at a college/high school. - 5 (11.1%)
Her students buy her a plush walrus as a gift. - 3 (6.7%)
This poll is soooo heteronormative. - 2 (4.4%)
She ends a sentence with a preposition. - 1 (2.2%)
Total Voters: 15
Perhaps the anachronistic society should be recruiting here. But not by a statistically significant a margin.
Next Angus.
-
I can totally see Faye as a senator's wife...
Y'know, the one that takes over his term in office when the senator dies, then goes on to a successful political carreer in her own right...
I guess that doesn't say much for Angus' future!
-
Angus' future work will involve
More strawmen. - 3 (7.9%)
Stickmen wearing hats. - 2 (5.3%)
A monologue holding a skull. - 1 (2.6%)
Writing comedy for late-night TV. - 7 (18.4%) <------ WINNER
Kicking Conan O'Brien's ass. - 3 (7.9%)
A moderately successful variety show trio of: Angus (jokes), Marten (music) and Pintsize (drums & modern day ventriloquist's dummy). - 2 (5.3%)
Dance lessons for preppy schoolers. - 0 (0%)
A successful career as the president's speechwriter. - 3 (7.9%)
Career as the president's speechwriter ruined by a misplaced foot-from-mouth comment. - 6 (15.8%) <--- 2nd
A successful campaign to US senate. - 2 (5.3%)
An unsuccessful campaign to US senate. "Angus dear, you were supposed to try to WIN that debate." - 6 (15.8%) <--- 2nd
Powerful narcotics. - 3 (7.9%)
Total Voters: 14
Hmm. The forum prefers entertainment industry to politics. Take that, Angus! Faye next and after her a wrapper. My poll-fu is nearly depleted. Not to mention the pile of calculus homework to grade.
-
There is a job category of restaurant critic. Is there such a thing as a coffee shop critic? If he did that, and monetized his music blog, that would add up to Marten's dream job (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=687).
-
Apparently the Local Alternative Rag has a Coffee Shop Reviewer (http://questionablecontent.net./view.php?comic=651) position.
-
For Faye, if there had been an entry for flat-track roller derby, that would have won out over wrestling...
-
If a Local Alternative Rag (or even the mainstream daily in a town smaller than, say, New York) has a "coffee shop reviewer" it's someone who already (a) wears six or seven hats at the paper already, not all of them in the editorial department; (b) is some local blogger they convinced to work for $20 per review, or a comp subscription; or (c) is both.
-
For Faye, if there had been an entry for flat-track roller derby, that would have won out over wrestling...
Faye vs. Mimi Massacre? How did I miss that :-D
-
I'dve preferred to see how she would go against The Undertaker :-D
-
Faye only needs two moves; the Recrimination Stare and the Vulcan Boob-Squish. Her special weapon is a foam battle-spatula. For some reason it's still sharp enough to take off a hand though.
-
And her professional name just HAS to be "The Pugnacious Peach".
-
Faye only needs two moves; the Recrimination Stare and the Vulcan Boob-Squish. Her special weapon is a foam battle-spatula. For some reason it's still sharp enough to take off a hand though.
She also has access to The Stop Sign of Doom during TLC and Cage Matches
-
And her professional name just HAS to be "The Pugnacious Peach".
Thank you ... thank you ... :-D
-
For those who missed it, DSL was the first to realize that Faye should be called The Pugnacious Peach, back in January.
-
I'll take my claims to fame where I can get them.
-
Faye's future work is best described by...
Tear stained dollar bills in the tip jar. - 2 (4.4%)
Back to college first. - 3 (6.7%)
Six kids first. Then back to college. - 0 (0%)
Starving artist. - 2 (4.4%)
She runs a support group for people with suicide in the family. - 5 (11.1%)
World Championships in AnthroPC-tossing. - 6 (13.3%) <--- 2nd (tie)
She joins a circus juggling broadswords and anthroPCs. - 2 (4.4%)
Training hunting owls. - 1 (2.2%)
Training mail-carrying owls. - 0 (0%)
Kicking Jane Pratt's sass. - 0 (0%)
Espressosaurus is her ticket to fame. - 8 (17.8%) <--- Winner
A velociraptor coughing donuts is next? - 4 (8.9%)
Enforcer for the department of KYA. - 2 (4.4%)
"In the blue corner, wearing lemon trunks, from Savannah, Georgia,..." - 6 (13.3%)<--- 2nd (tie)
Pies. Pies. Baking moar pies! - 2 (4.4%)
"A woman's place is in the house ... and in the senate." - 2 (4.4%)
Powerful narcotics, but is FDA planning an investigation? - 0 (0%)
Total Voters: 16
I guess the final poll just went up. Many a time something has not gone quite according to the plan at work for one or more of our friends. Which is the most memorable occasion? If I left out a worthy incident, please let me know, and I will add it as a poll item (post here or PM me). Thank you for your support (R.I.P. David Rufkahr).
-
Final poll? How about Raven? Will she be a billionaire defense contractor or a sex therapist to celebrities?
-
No reason she can't hold down two jobs...
-
For those who missed it, DSL was the first to realize that Faye should be called The Pugnacious Peach, back in January.
And what a wonderful coining it was too. With her blend of striking and throwing, Faye definitely has a MMA vibe going on.