Are you good at something you hate doing?

Philly_Q

earwighoney said:

Philly_Q said:

Accountancy....

That genuinely made me chuckle. I do a few bits and pieces for my dad who's an accountant (as are a few others in my family) and they largely share the sentiment.

It's not the actual accountancy but often dealing with clients my family seem to despise the most.

I don't really hate it any more to be honest, if I ever did.  It's just a job, I never really saw it as a career and certainly not a vocation!

I think I am good at what I do, but it's not an interest or a hobby, I don't spend my spare time reading international financial reporting standards.  Hence I'm on here now when I'm supposed to be working...*

(* But I'm conscientious - I'll be working late and probably over the weekend to make sure things get done.)

EricTheWeary said:

I'm not even any good at anything I like doing. 

Wasn't sure whether to LOL or Wiz that.  I'm not bad at most things, but one or two things I would really like to be good at - like playing guitar and making music - I don't seem to have much aptitude for.

Dominic

According to my wife I am good at ;
Cleaning bathrooms
Ironing
Taking the rubbish out and washing bins
Clearing dog shit from the garden
Unblocking drains and blocked toilets
Catching spiders /killing Hornets
Bathing Dog when it's rolled in Foxshit
Removing dead Crows from Chimneys 
and in days long gone by.........Changing Nappies

Amazingly ,I have never claimed to have any ability whatsoever in these things and have no idea why she thinks I'm an expert

Sassafras

Apparently I'm very good at sex.
That might sound very glamorous but 12 times a day really takes it out of you.

yocky

Having the living daylights beaten out of me by children. Nobody else comes close apparently.

axisus

I'm good at listening, which women love.

I can pretend to do it for hours whilst thinking of something more interesting

Teetonetal

Teaching kids, I have taught both music and skiing and in both cases I was marked as being great with kids. I hate teaching kids, but I have a lot of patience and I am quite good at explaining in simple or visual ways, which kids can relate to. Stopped me doing both.

RobDavies

Rugby and Clay Pigeon Shooting. 

Both things bored me rigid but I was decent at both. 

When I was at school, I got picked to play rugby as I was a fat lad with a welsh surname.  Spent many Saturday morning in scrums, getting punched in the face by kids who were much bigger than their supposed age - ie ringers.   All I wanted to do was play football....

I had one go at clay shooting about a decade ago....scored nine out of ten in my first attempt, shrugged and walked away.  Boring and pointless.  

axisus

I used to be good at fixing old school cars. I have no knowledge or training other than helping my dad when I first owned a car. My first 7 cars were mini's and I did every conceivable job on them, installing disc brakes, rebuilding engine, fitting twin fuel tanks etc. Although I loved my minis, I never loved freezing to death lying on the floor on a dark, wet night trying to fix something so I could get to work the next day. I don't miss that stuff at all, but I do think that when I retire I would quite like to tinker with an old MGB GT as a second car.

axisus

I was always good at not attracting women and I hated that.

Philly_Q

EricTheWeary said:

When I was younger I had a girlfriend who was going to become an accountant. Her father was an accountant and it was clear he'd never really wanted to do it so I was confused as to why she would. But I visited the family home which was something akin to a stately home in a Yorkshire village so ahh okay, a boring job can buy you a lot of stuff. Although none of my boring jobs have ever really bought me that much stuff. Perhaps I should have become an accountant. 

She was last seen heading off toward a job with KPMG, I wonder how she got on. 

Honestly, it doesn't pay that well unless you're ambitious, push for promotions, move jobs every few years then finally bag yourself a partnership somewhere - ideally in a small firm which subsequently gets taken over by one of the big ones (which you wouldn't have been good enough to make partner in otherwise).

For the rest of us it's just a "professional" job with a decent salary, but no big bonuses like you might get in industry.  I think big-business owners like to perpetuate the myth that it's the accountants who are making all the money (if anything it's the lawyers... but that's not true either).

Yes, I know that's a bit "the lady doth protest too much", I know there are many, many people who'd love to earn what I do.  But I'm not getting out of bed every morning and tripping over wads of tenners.

Sassafras

I can think of a lot more things I love doing but am absolutely crap at.

Dominic

Philly_Q said:

EricTheWeary said:

When I was younger I had a girlfriend who was going to become an accountant. Her father was an accountant and it was clear he'd never really wanted to do it so I was confused as to why she would. But I visited the family home which was something akin to a stately home in a Yorkshire village so ahh okay, a boring job can buy you a lot of stuff. Although none of my boring jobs have ever really bought me that much stuff. Perhaps I should have become an accountant. 

She was last seen heading off toward a job with KPMG, I wonder how she got on. 

Honestly, it doesn't pay that well unless you're ambitious, push for promotions, move jobs every few years then finally bag yourself a partnership somewhere - ideally in a small firm which subsequently gets taken over by one of the big ones (which you wouldn't have been good enough to make partner in otherwise).

For the rest of us it's just a "professional" job with a decent salary, but no big bonuses like you might get in industry.  I think big-business owners like to perpetuate the myth that it's the accountants who are making all the money (if anything it's the lawyers... but that's not true either).

Yes, I know that's a bit "the lady doth protest too much", I know there are many, many people who'd love to earn what I do.  But I'm not getting out of bed every morning and tripping over wads of tenners.

No,but most of my FCA friends have morphed into something else very remunerative by becoming FD somewhere or similar roles in business rather than pure Accountancy Practice.
It's a fantastic enree to most business positions.

CHRISB50

Spending money. Buyer’s remorse is a mofo. 

Grumpyrocker

CHRISB50 said:

Spending money. Buyer’s remorse is a mofo. 

Yeah I enjoy the research and shopping around more than the actual owning.

CHRISB50

Grumpyrocker said:

CHRISB50 said:

Spending money. Buyer’s remorse is a mofo. 

Yeah I enjoy the research and shopping around more than the actual owning.

Me too! 

LastMantra

Worrying. 

scrumhalf

As an accountant I have to admit that whilst being very good at what I do I don't like it that much. However, at the moment it's too bloody quiet and I'd prefere to be back not likng what I'm doing than not doing it at all.

p90fool

Building engines. For the most part it bores the hell out of me, unless it's something really unusual. 

Neill

RobDavies said:

Rugby and Clay Pigeon Shooting. 

Both things bored me rigid but I was decent at both. 

When I was at school, I got picked to play rugby as I was a fat lad with a welsh surname.  Spent many Saturday morning in scrums, getting punched in the face by kids who were much bigger than their supposed age - ie ringers.   All I wanted to do was play football....

I had one go at clay shooting about a decade ago....scored nine out of ten in my first attempt, shrugged and walked away.  Boring and pointless.  

Ha ha, I once had a go at shooting clays, it was a mate's birthday present and he wanted someone to go with.  When I saw the prices of sessions I thought feck I hope I'm no good at this... I wasn't. (any good)

TeleMaster

LastMantra said:

TeleMaster said:

I'm good at confrontation. I absolutely hate doing it but at work when there's an issue I'm always the one asked to go to more senior management and address it, or make complaints to difficult people. I'll do it, and I'll express myself and argue my point effectively, but then I absolutely hate the atmosphere it can create and the way it changes your working relationships, even when you're absolutely in the right, but I am pretty good at it. I'm also good at haggling and fighting my corner with legal matters, retail complaints etc. Don't hate that as much though. 

No you're not!

Yes I bloody am! As I always say in these situations, 'that's just like, your opinion man'.