In a perverse way I love it when people have a pop at Paul. It means I get to read everyone's fantastic defences. ROB, your explanation as to why Paul is lovely is brilliant. It had me going all steamy eyed myself. We should perhaps organise a night out for people at our respective workplaces, because he was very much a hit with the ladies here too. Sadly, all the men at my work claimed they didn't watch BB and they were all hetero anyway. Actually, one of them used to leave the room through embarassment when we started raving about the loveliness of Paul. I'm not sure if he felt insecure as a less sexy man, or insecure about his own feelings towards Paul. He was also very tidily dressed and far too good at ironing. Anyway, I digress ...
Girlie, I am ever so slightly concerned on your views of what is a proper job and a decent salary. How much you earn really shouldn't matter that much if you have a full life, but a few points need to be addressed. I never truly believed the reports of a 70/80 grand salary for Paul because that IS rediculously high for someone in that profession with his experience. And of course it was reported by the tabloids who can't help but massage the truth. However, in his favour, if you are going to work in design, then car design pays very highly. He was working in Germany, where engineers are more highly regarded, so again he'd get paid more. He was working freelance in an area where there is a skills shortage, so the old rules of supply and demand would work in his favour. He admitted to working very long weeks sometimes, so if he was paid according to how many jobs he completed, then his overall salary would be enhanced if he's a fast worker. What this means is that it's not impossible for him to have earned that much, but that if true he'd have to be very good at his job, and quite jammy too.
The sort of work he does is nothing like a software analyst in the city. Engineers can double their salary overnight by going into that sort of work, even starting at the bottom. The reason being that demand for that sort of position is even greater. I know several who did that, and within a year had doubled their salary yet again. They think their jobs are rubbish, they are boring and require less than half the skills they used when engineers, but the pay is great. Some love it, some hate it and wished they'd never left engineering, but don't know if they can go back.
The point being that you have to know what's important to you. I work in environmental engineering and I could double my money if I worked for an oil compamy (which probably pays less than cars). I decided a long time ago that I didn't want to do that, so make do with my pathetic income, but interesting job with nice people.
If you think Paul's job is rubbish, then you are undoubtedly appauled by my pathetic attempts at scraping an income together. I'm surprised you can leave the house for bumping into people without a proper job. I hope whatever career you go into you enjoy, but you are limiting yourself severly to working in the City, business tycoon and possibly dodgy accountant/lawyer. Steer well clear of anything in the public sector. Even top hospital consultants earn less than 80 grand after years of training and saving lives. Even I know Paul shouldn't be earning nearly as much as them at 25.
However, to end on a positive. I'm absolutely thrilled that you now at least concede that Brian has talent. As you hated him more than Paul, we won't write you off as a lost cause yet.
