Coreyshead - Looking at the World 1 Pixel at a Time

(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)

Employment’s Necesities

I am presently employed as a graphic designer at a magazine, though it was not long ago that I was manager of a bookstore and, given the nature of our economy and the general stability of periodicals, there is no telling what job I’ll have when next I post to this blog – or if I‘ll be lucky enough to be employed at all.

But the question is, what does my job – or my career – require me to have?

While my present job provides me with all the basic tools I need, I think it is important to have some of these tools at my residence as well, so that I can continue to develop my skills on my own time; not only for my present job but for my future in this career.

Also, for the past four years or so, I have been working from home, doing freelance web-updates for a large number of websites, so it is very helpful – virtually necessary (ha ha) – to have certain tools at my disposal when I am home.

These tools include:

Computer (including all the basic peripherals, plus a printer, scanner, cd burner, and some type of portable media storage)
Software (for graphic design)
Digital Camera
Internet connectivity

Out of all of these, the internet seems the most iffy as I can presently access it after hours on my work computer (I’ve asked) but, given the potential evanescence of my present job, I think I would be foolish to rely on this as my only connection to the world wide web.

While there are also numerous free ports in libraries, airports, cafes, etc. (not to mention all the unsecured Wi-Fi bleeding out all over the place) the power and flexibility I need for some of the tasks I perform precludes a laptop (or at least the one I presently have access to).

Thus, even though before beginning The Necessary Year I felt certain that I would not need to have a broadband connection in my home, after reviewing the facts, I think I was wrong.

To/From

As I do not work from home and there is approximately a half-hour of travel between my workplace and residence, some form of transportation is necessary.

I presently own a vehicle but I also have access to public transportation, and could likely drum up some kind of a carpool situation if I tried. Both of these latter alternatives deserve a closer look.

I live in a rural area with long stretches of natural beauty between communities, homes and businesses. Living on the periphery without owning a vehicle would be foolish, even with our present public transportation system. Imagine hauling bags of frozen groceries or a sick pet onto a bus for a 45 minute ride to your destination – ugh.

It is quite likely, however, that I will soon be moving to within the city limits of the town in which I work – a change that may allow me to not only more easily take advantage of public transportation but also bicycle or even walk to most of my basic destinations.

My mind boggles at the potential of the combination of money saved and fitness earned!

(to be continued)

Tags: Conservation, Employment, Materialism, Travel