What's your DREAM JOB that you cannot do cos of DISCRIMINATION?

[Tad]

Racing International level. Made it to pro level sponsored and all- now that I'm transitioning.. that's that. I can get back in in 2 years after starting hrt because of the international policies.. but.. that's a long time to be out of the game, a real long time. Plus the whole fact of switching over to mens ... i donno how competitive i'll be, have to see what hrt does for me.

[CaitJ]

i donno how competitive i'll be, have to see what hrt does for me.

I'm sure you'll kick ass 

[GnomeKid]

My dream is luckily in a field with very little discrimination - theatre. [Technical, not performance.]

My other dream [a secondary dream I suppose, but i do have my moments..] is to be some sort of crazy safari biologist type person who spends time in far out places exploring and experimenting and all that.  Being trans is a relatively large deterrent for me fulfilling this dream because of what could happen.  If I could be fully reconstructed down below it wouldn't be an issue for me though.  I'm not sure 100% of my reasoning behind this, but something about it bothers me. 

I'd also love to be a fighter, but my small stature and relative inexperience/I've not been desensitized to being punched in the face [though I am a black belt in tae kwon do I have very little actual fighting experience other than very controlled sparring] 

[Quicksand]

I always wanted to be a Navy SEAL.  Maybe it'll even be legal someday, but right now is the age when I would have to do it.  I can't throw my career away when I'm 30 to join the military.  Ah well...

[regan]

My dream is luckily in a field with very little discrimination - theatre. [Technical, not performance.]

Because there are so many out, GLB hollywood superstars....

[tekla]

Yeah, but like the rest of Hollywood, technical theater runs on the showbiz version of Einstein's Theory of Relativity in that you have to have a relative doing it to get that job in the first place.  The huge IATSE locals (1 in NY, and 33 in LA) rarely take outsiders into the union.  The only reason most of the people I know got into that union is that we did rock and roll and none of the old timers wanted to do it, or thought it would last, so we crept in under the margins - or they started out very small out in the boonies.  I know that I would not have been let into the SF union had I not already been a union member in Iowa, and it was my college tech teacher who took me down to the hall and vouched for me and got me going.  Hell, I finished college in only 4 years, but it took me close to 7 to finish up all the apprentice work to get my journeyman's card.

And, everyone I know who does this kind of work has been doing it pretty steadily since they were teenagers and also doing all the outside stuff (construction, commercial electrical, welding, sound work, lighting maintainer and design that they could fit in) around the theater schedule as simply doing theater tech work is not a full time job for a decade at least.

[Renard]

My 'dream job' has always been law enforcement or something associated with psychology/anthropology.

The latter, as far as I know, isn't particularly discriminatory. It might just be me, but the science and social science fields seem to be fairly welcoming - it's all about the work you produce.

As for the former - there's actually an MTF cop in my city who transitioned before joining the force, and every so often the police department holds campaigns focussed on recruiting members of the GLBT community. It's all about getting the minorities to be represented. I don't know about what it would be like on the job, though - there'd probably be some latent discrimination, but then again, I've heard that once you join, you're 'blue' before you're anything else...
(For the record, I live in Canada, which seems to be one of the better places to be trans )

[GnomeKid]

Yeah, but like the rest of Hollywood, technical theater runs on the showbiz version of Einstein's Theory of Relativity in that you have to have a relative doing it to get that job in the first place.  The huge IATSE locals (1 in NY, and 33 in LA) rarely take outsiders into the union.  The only reason most of the people I know got into that union is that we did rock and roll and none of the old timers wanted to do it, or thought it would last, so we crept in under the margins - or they started out very small out in the boonies.  I know that I would not have been let into the SF union had I not already been a union member in Iowa, and it was my college tech teacher who took me down to the hall and vouched for me and got me going.  Hell, I finished college in only 4 years, but it took me close to 7 to finish up all the apprentice work to get my journeyman's card.

And, everyone I know who does this kind of work has been doing it pretty steadily since they were teenagers and also doing all the outside stuff (construction, commercial electrical, welding, sound work, lighting maintainer and design that they could fit in) around the theater schedule as simply doing theater tech work is not a full time job for a decade at least.

You assume that I haven't actually thought into my future at all it seems.

I'll take my chances, thank you for all your discouragement though.  Its appreciated. 
Just what every college kid needs in life... someone else telling them they'll never get a job.

[Cruelladeville]

NASA Shuttle commander... or pilot 

Commanders get one shot to land the 110 tn orbiter as it glides back to Earth. There's no 2nd chance as it brick like plummets in on a steep approach at over 300 mph several times uber-degrees steeper than that of a standard airliner!!

I'm too old now, and would've needed to be a femme ace pilot in the US militia.... during ma late 20/30s... which is about when i actually transitioned....lol

And then on passing the selection process then I'd have needed to invest time in loads of science based Msc/PhD stuff....

(which i ain't....as i'm more creatively talented by nature)..... damn and blast....

But one can dream.....

[Aikotribs]

Eh call me off but I think I'v been facing more discrimination in the past years, then I will be getting after I look like a man. Cloth shops didn't want me, jewel shop discarded me and the list goes on, most probably because I didn't look girly at all. ( I didn't notice that either way I turned it, I present myself I just look and behave to masculin, places like that will welcome a guy thats a guy and a women thats a women, but not something they can't place ,like me)
I hated sending out photo's in general ,lol.


my parents tell me day after day that dreams don't exist, deep down inside I just want to draw for cash, or do 3D modeling.
Not like that will ever happen where I live anyway. Ho well, I am gone keep trying tho C: If I can find a nice job and do those things after work I'll be happy as well !!

[regan]

You assume that I haven't actually thought into my future at all it seems.

I'll take my chances, thank you for all your discouragement though.  Its appreciated. 
Just what every college kid needs in life... someone else telling them they'll never get a job.

I never said that, I don't think Tekla did either.  You made a broad statement, I pointed out that its not as true as you might believe (that there is no discrimination in theatre) just as much as full figured actors and actresses are underrepresented.  Tekla, having experience in the field you expressed an interest in gave you sound career advice.

[GinaDouglas]

I was a great school librarian, before.

[KillBelle]

*sigh* i would love to be a journalist or a news anchor.

[gilligan]

I honestly don't know what I want to do. I'm more than halfway to my bachelors degree, a B.S. in psychology which I am highly interested in, but I don't know what I want to do with it. Although I've thought about going into research with non-human subjects (I'm not a people person.) But I'm 20 and have been in school since I was 3 or something, and I just want out of the system (of course after I finish my B.S.).

At this point in my life, I'd take what I can get, so that I can pay off some of my loans. That and so that I don't have to rely on my parents all the time.

[MillieB]

I just hope that if I ever become Prime Minister that I never have to meet Sarah Palin, because I was slap her stupid(er).

I now hope that you do become Prime Minister and that you do meet Sarah Palin

[Alexmakenoise]

I was a great school librarian, before

Hey!  I'm a librarian / archivist too.  I majored in education as an undergrad and then got my MLIS.  I didn't do the education certification in addition to the MLIS because it's another 2 years of school, but I have a lot of respect for those who do.   

Have you considered going into digital librarianship?  It seems that is what is in highest demand these days, as you probably already know.  I just got my MLIS 2 years ago, with a specialty in digital librarianship.  I now work as a digital librarian at a publishing company and tutor kids from under-privleged backgrounds as a second job.  In both jobs, I am protected against discrimination based on gender identity.  My gender identity is not an issue; what matters is how hard I work and how much people like me, which is what should matter, IMHO.  My point is that there are options.  Don't give up hope!

(And pm me if you want to talk about librarianship.)

[tekla]

I didn't think I was discouraging you, I told you something that I bet your professors don't, which is how to get into that union through the back door.

And having a degree in the field - which few of us do interesting enough - is a beginning, a good one, but one (unless you are in some state-of-the-art program) is not going to have you graduate with the professional certifications you need to do the work in a commercial sense.  Riggers have to attend and pass certification classes and demonstrations to get that paper.  In California every head electrician has to be a licensed commercial electrician.  That requires taking a huge test and passing it, and you can only qualify to take the test after you can prove you have worked over 10,000 (verified) hours^* in the field under a licensed commercial electrician.

But do be aware, that even those of us in heavy demand in huge work areas still refer to it as 'the best part-time job you'll ever have.'  We all either do other things in the biz (guitar tech, venue maintenance, studio work) or we do construction stuff, or have some other gig going on.  I do contract research and write speeches/presentations and do power point presentations for business types.  I also do a lot of venue maintenance including being a certified tech for Martin and Vari-Lite so I go into places every year or so and clean and maintain the lighting systems.  My boss has a rail excursion company he runs, as well as an electrical contracting company that he owns.

I will have worked all of 3 days from December 20th to Jan 30, and I'm one of the people who worked a lot in that period.  It's very seasonal stuff.  It's also rarely long term.  It's gig based.  So you have to have something to fill in that time unless you can save, budget and plan to take a month and a half off a couple times a year.

P.S.  Did you know that most Tech Directors for major venues are licensed C-10 (top commercial grade) contractors, because they have to be to do that work - the insurance companies insist.

* - that's five years, full (40 hours a week) time.

[Rachel Bellefountaine]

I'm not going to let discrimination keep me from getting my dream job. Besides, I'm already almost there.  I'm currently interning in the new media department of EMI Music, one of the big 4 in the music industry, and they've been treating me with much respect and dignity and have been praising the work that I do for them, despite my being trans. (or I just pass much better than I believe I do. lol.)

[Kitpup]

tekla's got it right. My step-dad is part of one of the stage hand unions up here (worked a Taylor Swift concert when she came through, I stole his shirt from that) and he works, from what I can gather, about four jobs a month (pretty sure that's high for him). He's good at it and loves it but it's not so great for paying the bills.

[GnomeKid]

I didn't think I was discouraging you, I told you something that I bet your professors don't, which is how to get into that union through the back door.

And having a degree in the field - which few of us do interesting enough - is a beginning, a good one, but one (unless you are in some state-of-the-art program) is not going to have you graduate with the professional certifications you need to do the work in a commercial sense.  Riggers have to attend and pass certification classes and demonstrations to get that paper.  In California every head electrician has to be a licensed commercial electrician.  That requires taking a huge test and passing it, and you can only qualify to take the test after you can prove you have worked over 10,000 (verified) hours^* in the field under a licensed commercial electrician.

But do be aware, that even those of us in heavy demand in huge work areas still refer to it as 'the best part-time job you'll ever have.'  We all either do other things in the biz (guitar tech, venue maintenance, studio work) or we do construction stuff, or have some other gig going on.  I do contract research and write speeches/presentations and do power point presentations for business types.  I also do a lot of venue maintenance including being a certified tech for Martin and Vari-Lite so I go into places every year or so and clean and maintain the lighting systems.  My boss has a rail excursion company he runs, as well as an electrical contracting company that he owns.

I will have worked all of 3 days from December 20th to Jan 30, and I'm one of the people who worked a lot in that period.  It's very seasonal stuff.  It's also rarely long term.  It's gig based.  So you have to have something to fill in that time unless you can save, budget and plan to take a month and a half off a couple times a year.

P.S.  Did you know that most Tech Directors for major venues are licensed C-10 (top commercial grade) contractors, because they have to be to do that work - the insurance companies insist.

* - that's five years, full (40 hours a week) time.

I'm sorry that I mistook your comments in a much more negative light than you intended.  I've got a semi-fragile state of mind concerning the whole situation as a 5th year senior going on 6th most likely next year.  Especially since, like you said, even after this long in school I certainly do not have the certifications/experience needed for professional application.  [Though hopefully after that it will be off to a graduate program/tech school]

I have considered over the past couple years that I'm most likely going to end up in some related field such as those that you mentioned, and I have no problems with that. 

I'd love to talk to you more in depth about that sort of thing if you would be so inclined.

-----------
To the others who have commented:
While I do realize that this is a potentially difficult dream overall, I do doubt that being trans would prevent me from fulfilling this dream.

To Regan - the acting job market/world especially for "hollywood superstars" is very different than the tech side of things.  [...and there are a lot of out hollywood stars nowadays anyhow..... at least it seems that way to me]  but thank you for your reply. 

and once again... Sorry for being so defensive off the bat.