Royal Jubilee... 71 years at the same job. No sign of Prince Andrew

[DFW]

53. I got to make mine up as I went along, so I included a few perks

Not many people get to do that. Of course, I had to bust my ass to get things done--still do. This week, for example: Monday I was in Spain, Tuesday and Wednesday in the Netherlands, today in Paris, and tomorrow in northern Germany. There is no rest for the weary.

On the other hand, I get to run our European operations, give our guys here a LOT of autonomy, which they love, and it makes them bust their asses, too. I speak everyone's language, so no Americans here other than myself. The pay is good for being able to do something I like to do, plus all the vacation time I want or need, plus additional time to take care of family members if they have medical emergencies. All work travel is paid, and my expenses are never questioned. I never screw them, and in return they never question me. I got recruited a year out of college. I had the right skills, spoke the right languages, and they were liberal enough to let me do things my way and see if they worked out, instead of insisting I do things their way, and then blame me if they didn't work out.

The only current downside is that I am looking for a replacement, and having no luck. I painted myself into a corner as far as job security goes: I made myself so difficult to replace that it is now almost impossible. With the perks and the good pay, you'd think people would be lining up around the block to apply for the position. All you need is English native language, an EU residence permit, an EU work permit, permission to live and work in the USA, too, if necessary, and fluency, or near fluency, in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, at least one Scandinavian laguage, at least one Slavic language (preferrably Russian or Polish), and, if possible, Catalan. So, in essence, I have a great job that I'm probably stuck in for as long as I live.

Still, if the alternative is a job you hate for as long as you live, or no job at all, well, that made the choice to stick with this job REALLY easy for me!