Yahoo!7 Answers Australia

We may as well stop dreaming – The Best Job in the World has already been snapped up. It’s not a fire-fighter, an astronaut or a pro-footballer. Apparently the best job in the world is a six-month Hamilton Island caretaker contract getting paid a whopping $150,000. 34-year-old Brit Ben Southall is one lucky man!

It got me thinking though about other great jobs. Growing up, my dream job was a doctor which remained my goal until high school when I realised that to be a doctor, one had to be good at (and even enjoy) science. Since neither applied to me, that career plan was quickly quashed. Considering the intense training doctors are required to do, you’d want to be pretty passionate about medicine as an occupation.

It’s much easier to imagine what the best job in the world could be when you’re a child and your life is stretched out in front of you with endless possibilities. As an adult though, finances and practicalities all restrict our pursuit of that dream. And for many of us, we haven’t even worked out what our ideal job actually is.

Well Ben Southall’s got what he thinks it the Best Job in the World. Although spending six months on beautiful Hamilton Island would be pretty amazing, I’m pretty sure there are more jobs out there that could be considered the Best Job in the World.

So what do you think is the Best Job in the World and are you doing it? If not, why not?

Caitlin
Community Manager

This week, while we citizens continue to lose our jobs, our savings, and our patience; the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (aka the G-20) will convene in London to try to figure out some solutions to our global economic crisis.

The G-20 is a group of the top economic leaders from 20 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the U.K., the U.S.A., and The E.U.  If you add them all together, the G-20 economies comprise 85% of global gross national product, 80% of world trade, and two-thirds of the world population. The G-20 likes to meet every year or so to discuss global markets, economic policies, trade, and the like. Obviously, this year they have a lot to talk about.

So, I guess we can all relax now that we know that our best economic and government leaders are on the case, right? We can just wait around while they think up a solution, right? I hope so. But, one could argue, after all, that it was banking and lending institutions that got us into this mess in the first place.

Just before last year’s G-20 summit in Washington, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said, “We must rethink the financial system from scratch, as at Bretton Woods.” British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said we must agree to a “new, international financial architecture for the years ahead.” And perhaps they’re right. Maybe we should stop relying on misguided bankers and financial pundits to solve our problems. Maybe instead, our heads of state should look to Yahoo!7 Answers.

Should we let the banks and investment funds fail? Should we continue to prop them up with tax dollars? Should we buy more? Consume less? Should we be more green and less profitable, or should we say to heck with the environment and start dumping all of our toxic waste into the ocean? Maybe we should just ditch the whole system and return to the woods where we could learn to hunt and survive on nuts and berries! Maybe not.

So, we’ve asked a question on Answers for you, the Answers community:

How can our governments work together to overcome the global economic crisis?

Since this is truly an international problem, we’re asking this question on all of our international Answers Blogs, sites, too. The Best Answers will be featured in a coming blog post. So, let’s give our economic leaders something to think about! We look forward to all of your opinions and ideas.

Well they say money makes the world go round, and at the moment it certainly seems to be true. With jobs being lost left, right and centre and fears of an Australia recession, it seems everyone is talking about money and what we should be doing with it.

With the lower interest rates and decreasing property prices, many have decided to become ‘FHO’s. That’s First Home Owners for the unfamiliar   The Renting and Real Estate category has got a workout in the last few months!

We’ve seen the initial discussions of whether now is a good time to buy and what sort of check list you need to compile before you make the big step. There are decisions about how much of a deposit you need whether a fixed or variable loan is better.

Although the lowered interest rates are helping those with mortgages, it spells trouble for the Australian economy. As I’m sure everyone knows, the rates are currently at its lowest level and is set to dip even further.

How low do you think the interest rates will go? At this point, it seems it’s anyone’s guess!

Unfortunately I’m sure many of us know people who have lost their jobs in the last few months. It seems every industry and job type, from factory workers to financial bigwigs have been affected. Some are thinking about what else they could do if they lose their job, others are wondering about how to pay off existing loans and how much redundancy payout they should get. For many, they just need some help on how to get a foot in the door, and for some, it’s all about building confidence before they make that next step.

With all this recent talk of recession, many of us are hanging out for the Australian Government’s stimulus package. This stimulus package has been surrounded by controversy, with Opposition arguing that the last package didn’t help our economy, so why will another huge stimulus do any good? Regardless of our opinions, it’s going to be distributed to bank accounts in April.

If you’re eligible, let us know below what you will be spending your tax bonus on?

Caitlin
Community Manager

Hi! I’m Caitlin, the new Yahoo!7 Answers Producer. I’m going to be continuing on the tradition of writing (hopefully) interesting and informative blogs to keep you up to date with all the happenings at Answers.

I’m a newbie at Yahoo!7, so of course have just gone through the exhausting process of job searching. To be honest, I quite like the initial stage of applying for new jobs. I love the feeling that anything is possible, that my dream job is just an application form away. Of course, then the real work starts and you have to update your resume and figure out how to write a good cover letter.

It’s always difficult to know how to approach job searching. You send off countless cover letters and CVs then half the time, you’ve forgotten what you’ve applied for. There are always a few special jobs that you think are perfect though and your heart beats quicker every time the phone rings in the hope that it might be them asking you for an interview. If they don’t call after a few days though, you wonder how long you should wait to follow up with a phone call after you email a resume.

Hopefully all that hard work on your resume and CV finally pays off and you get called up for a few interviews. Of course this brings with it another minefield of questions. What should you wear to create the best first impression but show that you’ll fit in to the culture of the company? Every field of work is different but sometimes there are some difficult questions that employers and recruitment agents like to ask so it’s helpful to think of a few answers you can give.

With so much great advice from the Answers community, searching for a new job doesn’t seem quite as daunting. To be honest though, I’m glad it’s all behind me and that I’ve found a job that looks to be both a challenge and an adventure. Wish me luck!

Caitlin
Community Manager

When it comes to money, while we all use it, it seems like you need to have a degree to understand it. Finance has been a big topic of discussion lately, with the stockmarket taking a dive and interest rates rising to a level higher than they have been in years. The Yahoo!7 Finance Team has joined the discussion on Answers – wanting to know how the change in interest rates will affect you, particularly if you are a homeowner.

Interest rates and mortgages aren’t the only topic of discussion when it comes to the old “cashola”. Some of the most popular questions in the Personal Finance category on Answers relate to saving money, investing it or making it last as long as possible. There’s just always too much month left at the end of the money! There are also lots of questions from people who want to make a ridiculously large amount in a ridiculously short period of time … but be wary of the Answers you see! If something seems too good to be true if probably is! Don’t forget to report something you suspect might be spam if you come across it.

Fortunately for those of us who are financially challenged and equally naïve to the inner workings of cash flow there are some really well informed users out there who are just standing by to help on anything from credit ratings to bankruptcy!

Clea

Return to Yahoo!7 Answers

Finding a career that you find satisfies you is difficult when you are young. When I was back in school I just knew I wanted to be like Patsy and Eddie from Absolutely Fabulous (minus the Bolli-stoli drinking!). I wouldn’t work very much and would be able to buy designer threads picked straight from the runway. Life would be very glamorous!

While I did end up working in fashion for a number of years, I somehow found myself in the online industry – and here I am today working for the last two years on one of the best products I have come across on the web. It seems a career change at any age can be good for you!

My career change was a bumpy ride as I didn’t have a lot of advice on making the changes, so I want to make it easier for others who are contemplating going through a similar experience.

Share your thoughts with the Answers community by answers our question:
What advice do you have on career-change for others who may be going through this process?

Alana

Countless people start their careers behind a fast food counter – it’s good training!

The process of getting a job can be daunting. It takes a lot of time to find something that interests you and to get your resume in tip top shape, highlighting the best parts of your experience and keeping those small indiscretions out of the spotlight without lying. Sometimes the hardest thing is picking up the phone to enquire about a positionin the first place, but there’s no avoiding it if you really want to stand out and make it to the next stage.

Aren’t job interviews nerve wracking! If you’re not sure exactly what the people interviewing you are after it can be difficult to be prepared and have some good answers ready. If nothing else, ensure you look presentable and address the people you meet respectfully until they invite you to do otherwise. Do some background research on the company and have some questions of your own prepared.

Once you’re out in the working world it doesn’t always go according to plan, and issues come up with unfair employers, horrible co-workers or dealing with the strains of shift work. You might find that your new position doesn’t live up to your career expectations and often within no time at all you’re daydreaming about your next career change! In those situations it is always best to carefully consider your options before making rash decisions – and if you’re ever wondering about other people’s occupations you can usually find out on Answers!

Clea