If given freedom to choose, what full-time job would you choose and why?

Fine woodworker. Allows me to get my "build something" kick while at the same time the sanity that comes from being able to build something and declare it "done" which is something that never happens with software. There's always another bug or another feature or another optimization. With something like a chair you build it and that's it.

Am I the only one who would love to be a full time programmer given the choice? I actually enjoy engineering, and software is engineering on drugs, with rapid feedback and not as much math. There's not a lot of other industries where you can make a dozen prototypes a day. It's the closest thing today to a full time inventor/mad scientist.

But if I have to pick something else, probably a chef. I love slicing and dicing. I love doing one part to mastery, e.g. finding a better way to cook steak, toast burger buns, make better mayonnaise. I did quit the tech industry once to do a cafe and we had a blast researching recipes. I got quite frustrated that my partner wasn't looking to cook better, only more profitably. One of my favorite documentaries of all time is Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and I apply a lot of those techniques to my current work.

I want to be mayor of a small-medium size town.

I’m extremely introverted, but for some reason I have no problem talking to people in a problem-solving context (like at work). I enjoy it, in fact. In a social setting though, I’m off in a corner.

I also just like the idea of diplomacy and making meaningful contributions to a community. Besides that, the superficial things seem like a lot of fun too (ribbon cutting ceremonies, parades, etc).

I'd teach, probably high school math and computer science. But I'm not doing it now because it'd mean a substantial pay cut (> 50%), and I'm no longer single (married, planning to have kids soon) so the financial requirements for me are higher than they were a few years ago. In 10 years or so I should have the house paid off, and other savings that will make the pay cut more palatable (I'll also be closer to retirement age, when my pension and other retirement options from past work will kick in that would make up most of the difference).

I don't frame it ideally as "work". I'd move to somewhere warm with good food and sit on a beach and just sell put options out of a big margin account to generate income.

I would then spend the rest of my time attending to hobbies like playing magic cards, hanging out with family and anything else my mind conjures up.

I was a seasonal park ranger one summer during my undergrad years. I earnestly believe that was the most fulfilling work I have ever done, and will probably ever do.

My time was largely used to fix things around the park, perform landscaping, and working on new / existing trails. It was great to be outside, work with my hands, and being mentally engaged having to come up with solutions to problems with sometimes limited resources.

But the actual treat was seeing the work being enjoyed by visitors and knowing that for years to come untold amounts of people from all walks of life will be able to do the same.

I would work as a scientist for a better planet, working on advanced topics that may not achieve anything or may change things forever. I'd work on OSS in my spare time to give back to the community.

I'm a physicist and have worked on rocket science before, but the pay was a pity and the boss was shitty.

SaaS is the only way to make an ample living in my country, the only jobs where competence makes a change instead of which university you graduated...

Dog trainer. Especially if I could do it for free to help challenging dogs at shelters become more adoptable.

I've done a lot of training with my own dogs that would definitely allow me to handle the basics of training, but I'd want to train under someone much more experienced so as to be able to work with highly aggressive dogs and others with extreme challenges that make them unadoptable in their current state.

Given the choice, I would choose to not have a job.

If you're asking what I enjoy working on, it's art.

My top medium is hypertext, but I enjoy many others

Whatever it takes to avert catastrophic climate change.

Would like to be a person who can work on a job which is cross of software development+business+analysis. Kind of like investigation work.

I liked web optimization work in past and loved it. In this job I was given a problem. I then collected data about the problem, then found the solution of it and code it. I later then collected data again to check the difference. I really loved it.

If anyone have such kind of opportunity then let me know. Money isn't the issue here.

Owner of a local game store that also sells classic video games. Tabletop games (especially MTG, for which I'm a judge) and video games are huge passions of mine.

If I could also go back a few years, I would probably change my focus from Comp Sci to either Biology or Chemistry. I have always coded since a young age, so it’s likely that I would continue to still be doing it as a hobby.

I just feel that most of the high paying jobs don’t have as much of a helpful, important impact on the world, whereas those hard science fields have more opportunity to impact humanity in a positive manner, even if not as well paid.

[blade|black]smith :) I love making tools from metal by hands, yet I seriously doubt I could earn my livings out of this craft right now :/

I would choose a job that changes overtime, either by my own motivation or because different times require different skill sets. I think most jobs, even complex ones like teaching, become repetitive after all. So I would look for the job that offers the greatest diversity in terms of tasks fitting to my skills & interest. Still looking what exactly that it.

I saw recently in an HN comment a job someone looked at where they would do maintenance on remote computers for the park service, requiring trekking and such to reach the computers.

I would love to do this. It covers most of the things I enjoy doing anyways.

Game developer. It's a highly-competitive field riddled with crunch culture, lowballed salaries, and employment-instability, but if it weren't for all of that I think it would be the most fulfilling thing I could be doing.

Artist... not sure what, maybe a potter.

I like the idea of going to work and making things every day.

One-man video game studio? Combines enough disciplines - art, coding, math (if you do a 3d game), creative design - to hopefully make the job varied enough to not get old even after years of full-time work.

I started teaching jazz piano lessons recently for fun. It's good because it forces you to keep going over fundamentals, and it's a good break from coding.

I'd create and teach hobbyist electronics workshops aimed at beginners. I've done a few for our local Makerspace and found it educational and satisfying.

Sign a huge sports contract that will payout a small portion ($3M+) even if I get cut or hurt. Probably get hurt or cut by the first season and just retire.

I guess President could be interesting. I think I’d be exhausted after a week or two though, debating how to shape the future of the world.

Is this assuming we only have out current skillset or that we obtain the skills / credentials to work on whatever?

A highly paid, but acceptably crap surfer.

I’d like to be Elvis please

Pro surfer

artist

musician

zookeeper