Jobs in Fiction

 Hello, and welcome to this week's Top 5 Wednesday post! This is also the first Top 5 Wednesday post of June, meaning we are now halfway through 2024! Can you believe it? This indeed calls for some reflection; how are you doing with your yearly reading goal so far this year? I can say I am very impressed with mine, but this week's prompt also calls for reflection with ones employment. It is graduation season for many university students who will now be looking for jobs to pay back their enormous student debts; others will be finishing A-Levels looking for employment, and some finishing GCSEs looking for an apprenticeship. Although some people may argue that today we live to work, working doesn't have to feel like a chore! Why shouldn't we work a job we enjoy? Therefore, this week's prompt is about jobs in fiction that we would either want or would be willing to try. This could be a made-up, fictional role from fantasy or a real-life job in a fictional setting. I am looking forward to this post, so let's get into it in no particular order!

1. Something Borrowed, Something 90% Dark by Amber Royer

I frequently mention the bean-to-bar series in these Top 5 Wednesday posts, and you are probably surprised that today's post is certainly no exception. Now, I do have customer service experience, but I would LOVE to work at Greetings and Felicitations as a customer assistant and/or a baker. Let me explain. Firstly, anyone who was reading these posts last month probably picked up on the fact that I prefer slightly warmer weather. Now, it is made clear that Galveston Island is not always a paradise with amazing weather. They do have some terrible storms, but when it is nice, it sounds like paradise. Then we have the lovely community element where everyone seems to get on so well, particularly the shop employees who are all friends with Felicity. Now I also love cooking and baking, so not only I would be surrounded by some amazing chefs, I would learn new recipes, get to frequently cook and be encouraged to experiment. But most importantly, I share the craft chocolate and the love of reading with Felicity and her friends, which is one of the major reasons I would love to work with the team!

2. The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith

Now, who hasn't thought about what it would be like to work with a private investigation agency? The whole idea seems really interesting and exciting, being able to spy on people for the greater good (most of the time) and trying to make the world a better place. The team again seem lovely, particularly Strike and Robin, and everyone always seems to be having a laugh back at the office. I haven't yet read the latest book in this series, The Running Grave, but in this last book, their office was bombed. Now I don't know if it will get any worse in the latest book which I am due to start reading very soon, but if it does I may reconsider working for Strike. However, as it stands, I do think this would be a really interesting job, and I am quite certain I would pick up some very useful skills, advice, and techniques that are not freely and openly available. I imagine most of the things that secret services use in their daily operations are the same.

3. The Suspect by Rob Rinder

I  was stuck between a few books for this, but I think Rinder's latest book follows Adam Green, a baby Barrister, around in a murder trial. I am an aspiring Barrister who hopes to dress up in lovely wigs and gowns, like the sound of my own voice, and talk for a living. So, I would love to have taken Adam's job, or even the jobs of some of the other Barristers' during this high-profile murder trial. I do admit that maybe eventually it would also be nice to become a judge (The Children Act by Ian McEwan), but for me, I think firstly I need to get to the Bar, become a silk and enjoy everything the bar has to offer. It certainly won't all be pleasant, especially as Silk is often left to deal with murders, rapes and other such serious crimes. But, and this point is important for the final book of this list as well, the job allows you to help those in their time of need, and so I don't think there is anything much better than being able to help someone when they need that help the most, whether that is the victim or defendant, remembering that, even if it does not seem the case, everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

4. Managing the Matthews by Haleigh Wenger

It seems an interesting job being the manager of celebrities in Hollywood, especially when they are young adult males. It certainly does not appear to be all fun and games all of the time, but couldn't that be said for anything in life? Maybe the only good thing about this job would be living in Hollywood (potentially in a lovely mansion), being close to many beaches and the gorgeous weather, which I can only imagine. But the whole idea of being a manager doesn't seem that bad; I quite like leadership, which I hope I would as an experienced specialist leader, and so it's all about working with your clients to achieve goals. I also love a project, so every celebrity client would be very much like a different project, so I imagine I would always be busy in such a role.

5. Right Guy, Wrong Time by Louise MacGregor

Finally, this last book goes back to the point of helping those in their time of need. I have often been the one friends have come to when they have a problem or something they need to get off their chests. I've heard pretty much all, if not most, of what there is to hear, and it is not pleasant, but it is rewarding to be able to help such people. I wouldn't mind, therefore, becoming a therapist or counsellor to further help people who have been through traumatic experiences or who are generally just having a hard time. This also connects to point 3 as it is often said that a Barrister should also be given a qualification in counselling as much of their job also includes helping their client, victims, or witnesses with their emotions and trauma. I suppose the point I am making is that no one should have to struggle alone, and so I would very much take up a role to ensure people had access to such support so they can get back to living their best life and achieving all their goals and dreams, acknowledging that what has happened to them won't go away but can be accepted and managed.

That is all for this week's Top 5 Wednesday post! As always, thank you for reading, and if any of the books above interest you, then please check out my book reviews on this blog. What job in fiction would you like? Let me know in the comments! Also, if you are having a good (or even a not-so-good) year in reading so far, please let me know in the comments below! A whole reading community out there wants to celebrate each other's achievements and support others towards their goals! I hope you all have a good week, and I hope you look forward to next week's post as much as I look forward to writing it!

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