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Hey Dragoneer! I’ve been collecting little by little since my late teens in college (I’m 32 now). Almost all my production pieces came to me second hand with damage. But I have fixed them up, and love them even more for the work I put in. As time goes by you’ll find more opportunities for bargains at thrift stores, garage sales, and good old eBay, as well as get hooked into plenty of grab bags and new sculpts here on the website! I don’t have a large collection, partly because of budget and partly because I don’t have the space 🙂
I’m a paleontologist. It’s a pretty darn specialized job and took me many years to land a stable position. My father went through the college struggle of dream job vs. profitable job (he wanted to be meteorologist but went for a business degree instead), and so I got used to thinking about that from a very early age. Though my career choice doesn’t bring in a lot of money, I love what I do. For my husband and I, it’s meant second hand furniture, no vacations to speak of, and not eating out at restaurants, but we can still live comfortably and focus on paying off student loans and saving up for owning our own house someday. One thing that helps me spring for Windstones every now and then is that I make and sell things on Etsy. I love sewing and crafting as a hobby, and running a shop has been a lot of fun, as well as a good excuse to set aside time to keep crafting.
I hear you when you say the only thing that holds your concentration is art – when I was in school the only way I could absorb things from textbooks and lectures was if I was doodling to keep the other part of my brain occupied 🙂 Now I almost never draw, and my ability to do so has gone through the floor for lack of practice!
Forever seeking: Blackwatch the raffle Old Warrior, Jennifer Miller's pieces, and GB Baby unis!
One of my cousins is a scientific illustrator (if a relative of a Windstone collector counts). Maybe an aspect of working in art that you haven’t considered? I’m sure that she has enjoyed her career, but I don’t know enough to tell you the good and bad things about the job.
Thanks for the replies and advice everyone. This will really help me put things into perspective and figure things out. You all have offered great advice I will take into consideration. I should mention there’s NO WAY I would want a huge collection. It would make me nervous to have so many pieces. Having 9 pieces, I feel like I have a lot already. Really, I only want 2 more (a BVP secret keeper and a red fire fledgling.) I want a secret keeper more than anything. That was another reason for asking the questions. I’m trying to figure out what I can do to save up enough $. I’m afraid I’ll miss out on the color I really want. It’s not like I NEED one, but WANTING is a powerful thing (as we all know I’m sure). Still, I wouldn’t starve myself or not pay bills to buy one.
I might consider buying small OOAK pieces if I like them enough, but I’m really picky when it comes to those. I bought a grab bag mini keeper. It hasn’t arrived yet. I’m nervous and at the same time excited about what it will look like.
@Jennifer…Do you have an online gallery with your work? Like on deviantart.com or anything?
http://nambroth.deviantart.com/ Prepare to be astounded
Thanks for the link Melody. :bigsmile: Jennifer your art is awesome! I hope someday I’ll be at least half as skilled as you.
Hey Dragoneer! I’ve been collecting little by little since my late teens in college (I’m 32 now). Almost all my production pieces came to me second hand with damage. But I have fixed them up, and love them even more for the work I put in. As time goes by you’ll find more opportunities for bargains at thrift stores, garage sales, and good old eBay, as well as get hooked into plenty of grab bags and new sculpts here on the website! I don’t have a large collection, partly because of budget and partly because I don’t have the space 🙂
I’m a paleontologist. It’s a pretty darn specialized job and took me many years to land a stable position. My father went through the college struggle of dream job vs. profitable job (he wanted to be meteorologist but went for a business degree instead), and so I got used to thinking about that from a very early age. Though my career choice doesn’t bring in a lot of money, I love what I do. For my husband and I, it’s meant second hand furniture, no vacations to speak of, and not eating out at restaurants, but we can still live comfortably and focus on paying off student loans and saving up for owning our own house someday. One thing that helps me spring for Windstones every now and then is that I make and sell things on Etsy. I love sewing and crafting as a hobby, and running a shop has been a lot of fun, as well as a good excuse to set aside time to keep crafting.
I hear you when you say the only thing that holds your concentration is art – when I was in school the only way I could absorb things from textbooks and lectures was if I was doodling to keep the other part of my brain occupied 🙂 Now I almost never draw, and my ability to do so has gone through the floor for lack of practice!
I’m glad you found a job you’re happy with Zelda. :bigsmile: I think your job is cool. It was in my top ten “what I want to be when I grow up list”. It’s true what they say about money and happiness. Why work your butt off doing something you don’t love to pay for expensive “toys” you can never use because you’re too busy working? It’s not always easy to find balance. I hope one day I’ll be lucky enough to find my own balance. Great idea with Etsy too! good to know there’s people out there that still sew. Sewing it a dying art. :(( Lord knows I can’t do it. 😀
I’m a paleontologist.
That’s awesome! 🙂
Anyhow, my opinion is that it’s much more important to like what you do than to do something you really don’t like or aren’t good at for more money. A lot of times, people that make more money are no happier and can be worse at managing their money.
If there’s something that you love and are good at, you should definitely pursue it.I work as a dog handler at a dog boarding and daycare establishment. The money I make isn’t much by some people’s standards, but hey I make more than minimum wage and I’m enjoying what I do. I’m really appreciative of it after my last job, where I worked as a housekeeper in a healthcare center/nursing home and completely worked my tail off for minimum wage for a company that was crappy to its employees in many ways.
I went to a couple years of college after high school, but I really had nothing I wanted to pursue with it so I stopped after doing 2 years of general ed plus some classes I wanted to take. I’m thankful for those 2 years and I’m also thankful that I didn’t push myself to pursue something I didn’t want to do and get into all kinds of student aid debt or something. Student debt can be so crazy.You don’t have to make a lot of money to collect Windstones. It’s about how you manage your money. Of course, making more money could help you afford to buy more Windstones, but although sometimes I find myself disappointed at not being able to buy some that I want, I’m glad I can’t afford to buy as many as I want. When the purchases are fewer and farther between, they’re a lot more special, and I also think a lot about what I want the most. Sometimes my mind changes and I end up being glad I hadn’t made the purchase I’d been thinking about a little while ago. I have no desire to get Windstones and then sell or trade them, nor to collect multiple colors of the same sculpt.
Not to mention space would be a problem if I bought a lot more Windstones. It’s already kind of a problem.
As for how you could afford that secret keeper you want? Put money away! Even if it’s $10 at a time. You could try to make a goal to always set aside a certain amount from each paycheck, and when you can put more, put more. Even if it takes a few years or several years, you can work towards your goal of buying one and then when you’re ready, it will be epic. If the color you want isn’t available at the time, you very well may be able to find one by posting a “wanted” ad in the classifieds on here, or maybe it will be available in another color you want even more by then.I used to think I’d never buy an emperor dragon because of the price, but I ended up purchasing a beautiful white emperor off e-bay for a bit cheaper than the store price a while back.
Formerly had the Batman & Joker avatar!
I’m a paleontologist.
That’s awesome! 🙂
Anyhow, my opinion is that it’s much more important to like what you do than to do something you really don’t like or aren’t good at for more money. A lot of times, people that make more money are no happier and can be worse at managing their money.
If there’s something that you love and are good at, you should definitely pursue it.I work as a dog handler at a dog boarding and daycare establishment. The money I make isn’t much by some people’s standards, but hey I make more than minimum wage and I’m enjoying what I do. I’m really appreciative of it after my last job, where I worked as a housekeeper in a healthcare center/nursing home and completely worked my tail off for minimum wage for a company that was crappy to its employees in many ways.
I went to a couple years of college after high school, but I really had nothing I wanted to pursue with it so I stopped after doing 2 years of general ed plus some classes I wanted to take. I’m thankful for those 2 years and I’m also thankful that I didn’t push myself to pursue something I didn’t want to do and get into all kinds of student aid debt or something. Student debt can be so crazy.You don’t have to make a lot of money to collect Windstones. It’s about how you manage your money. Of course, making more money could help you afford to buy more Windstones, but although sometimes I find myself disappointed at not being able to buy some that I want, I’m glad I can’t afford to buy as many as I want. When the purchases are fewer and farther between, they’re a lot more special, and I also think a lot about what I want the most. Sometimes my mind changes and I end up being glad I hadn’t made the purchase I’d been thinking about a little while ago. I have no desire to get Windstones and then sell or trade them, nor to collect multiple colors of the same sculpt.
Not to mention space would be a problem if I bought a lot more Windstones. It’s already kind of a problem.
As for how you could afford that secret keeper you want? Put money away! Even if it’s $10 at a time. You could try to make a goal to always set aside a certain amount from each paycheck, and when you can put more, put more. Even if it takes a few years or several years, you can work towards your goal of buying one and then when you’re ready, it will be epic. If the color you want isn’t available at the time, you very well may be able to find one by posting a “wanted” ad in the classifieds on here, or maybe it will be available in another color you want even more by then.I used to think I’d never buy an emperor dragon because of the price, but I ended up purchasing a beautiful white emperor off e-bay for a bit cheaper than the store price a while back.
Yeah sometimes I feel college just isn’t worth it these days when everyone has a degree. It’s more abut who you know vs what you know that determines how you get a job in the professional fields, imo. College isn’t for everyone. I’m sticking it out because I’m half way there and I’ll always wonder “what if” if I don’t finish.
Very right about purchase being few and far between being more special. I feel that way about the collection I have. And thanks for the advice. :bigsmile: I’ll meet my goal someday.
Depending on the field, a degree is still important. Not so much for the knowledge you do or don’t have as a result (though in some fields the education itself is valuable), but because a lot of companies won’t even pass your resume on to a hiring manager if you don’t have a degree.
Almost all companies that have 50 or more employees (and that want ‘professional’ level skills versus minimum-wage earners) use some type of recruiter to help them pre-sort applications and “has degree” is a very common sorting criteria. Some companies won’t even allow you to refer a friend if they don’t have a degree.
It’s not ALWAYS important, but unfortunately just the line on your resume can make or break your career in some cases. 🙁
I am glad you started this thread. I had a similar curiosity looking at what others had collected. It’ll definitely take time to collect the ones you like; especially as they take time to become available.
My answer to your question: I graduated a couple of years ago with a BS in animal health science and am now employed as a Registered Veterinary Technologist in Southern California. I love my job, which I think is the most important thing to consider when searching for a career. My dream job will be to work in a zoo someday, but it is hard to get into that field. I’m looking to volunteer at the very least; get my fix that way. You don’t make the best money in the veterinary field, but having few bills to worry about helps.
In the end, I think you should enjoy what you do. You’ll be doing it everyday for the majority of your life, after all.
I am glad you started this thread. I had a similar curiosity looking at what others had collected. It’ll definitely take time to collect the ones you like; especially as they take time to become available.
My answer to your question: I graduated a couple of years ago with a BS in animal health science and am now employed as a Registered Veterinary Technologist in Southern California. I love my job, which I think is the most important thing to consider when searching for a career. My dream job will be to work in a zoo someday, but it is hard to get into that field. I’m looking to volunteer at the very least; get my fix that way. You don’t make the best money in the veterinary field, but having few bills to worry about helps.
In the end, I think you should enjoy what you do. You’ll be doing it everyday for the majority of your life, after all.
I admire what you do for a living because it’s one of the many things I wanted to do, but I don’t have thick skin for it. I’m a sucker for animals, so when I see hurt, sick, neglected, or run over animals I could just cry. Of course I’m sure not all animals you work with are sick or ill, but for me it would be tough to deal with the ones that were. I hope you can make it into a zoo one day. Maybe if you volunteer enough they’ll hire you. :bigsmile:
Very true…do what you love. I have a family member going through a tough time at her job. While it pays well, she doesn’t like it and she’s miserable. That’s not a life worth living, being miserable most of you life in a bad job.
I am glad you started this thread. I had a similar curiosity looking at what others had collected. It’ll definitely take time to collect the ones you like; especially as they take time to become available.
My answer to your question: I graduated a couple of years ago with a BS in animal health science and am now employed as a Registered Veterinary Technologist in Southern California. I love my job, which I think is the most important thing to consider when searching for a career. My dream job will be to work in a zoo someday, but it is hard to get into that field. I’m looking to volunteer at the very least; get my fix that way. You don’t make the best money in the veterinary field, but having few bills to worry about helps.
In the end, I think you should enjoy what you do. You’ll be doing it everyday for the majority of your life, after all.
I admire what you do for a living because it’s one of the many things I wanted to do, but I don’t have thick skin for it. I’m a sucker for animals, so when I see hurt, sick, neglected, or run over animals I could just cry. Of course I’m sure not all animals you work with are sick or ill, but for me it would be tough to deal with the ones that were. I hope you can make it into a zoo one day. Maybe if you volunteer enough they’ll hire you. :bigsmile:
Very true…do what you love. I have a family member going through a tough time at her job. While it pays well, she doesn’t like it and she’s miserable. That’s not a life worth living, being miserable most of you life in a bad job.
Thanks. There are definitely harder days than others, but it’s worth it. It definitely takes a certain type of person to do it. All the luck to you in finding your direction. College is the perfect time to try out different things and figure out what you want to do.
Thought I’d bump this thread and see if any new members wanted to comment. Also, I’ve finally graduated so, YAY!
Thought I’d bump this thread and see if any new members wanted to comment. Also, I’ve finally graduated so, YAY!
Congratulations. 🙂
Thought I’d bump this thread and see if any new members wanted to comment. Also, I’ve finally graduated so, YAY!
Congratulations!
I totally missed this thread…
I’m a pharmaceutical translator. I went to university to become a high school teacher. I discovered while teaching French as a second language with the government (I’m in Canada) that teaching classes was not for me. I had to rethink my career choice, but the one thing I was sure about was that I HAD to have a job where I would need my native language.
I also had the luck to find totally by accident an awesome head-hunter who pointed out that really good writing skills were a good thing to exploit. So after a few jobs, I ended up where I am now! I’ve been an official translator for over 16 years now, and depending on the industry, the pay can be quite good. I also freelance a bit, so that’s a nice side income.
I did slow down the collecting in the past 3 years because we bought our dream home and it needs renos 🙂 The house, the food and the renovations come first!
Read my books! Volume 1 and 2 of A Dragon Medley are available now.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/mybooks.htm
I host the feedback lists, which are maintained by drag0nfeathers.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htmI’ve been around here for many years. I started collecting before I was a teenager and have been collecting ever since I got my first Emerald Male Dragon. (back when they were production) I’m 34 now and I think I have amassed over 300 Windstones at this point.
What do I do? Well… honestly, I’ve worked retail my entire life. I graduated high school and actually had a scholarship for Butera School of Art in Boston, but my mother wouldn’t release her private information to help out with financial aid (since she was thriving on illegally obtained drug money at the time and didn’t want the tax man sniffing around) and when my spot was to be confirmed she actually prevented me from furthering my education by refusing to allow me to go… So yea… We ended up parting ways shortly after (not that we ever had a good relationship because she blew town when my father passed away at a young age and she got a fat insurance check) I ended up moving with my sister to get away from all that. I tried to go to school but I didn’t qualify for any kind of assistance and school on my own was way too much money so my dreams for a life in art were pretty much crushed then and there. I had wanted to be the only one in my family to actually go to school, but instead I had to be satisfied being the only one in my family who didn’t have to check the convicted felon box on my employment application. So that’s the crap part about my story I guess, but it’s not like I made nothing of myself.
I got a job working with my sister in the mall at JCPenney and it was retail life ever since. I got offered a manager position a movie store back when they were popular and profitable in the same mall (before online took over the industry and red box and netflix existed basically) and I was there for about 4 years. Best Buy bought out the company Musicland and eventually my store was closed down. I was laid off and ran along a few random other retail jobs after that including Old Navy and Hot Topic, before landing in a cashier position at Home Depot. (Yea… not too glamorous, but it paid decent)
Most of this time I was always doing SOME kind of side work whether it be a second job waiting tables or just selling artwork of mine online to support my “windstone habit” and pay the bills. I was a bit of a shut in growing up and didn’t blow my money on going out and partying. I was fine just staying home and drawing or whatever and ended up really sinking my hard earned money on my collection. Eventually I was offered a kitchen design job at Depot because of my “creativity”… I was the sign captain and would paint big pretty signs for work and it caught my managers eye at some point or another. It turned out to be a good fit for me and now I’ve been a kitchen designer for about 8 years now. I’m actually working for Lowes now, but it’s still the same thing pretty much.
So I make $18 bucks an hour to sit on the computer and design kitchens for rich people. *shrug* It could be worse and it gets the bills paid and Windstones in my house. I drive a car I love and despite my house being in the ghetto part of town it’s mine and no landlord can tell me I can’t have 6 cats. ^_^
I do still paint and do commission work on the side. Either fixing Windstones, painting Windstones, or sometimes costume related things. So that’s my story in a nutshell. ^_^
Got a busted Windstone?
drag0nfeathersdesign@gmail.com
*OPEN for repairs**SEEKING GRAILS*
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