# Poll: What percentage of your life have you ... ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 29, 2007, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497 "2007-10-29T21:31:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/1 "2007-10-29T21:31:16Z")
Thanks to **Nutty Bunny** in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=441999) thread for the idea. What percentage of your life have you… been married? Been a parent? (and a grandparent!) Been in your current profession? Calculating by months (or days, I suppose) would give a more precise answer but it’s not necessary. Mine: married . . 25% (added up 3 different times, might be off) parental … 46.8% (no grands here, yet) professional … 46.8 % (started when I had my first kid, can ya tell? 😛 ) ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/2 "2007-10-29T21:41:57Z")
Married 11% of my life. Parent 42% of my life (wow – that’s a shock. I had my daughter when I was 20, not _that_ young, but, I guess so!) In my current profession, that’s harder to define. My current profession is basically customer service/sales and I’ve done that since I was 14, so – 60% of my life. If we’re talking just specifically this company, it is 6%, if specifically just call center work, then it becomes 11%. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/3 "2007-10-29T21:47:48Z")
Not married, but partnered - 19.63% been a parent - 0% (and likely will be that forever) current profession - Roughly 31%, in my current job - 8.78% ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/4 "2007-10-29T21:48:40Z")
Married: 43.6%, but the final number will be about 46.1% Parent: 0%, unless you count pets Current profession: 30.8% ---
**Author:** ![stargazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@stargazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stargazer)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/5 "2007-10-29T22:15:30Z")
Married: 20.2% Parent: 0.7% (we have a 2-month-old) Current profession is hard to pin down, but my current job: 4.2% ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/6 "2007-10-29T22:39:37Z")
Married: 11.88% Parent: 55.61% Current profession: 18.83% ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/7 "2007-10-29T22:42:03Z")
0.00% 0.00% 0.05% ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/8 "2007-10-29T22:52:51Z")
63% 40% 40% ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/9 "2007-10-29T22:55:17Z")
Strictly speaking, this is 0%, 0%, 0% for me. However, I’ve effectively been a semi-professional poker player since college. Also, I don’t have any children of my own, but I do have two little brothers who are much younger than me (first was born when I was 13, the other when I was 15), and I’ve been living at home while mom and step-dad both have full time jobs. So, I’ve done a lot of _de faco_ parenting. So you could say that, in spirit, my answers are: Married: 0% Parent: 49% Job: 17.7% Fun Fact: The only “real” job I’ve ever had was a delivery boy for a video rental place on 1st Avenue when I was 16. I quit after two weeks. So, **total percentage of life spent employed: 0.14%**. ---
**Author:** ![Aioua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@Aioua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aioua)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/10 "2007-10-29T23:06:40Z")
0%, 0%, 10% – if you consider “customer service” a career. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/11 "2007-10-29T23:20:33Z")
0, 0, and 55. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/12 "2007-10-29T23:50:02Z")
32% 0% 50% ---
**Author:** ![Jammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@Jammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jammer)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/13 "2007-10-29T23:54:48Z")
48% 23% (we took our time on the kid thing) 48% (still in the same profession I took up when we got married / graduated from college) Jammer ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/14 "2007-10-30T00:20:02Z")
Married 18% Parent 16% Profession 36% ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/15 "2007-10-30T00:54:34Z")
Married: 24%, includes 4 marriages and 4 divorces. I’m 68 Parenting: Thats hard to answer due to circumstances. I’m still a parent to my second wife’s children, even though we were divorced and she died almost 22 years ago. Can’t reall give a percentage. Professions: I’m retired, but I did 23 years in the Navy and operated my own truck, in intersye commerce, for 24 years. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/16 "2007-10-30T01:03:48Z")
**What percentage of your life have you… been married?** (36-27)/36 = 9/36 = 25%. **Been a parent?** (36-28)/36 = 8/36 = 22.22%. **Been in your current profession?** (36-21)/36 = 41.67%. If you mean industry sector specific, then (36-24)/36 = 33.33%. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/17 "2007-10-30T01:21:40Z")
Married, 12.5%; including legal common law status, 25.1%. Parent, 5.7%. Current profession, 16.3%. I did it down to the day. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/18 "2007-10-30T01:49:10Z")
Married: 35% Parent: 17.5% Profession: 32.5% ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/19 "2007-10-30T01:56:33Z")
Married = 26.9% Parent = 0% Current job = 28.1% ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497/20 "2007-10-30T02:36:23Z")
I should really have added a ‘pet owner’ category. 😕 **Aes** , aww, you only gots a nickel! **A R Cane** , I’d consider you as having spent 69% in your profession. And well, folks, since this is a human-interest type question, count ‘industry sector specific’ if you feel it’s more proper. Or don’t, if you don’t! I almost typed ‘industry specter’. Heh. Ghosties on the brain! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-percentage-of-your-life-have-you/424497.md?page=2)