This strikes me as a diamond-water paradox. Obviously you could live a lot longer without dating, however for most people find it easier to hold down a job than find dates continuously.
I’ve never had to involve the police to get someone that I had a job interview with to leave me alone, so I’m going to go with dating.
Also, I hated formalized dating, and a bad interview never took up as much time as a bad date.
Further to that, the consequences of taking a crappy job just to get by until something better comes along are insignificant when compared with the consequences of hooking up with someone you know isn’t right, just because things are getting a bit desperate. Oh, lordy, no.
Job hunting by far. At least a bad date will end. You have no idea when the job hunt will. I’d rather go on a hundred bad dates than deal with job hunting stress and anxiety.
You can, but you don’t get the same payoff that you do from whacking off. Or any payoff at all, really.
For me, it does. I’ve been on shitty interviews that lasted eight torturous hours. The company only has you for a day, so they book you for half an hour with everybody and her uncle, because just in case they want to make an offer they need absolutely everybody’s input so that nobody throws a hissy fit. (How could you hire an actuarial analyst without consulting the claims department???) Then you’re stuck BS’ing for eight hours about a job you don’t want that with people that don’t want you, and nobody wants to pull the plug because it will look bad and embarrass the recruiter and all that.
I would never plan a date that long unless there was already a relationship.
Nothing of consequence is dependent on dating. Your success as a human being - both in terms of ability to take care of yourself and social success - are completely dependent on being able to work. So there’s considerably more on the line for job-hunting.
Also you need to dress “nicely” for job interviews, while it’s extremely possible to swing, say, going to a ball game or a picnic or something as a date. Another strike against job-hunting.
(said by someone who has been effectively unemployed since May. sigh)
Well, other than maybe marriage, and children, STDs, possible (or maybe it’s probable) divorce leading to all kinds of misery, including losing income from the job.
I wouldn’t say job hunting is cruel. The people don’t know you, so it’s entirely impersonal (although, of course, applicants take it quite personally). In dating, on the other hand, there’s all kinds of room for cruelty, both intentional and unintentional. I’ve done my share of being a jerk, and so have women I’ve dated. So my vote’s for dating., on the cruelty front.
Still, I’d rather date than look for a job. I like women better than cubicles. Of course, since I’m married, I could get in a lot of trouble if I tried…
I’m always kind of amazed at how well the analogy of jobs and relationships works. Especially when they end – either your boss has to break up with you (it’s not you, it’s us!) or you start sneaking out at lunch wearing your nicest clothes to find a new one after the magic has gone from your current one.
Also, this really made me laugh. So rude!
Probably a coincidence, but the 30 Rock rerun from the other night involved Liz Lemon going through an incredibly awkward, date-like interview with a condo board then drunk dialing them all night.
Both are equally annoying when you decide not to show up the next day.
I’d say job hunting. No one has ever had to worry about starving, having their electricity shut off or moving into their car because they couldn’t find a date. And frankly, few women are going to want to go out with a guy who has no job.
From the context, I assume you’re saying that it was cruel to be told she looked like a man in her picture, but I don’t interpret it that way. If there were any insults in the e-mail that you didn’t mention, that would be a different matter, but just from the comment, a stranger let your friend know her picture wasn’t doing her much good. With info like that, she could replace the photo or consider wearing different clothing; otherwise, she’d be in the dark.
Many years ago, a friend’s wife, who is one of those people with no internal censors, told me about the third time we did something together, that I needed to cut my nose hairs. I’m happy she told me.
My own opinion? If we’re comparing “dating and LTRs” versus “job hunting and careers,” job hunting is a worse thing to fail at, though I don’t think I’d say it’s more cruel. You can live without love or sex, but you can’t just “check out” of the employment world (if you aren’t independently wealthy). However, in the work place, you can eventually understand how things work, whereas in datting and relationships, you’re on your own.
ETA: However, no one related to my job or career has threatened me with a gun, so I’d say “dating and LTRs” win at the “fearing for my life” category.
Well, except for women in times/countries where they have/had few ways to make their own money!
I did have a weird “ex girlfriend” moment with my old boss from a year ago. I saw him walking towards me down the street in Midtown. Since he more or less fired me for no reason I had really had nothing to say to him and pretended not to see him.
So he runs over all stalkerish and grabs me.
Ex-boss “Hey what’s going on?”
Me “Hey”
Ex-boss “Well you look well.”
Me “Yeah…I’m doing all right.”
Ex-boss “You still at [New Job].”
Me “No…we aren’t together anymore.”
Ex-boss “Oh that’s too bad.”
Me “Not really. It wasn’t really a good fit. More of a transitional job.”
Ex-boss “So [random updates on some former coworkers who left the company]”
Me “Oh. Good for them. Well, I have to run.”
Ex-boss “Good seeing you. Keep in touch.”
Me “I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
Who knows. Maybe I’ll start getting corporate booty calls so he can get drunk and date rape me repeatedly…metaphorically of course.
Cut and dried as always.
You can’t even masterbate after a frustrating interview! 
(I’m gonna hear about this, I tell you! Sometime around 2pm tomorrow, maybe? ;))
Both are the same for me because of the possibility of rejections
Dating. I don’t get blue balls from not getting a job.
If the interview goes badly enough, there’s no real reason not to masturbate DURING it. Maybe they’re looking for a Big Producer. Really – shoot for the ceiling!
Right on!
I suspect that you’ve always been the job-seeker, rather than the job-offerer. I bet any HR types on the board could tell stories where they at least considered getting the police involved.
I’m unemployed (since Feb.) and single (since much, much earlier than that) and I agree that job-hunting is worse. At least dates will USUALLY tell you if they had a good time and you hit it off. Concentrate on the jobhunt, THEN worry about loooove.
It’s a little annoying that at my current part-time job at a local Y I see lots of single ladies that I know would be turned off by my not having steady income.
My ego is so bruised these days :(.