Ford Focus

photo by car-dealers

A car for the chronically ugly. The Focus has undergone several unfortunate redesigns through the years since its introduction, but like your Aunt Flo and her endless makeovers, Ford hasn’t yet found a cure for its unfortunate appearance. It looks like the car can’t decide if it’s a sensible sedan or a sporty rally car, so it tries to look like both and fails miserably.

Hyundai Matrix

photo by airforceone

Finally, a vehicle for those who find mini-vans too intimidating. The Matrix profile includes a bizarre uneven window line that makes it look like it was pieced together from spare car pieces from the junkyard. It would probably be nicer looking if it had been. The vehicle of choice for retirees and their groceries.

Chrysler PT Cruiser

photo by splattergraphics

You’ve got to hand it to the PT Cruiser. This ugly bastard has been around for a long time and endured years of ridicule for its harebrained, retro-inspired design. Yet, here we are, on the heels of Chrysler declaring bankruptcy, and the Cruiser refuses to go away. If there is a nuclear apocalypse that wipes out all civilization, the only things that will survive will be cockroaches and PT Cruisers.

Ssang Yong Rodius

wikimedia

The Koreans have gotten into the hideous car act with the Rodius. This car has an identity crisis. The front grille looks like a 90’s minivan and the back end, well, I don’t even know what to say. It features an inexplicable diagonal panel that cuts it in half and makes it look like the designer got tired and just plugged the back of an RV onto the Rodius so he could move on to his next triumph.

Smart ForTwo

photo by joshb

Hooray, my car is “smart.” It’s also a source of laughter for every other driver and pedestrian within 100 yards of it. Not only does the ForTwo (see what they did there?) look like a matchbox car, it’s about the size of one and won’t offer much protection in a crash, so not only is it an ugly car but a potentially hideous coffin.

Fiat Doblo

photo by kenjonbro

Perhaps a bit incredulous themselves, Fiat asks what made the 2008 Doblo popular, and lists “reliable technology, thoughtful design, and excellent technology” as the reasons. Thoughtful design? It looks as though they’ve added windows to every available surface of a delivery van.

Mini Clubman

photo by paulmullet

Mini has decided to take the most distinguishing selling point of their Mini Cooper and throw it in the trashcan. They’ve stretched it out, haven’t really made any proportional adjustments, and called it the Clubman. Think of it as the stretch limo of ultra-compact cars, which is sort of like having a Mickey Mouse Rolex.

Toyota Prius

photo by jasonyoder

Yes, by driving a Prius you are minimizing your impact on the environment. This is a good thing. Cruising around in a vehicle with the personality and sex appeal of a dustbuster is not a good thing. Every time I see a Prius I think of the automated transports of old science-fiction flicks like Logan’s Run or Total Recall. This is also (probably) not a good thing.

Morgan Aero 8

photo by destinysagent

After I got done laughing out loud, I decided that the Morgan Aero 8 looked like a cross-eyed basset hound. The best part about this monstrosity is that the base price is just under $130,000. Good news is that with every new Aero purchase they throw in a free monocle and top hat. It’s heartening to know that there are still rich people out there who will ignore a luxury item’s repulsiveness and waste money on it anyway. There is hope for our economy after all.

Fiat Multipla

photo by qewl.com

Possibly based on a tadpole and easily the ugliest car on our list. This car fills the beholder with a combination of pity and rage; pity because no other cars will hang out with the ungainly Multipla, and rage because someone, somewhere made money from this blunder. Holds the distinction of being the only car on the list that needs a nose job.

Thomas Camposano has worked as a broker, a teacher, and a firefighter, and he’s done these things all over the world. Yet, when he was finishing college, the economy looked a bit like the current one.

Camposano graduated Magna Cum Laude from George Washington University with a degree in International Business, and landed a solid job as a commodities broker with the US Department of Defense. After three years, he began to realize that he was miserable.

“I was surrounded by a lot of unmotivated people,” says Camposano. “I couldn’t spend my life doing something I hated, so I started looking for an exit.”

He had three criteria:

• The new path had to get him out of the office environment that he had found stifling.
• He needed to be able to make enough money to live comfortably.
• He needed the freedom to pursue his biggest passion: travel.

Teaching English Abroad

He found a program that provided certificates for teaching overseas. He submitted his application, quit his office job and moved to Prague to begin teaching.

“It was the best two years of my life,” Camposano says. “Prague is my favorite place on earth, and teaching is extremely rewarding. I met people there that are still some of my best friends. ”

Park Ranger

Camposano used to surf at Cape Hatteras, NC, and noted how the park rangers there seemed to love their jobs. He wanted in, but he also knew that these jobs were in demand and were highly competitive. “I figured, I’m not going to get this if I don’t at least give it a shot.”

He submitted the park service application from Europe. While on a ski trip in the French Alps, he received an email saying that a representative from the park service was interested in speaking with him. He called the interviewer from the slopes and was offered the job.

Elated, Camposano flew back to the US and drove to Cape Hatteras. He spent his days patrolling the beach, greeting campers, and enjoying the upbeat attitudes of his fellow park rangers. At first, he had a hard time believing that he was getting paid for it.

“It was the opposite of the stagnant environment at my first office job,” he says. “These park rangers were all getting paid less than the office workers, but they were far happier. I would have done it for free.”

Because his position at Cape Hatteras was seasonal and lasted from April until October, Camposano was free to pursue his passion for travel in the winter months, covering the globe, often choosing countries with beneficial exchange rates to stretch the park service money he had saved during the summer.

Camposano enjoyed the rotation for several seasons, but he knew he needed something a bit more lucrative.

Wildland Firefighter

During his time as a park ranger, Camposano often worked with wildland firefighters who were called in when brushfires occurred in the park. He was attracted by the adrenaline rush of fighting fire, and gradually began making the transition to wilderness firefighter while stationed in Cape Hatteras.

Once he had some experience under his belt, he began looking for bigger action. “I was sent out West, where there is always fire. Eventually I landed a position with the Bureau of Land Management in Utah. I’ve never seen so much fire in my life.”

Because of Utah’s centralized location in relation to other western states, Camposano was dispatched all over the West, depending upon where wilderness firefighters were in highest demand.

He would sleep in the forest, and wake up to fight advancing blazes. A typical week would consist of 100 work hours. It wasn’t always easy, but it was never boring, and overtime pay was high.

Camposano is now a firefighter with the Montgomery County Fire Department in Maryland, and is now working on a book titled “Jobs that Pay Well, and Don’t Suck”. He has some tips for workers looking to make a job change in a tough economy:

• Recessions can present opportunities to make a change. Seize them. “If you’re going to be laid off, why not use this time as an opportunity to make a positive change?”
• Ignore your critics. “I shake my head when I think about the life and work experiences I would have missed out on had I listened to folks telling me that my traveling and job changes were a bad idea.”
• Pursue your ideal job, no matter the demand or requirements. “Some of the jobs I’ve had are widely sought after. I didn’t expect to land them, but there’s no way to get these jobs without applying.”
• If you’re wondering whether or not it’s time to leave your current job, it probably is. “Life is too short to be unhappy at your job,” says Camposano. “I’ve spent my life experiencing a variety of occupations, and I’ve never regretted leaving a situation that wasn’t meeting my needs professionally. Find something that makes you happy.”

Feature photo by Paphio

Community Connection

For more resources on making a big move, check out our roundup of the Top 10 Places to Teach English Abroad as well as our guide on How To Become a Wildland Firefighter.