Foo - How many people really like their jobs?

First Foo thread, take it easy on me.

So, I'm 23 and a reimbursement analyst at a large hospital. Sometimes my job is tolerable but overall I despise it / cubelife / the business world. I'm debating moving home to save up for a bit, quitting my job and going cross country via bike. I hope during that time I can meet myself and realize a life path I can be happy with. I will go back to school if need be when I return.

Anyway, I just wanted to throw a poll up there to see how many Foo folks really like there jobs.

If you feel inclined please state your job and why you do or do not like it.

I'll start:
I'm a financial analyst that doesn't really even remember how I got to be where I am. I don't like the super competitive, back stabbing, fight your way to the top nature of the business world. The physical organization of human beings in my job even sickens me. I'm a member of my cube cluster belonging to the xth floor of building X in city Y. It really reminds me of those egg things the people are stored in while the machines suck power out of them in the matrix. Finally, I really can't take it when you don't have anything to do, if you ask your boss for work they will be inconvenienced and give you busy work, you've already been to the edge of the internet twice that day and its only 10:30am. Something just doesn't seem right, humans weren't designed to act in such a manner.

Jobs I've thought could be better:
Park Ranger
Nurse
Teacher
Construction Engineer

I love my job, but I ahve probably had 25 trying to find what I like. Takes a while sometimes. At 23 with no kids or wife if you wanna chuck it all an persue adventure, Just do it. I am a clinical instructor and work at a hospital. I am an RN.

I'll add that sometimes the thing that gets me through work is knowing that so many people there feel the same way I do. Were all kinda stuck in it together, a sort of beautiful tragedy.

Biking to work has made it much easier to deal with as well.

I love my job. I've been an engineer for 20+ years. I've worked in various different industries (computers, wireless telecom, medical equip.) so it hasn't been boring for me. Quite a few years ago I was promoted to management and quickly realized that path was not for me - too much like babysitting adults. I went back to doing hands-on engineering and am much happier. And my manager loves me because he knows I'm not scheming after his job.

It isn't so bad that I can't bear it. I actually get paid reasonably well, and I have bills to pay, so I won't chuck it all, but yeah - I'd rather do something else.

I'm a tutor for my old community college, and though sometimes I fantasize about throttling some of my students, on the whole they are a great bunch and are really committed to learning. I really admire people who have the drive to learn and will use their own time to work hard on learning, which is why I like my job. I don't love it, as I sometimes have to tutor subjects that I'm good at but not necessarily ones that I actually like teaching or going over.

I get paid reasonably well, but sometimes I wish I was paid as much as private tutors, who get paid $5-20 more than I do per hour.

I'm 26, have no bills, am on a month to month lease, and I really really would love to do some long(er) distance touring, not just weekend trips.

I guess I must like it, cause I haven't left, yet.

After twenty years as a news photographer I started working for the state as a cameraman and now have great benefits, albeit with a low salary.

I have met kings, presidents, queens......all types of queens, and have only been in one helicopter with the door on it. This year I passed on going to the conventions saying it was time to pass the torch. It has been an interesting ride but for many years tv wasn't what I did, it was who I was. I have had two knee jobs, cortisone shots and am researching hip replacements.

All this and I didn't graduate until I was 28 years old. Currently I am trying to get regular hours so I can go back to school at age 57.

To me the key to life is balance and for many years there has not been balance in my life.

Not to be snippy, but if I can start over at this age, then starting over at 23 with a family for support doesn't sound too difficult. You are young enough to recover from almost anything at this point so you may as well be happy. Just don't wear out your body for some suit being paid three time as much.

If you don't understand yet.....save money until next summer, take a long ride, and either get a new job or start school then.

And ask your parents if I can move in with them for a while.......

Love my job (civil engineer), just hate my current location.

I build and repair computers. It pays good, but I'd rather be in a bike shop.

I like computers, but I love bikes.

I love my job. I'm doing consulting work for the same thing I did throughout my government job. I've been a worker, manager, and senior executive. Now I'm a subject matter expert and just advise. It's the subject I like and know about and people listen whenI talk

After twenty years as a news photographer I started working for the state as a cameraman and now have great benefits, albeit with a low salary.

I have met kings, presidents, queens......all types of queens, and have only been in one helicopter with the door on it. This year I passed on going to the conventions saying it was time to pass the torch. It has been an interesting ride but for many years tv wasn't what I did, it was who I was. I have had two knee jobs, cortisone shots and am researching hip replacements.

I worked for news photo agencies for almost 10 yrs...I don't know how you guys do it....tremendous respect, whether dodging bullets or red carpet divas.

I have enjoyed my last few jobs

motorcycle mech
bicycle tech
news photographer
porn store clerk
security in a gay bar
Just accepted life guard and a few freelance writing assignments

My job is being retired, and I absolutely love it!:)

I am an ambulance dispatcher. I love dispatching! I can't believe someone not only allows me, but *pays* me, to tell the ambulances where to go. It's not an easy job by any means, and there are days that I want to run screaming from the dispatch center...but I wouldn't change it for the world.

I might change companies at some point if the one I'm working for goes totally stupid, but I don't anticipate that.

I have enjoyed my last few jobs

motorcycle mech
bicycle tech
news photographer
porn store clerk
security in a gay bar
Just accepted life guard and a few freelance writing assignmentsThat's a pretty awesome series of jobs.


I am an ambulance dispatcher.That seems like it would be interesting, as well. Stressful at times, I'm sure, but ultimately quite rewarding.

I'm an editor forced to work on high school text books that are beyond deplorable. I sometimes feel like I'm actively doing harm to children.

I have a degree in the field I'm in (mathematics), but most of my time is spent determining whether that horizontal rule is 1p6 or 1p3 from the gutter (1p6 = 1 pica, 6 points), whether the grayscale in the graph should be at 40% or 35%, and a hundred other bits of meaningless minutiae I couldn't give two sh*ts about.

Only rarely do I get the chance to affect our products in what I feel is a positive way. I'm not high up enough in the hierarchy to make any substantive changes, and I'm certainly not willing to compromise my values enough to get there.

I give myself one more year, tops.

I've had a lot of different jobs over my career, and never had a job I didn't love - while I was doing it! There were some I would never go back to!

The best job I EVER had, is the one I have now. Retirement is, in fact, the best job I ever had!

Don't wish your life away, or toil in a job you don't love - your life will end soon enuf!

I guess my job is being a student, for the last ....hmm....6 years or so. I'm slowly working on my BS in geology, minor in GIS. I graduate in May 2009.

I do have a p/t job while I'm in school this semester. I'm a GIS intern at the local Bureau of Land Management Field Office (federal). I'm still learning a lot about GIS and I mostly do boring tasks like editing and updating data. But it's a great place to work. The work atmosphere is great. The people there are all very outdoor oriented and friendly. I know it's the "Bureau of Livestock and Mining," but folks that work in the field are quite concerned about the land, even if the higher-ups decide otherwise. I hope to get a permanant job there someday.

I like my job, it pays the bills and allows me to keep an eye on Craigslist for any bargains. I'm a code enforcement inspector and I get to meet lots of interesting and good people on my job. I'm always on the lookout for an opportunity for advancement. The job would be almost perfect if we didn't have unqualified managers who keep trying to place division policy over what is written in the ordinance books.
Ernest

I'd comment if I had a job. I just got my M. S. in chemistry specializing in biochemist and molecular biology. I got my M. S. because I couldn't stand grad school anymore and saw no prospect of getting a Ph. D. out of it. I've been job searching since may and I don't care how crummy your job is, if it pays decent it's better than job searching which totally blows and in this economy it blows like an F5 tornado.

I manage a bike shop and should own it by next year.

Yeah, I'm happy. :D

I work as a translator and I work at home...also do editing, proofreading. All kinds of stuff, websites you name it. Right now I'm working on a music magazine. I've also edited textbooks for ESL...i really like it, like working at home on my own and not having to get dressed up to go to work! i'd like to have more money but I really like being my own boss.

I'd comment if I had a job. I just got my M. S. in chemistry specializing in biochemist and molecular biology. I got my M. S. because I couldn't stand grad school anymore and saw no prospect of getting a Ph. D. out of it. I've been job searching since may and I don't care how crummy your job is, if it pays decent it's better than job searching which totally blows and in this economy it blows like an F5 tornado.

good reality check...when I was about 20 I was working two crappy jobs to get through school...felt pretty sorry for myself, blah blah blah. One night I watched The Grapes of Wrath...that chilled my sh8t pretty quick.

next morning I was at work bright and early, whistling while I worked.

I manage a bike shop and should own it by next year.

Yeah, I'm happy. :D

that's awesome. I'd love to have a shop.

I am an IT guy for a hospitality property management company who dabbles on the side in contract work for ****s and giggles. I love my job, I enjoy this particular industry and prefer hospitality IT over the more dedicated versions. I get to work with everything from old AIX servers using rs232 digi's sticking out their rears to the new 2008 servers. Throw in the usual appliances and operating systems and there isn't much I have used or administered. Variety :)

I like my job. Some of the people I work with, not so much.

Mine has its ups and downs. (I'm a lawyer.) For intellectual challenge, it just about can't be bettered. Where I'm doing it right now, that could be improved upon. I tend to like a faster pace or deep involvement in a project. Basically, to be happy, I need to either have so much crap to get through that I can't possibly do it all in the time I have allotted or I need to have something that is really deeply challenging. I sometimes get the latter here. Of late, it's been really sparse.

So...
I really want to bike across the states. Then I think I'm just going to take on some student loans and go back to school again. This time for something cooler than business admin (how the hell did I think I could work in a cube).

I'd like to hear some suggestions of non-cubicle jobs:

Secondary school math teacher
Envrionmental science

O and what kinds of jobs commonly offer work from home options?

I'm a business analyst right now. I took on this co-op job because it was something I hadn't done before, and since I was already exposed to the tech support and software development sides of IT, I figured that it would be more filling to try the middle.

I'm convinced that desk jobs are NOT for me. Sitting seven to eight hours a day with my brain mostly on idle is NOT a way to live. When I was developing, there was definitely a chance to work on some sexy projects, but you had to survive the abyss of drudgery for a while (which I couldn't). My mentor for that job had told me that it took him six months before he got assigned a project worth doing. That's a lot of BF reading.

However, I just got a new client to work with that involves quite a bit of tech support and reorganization. Even though I've been doing that (to varying degrees) for the last 14 years, it still provides excitement for me. I really love building a computer (something I haven't done in a while) and really enjoy providing service for people, as it's a great way to make a great network of friends from all walks of life. I love running around doing "techie" work, even if it's just to replace a keyboard or a mouse. On top of that, it's actually physically active.

Thus, it's safe to say that I'll be returning to that for my next internship, and I might continue doing it for a while.

The only other option is running my own consulting firm, but I've been heavily advised against going that route. I have the expertise, but I lack the certifications (I learned everything I know by trade) and I'm not sure if having a Computer Engineering degree is more powerful than having a MCSE or A+/Cisco/whatever certification. To add, that market is super saturated with lots of new guys thinking that they can do pro tech support because they've been d***ing with computers for a few years.

I wouldn't trade my job for all the money in the world..period.

use to be a chemist, hated it, now a physician, (constantly sleep deprived) but love it. Every day is different and new. It sucks that I can never make a mistake.... ever....and that scares me every waking hour in the hospital and office.

You need an option "Job.. what's a job?"

The Commonwealth of Pennsyalvania pays me to read about, think about, write about, and talk about whatever I see fit. Being a philosophy professor is a blast.

jim

I love nursing, I was born to be one and when I am work I have so much fun that I do not want to leave.

I'm a manufacturing engineer with a diagnostic biotech company. I get to play with robots and other machinery which comprises the assembly line for our diagnostic devices. My specialization is actually the biological production end of our kits, but that's rarely an issue so I end up playing with dispensing robots and box labelers and foil-stamp bottle sealers.

I'm an analytical chemist, working with NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. I love the work but hate the bureaucratic stuff (the acronym BS really fits) that seems to occupy more and more of my time each year. Hopefully I'll be able to retire in about 5 years.

I am on hold from the life guard job till I go three weeks without an seizure. and they have pulled up pretty much my entire medical records from the past year. about 6 hospitals an reads like a card novel.


So I have pretty much started hunting elsewhere and hoping. because even though the company can wait for medical reasons, my landlord wont.

I want to be independently wealthy and retire. But that's not going to happen so I have to work as a Chemical Engineer. The work is good but I don't want to move in a couple of years.

My postdoctoral stint is a dream come true. I'm working on a project that I've dreamed of being tasked with and is a big deal with a lot of responsibility. Yet there's not much day-to-day pressure, and I get along great with the people around me (including my advisor). And my office is to die for. The only problem is that the pay kind of sucks (compared to a "real world" job), but hey, it's temporary anyway. Honestly, I'd work for free as long as I could be picked for this project. (But don't tell my advisor that!)

My part time job is an ideal part time job. Work a few minutes a day online. Get paid good money. Make a real impact in a growing company. I've been at it for 8+ years, and with a recent snafu dealt with, my colleagues at the company are hoping for another 8+ years from me. As long as they treat me so well and the work is so enjoyable, I can see myself sticking with this part time job indefinitely.

Anyway, some obligatory pictures of and from my office are included. :D Under ideal lighting (particularly near sunset), one can see San Clemente Island 50 miles to the west and Catalina Island 60 miles to the northwest. It helps that we're perched on a 400 foot cliff. No worries about landslides, though... the Torrey Pines golf course sits between us and the edge of the cliff. :)

pics of places I have worked

http://stupidhurts.org/gallery/cache/me/n501960468_12795_6892.jpg_595.jpg

http://stupidhurts.org/gallery/zp-core/i.php?a=me&i=image_6966150.jpg&s=595

http://stupidhurts.org/gallery/cache/misc/blue.jpg_595.jpg

Well, I should love my job, since I created it. I am co-owner (my wife owns the other half) of a reforestation company in Costa Rica, with 750 acres to play with that are in process of reverting to rainforest (slowly, through stages). Lots of places to explore. Horses to ride to get from point a to b, etc.

We have about 100 employees now, and still growing. We have excellent department heads, so really, now, most of my work is done by lunch, if not by breakfast... :D I do start about 3:00 am though, to be ready for the arrival of everyone around 6:00, but that is fine.

One of my dreams as a kid was to be a park ranger - but at the time there very few jobs. It was only a coupld of years ago it occurred to me that I had achieved that dream - except better.