# Do you have a "happy" job? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 9, 2019, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549 "2019-10-09T20:18:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![48Willys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/db5fbb/32.png) [@48Willys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/48Willys)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/41 "2019-10-11T04:21:27Z")
Personal & Esprise Me, Thank you for what you do! As a former foster parent, I know the difference that you both make in the lives of these kids. Just know that you are doing good work. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/43 "2019-10-11T07:48:22Z")
I design/program/make/maintain/support controls for machinery in a wide range of industries. I positively love my job. I get to make stuff work. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/44 "2019-10-11T10:46:11Z")
For me, a happy job is one that: a) pays well, b) is fun, c) has minimum contact with other people and d) zero contact with the general public. My last job met all four qualifications. I worked in a research lab developing AI software for UAVs. I got to train/test my work by flying against it (as an adversary) in a big domed simulator. I had no set schedule and could come in and leave as I pleased. My coworkers were wonderful, but I could spend entire days in my little cave without talking to anyone if I preferred. No dealing with gen-pop, and boss only once per month. The reason I’m using past tense is that I retired 3 months ago, and I’m even happier now. I can RV down to the coast and spend an entire week by myself now. My kiddo recently started a really happy job, and I haven’t seen him this jazzed in years. He finally got enough airline experience to get hired by one of the big cargo carriers. He now travels all over the world, everywhere from Alaska to Pacific atolls, to Greenland and others. Like mine above, his job meets all the qualifications – pays well, only one other person in the cockpit, no gen-pop, and is lotsa fun. My wife works as operations manager for a large loan department (oversees 25 branches I think). Although it pays well, her work involves constant dealing with her large department, tedious work, and constant contact with the general public too. As you might expect, she’s miserable and hates it. Thankfully she can retire soon, so it’s bearable for now. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/45 "2019-10-11T11:31:25Z")
My job is not particularly happy, but I like the fact that the business I help run is in an industry that is fundamentally important to the economy, and I get to see it chug along every single day. I can look out my window and see thousands of containers of goods destined for our stores, and hundreds of trucks coming and going to make sure we can buy the things we need. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/46 "2019-10-11T11:36:34Z")
I get paid to learn about science and I’m surrounded by people who are as smart as or (most typically) smarter than me. Good deal. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/47 "2019-10-11T11:58:19Z")
Yes. I work for a DoD contractor, but I’m not on the “blowing them apart” side, I’m on the “putting them back together” side, and not even the gory part. I work in a medical library. I help train our military doctors, nurses, and dentists. I’m mostly just around college students all day. Goriest thing I typically see is flipping through the dermatology books. (If you’re even little bit squeamish, DO NOT thumb through a dermatology textbook; _trust me_. I tell this to all new employees their first day before they make that mistake themselves.) ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/48 "2019-10-11T13:13:21Z")
**DCinDC** - You _ **KNOW** _ that’s going to drive them straight to those books! StG ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/49 "2019-10-11T13:50:13Z")
I’m a cashier in a discount store. While it’s not a “happy” job, it is satisfying. Most of the customers are very nice, and I’ve had some good interactions with some. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/50 "2019-10-11T14:25:15Z")
Yeah, I’m pretty happy with what I do. I’m semi-retired, so I spend half my time doing nothing at all. I still, however, do consulting, teaching, and video forensics work on an hourly/daily basis for various clients. So… 50% Nothing at all. 20% Telling people what they should do, with no penalty if I’m wrong. 20% Passing on what I know and seeing (some) students actually get it. 10% Sitting on my couch playing with videos on my laptop (which, incidentally, pays the most). I have nothing to complain about. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/51 "2019-10-11T14:53:21Z")
My job (attorney for injured people) includes a great deal of sadness. No one comes to me because something good happened to them. Instead it’s terrible things like the death of a child, or serious injuries, assault, rape or perhaps employment discrimination. So I wouldn’t call it a “happy job,” but I really enjoy it. I get to help seek compensation for people who have suffered a terrible loss. The work is interesting. Every case is different. I learn about fluid dynamics in one case (jetski injury) and the danger of sub-micron particles of coal dust in another. The job entails elements of social work, theater, science, persuasive oral and written arguments, and medicine. I work with smart, dedicated people, and we’re well compensated. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/52 "2019-10-11T15:38:52Z")
I’m retired now, but I worked for several decades as a government accountant, and liked most of it. I never had a bad boss or toxic co-workers, and even upper management of our department was pretty good. The latter half of my career was doing a job that I had pretty much defined, and enjoyed doing. I actually delayed several years after I could have retired on full pension because I was involved in the replacement of our financial system (and finally had the chance to set up the accounting elements properly), and was also working on team doing a major review of government-wide accounting standards, and wanted to see both to completion. ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/53 "2019-10-11T16:09:29Z")
> [@48Willys](#): > > Bolding mine. > > This is something that you can control. It is not easy, OK for some it is easy, but it was/is not for me. I get up every morning and consciously choose to be happy that morning. > > Letting the BS that comes along get to me is not allowed. For me this has been work! However, the more I practice this choice the easier it becomes. > > Then at noon, I again choose to be happy. Again it is work, yet the work is worth the lack of stress. > > Again in the evening, I choose to be happy. This is easier, as I choose what I spend my time doing. > > I choose to not be stressed out by anything that I can not control. If my bosses are making impossible demands & they are unapproachable, I find a new-to-me job. OTOH, If there is a chance that the situation will change soon, I may stick it out for, at most, 6 months. > > This is where my choice to take four years off from school after graduating from High School comes in handy. I learned then how to find jobs & I can now find a job almost anywhere. This is also the time that I determined that life is too short to work at a job I hate. > > As I grow older, I see from the perspective of being the more experienced man I am. I can now see what I should spend my time, effort & emotions on. > > Rght now I only have one job, as I just got laid off from my seasonal job. I do not need the seasonal job, but the extra money is nice & I _ **love** _ the work that I do. It is a service to my community. > > I also umpire softball & baseball. Again I _ **love** _ this job. It is also seasonal. My last game for this season is today. I do not count umpiring as a job, I enjoy it too much for it to be a job. > > OTOH, I love my “real” job as well. I get paid to work on antique machinery! What others do as a hobby I get paid for! Yes, it does not pay as well as the high stress jobs, but my happiness is not for sale. > > My “retirement job”, I hope, will be working on antique airplanes. Thanks,\*\* 48Willys\*\*, I appreciate it, I really do. Mostly it’s getting frustrated at stupid shit. I’ve got to learn how to let that go. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/54 "2019-10-11T18:51:40Z")
I’m a software developer. There are occasional times when I am stressed due to a looming deadline or not being able to figure something out. But most of the time I get to build useful things and solve interesting technical problems. I love it! ---
**Author:** ![48Willys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/db5fbb/32.png) [@48Willys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/48Willys)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/55 "2019-10-11T19:28:11Z")
> [@Jumpbass](#): > > Thanks,\*\* 48Willys\*\*, I appreciate it, I really do. Mostly it’s getting frustrated at stupid shit. I’ve got to learn how to let that go. I am glad it helped you. IHTH as well: For me, the key to the stupid shit, (crap), is to recognize it for what it is & to not get emotionally attached to it. For me this is/was a hard lesson to learn. What helps me is to look six month to a year into the future & see how this crap will affect my life. If it does not affect my life in any way, or very little, I let it go. At least I try to let it go. Another thing is to figure out if this is your problem or is it someone else’s problem. For example, one of my relatives is a shopaholic, she buys crap she does not need with money she does not have. She then contacts her friends & relatives to “loan” her some money for the rent. I tried to help her with her spending issue & I bailed her out a few times. However, since she does not even try to curb her spending, I no longer give her money, nor do I give the related issues even one thought. It is **her** problem, not mine. I have learned to not get into the “rescue mode”, emotionally, with this crap. This is/was one of the toughest lessons for me. Another example is that several of my sisters just live to complain about stuff. It took me awhile, but after I figured out that they complain because it makes them feel better about themselves, I quit getting upset with them about whatever it was that they were complaining about that moment. Heck their complaining is part of the reason I moved 1200 miles away from them. It helped that I was offered a job doing what I love with people I enjoy. Note that none of these lessons learned were easy for me, & the solutions to these issues are ongoing, meaning I work on them almost every day. It does get easier the more I practice these choices, but some days it is still hard. Again IHTH, 48Willys. PS. I have learned to let folks have the last word on the stupid shit. It seems to help. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549/56 "2019-10-11T20:12:22Z")
I have a tolerable job. Sort of. I like the idea of what I do, but the people make it frustrating as balls. I create opioid addiction prevention programs for the elderly. I spend more time warning clinicians and doctors of sudden withdrawal symptoms than I do the patients I serve, which pisses me off to no end. _steps on soapbox_ You can’t just suddenly take someone’s pain meds away without a) doing it slowly and b) giving them an alternative way to manage pain. That’s not how substance dependence works. And you can’t take away treatment for opioid dependency because someone relapses - you don’t take away someone’s insulin if they eat cake, or tell someone they can’t have their lipitor because they had a cheeseburger. Medication assisted therapy should be viewed the same way, but since there’s such a moral stigma attached to addiction, people punish people when they need help the most. _gets off soapbox_ Okay, maybe it’s not THAT happy a job. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-happy-job/841549.md?page=2)