# How many of you are happy with your jobs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 21, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198 "2003-03-21T20:20:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sstaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@sstaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sstaurus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/1 "2003-03-21T20:20:09Z")
Are you happy with your job? Do you get any satisfaction out of it or are you stuck in a boring 9-5 desk job? Have any of you done what you wanted to do or broken out of those mind-numbingly soul-crushing jobs? That I am curious about and anything else you want to share.šŸ˜• ---
**Author:** ![IDemandBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a88e57/32.png) [@IDemandBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IDemandBeer)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/2 "2003-03-21T20:22:00Z")
Iā€™m happier than a pig-in-shit with mine. šŸ™‚ 'Course, I have a lot of autonomy, flex-time, and I only meet with my bosses twice/month, so that helps quite a bit. šŸ™‚ ā€“IDB ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/3 "2003-03-21T20:23:45Z")
I am. I wouldnā€™t be doing anything else. And with my move to Montana this summer, Iā€™ll be the coolest SOB on the block. Hell, they make _movies_ about guys with my job. Tripler Word of the day: ā€œmodestyā€. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![merge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@merge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merge)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/4 "2003-03-21T20:26:13Z")
Happy?? NOā€¦ Contentā€¦ yesā€¦ It gets rather dull hereā€¦ I am up for review in a weekā€¦ and I can not possibly justify a raise for myselfā€¦ I do everything I am supposed to do and moreā€¦ but that is still like 2 things a dayā€¦ all I do is play on the internetā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![beckwall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/5 "2003-03-21T20:33:24Z")
My job - home health nurse Stressful, rewarding, learn-something-new-everyday, meet some interesting people, make my own schedule, wonderful boss. I love it. ---
**Author:** ![Anahita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9a28c/32.png) [@Anahita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anahita)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/6 "2003-03-21T20:46:20Z")
Yes, deeply happy as a Language Support Teacher. Itā€™s been years since Iā€™ve felt this level of job satisfaction. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/7 "2003-03-21T20:56:00Z")
Not me, said the Little Red Hen. I like the magazine I work for, and I like most of the people hereā€”and I really like my paycheck and my benefits. But the job itself consists of sweeping up after the punctuation and grammar of girls half my age who make twice my salary. A huge step backwards careerwise, and one Iā€™m too old to ever make up. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/8 "2003-03-21T20:59:50Z")
My job is dreary and soul-killing in its utter mediocrity. I donā€™t even have the distinction of a particularly difficult, demanding, or risky job. I post to this thread only because next week will be my final week working here, and, to my knowledge, working any job like this ever again. I believe I have broken free. ---
**Author:** ![TeleTronOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4af34b/32.png) [@TeleTronOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeleTronOne)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/9 "2003-03-21T21:01:33Z")
My job is mundane and boring. Itā€™s a 30% pay cut from my last job - but of course, the reason I donā€™t work there anymore is because they went bankrupt. ā˜¹ This job is unstimulating, doesnā€™t challenge me in the slightest, and I have no motivation whatsoever to do it, let alone excel in my work, besides the fact that I wonā€™t be able to feed and shelter myself if I donā€™t. I think this job is slowly but surely causing my brain to rot. My **last** job, however, was awesome. Lots of autonomy, great pay, great people, challenging, etc. Iā€™m still not over having to leave. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/10 "2003-03-21T21:03:00Z")
Nope. Great money, quite flexible, shit work, shit management. ---
**Author:** ![Kn\_ckers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/96bed5/32.png) [@Kn\_ckers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kn_ckers)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/11 "2003-03-21T21:05:13Z")
Deeply, mind-bendingly miserable in my job. I can think of nothing that would be less well suited to me - personally or intellectually, and I wish to high heaven I had never made the mistake of accepting the position. Does that answer your question? ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/12 "2003-03-21T21:11:27Z")
Iā€™m screwing around on the SDMB right. How bad can it be? Actually, itā€™s quite lame. Fortunately no one cares that Iā€™m screwing around on the SDMB. If they did, Iā€™d go crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/13 "2003-03-21T21:11:58Z")
Iā€™m a System Administrator with a failing high-tech company, and Iā€™m due to be laid off in June. Iā€™m miserable. I wonder if playing Star Wars: Galaxies could be a full-time job? It should be released by June šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/14 "2003-03-21T21:16:40Z")
I used to be, but now Iā€™m suffering from _information overload_. I work as a respiratory therapist in a small hospital and everything was going just fine until recent newly enacted laws resulted in tighter documentation, _more_ documentation, and so called _competencies_ (read ā€œtestsā€) that we have to take monthly in class and online. This is okay, I have confidence in my abilities and do not mind being tested. Matter of fact, it keeps me on my toes. **But** ā€¦ Sometimes all that paperwork leaves little time for decent patient care and that all-important **TLC** the patient needs to get well. Let me qualify that previous statement by saying that at my hospital I am currently the only therapist working 7p-7a, and I live in one of the fastest growing counties in the USA, if you believe the hype. This means I cover the ER, ICU, Med-Surg, Nursing Facility (_Home_) and our Pulmonary Rehab Unit. Altogether, weā€™re talking 100 beds which is not a lot compared to big-city standards, but itā€™s a lot of beds when youā€™re just one guy. Some nights we have vents (respirators), some nights we donā€™t, but sometimes we have a busy ER **and** vents! Bottom-line: I get spread very thin some nights and have to stay over to do the paperwork I missed so that my patients wouldnā€™t go without their treatments. And guess what? They **then** bitch about the overtime! Iā€™m sharing this with you, OP, because you asked, but I swear to God, sometimes I leave work wondering if I have taken care of my patients the way I should have, and sometimes, on my off-nights, I **dream** about being at work. I love what I do, but sometimes it all comes at you so fast, you wonder if it might not be less stressful to work as a Wal-Mart greeter. "Hey Goddamit! Iā€™m Quasi! Welcome to Wallyworld! Take a buggy, a deep breath and spend some money! " I think I may actually feel a little better! šŸ˜ƒ Sorry for the length! Q ---
**Author:** ![rundogrun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5daacb/32.png) [@rundogrun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rundogrun)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/15 "2003-03-21T21:19:57Z")
Two years ago I left a high-profile magazine and company to take a pay cut and work for a select group of magazines no one knows. And to work at home. Wouldnā€™t change a thing right now. I see my kids everyday and get more things done in 4 hours than I could in 10. Plus the commuteā€™s a snap! ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/16 "2003-03-21T21:34:20Z")
I quite like my job. I work for a a small independent cleaning service. I donā€™t want to do this for the rest of my life, but right now I am happy with it. I have a great boss, my co-workers are nice, we get to travel and arenā€™t stuck in one place for long, the pay is good, and really flexiable hours. ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/17 "2003-03-21T21:46:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by merge \* > \*\*Happy?? NOā€¦ > > Contentā€¦ yesā€¦ > > It gets rather dull hereā€¦ I am up for review in a weekā€¦ and I can not possibly justify a raise for myselfā€¦ > > I do everything I am supposed to do and moreā€¦ but that is still like 2 things a dayā€¦ all I do is play on the internetā€¦ \*\* Well, there went MY post. Verbatim. Scary. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![graceland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ec9cab/32.png) [@graceland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/graceland)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/18 "2003-03-21T21:51:39Z")
In my former job life, there were moments of coolness punctuated by long periods of stress, anxiety, and utter BS. I was the marketing director/in house ad agency for a 10,000 seat arena. In addition to concerts, we did a lot of rehearsals like Van Halen, Reba McEntire and Janet Jackson. Jimmy Page played for about 300 of us the night before Page/Plant hit the road. Then one night I woke up stressing about how to get more on-air radio promotions for an upcoming wrestling date. When it struck me that I was freaking out about hawking wrestling tickets, I decided to quit my job. Iā€™d freelance media buying or start the catering business I envisioned, etc. So, I did it. Wrote a letter of resignation and was gone two weeks later. Part of my job was overseeing backstage promotions and the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate would ask me to take birdhouses backstage for artists to autograph. After leaving my job, I just let the Habitat folks know they could contact me at home. Instead they offered me a job as an AmeriCorps VISTA. I agreed to do it for a year (75% cut in pay, but that didnā€™t matter because it felt really great to want to get out of bed in the morning again). Iā€™ve been with the affiliate for almost seven years now. In a life pock-marked by really bad decisions, I can say that this is one of the best moves I have ever made. I witness childrenā€™s lives changed, neighborhoods transformed and families given the opportunity to have a stable place to call home. Last month I was in Guatemala building homes (theyā€™re cinder block and 400 sq. ft.). Tomorrow, Iā€™ll be up on the plate toe-nailing trusses. Life is good; yes, it is. ---
**Author:** ![JavaMaven1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/19 "2003-03-21T21:56:23Z")
For the most part, yes, I am pretty happy with my job. The commute is only 15 minutes, I get paid better than any restaurant would pay me right now, thereā€™s a little flexibility in my hours, and I get a six-week vacation thatā€™s coming up in just a few weeks. So, Iā€™m happy with what I have, but it could most certainly be better. ---
**Author:** ![regurgit8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58f4c7/32.png) [@regurgit8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/regurgit8)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198/20 "2003-03-21T22:14:24Z")
Ha ā€“ interesting topic. My work is perfectly suitable to my personality. It is not very exciting, but I donā€™t want a high-stress career. And it never gets too boring, either. Just the right kind of balance. The pay and benefits are better than I think I deserve, but that could just be my inferiority complex. For the most part, the people are cool. There is the occasional personality conflict that happens when people spend a lot of time together. You know more about the quirks and stuff of those you work with than you want to know, which takes away the mystery and causes people to get on one anotherā€™s nerves. Overall, I think Iā€™m very lucky with my job. I think no one winds up in a certain job or career path by accident. Even those people who complain about having shitty jobs are suited for these jobs somehow, or else they would not have gravitated towards them. If a job is truly unbearable, and itā€™s exclusively for the money, I donā€™t think most people can last very long. There has to be a certain degree of satisfaction and fulfillment. I have that, yep. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-are-happy-with-your-jobs/163198.md?page=2)