# Job Satisfaction On A Scale Of 1-10 **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 18, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270 "2013-03-18T16:23:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/1 "2013-03-18T16:23:19Z")
This poll is to determine how satisfied you are with your current job, on a scale of 1 (I hate the place and my job with every fiber of my being) to 10 (I love my job so much I would probably keep working there for free!). The poll will be anonymous (in case you have any friends or co-workers lurking), but just was wondering how happy people are with the jobs they have. Feel free to add any info - like perhaps the job used to be great but now sucks, or that you used to hate it but now like it, or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/2 "2013-03-18T16:48:53Z")
I picked ‘7’. I like what I do, I like the person I work for, and I feel that I could grow in this position. Those are three important things for me. That said: 1. The benefits here are horrible. 2. There are some people I work with I cannot stand. 3. I could always be paid more… 😃 Aside from #3, those two reasons knock my job down from a solid 9 (IMO) to a 7. I’m not sure what a job I rated at a 10 would be… ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/3 "2013-03-18T19:03:31Z")
The only thing that would make my job better would be if I was owner rather than employee, and if we could afford better heath benefits. ---
**Author:** ![EMCEE\_98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5ac83/32.png) [@EMCEE\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EMCEE_98)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/4 "2013-03-18T19:46:54Z")
I’m a therapist, have been working in the social services field for about 12 years. Current job is the first one in 10 years where my supervisor is even a damn human being. Benefits suck, pay sucks. Other than that, I like working with the clients. ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/5 "2013-03-18T19:50:56Z")
I voted 9. I like the work I do, the autonomy I’m given, the people I work with, and I think that what I do has a (small) positive effect on the world. I think my pay and benefits are pretty good. The biggest downside is the commute (40-60 minutes each way), but I work at home twice a week. I’m a little overwhelmed by my to do list right now, but that’s OK. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/6 "2013-03-18T20:16:52Z")
> [@BetsQ](#): > > I voted 9. I like the work I do, the autonomy I’m given, the people I work with, and I think that what I do has a (small) positive effect on the world. I think my pay and benefits are pretty good. The biggest downside is the commute (40-60 minutes each way), but I work at home twice a week. I’m a little overwhelmed by my to do list right now, but that’s OK. Wow, we’re basically exactly the same, right down to the commute and making a (small) positive effect on the world. I picked 10 though because I think my pay and benefits are great. ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/7 "2013-03-18T20:31:16Z")
I said 8. I love the work and (most of) the people I work with, and the commute is about as good as I could ask for in this area. I took a point off each for so-so benefits and a very nice but sometimes drippy manager. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/8 "2013-03-18T20:33:25Z")
Compared to other jobs: about an 8 Compared to being independently wealthy: about a 2 ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/9 "2013-03-18T21:39:08Z")
1. I’d do it for free; in fact, I have done it for free. I’m constantly surprised and delighted by the fact that people actually PAY me. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/10 "2013-03-18T22:00:17Z")
I said 5. I dropped the hospital blood bank life because management was cheap and shortsighted, and overtime and chronic understaffing was killing me, not to mention probably putting patients at risk. I left to work in a manufacturing setting, very different, very low-key, which I thought would be good. And… it is… but I’m bored. I miss the direct impact on patients’ lives. I miss the human contact with the nurses and other techs. The group I work with now is nice enough, but very small, and the way the workload is spread out I have a ridiculous amount of downtime. I shouldn’t complain, I know. But I feel like I’m driving an hour each way to do a little work and then sit alone and fuck around on the internet for half the day. My brain is turning into mush. I think I’m going to look into getting a certification or another degree of some sort while I’m there, because I certainly have the time to study. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/11 "2013-03-18T22:02:28Z")
I gave it a 10. Of course I’ve been retired for 10 years. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/12 "2013-03-18T23:57:03Z")
I’m a solid 8. I love what I do and adore my coworkers. The pay is ok – not enough for me to cover my family with health insurance, though (which is hideously expensive at work), which knocks it down 2 notches. If I got paid enough to buy health insurance for MrPanda and PandaKid, it’d be a 10. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/13 "2013-03-19T01:34:22Z")
I give my situation a 4. Get rid of two people on the day shift and it would be an 8. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/14 "2013-03-19T01:35:09Z")
I’m retired now, but would rate my 30 years as a high school science teacher as 10. The high score is pretty much due to the students, which made everything else unimportant. Great career choice for me personally. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/15 "2013-03-19T01:44:02Z")
I’m not sure what number to pick. The company is great to work for, excellent pay and benefits, great colleagues to work with, incredible working environment, and a solid company in an excellent market. The only problem is I don’t like the work I’m doing. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/16 "2013-03-19T01:55:59Z")
1. It pays the bills, it provides benefits, it has zero opportunity for advancement, learning anything new, or for ever, ever changing. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/17 "2013-03-19T02:32:30Z")
> [@BetsQ](#): > > I voted 9. I like the work I do, the autonomy I’m given, the people I work with, and I think that what I do has a (small) positive effect on the world. I think my pay and benefits are pretty good. The biggest downside is the commute (40-60 minutes each way), but I work at home twice a week. I’m a little overwhelmed by my to do list right now, but that’s OK. Very similar, even the commute. I don’t work from home on any regular basis and I do get frustrated sometimes at trying to push changes through where I have to rely on the involvement of others which is why I gave it an 8. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/18 "2013-03-19T14:30:19Z")
I gave it a 9, although I am retired for 13 years. I loved teaching (and actually gave a lecture a couple weeks ago) and adored research (and still do it for free); it was only having to mark tests that downgraded it from 10, since the rest I do for free. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/19 "2013-03-19T14:38:04Z")
I said 6. I have a good boss and the work is interesting, but it just doesn’t _ **spark** _ me. Know what I mean? ---
**Author:** ![Phila444](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba8739/32.png) [@Phila444](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phila444)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270/20 "2013-03-19T14:42:44Z")
I went with a 7. The negatives are that the pay isn’t all that great and there aren’t a whole lot of advancement opportunities. The positives are that I enjoy what I do, health insurance is reasonable, the hours are great (I make the schedule for my department and there are no strict guidelines when it comes to scheduling, so in a way I set my own hours), and I like the people I work with. So it may not be the greatest job in the world, but the positives outweigh the negatives. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-satisfaction-on-a-scale-of-1-10/653270.md?page=2)