<p>I was just reading (with a sinking heart!) the thread about whether kids should consider law school. My daughter is a bright motivated kid who has changed majors 3 times. She’s now talking about law school. Her dad’s a lawyer, and he’s got the same point of view as a lot of the parents on that thread - DON’T DO IT. I’d like to give her a little guidance, so…what is a good job, anyway? I love my secretary job, which I can afford to do because of the aforementioned lawyer H. Do you like your job? Why?</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it’s sort of a crapshoot as far as finding a job you “like”. So much depends on your boss, your co-workers and the culture of the organization. Many of these things are not easy to determine in advance. And, even if you can determine them, a change in management or a merger can mean all bets are off.<br>
I work for a company which has a very good culture and great people, even though it has been hit hard by the economic downturn. The management “Walks the Talk” and cares about the employees. It is an ethical organization. I have worked for companies that were not like this. These companies had some leaders who believed in management by intimidation. There were people who were not good mentors and who didn’t care if younger workers were bored or not allowed to develop skills.
I wish I had a good answer for you. (I’m a lawyer who loves my job)</p>
<p>Yes, I love my job. Actually, there are two things to consider here: job and career.</p>
<p>My job is great. I have summers off so I can pursue my travels and education. We get snow days, week long holidays, great benefits…</p>
<p>My career is even better. I have opportunities to change lives, be a life-long learner, show kids that the arts can be a fantastic vocation and avocation. I help, I counsel, I am a positive role model for the future generations. Every day is fascinating.</p>
<p>Yep, I’m a teacher.</p>
<p>I’m also a teacher and I also love it!</p>
<p>Teacher #3 here and mostly love it after 21 years. I teach at a community college and though we are higher ed, we are so often treated like the stepchild with regard to public funding and prestige. I often wonder what it would be like at a top private school where quality mattered as much in the big picture as quantity (number of students definitely drives the train for 2 year schools). Some of the things that made it an attractive career when I first began are no longer available for new hires - tenure and retirement health care. Some see those as entitlements, but when you work for below average salaries, benefits can make the difference in a comfortable lifestyle. Those are some negatives, but summer and holiday vacations, professional development that allows you to interact with great minds, and the occasional feedback you get from a student that tells you the difference you made in their life are huge positives. Not only have I been able to influence students regarding the value of a good education, I think I’ve been able to pass that value on to both of my own children.</p>
<p>Teacher #4 and I love it too! I do find it exhausting though. On the other hand it is never, ever boring! Every day brings something wonderful. I teach art to 600 students and I feel very overwhelmed sometimes but very lucky. I agree that a lot depends on your boss, colleagues, etc. I have taught before in other towns, under other administrators and with different peers and have not been as happy as I am right now. I thinks that you have to care deeply about what you do in order to tolerate the less than ideal situations. Eventually you will find a better place so that you can keep doing what you do in a work place where you feel comfortable and valued.</p>
<p>Teacher here too…for 36 years. I LOVE the teaching part…the kids, my coworkers (most of them), the families. I HATE HATE HATE the politics, the paperwork (which is huge), the “open season on teachers” every year just about now. </p>
<p>It’s been a wonderful career for me…but I would not recommend it to young people now.</p>
<p>Fascinating! Look who replied to the prompt,“Do you like your job?” All teachers so far. And thanks so much for the explanations.</p>
<p>Middle school teacher here and I love my job as well. I must admit that I start to run out of gas around mid-May and I hate this time of year when the town budget is up in the air and people who know NOTHING about my job write ugly comments in the paper regarding teachers. I work in a diverse community and I am thrilled when I see the great interaction between different cultural/economic/religious groups of students. It gives me great hope for the future. Everyone seems to think they can be a teacher, but it is a challenging line of work - and middle school kids - wow - are they something special (the good and the bad!!).</p>
<p>Actually I love my career. Many moons ago took the LSAT, got accepted to law school…never attended… took the GMATs and ended up with an MBA. I had my head set on law since junior high so things happen when push comes to shove. I’m currently in, and have been for decades,the field of Marketing Communications and happy as a clam. I’ve taught as an adjunct off and on at a local college and loved that too!</p>
<p>NO NO and another emphatic NOOOOOOO!</p>
<p>(another lawyer here… looks like I should have pursued teaching)!</p>
<p>well, rats… I feel like it’s “piling on” if I say that I love my job since I’m a teacher also. But I do. You get to see results. You sometimes even get high-5’s and I get a “Thank you Mrs. Dragonmom” from 3 or 4 students after every class. (Gee, I missed out on teaching my kids <em>that</em> part of Southern good manners!)</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>I was lucky enough to drift into a line of work that allowed me to earn substantial amounts of money on a freelance basis while raising children – science writing and editing. I am still doing that kind of work, but now I’m a full-time employee of a government contractor.</p>
<p>I like some aspects of the work, especially the editing, and the content often is interesting. But I do not like my job, and I do not think that I would like an alternative job any better. </p>
<p>More than 20 years of freelancing spoiled me rotten. I hate not being in control of my own life. I find it humiliating to have to account for every moment of my working time (in 15-minute intervals), to have to ask for permission to take a few hours of sick time to go to the dentist or to take a couple of days of vacation time to pick up my daughter at college, and to know that if I must make a personal phone call on company time (for example, to make that dental appointment), it counts against me in the estimation of my superiors. I feel like a prisoner (or a high school student, which is pretty much the same thing). I am accustomed to more autonomy and flexibility in my life, and even after two years of being back at a full-time job, I miss the lifestyle of a freelancer every day.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, my family’s current financial circumstances dictate that holding a full-time job is what I need to be doing right now. Damn.</p>
<p>No. At least not this decade. I used to like it, and think I was good at it, but now I’m just dead wood :(</p>
<p>I responded and I’m not a teacher!</p>
<p>No, I do not like my job. </p>
<p>I left the career world to be a full-time mom for 8 years - which I don’t regret - but after that I chose jobs based on location and hours. I chose jobs that were nearby and school hours. Now my youngest is headed off to college and I’m still at a dead-end part-time job working for a boss who I don’t respect 
I’m job hunting but at this point I’m underqualified for the jobs that sound the most interesting to me. Also I’ve gotten spoiled by working the school year and having the summers off, the idea of working full-time, year-round is icky - especially since DH has been with his company for 20+ years and has a ton of vacation time.</p>
<p>(and although I work for the schools, I’m not a teacher!)</p>
<p>oooh…Marian…scary. I’ve been independent consultant for almost 10 years and I’m also quite spoiled. I can’t say I LOVE my work but I do like it OK…and I LOVE the flexibility. So far, I have figured out how to make enough $ to keep this going. I figure if I’ve been able to hang on in the last two years, I should be fine. We’ll see</p>
<p>A few years back , my H changed from one job to another. Salary was actually a step back and I questioned the decision. Now I understand. The culture and climate of a job is more important than many other factors. He loves what he does now and where he works. If you find that, it’s great.</p>
<p>I loved my job at one time. Now I just like it. I manage Project Managers. My staff is always great. It’s the clients that drain me. I’m tired of fighting the same fights.</p>
<p>I’ve loved most of my jobs. I even had fun being a cashier at a convenience store when I was in college. My career has changed so many times I lost count. I actually think that loving your job has more to do with you than it does the job. (With the exception of some places that are just poorly managed or toxic and those should be screened out in the interview process and avoided at all costs).</p>