<p>I like my job a lot. I don’t love it but I think that if you’ve been at the same job, in the same firm, for 25 years and can still say you like it a lot, it’s a darned good job.</p>
<p>I’m a lawyer. I still face intellectual challenges and novel issues. Yes, much has become rote, but the people involved can be so wacked out that even the rote can be interesting.</p>
<p>The stressful part is trying to stay busy. Clients go away, not because they are dissatisfied with me as a lawyer, but because they get acquired, or stop doing what I help them do, or go out of business. It’s very difficult to enjoy the slower times because you know it will lead to a pay cut the next year or possibly worse.</p>
<p>Missypie-Nice to hear from a lawyer who likes the work (when you have it!).
I work as a sales rep with my husband-this economy is making it tough – but it is still a great gig to be self employed. Flexibility is a big asset. I was a 25% rep and a 75% mom. Now I am a 25% rep and still trying to figure out what to do with the other 75%.</p>
<p>I’m not a teacher … and not a lawyer. I’ve had a wide range of jobs, and I’m with those who say “it depends.” Bad clients, bad companies, bad bosses, bad economy, bad luck … any of these can turn a nice career into “not fun.” I was fortunate to have good timing, even in those instances where some “not fun” thing or another prompted me to move on.</p>
<p>I am a biotech researcher and I like what I do and the diversity of projects I get to work on (although I’m not totally wild about some of my former bosses or the job stability in this VC-funded industry).</p>
<p>Scout, hang in there - good chemistry teachers are worth their weight in gold.</p>
<p>I can’t say I love my job. But I do not hate it. I am a teacher–on the college level. I do love the time off, flexible hours and independence. But I’m getting older, and the students aren’t. The age difference between us is expanding and it is getting harder and harder to relate. Of course I am in the middle of finals with a lot of tests waiting to be graded. So I may be just grumpy.</p>
<p>My D did her last yr in hs in a program (called New Visions–is this national?) where most of her day was spent at a hospital doing rotations at all the various medical jobs. It was a great program, she earned college credit and had incredible experiences. But all of the docs told her not to become docs. They said they would not do it again.</p>
<p>When I was young and lived in NYC, my brother got to play a little league championship in Yankee Stadium before a Yankee’s game. (This was Micky Mantle era.) My dad, knowing all the guys, got to sit in the announcer’s booth to provide names. A very famous announcer, I do not remember his name but I guess he was THE announcer of this famous Yankee team and was well known, was announcing the little league game. My father asked him, in awe, what the hardest part of his job was, thinking there was no hard part. It seemed to be a dream job. The announcer’s reply was —Just showing up.</p>
<p>I am a professor in a humanities department at a research 1 institution. I love, love, love my job and have always loved it. I enjoy the teaching, the research, even the administrative component. I also appreciate the fact that in most respects I am my own boss; my time is very flexible and provided I get my work done nobody’s peering over my shoulder telling me exactly how to do it. I work hard and am productive, but it doesn’t feel effortful to me because most of the time, I enjoy what I do. I like my colleagues and the university environment. As I get older, I appreciate the job security. However, the field is VERY overcrowded and competitive, and has been for a long time, so most academics end up sacrificing a lot on the personal side even if they succeed in getting a fulltime job. Many don’t and spend years of their lives unprofitably. For this reason, I rarely recommend this career path to the young. Lawyers complain about jobs drying up but it’s nothing compared to humanities academia.</p>
<p>Teacher–last day with students was Friday. I love most of the kiddos, the teaching part, the diagnostic skills necessary, the cause and effect, the subject matter, the schedule. I could do without the parents some days, but thank God for them other days. Three best things about teaching? June, July and August. And it’s a very family friendly career.</p>
<p>Oh, and I write, too, during the summers. Mostly articles and short stories. And tutor on weekends and during the summer. And mow my lawn. Life is good. ;-)</p>
<p>Child Psychiatrist, currently in private practice which is WAAAY better than my last “job”, but the business end is not my favorite. It can be tiring, scary, emotional, frustrating, and sometimes even boring, but every once in awhile…OMG!!! and I remember why I do this.</p>
<p>No, I do not like my job very much (I’m a medical laboratory technologist), and I still don’t know what I want to be when I “grow up.” For now it’s OK, but once we’ve accumulated enough to feather the college fund nest, I’ll find something else to occupy my time.</p>
<p>I am a social worker, running an Employee Assistance Program for a hospital. I enjoy my job.
There is a lot of diversity in my day and I like the people I work with and the company I work for. The day my twins started college (2 yrs ago), I started a p/t MBA, and I am about to graduate.I figure, I have another decade: I want take on new challenges (in my field).
What I hate about my job: the insane commute.</p>
<p>Yes and no. I much preferred my 20-year hiatus from real work, during which I did what I wanted, when I wanted. I really liked the years I spent substitute teaching, to be honest, but the pay was not so hot. I am back to full time work now, with very low pay, a very long commute, and too little control over my own job. I have far too much work … when I take vacation, it all piles up & it’s overwhelming to try to catch up. The more I do, the more is expected of me. It’s frustrating.</p>
<p>I do enjoy using my brain. I’m very good at what I do, and that is sometimes enough for me … then the extraneous stuff intrudes & I wish I had a different job … or that I could hang out at home again. But life is what it is, and I hope to move on to other pursuits if jobs ever present themselves in this area again.</p>
<p>I like my job. My degree is in nursing. I really did not like my job on a busy hospital floor.
After being a SAHM for many years, I fell into teaching preschool. I like my very short commute, the people I work with, the kids who come in and hug my legs, the stuff they say that is just hilarious and the great schedule ( we follow the public school schedule).</p>
<p>High School teacher here, and I love my job for all the reasons mentioned above. Interesting how many teachers love their jobs, while many in other professions do not. What is true, though, is that we are certainly not in it for the money… :)</p>
<p>LOVE my job. I am a public historian, doing historic preservation, research and economic development in a small community in Iowa. I am the whole office - I set my own hours, I set my own agenda. I work for a board, but I get to pick who’s on the board and they all are really good people. </p>
<p>A story I often tell to describe how diverse my job: My foundation owns a barn that we rent out for weddings, community events, etc. It is often used for campaign stops. During the presidential campaign Obama came and gave a speech in the barn. About twelve of us were pulled aside for a private meeting with him. A truly amazing man --I got to stand and talk to him privately for about ten minutes. As I was walking away, my maintenance guy said “Hey, lololu, the guy who dumps the dumpster wants to talk to you” I went from speaking to the future President of the United States to talking to a man with no teeth in his head in the space of 5 minutes. That’s my job.</p>
<p>I like my current job a whole bunch better than my 30+ years with the Federal government. I do not miss DC, and I especially do not miss the traffic. Living in a small mid-western city can be quite interesting. </p>
<p>There is a downside. I don’t have any colleagues to consult with like I did in the Federal government. I’m afraid my skills are getting stale. I’m somewhat isolated and don’t feel because of what I do I can become close friends with anyone at the University. After all that time in the Federal government I was used to people doing what they’re told. At a University it’s always a debate especially in mine which has strong faculty governance. </p>
<p>But, this is the coolest place (sometimes quite literally) I have ever worked. The people are nice, and interesting things are always going on at a research 1 institution with a huge student population. After five plus years, I still can’t believe the hired me. My wife and I, east coast people our whole lives, frequently ask each other in utter amazement: “Who ever thought we would wind up here?” I consider it a great adventure.</p>