<p>No, but thankfully I only work 12 hours a week ;)</p>
<p>I love my job. I’m a former lawyer, now a law school counselor.</p>
<p>I am a self employed dentist, and, while it certainly can be stressful, for the most part I love my job. As the leader in my practice, I set the “corporate culture”. I have had instances of employees who were not pleasant to be around, but I felt their skills warranted keeping them. Not anymore. I cannot overemphasize the importance of the team dynamic in a small business. They don’t have to be my best friends, but if I decide I genuinely don’t like to work with someone or they cause too much conflict, they won’t be with me for much longer. Usually afterward, the rest of the team will ask me: “what took you so long?”</p>
<p>The work itself is varied and challenging. If you keep up, the field is constantly changing, and there’s always new technology and procedures to learn and implement. Ultimately, private practice success depends far more on people and business skills than the technical, however. Since I had positioned myself to do a lot of elective care, the economy has certainly affected my income, but I still make a good living and enjoy going into work most days.</p>
<p>I don’t love my job. For many years, I was a “part-time” (really full-time) adjunct and loved it except for the low pay. I was very spoiled by the summers off, long winter break, etc.</p>
<p>Now I work full time at the same college as an advisor/counselor. It’s rewarding work, but my director is making me crazy (we were friends as coworkers, and I championed her to become director, but a whole other side of her appeared–autocratic and hypercritical. Yuck.) And even more, I miss the summers and would do anything to have more writing time again.</p>
<p>Ironically, I took this job partly to help pay for college, and partly so H could career switch (from medicine to teaching.) We used my insurance while he was switching, and he took Ed classes for free at this school.</p>
<p>So now he’s a happy teacher with summers off, and I go through the summer gritting my teeth with frustration about having to work (note: when I had summers off, there were kids in the house to take care of, but they’re grown now.)</p>
<p>Franglish, it’s funny … I always hear teachers say that (about the pay). Believe me, there are professional jobs that require extraordinarily hard work that pay quite a bit less. I know from personal experience.</p>
<p>Agreed, Kelsmom. In a professional job, with two degrees required, I make less than the average starting teacher. My H is quite satisfied with what he makes, especially with all the perks.</p>
<p>I don’t think teachers are overpaid, but I also don’t think they are underpaid.</p>
<p>Do not really like my job. I was enthusiastic about it at first, but now I just feel used. Pay is a pittance for what they are asking me to do, and the benefits are lackluster. This is compared to similar jobs in similar fields in my area.</p>
<p>I took it knowing the package seemed sound, and it has been an interesting experience. Since I only recently graduated, and this is my first real job (in a cubicle and everything), I’m not really sure if this is a matter of painful adjustment or if my personality is just really not suited to this kind of thing.</p>
<p>Either way, I’m looking at school again – academia or teaching fits my style, and what I do in my “other 8 hours,” much better.</p>
<p>garland, I’d love to hear more! There must be some interesting changes in interpersonal dynamics and identity. Not the words I’m looking for, but I hope you get the picture. </p>
<p>When H and I first-met, he was in medical school and I was a resident. For our early years, I was the major earner and supplier of benefits. 10 years ago, we shifted roles, as a result of me needing to get out of a “job”, and I had the “luxury” of I part time private practice. It seemed like random timing, but in retrospect, I really needed to put less emotional energy into work, and more into family. </p>
<p>Now we are almost empty nesters, and I’m testing out a “job”, and full time work again. I notice I am complaining more about “housework” and asking for more help.again.</p>
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<p>I think that one has to assign value to the time off. (Of course, some would prefer to work year round for more money…)</p>
<p>Shrinkrap–the dynamics are a work in progress. H really needed to get out of medicine, because as spectacular at it as he was, it was too draining for him in the long run. Teaching has built in limits, so no matter how much he overdoes it (and he does) he will get a break by the nature of the job.</p>
<p>When he was in medicine, I felt I needed to work only part time (ostensibly) because almost all the household/childcare needs fell to me. One reason I went to full time as the kids got older, besides those listed above, was to nudge H into taking on more (he does stuff like gardening, some repairs, etc, but tended not to “see” the drudgery–housecleaning, dishes, laundry, etc.) That dynamic has changed, though it’s still a work in progress. He does some more now, and I close my eyes to what’s not done–LOL.</p>
<p>We’re exploring now how I can go back to part-time and share the summers off. He supports it entirely (especially so I can write), but it would mean a further reduction already in our much reduced income. I’ts really a matter of me figuring out how to make the jump.</p>
<p>Very interesting! I have always wanted to write, and thought I would while working part time, but have given up on improving my self discipline when no immediate negative consequences are involved.</p>
<p>If you don’t mind my asking, are you still paring for college? My increased hours are partly to help me “waste” less time, but mostly to give my youngest a few more college options.</p>
<p>We are probably done paying for college, though if my S does go back (left senior year, don’t ask), we could help out through savings.</p>
<p>If this question had been asked 5 years ago, I would have resoundingly said “yes”.</p>
<p>Not now. I am a teacher, and as I teach FL, not an NCLB item, our district has been taking things away by the year, and increasing our class sizes tremendously. All the resources have been put into the students “on the bubble”, and all others are being ignored, because they will “manage to meet or exceed”. Five years ago we had 5 TF Spanish teachers. Next year, only 2, and it’s not that our population is decreasing. Our language lab has not been serviced in 5 years, all our ancillary materials gutted, yet we are supposed to churn out “fluent” students. Only 4 more years.</p>
<p>I’m a scientist and I love science and doing science, so I love that part of my job. But I also work for a big company, so I work in a Dilbert world. I’m surrounded by people who have no comprehension whatsoever of what it takes or how to do my job but are not the least bit hesitant about telling me how to do it “better.”</p>
<p>coureur - I feel your pain! I work for a tiny company, and it is as Dilbert-esque as it gets as well :D</p>
<p>coureur, it’s all in the corporate culture. Four years ago my H left a job with a small company for a similar job with another small company. The pay was actually a step down, but the difference in the culture at the new place was so big that he probably would have worked for far less. Update to now, still loves what he does in this new job.
As long as you make enough to live modestly, it should all be about the way you feel when you wake up in the morning and have to go to work. Are you sad or are you happy?
Right now, we’re both happy.</p>