So I guess I’m not done with this site yet.
In the midst of all the headaches, why do you keep doing the work you do?
Because it pays the bills.
Food.
Sometimes we hear from folks we have helped about how much our help has improved their lives. That keeps me going for quite awhile. I also remember how devastated and alone I felt after being diagnosed with a progressive chronic lung condition.
I love my job and I do NOT take that for granted. I am a lawyer for a large, fun company and I feel like I help people and do interesting things. I am retirement age, but I’m not ready. I like the socialization and constant interaction with people at all levels of the organization. I like the variety. I could see how I would want to retire if my work was boring or if I hated my co-workers. I’m very lucky. It could always change, and then I’m outa here!!
I like driving through towns in our area and seeing the buildings I’ve worked on. I like it that I’m not just shuffling papers but helping to create something lasting.
I love my work. I work for myself and use many of my skills. I am well paid and the work is interesting and never the same. It is also flexible. Downside is clients rarely need my services twice!
Paying college tuition.
A sprinkle of all of the above. I love and believe in my work however it is a grant funded program of which I am largely the only staff member so keeping it going financially is my least favorite aspect and often a struggle.
Health insurance. And some intellectual stimulation.
I know your back story. I am in medicine. Helping others get better. Of course paying for 2 college age students. Taking vacations etc. Having an interest and sometimes passion for what you are doing helps but doesn’t always have to be. Being content and happy helps.
All of the above. I enjoy the stimulation and because I am in sales, I sell educational resources to schools and libraries, I feel that I am helping students and teachers with their needs. I enjoy learning about curriculum trends and how we can help schools satisfy their needs. My customers are really nice to engage with and when you have been doing this for a long time, you develop long term relationships. I have several of my customers that I engage in long term and ongoing book discussions with. I have contacts with our competitors that I enjoy seeing at conferences. The amount of business travel is minimal and it is always gratified when I meet people who tell me how helpful I am and have great things to say about our services. I work very hard but I am well compensated for the work I do.
Every job has its ups and downs, but I love my job. It may not be everyone’s idea of a good time, but it’s fun for me. Wish it paid more, though (that’s one of the “downs”).
May surprise some, but I really don’t like the culture of my employer anymore. But I’m working with the next generation and their potential and opportunities. That matters to me, inspires, and keeps me at it. And coworkers in one of my roles are vibrant and diverse in all ways.
I have a one man software company. That achieved my main goal when I started working: to not have a boss ordering me around. Now, my customers order me around … oops! Anyway, I create scientific programs used by many people across the US and in some other countries (China and Italy, lately). I like the scientific topic, like writing fast code, and like creating new data rendering techniques. Supporting the software is a drag but the vast majority of my users are great.
If I had won the lottery last night I would have hired a good programmer to continue my software and blow a lot of the rest on a quest to discover what an electron really is – no one knows yet we supposedly manipulate them all the time. It has been 30 years of frustration.
Like MaineLonghorn, I love driving through the area seeing buildings I’ve worked on. (As an architect not an engineer.) I like when clients call me back for new jobs because they were happy with the old one. I don’t like every aspect of my job, but mostly I like the clients, the contractors and even the people I deal with at the building department. Luckily my income is not that important to the family finances so I have fired clients I didn’t like or refused to work on projects that I thought were not good for the neighborhood.
I am a software engineer. I like the mental challenge, and I really enjoy learning new things, whether it is exploring a new programming technique, or learning about a new client’s industry and needs. I like solving problems, and giving clients a tool that will help them in their work.
But mostly I work to put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads.
I love being retired and started counting the days from the first day of my first job. I worked solely for money. Now I’m enjoying the end game.
I love the work that my colleagues and I do. It’s challenging and rewarding and sometimes it’s heartbreaking. I work in the mental health field, and I get immense joy and satisfaction from helping people to regain their lives. This work feeds my soul… and I will stay in my job for as long as they’ll have me.
I only work to pay the bills. I can’t wait to retire, but it will be a minimum of 6 years and probably 10 before I can do it. We are getting a new computer system at work and I hate it. I have adapted through 30 years of changes with this company, but this one is not the least bit user friendly, and I would quit tomorrow if I could afford it. (I have been a single mom for 22 years and not able to save enough money.) I actually bought a lottery ticket yesterday for the first time in years. Wish me luck! lol