Do you like your job?

As much as career matters...environment, people and routine is what makes me cope

I could say i'm very happy. I'm not making anywhere near the money i want but that's because i just started.

 

I hate my job with a passion. currently looking for others. However there's a pretty cute fresh grad chick (whom I'm training) who just joined us this week, so that sort of breathed in a new life into the job.

 

Yes and no.

Love all the paid time off, awesome bosses, can go home for the day when my work is done.

Don't like some co-workers. People who try to take credit for your work or the people who like to gossip. There are a lot of people who don't pull their weight either. Often, there are times there is a lot of work that needs to be done and having to stay late to complete it.

 

First see if there are opportunities for advancement in-house: that's the quickest and safest way to create new experiences and still capitalize on the ones you've had thus far. Second you might consider where you are in terms of starting a family; most people don't actually achieve their dreams, so that's actually the next best thing from which to draw any happiness or long-term optimism.

You should also realize that your workdays will eventually start to suck no matter what you do: unless you're an author, entertainer or inventor of some kind your career will be implementing or optimizing someone else's products or goals; which will entail some kind of repetitive, consistent process. If you don't have a family as a carrot for getting through the eight hours, then you might want to more fully explore your hobbies or interests. I had a miserable or contentious enough teenhood and a disappointing enough college experience that just having my own place, eating and watching what I wanted and contributing to an organization were rewarding enough for me to be satisfied; but I can see now around 35 how I could have made more of the last decade or so. Find out what you're really interested in and pursue it at night school, if that's not possible keep working and start saving enough to go back to school full time.

 

what job? hah!

 

Always wanted to be in control of my own time/pace so I'm chose to be a businessman/freelancer.

It has its up and downs, the biggest up is what I previously said. The biggest down is that you don't get a guaranteed salary every half and end of the month like a regular employee does. :grin:

 

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There is so much truth in this post I just had to quote it. Repped.

 

what do you do now?

 

Since you can tolerate it, continue working as long as you can bear it. You don't want to leave too soon because it raises too many red flags for the next job you recruit for. Be frugal and save your salary for the days when you jump ship. Don't let your lifestyle or GF hold you hostage to a so-so job. Either stay there and work your way up, side-step to a different work atmosphere in the same field, or do something very different (by going back to school) and/or go into business for yourself.

I too worked in finance for some time, and I was miserable. Like you, I worked many hours per week (14-16h/day). I didn't have time for the things that truly made life worth living like spending time with family and friends, reading novels, watching movies, traveling, or just having the day to myself. I gained weight. I always felt bored deep in my bones despite trying to find ways to make work exciting. I would get ready every morning feeling tired, and I'd stare blankly at the subway floor until my stop. I left once I realized how unhappy I was.

A completely different field after finance came next in my career, and that was an improvement. The environment in general was very friendly and fun to work in. However, it still wasn't for me. It felt like a pleasant party; as great as it was, you knew it was just a party, and eventually you had to do real work because you were an adult. My passion was elsewhere too, so I left again.

I decided that I loved the autonomy and risk/reward of owning and running my (family) business instead of working for someone else. No matter if you are the rainmaker for your employer, you will likely not be compensated for your time and labor sufficiently. If you want a $250k salary, say goodbye to work/life balance - in spite of the lies they tell you while recruiting. Consider whether you love risk or peace of mind. You give up many things which don't have a clear price when working for someone else in exchange for guarantee of income. My time during my 20s was very valuable because hanging around elderly people taught me that. You may think differently.

 

Patiently waiting for more of Pouhe's words of wisdom and advice.

 

Look for a job where you can make a difference. This will give you opportunities to advance your career, grow, and give you a sense of accomplishment by the end of it. There is happiness in that. And if you are making money even better. But there is a chance that jobs like this will take time, effort, commitment, and long hours, so the key is to be aware in an emerging organization, department, or program of how the operational and human resources might evolve to support you in the long term. If you have this support, it's manageable, you will make money and have the life you are looking for. If they never give you the support, and expect you to do it all, it may give you a rewarding sense of accomplishment, but no life to speak of. There is no way to assure you find happiness at the job, some of it's just luck, but you can look for and ask during interviews key questions that will let you assess if you are good fit for the culture, environment, supervisor, and organization, and more importantly to see if they are a good fit for you. Then you hope for the best. The reality is that you have to make a life for yourself, carve out some space, and you may to be able to pick and choose, but if you can, do you due diligence and I think you will have a better chance at happiness. But just like buying a home, your neighbors, supervisors, and co-workers come and go. Things change. At work and at home. So you must adapt and re-invent yourself all along the way. That too is key to happiness. Understand the need to change. When are finally able to network, you gain more control too, so if happy in the field, build relationships, stay in contact, it may pay off with a better job when you need one.

 

Best job in America is working in CONGRESS.

Need I say more?

You get paid a handsome salary, life long pensions, excellent healthcare, and when you leave there is a nice cushy position as a paid lobbyist or as a paid lackey for some company you voted to serve instead of us Americans.

 

What do you do now?

 

Not really but I just left a worst one. If you think you won't be happy long term, start making a plan now. Don't wait till you're completely miserable and stressed out. This is what I did. Now I feel I wasted years of my life.

 

I like my job and ths people I work with but our owner is a control freak sociopath who is constantly pushing people around and trying to micromanage departments he knows nothing about. I try to do what I can to make my department profitable but this guy kills Morale on a daily basis.

 

Absolutely love it - lots of challenges and tough roads ahead, but the team is amazing and the game stunning.

I hope it goes on forever.

DD

 

Same as I've done since college, downstream energy transport logistics.

 

You also have to get re-elected every two years and spend half of the intervening time cold-calling for cash, because your constituents respond more easily to TV ads over the two months before election day than to any of your legislative actions over the last two years.