How many people are truely happy with their job?

[coffee_strong]

Did you go to school to do what you loved, or did you go to school to make a living? Ok,, I know that people work to make a living, but I hear so many times about how ppl are paying back student loans for something they thought they'd be happy with, but turns out they aren't.

If you had to guess, what percentage of people actually enjoy their jobs?

[PeaceNikki]

1. I am very happy with my job.

It's not perfect - not by a longshot. But many of my co-workers are wonderful people, good friends and have taught me a lot. I give a lot to employer (through hard work) and get a lot in return (PTO, bonuses, merit increases, etc).

[doc03]

2. I have the job I used to dream of 30 years ago

I operate the environmental systems in a steel mill. Probably 29 days out of 30 I just watch this damn computer and make three rounds and visually check all the various equipment. An eight hour day seams like it lasts 16 hours, then that one day in 30 we have a power failure or some kind of malfunction on the furnace and the job is pure hell, I wish I could just quit and walk out sometimes. I miss the old days when I ran a tractor and hauled steel coils non-stop for the whole shift, the time just flew by. Another job I had was in shipping where I would weigh, paper wrap, band the steel coils and stock or load them on trucks or railroad cars.

[bigwillq]

3. I am happy most of the time.

Except now, because I'm here until 11:30 or so. :( :cry:

[EstimatedProphet]

4. I'm not, but I see that changing soon

My company contract went to another company. The previous manager had me doing NOTHING for 6 months straight. This manager has already had me do somewhere around 3 times the amount of work I did under the old one, in 1 months time. It will be nice to have a purpose to go to work.

[Corgigal]

5. I was when I was young

but now I have a little part time job. I work out of the house and pick my hours but it's not for any big pay or anything. I like not having to getting dressed for work, gassing up the car or dealing with crazy co-workers. It's a pretty easy job but it's just meant to be supplemental cash in the house.

[Aristus]

6. I love my job; I'm a Medical Assistant, studying to be a Physician Assistant.

Here's me on the job:

[coffee_strong]

11. what type of training for medical asst?

I ask, b/c I looked into that, and the ed requirements varied in range from high school diploma to 1-2 yrs of school.

[Aristus]

29. Depends on the school, I guess.

The school I went to required a high school diploma, and offered nine months of training and a one month externship.

[flvegan]

7. Enjoy is kinda vague.

I went to school to make a living, though I'm nowhere near the field I originally chose and went to school for (finance major and Wall Street hopeful). I like my job, though it has downsides. I enjoy what I do overall, and I like that I've created something pretty significant. I don't however really enjoy the day to day tasks of my job, and I don't enjoy dealing with some of the people and problems that I do.

[Omphaloskepsis]

8. If stab my boss in the throat == Tolerate

then yeah, I tolerate it..

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. I like my job.

Though it's nowhere near what I thought I'd be doing 30 years ago.

[Faygo Kid]

10. I don't allow myself to get wrapped up in my job, so "happy" doesn't matter.

I had a job where I invested myself wholeheartedly and emotionally for 10 years; when circumstances changed, I left it under good conditions, and discovered that I loved that job to the extent I let it define me. Not a good situation. Then a few years later I ended up being unemployed for two years, and learned the importance of a job as a job, not as something that defines you. Now I have a job that allows me to be creative and I am well compensated. I'm in my late 50s, so the compensation and financial perks are what matter to me, not whether I am happy or not. I keep a low profile, do my job, crack a few jokes from time to time and otherwise leave the job at the office. Crappy boss left in November, so that's a big plus for 2008. I want to stay right where I am until I retire, unless I'm able to work from home eventually and can move to where I want to be (it's possible. I am principally a writer).

I'd guess most people enjoy their jobs, but a sizable percentage don't. Maybe two-thirds to three-quarters like what they do. The rest have my sympathy.

[coffee_strong]

13. i like

the part about not letting a job 'define' you. I'll havta remember that.

[pitohui]

12. very few

once money comes into the equation, it is no longer about enjoying or fulfilling, it's about the money

the great example is the prostitute, what would be more fun than having whoopee all day, but once money comes into the equation and you're doing it for a job to please somebody else...all the pleasure is taken out of it

i don't want to be mean, but when the posters above were little kids, they did not dream at night of working in a steel mill or in a hospital, in my humble observation people who "enjoy" their jobs are just pretty good at forgetting what they used to dream of, which is just as well, since most dreams are just that, unattainable dreams

[coffee_strong]

14. I'm not too sure that ppl don't dream of

working in a hospital, thanks to ER, Grays Anatomy, Scrubs and the like...

[Wcross]

15. I absolutely HATE my job.

I am exploring other options but I can not see myself working for an employer ever again. What turned me off is when they said I had to prove I wasn't using drugs on a yearly basis by submitting to a hair drug test. At that point I realized that they feel they "own" me rather than just renting me. They also started requiring me to come in on my day off for "training" classes that are of no value to me in my job. It is paid overtime but the fact I have to forfeit my off time for it is unreasonable. They have claimed a right to search my vehicle if it is parked in the employee parking lot.
In general they seem to make the job much more difficult than it has to be. They manage by fear & intimidation. I am looking at self employment, I may not make as much money but I will enjoy it more.

[pitohui]

24. if you're self employed good luck getting health insurance when you're older

i'm a non smoker, correct weight, low blood pressure and still it was becoming more and more impossible, in fact i didn't have it for 15 years

if you are self-employed, you need to be married to someone with a good job that provides insurance or you're screwn when you're older (or else choose your state of residence carefully, maybe there is still a state somewhere you can get health insurance at reasonable cost?)

when people ask me about my career path, seriously, i always encourage them if there's any way possible not to go the path of self employment

all the job satisfaction in the world is worth nothing when the doctor thinks you have cancer and you have no way to pay for it if the tests don't come back in your favor

[Wcross]

27. I've considered that. HSA + catastrophic coverage.

I don't think this job is the way I want to live my life. If I die sooner doing what I love as opposed to wasting my life doing what I have to do it will be a good trade.

[DainBramaged]

16. I am Systems Administrator for one of the largest independent Chevy dealers

in NJ. Almost 5 years now. I don't get paid what I am worth, but because of my age and health, I am thankful and very happy in my job. Every day is a challenge, everyday is all consuming, and the days where time slows down, I don't dread that any longer. I am the gatekeeper. I protect and maintain the servers, workstations, web site, and other critical systems like telephone and HVAC.


When I was in the hospital for my surgery, productivity never slowed because nothing failed. It waited till the day I came back. Then all hell broke loose for two days because of localized power failures and storm related lightening strikes (in November no less).


I am self-taught and Microsoft taught. I started in 1997 and didn't realize till 2003 that I was good enough for what I do now.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

17. I love every minute of my job

And I paid a high price for it, too. I'm self-employed. I got bitten by the dot-com layoffs in 2001 and after paying my dues in cubicle land for more years than I care to remember, I decided to start my own company.

Best decision I ever made in my life. Never worked so hard, never enjoyed it more.

[Wapsie B]

18. I am happier in my job than I've ever been.

But I'm nowhere near that self-actualization stage that Maslow talks about. I didn't go to school for anything close to what I'm doing now. And my degree means nothing in my position. But I am using more creative skills now which I feel is a new direction I need to go.

[femmocrat]

19. I'm mostly happy with my job.

The only problem is that I wish I could retire already and turn it over to someone who isn't as burned out as I am... but that isn't possible right now.

I really do enjoy the work, the students, and my colleagues. And of course, the nice long breaks! ;-)

[Ellen Forradalom]

20. I'm all right with my job

Could stand a bit more challenge, but hey, I won the MIss Congeniality award, so I can't complain at all.

[Fox Mulder]

21. I absolutely hate my job with a passion.

[Madrone]

22. My job is teh awesome!

Love it - never thought I'd be doing this kind of work - no schooling - self taught - and got lucky! :hi:

Things I hate: Mornings, punching a clock, 40 hour work weeks, etc..... but that's not anything to do with my work itself. That's just the necessary evil part of having a job.

[Lisa0825]

23. I love my job...

I started a new job as an HR Generalist for a major teaching hospital 6 months ago. It combines my past two major jobs (medical research for 10 years and employment counseling for 5 years) and it is like this wide variance of experience came together to be just right for this position. I get to use my science background, but also get to deal directly with people and both help people get jobs and help departments get the right person. I feel challenged, stimulated, and apreciated.

But then again... it has only been 6 months... LOL.

I had $15K in student loans for my first career (medical research) which I was still paying off until 2 years ago when I refinanced my house. I was thrilled to just get it behind me. I was so tired of having student loans around my neck for 15 years. Most people I know with student loans have changed careers at least once before they pay them off. But I still think being able to get my degree was beneficial, even if I went another direction. It was a learning and growing experience, much more than a practical study experince.

[Jamastiene]

25. You are kidding, right?

I don't know of anyone who is.

[qnr]

26. Not a "job" but I love it... technically, I'm retired, but I'm a developer

for a Linux distro, so I consider that my "job."

[SteppingRazor]

28. I definitely enjoy my job, and I'm doing what I went to school for.

Sure, there's days when I don't want to be here, and there's days when things go wrong, but every job is going to have those. If I've gotta work, I'd rather be doing what I'm doing than just about anything.

But how come I have to work, anyway? Didn't The Jetsons promise us that by the time we grew up, we'd have robot slaves to do almost all the work? What gives?

[RebelOne]

30. I'm very content with my job.

I'm a copy editor for 10 state outdoors magazines. Since I love to read, this job is perfect for me. I never went to college, and in fact, didn't even finish high school. But my reading, spelling and grammar skills are topnotch.

[raccoon]

31. I'm pretty happy with mine. I sometimes say I'm "happily underemployed."

In this job, I'm not around co-workers much. Downside is the pay is crap and no benefits.