If you love what you do what do you do and why?

[porte]

Just wondering

I'm in a traditional professional job well paid well respected blah blah blah

But it's very stressful full of corporate politics and I don't really feel fulfilled or if it's what I want to do forever

So ...if you are really happy what do you do and why does it make you happy?

Psychotherapist. I largely work with young people in residential care but I'm looking at expanding into private practise as well. I used to work in retail and bloody hated it and eventually retrained and now I love my job.

I teach English in a city college. I have done it for the past four years (although currently on mat leave) and love it. I chose to teach college rather than secondary school because adults (mostly) want to be there and I can level with them much better. I have met some fantastic and inspirational characters.

I write CVs for a living. Love it! I set my own hours, pay is good (having done it for a while), and I get insight into all sorts of industries and working practices. It matches my skills very well.

I work in senior management in Higher Education.
I love it. Stressful, busy and nowhere near as well paid as an equivalent city job.
But the rewards are huge. As a former poly we take students from disadvantaged backgrounds and change their lives and futures. I work with academics who do outstanding research that changes the world bit by bit.
Day to day I moan about it, but I'd never leave the sector (have changed Uni a few times and likely will again). It's a hugely stimulating environment.

My job is essentially like many other managers - busy operational, budget and staffing management - but it is the context that makes it special. Graduation day is one of those that makes us smile and it all feels like it was worth it.

I'm a gardener. I get to pootle about on my own, doing something I enjoy. The customers are friendly and really appreciate what I do. There's always more to learn so it doesn't get boring.

I've had better paid, less physically demanding jobs in the past, but I would never go back.

TA in a primary school. I love the age group I work with, the hours really suit me, the teachers I'm with are fab, and they give me enough rope to do things my own way. I really appreciate being able to make a positive impact on the children's lives, like seeing non-readers suddenly taking off, learning to blend and then being desperate to learn to decode harder and harder words.

I have an unrelated professional qualification but the idea of going back to an office fills me with dread.

I really really want to retrain as an Ed Psych. Im a trained teacher but taken time out with kids, did OU psych degree for BPS recognition and now live a long way from a uni tbat does the doctorate.

I cant see how I would train full time over an hour away and manage kids. I wish I'd done it earlier, or could train part time (Im 40 :( )

I love my job....I get to play with bacteria (not literally)

I'm a midwife! I love it. I've always wanted to do it and I love love it.
Obviously the bad days are horribly bad but all in all, it's a lovely, positive career

I’m a dock sponger, on adult movies. I meet lots of nice people and the hours are short.

I work with animals. I'll do anything, but my specialism is the big hoofy type - 'ungulates' - cows best of all.

I'm a masking autistic, which dr tony attwood articulates as someone who CAN communicate very well with other humans, but it's not done via instinct as with a neurotypical person; it's learnt behaviour, a conscious act/role. It's tiring to do, though i do enjoy using that skill.

With animals, it's different. With them, there is no ambiguity and i can operate via instinct, so its easy and relaxing to do, comforting, even. I didnt grow up with stock, but when i finally got my hands on some it came so easily to me that my teachers thought i had. Within weeks of starting, those who'd said i'd kill animals in my care through ignorance were begging me to care for theirs.

It's REAL. It's blood, sweat, tears, fear, birth, death, pain, dirt. I stay up all night, i get shotblasted by hail, burnt by sun, soaked to the skin. I go without food, hold my pee, get kicked, gored, bitten, bruised and broken. I get tested. I like that.