To ask if you actually enjoy your job?

[JanuaryJonez]

Five years ago I took a career break from an increasingly demanding role. My DH's business was starting to do well and by cutting back we've managed ok, and it's been lovely, after years in a stressful work environment, to spend time raising our DCs.

The DCs are becoming increasingly independent and it's now making sense for me to go back to work. I'd really like a different direction from my original career and have good transferable skills, but when I think back to the various roles I've had, I can't think of one that I could say I really enjoyed. It was just something I could do to the required standard that paid the bills and enabled the time not at work to be enjoyable. None were what I would call fulfilling (although quite well paid).

I thought most people's jobs were the same, but I've been very inspired by another thread on here where so many people are saying how fulfilled they are by their work. I'd just like to know, if you love your job, what do you do?

I am a self employed writer, and spent the best part of a decade building up regular clients and contracts.

I adored my job.

Thanks to the state of everything right now, my main clients are working themselves (so obviously nothing for me either) and very few are taking on my services as it's mostly things they 'could' do themselves. I write a lot of websites for example, and there's no budget for them in most small businesses.

But I do sincerely hope that when things are more normal I can build it up again. I WFH and love being able to choose my own schedule, along with how busy or quiet I am depending on what else I want/need to do.

I've been so incredibly lucky to be able to do what I have always wanted to do. It's a shame that this pandemic has happened as it might have spoiled things for good .. but I'm willing to give it a damn good try.

Yes, I'm a Practice Nurse and I love my job. I'd do it if I won the lottery, though only a day or two a week!

No, not in the least. I thought it did but it turned out I had a lucky run with good work places and colleagues that masked how ill-suited I actually am to my job.

Hell yeah. Why not! It's boring as shit in terms of the details but I love 5he pace and problem solving and most of all, the people I work with. Lots of different characters, some nicer than others but who cares, everyone is just trying to get their shit done and get home to the peace and quiet of their private lives after. I don't think I could enjoy my downtime without the contrast of work. So yes, I enjoy working. My job itself is less important than my team and colleagues etc.

Love it, love it, LOVE it.

I'm a Lion Tamer Chartered Accountant

Civil servant here. The CS is very broad and good if you have children. Also good for progression, though less so in operational roles eg Border Force, DVLA, Job Centres, DWP call centres.

I enjoy my job most of the time, to the degree that I’d enjoy any job.

I’m a finance manager and I love it. I choose my own hours to fit around my family, my colleagues are lovely and I love the fact that my decisions have such a big impact on the business.

I'm a teacher and I love it. I need to clarify that I am no longer in the UK thought. I taught in the UK for 17 years and by the time I left, I couldn't take the government and Ofsted led shit anymore. I emigrated, took a year off and rediscovered my passion.

I'm a choreographer.
Have been for 16 years. Dancing total for 28years. And although I havnt been able to work since March..I still cant believe I got my dream job and have been able to build a great life because of it.
Before all this lockdown BS I regularly pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Dance is my life.

Also love that I can bring it everywhere with me... the only space choreography takes up is in my mind. So its perfect

I worked as an admin in various sectors, finally settling in university admin in 2012. I was good at my job but I still had that ‘ugh, I can’t be arsed’ dread about going to work.

I’m now a first year PhD student and I absolutely love it. However, I appreciate that right now I get to do the fun reading, writing and teaching without the drudgery of class planning, performance metrics and general bureaucracy

CPN. Like bits of it, dislike all the tickboxing etc needed in the NHS. Wouldn't do it if I won the lottery. I've been in nursing for decades and starting to get burnt out.

I enjoy the face to face but hate all the paperwork and meetings.

I work in Purchasing and some days I hate my job and some days I love my job. I think my issues are more to do with rude attitudes from colleagues as opposed to the actual job.

I am lucky to have a good job but do dream about winning the lottery and sticking two fingers up to management

Care assistant. I have a degree and did roles related to my degree and hated it, I did office jobs and hated it.

Care work is my passion and I love every shift :)

I'm a secondary school science technician and I love my job

I’ve worked quite a few different roles but in October this year I lost my job and I got a part time role in pets at home with the intention of looking for another role but still got some money coming in and I’m absolutely loving it even the weekends and late finishes. I know it totally depends on the team tour working with but everyone is so friendly and helpful and I get to have lots of cuddles with puppies and have now decided to stay and do a part time course on veterinary care.

Teacher. Love my job even though it has its stresses.

I lead a multi agency specialist team within HMPPS/MOJ I absolutely love my job but it's very stressful, very emotionally and psychologically demanding but when it all comes together and we get a good result it feels incredible. I also work with really skilled passionate people which helps. DH works in a specialist psychiatric function within prisons working with very high risk and sexual offenders, he loves his work too but also finds it very draining. You become very resilient in our line of work (or burn out) and the humour is very dark as a coping strategy, we see the darkest aspects of human behaviour and it's not really a job you can leave at the door.

I work in insurance and I'm bored every single day and annoyed with myself that I didn't look/retrain years ago and now I'm probably too old. Plus my job fits in with school hours and pays quite well for the area so I have become too complacent.

Civil Service. My job is so boring. Working from home with little to do, counting down the days until maternity leave.

I love my job. I manage a small jewellers. I work for and with great people. I'm always helping people on happy occasions. And I spend all day surrounded by, working with, choosing and photographing beautiful things!

I think I can finally say I love my job! I work for a company in the financial services and have done for 5 years in April. I started in the Admin department and in the last 18 months moved over to the Marketing department as a Marketing Assistant and it’s a really good job. Demanding - as I assist everyone on the team whilst having my own required workload but having worked in Admin since I was 19 (now 27) it’s nice to not be in a customer facing role! My job would also usually require some kind of marketing degree or atleast me to be in the middle of it but the department decided to offer the role internally as they would usually have a student do it for a year on placement then leave! And the students they interviewed before me weren’t up to scratch! Plus I have more company knowledge than some others on the team so it works for us all!

I work in admin/managerial. Huge step down from corporate management I did 20 years ago pre-kids, but that work frame wasn't really compatible with small kids in nursery and nor was DH's (on call), so one of us had to go.
I like it in that it is less stressful than big corporate management. The hours are better, the commute is almost nil, but the pay corresponds, no perks, no accumulated extra holiday, and no 1/3 salary+ bonus, and frankly I dislike it in that it is a sheltered, small world, nothing happens!
The people are nice though. Very nice. Great team, if I'd had even half of them in large corporate management job my life would have been easier.

So many inspiring (and surprising) posts on here - it's really helpful, thank you!

@WishingHopingThinkingPraying "My job itself is less important than my team and colleagues etc" that's going to be my priority when researching my next role!

I'm a midday supervisor (dinner lady) in a primary.I look after the children whilst they have their playtime and whilst eating.Ive been there 2 years,started when I was 38 after being a sahm.Before this I was a gp receptionist for years and hated my management and the stress.