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?

@speakout

Susiesue61

Wow- what a job. So many questions I would love to ask. I am glad you enjoy your work.

Ask away!

Ps, would also do my job for free. I get to mix thinking, writing and lecturing on a subject I am passionate about with talking to people who put those ideas into action.

I am always so shocked that people in industry actually heed what I say. As an academic, I got lost in the research and forgot that there is a world out there that can USE that research. It just really surprises me that I have skills that industry needs (how to interpret research - my own and others - and how to make inferences from findings etc).

Just hopeful that it doesn't fly away from my because of COVID. I m guessing when my clients need to make cuts, I ll be among the first things to go....

Yes. Civil Engineer, specialising in flood defence infrastructure. All my work is currently classified as nationally critical.

I managed to get quite a few qualifications & have had many different jobs over the years but I found it difficult to keep them as I have a specific learning difficulty which tends to worsen when I am under pressure. My confidence was considerably knocked by the number of times I got the sack. I now work on a checkout in a well known store & love it. Obviously it’s a little scary in the current climate but lots has been done to keep us safe. I have a nice bunch of colleagues & get a great staff discount.

Susiesue61

Thankyou.
I have very limited understanding of hospice work, so apologies.
My FIL spent his last few months of his life in a hospice, and the level of care was outstanding. His diagnosis was terminal, but every effort was made to make sure he was comfortable and treated with dignity. And even had quite a few belly laughs in the last times. As family we were always made welcome, kept up to date, suggetions made how we could help, and when his death came it was an easy passing and handled with great understanding.
So thank you- to hospice staff.

I guess my main question is how do you keep your own spirits up?
You face the inevitable scenario of every one on us on a daily basis.
Mostly jo average copes by shelving the thoughts, and not dwelling on the inevitable. Does working with the dying remove fear for you on a personal level?
I see your role similar to a midwife, to ease the passage of life.
How has your job strenthened you?

Name changed because My old industry is full of pro level gossip mongers!

I loved my old job. I spent 22 years working for a 24 hours news channel in live television. I made news reports and documentaries. I travelled the world and witnessed history unfolding. I saw amazing, terrifying and incredibly sad things happen in front of me.

There are things that my children will learn about in school and I will be able to say, ' I met that person' or 'I was there when that happened'.

I loved it as I really believed the work I was doing was important. Ultimately however it was not compatible with family life. The things I saw took a toll on my mental health.

I do something very different now but miss the thrill of being knee deep in a breaking news event.

I do. Qualified chartered accountant. Work in a big international firm. Do a niche specialist role thats always in demand. Senior so I spend my time winning work and talking to lots of people about their businesses. Loads of variety.

Intellectually demanding and I like knowing my stuff.

Part time so I get a bit of breathing space. Busy but have a great team working with me.

The biggest accountancy firm that i previously worked was cut throat and incredibly stressful and full of awful people bring horrible. I am continually grateful for how nice everyone across the board is at all areas and levels in my firm.

I enjoy my job mostly. I'm self employed, I do a mix of therapy, coaching, assessments, educating and developing learning material. There are so many perks to it and I keep having to tell myself to stop being so damn ungrateful and spoilt when I complain. However I do continue to complain, I struggle with having to be 'on' so much, and get very fatigued. But ultimately I am lucky and do enjoy it.

A great many of these posts feature roles that are (or were) great in one company and awful in another, in the same industry.

It's interesting how one company can get its work culture so right and another so wrong. I'm wondering if it's typically from the very top down.

I spent a long time in a demanding role working for a large educational/training company in the South East. The CEO was pretty invisible and very finance oriented and it was left to a brilliant Head of Production to really run the company. He expected a lot, but was ultimately fair and decent.

Then the company was sold to an ex-investment banker who has spent the last decade trying, unsuccessfully, to fatten it up to sell on. The first thing he did was remove the head of production and try and do it himself. The targets became unrealistic and all the good staff (including me) left...

Sorry @speakout, it's taken me a while to reply!
It's an amazing job and yes there is sadness, but generally we can offer some degree of help and comfort which is really rewarding.
My DH would say when we have a difficult case, I tend to have a period of 'let's do lovely things, life is short'. We have an amazing team with fantastic senior doctors, and we talk about things as we go. One of our toughest HCAs gave me a hug earlier!!

Work as an IT team leader for a large financial company,
Pay is okay, team is okay, but corporate bullshit and incompetent management make it unbelievably shit, currently looking for another role

Local Council Contact Centre/Customer Service. Love my job - even more now I WFH, (no cliques or backbiting, bitching or constant fricking diet talk) and only pray we continue to do so post Covid. I work 24hrs a week and earn literally £70 a month less than I did in my last FT job top Band 2 Clerical NHS job.