To ask what you do for a living if you genuinely love what you do?

[waterfallswillfindyou]

Like many people, I'm not fulfilled by what I do for a living. At all.

I was chatting to a doctor the other day who loves what she does - even with all the crap that NHS staff put up with - and it really hit home how I've never had that feeling. Work has always been a means to pay the bills. The money is nice, but I'm starting to struggle with not finding it rewarding, and am considering taking a pay cut for job satisfaction.

If you actually love your job - you're not just doing it for money - what do you do, please? And is it the role you actually love or the employer? (I have been wondering if working for a charity I believe in might be the answer, and am doing the sums to see if I could afford to live on third-sector wages.) I feel stuck, and I'm looking for inspiration to start researching a career change.

(Even if it's not something I can actually do, still interested in your answers. I've spent my whole adult life expecting everyone to be miserable at work, and now I'm wondering if that doesn't have to be true.)

[speakout]

I love my work. I make and sell craft items.
My work is an extension of my hobby.

[ladygindiva]

@SweetSenorita

Ouch 🤣

I'm a chartered accountant and am Head of Finance at a charity. Bloody love it. I've been an accountant for 25 years and I've always loved it.

I'm super happy and ..... I speak the truth 😘

My dad was a chartered accountant and loved it. He even helped friends with tax returns and issues in his free time very happily.

[ladygindiva]

I'm a musical instrument teacher. I turned my hobby into my career. I love it.

[VeterinaryCareAssistant]

I love my job. I love it so much it's my username!

I have level 2, 3 and 4 qualifications, a bachelor's degree and a Master's in animal related subjects but I'm on minimum wage. If I work in higher paying roles there is less 'hands on' work with the animals.

[Asosbabe]

So individual. Its finding what you like and one person's dream job is someone else's stuff of nightmares

[SweetSenorita]

@waterfallswillfindyou

Thank you. I think it's uncomfortably common in our line of work.

Find me a happy accountant and I'll find you a liar!

Fingers crossed you find something more suitable soon.

Ouch 🤣

I'm a chartered accountant and am Head of Finance at a charity. Bloody love it. I've been an accountant for 25 years and I've always loved it.

I'm super happy and ..... I speak the truth 😘

[Wordsofthewise]

I have PM’d you now 😀

[MarkWithaC]

@CleanQueen123

HR. I know Mumsnet opinion is that we're all Himmler in a polyester blouse but I spend more of my time talking managers out of treating people poorly than I do finding ways to get them out.

I love employment law, I love my job and my team and I like to think I make a positive impact on the organisations I support.

That made me snort I’m sure you’re great at your job, but are you sure you’re not a comedy writer manqué?

Reminded me I used to work at a place where the HR boss (a woman) was, to the life, Alastair Sim in the St Trinians films.

[LakieLady]

Welfare rights adviser for people with MH issues. Every day is different, usually because I discover some new piece of lunacy from the DWP.

The work is mentally challenging, the clients are very vulnerable, so need a lot of support, the satisfaction is immense. Every time I win an appeal, I feel like I've stuck two fingers up at the government and its ridiculous, callous, cheeseparing approach to welfare. The amount of extra money I get for my clients is massive, well over 10 times salary.

I have lovely colleagues, a brilliant manager, and a very supportive employer. The pay is shite, but I'm semi-retired so that's ok for me. And I'd probably do it on a voluntary basis if I didn't need the money.

[Hellibore]

@UnicorseTime

Oooh what do all these home working charity workers do? I'm an ex teacher and would love to.leap but sometimes you just don't know what roles are there?

Have a look!

//https://jobs.thirdsector.co.uk/searchjobs/?countrycode=GB&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu7H15-XkAIVmOvtCh10nQBrEAAYASAAEgLKcPDD_BwE

[CleanQueen123]

@Lobelia123

The ref to Himmler in a polyester blouse had me in stitches :) One of my favourite people in our company is an HR practitioner - she's in charge of employee benefits & I cannot tell you how much she has worked to improve things for employees - doing incredible amounts of research, networking, pitching, and going in to bat for us so we have some really amazing employee benefits. Absolutely inspiring because what she does makes a real difference. Instead of the usual healthcare, pension etc we have wellbeing add ons, subsidised meals, schooling allowance etc. And she manages to take the decision makers along with her and get them to buy into it all, which is incredible.

See, we're not all bad. That's not my area of the business but it sounds like she's gotten you an amazing benefits package.

[Aprilx]

@Penguinsaregreat

Interesting thread.
Those who love their jobs ( apart from teachers and NHS workers) seem to be earning a good salary with flexible wfh hours. I wonder if lower pay and having to commute would dampen the enthusiasm.
I am surprised to see so many NHS staff saying they love their job. We only ever get a very different narrative.

My career which I enjoyed for thirty years and was glad I chose, (accountant) has been very well paid. But it has never been flexible, it has meant very long hours on the whole, I have rarely had a commute less than an hour each way and pre pandemic WFH was something that was only done very very occasionally and only for specific reasons.

[OnTheRunWithMannyMontana]

@Daniella36

The message from this thread seems to be that the key to happiness is to get a £50k pa year job working for a charity. You can spend half the day having lovely chats with your lovely colleagues, before perhaps maybe getting round to thinking about possibly doing something that might make a difference.

That's really quite insulting.

[Lobelia123]

@CleanQueen123

HR. I know Mumsnet opinion is that we're all Himmler in a polyester blouse but I spend more of my time talking managers out of treating people poorly than I do finding ways to get them out.

I love employment law, I love my job and my team and I like to think I make a positive impact on the organisations I support.

The ref to Himmler in a polyester blouse had me in stitches :) One of my favourite people in our company is an HR practitioner - she's in charge of employee benefits & I cannot tell you how much she has worked to improve things for employees - doing incredible amounts of research, networking, pitching, and going in to bat for us so we have some really amazing employee benefits. Absolutely inspiring because what she does makes a real difference. Instead of the usual healthcare, pension etc we have wellbeing add ons, subsidised meals, schooling allowance etc. And she manages to take the decision makers along with her and get them to buy into it all, which is incredible.

[BMrs]

I work for a college that I helped found 13 years ago. Since having my DC I stepped down and went part time as Vice Principal. I absolutely love my job and the people I work with.

Money is rubbish compared to larger colleges but I would never move. We put our students at the forefront of what we do everyday and literally help shape and change their lives for the better. Sounds cheesy but it's true.

[Barnowl25]

I work for a huge charity on an island, go to work on a boat. Every day is different, I love the people I work with and would do it for free if I won the lottery. Salary uis crap for what I do but wouldn't work anywhere else.

[Penguinsaregreat]

Interesting thread.
Those who love their jobs ( apart from teachers and NHS workers) seem to be earning a good salary with flexible wfh hours. I wonder if lower pay and having to commute would dampen the enthusiasm.
I am surprised to see so many NHS staff saying they love their job. We only ever get a very different narrative.

[CleanQueen123]

HR. I know Mumsnet opinion is that we're all Himmler in a polyester blouse but I spend more of my time talking managers out of treating people poorly than I do finding ways to get them out.

I love employment law, I love my job and my team and I like to think I make a positive impact on the organisations I support.

[Aprilx]

I am semi retired now but am an accountant, corporate one and have worked in a number of multinationals. I have liked the majority of the organisations I have worked for but I have loved a couple of them because they have had a great culture and I have had great colleagues.

I have always enjoyed my occupation and for the majority of the last thirty years, I would say that I have enjoyed getting up and going to work.

[Dullardmullard]

Specialist dog trainer and dog breeder occasionally. I love the flexibility of it all and would continue to do so if I won the lottery

every day is a schooldays for me as it’s always different

[toffee1000]

I meant “NOT” of course.

[toffee1000]

@Daniella36

The message from this thread seems to be that the key to happiness is to get a £50k pa year job working for a charity. You can spend half the day having lovely chats with your lovely colleagues, before perhaps maybe getting round to thinking about possibly doing something that might make a difference.

A lot of people have also mentioned various NHS jobs, which very much do NOY involve “having lovely chats with your lovely colleagues, before perhaps maybe getting round to thinking about possibly doing something that might make a difference“ whilst being paid £50k. Or did you not read those posts?

[Serenity45]

I work for a charity helpline giving people emotional and practical support. The role is demanding and we do a lot of other project work aside from the frontline stuff. I love my job, though some days I'm so bloody sad and angry for our clients and what they're going through. I earn £30k and took quite a big pay cut to work here. I don't regret it at all- I'm part of a hardworking and professional team and our charity is well run/cares about staff as well as clients. I feel very lucky!

DH earns significantly more than me but is pissed off most days and doesn't feel valued. He's actively looking for another job and has said he might take a salary drop too...

[emsworth]

@OvertiredandConfused

I work an average of 10 hour days in my charity job! Yes, I love it, but not because it’s a cushy number. It’s tough. People die. Often. Staff need support. But our community support us and we make a difference and that’s awesome.

This ^
Often it is work that most people would say is something that is too challenging or painful to sustain.

[emsworth]

@Daniella36

The message from this thread seems to be that the key to happiness is to get a £50k pa year job working for a charity. You can spend half the day having lovely chats with your lovely colleagues, before perhaps maybe getting round to thinking about possibly doing something that might make a difference.

That is so far from the reality - cynical much?