If you enjoy your job, what do you do?

[UsernameShmusername2024]

Have struggled for years to really understand what I actually want to do. I've mainly worked in public sector policy type roles and currently am in a reasonably senior role where I manage direct programme delivery and also lead strategic decisions about programme design and aligning with local and national govt policy, etc. This is challenging and it's constantly an uphill battle to get different politicians to agree, to find internal funding to invest in projects, etc.
In some ways it's a great job - we'll paid, flexible, great manager and team, and I believe in our mission. BUT it also has the usual way-too-massive workload, I constantly feel like I'm not good enough for it and lack confidence - this sort of strategy role always involves slowly chipping away at things and it can be very demoralising and just generally hard work!

I'm early 40s so have years of working ahead of me and just can't imagine doing this sort of role forever but have no idea really what I'd be happy doing. If you enjoy your job, what do you do? Would love to get some ideas!

Solving complex problems using technology. Everyday is challenging and a learning experience and I work with brainy people who humble me.

When you say unqualified what do you mean?

I am a professional organizer.
I absolutely love it, everyday is different and so rewarding!

I am a Social Work Lead, working in Adult Social Care for local authority. Absolutely love it. I supervise a small team of Social Workers and Adult Social Care Practitioners. I take the lead on Mental Capacity practice for the wider team and attend leadership meetings each week to discuss ways to support practitioners. I had 23 years of frontline practice before this role so I feel like I can share my knowledge and experience with others. Morale in the team is great and it is a happy place to work. My job has certainly not always been this rewarding so I feel very lucky to have found something I love to do.

We can pre-book routine appointments 4 weeks in advance for patients at my surgery as I stated.

There are also 'urgent' on the day appointments we can offer patients when they ring at 8.30am if they cannot wait for a routine appointment - most days these are f2f where we give a time slot for patients to come down, the odd day it will be a telephone appointment with the GP and they organise a time to see the patient themselves.

As I said, our GPs are trying to go back to the way they operated pre-covid where most appts are f2f with minimal phone calls. There are very few surgeries that operate like this now, so yes I'd agree with you that ours sounds better than most.

Paediatric nurse, for 21 years. Still love it!

Currently on maternity leave but was a case manager for workers compensation

Marketing and community engagement in the renewables sector. I absolutely love it, work with great people, I’m constantly learning and no two projects are the same. It’s a great industry to be in. I’m agency side, not corporate, so work with a range of clients and my relationship with my business partner is brilliant. I’m super proud of what we’ve achieved.

Social worker with 16-18 year olds leaving care, been doing it ten years in the same fantastic team.

Teens are great, although they have been through so many terrible experiences they have so much energy, humour and determination. (Plus makes looking after my own teen a walk in the park).

What did you enjoy doing as a kid? Do a grown up version of that.

And do it not-full-time, seems to be key!

@Labiabella My thoughts exactly! I taught for 20 years, I did not enjoy it towards the end. The work life balance was non existent. I don’t think I know any teacher who isn’t desperately looking to get out. There’s a group on FB with teachers, a significant proportion of whom have had suicidal thoughts desperately looking to escape teaching. The stories on there are awful! There are just under 175k members! I definitely don’t know any secondary school teacher who loves their job! Once again I’m finding MN appears to be an alternate universe!

This is my dream job.

@Youstolemygoddamnhouse
It is basically someone who doesn’t have a teaching qualification but is expected to do the job of a teacher for around half of what a qualified teacher is paid! This will become more and more common seeing that teachers are currently leaving the profession in droves and people aren’t exactly queuing up to train.

Good luck to her, we are desperately short of paeds physios in the UK as its not really covered much in the undergraduate degree, so we have to be proactive in seeking out learning opportunities post graduating.

Our surgery definitely operates like this (the one I attend), and even better, there isn't the crazy panic trying to get through at 8.30. Can message them for an appt anytime from 7am onwards, and from 8 they start going through them and call you with an appointment. I have messaged as late as 3pm and still got an appointment same day. Calling is still also an option for those who cant message

I build aeroplane. I trained as an aircraft mechanic but I've moved my focus to the carpentry side of things (we're building seaplanes out of wood and composite) and I enjoy it, although I feeling a bit stressed now because I'm suddenly responsible for the carpentry work (as our carpenter left) and for training our new workers when I've only been here 6 months.

Primary school TA, absolutely love working with children.

Regulatory policy manager in essential infrastructure. It is really interesting - I spend a lot of time trying to untangle and solve knotty policy issues and there is a lot of job satisfaction in solving problems that are impacting people and also ensuring essential serives get built and maintained.

I'm station staff on London Underground (TfL). Customers sometimes do stupid things and the railway politics 😒 but 99% of the time I enjoy it. Very well paid, very good team, lots of perks.

Veterinary Nurse - work in referral rather than general practice and I love it 🙂

How did you get into this?

NHS podiatrist, - mainly the high risk foot specialist but also do nail surgery

Very rewarding job overall, it can be hard and there are not enough of us. I work in a great team of people. I am sure it is one of the best jobs in the NHS. (And a very underrated career, if I had a pound for every time someone asked why did I choose feet as a career I would be millionaire)

Talent agent running my own agency

I work for a local charity that works at stopping loneliness and isolation in the elderly through friendship. We organise regular social activities and match up volunteers with those who are housebound.
it’s a job of joy as the benefit and change is immense, I love it.

I find it suspicious how so many replies are teachers saying they love their job 🤔