Why do you go to work?

[KatyMac]

Money is normally the answer

But if you don't make any money would you still work?

If your working costs were covered (lunch/travel/clothes/childcare) but you earnt nothing more would it be worth it

Since leaving university I've never had a job that's provided me with job satisfaction, conversation I care about or any kind of motivation to get up in the morning (apart from money). I've never looked forward to going to work.

This depressing fact aside, if I had free rein to find a career that did offer these things I would certainly pursue it for their sake. Otherwise money is the only driving force behind my working; I'd be quite happy tinkering about at home all day otherwise.

Then again, I don't have any kids yet - ask me again in a year's time and my answer might be quite different

No clue what I wanted to do or how to do it, coupled with intense skintness and absolute necessity to earn money in order to have somewhere to live, and I suspect a lot of unresolved self-sabotage issues from my past. It's complicated. And shit.

Things haven't been as unbearable as I've probably made them sound, I mean, I've done stuff at work that I've enjoyed to an extent; but I've never worked with anyone that I've felt more than a passing kinship with. My other half does a job he really enjoys, in an office full of people who genuinely like each other and have fun together - I envy him so much.

In a nice supportive way

Wow, that looks great! Wish I'd known about that before starting my MA, it probably would have come in handy. How are you finding it? And do you know what kind of change you want to make?