How do you feel about your job?

[Dryadia]

I would have to say that where I am right now in my life I dislike my job. I am finding that my personal values are at an ever increasing odds at what my job entails. I want to focus more on helping society and being "out there" Whereas my job is (as one person so eloquently put it) focuses on "beaucratic BS". Why do I stay? Because it keeps a roof over my head, food on the table and at this point in my life I can't (literally) afford to retrain.

It is a lucky person indeed that can find true satisfaction in their job and not find it at odds with their personal value system. For that count yourself blessed!

[Tarw Llwyd]

As with many jobs, if not most, I suspect, there are parts of my job I love, and parts that I feel obligated to do in order to pay the bills.  I work as a clinical psychologist, and therefore I do a lot of psychological testing (boring... hehe) but it is in the public interest and I make more income from that that the other things I do.  I also supervise graduate students in their clinical/therapy rotation at the local graduate school.  I like teaching a lot, but I dislike the departmental politics that inevitably come with such a position.  But what I really like to do is psychotherapy.  It is a thing of beauty to behold another person blossom into the person they were always meant to be, by removing and understanding the blocks to growth.  Unfortunately, insurance companies don't consider this a very important activity, so they don't pay much, if anything, and I keep doing psychological testing, squeezing in individual clients as I can.  If it weren't for them, I think I would be almost better off going back to bar tending!  

Blessings,
Brian/Tarw Llwyd
/|\

[Dryadia]

Ah now bar tending - that I could almost see!

You are right of course. Every job has it's good and bad sides. My job is with a school board and I'm in the administration building - not out in a school. So I'm in a setting where I see all the politics that go on and the longer I'm there the more cynical I'm becoming. Which I don't want to be. Maybe I'm naive but I truly want to believe that there are people out there that want to help youth out there, that want to help society, that want to improve things. And I want to be part of all that. When I took this job that's what I thought I was joining - an area that would be proactive and make positive changes. After six years it's not what I'm seeing.

I think that at one point I would have been okay with all of this but here's the irony in the whole situation. The further along I go in my druidic studies I find that I can justify where I am less and less. Because working there feels more of a compromise with my personal values than anything. Does that make sense?

So I guess my answer came in because my current work conflicts with my personal values and where I am at right now in my life. If I could somehow blend the two - maintain my current lifestyle while having a job that meshed with my personal values - I would be ecastic.  

So again, for those of you that have found peace with your jobs, congratulations. Count yourselves blessed! For you truly are.

[Jingle]

I love my job.

There are parts of my job that are boring, but for the most part, I love my job.
Everyday I get to work with the mathematics of circles (and lots of them)  :cloud9: .
I get to talk to people all over the country.
I get to help people find better ways to make plastic stuff more efficiently with less waste.

When I first found druidry, I started looking at my job as anti-ecological, being that I design hydraulic systems that run plastic manufacturing equipment.  But taking a look more closely, what I do allows people to use fewer raw materials with less energy.  The work I do allows manufacturers to use post consumer products (recycled plastic) as fillers, and make stronger, lighter structures using fewer resources by injecting bubbles into the plastic.  Better control and speed are required to make thinner stronger containers, and allow the use of vegetable (soy and corn) based plastics.

I voted in this thread early on, but didn't enter my response until now.  I was a little afraid that I would be blasted for working "in plastics".  Unfortunately, the latest news is that manufacturers that use post-consumer (recycled) plastic are running out of raw materials because not enough people are recycling, so I thought by answering with this post, I could give a little nudge to any of you out there who are not recycling.  When these manufacturers run out of post-consumer material, they go to virgin material (made from petroleum).

So get your bottles and bags to the recycling center and let's move the recycling rate up from the tiny 20% that it's at now.  Bags and bottles today can be decks and carpets tomorrow.

(wishing there was an emoticon with the recycle symbol)

[Selene]

For you, Jingle :  :recycle:

I put I that like my job. Parts of it I really love, parts I really don't; I figure it evens out. While the pay is decent, it's not the greatest, but on the plus side I have great personal freedom and essentially no supervision. People send me what they need me to do, treat me politely, don't stand over me while I do it, and thank me when I'm finished. I figure that's worth more than mere money!

It's a bit of a fairy tale, my 27 years here ...

Once upon a time, things weren't as they are now...for the first 10 years I worked for a mean-spirited ogre (apologies to Gladys; this guy epitomized the worst of the species) who delighted in making others miserable, in particular those with the misfortune to be directly under his thumb. Why I hung in there and took it, I'll never know, but I remember thinking that one day things would be better...and they were! My fairy godmother must have waved her magic wand because a benevolent elderly prince in the guise of a new department head arrived. He rescued me from the evil ogre and took me in as his scullery maid, but in time, he realized that I had more skills than the average scullery maid and I became his assistant. Ultimately, he bestowed upon me a small estate and promoted me to baroness, at which time others in the kingdom began to view me with much more respect as well. Eventually the prince was promoted to king and I, though still a mere baroness, continued to help him with many of his projects, and thus came to the attention of all the other nobles in the king's new palace. And those nobles also began to call on me for help with things they were working on, which has meant that I've gained more friends and people who appreciate what I can do.

Well, the king retired last summer and his successor has yet to be named, but since the regent and the assorted dukes and duchesses all like me and think I do a good job, so I'm hopeful that the fairy tale will continue for a few more years until I'm ready to retire, too. I'd like the ending to read, "And they lived happily ever after!"

[Sophia Zoe]

I would say that I love my job except that we are struggling with a less-than-dynamic (or entirely competent) executive director. I work for a small nonprofit and have had to come to grips that in this category, really gifted leadership is hard to find.

But we have a terrrific staff and I care deeply about our mission, so on the whole I'm very glad to be here. So I said that I like my job, since love but with reservations wasn't on the menu.

Blessings!
SZ

[wynyfryd]

I think that at one point I would have been okay with all of this but here's the irony in the whole situation. The further along I go in my druidic studies I find that I can justify where I am less and less. Because working there feels more of a compromise with my personal values than anything. Does that make sense?

Absolutely it makes total and complete sense, and 6 months ago I said this exact thing.... and made a change. A huge change for me wrt the type of company I work for - I went from Aerospace (all about the military, etc) to non-profit conservation.  :yay: The key was finding something I could do *right now* with the skills I have *right now*, as, yeah, that roof and those kids must be part of the equation and one cannot just drop all that! The process was intensely amazing as lightning struck one week and the next I sent out resumes and I was talking with my now-employer before the day was out. 1 month later, I gave notice and I've never looked back and I hope I never stop feeling this way.

Interestingly, my husband is also now having this epiphany and I'm helping him look for something else, at least different for him.

[CrowGirl]

I'm in the 'love my job' camp...
I run a bookstore with my mother that specializes in Pagan/Earth centred spirituality and personal growth (and yes, there's a healthy Celtic spirituality/Druidry section!)

The upsides include: getting to order all sorts of wonderful treasures and play with them when they arrive, a never ending supply of books at cost, wearing many hats and always being challenged, meeting like minded people and encouraging their development (in the minor catagory, I don't have to dress corporate and work starts at 9:30am).

The challenges include: the sheer volume of work that goes into running the store and customers who are mentally unwell (because of the nature of the store, we frequently meet people who are looking for a crystal to heal them of something better addressed by psychiatry).

I'm very grateful to be able to work with my family and be surrounded by inspiring books and beautiful things on a daily basis.

Vanessa

[Skylark]

I love my job. At last. I've been here 4 months, and was happy from the start.

The important thing to me is not what the job is, but to be in the place that's right for me, and working with the right people. I've done the same job for 9 years in three different companies, and I've disliked, resented, hated and loved it, depending on who I was with and how the mix of people, the workplace dynamic, made me feel on a day to day basis.

The only problem is, I'm so busy these days that I hardly ever appear on these boards anymore - today's chance during the lunch break has been a bit of a treat!

[Davin Raincloud]

Yeah I hate my jobe for many reasons.

Insurance Broker.
Mainly because clients don't understand. Even Lawyers and Accountants don't understand. Especially the lawyers. They seem to be completely clueless how insurance works, yet on the flip-side extremely arrogant. It's almost embarrising this high school graduate trying to educate qualified lawyers on how insurance contracts work.

Hmmmm... isn't the way? The people with real intellect don't get the opportunities to be educated, but the rich dummies do?  Or is that just how my messed up life worked out?

[AmberMist]

I voted that I like my job, even though it's the worst possible job I could have imagined when I was younger.  I'm a collections officer for the tax department   I always imagined it would be the hardest job in the world to ask people for money and have to hear the stories of why they aren't able to pay.  :gloomy:

But, the people I work with are great and we have a lot of fun.  The pay and benefits aren't bad either.  And although I regularly have people call me names, swear at me and tell me off, I have to put it in perspective.  I have to pay my taxes, so why shouldn't everyone else.  And without them there would be no schools or government paid health care.

So, overall, it really isn't as bad a job as I expected.

Amber

[Holly]

I like the job I have right now--I'm a hotel desk clerk while going to school.  I get to meet a lot of people, and I don't have to worry about hiding my beliefs from my co-workers.  My boss is Hindu and two of my co-workers are Pagan.  Another co-worker has been gravitating towards Paganism for awhile, so there's no one shoving religion down my throat.  Once I finish school I'm going to teach, which I love, but I have a feeling that I won't be able to be as open about my beliefs then as I am now, especially if I teach in this area.

[Bracken]

I love my JOBS so much.

I am a mother and an artist.

Motherhood is numero uno and the best thing I could ever wish for.

I am also an artist and I get work on contract as an exhibiting fine artist, in education, in health care, working as a photographer, a videographer, as a commercial sector designer... it is fabulous.

I am now in training as an Art Psychotherapist and I have high hopes.  :)

[Ken]

I'm a self-employed licensed massage therapist and I have to say...


I LOVE MY JOB!


It's the running of the business aspect of it (accounting, marketing, and the like) that I'm somewhat less crazy about.  Which is why my wife handles much (better make that 'most') of those things.  (Actually, she does those things because she's good at them - more so than I am.)  However, getting to spend more waking hours with my family and taking an unusually active part (for a father) in the raising of our kids makes all the nail-biting worth it in the end.

~Ken

[Leilani]

Ken, do you take clients as far south as Hwy 121? How delightful that you have a such an active role in your children's lives!

I'm grateful for my job, though I do find the cubical setting draining, as is the flourescent light directly above my computer (giving me a headache today). My immediate co-workers/boss are very gracious, I have no commute to speak of, and I don't start work until 9am. So, I can say that I "like" my job, though it costs me physically sometimes.

[hawk]

I put that I hate my job, but have to say that I am grateful for it - I have been in much worse jobs and also been poor to the point of not knowing how we were going to eat that evening, and worked for a couple of total bullies so to have a nice boss and work colleagues is a thing to be thankful for. Having said that, the work itself is utterly soul destroying and completely at odds with all my personal ethics and beliefs, the frustration being multiplied by the fact that I am a qualified herbalist (six years of very hard work for that one) but can in no way make enough money from it to pay even the basic bills (I support my husband and stepson, and my husband is not mentally well enough to consider making the move from his part-time, poorly paid job which treats him pretty badly, to something that could actually support us and give him a sense of fulfilment, while I try and build a practice as a herbalist - not his fault at all but frustrating all the same). I have taken the step to take my postgrad as a librarian so I can get a job I enjoy that will actually support us securely, because for all that money is not a thing to be worshipped, I NEVER want to be financially insecure again because I know all too well how horrific and humiliating it can actually get. How cheerful am I today?!!

[Leilani]

hawk: I think I understand what you are saying. As un-free as you feel in your current job, there is even more bondage in being financially insecure (or in worse jobs). Don't I remember how both can be humilliating! I have found that a sense of security brings unbelievable freedom.

It's like you're sacrificing your very soul to support your husband and stepson in this lifetime. What a price to pay! How will you bear this?

I hope the librarian studies will immediately begin to bring you freedom and security...

[Eilthireach]

I am a senior systems programmer and database administrator for a large firm in Munich, Germany.

After hearing this, many people slap my shoulders and congratulate me.
In fact this job was the biggest mistake I probably made in my life, for two reasons.

First, I am not at all a tekkie. I was originally working in the law&order sector, but wanted to get out of it, and changing into the IT business was the first interesting (looking) offer that came up, so I grabbed it. I should have considered more if the job suits my talents, but tell that to a 27 year old who just wants to get rid of his old job quickly.

The main problem is, the job is utterly utterly boring. I work mostly in customer support, the customers being colleagues in the same firm whose IT equipment/software is not working properly. The problems are mostly every day the same year in and year out. There is no intellectual challenge in here, I always say that my job can be done by a domesticized monkey: see a green light, press the green button.
Believe it or not, you can put an employee under pressure by work overload, or by constantly employing him/her under his/her abilities. I feel that my (little) talents are completely wasted.

On the positive side I can say that my job is relatively safe, it is well paid for what I do(!) and I have some time to look at things that are important to me. I have a nice office in the center of the city and a nice female colleague to share it with. My supervisor hates me, but I have learned to let his attacks go into the void, and he will retire in a few years.                  

I have learned to make a precise difference between me and my job. I am myself, and my job is something that I just do for a living. I try not to put my heart and soul in it, because then I would be hurt by the boredom. This makes me a strange figure in a country where work, career and money are pursued by many with the highest emotional effort.    

Change is not an option, because in a job market with 10% unemployment firms are not looking for people going towards 50. And I would not look for an IT job again, I would fancy a total change of profession.
So here I am, with 22 years of boredom ahead of me. Who said that computers are fun?  

Eilthireach.

[Aylyn]

So here I am, with 22 years of boredom ahead of me. Who said that computers are fun?

Sorry to hear that, Eilthireach, is it really that bad???

I am also a programmer, but I my job title is Senior Statistical Programmer  :-) Mentioning tis is usually enough to bring tears of boredom to anybody's eyes, which is why I have learned to keep stum about my job... However, I have put in that I love my job, and I do. I do not have much contact to other humans, which suits me fine, and I like the challenge of making my data behave the way they should by writing programs. The fiinal statistical analysis is a piece of cake when the data have taken the appropriate form, and it is my job to make sure they do.

In addition, I am working in medical research, which means that the analysis I do might actually help someone in the future by developing better medications. Currently, I am working on new biomarker research, in order to enable doctors to diagnose diseases earlier and cheaper, so that patients can get better care. As this is a completely new field, not much research has been done on it, which makes it even more interesting. So who says that statistisc are boring?  :whistle:

[marc huathe]

I'm not sure if I love my job but as I've stuck with the same type of thing (although in different organisations) for over 27 years I must quite like it !

I'm a drainage engineer, which is rather two sided when it comes to my feelings and beliefs.

On the one hand I am dealing with a vitally important service (yes sewerage !) which has over the last 100 years has probably saved as may peoples lives as the health services and also helps take away and treat contaminated waste water which as part of the water cycle helps maintain the earth in balance.

But on the other hand, you don't lay or maintain sewers without digging down into
"our mother" which at times can still be painful especially when I'm in a more sensitive frame of mind.

It's gotta be done though or we'd all be swimming in s**t