Can a person really love their job/career?

[Cortez88]

As I scroll through LinkedIn, I always see people posting about how great their company is or how fulfilling their career has been. I’ve never ever felt that way about any place I’ve worked or my career in general. It has always been a means to an end for me.

But I also know I’m a jaded cynic is most all facets of life. So I’m approaching this with full recognition on my inherent bias. Does anyone here really love their job and/or career?

 

[Spartans9312]

As I scroll through LinkedIn, I always see people posting about how great their company is or how fulfilling their career has been. I’ve never ever felt that way about any place I’ve worked or my career in general. It has always been a means to an end for me.

But I also know I’m a jaded cynic is most all facets of life. So I’m approaching this with full recognition on my inherent bias. Does anyone here really love their job and/or career?

Hell no. Means to an end…which is getting closer.
I have seen the degradation of the public first hand in the last 25+ years.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

As I scroll through LinkedIn, I always see people posting about how great their company is or how fulfilling their career has been. I’ve never ever felt that way about any place I’ve worked or my career in general. It has always been a means to an end for me.

But I also know I’m a jaded cynic is most all facets of life. So I’m approaching this with full recognition on my inherent bias. Does anyone here really love their job and/or career?

I’ll raise my hand.

I can’t imagine doing anything else as my occupation than what I did and where I did it. To be sure, I had my share is sleepless nights, dispair with cases that went south, and anxiety that made me tough to be areound, but as I look back, those fade to insignificance as remembering the many positive and affirming events and genuine affection and respect among co-workers and colleagues now dominate.

 

[mcmurtry66]

As I scroll through LinkedIn, I always see people posting about how great their company is or how fulfilling their career has been. I’ve never ever felt that way about any place I’ve worked or my career in general. It has always been a means to an end for me.

But I also know I’m a jaded cynic is most all facets of life. So I’m approaching this with full recognition on my inherent bias. Does anyone here really love their job and/or career?

This made me lol. That's cuz you're too smart for your own good. Better to be a little dumb. What always killed me was when I worked somewhere doing the identical job as my coworkers who genuinely loved it while I cried in the bathroom.

My crowd that has had it easiest stayed in the same industry their entire careers and married a professional who worked too. Doesn't say anything about job satisfaction but income generation

 

[larsIU]

I like the job I have now better than the one I had for about 15-20 years preceding this. Does that count?

I mean, not a lot better but you get the idea.

 

[mcmurtry66]

I’ll raise my hand.

I can’t imagine doing anything else as my occupation than what I did and where I did it. To be sure, I had my share is sleepless nights, dispair with cases that went south, and anxiety that made me tough to be areound, but as I look back, those fade to insignificance as remembering the many positive and affirming events and genuine affection and respect among co-workers and colleagues now dominate.

No offense to you Coh but the business is a lot different today than your prime years. I genuinely hated it the last five years

 

[anon_mlxxvlbug9dpa]

As I scroll through LinkedIn, I always see people posting about how great their company is or how fulfilling their career has been. I’ve never ever felt that way about any place I’ve worked or my career in general. It has always been a means to an end for me.

But I also know I’m a jaded cynic is most all facets of life. So I’m approaching this with full recognition on my inherent bias. Does anyone here really love their job and/or career?

There are some people who truly love their jobs - but those aren’t the people posting on LinkedIn. The people that aggrandize their company or job are either:

• Narcissistic twats that lie to themselves and want “likes” on social media
• Leaders in their company - highly paid - and have a comms department feeding them those posts

 

[dbmhoosier]

You probably need to have your own business and do something you really like to love your job. Maybe if I was running my own fishing charters out of Key West I'd love my career.

 

[Cortez88]

I’ll raise my hand.

I can’t imagine doing anything else as my occupation than what I did and where I did it. To be sure, I had my share is sleepless nights, dispair with cases that went south, and anxiety that made me tough to be areound, but as I look back, those fade to insignificance as remembering the many positive and affirming events and genuine affection and respect among co-workers and colleagues now dominate.

I’m truly envious COH. No hyperbole, you are the only lawyer I’ve ever heard feel that way. My time in a firm was misery with my time as a partner being much worse than the associate years. I’d wake up every Sunday and the first thing I’d feel was dread of Monday. It ruined every Sunday. I consider myself a fairly tough SOB and that crushing depression damn near broke me.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

No offense to you Coh but the business is a lot different today than your prime years. I genuinely hated it the last five years

I think you are correct. Not only has the business changed, but the people involved have changed. Lawyers are less collegial and judges are more nit picky and ideological, especially in cases involving the government. For its part, government at all levels is out of control and is f*cking up the law in many ways.

 

[Univee2]

As I scroll through LinkedIn, I always see people posting about how great their company is or how fulfilling their career has been. I’ve never ever felt that way about any place I’ve worked or my career in general. It has always been a means to an end for me.

But I also know I’m a jaded cynic is most all facets of life. So I’m approaching this with full recognition on my inherent bias. Does anyone here really love their job and/or career?

I liked/loved mine perfectly fine the day I retired . . .

 

[mcmurtry66]

I think you are correct. Not only has the business changed, but the people involved have changed. Lawyers are less collegial and judges are more nit picky and ideological, especially in cases involving the government. For its part, government at all levels is out of control and is f*cking up the law in many ways.

And the lawyers and the judges were by far the best part of it lol. The clients (the public) were absolutely horrible. And maybe it was only 5 percent of them, but that was more than enough to make life hell

 

[larsIU]

I liked/loved mine perfectly fine the day I retired . . .

It's like an ex you look back on fondly...

 

[Univee2]

It's like an ex you look back on fondly...

Those exist?

I wouldn’t know. Coming up on 43 years in December.

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

I’m truly envious COH. No hyperbole, you are the only lawyer I’ve ever heard feel that way. My time in a firm was misery with my time as a partner being much worse than the associate years. I’d wake up every Sunday and the first thing I’d feel was dread of Monday. It ruined every Sunday. I consider myself a fairly tough SOB and that crushing depression damn near broke me.

That's sad. I have had those feelings in my career. In fact, I went from my absolutely ideal job (for the age/experience level I was at) that I couldn't have been happier in to having severe depression and anxiety about going to work every single day all in the span of about 6 months and all related to a new boss.

I did something I didn't think I'd ever do, which was quit without having something else to go to, even with a wife and an infant. But I ended up finding something pretty quickly (before I actually left the old job but after I had given notice) and things worked out.

Best of luck.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

I’m truly envious COH. No hyperbole, you are the only lawyer I’ve ever heard feel that way. My time in a firm was misery with my time as a partner being much worse than the associate years. I’d wake up every Sunday and the first thing I’d feel was dread of Monday. It ruined every Sunday. I consider myself a fairly tough SOB and that crushing depression damn near broke me.

I’ve met several lawyers with experiences like yours. I recognize my good fortune in landing in the right firm in the right town in the right state. For the final 25 years or so of my practice I was in charge, that made things easier. But I/we did something right because lawyer turnover was very low. One of the hardest and best decisions i made was turning down an offer from a very large Indianapolis firm and moving to Colorado with no job. The $$$ would have been much more, but I don’t think I would have liked it as much.

Edited and made better.

 

[larsIU]

Those exist?

I wouldn’t know. Coming up on 43 years in December.

Lucky bastard.

 

[Univee2]

As I scroll through LinkedIn, I always see people posting about how great their company is or how fulfilling their career has been. I’ve never ever felt that way about any place I’ve worked or my career in general. It has always been a means to an end for me.

But I also know I’m a jaded cynic is most all facets of life. So I’m approaching this with full recognition on my inherent bias. Does anyone here really love their job and/or career?

The worst days were those involving the FDA, OSHA and NIOSH. Oh, and dealing with government pea-brains on unemployment claims for those employees I terminated for cause. The process was interminable, but always ended with a scheduled hearing where the claimant never showed, knowing I had documentation out the wazoo, thanks to the advice of an attorney - don’t let anybody tell you they don’t have any value besides being a speed bump on a suburban street - years ago.

 

[zeke4ahs]

As I scroll through LinkedIn, I always see people posting about how great their company is or how fulfilling their career has been. I’ve never ever felt that way about any place I’ve worked or my career in general. It has always been a means to an end for me.

But I also know I’m a jaded cynic is most all facets of life. So I’m approaching this with full recognition on my inherent bias. Does anyone here really love their job and/or career?

I was very lucky, as I’ve really loved all of my jobs. When I was younger, it was mainly my coworkers, working at a bookstore, country club, etc. I absolutely loved being a teacher and it was fulfilling every single day. Lots of frustration and heartbreak, but knowing you have an impact is something important to me. I don’t know nearly as many teachers who love their job now. Hopefully the environment changes soon, before the turnover hits crisis mode. Finally I loved my job as a house director, again adored the girls, the interactions and making a difference. Besides being so lucky to be on a college campus. Heading down to Little 5 this weekend to meet up with some graduated girls who didn’t get their Little 5 due to Covid. I don’t think I ever would have been happy in a job that wasn’t directly involved with lots of people interaction and feeling like I was making a difference.

 

[Cortez88]

There are some people who truly love their jobs - but those aren’t the people posting on LinkedIn. The people that aggrandize their company or job are either:

• Narcissistic twats that lie to themselves and want “likes” on social media
• Leaders in their company - highly paid - and have a comms department feeding them those posts

Welcome to the cynics club. Coffees in the back.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

And the lawyers and the judges were by far the best part of it lol. The clients (the public) were absolutely horrible. And maybe it was only 5 percent of them, but that was more than enough to make life hell

I’m still good friends with a few local colleagues and clients. The one-off clients were the most difficult. The long-term ones were mostly enjoyable except for a few.

 

[mcmurtry66]

I’m still good friends with a few local colleagues and clients. The one-off clients were the most difficult. The long-term ones were mostly enjoyable except for a few.

I genuinely liked the lawyers and judges a lot, but the clients were awful and ruined it. I got where I hated my clients as much as the insurance companies. Entitled. Mean. Call 50 times a day. My old boss said advertising ruined the business. It changed the entire dynamic. He was probably right.

 

[Hoopsdoc1978]

You probably need to have your own business and do something you really like to love your job. Maybe if I was running my own fishing charters out of Key West I'd love my career.

I’d like to give porn star a shot……

 

[mcmurtry66]

I’m still good friends with a few local colleagues and clients. The one-off clients were the most difficult. The long-term ones were mostly enjoyable except for a few.

I'll add that I was recently with my stoker's cousin. He does asbestos defense for one of the largest firms in the country. Genuinely loves his job. How that's possible I'll never know. So maybe Cortez and myself and some others are just wired differently. I'd rather be on the frontline in the Ukraine than do asbestos defense 12 hours a day at a big firm

 

[larsIU]

Coffees in the back.

Black only. Cream and sugar are for losers.

 

[anon_mlxxvlbug9dpa]

Black only. Cream and sugar are for losers.

Everybody knows this.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

I'll add that I was recently with my stoker's cousin. He does asbestos defense for one of the largest firms in the country. Genuinely loves his job. How that's possible I'll never know. So maybe Cortez and myself and some others are just wired differently. I'd rather be on the frontline in the Ukraine than do asbestos defense 12 hours a day at a big firm

Agreed. Most of the reason I loved my gig was the tremendous variety. At some point along the way, I learned that legal skills were much more important than subject matter knowledge. I used that. The variety of cases I did is a long list. All that being said, my most satisfying job was coaching high school mock trial. Loved taking kids with brains full of mush and coaching them to have an impact in court.

 

[anon_mlxxvlbug9dpa]

Agreed. Most of the reason I loved my gig was the tremendous variety. At some point along the way, I learned that legal skills were much more important than subject matter knowledge. I used that. The variety of cases I did is a long list. All that being said, my most satisfying job was coaching high school mock trial. Loved taking kids with brains full of mush and coaching them to have an impact in court.

I get satisfaction from being highly challenged and working with good people. I could do just about anything if the nexus of good people - good challenge - good comp is there.

 

[iuwclurker]

I learned that legal skills were much more important than subject matter knowledge.

👁️

 

[anon_mlxxvlbug9dpa]

Welcome to the cynics club. Coffees in the back.

The first bullet is cynical. The second is 100% fact.

 

[Hank Reardon]

I've never loved a job or felt fulfilled by doing one. I'm fine with my IT career, but the second I think I have enough to retire on, I'm done. And I won't miss my career for anything. I can find plenty of ways to be fulfilled that don't include working.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

As I scroll through LinkedIn, I always see people posting about how great their company is or how fulfilling their career has been. I’ve never ever felt that way about any place I’ve worked or my career in general. It has always been a means to an end for me.

But I also know I’m a jaded cynic is most all facets of life. So I’m approaching this with full recognition on my inherent bias. Does anyone here really love their job and/or career?

I think some people get lucky and find a way to make money doing what they love. A lot of chefs one sees on tv shows talk about how they LOVE cooking and it doesn't feel like work. An unusually high amount say that they were heading down a path of drugs and crime until cooking came. So it is possible.

But I think most people find it difficult to monetize their passion (other than those whose passion is to make money). I've thought that as a retirement job I could work in a museum or my dream job, a Gettysburg tour guide. But neither really pay enough to have left my career to do and my wife has no interest in living in Gettysburg.

So I suspect some people do have jobs they love. For the rest of us, it is a question of how much we can tolerate for what amount of money.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

I get satisfaction from being highly challenged and working with good people. I could do just about anything if the nexus of good people - good challenge - good comp is there.

The challenge is important. A previous job was very challenging and I loved what I did. I didn't love that on my very rare day off, I would spend half the day getting calls and every workday was at least 10 hours. So I moved back to more front-line tech support where much of my day consists of questions only marginally above, "how do I turn my computer on". I keep reminding myself that I am helping people do their jobs and that should be rewarding, but I seriously am having difficulty in finding the reward beyond, "I am being paid".

 

[CO. Hoosier]

Time for one of my favorite quotes:

“The mind is its own place and, in itself can make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven.” – John Milton.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

As I scroll through LinkedIn, I always see people posting about how great their company is or how fulfilling their career has been. I’ve never ever felt that way about any place I’ve worked or my career in general. It has always been a means to an end for me.

But I also know I’m a jaded cynic is most all facets of life. So I’m approaching this with full recognition on my inherent bias. Does anyone here really love their job and/or career?

No. If someone truly loved their career, they wouldn't retire.

 

[mcmurtry66]

I get satisfaction from being highly challenged and working with good people. I could do just about anything if the nexus of good people - good challenge - good comp is there.

That's interesting Ranger. I will say my job today could be done with a GED. It's not hard, mostly sales, and not very important. It's certainly not challenging. At all. It's dumb dumb work. But I'm infinitely happier. I post on here a lot. Watch games. Talk on the phone with friends. Go out for long lunches. Post on our group chats. Play with the kids. Maybe I'm a loser. I don't know. But now I never think about retirement. I'd be content doing this until I die.

My dad did the same. Got his MBA from Wash U, worked in science/business, and then in his mid 40s had a midlife crisis, quit, and become a construction worker. He's been happier ever since.

 

[BCCHoosier]

The challenge is important. A previous job was very challenging and I loved what I did. I didn't love that on my very rare day off, I would spend half the day getting calls and every workday was at least 10 hours. So I moved back to more front-line tech support where much of my day consists of questions only marginally above, "how do I turn my computer on". I keep reminding myself that I am helping people do their jobs and that should be rewarding, but I seriously am having difficulty in finding the reward beyond, "I am being paid".

Same. I am 28 years in with the same company. I've worked in both accounting and finance for the company as well as the enterprise technology area. I'm at the point where I feel like I've seen and done most everything.

That is not to say there are no challenging days or problems, but everything is starting to feel like same old same old. Five more years until 55 and may try and hold on until 57.

Then I want to do something like mow grass in a state park or work at a nursery helping customers pick out plants. Nothing too physically demanding, but something outside where I will generate a little sweat.

 

[Univee2]

I've never loved a job or felt fulfilled by doing one. I'm fine with my IT career, but the second I think I have enough to retire on, I'm done. And I won't miss my career for anything. I can find plenty of ways to be fulfilled that don't include working.

There are never enough hours in the day to do all the nothing you want to do . . .

 

[anon_mlxxvlbug9dpa]

That's interesting Ranger. I will say my job today could be done with a GED. It's not hard, mostly sales, and not very important. It's certainly not challenging. At all. It's dumb dumb work. But I'm infinitely happier. I post on here a lot. Watch games. Talk on the phone with friends. Post on our group chats. Play with the kids. Maybe I'm a loser. I don't know. But now I never think about retirement. I'd be content doing this until I die.

My dad did the same. Got his MBA from Wash U, worked in science/business, and then in his mid 40s had a midlife crisis, quit, and become a construction worker. He's been happier ever since.

Different for everybody. I really struggled when I left the military because I felt I useless and unchallenged in the way the military challenged me. Came very close to getting back in - even had papers ready to sign. Then I asked my boss to make me feel challenged at work and it took off from there. Been pleased ever since.

 

[mcmurtry66]

Different for everybody. I really struggled when I left the military because I felt I useless and unchallenged in the way the military challenged me. Came very close to getting back in - even had papers ready to sign. Then I asked my boss to make me feel challenged at work and it took off from there. Been pleased ever since.

Challenge is important and a good thing. Stress is what gets dangerous and what I don't ever want again. It impacts everything including your home life