A lot of changes and uncertainties going on in the world right now. During the past few months it has brought on a lot of self reflection. A lot of realization that life is short. Interested to know how many people wake up everyday and go to a job/career that they absolutely hate vs the fortunate ones that wake up and do what they love and are passionate about.

I did the job I hate for almost 4 years. It took its toll - my mentality was suffering, relationship was suffering etc..
When you do something all day every day that you absolutely hate, it wears on you.

Luckily for me, the company I worked for hit a rough patch and essentially closed the location I worked at. After some head scratching interviews I came to the realization that I needed to do something very different.

Computer programming was a hobby of mine since I was in high school. I love doing that. So why not make it my job? I polished up my skills and built some free lance projects for folks to get a portfolio going. That eventually led me to the gig I'm in now where I'm at a company that values its employees. I no longer dread going to work everyday and I love what I do.

Let me also state, I'm not one of those people that lives to work. Quite the opposite. But doing something you enjoy certainly makes working to live more tolerable.

I used to work in sports. Long hours, lower pay, but I loved going to work everyday and working with like-minded people. Left last year for a job in finance that was less hours and more money, thought I'd be happier with that but absolutely hate going everyday. Was preparing to get back into sports when Covid hit but that industry is in shambles right now. Hopefully will be able to get back when things start to normalize.

Worked a job I hated for years. Call center IT. Brutal stuff. Eventually it affected my mental well being, which lead to me not performing like I needed in the job, which lead to me being fired. In retrospect, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I have been self-employed since that time, and while I don't think I can say I love what I do every day, I don't hate it. There are aspects I dislike, but I don't dread getting up every day, and while running a business with one partner has its own unique stress, I very much enjoy not reporting to anyone.

I assume I'm like most people. I don't hate my job, but I'm not passionate about it. I make enough money to be comfortable. I stick with the job because I either don't know what it is I'd rather be doing or working in this job gives me the money and comfort to enjoy the other things I care about in life to the level I want.

statefan91 said:

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I assume I'm like most people. I don't hate my job, but I'm not passionate about it. I make enough money to be comfortable. I stick with the job because I either don't know what it is I'd rather be doing or working in this job gives me the money and comfort to enjoy the other things I care about in life to the level I want.

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Same, although I feel like I am more in the dislike my job spectrum than you are with yours maybe. I do not enjoy a lot about my job. There is a great bit of freedom that I enjoy with my job though that would be tough to get elsewhere.

TL;DR version for me - took a job I knew I would hate but needed its crappy paycheck, left for a better opportunity that pretty much was a failure from day one, moved half way across the country and took a corporate job, which I loved for a couple of years, then went downhill fast. Moved back to NC. Left to work for a much smaller private consulting firm and couldnt be happier.

Day to day can be a bit boring, but I consider myself extremely fortunate. My company leaves me alone and lets me take care of my business. As long as the client is happy, they dont give a damn what I do.

statefan91 said:

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I assume I'm like most people. I don't hate my job, but I'm not passionate about it. I make enough money to be comfortable. I stick with the job because I either don't know what it is I'd rather be doing or working in this job gives me the money and comfort to enjoy the other things I care about in life to the level I want.

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I'm in roughly the same boat. I left engineering out of school because I didn't want to work in a factory. Instead I took a job as a "Business Analyst" for the Tech branch of one of the Big 4. I left 4 years later for a smaller company where I have more ownership.

As a Business Analyst, I help design systems and work between developers and business users. But it's not fulfilling, or exciting. Going to work is a chore I don't look forward to. I miss doing things hands on and wish I had done Computer Science at State since I'm in tech now. But the job pays well, and I'm comfortable enough I havent made a change.

I think I'd have to take a big pay cut to move into a developer role. I've also thought about an MBA as I had the grades to go to a top program, but the cost is enormous and I cant justify it without moving into a "high burn" career like Finance or Consulting. And having tasted the consulting world, I'm never going back

All good conversations. Those are the types of feedback I was looking for when I started the topic.
I am currently in a job that I absolutely hate. Dread going everyday. Say a pray in the morning to get me through it. Sadly have been doing it for about 10 years now. However, recently I have noticed that it's starting to take a toll on my overall happiness. Have stuck with it because of pay and the fact that I have wife and two small kids to support. Also, frankly there just aren't many other options where I live. Going to have to make a change soon.

IseWolf22 said:

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statefan91 said:

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I assume I'm like most people. I don't hate my job, but I'm not passionate about it. I make enough money to be comfortable. I stick with the job because I either don't know what it is I'd rather be doing or working in this job gives me the money and comfort to enjoy the other things I care about in life to the level I want.

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I'm in roughly the same boat. I left engineering out of school because I didn't want to work in a factory. Instead I took a job as a "Business Analyst" for the Tech branch of one of the Big 4. I left 4 years later for a smaller company where I have more ownership.

As a Business Analyst, I help design systems and work between developers and business users. But it's not fulfilling, or exciting. Going to work is a chore I don't look forward to. I miss doing things hands on and wish I had done Computer Science at State since I'm in tech now. But the job pays well, and I'm comfortable enough I havent made a change.

I think I'd have to take a big pay cut to move into a developer role. I've also thought about an MBA as I had the grades to go to a top program, but the cost is enormous and I cant justify it without moving into a "high burn" career like Finance or Consulting. And having tasted the consulting world, I'm never going back

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See, this is interesting to me since I kind of went the opposite direction. I moved medical software consulting from an office job and I dont think I can ever go back to a desk job, or a job with a rigid schedule to follow. The freedom this field gives me is something I dont think I could trade. Yes, there are demands (and depending on the client, they can be quite high), but the flexibility is so nice. I dont think I would call it rewarding and I am certainly not passionate about it, but its challenging and I enjoy the fast paced nature of it (when COVID isnt around, at least).

Although, if a sales job opens in my company, I would certainly look at that position.

I would say that having to pray in the morning to get you through the day is a pretty bad sign, honestly. I got to that point previously and had to make a change and recommend you do the same, if you possibly can.

FlossyDFlynt said:

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IseWolf22 said:

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statefan91 said:

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I assume I'm like most people. I don't hate my job, but I'm not passionate about it. I make enough money to be comfortable. I stick with the job because I either don't know what it is I'd rather be doing or working in this job gives me the money and comfort to enjoy the other things I care about in life to the level I want.

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I'm in roughly the same boat. I left engineering out of school because I didn't want to work in a factory. Instead I took a job as a "Business Analyst" for the Tech branch of one of the Big 4. I left 4 years later for a smaller company where I have more ownership.

As a Business Analyst, I help design systems and work between developers and business users. But it's not fulfilling, or exciting. Going to work is a chore I don't look forward to. I miss doing things hands on and wish I had done Computer Science at State since I'm in tech now. But the job pays well, and I'm comfortable enough I havent made a change.

I think I'd have to take a big pay cut to move into a developer role. I've also thought about an MBA as I had the grades to go to a top program, but the cost is enormous and I cant justify it without moving into a "high burn" career like Finance or Consulting. And having tasted the consulting world, I'm never going back

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See, this is interesting to me since I kind of went the opposite direction. I moved medical software consulting from an office job and I dont think I can ever go back to a desk job, or a job with a rigid schedule to follow. The freedom this field gives me is something I dont think I could trade. Yes, there are demands (and depending on the client, they can be quite high), but the flexibility is so nice. I dont think I would call it rewarding and I am certainly not passionate about it, but its challenging and I enjoy the fast paced nature of it (when COVID isnt around, at least).

Although, if a sales job opens in my company, I would certainly look at that position.

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Big corporate consulting wasn't flexible in my experience. When client work was down, we were expected to take on side projects within the firm. Flexibility was just being able to finish your 50-65 hours at home on the weekend rather than staying late on a week day.

IseWolf22 said:

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FlossyDFlynt said:

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IseWolf22 said:

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statefan91 said:

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I assume I'm like most people. I don't hate my job, but I'm not passionate about it. I make enough money to be comfortable. I stick with the job because I either don't know what it is I'd rather be doing or working in this job gives me the money and comfort to enjoy the other things I care about in life to the level I want.

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I'm in roughly the same boat. I left engineering out of school because I didn't want to work in a factory. Instead I took a job as a "Business Analyst" for the Tech branch of one of the Big 4. I left 4 years later for a smaller company where I have more ownership.

As a Business Analyst, I help design systems and work between developers and business users. But it's not fulfilling, or exciting. Going to work is a chore I don't look forward to. I miss doing things hands on and wish I had done Computer Science at State since I'm in tech now. But the job pays well, and I'm comfortable enough I havent made a change.

I think I'd have to take a big pay cut to move into a developer role. I've also thought about an MBA as I had the grades to go to a top program, but the cost is enormous and I cant justify it without moving into a "high burn" career like Finance or Consulting. And having tasted the consulting world, I'm never going back

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See, this is interesting to me since I kind of went the opposite direction. I moved medical software consulting from an office job and I dont think I can ever go back to a desk job, or a job with a rigid schedule to follow. The freedom this field gives me is something I dont think I could trade. Yes, there are demands (and depending on the client, they can be quite high), but the flexibility is so nice. I dont think I would call it rewarding and I am certainly not passionate about it, but its challenging and I enjoy the fast paced nature of it (when COVID isnt around, at least).

Although, if a sales job opens in my company, I would certainly look at that position.

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Big corporate consulting wasn't flexible in my experience. When client work was down, we were expected to take on side projects within the firm. Flexibility was just being able to finish your 50-65 hours at home on the weekend rather than staying late on a week day.

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That was my experience in the corporate consulting world as well. I wasnt very clear in my last post, what I said was in regard to my current job at a small private consulting firm. My current firm is very hands off and lets me do my work. They dont care about the when/where/how part, thats all between myself and the client.

I'm on the downside of a career I have mostly enjoyed since I started working part-time in college. In the early years of working for someone else, the two job changes in my career were both advancements, even though I was still working for someone else. I was able to buy my business while in my early 40s and sold it five years ago, at age 56. Now, I'm a partner in a multi-operational business with a long time friend that also started his career at the same place I did when we got out of college. I work a part-time, full time job and have the flexibility to do my own thing all the time. Best of both worlds without too many challenges. Full retirement is probably a couple of years away. The thing is, I'm not sure I want to stop because what I'm doing now is almost perfect for me.

Working for someone showed me a lot of the worst aspects of my profession. While I never prayed about having to go to work, I said a lot of prayers due to the mental and physical toll it took on me at times. Now, being on my own, I have a lot of respect for most of our employees, because I've been there and they know it. It's a mutual respect and we work together quite well. There are two gold brickers there that I have little tolerance for that won't be around much longer, as soon as their replacements are ready to start (within the next two months).

My wife has worked both full and part time with me, running the day to day things. After she had about 3 months on the job initially, which due to our business, was a toll taker on everyone there for a lot of reasons, she readily admitted (and still does today} "now I know why you drink".

I've been fortunate and very blessed. It's sad to know that not everyone can have the luxury of saying that.

I enjoy what I do, selling. I enjoy working with reasonable people to find solutions. I do not enjoy the company for which I work. I have been here 22 years. At this point there is no opportunity for advancement. I think I would enjoy a territory sales job, get out, see people, and something new each day. I currently sell primarily from my office, mostly phone, sometimes face to face. I have always sold machinery. I had a couple great interviews before COVID and now....nothing. It seems the good companies have put all hiring on hold. So, hey, if you work for a company with a territory sales opening sellng machinery, construction equipment, tractors, etc please let me know.

I really should have left 5 years ago, but stayed for a big salary and commission. One thing I am trying to teach my kids, don't ever stay for a salary. I am miserable.

I'm a pretty young guy so I don't have the experience that some folks have, but I love my job.

Maybe it's the millenial in me, but I feel like I can do pretty much any job and be happy as long as you give me freedom in schedule / work from home, vacation, technology, etc. My company does that.

Your manager and your company culture mean so much.

metcalfmafia said:

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I'm a pretty young guy so I don't have the experience that some folks have, but I love my job.

Maybe it's the millenial in me, but I feel like I can do pretty much any job and be happy as long as you give me freedom in schedule / work from home, vacation, technology, etc. My company does that.

Your manager and your company culture mean so much.

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Ding ding ding.

Spoke to it above, but I moved from the corporate world to a small firm a couple of years ago. I was a bit skeptical as they talked a big game, most of which I had heard from other firms (and even corporate to an extent), but they have exceeded my expectations. They take care of a ton of the admin work I have zero desire to do and let me focus on client needs. The clients Ive worked with have never cared about my schedule as long as the work was done when it needed to be done by.

I still remember the first time I ever met my manager face to face, I was still fairly new at the company. She asked how it was going, and I replied "Good, you guys leave me alone and let me do my job". Her response was perfect, "We wouldnt have hired you if we had to babysit you".

It really does make all the difference in the world when it comes to job satisfaction.