Are you supposed to like what you do?

2

Replies

  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    Both
  • divcara
    divcara Posts: 357 Member
    Do you something you enjoy or can tolerate to the point that you are not miserable and hating life every day going to work. Something that pays the bills also helps. I have mixed feelings about, "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life." Be careful that doesn't turn your favorite hobby or pastime into a job...and it becomes a job. Instead of something you love that was your way to relax.

    I had the "exciting" big impressive, glamour corporate job. I met a lot of interesting people, did a lot of pretty neat things, and had some very neat experiences. By the end, I was burnt out, stressed out, miserable - and had gained over 50 pounds. I traveled all the time. Paid rent for an apartment I was never in. Never saw friends or family. No time for a relationship. Or ever had any energy left from my soul sucking day to actually go out, look and act presentable, and meet anyone.

    Left it all, moved to a place where there was a better quality of life and slower pace. Got away from a toxic environment. Took a huge pay cut. Do some work with a non-profit, but it's rewarding and meaningful. I am a nicer, more balanced, happier person. I took a part time retail job to help pay the bills. A huge change from big corporate career girl. But you know what - I prefer being on my feet instead of stuck at a desk. I enjoy personal interaction and helping people. And the best part of all - the ONLY time I hear from someone outside from work hours - is an email with my schedule. No calls at 10pm at night. No dreaded emails in the midst of a family vacation that ruin the day. Or having to find a business center on my vacation to get someone powerpoint slides. My down time and time off the clock is my own and there is something to be said for that.

    I don't regret my previous life - and it helped make me who I am. But I can tell you I left that world. make a whole lot less, but dropped over 60 pounds, have a whole lot less stress, look forward to get up and starting my day instead of dreading it. Have seen more family and friends in the last six months than in the previous six years.

    I think there has to be a balance, but there aren't many jobs worth sucking your soul.
  • youdowant
    youdowant Posts: 69 Member
    This is kind of hypothetical. Many people don't truly have any option. They do what they have to to make ends meet. For them, a job's a job. However, may others have the freedom and means to seek out a career field that fits their interests. It's just different for all of us. Saying that everyone has the ability to seek out their dream job is just ignorant. It's as foolish as saying no one likes Trump.
  • beerfoamy
    beerfoamy Posts: 1,521 Member
    I don't like having to work. I have always been what I call an office monkey - pays the bills and I get a pretty active life outside. Plus I honestly cannot care about it, so come 5pm, I am gone!
    But, even if I could survive from my drawing or some unknown as yet other skill, I would probably hate having to make deadlines and get commissions to people on time after a while.

    If someone could pay me to do what I want and go where I want, when I want, that'd be great!
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    Well a job is not always the ultimate in life fulfillment. Sometimes it is what you do so you can do other things you love.
    You might need to take a job you do not love to gain experience or pay for further training/education to get closer to where you want to be
    If you can find something you like to do that pays your bills then I think that is optimal.
    If you find something you like that doesn't pay much it might be worth downgrading your lifestyle to live on less.
    If a job is super stressful and poisons your whole life then it is probably not worth it. There are other jobs.
    Obviously you have to feed yourself and your family so sometimes you might have to take a job you just tolerate or a completely sucky job especially starting out.
    I think people change jobs and careers more these days than they used to. I don't think it is unusual for someone to move into a different field after working a few years.

    You might find this book helpful-
    https://www.amazon.com/What-Color-Your-Parachute-2017-ebook/dp/B018CHA0L6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490790991&sr=8-1&keywords=what+color+is+your+parachute
    I got the teen version for my daughter and I think it is helpful.
  • jamcdonel
    jamcdonel Posts: 533 Member
    I love what I do, but I do not love the venue or circumstances. I do not like being under-utilized. I do not like "starting over" again, for the fourth time. I do not like being self-employed. I am not an entrepreneur.
    But , needs= must.
  • KassLea22
    KassLea22 Posts: 112 Member
    edited March 2017
    youdowant wrote: »
    This is kind of hypothetical. Many people don't truly have any option. They do what they have to to make ends meet. For them, a job's a job. However, may others have the freedom and means to seek out a career field that fits their interests. It's just different for all of us. Saying that everyone has the ability to seek out their dream job is just ignorant. It's as foolish as saying no one likes Trump.

    I don't agree with this. I don't think it's as much about having the freedom or means, it's about having the drive and the patience to get to where you want to be.

    I grew up in a small town in Montana and after college I moved out to a big city all by myself after basically never living outside my small town, started at the very bottom of my career field doing a terrible job for a couple years, and I worked my way up to doing my dream job in a big city.

    To be honest I think it's kind of a copout to say some people don't have the ability or the means when if you really want something you can get yourself there. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, and you definitely have to be willing to start at the bottom and pay your dues, but it's not impossible or unreasonable. I think a large problem I've seen is that people don't want to pay their dues and work their way up. They want to start out at the top when that's not going to happen most likely. I think people also get a frayed to leave their comfort zones and find a new job or tell themselves that they can't.
  • wellthenwhat
    wellthenwhat Posts: 526 Member
    I do what I can to make ends meet and pay the bills (bank teller). In my free time, I pursue my passion (hoof trimming/farrier). In time, I may be able to make a living by my passion, but I am a single mom with a 6 year old to support, I don't have the privilege of pursuing my passion full time, so for now, I do what I can, and I enjoy the life I have while doing it.
  • wellthenwhat
    wellthenwhat Posts: 526 Member
    KassLea22 wrote: »
    youdowant wrote: »
    This is kind of hypothetical. Many people don't truly have any option. They do what they have to to make ends meet. For them, a job's a job. However, may others have the freedom and means to seek out a career field that fits their interests. It's just different for all of us. Saying that everyone has the ability to seek out their dream job is just ignorant. It's as foolish as saying no one likes Trump.

    I don't agree with this. I don't think it's as much about having the freedom or means, it's about having the drive and the patience to get to where you want to be.

    I grew up in a small town in Montana and after college I moved out to a big city all by myself after basically never living outside my small town, started at the very bottom of my career field doing a terrible job for a couple years, and I worked my way up to doing my dream job in a big city.

    To be honest I think it's kind of a copout to say some people don't have the ability or the means when if you really want something you can get yourself there. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, and you definitely have to be willing to start at the bottom and pay your dues, but it's not impossible or unreasonable. I think a large problem I've seen is that people don't want to pay their dues and work their way up. They want to start out at the top when that's not going to happen most likely. I think people also get a frayed to leave their comfort zones and find a new job or tell themselves that they can't.

    Not everyone has the privilege of being able to survive while they start at the bottom. A lot of people don't wanna put in the work, yes, but some are working their butts off to survive, and climbing out is almost impossible, let alone being picky about what kind of work they do
  • KassLea22
    KassLea22 Posts: 112 Member
    KassLea22 wrote: »
    youdowant wrote: »
    This is kind of hypothetical. Many people don't truly have any option. They do what they have to to make ends meet. For them, a job's a job. However, may others have the freedom and means to seek out a career field that fits their interests. It's just different for all of us. Saying that everyone has the ability to seek out their dream job is just ignorant. It's as foolish as saying no one likes Trump.

    I don't agree with this. I don't think it's as much about having the freedom or means, it's about having the drive and the patience to get to where you want to be.

    I grew up in a small town in Montana and after college I moved out to a big city all by myself after basically never living outside my small town, started at the very bottom of my career field doing a terrible job for a couple years, and I worked my way up to doing my dream job in a big city.

    To be honest I think it's kind of a copout to say some people don't have the ability or the means when if you really want something you can get yourself there. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, and you definitely have to be willing to start at the bottom and pay your dues, but it's not impossible or unreasonable. I think a large problem I've seen is that people don't want to pay their dues and work their way up. They want to start out at the top when that's not going to happen most likely. I think people also get a frayed to leave their comfort zones and find a new job or tell themselves that they can't.

    Not everyone has the privilege of being able to survive while they start at the bottom. A lot of people don't wanna put in the work, yes, but some are working their butts off to survive, and climbing out is almost impossible, let alone being picky about what kind of work they do

    I'm going to respectfully disagree. Working different kinds of jobs is not a privilege, because that makes it sound like it's just so easy to get where you want. It's something that the people work hard for and make work for them if they really want. I definitely struggled financially when I was working out the bottom, but I just learned how to manage and budget my money I guess.

    When you think about it, a lot of people say that professional athletes are privileged because they play sports for a living and make a lot of money. But those people also have been working their entire lives towards that goal and I think it is flippant to say has a privilege about something they worked very hard for.

    I think everyone has roadblocks and things they could use as, an excuse as to why they can't achieve their goals or ambitions. I don't really know if excuse is the right word, but I didn't know how else to word it. I think a lot of people just don't think they have the ability to get to where they want, when if you really want something you usually can find a way to get yourself there one way or another. People's priorities are also different. I personally could not work a job long-term that I hated, and I also don't like when people complain about working a job that they hate and don't do anything to change it.
  • DietPrada
    DietPrada Posts: 1,171 Member
    KassLea22 wrote: »
    youdowant wrote: »
    This is kind of hypothetical. Many people don't truly have any option. They do what they have to to make ends meet. For them, a job's a job. However, may others have the freedom and means to seek out a career field that fits their interests. It's just different for all of us. Saying that everyone has the ability to seek out their dream job is just ignorant. It's as foolish as saying no one likes Trump.

    I don't agree with this. I don't think it's as much about having the freedom or means, it's about having the drive and the patience to get to where you want to be.

    I grew up in a small town in Montana and after college I moved out to a big city all by myself after basically never living outside my small town, started at the very bottom of my career field doing a terrible job for a couple years, and I worked my way up to doing my dream job in a big city.

    To be honest I think it's kind of a copout to say some people don't have the ability or the means when if you really want something you can get yourself there. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, and you definitely have to be willing to start at the bottom and pay your dues, but it's not impossible or unreasonable. I think a large problem I've seen is that people don't want to pay their dues and work their way up. They want to start out at the top when that's not going to happen most likely. I think people also get a frayed to leave their comfort zones and find a new job or tell themselves that they can't.

    This is kinda an ignorant point of view. There are people, sure, who have that inner drive, and the required intelligence that goes along with it to pull themselves up and get where they want to be. I am one of them, I come from very humble beginnings, do not possess any formal qualifications and yet I have a very good job now. To say everyone has this option is BS. They don't. Their family or socio-economic status may not allow them the time or money to learn new skills or explore new options. They may not be in possession of the drive and courage to do so. They may not have any support or fall back. They may not have the skills or intelligence (for want of a less offensive term) to do better than what they are doing. They may also have anxiety or other issues that would not allow them to take such a risk. You think it's a cop out, I think it's very judgemental of you to say so.
  • crtaylor7997
    crtaylor7997 Posts: 151 Member
    I don't like much about what I do to keep my paycheck coming in. However, my time off from work and the money left over after bills let's me enjoy life. It's about as close to a good situation as I can get.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
    It depends. Do you want a job? Or a fulfilling career?
  • browneyedgirl749
    browneyedgirl749 Posts: 4,984 Member
    138shades wrote: »
    I love what I do. It's the political bs that happens in the office that I don't like.

    co-employees

    Some management too.
  • RitaRose91
    RitaRose91 Posts: 38 Member
    angelxsss wrote: »
    Do you think you're supposed to find something you enjoy to do for a living, or do you think it's more about just finding something that doesn't suck your soul out of your body and pays the bills?

    so I actually had a teacher that would preach to us to love what we do and then money will come. I've had lots of jobs...lots that ive hated. I'm a hairstylist now, and even as a hairstylist I've had jobs that I hated and had such bad vibes that I would physically and mentally get sick as well as emotionally get drained...but now I kind of work on my own and I love it. I make great money, I can make 50 bucks in one hour compared to other jobs where its minimum wage. I'm also still contracted with drybar (which I actually hate and cant believe I still work there) and they pay minimum wage which is annoying, but yeah. I'm all about for finding a job that you love, the money will come eventually.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,493 Member
    71c9000949f35aac18358b1c71a1581c.jpg