WATERMARK

a poet’s notebook

Established 02004

Do You Like Your Job?

Given everything there is to think about this week, this may seem an odd one to choose, but — I’ve noticed that a couple of my younger friends (30-ish) hate their jobs. In fact, they have hated all of their jobs, without exception, and I’m wondering what that’s about. Is it a generational thing? Or just a coincidence that I happen to know these particular folks?

I have had a lot of jobs in my life — grocery clerk, nurses’ aide, waitress, data-entry clerk, secretary, executive secretary, therapist, program manager, agency director, psychiatric social worker — and more. And I liked them all.

Of course, there’s always something. An irritating coworker; an incompetent boss; an inadequate paycheck. And I was not an ideal employee by any means. I tended to be difficult. A boss once told me he wanted to fire me (I was always late) but he couldn’t, since I was the best he had. Heh.

But still, I can’t think of one job I didn’t like. Even the ones I quit for one reason or another had redeeming qualities. Wonderful, funny coworkers; a boss I could learn from; good pay; challenging work. Something.

It occurs to me, I quit all of them, except the last. Maybe it has something to do with that? The confidence, and the economy to support the confidence, that there’s another job around the corner? I always knew — until I got sick — that I could support myself; I could take care of myself; my skills were saleable.

It saddens me to see young people so unhappy, so miserable, so full of complaint. So I wonder, is this just the time, the generation? Is such unhappiness in the world, or in the individual? How would one go about changing it, when changing the job seems to have no effect?

7 responses to “Do You Like Your Job?”

  1. Kim Avatar
    Kim

    Eeenteresting. Aside from the occasionally jerk callers, I can attest that I like my job. I think the only job I ever quit was the one where the boss made me cry alot. That’s just not cool. The rest I quit due to moving to Wyoming, back to Montana, etc.
    I think it might be generational – the value of hard work is being replaced by computers and the 1 secon attention span. Not like my generation is the crowning achievement of hard work, but it was engrained in me that once I was old enough to baby-sit; I’d be doing that if I wanted spending money. As I got older, the more I wanted to spend the more I needed to make. My parents told me they’d help with Big Things (college, etc), but credit cards, school supplies, clothes, and whatnot are up to me.
    I think the people need to change their attitude, especially with so many people out of work, or who want work but can’t get it. I may whine about my job, but without it I’d be screwed. If changing jobs doesn’t help mentally, maybe they should ask why they are working in the first place.
    shrug My 0.02. 😀

    Reply
  2. Pearl Avatar
    Pearl

    I think it’s in the individual choices. Or it could be the sour corporate culture where the relating is based in comiserating and they don’t really hate their job, or didn’t when they started the job. Some jobs seem to attract people who settle unhappily? I like my job and I’m still in the 30s. course if you asked me last year….:-)

    Reply
  3. Georganna Hancock Avatar
    Georganna Hancock

    I wonder if it’s correlated with the rising dissatisfaction, criticism of everything in general in our society. Everyone’s so quick to find fault and be angry, I’ve noticed. It’s contagious.

    Reply
  4. Cindy from Juneau Avatar
    Cindy from Juneau

    are these people happy in the other parts of their lives?
    i can recall an early job or two i disliked, but it was a time in my life when i was generally quite restless. didn’t know what i wanted as much as what it was i didn’t want.

    Reply
  5. D-Day Avatar
    D-Day

    I’m in my mid-20’s, and I’ve had some pretty awful jobs, but I’ve always liked them. I used to work as a nursing assistant caring on a locked severe dementia nursing ward, and that was difficult, dangerous, gross, and emotionally taxing. I know a lot of soldiers, cops, and firefighters that love their jobs too, even though they have the same drawbacks.
    I think it may have something to do with why the person is doing the job. If they don’t have any goals or aren’t working to further those goals, then it seems like they would resent all the negative things about working more than someone who understood that the job was more than just a paycheck. I don’t think it matters what the job is. In high school I worked fast food for one summer to earn money for car repairs. That was probably the most fun job I ever had – and I never resented doing it because I knew that 1) I wasn’t going to be there forever and 2) getting the money for the car would allow me to get a better job farther away next summer.

    Reply
  6. Maggie Avatar
    Maggie

    I’ve hated almost all of my jobs, save the time I was a bicycle mechanic and one consulting gig.
    I think it has a lot to do with a change in attitude by employers- people who work for a company aren’t “personnel” (persons), they’re “human resources” (a resource, not a person), and they’re just another object, another cost. Why treat a resource with dignity when there’s a line of desperate “resources” lined up at the door to replace the squeaky wheel?
    Companies have no loyalty to employees- everyone is expendable and outsource-able and as such, people are treated as disposable. I don’t know anyone who has worked at the same company for more than ten years, save some folks who work for small, family-owned businesses and shops.

    Reply
  7. Karen Avatar
    Karen

    I’ve liked most of my jobs – but then, I’ve always worked & enjoyed working. There is nothing better than finding work that suits you. I was fired once – for punching my boss. It was the quickest way to get his hands off me.

    Reply

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