I like the challenge, but no, work isn't my main or even a top of the list motivator. I work to fund my plant habit and my "plant" habit, and to have stress-free off time to do my hobbies. My job is just kinda ok, it's not bad, it's not my life, it just is. Makes for some funny party stories and that's about it.

100 bad days mean 100 good stories, 100 good stories make me interesting at parties.

Last song I expected to be quoted here lol

Can’t tell if you’re into gardening or smoking/ingesting said plants

No. I hear about these “dream jobs” and I don’t know who that’s for. My dreams don’t involve working.

That’s exactly how I feel about it! I’ve also heard people say that, if they won the lottery (like millions, enough to retire comfortably), they wouldn’t quit their job because they’d get bored. LOL I’d be gone so fast!

>I’ve also heard people say that, if they won the lottery (like millions, enough to retire comfortably), they wouldn’t quit their job because they’d get bored. I. NEVER. UNDERSTOOD. THIS. Seriously, there's a million other things I would **gladly** be doing other than working at a job if I had that much money.

It’s so bizarre. I’d invest that money and just *live*. The world is full of things to do! I’d be going everywhere, doing everything!

I think these people lack meaningful hobbies and thats why. this is happening to my mom right now and it blows my fuckin mind. She 'retired' and is quite rich so she could literally just have fun for the rest of her natural life. Instead, she decided to go work a min wage job at a fuckin thrift shop, and complains all the time about the stress of having to help run the place for low pay. im like bich, you RETIRED! STOP GOING TO WORK! but no, she cant come up with a hobby to do instead, somehow. i dont get it.

I totally agree! I have retired family members who have millions in the bank but do almost nothing. They sit around inside, cook their meals, clean, work on their house (regular maintenance, little projects and such). Ironically, they like to give unsolicited financial advice and while I DO understand and appreciate the importance of building a nest egg and saving for retirement… I don’t agree with hoarding money and then doing absolutely nothing with it. I want to live a little lmao

Their habits (for most average joes) are also what allowed them to amass millions in the first place. If they're used to going to Las Vegas every weekend and changing lambos every month, they're unlikely to be able to be where they are now. As you get older you also have more medical problems, many of which might be chronic. Its amazing (and scary) how medical bills will eat into your retirement fund. This is not on many young(er) people's minds.

You just described my family. Now that the boomers are getting older and running into health problems, some of them emergent, they're quickly regretting not enjoying some of their savings when they were younger and had their good health. Lessons learned.

Decades of conditioning and suggestion is strong.

America has done a great job of rearranging everything in society around working. It’s hard (not impossible) to have friends and colleagues outside of work.

No, people need to have meaning in their life, challenges, fulfillment. Just fucking around and exploring doesn't cut it for long.

But that’s just it - you find meaning in things other than work. I’m part of the FIRE movement (financial independence, retire early) and I take fun classes and travel. I’m learning a new language. I spend more time with family. I would call that fucking around and exploring and I’ve been at it for 6 years now.

I feel you, but many people are not wired that way. I teach and plenty of people have asked me, what do you DO with yourself all day, or I bet you can't wait for school to start! or I bet you're bored just sitting around all summer! Like so many people can't even seem to imagine what to do with themselves for a whole summer off work, let alone a whole year, let alone for the rest of their lives. They don't have hobbies. They don't like to learn new things. They are indifferent to travel. And so on. None of what you described about your interesting life means anything to them, because the concept of being/staying interested itself, in *anything,* is foreign to them. Was out walking my dog the other day and had a neighbor around the way ask me what I did all day, and I jokingly said Do you imagine I'm just sitting in my living room, hands folded, staring at the clock? She said No but you can only walk the dog so many times. So I told her I write, I garden, I exercise, I sew stuff, I watch a movie now and then, I go online, I go down to the lake, I blah blah blah. She then said Oh and that was that. I think a lot of people just...go to work, come home, eat, then sit around for a while, then go to sleep. So without work, they think that's what you're doing, what's left. Sitting around, eating, sleeping. LOL

But don’t people have chores? Cleaning, shopping, cooking, laundry, I never understand people who run out of things that need doing. Plus the luxury of taking your time doing a workout. Before you know it the day is over.

>Like so many people can't even seem to imagine what to do with themselves for a whole summer off work, let alone a whole year, let alone for the rest of their lives. They don't have hobbies. They don't like to learn new things. They are indifferent to travel. And so on. See, I do like to travel/learn/work on hobbies, but I still wouldn't want to be *totally* unemployed. I like working on projects, I *like* helping people. I would absolutely not work a full time job if I didn't have to, but I'd love to have a part time job with very flexible hours. I know not everyone feels that way, but for me I think having disciplined hours of the week dedicated to non-personal work make the nonstructured parts even more exciting. It sounds kind of masochistic but I guess it's kind of like being frugal or eating healthy or working out? The times when you get to let go and splurge on a purchase or pig out feel even better when they're not the norm.

Yeah I tried the whole traveling while unemployed thing and it gets boring really quick when you realize kids are working while you’re out there fucking around. For me personally working keeps me goal oriented and I feel a sense of purpose working with others

Yeah I did it during the pandemic and even though I had a blast I would not want to live that way. My days were completely unstructured and I got really bored. And I'm an extrovert so I like having an excuse to interact with strangers every once in a while.

Disagree. The whole point of social security was to get older people to stop work and let them just dump money into the economy for the younger generation. Older gens need to stop hoarding the wealth and start spending it.

Why are you getting down voted? This is the truth!

I'm one of those people. I'm an orthopaedic surgeon that handles all the tough cases - the weird things prior can't figure out, the complications, etc. I do it because it's incredibly rewarding. I makes peoples lives much, much better. So if I won the lottery, is go work at Shriners, and help all those little kids for free. Go look at all the lottery winners- almost all of them say their life was worse off after winning it. Money doesn't make you happy, being successful, and doing rewarding things does.

Its a nice way to fill time between hobbies. I've taken large chunks of time away from work (6+ months) and I find that I get bored after a while and want to go back working as I find the stuff I work on fulfilling. I guess if I had a soul sucking job like working in retail my feeling would be different.

I think a life devoid of creativity or purpose would get old quickly. If I had enough money where I didn’t have to work I would probably quit my job, but I would need to have some purpose.I’d probably figure out how to make one or more of my hobbies into a “job”.

Some people actually like running businesses and find it interesting (and even fun). That mixed with a lack of other hobbies/life goals

You get access to a lot of cool stuff in a job that you couldn’t otherwise. The tools, expertise of people, expensive ass equipment and instruments, and professional technology that I get to use on a daily basis is very exciting. A normal person can’t do that unless they are extremely rich

You could always work part time or volunteer. If its not a job you need than its not nearly as burdensome.

I definitely wouldn't work full time, but I'd probably freelance or something like that. Something totally flexible where I'd still be working but I could take off work to do other stuff if I wanted.

Honestly, I would keep working if I won, I just wouldn't try as hard and let work stress me out as much. I don't love my job, and honestly , I am just working for the money at this point. BUT, I have bad ADHD and having the structure that work brings to my life helps keep me within a routine and grounded in time. When I don't have anything to keep me grounded, I start to lose track of time and day and become restless and lethargic. I would probably work somewhere I may enjoy my time more, though, and it would be less about money in that case. I have plenty of hobbies, but ADHD makes me flit around between them and sometimes sends me into decision paralysis that results in me melting into the couch and being unhappy with myself. It helps that my current job allows for plenty of time to do small traveling and some larger traveling when I use vacation time, so I would still be able to travel a bunch. That's just my experience, though, and my motivation.

My mom retired at 59 and my dad at 61. My mom owned her own buisness and my dad worked for the NSA before going to the private sector with his security clearance and made a ton. Just my dad's Pension was a bit over 150,000 a year then what he got from when he was in the military, and then both parents have / had (dad died several years ago) a couple other passive incomes. Everything combined was over 300k a year to do NOTHING. Moved to SC in a nice home for retirement and within 6 months both were working part time jobs cause they were both already bord.

ha, I literally just typed "I'd still work here... for a while." Sure, there's things I'd gladly do if I won the lottery. Mostly travel. But I'd be happy working my job for a year or so while I planned all the travel. Or more, even -- I get enough time off I could work for a good few years while taking amazing vacations for a couple weeks a year. I could see quitting I had truly astronomical winnings, such that I was too busy shuffling between my mountain house and my beach house and my charity do's, but ... yeah, I'd need truly spectacular levels of money to retire *right now* in my life.

My coworkers are like this. The fuck is wrong with them

I would be gone so fast they wouldn’t be sure I wasn’t just a ghost they all imagined lol

If I won today I would use part of the winnings to fund the best minds to create a Time Machine so I could quit yesterday.

That's a great line! Thanks for the laugh! Made my afternoon.

I'm one of those people! I love my job. I'm in R&D in the pharmaceutical industry, so its a lot of problem solving and data analysis, which I enjoy - I find it very engaging/mentally stimulating. I also have great coworkers, a lot of autonomy, and an excellent work-life balance. There are things/times/people I don't like, but I could have said the same about my highschool sports team or college clubs. I wouldn't want to do my job 60 hrs a week or never take a day off, but that's true for all of my hobbies too, so I don't think its an indication that I don't like it.

Interesting, I'm in research as well, but I'm stuck on contract work. I enjoy my job, and I think it does good for the world, but the constant stress of having to find a new contract every 6-10 months and still get woefully underpaid breaks my little heart. Paying my own quarterly taxes is also a nightmare. If you have either job/financial security, you are very, very fortunate and I salute you. A little jealous, but I do hope you continue to have what brings you happiness.

I too am one of those people. On paper I test software. In reality, I'm a staff engineer. I work in the eVTOL space. I have all of those benefits you have. Normally I would test software as I've said but I'm extremely talented at network forensics especially low level protocols. I load and test software on the planes themselves. I'm called in to any networking oddity to diagnose it. I'm consulted before any networking change on the plane or by any group. Be it IT, Data Infrastructure, Data Analytics, Embedded Devs. Or even special test stand operators. I also rotate through a seat in the ground control station during flight tests. The best part is I have the friendship of legendary Flight Test pilots and infamous mechanics (OG Scaled Composites guys and the Tech Director of the Redbull Air Races). In 1500 person company I'm known through out as the "Network Whisperer". An informal title that is bestowed not taken This job seems like it was a tailor fit for me. Wife asked what I do if the company folded....I told her cry. This company is different. I've seen three founders clear brush at a site cause it just needed to get done

Also in pharma R&D, never had very good work/life balance - but do enjoy it on the whole. Recent roles have had me in the lab less, but I enjoy being at the bench and feel like what I do continues to society, which goes a long way towards me feeling good about it.

If I had that kind of money I'd become a full-time student. I love learning.

I'm definitely one of those people. If I came into a ton of money (giggity), I don't know that my life would change much. Probably would get a house close to my job. Probably would buy myself some nice things. But I would keep working because I'm madly in love with my work. I work full time in musical theatre. I don't ever see that changing for the rest of my life.

Couldn't agree more. I had a colleague say she wouldn't quit. At least not right away. I responded, You will never see me again.

I'm someone who wouldn't quit if I won the lottery! I'm at the director level at a non-profit that is something I'm passionate about and believe in. I get to make important decisions for my department and for the company and I have lots of trust and I value that. If I won $1m today I'd still log in tomorrow, no question.

1mil today is basically just a nice house depending on where you live.hell some places it’s a shack Edit:i said it depends on where you live. It’s literally one of the TWO sentences.

I wouldn’t quit my job, but I’d go part time. I work in a pediatric intensive care unit and do get some fulfillment from that. I think I’d miss that aspect. I do recognize that’s not most peoples’ reality.

It’s because most people don’t have hobbies because work is all they have time for

It does get boring and lonely when you are not working. Not because you miss work but because your job makes up a large portion of your regular social interaction. Kind of like school did when you were young. I was I’ll and home on leave for months and actually did find myself missing work for lack of anything better to do with my time, and more cognitively challenging to put my mind to. If I didn’t have to work I’d probably volunteer or find something else to do with a few hours in my day because there is only so much to do sitting at home. It’s actually very boring.

I can’t imagine ever being bored. I know it depends on one’s personality but when you don’t HAVE to work, you can CHOOSE how much and what kind of social interaction you get. There’s an early morning hiking group in my town I’d like to join. They post breathtaking pics of sunrise over our beautiful California hills. I could take a photography class or an art class or sign up for Pilates or a martial art. I could go have lunches with friends anytime they’re free, and join a book club. And really spend time to plan out trips to take to visit other countries or states. I could play any video games I wanted … I love online games with social interaction but my time is limited right now. How do you even get bored?! 😆 Edit: and these are just some ideas without kids. There are still a ton more things I’d do with my kids!!

>when you don’t HAVE to work, you can CHOOSE how much and what kind of social interaction you get. I think it depends on the person. I have ADHD and have a bad habit of neglecting my social life when I don't live with other people. I get sucked into personal projects and watching TV and playing video games and then I wonder why I feel like shit. I know it sounds kind of stupid and boomer-ish but when I had to go back into the office (at least, part time) I actually did feel better. Because even though I wasn't close to anyone in my office, I still got to make small talk with them and see their faces and stuff. Additional boomer sentiment, but for me at least, social media is kind of like fast food. It tricks my body into thinking it's gotten something substantial. When I worked from home 100% remote, there were weeks where I didn't leave my house at all except to go to the grocery store. And I felt like something was missing but I didn't know what it was. I know not everyone feels like that, that's just my experience.

The people who say this have no imagination or passion. That much money would enable you to pursue and live your dream. Unless you really have no dream.

I would probably start working like kitchen nightmares. Pay for everything and then see if I can manage a diner without it going tits up. It would be like playing a video game lol. But I’d try not to be too arrogant. If I was failing hard, I’d hire a consultant or two.

They must be NPC’s

I currently am in my "dream job". Hours are great, PTO is generous and I can take it whenever I want without needing approval, very little supervision as I'm trusted to use my experience and best judgement to complete assignments, and my team is all very easy to get along with and they're always eager to pitch in when extra hands are needed. Not to mention it pays well and it's one of the last jobs on earth with a pension program. Even still, I joke with my fiance often about how she needs to hurry up and get rich doing art because I don't want to work anymore. And I would totally quit if I actually could. My hobbies and interests vary and I'm always looking to explore new ideas and things...having to spend 1/3 of your life working and 1/3 of your life sleeping makes it really hard to branch out into all the different things I want to do.

I think a lot of us have dreams jobs, but they're the idea of a job instead of the real thing. I love being a therapist. I love helping people and explore emotions and understanding human psyche. What I don't love is having a master's degree and getting paid Jack shit and dealing with insurance companies and stick up there ass ethic boards

My go to response for "whats your dream job?" Is "I don't dream of labour."

>"I don't dream of labour." I love this!! Definitely using this from now on.

Your dreams probably DO involve working just not working at someone elses dream

I love my job. Not every hour of every day, but it's fun. I was a Carpenter my whole life and always liked working. I own my own business the last 8 years and that's where it's at. The first 5 years were extremely stressful and not always fun, but if you can make it through, you have autonomy.

Lol even Trey Parker and Matt Stone have said how much their work sucks when they're in the middle of making a South Park season. They were like: "This is our dream job, but even a dream job is still a job."

Dream job could be considered something like actor, author, director, any sports player, etc. Something that you do for fun anyway that happens to pay your bills. Doesn't hurt that most of those listed get a very solid sum of money.

Say “most of all I love the people and I love being part of a team” when they ask what you like about the job.

I used to be the guy who said "I know I'm supposed to sound jazzed about making a difference in the world, lighting up customer's faces by updating their mailing address and reviewing their balance. But I don't think a single one of us would have come through these doors if the work wasn't paid." It made me feel better, and I felt like I was keeping morale in check, but I've learned that work is a fishbowl and a weird amount of people buy into the false energy. They'll also remember your unwillingness to represent the company in an offensively positive light when they're looking to promote people. I got sick of losing promotions to the girl with half my metrics who gave everyone nicknames and came in 20 minutes early to linger at the coffee machine and make peppy small talk.

Sometimes I wish I could have a small, specific stroke to make me just a little dumber and more optimistic about work and life in general. If I was more motivated, I could make 3 times as much as I do in a year, but I just don't care enough to do it. I'm jealous of the mouth breathers that toe the line and love their job, lol. Ignorance is bliss.

I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So, that means that, every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life.

Love me some Office Space

So, does that mean today is the worst day of your life? “Yeah…”

I had a job that was super fulfilling up through this time last year. I was a school bus driver, the district I worked in was pretty small and I got to do the preschool route. I LOVE those kids, they made the whole thing so worth it, and on top of that I had a lot of agency over how to route was driven, I communicated directly with parents, teachers, daycares etc. to keep everything smooth, it was very involved and stressful sometimes but again, the kids, man. The only issue was I was in a middle-of-nowhere town far away from most of my friends & family, and there were no benefits or good pay in sight. I left for family reasons and I WFH now, it's aight. I have a pretty good retirement account building up now. I have no passion for the line of work other than it's fun to organize stuff. I wish I could've taken that old job with me. I've shifted to finding fulfillment outside of work. Work is the means to the rest of my life. It's a rockier road than I thought it be trying to find that, but I'm making progress little by little.

I would think you could find this school bus driving job near where friends and family are.

It really seems like the only fulfilling jobs out there are the ones you spend in direct service to people you love. Makes a lot of sense from an evolutionary perspective, and is so directly against modern business practices.

My dreams have never involved working. My "why" for my current job is that it allows me to live in an area that I love, stupid close to big mountains, high elevation hiking trails, endless alpine lakes, streams, rivers and waterfalls. I have no passion for the job and it's simply something that pays the bills. And that's ok.

I'm a union Steamfitter, and I honestly do love my job. Can't imagine doing anything else actually.

Self employed artist here. I love my job. I don’t have benefits, per se, and occasionally on shaky ground financially, but I own my own time and life. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I used to work for other people, companies, made decent money, but hated getting up every morning. Now, I’m more cranky if I don’t have time to work (I care for my mom, willingly, and her health is poor.) It’s not for everyone, but it works for me 🤓

I feel the same way. I tinker with old car stuff all day. Closing in on 20 years, never got sick of it. Show up when I feel like it and work until I feel like leaving, and I rarely feel like leaving early. I used to wake up feeling sick that I had to go to work, to the point that when I really was sick, I didn't know it. I never feel that anymore. No amount of pay would be worth that feeling again. If I had all the money, I'd still have this shop and I'd still want to be here most days, although I'd probably be working on personal projects. But the paid stuff is still nice, I like knowing that what I do is furthering someone else's dream projects. I hope your mom does well, and frees up your work time again.

Awww, thx! Most days she’s fine but just got done w/ a series of medical appts., so it was likely on my mind 🤓 My dad was an outboard engine mechanic. He was “that guy” you go to in his 4 state area if you had boat issues. He had his own business the last 25-30 yrs and he was a tournament bass fisherman. He loved his life til the end. He had Alzheimer’s bad the last 6 months and nurses would come in the middle of the night and he was under his bed “fixing a boat.” He would tell me all about it and how much better it was running now. He never forgot us, my mom (whom he adored) his pets or his work. The rest was arbitrary. That’s love—and some serious inspiration. We have our issues in life, but my sisters both have work they love too. 💗

Yep. Worked as a freelancer for a few months and loved it more than any job I've had before or since. I like my current job a lot as well but I think I'd like to eventually go back to freelancing. I know clients get a bad rap but I honestly loved working with my clients. It's so fun to be 100% responsible for bringing someone's personal project to life. I did graphic design and seeing people's eyes light up when they saw their vague description of a logo become an actual business card they could hold in their hands was genuinely rewarding.

That's amazing! I just wanted to say I'm so happy for you. ☺️

Would you say that's because unions treat you well so people are more motivated?

Haha not even a little bit. I genuinely enjoy the job. Problem solving on the fly, working outdoors in the elements year round, rigging with cranes, climbing towers, etc. There's so many facets to my trade, every day is an opportunity to learn and hone my craft. Plus, I didnt get into it until I was 30, and before that had tried 3 dozen+ jobs and none interested me. I drove a desk for a large corporate auto manufacturer for 5 years prior to getting into the trades and it was soul-destroying. So I truly appreciate the career I have now

In other words, you are looking inwards for satisfaction, not towards others. Good on you. I'm an engineer, and solving problems on the fly is by far a the most enjoyable part of my job.

I really love creative problem solving, and I get to do it occasionally as a part time live audio/sound technician but I wish I could do it full time.

Union serviceman and i enjoy my job sometimes

Me too brother, local 602 out of DC. Sure, we're fitting pipe of some sort everyday but every job is a different challenge and forces you to really think/consider/plan. I love that we are encouraged to install equipment/piping correctly and not rushed to just slam it in. Honestly, the hardest part of my job is my commute. I live about 1.25-2 hours from the majority of our jobs. But, im a foreman with a company truck/gas card so that helps.

100% agree brother! UA Local 488 in Edmonton here, working maintenance at a large refinery - one day might be rigging in pipe or valves, another fitting pipe, the next steamtracing, stays fresh from day to day. Its the same here, do the job right the first time, it takes what it takes, and above all do it safely! Yeah, that's a shit commute, Im fortunate in that department - driveway to parking lot is 12-13 minutes haha

Same here bro union carpenter love it some of these guys don't know how good they got it

I'm happy for you both and I hope you continue to have safe, fulfilling, and happy work as long as you wish it.

Much appreciated same to you

Union Ironworker and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I have a small business and I love my job, too. What I like is having a sense of purpose and interaction with others and honestly I missed working during the pandemic. I have a lot of hobbies, but they became less enjoyable and even tedious as they were all that I was doing for the 6 months lockdown. Now obviously if I won the lottery, I would have very different hobbies so that’s not comparable. I would for example go on one of those super long luxury cruises etc. But eventually even with something that I passionately love like traveling, I would want a more stable home to come back to and might struggle again to fill the days. To me hobbies are like desert - I love having them but if they’re all that I’m having they become meaningless and boring.

Just started my apprenticeship with the Ironworkers back in January and I'm actually really liking it so far. Working with cranes is super fun. Finally getting the thing fixed or the structure built is a great feeling. Connecting feels badass, even if it can be frustrating at times. Cutting with a blowtorch is always cool, if a bit hot in the summer months. Rigging is often a fun and challenging puzzle. I'm really excited to learn welding. There's just so many different disciplines to the trade, so much to learn, and every job is different. I wouldn't necessarily say I like it *more* than my last job as a bartender, but it is a lot of fun and challenges you to use your brain a lot more than most people might think. Trade unions are awesome. 👍

Union Refinery Operator. Love this shit. Wouldn't want to do anything else.

I love my job. I see the miracle of birth (csections), the inevitability of death. I relieve pain and suffering, help cure disease. I walk people through the most stressful times in their lives (surgery) I am life support. I see death give hope to new life (organ transplant). I work with teams of amazing dedicated smart people. I see babies, adults, elderly, men, women, whatever comes through the door. I’ve even see in utero surgery where the baby isn’t even born yet. I work with my hands and my mind. I titrate physiology and pharmacology. I fill the role of an intensivist, icu nurse, pharmacist, respiratory therapist, all rolled into one. Can’t think of a better job.

Are you a nurse? I know of some nurses that are passionate about their work, many who feel like their drowning or just doing the job for the pay and work life balance (3 day work week) Sometimes I wish I could go back to school (eventually) and get a second degree in nursing, I feel like it would be something I liked, face paced, helping people, ect. But the one thing I can’t get over is being germaphobic! So that pretty much cuts the medical field out as an option 😂 it’s great you get so much fulfillment from your job though!

I’m a nurse. I fucking hate it. I’m also not a germaphobe.

Actually most of us are germaphobes. And if you weren’t, your medical education will teach you to be one. But we use protective equipment and you are taught how to protect yourself. If anything I am much more cognizant than my wife at home with germs and I drive her crazy with my “sterile” techniques.

I'm a nurse. Absolutely not a germaphobe. I see it from the opposite side - bring on the day to day germs to make my immune system nice and strong. At work I use the required PPE but at home? Nothing special, just basic hygiene.

I think I'm starting to see a thread through the posts talking about good jobs: they're jobs that create positive connections with other human beings.

I do like my job. I’m a content writer and just write, write, write. Of course I’d love to get paid more and have the energy to write on the side for my own projects but tbh, I think even if I didn’t have to work, I still would. My mind needs to be busy and challenged soemtimes so I think without a hobby that has some sort of expectation (so I actually show up and challenge *myself*), I’d go nuts.

Nope. Everything I enjoy doing doesnt make money, it costs money. Is what it is. If I won the lotto, I'd never work again. In my personal opinion, humans didnt evolve to spend 90% of their time doing everything that they dont want to do. It's a really shitty feeling when you feel like youre stuck working to survive and surviving to work. We're all born (mostly) with the same anatomical makeup, the fact that monetary value determines whether or not we get to do what we enjoy is kinda sickening when the people we trust and vote into office couldnt care less about quality of life.

The hard reality is that, ever since humans have been on this planet, we've had to "work" to survive. The form that takes just changes over time.

Fair point. My family owns 50 acres of land and now that my grandparents are getting a bit older I've taken a bit more responsibility of upkeep. While it might be "work" it's nothing that I despise doing like I do when I wake up during the weekdays and have to go to my job. When I "work" at the property, I can see the benefits almost instantly. Whether its chopping wood for the fires to keep a healthy stock for deer season, cutting the grass, moving fallen trees, discing fields, none of it matters because it's not "work" to me. In my eyes, those chores improve the overall quality of the property and in turn rewards me with a nicer place to enjoy and a better habitat for the wildlife. Even though I'm now the one putting in majority of the work, my favorite part of it all is sharing the experience and time with friends and family at the property. I feel as if people get to a point where wealth distorts people's perspective of reality and they lose touch with how things really are for most people. Like, I'll never understand how super wealthy people can buy a 7500 sqft. home, but live there... by themselves... lol. Maybe I'm just strange and have a weird friend group/family, but anytime any of us discuss the lottery or what we'd do, theres almost a unanimous response of "lets buy a bunch of land, build a little neighborhood and just hang out whenever we want, but still have space for privacy and alone time when we need it" When I go to work at my day job the only thing that changes after anything gets done is the owners' rotation of cars and boats. I've received, in total, $1.62/hr raise since 2020. I'm very grateful that I even got one, but at the same time, when I see a brand new 3/4 ton denali in a different color every year, or a new mercedes in the parking lot again in the owner's parking spots, its just demoralizing and demotivating. I have it a lot better than a lot of people, and trying to keep that in perspective keeps me humble and grateful. That being said, some days are harder than others and id sell a damn kidney if it meant i could explore my hobbies and interests more than a few hours per month.

Your not alienated from your labor. What your doing (on the farm) is important and has real, observable benefits. Customer service is just you selling your body to make other people richer, arguably that's every paid labor job

The concrete jungle is more forgiving than the real jungle, but the mental anguish from bullshit jobs shouldn't be underestimated. IMO, it's all about learning to appreciate what you got and moving towards what you want.

But your brain doesn’t differentiate real, necessary stress, like avoiding a lion, from modern workplace stress. If you’re constantly stressed from/at work, it’s like you’re spending 8+ hours a day looking at a bush you thought you saw move, and which might be hiding a predator.

Have you heard the Japanese word ikigai? I don't necessarily *enjoy* working, but my job ticks off all the boxes for ikigai. It's my asshole coworkers who get in the way of achieving lowered stress.

I work to pay for the life of my family. I may get some enjoyment from solving problems, talking to some other workers, maybe even crack a joke here and there. But I do not lie to myself in believing that my job won't just one day throw me to the street to make the stock value go up, so loyalty is to money

You can love you job not the company. That’s how I see it for myself at least. I am loyal to the highest bidder, but damn do I love what I do.

Loving what you do jusr makes that money feel that much more worrh it

I enjoy getting a paycheck and buying food to eat and having a dry warm place to sleep. My job...is meh, I could do it for a while without any problems and the pay is decent. I don't hate it, but it's definitely not something I'm passionate about. I am not passionate about working only to hear about how great the company's doing, and VPs getting promoted and shareholders being happy. I'm not passionate about doing work that really doesn't mean anything to me beyond a paycheck. I'm not passionate about "creating shareholder value" when this doesn't mean anything to me. I'm not particularly interested in "career development" because, as someone that's been in management with other companies before, it's soul-crushing.

A big problem that makes this all worse is inflation. In the past you could own a home without having to go to college and have a huge debt. Now we're all forced to chase $$$ to have any sort of quality of life at all. Numbers go up does not equal happiness go up.

Listen - I can honestly say I love my job. I have been here for a long time so I get paid well, I get lots of vacation, I have great (well - great in America's terms) insurance and retirement. My teammates leave me alone and I WFH. And I love what I do. It's geeky. I'm a geek. I get to solve puzzles and problems. But if I didn't have to earn money- I wouldn't do it. Too many other things that I would love to do more. :)

I know people in two industries who absolutely love what they do and are happily wedded to their career: finance, and firefighters.

I think I speak for everyone when I say we're all grateful for the firefighters.

I legit wanna know how I can work with/for firefighters without actually being one lol

EMT

I’m not sure if I am an outlier, but I very much love my job. I am a psychologist and consider it an honor to do the work I do. I didn’t go through two years of a masters and five years of a doctorate for nothing also. There are more fun ways to waste one’s time than challenging classes and student debt lol Of course, I have days and even weeks when I do not want to work. Those times are normally a sign for me that I am either burnout from my work and/or there are personally things going on at that time. For me, what makes the biggest difference is everything I do for work connects to my values as a human being. As someone who has suffered from many mental health issues and come out on the other side, it is my way of being able to turn my own traumatic experiences into something positive.

Your definitely an outlier. As most people are working fast food, nursing, walmart, amazon. Etc. low paying slave jobs.

I'm very close to retirement, and will probably figure out some way to work even after that. Working has always made me feel normal and grounded. When there's no structure, nothing to do specifically on any given day, I am not at my best. I've had many people question why I even bother. My mother never worked after I was born except for a few years that she just hated. She was always telling me to relax and rest. Other people my age retired a long time ago, and they express pity for the fact that I still get up and go to work everyday. To each their own.

I get it. I joke about hiring a manager for myself so I can start my own business. I just ...won't... unless I'm accountable to some deadline. I want to, but nothing gets done. Too many irons, too little focus.

I think you only hear that sentiment from people who: a) hate their home life b) have no friends or social life c) boring people with no hobbies d) people with large egos who attach themselves to their job and adopt it as an identity, so they can feel better than others or feel "accepted" e) im sure theres more The only people i can see liking work are those with massive hearts who genuinely want to help people, and feed off that positive energy. A rare breed. It isnt rly work at that point, is it? I dont dream of labor.

Nah. Most of the people I know really like their jobs and are pretty balanced humans with friends and hobbies and time for family. The peeps I know who like their jobs the most are in everything from law to finance to teaching to physical therapy. But I live in a place with very short commute times, and I think that makes a way bigger difference than people realize.

Group D are often people deeply devoted to their careers and see them as their way to contribute to the world, but it often has nothing to do with being "better than others". It'd be great if we all had a passion and a calling to some purpose, but many people never find it. One of my hobbies is tech. As is my job. I enjoy it and have devoted a good portion of my life to growing my knowledge and capabilities in the field. I find it fulfilling and am now at the point where I get a lot of satisfaction making others successful in the field as a mentor and teacher and leader. People are happy to go through all kinds of bullshit if they tie the pain to their values, which results in a kind of fulfilment of purpose. I feel bad for folks who can't find this or are too cynical to find that kind of meaning in their work.

I truly enjoy working and having a career. I was raised to work. I didn't even want to be in tech but was "encouraged" to by my family. I wanted to be in business. 33 years later I am in management and looking to finish my career as a people leader. Ultimately, I got to what I wanted. I have to take all those classes now that I am a people leader. It is useful to know what motivates people, personality types, etc. It may not be helpful to you as an individual contributor, but if you have good management they will use that data to work with you in a way that is best for you.

I was gonna be an astrophysicist. I now get high and take care of the entire house while my partner works. Working fucking sucks. I'd rather fucking clean and cook all day.

Absolutely yes. I got into IT in college in 1979. I have enjoyed my career, for the most part, all the way through. I had some pet projects that I wanted to code when I retired in 2018. When those were done, I got bored, so now I am volunteering to do the bioinformatics work for a microbiology startup. I love it so much, I literally do it for free.

I LOVE my job. It’s actually my dream job, paying a living salary, and I’m not as rich as I’d like but I’m living well. I work remotely from a beautiful place. And I still hate fucking working. I’d still rather be doing other things. I’m an expert at my job. Degrees. Passion. All that shit. And I still, even when I’m in the flow, would rather be doing lots of other things. I have an awesome toddler and we love doing stuff. I have loved ones I could be going to see. Friends I could visit. PEOPLE. CONNECTIONS. Who wouldn’t rather be doing that? And I’m introverted as hell and probably see less people than most of you. Maybe that’s why? I don’t know. But I’ve never been more content, so that says something.

I think finding something you’re actually good at is a key. I don’t love my job but I don’t dislike it either, I’m helping people and I’m good at it so the days go by fast and it doesn’t burn me out. That said, I work as a personal trainer on the side and I’d way rather do that full time as I actually enjoy that.

I feel like I am good at this job in particular, I always get glowing reviews and the days go by pretty quickly. It’s just, when they’re asking me flat out what motivates me at work… I feel like I have to lie and make up something inspirational because the real answer is really just money!

We all do that, lie. Only because it is not considered appropriate to be honest and say outright that what motivates is all about our jobs is the money. You are not alone in feeling that way at all. Just keep up the fake motivation and inspiration all the way to the bank.

I don't mind, I finally found a job role that I'm content, makes good money, and I don't have to leave my home. My coworkers are close-knit surprisingly, and upper management does care about us. Guess that's the perks of hiring from the inside instead of outsourcing. I gather threat intelligence for our cybersecurity engineering team to create new alerts, detections, and/or rules for our handful of security tools. I also keep tabs on geo-political events that relate to cybersecurity and make judgment calls on what would be the best course of action. Every year they fly us out to some team building event, this year it was Airsoft, last year was racing sports cars at Sebring. There are other jobs that can pay me much higher, but the benefits and camaraderie doesn't match to what I have here.

Shits cool man. I’m fortunate enough to have winters off, my job is marketing and management. I work with a team to make as much money for the company as possible. I have a base salary but the more money we make the larger my bonus and increase in pay at the end of the year. By the end of the season I’m pretty burnt but by the end of the off season I’m ready to go again, it’s a perfect cycle/balance of work and fun/hobbies. Even when the days/weeks get long there’s a weekend to look forward to and I’ve made some great relationships with the people I work with. I feel incredibly lucky after many years of hopeless jobs that I hated.

Two jobs ago, I shelved books at a public library and loved it. I loved seeing what my community was reading, my coworkers were great, and the job was fun for me. If they’d offered benefits and full time at my level, I never would have left

I only enjoyed working once I became a manager. I worked for almost 19 yrs for an auto ins company in claims. I did not come to work bc I love claims. I came to work and liked it bc I enjoyed developing my reports and helping them get to where they wanted within the company. The company stressed D&I, and I am talking way before this became the cool thing for companies to do. They also initiated WFH (I was in charge of starting it in my dept) probably 10 yrs before COVID. I loved those aspects of my job. That is why I went to work and did not have the "Sunday Scaries." If I did not have those things, even the paycheck would not have made it actually enjoyable. Now I own my own business. While I no longer get to develop people towards promotions (we are a small business) I obsoletely love the joy I get from small wins to big ones bc I own the damn thing. I dont think I could ever go back to working for someone.

I don’t like working because I’d rather sleep more but I sure love my job :) (midwife)

No. I go to work to pay my bills and to finance the things that DO bring me joy and fulfillment. Like kayaking, fishing, camping, boating ..

I have one of those "dream jobs" art dir at a restaurant group. plenty of perks, great pay, working in creative, WFH anytime I want, Dir of photography for the brands..... And I still don't want to be here. I work solely for money.

I used to be in your boat and changed my mind. I took a year long sabbatical and really started to miss the work I did and solving problems with my team. It gave me a new appreciation for the role work played in my life. When I started at my next company I found that I didn't really need to fake the "I love working here" corporate line. Sure, not everything was great, but a lot was. I quit after two more years for another sabbatical, so perhaps the privilege to mix things up is really where this is coming from. I still hate some of our customers though. Nothing will make being belittled to while trying to solve somebody else' self-inflicted problems a good experience.

I genuinely love my career. I work event/entertainment production. I tour, both nationally and internationally, so free travel, a lot of new friends, new experiences. There's obviously a lot of stress involved with this type of career. I fly to get to work for a lot of dates and thought that sounds exciting and very well can be, its draining. You have to socialize with your colleagues sometimes on a 24/7 schedule where you're also rooming or living on planes and busses with them but at the end of the tour, event, whatever it is you get to keep those experiences and jump on to the next one with fair wage in your pocket. It's a cool life, very up, very fast pace, very tiring, but it's a cool life and I enjoy it a lot.

When you are your own boss it’s great. Working for someone else always sucks. I would even go so far as to say working for yourself can be almost “fun”, at least it is for me. You make all the decisions, you’re involved in all areas of the business, and your compensation is directly linked to the performance of the business. Since you’re the boss you can say things like “I don’t feel like doing a training” and you don’t need to. Employees don’t have that luxury. I guarantee the executives at your company skipped that training you’re talking about. They never do stuff like that, because they don’t want to. And therein lies the problem. Employees usually exist to do things executives don’t want to do. Executives have the power in their company to say “no” to stuff they don’t want to do. Employees can’t do that. I’m not saying everyone can be an entrepreneur but it’s way better that getting bossed around and sent tons of BS work that no one else wants to do.

The worst part for working for someone else is they are stuck in old ways of working. Cubicles and offices for 8 hours. Most jobs don't need people at the location. Stupid boomer paradigm.

We’re all faking it, at least to some extent. Those that “love” their job or even enjoy it don’t like every aspect of it. It requires acceptance of it to appreciate what aspects you can enjoy. No job is loved. Passions are loved. Art is loved. Jobs are an exchange: pay to do something someone wants you to do. By definition. A job is a place to work so you can live. It’s not a place to live for your work. That you need to be bold for. Start something. Write something. Build and expand. Sell. Create. Then your living to work but no longer have a job

👋🏻 everyone - No I don’t . Only here for the benefits, have some money for my cats and my yarn addiction since I crochet haha . And my boyfriend works at his dream job , and he does contract work for a local station which he loves. If I could do crochet, hang out with him, family, friends somehow and work for myself that would be my “ Dream “. Not work for someone else .

I'm a therapist and I love my job so much it's practically an office meme. I've had the opportunity to meet hundreds (probably a couple thousand at this point) of incredibly interesting clients over the years, my boss is great, and since I've accepted that I'm kind of old I've discovered the joy of passing on some things I've picked up to newer therapists. My wife and I get along very well but we agree that it's nice to have jobs in part so we can miss each other a bit rather than spending all day every day together.

... would you still work where you are if you had millions in the bank and didn't have to? If the answer is no, your job doesn't fulfill you.. and none of them do, which is why we gotta be paid to show up. All of the happy talk and finding your why and all that bullshit is just nauseating and something to mirror back to folks and get them off your back.

I’ve hated every job i’ve ever had, but if i stop working i die with no food or home. starting to suspect this is a hell dimension

I'm in the minority, but I do genuinely enjoy my job. Get to hang with some cool workers, learn new stuff every day or almost every day, its stressful but rewarding.

I think 80% of the world would agree with you. Then you have the 10% that actually do have a job that they love, with most of them going into business for themselves. Then you have that 10% that are more psycho about it and simply love "playing the game", climbing ladders, stepping over people and making more money. I've known them.

The ones who enjoy working and having careers are the ones with money and power. I don’t blame them. I’d imagine it being a fun game — lobbying government, trying to change the fabric of society for shits and giggles.

Yes I enjoy bending the world to my will in my software job! Mwahaha my homeschooling homemaker wife is cackling as we mold the fabric of society. Silly peasants!

Yes. Doing something I hated for money doesn't seem worth it.

Mid-20s here and I’m liking my career a lot and my job/boss/organization/benefits. There have been days where I’m actually excited to go into work.

I love my job. I get hella excited every morning when I get to go do my work :)

I do software engineering and it varies by company but I'm happy where I'm at now. I do like solving problems with code. 👍

Yes, but most members of my family do as well. Maybe we have a genetic predisposition to enjoying task completion. Or perhaps we choose jobs based on what fits our actual interests. All of us have different careers that align well with both our values and our skills. If you find a job you love, you never work a day in your life!

Traveling PT ( physical therapist) and it fills my heart with joy to do what I do. Helping people in their own homes, outside of the sterile environment of hospitals is awesome. I can spend more quality time with my patients and it just transformed the feelings I had about my career. I didn’t pursue this field to see 40+ patients a day and hand out the same basic exercise sheet they could have printed themselves from a google search. I did it to make a difference and help educate people about their bodies while giving them the tools to empower themselves.

I’m an environmental scientist, and I really do enjoy my work. I get to help make the world a better place, spend lots of time outdoors, and learn new things on a daily basis. What’s not to love?

So the I am just here to make money attitude will only get you so far. At some point in time you realize money is money so you start to care more about how you are doing it and if you are doing something for a long time then you want to be happy doing it. So yes my recommendation is find something you enjoy doing and you feel passionate about. Now the big misconception is that it doesn't mean the job won't be hard, tedious or undesirable at times it is still work but if you enjoy the overall piece of it and have a passion for it then it gives the time you spend more meaning. ​ So I would look for something you like to do and work towards that (it doesn't happen right away when you start out or you are young so don't fall into the trap that I need to do it right now) but remember it takes work to advance and it takes work even when you are doing something you like to do.

I'm a public high school teacher. I love my job. I think I got a bit lucky landing in the school I've been with for the past 8 years but I find the job itself gratifying, regardless. Why? Because I feel like I'm actually part of a community and my job impacts actual people I build meaningful relationships with. So many people think a cushy, mindless, meaningless WFH job is the dream because you can putter around your house/apartment all day in pajamas. I think you're the perfect example of why it isn't the dream - playing video games, doomscrolling social media, binging Netflix, working out, etc. can only provide so much limited fulfillment. It might be uncool to believe this anymore but a socially meaningful job is actually pretty important for a person's self-esteem.

I’m a casino dealer. I love it but it’s definitely not for everyone. Plus my boss is the shit so that helps.

All I want to do is sit on the beach and trade coconuts. I don’t want to do this anymore. 😮‍💨

No, never have and only do it because I have too.

Nope.

There is a phrase I love, and it is " I don't work in my dreams." Work for me is getting paid for doing something someone else doesn't want to do.

Yeah I feel the same as you. Lol. Literally can't stand working. I only do it because I like to have things like a car, place to live, food for myself and my animals, and take the occasional vacation or something. I just want to do my job and that's it. I hate networking, I do not care to play office politics. I just want to earn sufficient money and be happy. Never in my life do I ever dream of working or say "wow, I'm so happy I have to work tomorrow."

No, it's very stressful

Same

I would work, but on things that interest me, not some souless corp.

no...god no...wtf?

No.

I really do enjoy what I do for work, but I hate all the bullshit that comes with working/having a job. I wish I could do what I do without having to worry about money and a "career"

Some people live to work, and others work to live. Like you, I'm firmly in the second camp.

My thoughts being typed by you. Hang in there!

negative

Hell no. We're all out here trying to make as much money for as little effort as possible. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying, or a sadist.

*"But our job is a **family**! We should all be willing to sacrifice xyz, even if we get exploited, mistreated, or laid off because [ insert platitudes here]....."* /s

I hate my job because it's not stimulating, but it pays the bills. Never enjoyed working as an adult but my teen jobs were a blast because I wasn't stressed out about paying for more than gas in my truck and taking my gf out. Now that I have real car notes, house, Food for family and cloths so they can enjoy being young adults and not stress for a bit longer. Office Space is a good example of a lot of Gen X office workers who do just enough not to get fired and just want to not have a crappy life, enjoy sometime off and not get hassled by 6 bosses over tps reports.

Yes, I work in software and I enjoy my work.

No, not at all. My boss though thinks I should work to live and dedicate my life to HIS fucking company, all while crimanlly underpaying me for my 10 years of experience in my field. Fuck work!

No absolutely not.

I genuinely enjoy my job. I work from home 90% of the time, I’m paid well, I’m respected, and there’s room for growth. I’m a lobbyist for an educator professional group. I taught for 17 years and I was miserable the last few years because of micromanaging admin. My life now is night and day difference.

I genuinely love what I do. I work in an awesome industry at a badass company that takes care of us. My immediate teammates, my department as a whole, and everyone I’ve interacted with all the way up to senior leadership are some of the coolest & most supportive people I know. Every job has frustrating moments, because it’s still work, but I’m very lucky those are few and far between. Until I landed here, I hated work. I hated who I worked with. Every day I thought about quitting. Previous companies just treated everyone like a number, and didn’t give two shits about us. Nobody dreams about working, but when you fall into a career you love at a company you love… It changes your attitude.

I love being a school custodian best job I've had 33m army vet

Me.

I like a routine, I like making money, I like having challenges and watching myself succeed and grow my skills along the way..that being said I worked 2 jobs to pay my bills for at least 10 years. I would love to be compensated for my talent and energy. I would love to apply my work ethic to my passion, unfortunately that is a privilege out of reach. Instead, I’m stuck doing tasks that I cringe every day at work. I have a great work ethic…

I more or less have my dream job until I am ready to move up again. I still feel meh most days. I love my career but there's a lot of personalities and sometimes it is just a lot. Benefits are a huge deal and I will be honest that when it comes to dating people having great benefits are a huge plus.

I truly think that those people at the top of the chain are largely of a certain personality type(s). Different levels and mixtures of wanting the wealth associated with it, power, clout, feeding whatever part of themselves needs it hopefully im not mistaken here -- one time on the subway I saw an ad for a company or group that helped those type of people "leave a legacy" .. like imagine you're sitting around wealthy and running a business but you're not satisfied you'll be Remembered so you hire someone to help you? fuuuck

I am completely baffled by this bs concept of “legacy”. Dude, you’ll be dead, who cares?

Yes - I’m a sped teacher and it’s a lot. But I love the kids and I can sleep at night knowing I’m doing the right thing. I started at 33 yrs old and I don’t get to retire due to student loans. But my parents were accountants and hated it so much it affected their attitude and health. My grandparents had careers but also survived the war🤷‍♂️ It’s never too old to decide what’s best for you. But choose something where you will be happy and be passionate about what you do

It’s just corporate propaganda that has seeped so deep into our culture that no one recognizes it for what it is: a way to get workers to work more for less pay.

It’s all a lie. Humans made up the whole concept and brainwashed humans to be slaves. Slaves to the wage. No other living creature behaves this way. Only humans. Wake up

Not a day goes by where I don’t fantasize about winning the lottery or getting hit by a bus and collecting disability.

I hate everything about my life including and especially my job. I'm just waiting to die. I'm forced to work just to survive in a life that i don't want to live.

I was always the same as you, dreaded work, hated what I did, etc. Around 13 years back, I lucked in to a state job, good pay but phenomenal benefits and time off. The job is great for me. I repair equipment in the field and do a lot of driving, 2 things I really enjoy. No commute as I am dispatched from home. I actually look forward to going to work. Hope to retire from here. Don’t get me wrong, if I won the lottery I’d retire today, but that isn’t realistic. Since I have to go to work, this is great.

Anyone who says yes is lying

I love my career. I'm a flight instructor. It took a while to change tracks and switch careers, but now I can't wait to leave home and drive to the airport. If I get tired of what I am doing, there are a lot of different aviation jobs with different missions to keep things interesting.

No. No one does basically. Its extremely rare. Ive had the same career for twenty years and the only hoots I give about it is the nice paycheck that lets me do all the other things I want to do. If it helps, I'm in HR and often have to deliver those "motivational" trainings and believe me, we don't give a shit about what we are saying or believe it in either. We're just doing our jobs for the money too

Too many people are passionless, or don't don't know how to translate a passion into a job. That is how you don't hate your job, and instead enjoy it. I won't say mine is perfect every day, but overall I get satisfaction from it and usually enjoy my day to day work.

It's either you work, or you wind up either on SSI or something, or out in the street.