Poll:Are/Were you happy to go to work each day?

[Orchidflower]

There is so much grumbling about hating megacorps that I got to wondering how many people here go to work or went to work each day happily vs. dragging yourself there, because you "had" to; so, I figured this would be an interesting poll question nobody yet had done.

My vote would be #1. I loved working overall and went more-or-less happily every day even when I was younger and working for someone else. If it wasn't the money that kept me motivated it was the thought of advancement...or maybe it always was the money (ha!). At least, I never remember draaaaagging to work like a friend of mine still does all the time. That must be a horrible feeling.

I'm an ESTJ. We love to work anyway. There always has to be one in every crowd.

 

[Alan]

I replied that I stayed at work so I could RE, but that was the last few years - most of my career I enjoyed work.

 

[NW-Bound]

Darn! This thread reminds me that I have goofed off long enough on this forum, and need to go upstairs to my w*rk computer to do the w*rk I have promised a friend.

 

[aaronc879]

There hasn't been a single day in my life that I wouldn't rather stay home than go to work. As soon as I think there's any chance that I don't have to work anymore, I won't.

 

[chinaco]

Sometimes I like it other times I hate it. I have found that the older I get, the less tolerant I am of the stupid BS. Part of my dislike is due to being in management.... I know what goes on and how inept most managers tend to be. The part I find appalling is how so many people can stand up and just spew BS... all the while knowing that they don't know jack about what they are saying... yet they make a convincing argument. Of course, the person they are BSing doesn't know either... which is how so much stupid crap goes on!

I worked to acquire money so I could stop working If I chose to do it.... time to crawl out of the work rut and do something else!

 

[yakers]

I was lucky to have a job I liked. Over my 35 year career I had 2 two year periods where I 'worked for a jerk'. Not bad. And when I became retirement eligible I worked a couple more years. If my old boss had stayed I would still be there. New one was OK, old one was great.
Still, retirement is better.

 

[FUEGO]

Work is instrumentally valuable to me. It provides more than enough to support my family in the manner to which we are accustomed. The surplus allows a very large savings rate that continues to grow and the savings throws off additional income. One day I will have enough resources to live off my capital instead of my labor.

I'll be starting a new job in a week and I plan on going in with my head up (and chin up) and make the most of it. I think I will get a ton of positive non-financial gain out of it (compared to the current gig) and a small bit more financial compensation. But at the end of the day, I can't do whatever I want at a job. I'm doing what someone else is telling me to do.

 

[Walt34]

It was often a mixture. When the "stuff hit the fan" I loved it but I hated the boredom and especially the paperwork, idiot judges living in ivory towers (I retired from law enforcement) moronic management that apparently no organization is exempt from, and the rotating shift work takes a toll that I didn't realize at the time.

So while I often "dragged myself to work" at o'dark thirty or struggled to stay awake at 0300 hours, if something interesting happened I forgot about being tired.

 

[Khan]

I was ISTJ.
Playing with code wasn't too bad.
Then I was 'promoted' to 'project lead'; my health went downhill/gained 50#.
Retired when I realized spent less than $20K/year.
I'd rather sell a kidney than go back to work.

 

[Nords]

So while I often "dragged myself to work" at o'dark thirty or struggled to stay awake at 0300 hours, if something interesting happened I forgot about being tired.

Long periods of utter boredom punctuated by brief moments of intense panic...

 

[Onward]

Why should I let the toad work
Squat on my life?
Can't I use my wit as a pitchfork
And drive the brute off?

Six days of the week it soils
With its sickening poison -
Just for paying a few bills!
That's out of proportion.

- Philip Larkin


Can you guess how I voted?

 

[MichaelB]

Most of the time I worked at megacorp I enjoyed it. At times I would have worked for free - and sometimes felt I almost did. Really good managers made all the difference - as did really bad managers. The last couple of years, however, were uniformly bad, most likely because I was unable to adapt to the motivation system that prevailed and did not share the same values.

 

[DblDoc]

If I could spend my shifts only treating truly emergent medical problems my job would rock! Unfortunately truly emergent problems make up only a small fraction of ED patient volume. In addition my employer, DOH, HIPAA and JCAHO continue to add unfunded mandates on how I'm to provide care with marginal if any clear benefit to patient care it pretty much sucks.

DD

 

[Ronstar]

I voted 1, but I enjoy my job more when I do it less.

 

[martyb]

I replied that I stayed at work so I could RE, but that was the last few years - most of my career I enjoyed work.

My vote was that I'm working now only so I can retire, which is coming up pretty soon. But overall, I'd say my situation is/was pretty much the same as Alan's.

 

[Meadbh]

A. There are some parts of my job that I used to love and now cause me great stress. They keep me up at night (patient care, patient safety, finding resources for patient care, and worrying about the other three).

B. There are other parts of my job that I really enjoy. In the near future I am going to make changes that allow me to do more of B and less of A.

C. Not w*rking would be even better.

 

[dessert]

33+ years with MegaCorp and I still enjoy my job. I achieved a level where I have influence and get satisfaction from my job.
So why am I giving it up in 3 months? Because I am FI, 60 yrs old, and I have had enough. I have other things I want to do and need the freedom to do them.

 

[winger]

My last day at megacorp was the day I got my points for ER.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

I voted #1, even though I was motivated solely by the $$ at work and always had my eye on retiring.

Most of my 27 year programming career was very easy for me, and usually was under just the right conditions (solo office, not seeing anyone all day, no meetings, no status reports) and some of the work was quite interesting. I did make a few good decisions which helped -

1) reject all promotion attempts - I would have hated managing, and would not have been good at it

2) specialize in things no one else wanted to do - I always took over the 10+ year old legacy projects where the original programmer was long gone, the one man research studies/projects where you took responsibility for everything, etc

3) work odd hours - fewer people around

4) stick to 40h/week, unless paid overtime was available, then the sky was the limit.

For me, the only thing better than the career I had is the last 4 years of not working at all.

 

[dessert]

For me, the only thing better than the career I had is the last 4 years of not working at all.

Very well said CyclingInvestor. I hope I can match that feeling myself.

 

[Westernskies]

I'm still w*rking, because I want to, not because I have to. These days, my schedule is pretty much my own; I really enjoy working with younger employees with stars in their eyes just starting their careers. I've helped several of them go from making 30-40K to 100K+ in a couple of years; being able to help develop them professionally and put them in a position to secure their financial futures is very gratifying. My income is declining each year as I pull back from the front lines, but no regrets.

 

[Moemg]

I enjoyed my work for most of my career . There were very tough times especially when I was on call you would spend the night working only to return the next morning and work again but all in all I think it was a perfect match for me .

 

[aaronc879]

These days, my schedule is pretty much my own; I really enjoy working with younger employees with stars in their eyes just starting their careers. I've helped several of them go from making 30-40K to 100K+ in a couple of years; being able to help develop them professionally and put them in a position to secure their financial futures is very gratifying.

Mind if I ask what general field those "younger employees" are in to go from <$40K to >$100K in a couple years? Is that normal or 'best case'.

 

[Gumby]

I almost always enjoy my work, but life is short and there is a tremendous amount of other stuff I need to get done, so I really would like to retire.

 

[Westernskies]

Mind if I ask what general field those "younger employees" are in to go from <$40K to >$100K in a couple years? Is that normal or 'best case'.

Industrial Sales. Several of my employees make ~2X their base salary in commissions in a good year. In an off year, ~1.25X base. In 2010 they boiled their shoes to make soup....