Does anyone actually enjoy their jobs??

[Fambo Number Mive]

There are still a couple of perks I enjoy about my job, not sure how long they will last though. I like the people in my team which I know is very important but I find my job a real struggle especially with my mental health conditions. Been looking for a new job for a while now.

I've always struggled with the world of work and would love to find a job I actually enjoy. Not sure how I do this though. How did others work out what job they would enjoy?

[Norton Canes]

Perhaps 'enjoy' is an overstatement but... I s'pose, on balance. 99% of what I do is stuff I'm really familiar with, so I'm hardly ever out of my comfort zone (obviously I've jinxed that now). It's mostly web editing (so ample opportunity to have CaB etc. open on the other monitor) with a bit of photography and video making/editing thrown in, mostly pretty sedate with the odd bit of excitement like last week when I had to film at a nearby biogas facility. Campus is v. pleasant to work on. Occasionally I have to deal with academics, but nothing's perfect (joke). 

Yeah, the porn industry isn't too bad.

[thelittlemango]

Anyone who wins the lottery and says they will still carry on doing their job should have to give the money back immediately.

I really enjoy my job and realised when the conversation comes up of what you'd do if you got rich and didn't need to work anymore that I'd likely do exactly the same, except self-bankrolled to make all the cool niche projects happen rather than doing it via a company with the obligatory focus on actually making money (I work in music).

Being obsessed with music and being able to listen and chat about all kinds of music all day with other music nerds and it actually being encouraged rather than having to alt-tab away from Spotify and cut the conversation short when your boss is around is very comforting after previous jobs where even having the radio on was tutted at.

[Schrodingers Cat]

Hate it. Absolutely hate it. I work at a GP surgery essentially doing resource planning I suppose you'd call it? Assigning staff to sites, managing leave etc. Also a tiny, tiny but of data work - but not really, as all it really entails is filling in spreadsheets and running reports to say how many appointments we have. No actual data analysis. And then having to deal with a basically incompetent management and the usual problems of working in the NHS.

Problem is I'm kind of trapped in it now. Having a degree that is barely worth the paper it's written on that now 10 years old (it's a degree that can sound impressive to laymen as it's technically a Master's degree in Physics, but for an employer is a waste of time as it's a 2ii from Hull Uni). Then a CV that just has nothing to suggest I'm better than what I'm currently doing. After uni started teacher training, then dropped that when I realised how much I hated it and it was genuinely making me physically ill then worked in a warehouse for a bit, then on reception at my current place before what I'm doing now.

[Aleister Growley]

No, I hate mine too. NHS, so big hols and pension etc, but the actual work is horrible.
It was the only job I could get after a lifetime of walking out after the slightest criticism all of my life.
I look at it as a kind of penance.
But awful. Just awful. 

[ObsoleteFormat92]

The lottery thing is a good point actually and something I have thought about. In the past I'd have been phase out. Now I'm out of the  door. The amount I'd have to win to be out of the door has reduced as  well.

1 million quid and I'd be whacking it in savings and paying myself £40k a year for the next 25 years, doing fuck all of note

[TrenterPercenter]

Having a degree that is barely worth the paper it's written on that now 10 years old (it's a degree that can sound impressive to laymen as it's technically a Master's degree in Physics, but for an employer is a waste of time as it's a 2ii from Hull Uni). Then a CV that just has nothing to suggest I'm better than what I'm currently doing.

I'd give yourself a break here, you are putting a lot of focus on qualifications when you'll have lots of transferrable skills from your role.  You could always do a OU course as well or get involved in some other project based work to update and freshen the CV.

I think a good rule of thumb is to try and do some work achievement each year, doesn't have to be big but something different/a challenge of some sorts as this always helps with interviews and generally morale etc..

[Kankurette]

Are you seeing a change in this with machine translation and AI? I've heard tell that a lot of translation jobs are "check this thing which came out of Google Translate for us" as if that simplifies the job of the human as opposed to just making it complicated in a different way.

Yes, I do a fair bit of MTPE (machine translation post-editing) and sometimes the machine translation works, other times it's so bad they'd be better off having a translator doing it from scratch. I've been told not to use Google Translate for work, because 1) confidentiality issues and 2) it's shite.

[Fambo Number Mive]

No, I hate mine too. NHS, so big hols and pension etc, but the actual work is horrible.
It was the only job I could get after a lifetime of walking out after the slightest criticism all of my life.
I look at it as a kind of penance.
But awful. Just awful. 

I have a similar issue, I quit too many jobs and fucked up too many career changes. My CV is like a skid mark and I've burnt so many bridges.

I'm nearly 40 and what with this and my health issues I can't see another career change happening. I hope the retirement age isn't raised too much between now and when I'm 70.

[Dr Rock]

I do. I make and sell things I've drawn or designed, and if someone buys something I think I've spread a little happiness in this awful world.

I once sold a chas n dave t-shirt to Denice Van Outen.

[JaDanketies]

I'm amazed that I can earn money putting so little effort in and without any bosses, it's a bit like one of those 'make $$$ working from home - it's easy' scams actually paid off. But it's also a bit like if it turned out that your job was clicking the same mouse button 1000 times an hour, and that $$$ wasn't actually as much $$$ as it seemed when I was earning $ and was rapidly getting smaller

Still very weird that I've been my own boss doing digital marketing for nearly five years now and that it's all still going swimmingly. Boring as fucking shit though. I definitely didn't foresee working at home by myself for as long as I have been. Starting to go stir-crazy. Thinking of upping my prices but then that might mean I also feel like I need to work hard.

When I started using ChatGPT a lot at the beginning of 2023 I was so relieved that it meant I had to think less. But I feel like the thinking was actually not that bad, really

[Schrodingers Cat]

I'd give yourself a break here, you are putting a lot of focus on qualifications when you'll have lots of transferrable skills from your role.  You could always do a OU course as well or get involved in some other project based work to update and freshen the CV.

I think a good rule of thumb is to try and do some work achievement each year, doesn't have to be big but something different/a challenge of some sorts as this always helps with interviews and generally morale etc..

The problem is, I don't have any transferable skills from my current job. At least, not that would be desirable for anything I'd actually want to do at any rate. Basic data entry and rota planning. The only jobs they would help me get are basically the same as my current job (which I hate). I'm ultimately paying the price for 10 or so years ago when I just didn't work hard enough at uni. I'm now on earning just above minimum wage at 32 with nothing on my CV that puts me ahead of any other candidate for a better job. And I can't go back to uni either as I'd be charged double an already unaffordable course fee on account of already having master's. Albeit a master's that disqualifies me from any job I'd actually like. What makes all this worse is knowing that it's entirely my own fault.

[touchingcloth]

The problem is, I don't have any transferable skills from my current job. At least, not that would be desirable for anything I'd actually want to do at any rate. Basic data entry and rota planning. The only jobs they would help me get are basically the same as my current job (which I hate). I'm ultimately paying the price for 10 or so years ago when I just didn't work hard enough at uni. I'm now on earning just above minimum wage at 32 with nothing on my CV that puts me ahead of any other candidate for a better job. And I can't go back to uni either as I'd be charged double an already unaffordable course fee on account of already having master's. Albeit a master's that disqualifies me from any job I'd actually like. What makes all this worse is knowing that it's entirely my own fault.

You might be thinking of "skills" too narrowly. You could focus less on the skills you've developed in data entry, and more on those you've developed in working with the people who ask you to enter it. I've sat on interview panels where the most impressive candidates weren't those who had the technical skills to start doing the job on day one, but those who seemed like they had some sort of passion for or interest in the role and seemed like they'd be easy to work with, quick to pick things up, and just generally not a boring dummy. I think CaB members skew towards not being boring dummies, so I reckon people would see that in you in interviews if you let them.

Was it you who was posting about a rugby or other local sports team a couple of years back? There are probably skills and references you could get from there that will work well in an application or interview. I don't work as a photographer, but one of the best job references I've ever had came from a friend who I did a photography project for for no money because I'd treated it with a level of enthusiasm and professionalism.

[Zetetic]

I used to. I think I still can; it's hard to tell with everything else that's making me regularly burst into tears.

Around 2019, it all started to feel both hopeless and constantly frustrating (for reasons that are broadly the same reasons why everything in Britain is getting worse and worse). The 'ViD provided a temporary reprieve and after that I've escaped into supporting a small team of people who still think it's possible to improve things in their tiny corner of the world.

But I am mostly looking at very avoidable deaths these days, and the paths that bring vulnerable people to them, and even before the last few months robbed me of any spare fortitude, I was beginning to feel the old despair creep in a little I fear.

[Aleister Growley]

I have a similar issue, I quit too many jobs and fucked up too many career changes. My CV is like a skid mark and I've burnt so many bridges.

I'm nearly 40 and what with this and my health issues I can't see another career change happening. I hope the retirement age isn't raised too much between now and when I'm 70.

Yeah, I just hope the Tories/Sir Keiths don't do away with retirement altogether, y'know, to give us more choice.

My NHS Death In Service is the only chance I have of leaving my wife anything.

Here's hoping.

[Deskbound Cunt]

i do because my job is to write and talk about computer games

I do and don't because my job is to write computer games.

[iamcoop]

The problem is, I don't have any transferable skills from my current job. At least, not that would be desirable for anything I'd actually want to do at any rate. Basic data entry and rota planning. The only jobs they would help me get are basically the same as my current job (which I hate). I'm ultimately paying the price for 10 or so years ago when I just didn't work hard enough at uni. I'm now on earning just above minimum wage at 32 with nothing on my CV that puts me ahead of any other candidate for a better job. And I can't go back to uni either as I'd be charged double an already unaffordable course fee on account of already having master's. Albeit a master's that disqualifies me from any job I'd actually like. What makes all this worse is knowing that it's entirely my own fault.

You're being way too hard on yourself.

I felt the same way as you when I tried to change careers, and I didn't even have a degree.

My tip is this: A lot of places don't even look at CV's, it's all about the cover letter.

If you can knock up a proper good cover letter demonstrating transferable skills (and trust me, you might think you don't have any but I bet you've got tons - I thought I had none and then when I realised throwing some smashed dickheads out of the pub was actually demonstrating a calm ability to resolve conflict when under pressure - I was away.

Get a banging cover letter together that shows your genuine interest in the job and you'll at least get considered.

The amount of people that have insane ability and a perfect CV, but can't a write a decent cover letter for shit is larger than you'd think.

EDIT: @touchingcloth said it better than me up there ^

[Emma Raducanu]

I'm a chef. I've worked in a kitchen manned entirely by dickheads, where I've absolutely dreaded going in. Where I am now is absolutely lovely. My colleagues are collaborative and I've been known to even spend time with some outside of work which is unheard of. A lot of days just feel really hard and others are fucking magical as I thrive on the comradery.

[SetToStun]

Hate it. Absolutely hate it. I work at a GP surgery essentially doing resource planning I suppose you'd call it? Assigning staff to sites, managing leave etc. Also a tiny, tiny but of data work - but not really, as all it really entails is filling in spreadsheets and running reports to say how many appointments we have. No actual data analysis. And then having to deal with a basically incompetent management and the usual problems of working in the NHS.

Problem is I'm kind of trapped in it now. Having a degree that is barely worth the paper it's written on that now 10 years old (it's a degree that can sound impressive to laymen as it's technically a Master's degree in Physics, but for an employer is a waste of time as it's a 2ii from Hull Uni). Then a CV that just has nothing to suggest I'm better than what I'm currently doing. After uni started teacher training, then dropped that when I realised how much I hated it and it was genuinely making me physically ill then worked in a warehouse for a bit, then on reception at my current place before what I'm doing now.

Your CV is more impressive and useful than you seem to think - to me the resource planning says "management" loud and clear; it sounds like you spend your days planning other people's days, and not in an "admin assistant" kind of way. Being in IT (me, that is) , your degree says to me "can learn non-obviously stuff and sticks with it", the fact it's a masters says you're at least pretty self-motivated.

Re: the other jobs on the list, frankly no-one should care at all about them (there will always be the odd box-ticking bell end who does care but you wouldn't want to work with/for someone like that anyway).

You work in a GP practice - that's hard graft and that's well known. If you want to change direction, go for it. Look for a job in management (people or process), don't be put off if you don't get one in the first five minutes and don't be wary of applying outside of your current employment sector - your biggest skill isn't GP practice RP, it's people, logistics, process and management. Your CV would get my attention. Pro tip - write every covering letter individually. Don't copy and paste *anything* - you'd be amazed at the bits people forget to alter/remove when they do that and it can put you in the bin before the CV even gets read. And research the company you're applying to *before* you write the letter.

[Buelligan]

Remember being told the story of how someone I cleaned for hated their job and was totes overworked, by the person involved, as they followed me at a half-run and I scrubbed their toilet and pressed their ruffles in the roiling heat.  But they drove a Tesla, had their nails done, took holidays in the Seychelles to get over it.

[Incy Wincy Mincey]

The problem is, I don't have any transferable skills from my current job. At least, not that would be desirable for anything I'd actually want to do at any rate. Basic data entry and rota planning. The only jobs they would help me get are basically the same as my current job (which I hate). I'm ultimately paying the price for 10 or so years ago when I just didn't work hard enough at uni. I'm now on earning just above minimum wage at 32 with nothing on my CV that puts me ahead of any other candidate for a better job. And I can't go back to uni either as I'd be charged double an already unaffordable course fee on account of already having master's. Albeit a master's that disqualifies me from any job I'd actually like. What makes all this worse is knowing that it's entirely my own fault.

I was in a pretty similar position to this at 32, doing a fairly menial resource planning job that didn't seem to have much of a future. I got lucky though, as it was a small startup company and they didn't have any kind of data insights, so I was able to pick up some skills and push my role in that direction before finally escaping in 2022 for a much better paid job for an organisation I actually respect.

If you're feeling stuck, maybe a sideways move could help. Even if you're doing the same job, another employer could give you much more scope for expansion into something you'd prefer to do. Be honest at the interview process, that you're looking for a new challenge and would like to move into a new, specific area. You might just appeal to their natural laziness if it's something they can't be arsed picking up themselves.

You mention data entry - in my experience "data" is something of a magic word for many employers. They've read loads of thinkpieces about data - "big data", "data analytics", "data streaming" - but haven't really a clue what it means, just that it's important. If you're interested in working with data on any level, this gives you an opportunity. Think about the data you're entering - if you were summarising it for someone, what would it say? If given the task, how could you present it in an interesting way?

If your data doesn't really lend itself to this, there are loads of free data sources you can download and muck about with. Getting to a basic level of understanding of data visualisation tools - Power BI, Tableau etc - doesn't take much time and you can stick it straight on your LinkedIn (yes it's shit, but it's a means to an end.) Add a quick paragraph to your Bio on how you're "really interested in bringing data alive" or something and flick on the "looking for work" sign. I was amazed how many recruiters came running.

Whatever you do, try not to despair. Things can turn around much more quickly than you think.

[SteveDave]

After 4 years, my job has become something I can do without thinking,

I can also work from home 4/5 days a week which allows me to really catch up on all the masturbation I've missed.

[imitationleather]

I applied to be an embalmer. I would've absolutely loved that job. Obviously dealing with the corpses would be a nightmare but it'd be offset by telling people what my job is and looking at their faces.

But I didn't even get an interview even though I ticked the thing saying I have "issues" and so they have to give me one. Another dream dead and so no I do not have a job I enjoy.

[imitationleather]

I'm a chef. I've worked in a kitchen manned entirely by dickheads, where I've absolutely dreaded going in. Where I am now is absolutely lovely. My colleagues are collaborative and I've been known to even spend time with some outside of work which is unheard of. A lot of days just feel really hard and others are fucking magical as I thrive on the comradery.

Bit personal maybe but are you a drug addict? If not you will be the first chef I have ever spoken to who isn't one.

[iamcoop]

Bit personal maybe but are you a drug addict? If not you will be the first chef I have ever spoken to who isn't one.

In my experience most of the new guard have simply switched from cocaine to ten or eleven massive cans of energy drink per shift.

[jamiefairlie]

I applied to be an embalmer. I would've absolutely loved that job. Obviously dealing with the corpses would be a nightmare but it'd be offset by telling people what my job is and looking at their faces.

But I didn't even get an interview even though I ticked the thing saying I have "issues" and so they have to give me one. Another dream dead and so no I do not have a job I enjoy.

The answer to 'do you plan to fuck the corpses' was meant to be 'no'

[imitationleather]

Now he tells me!

[imitationleather]

In my experience most of the new guard have simply switched from cocaine to ten or eleven massive cans of energy drink per shift.

It works out as cheaper. It's packet that is less harsh on the pocket.



APPROVED.

[jamiefairlie]

Now he tells me!

Trick question you see, so many fall for it.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

In my experience most of the new guard have simply switched from cocaine to ten or eleven massive cans of energy drink per shift.

Mate of mine used to drink four cans of that shite a day but he ended up having a heart attack. He also did loads of drugs but he blames the energy drinks