The interesting part of that last comment is that, almost all companies probably have a job you would love to do. Perhaps you just have not discovered it yet. I long have believed if you work to your strengths, you will be happier.
My greatest strength is researching. I never get sick of learning new things. Managing technology projects means I can have a fabulous time learning something new with every project. No two projects are the same. I also like to make order out of chaos. Wow, does that ever sound like a project manager! I have had other jobs, from executive management level to cooking in a truck stop, but I am never as happy as when I am merrily researching away, making order out of chaos and delivering a finished product to happy customers.
That brings me to another point: What quality would make you love your job? I just mentioned "happy customers". People are important to me too (customers or coworkers). As you can see in the chart below, 30% of people think the "people" are most important to loving your job. The work itself comes in at a close second. Benefits are way down at the end of the range! I agree with this result. I could live in Hawaii, a lovely place, but if the people I worked with were mean spirited and hard to get along with, I could not love my job.
You probably have noticed a thread running through most of my blogs, encouraging you to not give up...you are the master of your destiny type of mindset.
Well, the same goes for today - if you are unhappy at your job, seek something out (maybe in the same company) that is more rewarding. A job does not bring joy everyday, but should bring a general sense of satisfaction and happiness (let's say 80%) of the time.
Where do you want to be 5 years from today?
I see myself retired, frankly. But, while I have to work to put cat food in Lucy's kitty dish, I might as well have a job that brings me joy.
