The Joy of Work

Yes, you read that title correctly.  For most of us, work is a prerequisite to living under a non-leaking roof, having a fridge with food in it and a soft mattress to sleep on.  Therefore, life is too short to be misearable.  Do what you love. 

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.  

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interview-you/qt/in-five-years.htm

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_answer_'Where_do_you_see_yourself_in_five_years'_in_a_job_interview

http://www.quintcareers.com/sticky_job_interview_situations.html