What makes a good job?

[Breakdown]

Being on a fixed term contract on the verge of ending, I find myself wondering what I should be aiming for, career wise. More money? More power? Less stress? Doing something I enjoy doing?

So I thought I'd start a thread to ask what other people value the most in their jobs?

 

[Scarim Coral]

A teacher once said, "it's a job that you can't wait to get up in the morning for!" Well ok that was more of an dream job but still.

As for the actual said good jon, you tell me.

 

[Breakdown]

Yeah, I can't remember who said it, but a popular phrase is "If you do a job you love, you'll never work a day in your life" - true words for sure.

Certainly the wise thing to do is to see the end of any employment not as a negative but an opportunity to change for the better, reach for your goals.

 

[Breakdown]

Yeah, I can't remember who said it, but a popular phrase is "If you do a job you love, you'll never work a day in your life" - true words for sure.

Certainly the wise thing to do is to see the end of any employment not as a negative but an opportunity to change for the better, reach for your goals.

There's a saying though, I can't remember what it is but the jist is that if you try to make a profession out of something you enjoy, you will end up hating it.

 

[Breakdown]

Yeah, I can't remember who said it, but a popular phrase is "If you do a job you love, you'll never work a day in your life" - true words for sure.

Certainly the wise thing to do is to see the end of any employment not as a negative but an opportunity to change for the better, reach for your goals.

There's a saying though, I can't remember what it is but the jist is that if you try to make a profession out of something you enjoy, you will end up hating it.

Not necessarily, but if you try to get into a field you enjoy and end up working for a bad company, then it can taint your view of things, but every industry has good and bad people to work for. Starting your own business can equally bring rewards and pitfalls. As long as you go into it knowing things aren't going to be rosy all of the time, then it can be gratifying.

 

[Saelune]

Yeah, I can't remember who said it, but a popular phrase is "If you do a job you love, you'll never work a day in your life" - true words for sure.

Certainly the wise thing to do is to see the end of any employment not as a negative but an opportunity to change for the better, reach for your goals.

There's a saying though, I can't remember what it is but the jist is that if you try to make a profession out of something you enjoy, you will end up hating it.

Yeah but, its a saying. Doesn't make it true, and really, everything is situational. If you lose sight of the passion, sure you will hate it, but then make sure you don't. If anything, it just means work sucks, cause Id imagine doing something you don't like as a job would lead you to hating it too.

 

[sageoftruth]

Well, Chris Rock had far too much of an influence on my idea of the word "job". Cutting out all of the humor, a job is something you get through for money and lines on your resume. A career is something you pursue to make your dreams a reality.

With that said, I consider a good job to be a job that is easy to get through. If nothing in it drives you crazy, or if the perks easily make up for it, then I consider it a good job. I work for a law company. I have no interest in law, but my co-workers are nice, the clients are friendly, and I'm given loads of flexibility schedule-wise. I don't look forward to it every morning, because law stuff bores me, but I don't dread it either, since I know the environment is friendly. Therefore, I consider it to be a good job. Not a dream job or a career, but a good job nonetheless.

There are other factors, like pay and benefits, but I'm pretty stable financially, so the low pay doesn't bother me much. I guess that also means that a good job depends on what you're taking the job for.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

I envy you your options if you can choose between a high-stress job and a lower-paying job. What do you want? Better, what do you need? Any plans to start a family? Moving soon?

I'd consider my current job to be my best one yet despite its current frustrations, which are inescapable in any job (I would like to have more authority and not have to call on my superiors constantly to get permission to do certain things for a customer, especially when everyone else has to do the same). When you make a mistake, it's clearly explained to you after what you did wrong and how to correct it, all the supervisors I've met are easy going and everyone seems to share the same annoyances as you do. Given the choice, I'd always go stress-free over high paying. No amount of money is worth waking up in the morning wishing you could die, which for a while on a previous job I did.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Living quality experienced comparable to afforded wage (1 to 100) + total benefits x (number of direct overseers/total hours pw unsupervised) - number of hours pw feeling useless... if positive, you have a winner.

 

[Musou Tensei]

Something that didn't makes you wake up in the morning and lets you wish you were dead.

 

[Total LOLige]

Ideally, you should do something you'll enjoy doing because no amount of money is worth being unhappy for(well maybe like millions because you can quit once you've made a bit of bank). If that's not possible I'd go with whatever job pays the best with the least likelihood of causing unhappiness.



This is always a good video for these kinds of situations.

Spoiler

 

[Guffe]

This seems to be divided into two main cathegories when I listen to my friends.
For me, who achieved a childhood dream, and getting into the school I always wanted, and then getting a career in what I always wanted to do, and do what I enjoy doing is the best one. So simply, finding something you enjoy doing.
The second one is, get a job that pays well.
Third alternative.
I did a few jobs that I worked in which weren't paid well, nor were they my dream jobs, but they brought in the money needed to live, and I was content with that situation, so I guess it depends a little how you also view the situation?

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

More money and less stress dont have to be mutually exclusive mind you.

Id say if you are still thinking of this dont let it drive you crazy, just pick up a job, any job that falls in your lap as long as it doesnt make you completely miserable. Even if the job is boring or annoying (within reason) as a survival job to keep the money rolling. You can then look for your dream job with the financial security of a mediocre job, and if you feel like working for yourself(which is awesome) you can prepare for that.

 

[Akytalusia]

the trick to determining if a job is good [for you] or bad [for you] is how much of you is permitted.
your ideal position will allow you to be yourself. your worst case is one in which you must be the opposite of yourself.
income is a secondary factor that will influence your tolerance capacity for being not you.
environmental comfort can influence tolerance capacity and is determined by many factors including public relations, coworker relations, natural talent and time management against professional expectations and personal philosophies against professional philosophies.

that's all i can think of off the top of my head.

 

[RedRockRun]

Something that makes you not want to shoot yourself everyday..

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Can I support myself on this job's pay? And I don't mean "Cool, I have enough to make rent and maybe a few dollars left over for food."

I mean, is rent covered? Hell, can I afford a house, or at least the house payment? Is there plenty of food on the table? If something goes terribly wrong, like I break my leg, do I have insurance through this job that is worth it? Am I treated as an adult, capable of making my own decisions, or am I still treated like a school kid or a problem? Is my boss worthy of my respect? Is there room for moving up, or at least pay raises? Do I get vacation time that is more than, "Oh, here's a three day weekend for the whole year that we'll pay you for and the rest of the time you get nothing"? If I ask for time off, do I get docked or disapproving looks, or do they understand that everyone needs a break and gladly give it to me? Is my job challenging, but in a good way? Do I get a sense of satisfaction for completing my work and feel worthwhile and valued as an employee?

That is what makes a good job to me. Do I have to love what I'm doing? No, but I have to at least enjoy it enough that I can accept the parts of it I don't like.

 

[Kyrian007]

Yeah, I can't remember who said it, but a popular phrase is "If you do a job you love, you'll never work a day in your life" - true words for sure.

Certainly the wise thing to do is to see the end of any employment not as a negative but an opportunity to change for the better, reach for your goals.

There's a saying though, I can't remember what it is but the jist is that if you try to make a profession out of something you enjoy, you will end up hating it.

Not necessarily, but if you try to get into a field you enjoy and end up working for a bad company, then it can taint your view of things, but every industry has good and bad people to work for. Starting your own business can equally bring rewards and pitfalls. As long as you go into it knowing things aren't going to be rosy all of the time, then it can be gratifying.

It doesn't even really have to be a bad company. In just about any field that has been taken over by a LLP or corporation even the "fun" or "rewarding" jobs are buried under a heavy layer of corporate B.S.

I work overnights in a newsroom. I love it. Writing and editing copy, checking story sources, assigning photographers and correspondents, communicating and coordinating with the network, but the best part... it's different stories every day. It's not repetitive, every day has new information to absorb and distribute. BUT... there's so much stupid junk and corporate b.s. getting in the way of it sometimes I'd rather be behind a lathe on an assembly line. Bi-annual performance reviews, nearly weekly "compliance" meetings (none of which couldn't be resolved in 1/10th of the time by shooting all those involved one 1 paragraph email,) monthly mandatory meetings about changes from corporate that have 0 effect on my job, and tons of paperwork that absolutely no one ever reads, checks, or even looks at.

I really do like what I do. I could have higher paying jobs, but I don't bother because I know I wouldn't be as happy. But corporate business structure makes even a highly satisfying job frustrating with all of it's useless middle management trying to justify their salaries by interfering with those of us doing actual work.

 

[RJ 17]

The most important thing for me is environment. I would say that "enjoying what you do" is more important - and that certainly is a very nice thing to have in a job - however I've found that even if you have a boring job, as long as you're in a stress-free environment surrounded by coworkers you really like (which I consider as being part of the environment), I find pretty much any job is endurable.

Next would, indeed, be actually enjoying what you do. I like typing...it's pretty much my only marketable skill. So I've got a job in which I type all day. Nice and easy, pretty stress-free, working with other gamers and such so it's a great environment.

Beyond that it's the standard stuff: good pay is nice, a short commute to work is definitely great, having a boss that isn't a complete asshole is a hot commodity, paid vacation days and other benefits, all that stuff.

In short: the important thing is to find a job that doesn't make you say "Fffffffuck, I got to go to work today..." every day when you wake up. You don't necessarily have to be cheering at the notion of going to work, but as long as you're not put into a bad mood simply at the thought of having to go to work, you're doing alright.