# Do you have an emotional attachment to your job?



## GlassJaw (Mar 29, 2005)

I've always been amazed at people that seem to "live" their jobs.  I've never been able to grasp that.  

In the 7 or so years I've been out of school, I've had 3 jobs (4 if you count selling cars for a short time).  They have all been good paying with excellent benefits and relatively stable and secure (although some more than others).

However, I've never had a real attachment to any of them.  While I certainly didn't hate any of them and usually got along really well with my co-workers, I've always viewed them as a paycheck first.  As soon as 5:00 rolls around, I switch out of work mode and I'm out the door.  I do good work but I rarely work more than I have to or volunteer for something that isn't really necessary.  I'm also not a fan of travelling because I've always felt my time is more valuable than theirs.

I may have, however, an opportunity to take a potential "dream job" in the near future.  I might actually get a little bit more money but I would be giving up significant job security and quite possibly benefits (I'd have to pay on my own).  If everything works out, it's the type of job that I would love to do everyday and would probably "work" on my own time.

Anyway, just wanted to get some thoughts on this as I ponder the (hopefully forthcoming) decision I'll have to make.


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## barsoomcore (Mar 29, 2005)

I love my job. I manage software development teams, which means building cool stuff with really smart people. It's exhilarating and often terrifying, but I learn HUGE amounts about leadership and management and just general "getting stuff done" every day.

I don't want to do this for the rest of my life, but for right now I'm involved in the day-to-day management of a billion-dollar company, and that's pretty fun, let me tell you.


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## diaglo (Mar 29, 2005)

i love my job. i'm hoping to one day work myself out it.

i work in public health. in tuberculosis specifically. i hope one day that no one will ever get sick from tb ever again.


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## EricNoah (Mar 29, 2005)

I can't really think of a job that would suit me better than the one I have.  I'm good at it, the parts I don't like very much go by fast, and I get a lot of time off at just the right time of year.  I've been in soul-crushing, mindless, numbing jobs, and they suck.  A bad job can just ruin your life, because you spend so much of your time there.  I believe the human psyche needs (among other things) satisfying work in order to stay healthy.


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## Pbartender (Mar 29, 2005)

I love my job.  I mean really, it's every Star Trek geek's dream job.  But it is by no means my life.  

It is a job.  It earns me money, and it keeps me busy.  The fact that it's exactly the sort of job that I enjoy doing is simply icing on the cake.  Once I'm off shift, however, I've more important things to worry about...  My wife and kids, namely.


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## Mr. Lobo (Mar 29, 2005)

I love my job. I work in a biological research lab at the academic level. In this field, long hours, plus weekends, with relatively low pay/educational level are the norm and expected. 

My girlfriend is amazed that the people at my workplace are so dedicated. She always comments about how most people she knows hate their jobs or are just indifferent about them.

I knew what the deal was before I got into my profession and have no regrets.

NIH post-doc stipend allowance

I've since moved up from being a post-doc but the dang salaries caught up to me!


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## nothing to see here (Mar 29, 2005)

I love my job.  I'm fiercely loyal to my boss and my team...and I believe our work is to the greater good of society as a whole.

Of course, we work in politics, so that kind of spirit is kind of a prerequisite (at least if you want to win)...I'd tell you more about what we do...but this board has rules against such chat ...


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## Lhorgrim (Mar 29, 2005)

I loved my job when I started (Police Officer).  For the first five years I lived the job and felt I was making a difference in my community.  Then all the bad stuff started to seep in.  The cases we worked so hard to make were blown off in court.  Serious offenders were given probation and no jail time because putting them in the jail would "cost the county too much money".  I made an arrest on a gentleman for breaking his wife's nose in a domestic disturbance, and in the course of the arrest he broke one officer's nose and bit a second officer on the forearm before we were able to get him cuffed.  He was in violation of an emergency protective order at the time of the assault.  The tally of charges in that exchange is three misdemeanors and two felonies.  He made a plea agreement and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with credit for the 14 days he served while awaiting trial.  I was somewhat disheartened with the system after that.

 I have had to go to several autopsies, and one of them was a very young child.  This was about the time of my son's first birthday, and I still have a hard time dealing with it.

Last month on a Saturday one of my fellow officers parked his personal vehicle next to the police station and shot himself with his duty pistol in front of his family.  I was not on duty, but because of my rank I was required to respond and direct the death investigation.  These aspects of the job were not exactly advertised in the recruitment literature.

Now it has been ten years, and I have been promoted to the second highest position in the department.  I kept taking the promotions to try to get into a position to change things, but I just keep losing heart.  I'm now looking for something in the private sector, far away from law enforcement so I can put these bad memories behind me.

Sorry for the rant, but I can't say these things in my home town for fear that my new job search will be hampered by this "bad attitude".


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## Greylock (Mar 29, 2005)

The single worst thing about my recent surgery is that it is keeping me from work. I live to work and work to live. Without a job, I am a pretty meaningless. Think I'll call work as soon as I get off the net here...


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## Raging Epistaxis (Mar 29, 2005)

Hmm. I love my job.  No, hate it.  Uhh... Sometimes both in a day.

I'm a veterinarian working for myself.  As with most professions, it's as much a calling as a job - sometimes I feel like I'm never 'off the job' whether I am at work or not. And that makes me think wistfully back to the 9-5 job days where I could flip that switch to turn the job off and go home without thinking about work.  
Otherwise, I wouldn't trade it for the world.   

Sure, it's puppies and kittens, but it's also cancer, kidney failure and euthanasia. In nearly equal measure.  I guess which I tend to focus on dictates how I feel at any given time.

{soapbox rant}
I also do a lot of spay/neuter work (surgery) and like diaglo, would love to work myself out of that job.  Euthanasia rates at shelters here in East TN are shockingly high (for those counties that even have shelters...), all because there are only so many homes and so many unwanted pups/kittens born to folks who 'just want one litter' or want their kids to witness the 'miracle of birth'. Or they just don't care, or have too much personal identification with the dog/cat's reproductive status, etc. But I digress. Sorry. 
{/soapbox rant}

It's funny how I tend to identify/introduce myself as a vet, rather than a father, devoted husband, RPGer, hobby programmer, etc etc etc.  So, I guess I am my job.  

ANYhow, I've had dead-end grunt work jobs in the past (while in school), but I can't say I've ever hated any of them, perhaps because I knew it was only for a while.

I know there are a fair number of people who hate what they do, and long to do something different.  Having 'gone for it' and now doing what I always wanted to do, I say go for it.

The worse that could happen is you'd be in a different job you dislike.  :\

R E

Happy 50th post to me!


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## Whizbang Dustyboots (Mar 29, 2005)

Yes. I have a calling, not a job. And it's one that I view as being incredibly important, even if the public at large is at times fairly skeptical. (I once got mocked by a stripper. )

If your job isn't clicking for you, keep looking. You spend too much of your life working to just be going through the motions and getting nothing for it but some money.


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## GlassJaw (Mar 29, 2005)

Great post Rage.  I know I could never be a vet but I've talked to people about how hard it is and how much schooling is required.  Stay strong.



> ANYhow, I've had dead-end grunt work jobs in the past (while in school), but I can't say I've ever hated any of them, perhaps because I knew it was only for a while.




Well I definitely don't have a dead-end job and I certainly don't hate it.  The pay and benes are good and the people are nice (although a little boring).  It's just that I don't really _care_.  I marvel at people that get excited about being at work.  I definitely have the "Office Space" syndrome (no, I'm not going to set the building on fire). 



> Having 'gone for it' and now doing what I always wanted to do, I say go for it.




Indeed.  I keep telling myself I have a decision to make but honestly, I think I already know the answer.


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## Thornir Alekeg (Mar 29, 2005)

I do not love my current job.  I work for a pharmaceutical company in the Quality group.  It can be exciting and very interesting at times, but I certainly would not say I love it.  For the most part I hit my 8 hours and head home to the family.  

My previous job I loved.  Similar job, small company, amazing people I worked with.  It sounds cliche, but we really were like family and we still get together.   The company ran out of money two years ago and we sold the technology.  But even though I loved it, I still didn't "live" my job.  It could be because most people there understood the need for balance and kicked you out.

I had one job I truly hated.  Sick to my stomach Sunday nights kind of hate.  When you know the owner of the company is literally lying, cheating and stealing, but cannot really do much about it (I did speak with a lawyer), it is hard to get up and go to work.


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## Raging Epistaxis (Mar 29, 2005)

Whizbang Dustyboots said:
			
		

> ...the public at large is at times fairly skeptical. (I once got mocked by a stripper. )



Oh, come on now, you can't tease us like that and not say what you do!

Inquiring minds want to know!



			
				Thornir Alekeg said:
			
		

> I work for a pharmaceutical company in the Quality group.



Cool   That's what my mom did for years.  She tried to retire, but they kept asking her back to do the FDA reports, etc.

Small world.

R E


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## Alan Shutko (Mar 29, 2005)

Mr. Lobo said:
			
		

> My girlfriend is amazed that the people at my workplace are so dedicated. She always comments about how most people she knows hate their jobs or are just indifferent about them.




Indeed, researchers are very dedicated... my wife is divorcing me so that she can start her own lab without distractions or other impositions on her schedule.

Me, I like my job well enough as a software developer, and often do software development on my own time, but work is not the sole defining factor of my life.  I'm happy to take a job which may be slightly less desirable if it allows a better home life.


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## Mr. Lobo (Mar 29, 2005)

Whizbang Dustyboots said:
			
		

> Yes. I have a calling, not a job. And it's one that I view as being incredibly important, even if the public at large is at times fairly skeptical. (I once got mocked by a stripper. )




Yeah, but that's because her name was Candi (with an "i") and she was going to med school and studying for her PhD while trying to save all the homeless puppies and kittens while eating organic foods and working out in her new Corvette wearing a leather trenchcoat and cool shades and being really cool and stuff.

Stripping was just a side job to pay for college, right?



Do I sound bitter?


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## Mr. Lobo (Mar 29, 2005)

Alan Shutko said:
			
		

> Indeed, researchers are very dedicated... my wife is divorcing me so that she can start her own lab without distractions or other impositions on her schedule.




Dang. I'm not _that_ dedicated. 

Good luck to you.

Maybe you can get in on some of that Nobel money later on. 'Cause that's what she's got to be shooting for.


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## MrFilthyIke (Mar 29, 2005)

Mr. Lobo said:
			
		

> Stripping was just a side job to pay for college, right??




You means it isn't??


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## WayneLigon (Mar 29, 2005)

Dang. Everyone seems to love their jobs.

I have no attachment whatsoever. If something else offered me the same paycheck for less stress, I'd walk out the door right this second and never look back. 

I do computer work. Networking, programming, pc maintenance, all a myriad of tiny stupid proiblems that never get fixed no matter what I do. The tech is so complicated now that it's passed me by. I have no idea what I'm doing. If this wasn't government work, I'd probably have been fired long ago. As it is, I can do just enough to keep my head above water but that's not going to work for much longer. Going back to college is not an option. I barely made it through last time and they gave me a lot of theory that I've never used since then. 

I loathe and despise what I do. I've never been interested in it, but I need the money and have no idea what other career I could do. It's all I can do some days to keep from just breaking down at my desk.


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## Mr. Lobo (Mar 29, 2005)

MrFilthyIke said:
			
		

> You means it isn't??




That's interesting.

Hey, all you strippers over here on ENworld...

Do you love your job or have an emotional attachment to it or are you just doing it for college money?


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## The_Universe (Mar 29, 2005)

Eh - I am not attached to my job AT ALL. If something better comes along, I'd turn in my two-weeks without blinking an eye.


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## alsih2o (Mar 29, 2005)

I am my job.

 I am not sure if I love it or not. That would be like loving my blood type or shape of my skull.

 I don't think I see any line between my job and me. I definitely don't feel as if I have ANY time off.  At a friends recent wedding I spent more time scouting local museums than visiting. I sketched my way through my nieces graduation. Dinner out with my wifes boss got me caught completely out of the conversation drawing profile curves on the table with condensate from my drink.

 I frequently hate or love what has recently happened at my job but I rarely feel these emotions for what I do. I just do it. 

 And I don't want to imagine life any other way.

 Hope that helped.


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## Crothian (Mar 29, 2005)

no attachment, I'm a drone, a number, a piece in the great working machine and if I break down they'll replace me without a thought.  I'd love to have a job with people that I like and really enjoy the job.  But till then ....


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## der_kluge (Mar 29, 2005)

I have loved what I do in the past, but not so much right now.

When I worked for Wal-Mart (the home office), I was a programmer. And I was the most technically brilliant member of my team (my peer evals even said so!) I went into work in the morning, pulled up whatever program I was working on at the time, and coded until I was done in the evening. I was single then, so "when I was done" might be an hour or more after close of business. I wrote so much code there it was unbelievable. Shell scripts, C code, Visual Basic, 3-page sql commands. You name it. I'm sure they're still using most of it.

But it wore me out. I burned out on that, and not because I didn't enjoy it, but because my management refused to acknowledge the contributions I had made. They didn't want to promote me, or move me to new challenges. Maybe I did my job too well??  The culture there is really obnoxious, and it's not an environment I'd want to work in with a wife and child. It's not family-friendly at all.  But I loved the learning, and the technology, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I left, and while I've had good times and bad, I'm completely and utterly bored where I am currently. I haven't done more than about an hours worth of work in a day since January. So, I've worked on products for HARP, worked on modules, posted gobs on ENworld, worked on my master's degree.  So yea, I've accomplished lots of stuff, but it's more or less unfulfilling. The company here is going through some reorganizations, so all the managers are managing "upwards" and are focused on saving their own butts, and not focused on projects, or creating more work. It's quite an inefficient place. I see a lot of opportunities here, but it's going to take a while before it really comes into its own. It's a fairly young company.

I just got an email from a recruiter in Raleigh, who was asking about a job there whom I had talked to when I accepted my current position. So, I'll hear what he has to say. Who knows, maybe I'll move again, and love it!  We'll see.  I hate moving, though.


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## der_kluge (Mar 29, 2005)

Crothian said:
			
		

> no attachment, I'm a drone, a number, a piece in the great working machine and if I break down they'll replace me without a thought.  I'd love to have a job with people that I like and really enjoy the job.  But till then ....




What do you do, Crothian?


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## MrFilthyIke (Mar 29, 2005)

Mr. Lobo said:
			
		

> That's interesting.
> 
> Hey, all you strippers over here on ENworld...
> 
> Do you love your job or have an emotional attachment to it or are you just doing it for college money?




I could send a pic, but Eric's Grandma would NOT approve.   

I'll be starting a new job on the 11th with Suntrust.  I'm leaving Delta behind,
and trying something new.  But the only thing I'm attachted to is the wife and
the games.


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## Crothian (Mar 29, 2005)

die_kluge said:
			
		

> What do you do, Crothian?




I'm in banking


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## Breakstone (Mar 29, 2005)

I absolutely love college. It's only my first year at UC Santa Cruz, but I'm completely and utterly in love.

That said, it requires money. So during the summers I've been working full-time as a temp.

I definitely have an emotional attachment to being a temp. But the emotion isn't love- it's pure and utter loathing.

HOWEVER, as I said, I love college. And being a temp pays incredibly well. So for me, doing what I love (college) is worth a few months of hateful work.


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## adwyn (Mar 30, 2005)

I love my job (real estate) - everyday is a new crisis or three, the clientel are on emotional rollercoasters, not a day goes by without a threat of a lawsuit, and not a month without threats of bodily injury. Yet it's all challenging and new. I tried working the 5 day a week office route and failed. This is the career gaming prepared me for!

Plus building developments is just like a boardgame - Monopoly with bigger houses.


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## MrFilthyIke (Mar 30, 2005)

adwyn said:
			
		

> I love my job (real estate) - everyday is a new crisis or three, the clientel are on emotional rollercoasters, not a day goes by without a threat of a lawsuit, and not a month without threats of bodily injury. Yet it's all challenging and new. I tried working the 5 day a week office route and failed. This is the career gaming prepared me for!
> 
> Plus building developments is just like a boardgame - Monopoly with bigger houses.




You should see rela estate in Florida.


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## Barendd Nobeard (Mar 30, 2005)

> Do you have an emotional attachment to your job?




If, by "emotional attachment," you mean a hatred as deep as Mt. Everest is high, then, yes, I have an "emotional attachment" to my job.

My advice is to go for your "dream job" when you can still dream.  Your "secure" job will (eventually) suck the life out of you faster than a Dementor at Hogwarts.


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## MrFilthyIke (Mar 30, 2005)

Barendd Nobeard said:
			
		

> If, by "emotional attachment," you mean a hatred as deep as Mt. Everest is high, then, yes, I have an "emotional attachment" to my job.




What do you do that gives you so much hat?


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## IronWolf (Mar 30, 2005)

I have an emotional attachment to my job.  I am a computer systems guy and I love to play with new technology and such.  I take downtime on the personal level so I often do whatever it takes to keep the computers up and running at all times.  From this I sometimes end up working a lot of hours.  Other times not so much, as a little bit of being proactive and you can end up with long strings of working eight to five days because of systems you have already put into place.


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## DaveStebbins (Mar 30, 2005)

I am... _well-suited_ to my job.

I have developed an _emotional attachment_ to many (dozens) of the wonderful people I work with (and for).

I look at my job as a commitment I've made. I try to do the best I can. However, I also have commitments to myself, my family, my friends and my community. If I were to show commitment only towards work, I would consider that an obsession, not a commitment. As it works out, there are times when things in my personal life cause me to miss work, and times when things at work will cause me to miss out on bits of my personal life. As long as I keep things balanced and in perspective, I think I stand a better-than-average chance of remaining happy, healthy and sane.

Work became much easier to deal with when I realized I was worrying about a bunch of things I couldn't control and that I was not exercising much control at all over the one thing I always can command: my attitude. Since then, things have improved immensely.

-Dave


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## Darth K'Trava (Mar 30, 2005)

Nope. I've had good managers and bad ones but I'd hate to leave behind the 4 weeks of vacation I'd accrued to being there for nearly 18 years.....


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## Darth K'Trava (Mar 30, 2005)

Mr. Lobo said:
			
		

> That's interesting.
> 
> Hey, all you strippers over here on ENworld...
> 
> Do you love your job or have an emotional attachment to it or are you just doing it for college money?





Do you _really_ think that, if there were any, they'd pipe up?


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## Samothdm (Mar 30, 2005)

Eh.

I think I'm pretty good at my job.  For the most part, I've liked my co-workers (and met two of my best friends through the business).  

What I don't like about it is:

1) Every ad agency is the same.  I've worked at four big ones so far since college.  They'll tell you that they're all different, but they're not.  They'll tell you that they have "unique proprietary systems" for "identifying the target market" and "focusing on the people who really use the product" so that we can "think outside the box" and "incentivize consumers" with "outstanding creative product" and "targeted communications plans".  Whatever.  I've heard it and I'm not buying it.

2) All clients are the same.  Some of them are nice.  Some are jerks.  But, business-wise, they're all the same.  They're all afraid to take risks.  They're afraid of doing something that hasn't been done before, but then they penalize you because you're not being creative in your thinking.  They have all of these historical models to help them predict the effect of advertising on their sales, but since the models are based on "historical data", they can't account for anything new and different you might want to do.  "Doing your job" as far as a client is concerned usually just means, "How do I keep the guy above me in the chain of command off my back?", not "How do I empower the ad agency to help sell more of my product?"

3) Management at ad agencies is, by and large, really bad.  There's rampant cases of "face time" (managers thinking that just because you're at your desk that you must be working, and consequently if you're not at your desk, you must be slacking off).  I've been pretty well taken care of, I guess, but just like any job, you witness things happening and say to yourself, "How can that be happening?"

4) Most managers at ad agencies are far too willing to just give up and do exactly what the client wants without fighting.  They are paying me for my expertise, but when it comes down to it, they don't want my knowledge and expertise.  They want me to do what they tell me to do.  

5) Training has gone the way of the dodo bird.  I train my teams (well, when I had a team).  My "team" now consists of me and another woman who's been in the business for about 18 months.  She's great, but between the two of us, we can't get our work done on time.  So, we cut corners, and really she and I are just churning out work without putting a lot of thought into it.  On one hand, it's "easier" because advertising (at least, what I do) is not really hard once you know what you're doing.  The hard part is the strategy, the thinking, the planning... these days, with only two of us, the client doesn't get much of that.  They get spreadsheets and numbers and graphs of competitive spending.  I guess that's what they want, because they're not willing to pay the agency for most staff so that I can actually do what I was hired to do.  

Other than that, advertising is great!  My main satisfaction these days comes from finding time to train the junior-level people so they learn things the way I learned them ("the right way") as opposed to just learning how to get stuff done.  They seem to have responded well to that in the past (before they all got laid off after a client fired the agency).


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## reanjr (Mar 30, 2005)

My current job is just that.  In the past I have had jobs that were so engaging that I was often found there hours after work doing something productive.


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## tarchon (Mar 30, 2005)

Mr. Lobo said:
			
		

> Yeah, but that's because her name was Candi (with an "i") and she was going to med school and studying for her PhD while trying to save all the homeless puppies and kittens while eating organic foods and working out in her new Corvette wearing a leather trenchcoat and cool shades and being really cool and stuff.



Oh you know her too? I was impressed until I found out med school was like "Mr. Li's Institute of Tai Chi Aromatherapy."

I pretty much make my job up as I go along, so it works for me.


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## Wycen (Mar 30, 2005)

My current job is the worst job I've had, not counting temp stuff.  In the first 2 months I survived by calculating how much money I had made that day during lunch.  

Then I went to Vegas with my coworkers, paid for by the company.  That helped ease things over, not so much as a bribe, but because when I met all the other CSR's they all asked the same question.  And I realized they all knew my boss was a crazy witch.  I guess I took comfort in that.  My boss lives to work; 12 hours a day 6 days a week.  And I just discovered this week they cheated me (and the newer hire) out of a month of medical coverage.  Today somebody quit, the second this year although the first was imcompetent.


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## LightPhoenix (Mar 30, 2005)

I'm not overly fond of my job, but I wouldn't say I hate it.  I'm currently a Lab Tech at a local hospital, evening shift.

The people I work with are a mixed bunch.  Most of them I like, but there are a few that I don't.  None of them are my age, the closest is seven years older than me, and is one of the ones I don't really like.  Most are ten years or more older than I am, so there's a big disparity as far as lifestyles go.  Even so, were some of them my age, or I theirs, I'm sure we would be friends as opposed to co-workers, which is how I think of them all.

The biggest thing I hate about my job is the management.  It's readily obvious that the hospital, including the lab, has been mismanaged for likely its entire existance.  It's a shame really, because we could easily have one of the best labs in central NY.  Instead, we have medtech companies that won't even speak to us.  I'm not kidding either, the maker of one of the most commonly used hematology machines in the US would not return our calls.  Instead, management is full of petty bickering fogies who don't give a damn about anything aside from the size of their paychecks, and even when they do take interest it's all politics and not about what's best for the lab.

The job is pretty boring, it doesn't challenge me enough.  Everyone there knows that I don't belong there, and they've been really supportive of me going to grad school, even if it looks more and more like that won't be happening this year.  Except my supervisor, who is petty and hates that I'm trying to make a better life, because it means that she'll have to actually deal with being down three people... four when I leave.

The benefits are great, and the pay is pretty good for someone out of college and single.

Even so, I don't love it, and I know it's not what I'm supposed to be doing.  I'm hoping I'll find that when I can make my way to the left coast, but whatever happens will be.  As long as I make it happen.


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## Keeper of Secrets (Mar 30, 2005)

I a rather emotional about my job but it is not something I would consider an attachement, per se . . .


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## MonsterMash (Mar 30, 2005)

I work in IT - varied roles over the years including being a code monkey, business/systems analyst, project manager, etc. Coming up to 11 years working as an IT specialist with a variety of sectors including government and private companies (shipping and telecoms). My current role is good as it's got the highest research and blue sky thinking element of any that I've done. Yes I will look into stuff in my own time, but as is pretty normal for the UK I've got quite a lot of holiday time compared to US jobs (25 days/5weeks per year).

Before working in IT I've done various other things including bar work, some welfare assessment (which I did hate) and a library assistant in a public library (not too bad, but lousy pay).


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## diaglo (Mar 30, 2005)

Crothian said:
			
		

> I'm in banking





is that kind where every 4 days or so you leave a 3-5 ml sample in a cup?

or the kind where you can only donate once every 6 weeks, but have to answer questions about where you've traveled and your orientation? and where you get a cup of oj and/or a cookie afterwards.


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## Angel Tarragon (Mar 30, 2005)

I certainly do! I'd probably go insane if I couldn't share my thoughts with my fellow gamers here!


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## Angel Tarragon (Mar 30, 2005)

diaglo said:
			
		

> is that kind where every 4 days or so you leave a 3-5 ml sample in a cup?



You sir, have a sick mind!


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## diaglo (Mar 30, 2005)

Frukathka said:
			
		

> You sir, have a sick mind!




thank you. thank you very much. i'll be here all decade. try the beets.


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## Angel Tarragon (Mar 30, 2005)

Yuck!   I hate beets!


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## MrFilthyIke (Mar 30, 2005)

diaglo said:
			
		

> thank you. thank you very much. i'll be here all decade. try the beets.




And don't doubt that statement, he's already been here for the first 30 years...


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## Captain Needles (Mar 30, 2005)

I have an intense emotional attachment to my job.  Mostly because I work with kids who are predominantly the victims of very intense abuse of all kinds, but also because the people I work with are very good friends and take care of each other.  I like the job enough to accept the bad pay and ridiculous stress levels that come with it, but it is a fair trade for the sense of accomplishment.  Oh, and because right now I supervise the 3rd shift when the kids are all sleeping for most of the time, I have 6 quiet hours to read, watch movies or write games in order to keep myself alert and awake.


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## DungeonmasterCal (Mar 30, 2005)

I like my job a lot.  Am I "married" to it?  Probably not.  I do data entry for Heifer International, a not-for-profit hunger relief agency.  I believe in Heifer's mission whole heartedly, and while I don't make a lot of money, I have excellent benefits and I'm doing my part to help families in the world's poorest nations become self-sufficient and not making some corporate fat-head rich.

Shameless plug:  www.heifer.org


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## spatha (Mar 30, 2005)

I realy like my job but work still stays at work.
I do tech suport in a small project. I take on average 10 calls in a day most under 10 minutes. I surf the web for the rest of my day how can I not like my job.


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## Rel (Mar 30, 2005)

I like my job and I love my boss!  Of course, I'm self-employed.

I'm a legal-videographer.  I videotape depositions to be shown to juries in court when the witness cannot personally appear.  Mostly it's doctors.

The work itself is sometimes very dry and boring to listen to but I usually learn something at each deposition and that keeps it somewhat interesting.  Sometimes the lawyers really fight with each other and that's always fun.  And even when the work is boring I'm getting paid great for it so I don't mind so much.

The other side of the coin is that running your own business can be incredibly stressful.  I'm always worried about getting in enough work (the last few weeks have been a little slow  :\ ) and it is annoying having to call delinquent customers to get them to pay their bills.

But the nice thing is that even when I'm busy, it isn't "all day every day" and I get to spend extra time with my family (and posting here on ENWorld).  And it isn't the same thing every day.  I travel all over the state and work with different people so there is no rut.

All in all, if I could just get a bit more work coming steadily in the door, I'd say I've got a pretty damn good job on my hands.


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## Psychic Warrior (Mar 30, 2005)

I vary between loathing and liking my job.  I work in an optical lab for a major eyeglass manufacturing company.  Recently I found that several employees with far less time on the job than I were making almost .40 an hour more than me.  That pissed me off.  After a mild bit of sqwaking, however, I got a .42 raise and 2 months back pay on it.  Not much but it felt pretty good.  That has mostly worn off now and I just keep putting in my time and trying to keep my head down.  The worst feeling is that of being trapped.  I don't think I can leave.  I have a serious medical condition that requires about $13,000 a year in drug therapy.  My current medical coverage takes care of 90% of that and a national foundation gives me another $900/year.  If I didn't have that kind of coverage I would lose everything.  And I can't see any other company taking me on with an instant $13,000 hit to thier medical coverage.


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## MaxKaladin (Mar 30, 2005)

It's generally just a job.  It's one I generally like doing, but I don't have any emotional attachment to it.  I say "generally" because I work as an IT contractor and, aside from the usual ups and downs in any job, it really depends on the client.  Some clients are great and some are horrible.  The best place I've worked for is an insurance company, believe it or not.  The worst was when I was working for a company that was trying to develop software for realtors.  The company itself was great but I quickly learned to loathe realtors, to hate them with a burning passion stronger than a thousand suns, to believe them to be a far lower form of life than lawyers, spammers and even politicians.


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## MonsterMash (Apr 1, 2005)

Rel said:
			
		

> Sometimes the lawyers really fight with each other and that's always fun.



Real fights or just verbally - that'd be fun - *Lawyer deathmatch*


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## Inconsequenti-AL (Apr 1, 2005)

Love and hate at the same time....

Programming for a small company. It was great for the first 5 years, but getting stagnant now. Same old, same old almost everyday. Think I'm overdue for a change. But, I've done a good job and been recognised for it... It's going to be difficult finding something that pays as well.

Oh yeah. That and it's in the marketing sector. Which, as far as I can tell, enhances no-ones life in a good way. Coming up with new ways to get people to buy crap they don't need - Wooo!  More correctly it's finding out why people are/aren't/will/won't buy it, which is the same, but with added maths.


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## Kid Charlemagne (Apr 1, 2005)

Rel said:
			
		

> I'm a legal-videographer.  I videotape depositions to be shown to juries in court when the witness cannot personally appear.  Mostly it's doctors.




I've done that!  Legal depositions were a sideline business for me back when I was freelancing in corporate video.  Decent money, but I couldn't stand being self-employed.  The depositions themselves could be very interesting - as you say, many doctors.  I know more about back injuries than I have any need to.  The occasional fun depositions - deposing strippers in a indecency case was fun - and the occasional important ones - one person I taped was a witness to the crash that ended up revealing the whole licenses-for-bribes scandal in Illinois that has ended up with the governor being charged with criminal conduct.  The occasional ridiculous one: a lawyer insisted on deposing a woman with severe brain damage because he thought whe was faking it.  That was a complete waste of four hours.


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## Rel (Apr 1, 2005)

MonsterMash said:
			
		

> Real fights or just verbally - that'd be fun - *Lawyer deathmatch*




I've seen plenty of the latter and heard tell of a few of the former.

Kid Charlemagne, that's pretty neat!  Small world I guess.

I just got back from a deposition of a woman who is suing a ladder manufacturer and Home Depot because she fell when she was trying to get down off her roof while powerwashing.


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## thalmin (Apr 2, 2005)

I am attached to my job, but then I am the co-owner of my own game store. But I am an owner because I became attached, not the other way around.
I work at something I enjoy. I sell something I have an interest in. And I get to meet some very wonderful people. Money isn't the greatest, but it is sufficient.
There is a downside, though. I play less than I used to, which really hurts because I see so much great stuff. So many games, so little time.


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