How important is job satisfaction to you?

[Marchand63]

And now back to the subject and off the evil Walmart debate...........

Thankfully I didn't have to make that choice. I worked in banking for a few years and absolutely hated it. I did it to pay the bills while I chased my dream.

I am fortunate to work in a profession that people have to pursue with vigor so I would say 99.9% are satisfied with it.

 

[DawnM]

Interestingly enough, this topic is going on at our house with our boys. I have one currently in college and one graduating high school this year.

Oldest has finally figured out what he wants to do. Money isn't all that important to him. He just wants to pursue his passion. I have a feeling he will do just fine, not get rich, but will be able to support himself well.

Middle is still finding his way. He has a lot of interests, is a smart kid with good grades, but says he doesn't want to be stuck in a boring job just because it pays better. I get it. We are trying to help him figure this out. Some of his interests won't pay much at all, and I admit I am being a little on the "you can't survive doing this! This is a hobby, not a career" side.

So, ultimately, it is a balance. Find something you are passionate about, figure out if you can make a career of it, or if it will just be a side hobby, and just keep swimming.

 

[dish rag]

And now back to the subject and off the evil Walmart debate...........

Thankfully I didn't have to make that choice. I worked in banking for a few years and absolutely hated it. I did it to pay the bills while I chased my dream.

I am fortunate to work in a profession that people have to pursue with vigor so I would say 99.9% are satisfied with it.

It's nice to be around motivated people. I'm self employed. I love what I do. Often times I'll work some on the weekends. Sunday eve rolls around and I can't wait for the morning. To me it's not work but play. I have now worked into a position that I can and do travel a lot back and forth. Several times a month. But when I'm away I miss it. But even away I will field phone calls and texts and help people that way.

 

[kamik86]

I'm sure alot of these points have been made in the 2 pages I didn't really read but in case not a few things to remember.

Walmart and similar retail jobs have alot of downsides that similar paying career jobs may not depending on your field. My husband works retail so I see alot of them and how it affects those that either don't have a spouse/significant other/roomate or both work retail

• Hours aren't fixed. Yes you might make the same assuming 40 hours of work. However a few times of the year my husband will only be working 3 days a week. My salary is high enough for us to ride through those but for those where both work retail this becomes a HUGE worry if it goes too long.
• Schedule isn't always fixed, he has been there long enough he has a relatively fixed Sunday to Thursday (at most) day shift (exact hours somewhere between 7 and 4:30) but alot of people don't. Even with that there are occasions where he has to work something really different which would be annoying if you had to deal with say... childcare.
• He franky works harder then I do in some ways. Yes there are crunch times where my job is really stressful but there are weeks where I'm just plugging along to a plan and honestly have much lower job stress, physical effort, etc then he does even though I make more then he does.
• Holidays are difficult. My office practically shuts down around christmas. WAnt the entire week before christmas off and not come back to after new years? Ok cool you will answer the phone if something major happens right? (which is really really rare since our customer is also taking most of it off). For him this time is crazy busy. Want to travel for Thanksgiving? Well since you might have to work on Thanksgiving depending on your state (or in the case of MA where that isn't legal early Friday morning) that is going to be a problem if you have to go far.
• The general attitude of the business from everyone, even management that all the workers are easily replaceable. I at least feel like my boss realizes that it would at least be annoying if I suddenly quit or left (actually one of my colleagues had to leave for an extended absence suddenly and it definitely has been). I get the feeling from them that they recognize this and don't want me to be miserable for the sake of it. Even though there are some functions only my husband does at the store or that others take twice as long to do he is given a hassle any time he doesn't get everything done perfectly on time (but with no flexibility to fix it, like I have if I have a task that takes a bit longer for some reason I have options I'm able to do something about)

For me personally I couldn't handle doing retail even if it made the same as what I make now.

 

[dish rag]

Why are people so jealous of the raise and bonus being received by Wal Mart workers? There is a very good reason for it.

 

[LSUmiss]

Yes, if the alternative was no income, not being able to pay your bills and or relying on some type of government assistance. Sometimes, responsibility wins out.

If one were truly miserable, you would hope they would be looking for something better while still being employed.

Anyway, it is called WORK for a reason. I like my job, am respected, have received numerous promotions over the years, but it is still high pressured and I would rather be doing something a little less stressful. But, I am not willing to give up significant pay to do so. As it stands now, I can afford pretty much all of my wants, and that in and of itself is a food feeling.

I kind of see this, but there is a balance imo too. My dad died almost suddenly about a yr ago. He didn’t hate his job, but he didn’t like it either. He constantly looked forward to the day he would retire, but that only happened for the 3 weeks he lived after he got sick. It put so many things in perspective for me. In the end bills, his job, $, none of it mattered. I Would never advocate for relying on govt assistance, but I do what I have to do (spend less or whatever it takes) to not be miserable every day. I can make much more in my field in other jobs, but it would be way more stressful. I work to live now & would never put up with being miserable everyday with the promise of maybe being happy in retirement one day that may never come. I live for now & won’t let myself be miserable just in case now is all I get.

 

[morgan98]

I kind of see this, but there is a balance imo too. My dad died almost suddenly about a yr ago. He didn’t hate his job, but he didn’t like it either. He constantly looked forward to the day he would retire, but that only happened for the 3 weeks he lived after he got sick. It put so many things in perspective for me. In the end bills, his job, $, none of it mattered. I Would never advocate for relying on govt assistance, but I do what I have to do (spend less or whatever it takes) to not be miserable every day. I can make much more in my field in other jobs, but it would be way more stressful. I work to live now & would never put up with being miserable everyday with the promise of maybe being happy in retirement one day that may never come. I live for now & won’t let myself be miserable just in case now is all I get.

I agree with what you are saying. However, there is a difference between not hating your job, but not liking it and being miserable. I am not advocating for misery, either. If someone is truly miserable I would hope they would work to try to find something that suits them better.

For lack of a better term, my job is fine. I am respected and I respect the company and they people. However to say I am fulfilled or living the dream would be overstating it.

I also agree about not being miserable everyday for retirement that may never come. Our jobs (while maybe not our dream jobs) allow us to pretty much do and have what we want. Sure, I wish I could take more time off, but who doesn't.

ETA: I just want to state I personally am not miserable, nor did I say I was. Wishing my job were less stressful is not being miserable.

 

[LSUmiss]

I agree with what you are saying. However, there is a difference between not hating your job, but not liking it and being miserable. I am not advocating for misery, either. If someone is truly miserable I would hope they would work to try to find something that suits them better.

For lack of a better term, my job is fine. I am respected and I respect the company and they people. However to say I am fulfilled or living the dream would be overstating it.

I also agree about not being miserable everyday for retirement that may never come. Our jobs (while maybe not our dream jobs) allow us to pretty much do and have what we want. Sure, I wish I could take more time off, but who doesn't.

ETA: I just want to state I personally am not miserable, nor did I say I was. Wishing my job were less stressful is not being miserable.

I hear you. And now my view on work is that it’ll never be “living the dream” for me b/c it’s a job. Even though I have a job that would be considered a “career”, all that matters to me is being with my family & enjoying life. So I just go to work & do my best but don’t stress at all & look forward to time off.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I also have a degree but work in a low-paying field, I sympathize. I do need to feel like I'm making a difference at my job, but I worked at Target through college and I did (mostly) get satisfaction from helping people at work...but I worked under the head of HR so I didn't always have face-to-face contact with customers every single moment of every shift. I think that I would rather enjoy my low-paying job than be absolutely miserable in a job that pays well. Life's too short to spend half of your waking hours being miserable.

 

[Colleen27]

Why are people so jealous of the raise and bonus being received by Wal Mart workers? There is a very good reason for it.

You really don't see why someone working in a career that requires a degree might be a bit miffed to hear that they earn less than any high school drop out could make at Walmart? I'm not saying WM workers don't need or deserve the raise, and I don't resent them for getting it. But it is frustrating to put in the work of earning a degree and learning a professional skill to make less than unskilled entry level workers are making.

 

[dish rag]

You really don't see why someone working in a career that requires a degree might be a bit miffed to hear that they earn less than any high school drop out could make at Walmart? I'm not saying WM workers don't need or deserve the raise, and I don't resent them for getting it. But it is frustrating to put in the work of earning a degree and learning a professional skill to make less than unskilled entry level workers are making.

I would say the person majored in the wrong subject, and should have known better. We all know what jobs pay well, and what jobs don't.

 

[Colleen27]

I would say the person majored in the wrong subject, and should have known better. We all know what jobs pay well, and what jobs don't.

You don't think there's a difference between "not paying well" and "not paying as much as retail"? I never expect to make what most people would think of as good money and I couldn't care less about that, but I did think that using my degree, working in my field, would be worth more than retail/food service wages.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

You really don't see why someone working in a career that requires a degree might be a bit miffed to hear that they earn less than any high school drop out could make at Walmart? I'm not saying WM workers don't need or deserve the raise, and I don't resent them for getting it. But it is frustrating to put in the work of earning a degree and learning a professional skill to make less than unskilled entry level workers are making.

But, you also said a great deal of satisfaction comes with your job and that you would still prefer it over retail.

Wishing for satisfaction AND high pay is having your cake and eating it too.

 

[Colleen27]

But, you also said a great deal of satisfaction comes with your job and that you would still prefer it over retail.

Wishing for satisfaction AND high pay is having your cake and eating it too.

Fair enough. But to be honest, I don't feel like I'm wishing for high pay. I'd be just fine with the $33K that is a typical entry-level salary in my field. I'm struggling specifically with the idea of making <$11/hr in a time and place when retail and food service are paying that much or more.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

Job satisfaction is extremely important to me. I could not work at a job I disliked.

 

[dish rag]

You don't think there's a difference between "not paying well" and "not paying as much as retail"? I never expect to make what most people would think of as good money and I couldn't care less about that, but I did think that using my degree, working in my field, would be worth more than retail/food service wages.

You would think that any job with a degree would pay better than retail I agree. I'm just happy for anyone who gets a raise. I'm against raising the minimum wage. Most on this board would think that's awful. This raise was brought about for all the right reasons. You are a very clever and smart woman. Maybe look for a way that you could work for your self and sell your finished work another way.

 

[Shelley Chiarats]

OK, I'll bite...

I, for one, never said that I do not put forth an effort at work. I am there 50+ hours a week, am engaged in all meetings and I am a high performer. But, I am not going to lie. I am not living the dream. It is called discipline to be able to turn it on when you need to. I do not make people miserable.

However, I am not giving up my job so I can make $12 an hour and worry how to pay the bills.

And you sound like a real joy to work with if you are judging everyone and telling them they need to leave, even if it is not your job to do so...

I never accused morgan98 of not putting forth effort. I'm also not talking about living the dream. I'm talking about being unhappy with what you are doing or who you are and making the others around you suffer for it.

If you are content (even if you are not happy) doing what you are doing because it enables you to do what makes you happy the rest of the time then that is good.

But if you are actively complaining "all the time" not just in the moment when something sucks. Then you do need to find some other way to earn.

I think mi vida loca says it quite well.

I get what you’re saying about people who are miserable at work and are vocal about it and constantly complain about it. It’s like “misery loves company.”

I like where i work. There was a woman there that openly hated it and would complain all day long. To the point that management spoke to her about. I also told her once or twice to leave if she hated it so much. Since along with her complaints she would state how she could get a better job with better pay.

She eventually left, hated that place and called the same week asking for her job back. Management told her no. Actually our director told her since you were so miserable here we don’t think it’s a good idea for you to return.

Once she left the office the office had a completely different vibe. It’s like a weight was lifted off of all our shoulders.

 

[queenofthehive]

You don't think there's a difference between "not paying well" and "not paying as much as retail"? I never expect to make what most people would think of as good money and I couldn't care less about that, but I did think that using my degree, working in my field, would be worth more than retail/food service wages.

The problem here is that there are college grads accepting the entry level pay companies are offering. Companies know they can offer these wages and will have "takers" for these positions. On that note, Having a degree does not entitle one to make a certain amount. Most of the time you have to take this entry level position for "greener pastures " later in life - "earn your dues" . If you do not think you are being paid your worth, then it is time to move on because that will just lead to misery and discontent no matter how great the work environment.

 

[RangerPooh]

Job satisfaction is important to me, but paying the bills and having money left over is sometimes more important. DH was in a dream job, he was the curator of education at a decent sized zoo. He worked to restructure all educational programs at the zoo and in community outreach, often delivering said programs to the public. Loved it. Sadly the pay wasn't sustainable after budget cuts and he left. While I know that he regrets leaving at times, we are thankful for the experiences that the position afforded our family. From a free zoo membership that we utilized extensively, to the experiences that our older daughter had in being able to go behind the scenes and "help" the zookeepers in safer animal enclosures whenever she was on site.

 

[mousefan73]

You don't think there's a difference between "not paying well" and "not paying as much as retail"? I never expect to make what most people would think of as good money and I couldn't care less about that, but I did think that using my degree, working in my field, would be worth more than retail/food service wages.

Think most of us have been sold the lie that a degree is worth something in monetary value. Not always true. Market demand plays a role. A plumber or electrician with no „degree“ but IMO just a „qualified“ makes tons more than many college grads. Don‘t mix degree with qualification too separate things. A little more respect for retail/ food industry. Many people are highly „qualified“ for their field.