What do you like about your job?

[mira]

We all tend to come here to vent about our least favourite aspects of our jobs and work, but what about the aspects we enjoy?

What do you like about your job?

For me it's:

stress-free
my lovely colleagues!
being able to take days off very easily, as we're well staffed
having access to great books and dvds for free
being able to get involved in some Continuing Professional Development even though the post is non-professional level (so hard to find Librarian jobs here)
access to free and discounted evening/weekend classes


How about you?

[Stella]

-Fabulous coworkers
-Beautiful environment. I work at a coffee shop in a beautifully designed eco-friendly building in a regional park overlooking a lake. We even have an in-house art gallery.
-Live music on Saturdays
-Everyone is happy when they come there. They come there to have fun, so they are in a good mood.
-Hot cocoa with toffee nut syrup and sea salt
-Free coffee
-I love when we host weddings. I love seeing all the pretty dresses and decorations.
-Fascinating conversations
-Deep discounts at our gift shop
-The fact that I can walk to work when the weather is nice
-The commute is a leisurely stroll past a duck pond and a wooded lake with herons and egrets
-Once when I was having a bad day I was actually assigned to take a 20 minute walk in the park

[mira]

^ That sounds like such an uplifting environment to work in! I love that you get to explore the park to improve your mood :D

[Sad Eyed Lady]

* Flexible days and hours if needed
* Like my co-workers
* a bit creative (graphic design)
* close to home (can go home for lunch)

[ljevtich]

Work only 6 months of the year
Beautiful, spectacular scenery
Good group of co-workers
Access to excellent training
Cheap living conditions
I get to live in a National Park - how many other people do you know that can say that? :moon:


I am sure there are other things, but those were the ones off the top.

[treehugger]

Thanks for posting this. I really like my job, and I've certainly had enough crappy ones in my life to know the difference, but I sometimes overlook the good things and get wrapped up in feeling down about other areas of my life that are stressful.

- I love the work my company does as a whole (environmental consultant)
- For the first time in my life (since my promotion in June 2010), I have a career.
- Supportive, non-micromanaging boss (and boss' boss!)
- Interesting work that is pretty challenging on a daily basis (no chance of getting bored)
- Lots of room for professional growth, if I choose to take advantage of it
- Very nice coworkers (I have even made a few real friends here)
- All the free coffee and tea I can drink
- Bagels and donuts on alternate Fridays (today was bagel day; just ate a yummy toasted everything bagel)
- Frequent free lunches
- Short commute

There are many more things, but I think that's enough for now. :D

[Life_is_Simple]

My commute is 5 feet
I don't set an alarm clock
I can work from anywhere that has internet
I can visit my mom for weeks at a time - working some, golfing some
I work around 30 hrs per week
Don't spend much on gas, clothes, etc
Don't have psycho bosses
My client is a nice guy
Other work-related people I deal with are nice and helpful
I can take a break and exercise
I don't have to worry about driving in bad weather
My client keeps sending me paychecks
Even when I have a lot of work to do, that kind of stress doesn't affect my health
There's more that I am not thinking of

:cool: :+1: cow-hi

[Float On]

I like both of my jobs.
Job 1: Running my husband's art glass business. I love dealing with the galleries (unless they are late on their bills), I love setting up the retail and wholesale shows. I love all the other artists we've gotten to know. It's creative, I do all of our photography, take care of our web presence, etc. I'm only frustrated that I don't spend more time doing Job 1.
Job 2: I work 20 hours a week for our church. Self supervising just keep track of everything going on calendar wise, manage the building (we rent to 2 other churches as well), keep everyone lined out on when they need to be where, take care of the website.

[folkypoet]

I work part time in a high-volume thrift shop. Things I enjoy about my job:



I love being able to help people who need it. $.59 dishes, $2 cookware, cheap clothing and linens, $1 toys for kiddos who might not have toys otherwise, etc. That sort of thing.
I love that these things are being reused rather than tossed out. We even have a computer recycling program.
I really like several of the people I work with. For the most part, we don't hang out together outside of work, but at work, sometimes it's a little like a party.
I adore talking with customers (well, most of them).
I enjoy thrift store shopping, myself, and I love to see people enthused about their finds. It's a treasure hunt for a lot of people, and I love being a part of it.
I hate to admit it, but I kinda like our Muzak. Lots of fun classics from the 60's, mostly. I could do without "Young Girl," however. ;)
It's fast-paced, and sometimes I just end up dancing through a day, wondering where it went.
I get to see the most interesting donated things. Often, I'll put my favorite items for the day up by my register so that people will see them and fall in love, themselves.
The shop is only about a 20-minute walk away. I love trekking along on a nice day, collecting leaves and stones and acorns and moss for my lunchtime centerpiece.
There are railroad tracks less than 40 feet from the shop, and I get to listen to and watch those big trains rumble by (as well as walk along the tracks, of course). The new "bullet train," or commuter train, runs along the tracks, as well, but it's usually empty (it's quite new). It's neat to watch it fly past - almost like it's so quick because it's empty and therefore light. I know that's not the case, but it almost seems it....
I've met the most interesting and lovely people, and some have become good friends.

[Simplicity]

Really good salary, benefits and pension. Unfortunately, that's it.

[catherine]

Yes, this is a great opportunity to count my blessings (and, mind you, I'm working now--7:45 on a Friday night. I'm conducting interviews on the phone and via the Web with doctors).


Great boss! (Me)
Good money
Flexible hours
Work at home
When I'm bored with working at home, I get to travel
The work is intellectually challenging
The length of my projects is perfectly suited for my adult ADD (lifecycle of one project is about 6 weeks)
I really, really like working with MOST of my clients
I get to exercise both right and left brain

[herbgeek]

After being unemployed for almost 2 years, I recently started a contract position that is mostly working out of my home. I'm liking that I don't have any commute, and can throw a load of laundry into the dryer in between conference calls. I like being remote from the politics, both because I'm physically remote as well as being a 3rd party contractor to the client (I'm a subcontractor to the contracting company.) I'm liking that this looks like really interesting work, that will qualify me for better positions after this contract is over. I'm happy that I have something to put on my resume for 2011, as I had nothing for 2010- and in high tech, you are thought of as stale and out of date if you are out of work for more than 6 months. I'm liking that this position is having a slow ramp up to full time, so I can get used to working again. I like that if I'm in the middle of a conference call, and one of the cats want to go in or out, I can do that, with no one being the wiser.

[Zoe Girl]

My weekday job is great, I am loving it
* I play with kids almost every day!
* I get to supervise people who also play with kids and have that focus
* we are serving a great need and the community appreciates that
* I got to use some of my energy leading a staff meeting and realize maybe I am not so introverted
* I am just okay the way that I am, right here and right now,
* My OCD detail trait is enjoying doing paperwork, nothing is useless, it is either for licensing, for our grant, or to make things go well for staff and students
* I get half a cubicle to put up photos or other things
* I get benefits and am in one of the largest school districts in Denver
* I am being encouraged to learn Spanish, something I have always wanted to do

And for my weekend job, hmm
* the young people are fun and seem to like me
* I have never been unemployed in the last 7 years and have had health insurance

[RosieTR]

-Intellectually stimulating environment
-I really enjoy talking with my coworkers and topics are almost always very interesting (except when sports comes up, but that's usually short)
-Good mix of sitting and standing most of the time
-People often come to me to help solve problems and I am usually able to help which is satisfying
-Lots of independence and not a lot of specific times to arrive/leave (though can be a mixed blessing)
-Good salary and reasonable benefits
-Relatively stable: I'd know in advance if I were going to be laid off
-Can often listen to music or radio programs while working

[Yppej]

- I can dress however I want, including in jeans.
- My department is not in the owner's crosshairs in the way that others are now.
- It has been pretty stable - I've been there almost ten years - though with big hours cutbacks at times. Many people have been unemployed at some point over the past decade, so I appreciate having a job.
- Open organizational culture. My boss's door is always open, and the owner has quarterly meetings with staff at which anyone can ask any question of him.
- Health insurance premiums went down a tad this year compared to last year.
- Some of the people I work with are really nice.

[grendel]

Job #1 (Director of substance abuse program): autonomy on the job; satisfaction of knowing we're providing a needed service; the feeling of competence since I've been doing it so long; I've never felt my job was in jeopardy; and the patients are so grateful.

Job #2 (Community college adjunct instructor): fun, fun, fun; get to be creative in writing lessons; my boss is glad to have me; my students are eager and motivated, so I rarely feel like I'm boring them; I get to have an impact on the next generation of substance abuse counselors and how they will be providing treatment; and the extra money has allowed me to save for retirement.

[early morning]

* I like my co-workers
* My boss, though sort of annoying, tries hard to be fair and genuinely likes me
* If I get a student I really dislike, I know he/she will most likely be gone, at least temporarily, in a few weeks
* I feel like we're really making a difference in the lives of at least some kids, and having a positive impact on our community
* I have fairly good benefits and more job security than many around here
* I can teach pretty much what I want, when I want, how I want, to best meet the needs of the kids
* I don't have to participate in the whole high stakes testing thing, since we aren't the school of record in most cases
* No parent-teacher conferences!

[Shari]

Paycheck, health insurance, retirement benefits. I had hoped this thread would remind me of more to concentrate on, but unfortuanatly it did not.

[1tolivesimply]

Paycheck, health insurance, retirement benefits.

Same boat here, I can't wait to find something else to do and quit! :'(

[citrine]

Massage Therapist, personal clients and Chiropracter's office
-I make my own hours
-I work part time and make a full time salary
-I get to make people feel better
-I work with amazing clients
-I am always relaxed
-I am able to have my own health insurance

[Life_is_Simple]

Great boss! (Me)


That's the best part, isn't it? :)