The steam playfully rose into the night air, obscuring my vision of a girl in a bikini walking towards me. I casually brushed away the mist to get a better look before she got into the outdoor hot tub where I had been relaxing for the past ten minutes. Wow, she’s tan and fit, I thought to myself. Who is so tan in San Francisco with winter just ending? I had to find out her story.
Stacy is 29 years old and had just returned from a 6 week surfing trip to Costa Rica. Right before the holidays she was laid off from Billabong, an Australian action apparel company. She worked as a designer for them for 6 years right after Brown University. At Brown, she was a straight-A student and always believed in doing her best, no matter what the challenge. With this guiding principle, she sought to be the best designer possible at one of her favorite clothing lines.
HATING YOUR JOB IS NOT A CRIME
As our talks deepened, now over some left over wine I had brought over from the tennis match, she began opening up about how much she hated her job. Despite doing what she thought she loved in college, and for such a long period of time, she began dreading coming to work every morning.
There were days that she would deliberately not set her alarm, so she could oversleep. Of course, after 6 years of setting the clock at 7am to get to work at 8am, she’d still always wake up by 7:15am automatically and get to work on time. Other times, she simply called in sick so she could go surfing instead.
After the second year, her job got mundane. She had to come up with the same t-shirt and shorts designs that always looked so similar. The company mantra was to stick with their “known style” and not stray too far. Instead of creating something innovative, she turned into a soulless machine, churning out the same thing after another. Maybe for the uncreative type, this is acceptable. However, for those who love art, not creating something new might just be too hard to bear.
It became increasingly obvious that she was not happy with her job and her boss couldn’t help but notice. Her boss wasn’t a bad boss, she was just ambivalent. Whether Stacy excelled at her job or not, her boss didn’t care because all she wanted to do was get a paycheck and go back home to her family as soon as the clock struck 5.
When it was time for the annual reduction in force (RIF), her boss asked Stacy if she’d like to participate. As a “reward”, Stacy would get 6 months severance as well as 6 months of health insurance. Stacy pondered the option over the next week and accepted. Her hobby turned into a job, and she loved her hobby so much that she didn’t want to risk permanently hating it if she continued. Stacy accepted, and with that, planned her adventure to Costa Rica.
SOMETHING SO COMMON
Stacy asked me whether I liked my job. I said there were times I could do without the long hours and travel, but for 75% of the time I could honestly say ‘yes.’ What she followed up with shocked me. She said, “If you don’t HATE your job, you are lucky.”
Let’s repeat that phrase again, “If you don’t hate your job, you are lucky.” This is her default assumption among her peer group. Wow, really? Somehow, I find this very hard to believe because I’ve worked at my current job for over 10 consecutive years. Sure, there are very rough moments, but I feel so LUCKY to just have a job in this economy, period! In fact, my motto is to treat your job as if you’ve won the lottery, because each job has numerous candidates who did not get the offer and who deeply wanted it.
On the other hand, each of us has a right to happiness. We shouldn’t settle for a job we hate. Instead, we should continue searching until we’ve found something at least palatable, where we can build on. I don’t think we have to love our jobs. And for those who say they do “love” their jobs, I’m somewhat skeptical about the word. Maybe at the peak, someone can love their jobs 80% of the time, but there will be always 20% of the time where the job is an absolute grind.
If you love your job less than 50% of the time, and you don’t appreciate what you have, it’s probably a sure sign that you should keep looking. It’s only fair to yourself and your happiness, as well as the happiness of others who want what you have.
Resource: Check out my book on how to negotiate a severance package. I was able to negotiate a six figure severance package after 11 years of work from my company. Never quit your job, get laid off instead!
Photo: Surfer, bikini girl, wedding at Kahala Beach. 2/2011
This post was updated on 2/10/2015. Let 2015 continue to rock your world!
Regards,
Sam
I do agree with her statement. I think we’ve all been in a job that we absolutely hated, and it’s soul crushing! At least if you somewhat enjoy your job, life won’t be so difficult.
However, while I think you may be lucky if you don’t hate your job, I think it’s a much better idea to pursue a job that you love! The best way to do it: get the money problems out of the way. If you don’t need to worry about a paycheck each month, then you can start doing what you love! And then, you won’t just be labeled “lucky”, but you’ll be having the time of your life! :)
I agree with your statement about getting the money problems out of the way. That really is it. When I went to grad school, it was so awesome b/c it was completely for the sake of learning. Grades be damned!
I think some of the people who don’t hate their job are lucky, but many more who don’t hate their job got those jobs by careful planning and going after exactly what it is they want.
That being said….they probably didn’t get those jobs they love in 2009 or 2010…
It is a constant grind, I’m sure. I always tell people that when they talk about earning easy money online. I have to be the one to tell them the truth about how hard we work so we can make the little that we do. It really has to be a labor of love before it is anything else.
I started a new job that I really like in September 2010, with roughly a 10% increase and the same benefits, including the same amount of vacation as my previous job of 9 years. It took only 1 month from when I applied to when i started, which included 2 weeks notice at my then-current job. Many companies in South Central PA are hiring but there is a labor shortage here. I’ve been telling everyone I know that we’re hiring across many job fields from office to manufacturing, but haven’t gotten any nibbles.
While her statement may be true, it is truly shameful that in this great nation of ours, people can’t feel inspired to do what they love and enjoy. I suppose I am one of the lucky ones who gets a deep satisfaction of being able to do something I enjoy and get paid for it.
I think a lot of people are deluded about how hard they actually have to work to achieve what they want. When they realize that it is hard, they usually give up because doing what they already do and know is easier. It really is sad.
Nothing good every came easy. Even family and one’s spouse needs a lot of maintenance to maintain the love.
Sadly, I do think that most people hate their jobs. But I sometimes think that it has less to do with what they are doing, and more to do with the fact that they NEED to do it for money. Like your recent post where you wonder if you’d lose your passion for blogging if you had to rely on it solely, the woman you met started out doing something she loved but grew to dread it when it became her job.
Of course that doesn’t happen to everyone. My daughter’s kindergarten teacher is around 60 and has been teaching for close to 40 years, but when she talks about teaching her eyes still light up with enthusiasm as if it was her first day on the job. She loves what she does and it shows.
I can always tell when people love their jobs. It’s something about their step and they way they speak that just exudes happiness!
Interesting and sad that a lot of people have jobs they hate or don’t love. Sam, good point about “loving” a job. Sounds like an episode of Wonder Years. I really “like like” my job? Hope you all find your “like like” jobs and passions, too!
I’ve always been skeptical of people who “love” their jobs. I can’t think of a job that doesn’t have its mundane tasks like paperwork, talking to certain people, mindless meetings, etc. It’s just the nature of doing business.
I dont think you’re lucky if you dont hate your job. There are plenty of people who have not-so-great jobs (like cleaning toilets) that absolutely love their job because it gives them means to provide for their family and loved ones.
I must agree that I’d find it difficult to find someone who likes 100% of the tasks that they do at their job – I know that I dont. There are some things I enjoy, but there are other things that I despise doing – it just depends on the task. Derek also has a good point – to get to a job you love, get the money problems out of the way. I couldnt have said it better myself.
I am willing to bet my pet rabbit there is no toilet cleaner on earth who loves their job. Caring for family, yes. There’s a big difference.
Frustration can be a good motivator to find a better opportunity. But don’t quit before finding a better job!
I’ve been quite surprised at how many people jump out of the plane without checking for a parachute. Even in this economy, I’ve seen people bail out of their jobs, and they don’t know where they are going. One didn’t even have resumes out! You can’t let the heat of the moment get to you.
[…] Sam wrote another great post on Yakezie.com wondering why so many people hate their job. […]
I love my job about 20% of the time. I think it started off in the 90s and steadily decline every year. It’s pretty much time to move on, but I’m addicted to the pay check! Hopefully I’ll find something else to do before it gets into the teens….
I rarely look forward to going to work in the morning and I need to change that.
Good perspective Joe. I think many of us start pumped, and that percentage slowly declines over the years. How long have you been in your current role?
Will you be returning from your sabbatical ?
I’ve been in my current role for about 6 years. I’ve been in the same industry for 15 years though so I am getting long in the tooth. :)
I often have to pep myself up before I run off to work. I have my good mornings and my bad ones, but I’m always happy knowing that each day is progress towards my end goal of working for myself and supplementing that with investment income.
All you skeptics gather around! I love my job about 95% of the time! I am a Business & Computer teacher in high school. The 5% is generally when i need to discipline, deal with administrative stuff or the school district. In teaching, I am CEO of my room! I can control what I do in the classroom. I have a lot of latitude in my lessons and compared to my former profession (CFO), it is stress free. In some ways, I am semi-retired. The only drawback is the pay, but I accepted that when I started.
I believe if you do not love what you do (at least 51% plus,) then you should start looking for another job. Loving what yo do usually equals success. If you do not like what you do, how can you do it well?
95% is impressive! Didnt you say in an old post thought that you quit your job before to start something, then tried various other jobs? What you had started your current job when you just graduated? Some thoughts and desire to stick with it for te long run? How long have you had your present job?
This is my 7th career! I started teaching as a profession 10 years ago. When I was young(er), I only had dreams of business. I either wanted to be an executive of medium to large corporation or own a business. After achieving my dreams and accumulating enough to have financial independence, things changed! It was much more important to enjoy the work. Roughly, 14 years ago, we downsized because the children were out. In teaching, I get to draw on experience and find various ways to motivate , encourage and get through to at risk kids. It is not perfect, but I have more control over what I do than ever before. I am planning to retire in 6 years, but that could change. I can not imagine not being busy. It will be my choice!
I wonder if teaching is just the natural evolution in one’s working life. As we get older, which just can’t help but want to give back and teach b/c we know so much and we can’t bear others going through obvious mistakes.
Interesting observation!
To me, first order of business is taking care of needs vs. thinking of wants. Survival, saving for retirement, etc – that comes first. Think of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – self actualization is the pinnacle but not the foundation.
That being said, many of us can be thankful for what we do have. Great point that for every one of us that gets a job, there are many other candidates that didn’t get it but really wanted it. So there’s much to be said about finding happiness in what we’re lucky to have. If we’re truly underemployed (or unemployed!) that gets to be a little bit tougher, admittedly.
Now, it stands to reason that in many cases, we might be more successful doing something we truly enjoy. Along those lines, I think it’s important to consider that when looking different jobs/career options.
I’m going to have to check out Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and again and the thing about self-actualization. Those who hate their jobs should just quit, to make room for those who won’t hate it. No hogging in this economy!
SF is definitely not a place where you see a lot of tan people. :) …Luckily I’ve never had a job that I hate. Hate is quite a strong word. I’ve definitely had days and periods in some of my jobs where I was doing a lot of things I disliked, but there was always some positives that kept me around. Some people will always be miserable because they’ve chosen to stay in a negative mind set, and others might just be in the wrong industry or have difficult coworkers. Anyone that’s unhappy in their job should think hard about what their passions really are and find ways to change careers or move to a new company. Life’s too short to suffer at work.
Yes, not a lot of tan people here, but i noticed a lot of people pay to go to tanning salons! I waited for 10 minutes for my massage, which also has several tanning beds, and like 6 people walked in!
Hate is a strong word… which is why I was really surprised with her statement.
I still love what I do, but there are parts that are the pits…Dealing with insurance companies, paperwork, and other administrative duties can be a challenge. Helping others is still fun-but dealing with health issues is stressful even when fun because of the consequences. When I misspell a word or make a mistake while blogging, no big deal. Make a wrong diagnosis, or an error in surgery…-BIG DEAL. So I have to be careful to avoid/deal with burnout issues-having to be on your A game every day.
Imagine prescribing a different medicine in the drip! YOWZA! Dealing with insurance companies must be horrible. I really don’t like em.
It must be very rewarding to be a Doctor though! Keep it up, forever!
If my pay and benefits were decent I would 95% happy with my job. Although; I think that part comes down to quality of life and those who choose to live beyond their means. Just wanted everybody to know that there are many out there like myself that work in insurance and enjoy it. I probably make alot less money than a doctor(probably less than 1/10th), but I do not get stressed about very many things and probably work alot less hours than a doctor. I have alot of off time after my 8hr day and the weekends to myself. Only communists and criminals get free HealthCare :) Insurance is just a necessary evil among many jobs. I make alot of people feel happy and secure, but I also break alot of hearts.
Sounds good Matt. So long as you are happy with your job. What percentage happiness are you right now?
Probably about 80%. reason;(15% below avg pay for my area, and 5% for redundant, mundane procedures). I think another contributing factor is that I only live about 7 minutes from the office.
I definitely like my job, and I don’t look for fulfillment through my job, so I will never ‘hate’ my job. I think that people who hate their job are expecting their job to give them personal satisfaction and that is not what a job is supposed to do. It’s supposed to provide security and benefits. If you hate your job, figure out what you are lacking and do that as a supplement or switch careers. Generally something you are required to do, like a job, will never make you happy. Find out what makes you happy and pursue that. Everybody’s working for the weekend.
Good point on the security and benefits part. Then what your angle is that people really arefortunate if they also like their jobs. I think if we can all interact with smart and friendly people, we’d all really like our jobs.
I have to say that after 10 years of teaching (even just as a “sub) I still love it. Yes, there are kids who I occasionally feel like strangling, but the rest of the bunch makes up for that one bad apple. I’m constantly challenged to create a more engaging lesson, get the kids thinking for themselves, and instilling personal responsibility. I don’t make much in the way of an income, but I think of my job as my creative outlet. Oh, and I love all the vacation time!
Teaching and probably being a doctor are two of some of the most rewarding occupations I have to imagine. I think it’s natural that we all want to be teachers one day to help others thrive.
3+ months of vacation rocks indeed!
This week’s Bloomberg Businessweek had an article on this topic stating that people WITH jobs are so happy to be working and many of them hate their jobs. Like you stated, if you have a job in this economy, it is like you have a precious prize. I love my work and feel very fortunate to work and hobbies that I enjoy. Having spent years in school for 2 advanced degrees, has allowed me more flexibility and upward mobility in my professional life.
Indeed. Everyone wants the Holy grail of jobs. I’d really like to have a job I enjoy more, but I’m extremely grateful for having employment. I just continue to be happy with having my job, but use a lot of my extra time pursuing other ventures so I can obtain that holy grail. I think that in order for me to truly enjoy what I do, I’ll need to be working for myself. We’ll see what happens, lol. :D
It’s surprising to me that someone wouldn’t like working at Billabong. That is obviously an assumption on my part as I know nothing about their company other than their end product. You’d think a surf company would be a lot of fun to work at, but then again, most businesses are in business for one main reason. Very interesting read. Thanks Sam.
After a while, everything becomes mundane. 5-6 years doing the same thing definitely gets to most people I think.
Really great post as it speaks directly at me. Ok I am not tan and fit, or a bikini woman but I was a designer who started to hate his job and stuck just long enough to lose his creativity juices….. I find it so hard to create these days and pretty much have abandoned it. I plan to get it back but am on a break until it does. As a self employed blogger i LOVE my job. Of course we all have our days but it’s going just fine and dandy right now.
Forest, dont sell yourself short. I’m sure you look great in a mankini!
Your business you got is a good one. Congrats on your success and freedom!
I love what I do today, and I left a high six figure corporate salary for it. Yet, there are parts of what I do that I do not care for all that much (but have to do it). I can understand the statement, but not sure I agree or disagree with it without more context.
Hmmm. This is a hard one. I think it’s more of what you are sacrificing for the job that you like or the job that you hate? Are you sacrificing family for the job that you love? Then maybe that’s not so good. Are you quitting the job that you hate without a back up plan but still have bills to pay and mouths to feed? Maybe that’s not a good idea either. Here’s where balance and discretion are definitely needed.
Stacy is unmarried, no kids, and has supportive parents. The only thing she was giving up at her job was freedo
, creative or otherwise. I just see “hate” as such a strong word….
The company I work at I’m quite fond of, and I have been even before I started working there. But from a working at it standpoint, I only like it 40% of the time. I’ve made bad moves and befriended the wrong people. The friends that I made moved on to bigger and (IMHO) better challenges at other companies. I stay because I have a family and a wife that wants to stay in the state that we live in. As my balance sheet become stronger though, the risk of moving or changing jobs also lessens…
I think if I weren’t married with kids, I wouldn’t be at the company or in the same state that I am in.
Life is short, so finding a job that makes you at least 60% happy would be great, but in this economy any decent job is just fine :)
I agree Don. I’ve got a slightly lower hurdle of at least 50% happiness, but that’s because what we just went through in the economy was so horrible that if the job is neutral satisfaction, that’s a big plus!
Providing stability for your family is so important. Good job for doing so!
40%… hmmmm, not so high, but high enough to stay. Does this mentally impact the way you view your family, or does it not matter b/c it feels great providing for your family?
The economy is improving Don!
Maybe the girl was fed up by her previous job that made her say those things. Not everybody hates their job; there are people who loves their job and stay with the company for years. I think it all depends on:
1. Company benefits (Medical, insurance, etc.)
2. Team morale
3. Pay
4. Work and life balance
5. Growth (such as trainings, seminars, etc)
If these are all met, then chances are, the employee would definitely stay with the company.
There are ups and downs in any job. At times I dread going in and other times I am excited to go to work.
Way too many people are stuck in jobs they hate, mainly because of their financial situations. Being debt free, my wife and I had a lot of options when I was liberated by my last employer. Now I’m not in a job I like – I’m following the career that I love and am called to do. The difference is I don’t even see it as a job because I love it so much.
I cringe reading this. My husband does not like his job, and a lot of the time, seems to hate it. I tell him to quit! Honestly, life is too short to hate what you do 60 hours a week.
On the other hand, the money he brings in means a lot to us and allows us to live the way that we’d like to. And I am with you–I feel incredibly lucky that we are both employed in this type of economy. I just wish he was not so miserable–it’s just not worth it since there are two of us working.
Hating your job is actually a GOOD thing. I know, it sounds counter-intuitive, but I’ve found it to be true.
While bad jobs and bad bosses can make life extremely stressful, if you hate your job, you can use that emotion to push to you change your situation.
I know, because I’ve been there before, and I made the transition from frustrated employee to satisfied business owner. I’ve posted about this topic on my blog (http://www.StartMyConsultingBusiness.com), along with tips, tricks, tools, and concrete steps to start your own business.
Whether you decide to start your own consulting business as I and lots of others have done, you can use a bad job to propel you toward a better place.
I don’t think there are any jobs that people love 100%.There are jobs that you might like some aspects of but there are still things you don’t like. I think not liking your job is the wrong phrase because a job entails duty and obligation. If you worked on something because you want to and just happened to get paid then you wouldn’t even think of it as a job. The problem is that most people haven’t gotten to the point financially they need to be able to do this.
Yikes! I can’t imagine having a default worldview that assumes most people will hate their jobs, and that only a few lucky people get to escape from hating it! That is 100 percent the OPPOSITE of my worldview. I think that if you don’t LOVE your job — at least 75% of the time, as you said — then something’s wrong.
Hmmm, I wouldn’t go to that extreme either. Perhaps it really is just 50/50. We shouldn’t give up trying to find that great job/endeavor until we do though!
This post really hit home for me as well! I “love” my job – but as Sam said, that generally works out to be about 80% of the time. I use the other 20% moments to focus on the fact that A.) I am lucky to have full time employment at all and B.) that for me, this job is just a stepping stone to where I’d like to end up in my 5-year plan.
In March 2012 I plan to start sending out my resume for my “dream position” (by then I will have the typical length of experience asked for) and when I land that position it’ll be buh-bye to my 80% gig. These are the thoughts that keep 80% feeling SO worth while ;-)
Sounds like a very well thought out plan Kay. Good luck and don’t stop going for it!
Sometimes we suffer from the “grass is greener on the other side” syndrome, and sometimes things just move in cycles — things can change and a previously bad situation can lookup. In either case I always believe in not getting stuck in ruts and looking forward and moving forward. Sometimes the best move is a jump, or a side passion like blogging. ;)
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