catapult magazine

Just for curiosity:

How many people out there really LOVE their jobs? How many of us are doing what we yearned to do and look forward to getting up in the morning because we know the day that lies ahead is going to be utterly fulfilling?

I figured this is a good place to start in a section that has had no previous discussion.

I’ll answer this when I’m having a better day.
=)

I really enjoy my job. I’m a combat engineer platoon leader in the army. Most people who knew me in high school tell me that I’m the last person they expected to be in the army, but I love it.

I have tough days and long hours for sure, and I don’t plan on being in the army for the rest of my life, but I am learning an incredible amount through my experiences.

In the last week, I’ve had to notify my commander about two people in my platoon going to jail for a night because of spousal abuse. One of them also just failed the urine analysis test. Because of the substandard performance of another soldier, I’ve taken pay away from and initiated the paperwork for kicking him out of the army. I also got to see two outstanding soldiers leave the platoon with awards that I wrote up for them.

This afternoon, I was put in charge of a line of duty investigation for one of my soldiers who got beat up in a bar. My findings will determine potential VA benefits. I gave another soldier in my company a CD of my church’s worship music last week and he came to my church. This morning I shared my faith with a fellow platoon leader in the chow hall.

Of course, this is not a typical week. Most weeks have not had such highs or lows, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I REALLY REALLY like my job. That doesn’t mean I look forward to getting up in the morning any more than I did when I hated my job. But it does mean I don’t have any sense of dread other than, well, getting up.

(p.s. I work as lead administrative assistant and pension coordinator at the Evangelical Covenant Church headquarters in Chicago)

I love the people I work with and for, my boss is amazing, I get to use the anal retentive qualities God blessed me with in most of my job functions, my boss is lenient enough to let me have Legolas as not only the wallpaper on my computer, but my screensaver as well, (uh, among some Legolas valentines and a photo of him from a friend for my birthday…but I digress and have also deemed myself obsessive and stuck in jr. high – but I’m 25).

I’m not sure if you’re looking for anything else (other than just knowing whether there are people out there who love their jobs). I could go through my 7 page job description and tell you why I find many of those things fulfilling, but ultimately I have to say that even though I REALLY REALLY like my job, it doesn’t take away from the fact there will be really stressful deadlines, stupid people (even in a church setting, I know, crazy!), days the air conditioner doesn’t work in the middle of August, tedious every day tasks, blah, blah, blah. And it’s not even something I yearned to do. I fell into it and discovered it matched my gifts. If I had it my way I would play with puppies all day, eat chocolate and drink wine, and get paid lots of money, but for some reason that hasn’t panned out yet…

I agree with triciadk—there is nothing that would make me that excited to get up in the morning.

I doubt that there’s anyone who gets up every single day and is fulfilled by their jobs. Norbert’s comment reminded me of the way my answer to this question would change from day to day, hour to hour while I was teaching. Spending an hour and a half with my eighth graders often left me asking myself what in the world made me choose teaching.

I have to say though, I did find my job fulfilling. The hard thing about it though, was that it didn’t happen immediately. There were those few moments when kids got it, and it was great, and horrible days when my eighth grade girls screamed in my face, but teaching seems to be one of those things that requires infinite patience. It seems that sometimes you don’t see what you love about it for a really long time.

I think a lot of jobs might be that way—when you look at it with its daily tasks, it seems small, but when you look at it in a grand scheme of things, itg is fulfilling.

Has anyone else had this experience?

Exactly. Thanks Bridget.
This year I’ve seen three students locked up for felony possession, two students arrested for felony battery, one student die, and one student attempt to take her life on three seperate occasions. Tough year.
And yet, the students who got locked up talked to me about it. Mallory left a hole that is being filled by goodness and love if not God himself, and my other student is doing well and talking to me about almost everything.
I guess I consider that a good year. It just depends on which day someone asks you. I love teaching. It stretches me and gives me an opportunity to stretch my students, but boy is it tough somedays. Not bad. Not ever bad, but certainly tough. Would I occasionally prefer a day off hanging out with my son in the park, you betcha. But I love my job.

My mom has taught piano lessons since high school and I would not be surprised in the least if she did it until the day she dies. I think that’s unusual, though.

I’d be very surprised if I stayed in the military until retirement. Even though it’s not exactly what I want the rest of my life, it’s exactly where God wants me now.

I love, love, love my job, although it’s definitely one of the most difficult. I’m a stay-at-home mom. That means I get to mold and shape another human being who, at the moment, is all naked Id right now. I can decide whether this child learns to eat with a fork and knife or his hands. I am the center of his universe. I’ve been commissioned by God to watch over this child and make sure he grows up to be a God-loving, God-fearing gentleman. It’s not so scary anymore. It’s just got to be done. If anyone’s interested, my son’s website is www.babiesonline.com/babies/w/wonderkid – it hasn’t been updated since Valentine’s Day, but there we are.

My other job is freelance graphic design, which I also love to do because a) I work for myself (I can’t work for other people) in my own home and b) I make good money working few hours because of the field and c) I get to be creative.

Ok, maybe all those people out there who hate their jobs just aren’t speaking up…

I, actually, really like my job. I just finished my master’s degree in piano, and now I teach at Northwestern University and the Merit School of Music, both in Chicago. I also teach about 13 early childhood music and movement classes (anyone heard of Kindermusik?) each week—something that no one who knows me would have ever expected. I’m not exactly the type of person to roll around on the floor while singing dog songs…but that is, in fact, what I end up doing several times a week.

I think I like teaching music (to whatever age) because it is immediately gratifying. After only one summer of teaching 3-5 year olds from the projects who had no prior music education, they could distinguish between the violin, the cello, the flute, the piano, and the guitar, and they learned to LOVE the opportunities they got to sing in front of the rest of the group. As I see most kids only once or twice a week, I don’t have to deal with many of the discipline problems and classroom frustrations of most teachers. (Halleluia.)

I don’t think I’ll do this particular TYPE of teaching (children) for too much longer—I’d like to focus on college-level students. But I definitely intend to stay in this field (teaching and performing) for the rest of my life.

I so love my job! I am a librarian at a small Christian school in Florida and direct the library media program K-12. I ‘live’ in the high school library this year and have the distinct pleasure of purging it of it’s outdated, moldy-oldy books and replacing them with new ones! Don’t freak…I try not to throw out treasures!
What’s best about my day? The students and staff….rarely a quiet moment in the day! It has become ‘the hangout’ for many staff who spend their prep periods there…we have the newspaper gang each morning…my regulars…(I think I’ll add a coffee pot next year), the emailers…the loiterers. (Miss you Chris) We have numerous opportunities to connect with the students and they find a safe haven, relaxed atmosphere, and good discussion at the library. It’s awesome because we don’t have to be like a classroom teacher and yet we get to teach, help, and support. I personally think it’s a dream job. It also appeals to my ar side…cataloging, order, shelving and all that. But one of the best things is matching a student with a book…turning them onto a new author, teaching them how to use the Internet and how to use search strategies, getting them to THINK! Picture books with the younger elementary set and working with teachers are the other best parts!
I am passionate about my job and I’m a morning person so the getting up thing is okay too. Did I mention I love my job? : )

I’ll give my two cents on jobs. I taught in a Christian middle school for three years and dreaded most days. In fact, there were some mornings I could barely convince myself to leave the house. After the mental stimulation of college, I found teaching turned my brain to mush. Today I am a graduate student again and enjoying the challenge. But… I work one day a week installing cabinets and find that work exhilarating. At the end of the day my body feels like it accomplished something and I can see what I have done. I love using my mind but I also love seeing what I have accomplished at the end of the day, not something you get in teaching very often. So what do I do when I finish with a master?s in history? I am sure the right job is there for me, I just need to find it yet.