Courtesy of Wikipedia
Just this week I read two blog posts that talked about work. One asked if it was important to love your job. Good lord! I almost jumped through my computer! Yes, yes, yes!
Over my many years of human resource work one thing was constant. People who love what they do are the best employees. They are also personally fulfilled – at least at work.
Calling all parrot heads! Have you ever been to a Jimmy Buffett concert? Come on, there must be some parrot heads in the group! I have been to several.
For those not familiar with him he had one top ten hit song (Margaritaville) in the 1970s with a few other popular songs but nothing in the past few decades. His concerts sell out and he attracts all ages. He plays what I classify as upbeat island music. It’s soft rock with a good beat. Happy, happy, happy.
I was fascinated by his continuing success despite the fact that he doesn’t record new songs. Oh yes, he is a best-selling author with a several books on the New York Times best seller list. Awesome! Any blogger can appreciate that.
So what is the key to his success? You just have to attend one concert to see it. HE LOVES WHAT HE DOES! Not only that but he says it. It’s not cool to say you love work but he does. I have also heard him say, “And they pay me to do this!” Wow!
Oh, back to you. My advice to anyone who doesn’t like what they are doing is to move on. Life is too short. Yes it’s scary and I know there are fewer jobs out there than there used to be. I still see people getting new jobs so they are out there.
The days of spending years at one company so you get a good pension are gone. You have to get over it. In one aspect, it’s very freeing.
The problem most people have is that they have a vision of what the new job should look like and what it should pay. It doesn’t work like that.
Sometimes you have to step back to move forward or maybe sideways. Sometimes a weird opportunity will turn into something you never dreamed of. Sometimes you may have a false start or two. Sometimes you may need more schooling or additional skills.
I have a lot of stories of people who refused to take a pay cut and consequently spent another 5 to 10 years in a job they hate getting nowhere. I also know of people who did take the cut. If you are happy and work hard, you can cover ground fast.
You have to figure yourself out.
Don’t like bosses? Maybe you should work for yourself. At a minimum it will give you a different perspective on working in a company. If it’s the right fit and you can self-motivate and market yourself (the two toughest aspects of self-employment), you could be very successful.
Don’t like to sit inside? There are lots of jobs that involve travel or outdoor work.
Don’t like people? There are back office jobs that don’t involve customer interaction or work you can do from home.
One of my favorite stories is about a woman I had to lay off. She was heartbroken. I saw her about a year later and she thanked me. She got a job at a bank and they paid her to talk to customers. Her biggest problem at my company was that she talked too much but she didn’t have the courage to leave. That and she was in her upper fifties so she didn’t think she was marketable. Wrong on both counts.
What about me? I had a few jobs that I didn’t like. I had some I loved until the manager changed. It wasn’t because the new manager wasn’t good but because I wasn’t getting interesting work. I moved on. I took a temporary assignment in training (believe me that was a scary decision!) and that guided me into human resource work. As they say, the rest was history.
Mom always said there was a lid for every pot. I don’t know if this is what she had in mind but it works here too.
Click on the music link. It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
Hey! Our blogs have two things in common—we are animal lovers and we love Ms. Seeker. She’s a blogosphere pal of mine. 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by. I will have to check out your blog. Animals are addictive!
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How right you are! Thanks for writing this straight-forward and inspiring post. I love the reality that you share: “The problem most people have is that they have a vision of what the new job should look like and what it should pay. It doesn’t work like that.” In life we don;t get what we want just by wanting it. We get what we want by trying things, making mistakes, sorting out the options, and eventually discovering a job that we really love!. You and Jimmy are proof of that!
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I love the teaching and the students, the administrative part and the decisions management makes not so much.
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Every job has that one little thing. Just as long as the other parts are good!
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Sound advice, Kate. Sometimes, a change in attitude works wonders, others a change in location. Still others, like I once experienced, when it’s the boss who gives you a hard time who is forced to look elsewhere.
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So true! Loving what I do gets me through the aspects of the job that I would not do unless someone paid me. 8)
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I smiled when I read that. Every job has some of those.
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That’s for the great points– and for Jimmy!
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Love me some Buffett. As for work . . . I prefer just to bang on a drum all day. 😉
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I’ll be the bartender making those margaritas in the blender!
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I quit my job in HR as a Payroll and Benefits Administrator in a big firm receiving a Mighty Bucks. Took another job 20% less income, I’m never been happier in my life. I really don’t need that much money in life to be happy.
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Good move! Happy people are not money-centric. If you can live the way you like, you are making enough. BTW, the payroll and benefits side of HR is (in my opinion) the least fun! Of course, I’m not a numbers person.
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The numbers keep me sane in comparison to dealing with people. It balances my career. 😀
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Oh, I agree! But I also advise people not to give up too quickly. No job is perfect and you may not love it every single minute.
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You are so right! The training job I had was quite a challenge for the first 6 months until I learned enough to be confident.
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Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes. I’ve never been to a parrot head concert, but many of my friends have been. They sound like a hoot. Or a squawk, I guess.
Good post, btw. I agree, move on when you can. Very few people have the luxury of staying with the same company for a lifetime anymore. Although I do know one or two who have done that, oddly enough.
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Love that tune too! Of course, I don’t think there is any Buffett song I don’t like! My husband worked for the same company for his whole career. That is so rare today.
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Yea, being stuck between a rock and a hard place. You may not like your job but and want to leave but where too? Decisions, Decisions…..
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Don’t give up!
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I loooooooove my job, I got lucky. Plan to work til I’m 66. No reason to leave! I agree, if you hate your job, move on. Although in today’s market, that isn’t always so easy.
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I love to hear that!
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