"We all hate our jobs"

[Rachie]

I'm hoping for a career change, but people keep telling me everyone hates their job.

Do you hate your job?

I've seen a few other threads by people of a similar age to me looking to change career. Is it silly to give up a well paid job I've put many hours of learning into?
I'm lucky to not have any dependants and able to go back to uni full time if I get a place.


My heart wants me to go travel for a year, my head tells me retrain because you'll only have to come back to teeth and gums.

[MrsMiggins]

I don't hate my job. If I did I'd get a different one. You spend far too much time at work to be unhappy if you can help it.

It's a big step if you've spent a lot of time and effort training, but do you really want to do the job you're doing now until you retire? It doesn't sound like it.

[Eric Mc]

I certainly don't hate my job. In fact, I quite enjoy it - even if it can get very stressful at times.

[HOGEPH]

I love my job, but I'd give it up in a heartbeat if I won the lottery!

[Rachie]

I can't do this until I'm nearly 70, I already have chronic back pain from leaning over people all day.

I think too many people stick it out being unhappy for many reasons.

Good to hear people find careers they enjoy

[The Moose]

I think you should go and walk the Great Wall of china and then around the equator

[N Dentressangle]

What do you want to do instead?

[phumy]

I love my job, salary is great, location is....crap but ok, the responsibilities are stressful at times but challenging. I could keep doing this till I die, in fact I think I will.

[richwig83]

What do you do rachie?

[young_bairn]

I enjoy my job but there elements I don't like. I'm lucky that I have a good bunch of colleagues. A few awkward sods and it would be a different matter.

[Rachie]

The Moose said:

I think you should go and walk the Great Wall of china and then around the equator

[SGirl]

MrsMiggins said:

I don't hate my job. If I did I'd get a different one. You spend far too much time at work to be unhappy if you can help it.

Definitely this.

I love my job. I've left jobs that I hated - admittedly after some procrastination, because a job is still a job! But having eventually plucked up the courage to move on, I did. And now I'm doing a job I really enjoy and working from home, which I think is a huge improvement on working in an office with other people I wouldn't choose to spend my time with voluntarily.

My job has its downsides, of course. But for the most part, it's great. But I'd have retrained and done something else if I hated it. Life's too short to do a job you can't stand.

[Rachie]

I'm a dental hygienist, I want to go into public health.
I'm so passionate about preventing disease but working in a dental surgery just isn't giving me any fulfillment.

[budgie smuggler]

The job itself I do enjoy, but the overhead of dealing with some clients is a bit wearing. I honestly do not know how some of them have risen to the jobs they have. Total lack of any discernible talent or charisma.

[BoRED S2upid]

I wouldn't say hate but i don't leap out of bed on a Monday morning and shout yay more work! And I certainly won't be doing it till I'm 70! If it lets me retire or semi retire by 55 I will be happy.

[Staplebug]

I like my job but hate the people I work with.

[ewenm]

My job is fine. Sure, I whinge about it sometimes, but it's a means to an end rather than a "career" (interesting word - either a job progression path or something running out of control...). It allows me to live in a nice house, see my OH and young daughter daily, have some money left over to spend on frivolous things, etc. It is not my dream job, but everything I can think of as a dream job doesn't offer the income and flexibility I currently have.

Tentative plan is to pay off the mortgage as fast as we can, then I can reduce the income required and maybe look at other stuff. I wouldn't do a job I hated just for the money, but I will do an OK job that offers income and flexibility over an ideal job that means we'd struggle financially or I'd never get to see my family.

[Shirt587]

Currently, it's a job. Generally good people to work with, but I don't entirely "believe" our product range.

Previous job was bloody perfect, only left because I wasn't about to take on a 160 mile roundtrip daily commute.

[gradeA]

I enjoy the work itself but I'm finding out that there's way more international travel involved than I was led to believe when I joined so looking for something that allows me a more consistent home life. Life's too short to be stuck in something you don't like, so have at it!

[N Dentressangle]

Rachie said:

I'm a dental hygienist, I want to go into public health.
I'm so passionate about preventing disease but working in a dental surgery just isn't giving me any fulfillment.

Sounds like an entirely realistic change.

My experience is that a change to a related but different field can work more easily than a fresh start at something completely different.

My suspicion is that Public Health will be a medical growth area. If one considers the healthcare agenda and needs over the next 5-10 years and beyond there are some clear priorities, and public health will be one of them. Just think carefully about what those healthcare needs will be and angle your qualifications / interests / experience to suit.

So, I'd say go for it. Gives you something to look forward to in September, too!