March 19, 2004
The Happiness Index...
City & Guilds have done a happiness survey which, for me, shows some very interesting results...
The Top 5 "Happy" Jobs.
Position - Profession - % "Very Happy"
- Care Assistants (40%)
- Hairdressers (32%)
- Plumbers (32%)
- Chefs (30%)
- Florists (20%)
I find it incredibly interesting that the top 5 professions where the people surveyed said they were 'very happy' doing their job are ALL jobs where you're working with the public and you get to see the end result of the effort that you're putting in. I was listening to Radio 2 during the Jeremy Vine show today where they discussed this survey and there were a number of people who'd gone from really high-flying glamorous jobs to doing something which most people, at a guess, wouldn't really consider.
One example caller who stuck in my mind was a guy who'd given up being an airline pilot to retrain as a plumber. He said that it was the best thing he'd ever done because he got so much more satisfaction doing plumbing than he ever got as a pilot!
The Bottom 5 "Happy" Jobs.
Position - Profession - % "Very Happy"
- Electricians (6%)
- Accountants (4%)
- Pharmacists (4%)
- Media (4%)
- Estate Agents (4%)
It got me to thinking (which is always dangerous)...
I can't work out whether it was purely the environment where I used to work that pissed me off so much or whether I genuinely didn't like the job. Right now, I'm leaning more toward the fact that it was the environment where all ideas and possible dissent were actively crushed by senior management before they could take hold. The suffocating wretchedness of being a middle manager in that environment would demoralise anyone.
After some thought, I came to the conclusion that I liked the job but I hated the politics and the environment. THAT was what made me, and many many others, so unhappy in there.
In many ways I'm SO glad to be out of there. All I do wish is that the UK hadn't let me down so badly with respect to getting another job -- it's not that I haven't put everything into trying to get a decent job again, I apply for at least 10 - 15 jobs per week that I KNOW I can do and my CV says so too. Every bite I've had on the CV has turned into nothing -- the recruiter either goes totally quiet (which means they've been told the employer isn't interested) or the ones that DO let you know what's happening call to say the job has been put "on hold". Is the market out there really that bad that employers don't want someone with 5 years+ management/technical experience, that employers don't want someone who used to deal with approximately a £20 million spend?
It seems so...
As I've said in many previous posts the only jobs around and seemingly actively being created are McJobs that pay pretty much negative wages. How anyone can survive on just over £5/hour I will never know.
In some ways though I really do think I should retrain, but to what? All I really know is IT and management... I do have a keen interest in photography but I definitely don't have the cash to buy any of the equipment or software I would want/need to take that line of work up... So, what now?
If one of my friends is right and we're seeing the end of the line for IT in the developed world as it all gets farmed out to places like India, China & Eastern Europe then what do I do?
So, how do you stay happy in your job? What tips and tricks do you use?
Use the comments to leave tips, share your knowledge!
What I've found is that I was least happy in a job that whatever you left behind at the end of the day was still there in the morning when you went back next day (the worry factor?). I'm most happy in jobs that everything was different when you went back. My current job is shift work in a production environment and I never think about the job on my days off anymore because it's all changed by the time I return anyway.
Posted by: Kodger at March 19, 2004 4:27 PMIt is important to me to be happy in my work. I like computers and I enjoy working with them so I do enjoy my work. I have found that if you can do something well it is important to go with that. Balance is the thing though I suppose. I do two jobs at my company; I work as a software tester and as a systems engineer. I find that I enjoy the job as a systems engineer more because it has that mix of technical stuff and contact with people. The software tester job is purely technical. I noticed that in your survey all the top jobs did involve working with other people, or the florists and chefs were doing something that they love. Mix those two together and I suppose you get the ideal job. Thanks Garry, you really got me thinking!
Posted by: Mark at March 19, 2004 7:11 PMI totally agree with your assessment of the UK job market and being let down – I have 2 higher degrees in science and technology, years of experience running a group which regularly pumped out “best in world” products which made someone millions, yet since being made redundant (the company and my products go on, the company was sold to a US rival and their management just decided they’d rather pay dividends than a UK R&D department) 2 years ago have been unable to secure another suitable job. Skills shortage? Yeah, right. Like the main poster, I’ve applied for countless jobs my CV says I’m right for. Nada. I’ve been making ends meet working in the media. It sucks big time. Looking around my colleagues I cant see any skills that are needed that you would get from a University education. Why am I still in this country? One reason only – family. Otherwise I’d have long ago said “Adios, UK.”
Posted by: Richard at June 24, 2004 10:52 AM