When you take all things into consideration: hours, management, where you THOUGHT you'd be (and what you thought you'd be doing), your degree (if applicable, does it match what you ended up doing) etc etc. Do you like your job? Are you happy?
I have to say that I really do like my current position.
A little background.
As most of you know I am an attorney. I graduated law school in another state (New York) but knew I wanted to move back to Maryland. In many cases, if you decide to practice law in another state, you're pretty much SOL in terms of getting help finding a job from the career center (unless you're in the top part of your class, then you can work wherever you want).
So I came back to Maryland with this law degree, with no job and no idea what I wanted to do. I finally found work a few months later, my first job out of law school, and it was a complete nightmare. Poor salary, awful management (both in terms of how they managed and the type of people they were), little guidance/direction...just real bad. I received one raise and one raise only in the four or so years I worked there and that was only because they fired my boss less than a year after I started working there and gave me the reigns (the turnover at this place was awful as well, people quit or were fired almost weekly). One day I showed up to work and there was a notice of eviction on the door -- apparently my bosses (located in New Jersey) couldn't or wouldn't pay their rent and I was forced to lay off about 15 people and relocate the remaining 10 or so to a shoebox sized office in Columbia. We never had direct deposit! We had to get our checks every other Friday from FedEx and sometimes, if the truck was running late, we'd worry that we wouldn't be paid (I pretty much had a private law suit typed up in the event that ever happened -- I never had to file it).
If you're getting the impression that this place was awful then I've painted a suitable picture. The one good side, I guess, was that I am able to put "Managing Attorney" on my resume and when I tell future potential employers about this place, they seem very sympathetic.
Anyway, I was about at my wit's end when an attorney I knew from court appearances called me and asked me if I was looking for a new job (I was ALWAYS looking for a new job). She told me about her company and that they were expanding in Maryland and if she should set up an interview.
They flew me to headquarters, interviewed me and within a week I was hired. That was almost a year ago. That's where I am today and with the increased salary (including guaranteed yearly raises), ability to work from home (huge bonus), comraderie amongst the employees and overall stability of the company I have to say I really am liking where I am at.
I often wonder if this job is that great or if my previous nightmare makes this one seem all the better but I do know this, having a job you hate absolutely sucks. You spend roughly 1/3 of your adult life working. I'm not saying that you need to have the PERFECT job (few people do) but at least do something that you can tolerate and, at the end of the day, make you smile every time you punch the time clock.
So yea, not really sure the purpose of this thread. I guess as motivation for others or to open up discussion.
Have a good weekend everybody!