Those who I work with who love their job usually don

When I showed interest in being a bookkeeper, my parents encouraged me to get my CPA license. I could have pushed it and became a CFO, but ending up somewhere in the middle meant a relatively low stress job that I love, with good pay. Balance! (In fact, my current job is more bookkeeping than anything, but I get paid 2-3 times bookkeeper wages). My parents SO stressed practicality and passion – both. Of course, my spouse’s passion is more low paying (teaching or arts), but I know if he is happy and passionate about it, he can turn it into success. I think it is far more important to LOVE what you do. The money will follow, if you enjoy your work. (Or, the money simply doesn’t matter so much).

On the flip side, being in the accounting field, it is a field that a LOT of people choose for the money. I haven’t seen too many people that has worked out for. I have strongly discouraged many people over the years from going the accounting route because it’s “easy” (cheap education) and “high paying.” The miserable ones burn out fast, and the ones who don’t enjoy numbers simply can not do the job. Ironically, I find it is a profession with like minded people who love their job. No one else makes it past the first year or 2. It’s just a field I haven’t seen miserable people succeeding at, personally. Which more strongly puts me in the “a job you hate isn’t very worthwhile” camp.

1) Figure out why you’re miserable; it might not actually be the nature of the work you do. Perhaps it’s because you dont’ like your boss or a coworker. Perhaps you haven’t taken enough time off lately. Perhaps you aren’t being challenged or growing in your chosen field. Perhaps it’s been too long since a pay raise or other financial incentive. Perhaps you and the coworkers need to just go out for a happy hour. Find ways to get out of your rut for a minute, then when you return you will have a more attuned sense for whether you really are (or aren’t) happy.

2) Broaden your interests a bit and focus on changing your attitude. Perhaps there is something about your job that you CAN like. After all, the attitude and temperament of your fellow employees make up a large part of your overall job satisfaction.

3) Learn what it is about your job you don’t like (and what you do like) and pursue job movement that goes along those lines. Learn what it is that you enjoy, then find opportunities in or out of your company that lean toward the parts of your job that you like.

A wise person told me that job satisfaction comes with 3 factors 1) you believe in what you’re doing 2) you enjoy the people you’re doing it with and 3) you feel you are compensated fairly for it.

Always remember – you might be able to make more money, but you can’t make more time. I espouse the HWR framework – health, wealth, and relationship as being interrelated.

I also don’t believe in retirement though because I don’t want to sit around and do nothing Getting out of the “rat race” is enough!