Are you happy with your job?

[PrincessFiona]

I think this is an interesting question for the sahm as well as the working person.

I am working right now as a sahm. I can't imagine at this point having the mental energy to add an additional "away from home" job since I have 5 children ranging in age from 15 to 3. Someday I hope to, but not anytime soon.

Overall, I would give my happiness factor with my job a 4.5 out of 5 stars....the missing 1/2 star is due to a couple of things:

I hate cleaning up the same messes, putting laundry away (though I love folding it!) and the frustration of the overloaded homework and feeling that we have no family time during the school year. There is absolutely no time for real life as a family during the school year. Individual time for me to spend with my kids? practically non-existant! That is frustrating. It feels like there are so many demands on parents and there just aren't enough hours in the day. There aren't many "attaboys" but there are plenty of "why didn't you..."

Generally speaking, I love listening to my kids, talking to them, cooking for them and BEING there for them. Right now my 15 year old is going through a hard time trying to decide who he is and what he wants to be involved in. Every night I am reading several pages of the 7 habits of highly effective teens with him while he lays in bed. It sounds hokey, but....he still lets me. He tells me he isn't listening, that I'm retarded...and then pretends not to listen...I read on and then he suddenly says "what was that?" and asks me to clarify! LOL Amanda asks me for help with her homework, which is an ego stroke because she is so gracious about it, and tonight Alex made me sit and play trumpet for him to help him with his trumpet. (ummm...good thing I played trumpet for years! phew!!!) Aidan told me tonight how he loved me so much..and hugged me tight...and Zoe cuddled up to me when I finally got a moment to myself and sat down....

Mostly, I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing right now and that it is more important than anything else I could be doing....right now. I still have my insecurities about my choice and I'm still taking a class a semester for "some day".

For now, I have to say I truly can't imagine another job for ME.

Where are you with your job or jobs? Working as a mom AND outside of the home is two jobs, btw!!!!

Kris

[SoonerTexan]

Every night I am reading several pages of the 7 habits of highly effective teens with him while he lays in bed. It sounds hokey, but....he still lets me. He tells me he isn't listening, that I'm retarded...and then pretends not to listen...I read on and then he suddenly says "what was that?" and asks me to clarify!

You are an awesome mom.

My "job" is student--which isn't really all that hard, to be honest. I hate it right now though, because I have a 25 page research paper due in 2 weeks on "The effects of anonymity on flaming in virtual communication"--should really get on that

[PrincessFiona]

Hey...you could do you research HERE!!!! Get anonymous and flame away! LOL (or visit the SDN!!!)

[ladymoreta]

I think I'd rate my happiness at a 3 out of 5 at the moment. If it weren't going to end at the end of next month, I'd rate it lower, but I feel like I can handle anything for less than two months! For those who don't know (and actually care), I work in IT. Last September, I was laid off, and I am currently employed on contract with another company. I will be a SAHM when my son is born in March.

What I like about my job:
- The people I work with are really nice and helpful, and the environment is so much more positive than at other places I've worked. I've worked for places where CYA was the standard method of operation, and it results in a pretty hostile work environment. I haven't seen that at all here, and it's refreshing.
- It's easy. I was able to learn really quickly and be helpful within the first few days. Usually I feel like it takes about six months to be really comfortable with a new job.

What I dislike about my job:
- It's a huge pay cut from what I was making before. It pays better than unemployment, and it gets me out of the house, which is what I needed, but it's kind of a blow to the ego and the pocketbook.
- There's not enough to do. Since I'm on contract (covering someone's medical leave), they don't want to invest a lot in training me, so I'm limited to doing things that can be taught quickly. At first, this was plenty for a day, but as I've gotten more experience, I've got the time down, and I end up with a lot of time that I'm just sitting there. (And yes, I do ask for extra work, but I'm afraid if I ask too often, they will decide they don't need me and might cancel my contract early.)

While 3 out of 5 doesn't sound so great, I can tell you that I've definitely been at a lower factor plenty of times. I am good at IT, but I don't think it's really something I could do long-term. It's been a nice career path for DH's training, since it's pretty flexible and there were lots of jobs available wherever we ended up. I am really looking forward to being a SAHM, and if/when I go back to work, I'd kind of like to try teaching. I find a lot more satisfaction from relationships and helping people improve themselves than I do from corporate projects. But it's really nice to have this to fall back on should we need my income, and I have always left positions well, so I have a strong set of references.

[migirl]

I'm a SAHM, and I love it. My oldest just turned 4yo (how did that happen??!), so I've been out of the workforce for over 4 years and don't miss it at all.

I love everything about it, and I don't even mind all the extra housework that falls on me to do simply because I'm the one who's home all the time.

In a few short years when my kiddos are all in school, I hope to do more community/volunteer work. I don't see myself ever returning to the career I had before kids (I was in engineering consulting).

[NYCHoosier]

Not a mom of any kind right now. I'd say I'm a 4 out of 5 with my job working as a support staffer in BigLaw.
It's not a career for me, but I do love it. It's very balanced. There are challenges and stressful moments along with some downtown and moments where I can answer questions. I get to use a variety of skills - organizational, instructional, my computer skills, attention to detail, research, etc.
The management at my firm is the best I've ever encountered. My coworkers at all levels are very bright; intelligence is highly valued. It's a great place to work.
On top of that, the hours are good, and I get a lot of vacation and personal days.

The point off is because I do want to do more with my life and it can't compare with the fulfillment one feels doing something about which they are truly passionate.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

I would rate my happiness with my current job a 4.5 out of 5 as well. I am a certified math teacher, and taught math my whole (5 yr) career. This year, however, I am only teaching one math class, and am instead teaching 4 religion classes and am in charge of the religion department and "campus ministry" (I plan all masses, prayer services, retreats, etc). I am also a member of the professional development team (we plan faculty meetings), and a part of the principal's team (we make decisions for the school). I LOVE LOVE LOVE what I am doing this year - I have never loved teaching more

That being said, the missing .5 is because of three things: the school cannot afford to compensate me for my time. It seems like a kind of dumb thing, but it's annoying to be paid as much as someone who only is teaching 5 classes...and complains all the time about their amount of work! The second reason is because there aren't enough resources to teach religion the way I'd like to - we have old books or no books and few other resources. The third (and biggest) reason is because my campus ministry job should be at least a 3/5 job on it's own...because of my other obligations, I feel like something is always getting thrown together (usually classes - I don't like "throwing" a prayer service together!)

But, the things that will make my job hard to leave if we match elsewhere are the amount of freedom and support that I get here. It's really a unique place (and they are freaking out more about the Match than I am!)

[DCJenn]

Most days I'd rate it a 6 out of 5. Seriously, it's a perfect match for me.

(Background, I spent 20+ years working in a variety of jobs in the field of Intellectual Disabilities/Developmental Disabilities/Mental Retardation [All the same thing, but the DX has changed over time.] I was hired by a Methadone Clinic in 2006 to re-write their Operations Manual PT. I was then put in charge of ensuring that the Methadone Clinic passed their Federally required accreditation in 2006. Then I was made the Substance Abuse Quality Assurance person and now I'm the Substance Abuse specialist for the entire agency in the Quality Improvment and Systems Development Department. Essentially I have two jobs- one, to make sure the individual programs within the Substance Abuse department follow all of the Federal, State and Local standards, rules and laws and the second is to look at their systems and design ways to get better information flow to and from the staff.)

Why? Every day is different. I am part of a huge team of people who are working to make life better for our staff so that they can provide the best possible services to our clients. and I work (mostly) with and for a fabulous group of people.

My 'other' job(s) (wife, mother) are emotionally more important- if I needed to choose, obviously I'd go with the Hussey Boys but my job is a HUGE part of who I am. I've done this kind of work a lot longer than I've been a wife or mother so it's become part of my DNA at this point.

I need the external accolades, too. and the paycheck doesn't hurt.

Jenn

[medpedspouse]

I would give my current job a 5 out of 5 stars. This is the first time in my career that I feel like I am being adequately paid for my education and experience. I was also recruited away from another institution. Therefore, this is the first time that I do not have to prove myself to my superiors...they knew my record and that is why they wanted me. In addition, I was able to start a program from scratch and hire all employees - so, I really enjoy working with my team.

The only negative is that I am away from my home during the week. They offered DH a job here and he came close to taking it...I discouraged him because it would not have been a good situation for him. Also, as much as I love my job here, I would not want to live in this town.

[Thirteen]

Right now, my job involves applying to jobs (and competing with upwards of 200 people per open application), looking at even MORE grad school and/or teaching certification, volunteer work, Tues. Bible studies, and some older gaming.

Oh Zelda, how I've missed you!

I feel like an overgrown kid who just can't get a break -- as someone who's been gainfully employed since age 15 1/2, it's hard not to have a job. I keep hoping that I'll find one soon.

[GrayMatterWife]

Where are you with your job or jobs? Working as a mom AND outside of the home is two jobs, btw!!!!

My job outside the home: increasingly poorer satisfaction, but increasingly easier.

My job at home: increasingly higher satisfaction, but increasingly harder.

Weird.

[MrsK]

Wow. This is a complicated issue for me. I'm on maternity leave so I'm learning the mom job. It's a steep learning curve. It's hard for me to deal with the insecurity that comes with doing things I haven't done before. So far, I'm feeling pretty good about my mom skills. The peditrician and other moms have been very reassuring. I'm not used to the amount of physical work -- nursing and sleep deprevation are physically exhausting. I don't think I did pregnancy very well and I worry a lot about how that may have affected my baby and may affect future babies. (Not that there is anything I could have done differently or that I can change what has been done.) Right now, I'm focused on keeping the baby alive, keeping myself sane, and attempting to do so without entirely neglecting DrK and Mx. I cannot imagine how much harder this will be once I return to my other job. I'm not going to put a number value on motherhood until I've gotten into the swim of things.

As for the other job. . . it used to be a 4 of 5. Now? Well, I'm not missing it while I'm away and the times that I've been compelled to check in. . . I've come away feeling anxious. It's not an easy time in my field and the lack of security is frightening.

[oceanchild]

I love where I work. I'm a big nerd about government process, and I landed a job in November as an admin type (official title: Legislative Assistant) for a local government. I love, love, love being in the thick of actual governing.

I also, in general, like working. I like the forced socialization of being in an office, and I like the routine of going to work every day. I did the flexible telework thing for a few months when we first moved here, and I found that I really missed the office aspect of my life.

All that said, I'm not crazy about what I actually do here. The city had massive budget cuts, so they hired me to replace three people who were either laid off or bought out (early retirement). So I'm the receptionist and the financial manager and the HR representative and the photocopy maven, etc. I like that it is varied, and most of the work I don't mind, but I hate the financial stuff. SO not my thing. I'd love to establish myself here and ultimately get a meatier position - they have a few "analysts" who manage the city council committees, which I think would be cool.

I'm curious to see how I feel when I have kids. Right now I think I'd want to keep working, but obviously I don't actually know.

[SuzySunshine]

I would say I'm currently at a 3 out of 5. I love my kids and I love spending time with them but I'm also craving adult interaction. I also am not a fan of the infant stage. Once they get to about 9 months I love them so I look forward to that. I plan to do some community/volunteer work once the kids go to school, I have no desire to return to my previous life.

[JaneDoe]

I also work as a SAHM. I love it and I can't imagine going back to working outside of the home, at least while my kids are youing. I would rank my job satisfaction as a 4.5 or 5 too. This is a much higher rating than when was I working with no kids and then for awhile working with one child. I really didn't enjoy my job as an attorney, but I wonder if it had more to do with the job itself and not the field of work.

Anyway, what I love about being a SAHM:
1. I'm there for my kids all the time
2. The flexibility
3. Lower stress level related to not being worried about being two places at once (although this is getting more difficult as my kids get older and involved in more things). I don't have to worry about taking time off from work because of a sick child.
4. Taking care of the home. It's a never ending process but, strangely, I derive alot of satisfaction from being the CHO (Chief Home Officer).

What I dislike about being a SAHM:
1. There is very little feedback about my performance, unless you count the wining, crying, talking back, etc. There are days when I wonder whether I'm really doing a decent job as a Mom.
2. No coworkers. I miss having coworkers, but I'm getting much better about reaching out to other Moms and getting together for playdates and social events.
3. This is going to sound awful, but I'm going to come out and say it: I don't like playing with my kids very much. Don't get me wrong- I love taking care of them, feeding them, snuggling with them, talking to them, etc. However, I really don't like playing Barbies, trains, Chutes and Ladders, etc. I make and effort to do so at least once a day, but frankly, it's not something that I truly enjoy. Fortunately, I have Dh, who compensates for me in this area of parenting. He's really good about playing with the kids.