"You Really Love Your Job? For Some People That Might Be Hard to Believe" - 10/26/17 Edition
Stephen Says Column

 Dear Stephen: 

 
 After toiling for a couple of years on the interiors side of an architectural firm, I finally was able to persuade a manufacturer to interview me for a sale rep position in textiles. I got that job and love it. I still work for this furniture manufacturer in its very strong textile division.
 
 I pinch myself every day when I come to work because I can’t believe how lucky I am. I work with a great product inspired by top textile designers, I have a great sales manager and great co-workers in sales and support who I consider my friends. I make good money, but more importantly I like going to work.
 
 When I talk to my friends, some of whom are in sales in the interiors industry, others of whom are still in the architectural interiors world and even those in 
 unrelated fields, people seem to do nothing but complain about their jobs. Some have bully bosses, most hate their co-workers, and everyone complains about money.
 
 I feel guilty about even asking this question because everything seems to be going so great, but am I missing something? Based on what everyone else is saying, my job seems too good to be true. I don’t think I am delusional, and I guess there are bad days, but is there any chance my job is just impossibly good? I am in a good place, and like I see on Facebook all the time — “feeling grateful.” I’m sure all my friends think I’m naïve for being so content. What do you think?
 
 Signed,
 
 I’m Happy and I Know It
 
 

 
 Dear Happy:
 
 I think that if there were more people like you in our industry, or any industry for that matter, everyone would be better off. Nothing is wrong with you. Your friends are cynics. There is absolutely no problem with being happy with one’s job. It’s amazing how novel that sentiment has become. (And for what it’s worth, even though I think “feeling grateful” is overused on Facebook, it seems appropriate for you!)
 
 It used to be the goal of work was to create a life of happiness out The only thing nicer than enjoying the job you have, is enjoying the people you work with. It is nice to hear many of them have become your friends.
 
 of the office. Over the last half century, we, as a society, have reorganized our lives around the workplace, but we haven’t brought along the same values.
 
 To me, the goal of any workplace environment should be content- ment and happiness. As far as I’m concerned, you’re doing this whole work thing exactly right. The only thing nicer than enjoy- ing the job you have, is enjoying the people you work with. It is nice to hear many of them have become your friends. Unfortu- nately, there aren’t very many people who get to love their jobs, but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be more people who do. People are so used to feeling
 
 rotten at work, they now assume they’re supposed to feel rotten at work. It doesn’t have to be this way, and it shouldn’t.
 
 This also overlaps with an im- portant discussion about being restless in your job. Gone is the era of people settling into a role at a company and staying put for decades. Today, there is almost an expectation that you will move on early and often. There is noth- ing wrong with this if you dislike your job, but there is no reason to extricate yourself from a position where you are happy. The grass isn’t always greener.
 
 Of course, everyone goes through different phases in their career, and just because you are happy now, you can’t expect to be happy in the future — that’s a classic temporal fallacy. Either way, you do want to be cautious about getting stuck in a rut. Regardless, the best way to know with final- ity that you have a great job is to look around. The best time to look for other opportunities is when you don’t need to. When you enjoy and appreciate what you have, it will allow you to ob- jectively compare options. That is my best advice.
 
 As far as your friends, they sound cynical and jealous, and they should mind their own business.
 
 Stephen