The more I read the boards...

[Apple]

the more I realize I am not cut out for a "straight-laced", "deal with the public", or "desk job". I think I may have made the right choice with what I do.

I may get annoyed (with drunk coworker, with lazy people, with screw-ups or stupid policies) but I work with some awesome people. I am laughing daily, I get to be hands-on but also think/problem solve a lot, I get to teach (I love it when I can "help the lightbulb go on"), if I'm having a really bad day I can usually work by myself. I can do the tedious "has to be perfect" work, and I can also do the destruction "this needs to go". I can also cuss, joke, whatever, without worrying about it.

Right now I'm the foreman for my crew so I get a lot more say in some of the decisions (which is nice--my last foreman made really dumb decisions from lack of knowledge about the jobs, plus he was a micro-manager), although some I still have no say in. It's part desk work, part tools, and I get to choose what I work on for the most part.

If I could get rid of two people on the crew and replace them with good workers, I'd have a damn good crew again. One of them just got knocked down a peg (drunk coworker has really needed it for a long time). I have to give up the foreman position in a couple weeks, but hopefully I'll find out in a few months that the "real" foreman won't be coming back to the job so I have a chance to get it permanently.

Anyway, just reading about office stuff, other jobs, makes me realize my job is a good fit for me--sometimes I just have to remind myself of that.

ETA: and I don't have to dress up, which is a big plus for me--just my jeans or bibs, a shirt, and steel toed boots (and the hard hat, which I hate).

[Deleted]

Glad you're at a job you like, it's one of the best things out there

I know I'd be a probably die on a street before I could work retail; I've tried and literally started to physically self destruct from stress. Any placid, out of sight job is go, though.

[deantrip]

It's good to have a job that you enjoy!

[happyhoix]

I couldn't have a job where I deal with the public, either.

As I've gotten older I've gotten way waaaay less patient. My DH works with the court system dealing with people trying to work out custody issues for their kids. On a daily basis he sees people who had multiple kids by different baby daddies who want the different daddies to give them more money, people who abuse their kids, people who claim their ex - SO is a henious person who should never have custody of the kids (so why did you think making babies with this malignant person was a good idea???)

He is far more patient than I would be. I'd take a whacking stick to all of them if I had to deal with them.

Fortunately I mostly work in my office, with professional people. We do have a few whiners but they never get so annoying I want to beat them.

Well hardly ever.

[Deleted]

now that I don't deal with customers anymore I am MUCH happier at work. I hated working front end retail. People are jerks.

I would love a job without an office, but I don't think it will ever be in the cards for me. Oh well. As long as I don't hate my job and it allows me to enjoy my life, I will deal.