Is any job actually interesting or fun after a long time

Legacy_user

I reckon that if they have to pay you to get you to do something, it can't be that great, otherwise they could use volunteers

I can't think of one job or career that really is gripping enough to do just for the hell of it, even ones that seem initially interesting come across as boring after a long period of time

thriftylass

Yes there is plenty of jobs out there like that. Ok, if I think of doing quality control of chicken nuggets on a conveyor belt, well, yes, wouldn't find that gripping after 5 years. But lets take retail, new people, new situation every day. I'm a science tech and get new interesting challenging projects constantly. Yes it can be boring at times and repetitive but most jobs should be a mix over the years and I guess getting paid for it gets you through the bad spells.

It's not just about they have too pay you to get you to do sth. we have to earn a living.

System

My favourite things are stroking cats and watching the world burn, so I suppose I could try a career as a villain

ThemeOne

There probably are jobs that still seem interesting after years, but I find what ruins all jobs is not the interest or lack of, but the politics, back stabbing and general "people" problems with colleagues and managers.

elsien

Being bored sometimes is just life isn't it? So why should jobs be any different. Good bits and less good bits - just find something where the interesting bits outweigh the crud.
Everyone needs a challenge to stop them from getting stale. That's why people take on new roles or responsibilities or change company. Less to do with the job and more to do with human nature.

ricardinho88

I get bored of jobs so quickly. Probably because all the jobs I have had have been repetitive and boring!

Pennywise

MatthewAinsworth wrote: »

I reckon that if they have to pay you to get you to do something, it can't be that great, otherwise they could use volunteers

I can't think of one job or career that really is gripping enough to do just for the hell of it, even ones that seem initially interesting come across as boring after a long period of time

Like anything in life, you get out what you put in. If you're determined to hate your job, then you will. However, lots of people find ways of making even the most tedious/horrid job bearable if not enjoyable.

Just look at all the people who still work, often in low-skilled menial work even when they don't need to, such as older people, lottery winners, people with rich spouses, etc. Look at all those working in voluntary/charity organisations who don't even get paid.

It's state of mind that matters. Some people enjoy meeting others, whether customers, colleagues or even random passers-by, some people enjoy a challenge, some people just want something to do, some people want to put something back, some want to help others. Yet others just want to sit on their lazy backsides and won't even get out of bed for less than £500 per week!

makeyourdaddyproud

I did IT since 1985 and the first 10 years were fantastic. It was throughout an era where few people entered (as compared to now), the projects and challenges of using commercial machines at machine code level was very intriguing and highly paid. I was lucky to even get in, and most of the recruits ONLY came from universities (I had only A Levels at the time).

No one could afford a computer, this prevented eleventh hour swatting, hoping to fool a potential employer for an interview they weren't entitled to attend.

Now in IT, there's so many layers of complexity, the hand coding aspect represents an ever dwindling percentage of the work to be done. Most of your time is spent learning over and over becuase by the time you've mastered a tech, it is obsolete. Be wary of anyone calling themselves gurus in this field - they are lying. ASM programmers weren't.

bugslet

I like my job most days. Got some nice customers you can have a laugh with, evry days bring some sort of challenge - as it's called these days. Most of the drivers seem to enjoy the job, a few tell me it's the best job they've ever had, so I guess they aren't bored.

engineer_amy

Eleven and a half years later, I still find my job interesting, but that's probably because there are so many elements involved in what I do, accounts, HR, IT, Marketing, recruitment plus a few other bits and pieces, so I never get bored, and the recruitment sector is constantly changing and new legislation added, you need to keep up and I enjoy the challenges.
A lot of it is down to personal attitude, you will only get out what you put in, if you are only there to collect a wage at the end of the month and don't fully engage with the role, its likely you will find it becoming boring sooner rather than later.


The only part of my job that I find tedious and could do without is the office politics and the b!tching and whining of colleagues, as ThemeOne already mentioned

System

Overwhelmed by response! Need for mental stimulation is one reason I come on here really, I'm bored of most TV programmes and computer games now, I feel I've 'been there, done that' with a lot of them. Its led me to think maybe that's something society does need - more good entertainment, comedy, documentaries, and tasks, I often read the news as the most likely place to see something new.

It was thinking about post retirement (in very distant future) that got me thinking all this, I've read that work is good for your health, but I want it to be something worth getting up early for and worth being away from family for. I guess there's a large enough variety of sports and bored games that you can alternate between them.
My job is enjoyable in certain ways and more enjoyable I think than many professions, like being a conveyancer or dentist would bore me to distraction, its just wanting to have that fun without brainwashing yourself

Pennywise - I think what you describe is essentially a coping strategy, they brainwash themselves and then are so conditioned to work that they don't know how to stop - and some may sadly see it as their only source of interaction

Makeyourdaddyproud - I have wondered about programming before, as I'm fascinated by automation, mostly though to liberate myself from menial tasks, but then I've thought to myself that the hard work of learning a language can be done by others, who are much more determined than me, and that I myself won't likely have much input on the outcome. Also with seeing automation I wonder if its really worth bothering to learn anything

By the way - you could easily make software to automate the work of synthetic chemists, doing so would catapult research on medicine - I studied chemistry, I can help

If anyone can think of specific examples of a job you'd do even if you weren't paid I'd be interested to know ( I think freedom in the task makes it more fun)