"Find a job you love," they say, "and you'll never work a day in your life." Well, maybe. To try to find out if that's a realistic goal, I ran a noddy survey last month, in a well-intentioned but ultimately futile attempt to gauge people's view of their livelihoods. Since the response rate has flatlined now it's time to see what, if anything, we can make of the results. Here's the headline:
A surprising (to me, at least) 30% of respondents love their jobs! I had expected this figure to be much lower, maybe because I'm on my seventh full-time job as an adult and haven't loved any of them. It's heartening to learn there are people out there doing better than me.
You'll recall I asked a load of other questions too, in a feeble attempt to discover whether demography or geography had any bearing on the headline question. I say feeble because with such a small sample size (n=20) it's hard to establish anything with any confidence, the numbers are just too small. With that in mind, here are some unreliable findings:
- You're more likely to be in a job you love if you are self-employed (50% chance compared to 28% for employed)
- Geographically, you've got a better than average chance of loving your job if you currently work in London or Scotland and the best chance of all if you live outside the UK altogether (make of that what you will). And it's the same three areas coming out best for where you currently live too.
- Age-wise, only respondents in their fifties were more likely to love their jobs than not. No-one below 50 reported loving their job at all, which is slightly depressing.
- Let's talk about sex, baby. Women seem marginally more inclined to love their jobs than men (33% compared to 27%)
- Christians seem marginally more likely to love their jobs than those with no religion (33% vs 23%)
- No gay or bi respondents reported loving their job
If I'd had 200 respondents, this might have been an interesting exercise. However, all it has really done is illustrate how few connections I have and how little reach. As well as the original blog post, I tweeted the survey a few times, put it on Facebook and (against my better judgment) even posted it on LinkedIn where current work colleagues no doubt took glee in the implications of me asking the question. All that, and I still only got 20 responses. I mean, really - why bother, eh?
Re. the survey numbers, I reckon it's more because not so many people now will do anything for nothing! But I've noticed so many of these surveys that turn up in email from companies and organisations offer bribes too, so another time maybe you'll have to offer the chance to put names in a hat for a special prize draw - well, it could be fun thinking up the prize...?!
ReplyDeleteAny prize suggestions?
DeleteA New Amusements Jamboree Bag?! Contents at your discretion. Perhaps a plastic compass, some Rizla papers, a fruit pastel, three kirby grips and a subscription to Elevator World magazine. I'd enter!
DeleteNeed a packet of Jammie Dodgers in there too, I reckon.
DeleteIf it's any consolation, I'm far more likely to respond to a survey from one of my blogging pals than I am from any other person or organisation.
DeleteGood man, me too.
DeleteI have had many office jobs over the years at different levels, and some I have "loved" for a short while, but always because of the people I worked with and the management style. Never lasts long though - a few changes at the top and a change of personnel and it can go from love to loathe in no time.
ReplyDeleteWe should be ok at the moment as Mr WIAA and I are both self-employed, over 50, and in Scotland but both businesses should really just have been add-ons to "real jobs" - Would be nice to earn your living doing something you love but not easy, as countless students every year leaving education with their degree in music, drama, art, theatre, creative writing etc will find.
Not easy is right. At least you're in the right neck of the woods.
Delete