In the spirit of getting to know each other a bit better (and starting the work week with a little positivity_… What’s the best/your favorite part of your job? I was thinking about the best parts of my job (more on that below) but would love to hear what do you do for a living… and what is your favorite thing about that?
The best part of my job…
Honestly, there are a lot of things!
Just out of practicality, the number one best thing is the flexibility.
I love being able to do my job on my own time. So I can work out mid-day, run errands when it’s least crowded, etc. I am a night person and some nights I am up really late working (I don’t mind, I’m a night owl and it’s when I feel my most creative) and others I will take a random half day. Last week we took part of the day off to go to the Van Gogh experience and I never would have been able to do that.
The quiet.
I am an introvert and also easily overstimulated so I really value being able to work at home in a quiet space. Along those lines, the control over my schedule. I found that the higher I got as I climbed the rungs at my old day jobs, the more meetings I was required to attend. I like being able to pick and choose what I go to, as I’d rather be at my desk writing or creating other content. And I have someone managing my partnerships so I am rarely on the phone with brands unless it is to discuss the creative elements of a partnership. I really value that. I didn’t really think about this until my boyfriend and I got together: he is always on the phone for work. Back to back calls and zooms.
This community.
The Facebook group, especially. Some times I will be having a bad day or get a terrible DM and then I will go onto the Facebook group and see the conversations happening and just feel so happy. It (you) is such an incredible group of women and I feel lucky to be your ringleader.
Tell me yours in the comments!
The best part of my job (elementary school psychologist) is working with the cutest kids and seeing them grow over time. Nothing makes me prouder than seeing kids with disabilities challenging themselves and maximizing their potentials. I am constantly humbled by this and the strength of their families. Also, having summers off to savor with my own kids is pretty great.
I’m basically an animal shelter consultant with a national organization and I help shelters create or improve programs to save more pets. Seeing a shelter make those improvements and save pets they hadn’t previously, especially seeing the benefit for the staff’s well being, is always rewarding. Plus, I get to see adorable animals and work from home when I’m not traveling.
I’m a second grade teacher. It’s what I was meant to do in this world and I love everything about it! If I had to choose just one thing, it would be the look on a kids face when something clicks. 2nd grade is a fundamental grade for reading and math ex: learning how to add and subtract 3 digit numbers, and once a child gets it they’re on fire!
I work and help operate three funeral homes that have been in my family since 1924. We have a long history and legacy in our community. One of my favorite things is being there for a family in such a hard time and helping them to celebrate their loved one’s life. I’m blessed to work with a wonderful staff that serves each family we meet so well. Some days it can be tough, as you can well imagine, but it’s exactly where God has placed me to work.
I work for a national humanitarian organization and love knowing that every day I am helping someone when disaster strikes their life. And the coworkers I do this with are amazing!
I work in an academic medical center and manage continuing medical education programs and a Capstone concentration in public health. The best part of my job is working for the greater good and playing a role in educating current and future healthcare providers. Salary could be better though.
I’m a [solidcore] coach/ fitness instructor, and I love my job! There are really no terrible days in group fitness. I love watching clients grow in their confidence AND their strength, I love eliminating the intimidation factor and ensuring that the 50 minutes they’re with me are the most fun of their day. I love fostering community and building connections. I love learning more and more about how the human body moves and works — did you now there was a recent study that showed 7 basic movements are each able to increase joy using real measures?? I love that I focus on the positive every single day, and that’s my whole job! Finally, I love that I work for a fitness company that believes in social justice and diversity and puts their money where their mouth is. And I love that I work with other coaches who are the best that group fitness brings. I do not, however, love the 8 million bruises I have on my shins from tripping over machines. I have to say that too. 🙂
I am almost at my 100th solidcore class – I love it and the instructors.
Wow, these answers are so interesting/inspiring.
I’m in learning & development and the best part of my job is the freedom to create my own schedule, designing inspiring trainings, and facilitating. I used to be an HR Manager and I loved working with people, but hated all the other parts haha. Moving into L&D meant I got to focus on helping people grow and develop their career/leadership skills. I feel like I get to be Oprah and facilitate those a-ha moments!
I am an ICU Nurse Practitioner and there are so many things I love about my job: the fast-paced environment, constantly learning new things, the satisfaction of doing something so meaningful to people’s lives. The DRAMAAAA – with patients, families and co-workers – it’s never-ending! And I loooove it – haha! Plus, healthcare people are so dark and sarcastic – I laugh so hard at work literally every day.
I am an ICU PA and this comment is 100% the most accurate thing I read today. I work at a level 1 trauma center that I call level 1 drama. and the dark sarcasm never ends. Obviously a coping skills since the job can be emotionally tough. But if its a right personality fit, it brings fire to your life in the best way. And perspective of how much we should value our health and time with loved ones.
We have the same job! L&D is underrated. It’s an amazing career. There are no real emergencies, but you get to make a big impact on people. I love making people like their jobs more!
I’m a public defender in a large-ish city. I currently supervise relatively new attorneys and have a caseload of serious crimes (mainly homicides). I love working with clients who compel me to examine my privilege, and I love working on complex cases where I learn new skills. I think my job makes me a better person every day.
I am a labor and employment defense attorney, doing mostly labor elections these days. The best part of my job is the flexibility- I work insane hours, but I’ve been traveling basically non-stop since COVID, and traveled a bunch even before that (spent part of 2016 living in France). I was always a roamer by nature, but COVID freed me up to do more of it. I go between my houses in Chicago and Columbus, Ohio, my sister’s in Nashville, my parents in Savannah, and a friend’s in New Buffalo, MI. I also like being able to decide what I do, and don’t want to work on. Every time I think about changing jobs I remember how much I love my autonomy, the sweat equity I’ve built up, my colleagues, and the location flexibility.
I’m a high school math teacher, and while I love having spring break, Christmas break, and summer break, that’s not what I consider to be the best part. I love math and so I love talking about math all day long. I also love getting to spend time with teenagers and make an impact on their lives. Yes, teenagers can sometimes be the worst, but they can also be so thoughtful, funny, and kind. It brings me so much joy to get to know them and hear them talk about what they want to do in the future.
I’m a marketing exec for a finance company. The best part is that I work with some really great people, especially my bosses, who really trust me and let me run with ideas I have.
My least favorite is (sometimes) all the responsibility and pressure as we get bigger and bigger and trying to manage expectations. I almost also starting to have to speak/present in big meetings and get massively anxious ahead of each time. I’m an introvert in a sea of extroverts.
I love this prompt. Some positivity for our Mondays. I love my boss. He is the best leader I’ve worked with in a long time and lets his team shine. My job involves a bit of travel and I’ve enjoyed getting to see new places. I like solving complex problems and getting to use my critical thinking skills, and my role has that in abundance as well! It might not be in vogue, but corporate life is a really good fit for me and I definitely thrive in the structure.
I’m an instructional designer which means I design eLearning for different departments in my company. I love that it’s a creative role that also supports and helps our employees to do the best they can at their jobs through the trainings we create. Like Grace, I am also a little introverted so I love that my role allows me plenty of time on my own to just design and create. I am fully remote and enjoy the quiet of my office and the fact my dog is right next to me. Also, my company offers unlimited PTO and actually encourages us to take the time off we need.
I own and run a yoga studio, and I’d say the best part of my job is helping people learn about themselves and find a sense of both confidence and acceptance. I’m a huge anatomy nerd and think the human body is just wild, so when I get to share information with someone that helps them understand what’s going on in their body and why they feel a certain way, it is so powerful. It has helped me so much to understand what’s going on in my own body and to feel much more at peace with what I used to think was just me/my fault, when actually we all go through pains and challenges – helping people feel not alone is just so meaningful to me. (Thank you for helping me process through this – I didn’t realize how I felt until now!)
My yoga studio (and practice ofc! That comes with my studio) is one of the only things that keeps me able to stay in my healthcare job. 🙂
It’s really strenuous and my studio is super inclusive, kind and helps me calm my nervous system. The mindset growth and physical and spiritual strength built from yoga cannot be beat.
Best part of my job is getting to hold space for people in the most vulnerable intimate moments of their lives. Usually scared/angry/in pain etc however it encourages me to put my curiosity goggles on and don my compassion hat. Compassion the word comes from “to suffer with.” I love the fast pace, wild stories and my team focused co-workers. It’s also wild that I am entrusted with such a vast responsibility (to anyone reading PLEASE do your best to have a family advocate / member present when your loved one is hospitalized, write stuff down, the system doesn’t allow for the care we all envision) after surprisingly little formal education. I also love how connection focused it is. I love watching people heal – it’s wondrous, modern medicine. I love knowing that I could help in some freak emergency out in lay man’s land / if anything support a grieving family member. I love when people say thank you. I love when a wise elder takes my hand and looks me in the eyes and is so grateful for me seeing them and treating them as human, the shared humanity between us all.
I actually had a rough work day today and these comments were super encouraging.
I am an architect specializing in historic preservation in Chicago. I love learning the history of buildings and helping others see the value and potential in older buildings, especially the ones that may be in rough shape or are in cities and neighborhoods that are often overlooked. I also love that I work for a smaller, woman-owned firm. My boss is incredible and I genuinely enjoy going to work and learning from her.
That is so cool! I live in Chicago and I love seeing/exploring all the different neighborhoods and amazing architecture.
I am an executive, leadership and life coach. I work with clients to understand what they really want and come up with tangible plans and accountability to achieve whatever that is. I also work with them to overcome limiting beliefs (e.g imposter syndrome). The best part is my job is all of it. It’s such a privilege to hold the space for my clients to share their hopes and dreams, and I’m constantly inspired to evolve my own life as a result
Today is actually my first day out on my own! I’ve been in real estate finance investments working up to SVP for the last five years and felt called to take the dive to go off on my own. I have a self help
Book that will be published on 8/9, a shop that has paper products and accessories to help us all work towards our goals for the next day, and another business in the works. I’m really excited about this next part of my story because the freedom to work on what I feel called to allows me to live out my purpose to inspire others to chase their big, bold dreams and also as I grow I get the opportunity to create a culture that honors and believes in my future employees the way I wish the companies I have worked at did for me. Anyway, cheers to my first day on my own!!!
Cheers to your first day and many more!!
I’m a florist and run my own floral design studio. I think my favourite part of my job is how much joy I get to spread. From the daily deliveries I do to people to help celebrate occasions, or provide comfort during a difficult time, to getting to be a big part of someone’s wedding day. I have received the kindest notes from brides telling me my work was their favourite thing (aside from getting married) on their wedding day! Flowers are never a necessity but they sure are appreciated a lot of the time!
I’m a CRNA (nurse anesthetist!) I put people to sleep!! The best part of my job is having a great case where the patient wakes up and is comfortable and pain free.
I love to build rapport with patients in preop and make them feel as comfortable as possible before I get them off to sleep. It makes me so happy to have patients wake up safe and happy!
The best pt is an ASLEEP pt … Surgeon told me that.
I am an Executive Assistant to the CEO of an aesthetics company and love that, since we are a smaller start-up, I get to help in practically every department. Some days I am helping submit clinical trials to IRB while others I am organizing an event for our influencer and celebrity partners or even processing order fulfillment at the warehouse. I have learned so much about how businesses run and have seen different leadership styles and career paths, figuring out which ones align with my values and goals and which ones are not an ideal fit for me. On a lighter note, the discounted products and treatments are a nice perk!
I work in fundraising for a charity. Though the pay is never going to be great I appreciate the flexibility of the job and the amazing team I work with. If nothing else I’m so grateful that this job has given me two of my best friends.
I love working in the charity sector as it gives me such a sense of fulfilment. I feel so lucky to see the tangible impact that the money I help to bring in has for people who are having some of the most difficult experiences of their lives . I’m also in the lucky position of speaking to a lot of people we support with our services and hearing how something relatively simple (being given a leaflet with Plain English information ) can be so important to them. This job has also made me realise how passionate I am about palliative care and the way in which we approach death. Being told that my organisation helped someone to have the death that they wanted feels like the best pay off for our work.
I am gainfully retired. Hung it up at 50, 18 years ago. Single, happy and continually working at staying healthy. I love this blog and I love you younger girls, you are all truly amazing! Thanks for letting me tag along.
This is so interesting! Definitely a great way to pause and recognize the positive parts of work.
I work in college admissions on a marketing team. I primarily support our databases, build pipelines of prospective students, and manage the calendar for email communications. One of my favorite things is working on our applicant portal. I get to set the information for admitted students, and it’s so rewarding to manage that piece. I know that my work directly affects students and influences their experience when working with my institution. It’s a lot of pressure–but so worth it!
As a college counselor in a high school, thank you for all the work you do to get our students where they want to be!
(and as a counselor whose partner is relocating and needs a new job — are you hiring?! LOL)
I work in public relations for a healthcare software company. We work with a lot of clinicians and I love being able to talk to them and amplify their voices. Especially during the pandemic, everyone has an opinion. So it means a lot to be able to amplify clinicians who truly care and have looked at the evidence.
Talking to people who are passionate about what they do makes me excited to show up for work every day/
The best part of my job is the flexibility of working hours. I am a person who likes to come in later and work later, and I can do that with no issue. Also, I get 50 days of vacation each year and my co-workers are all a good crew, we are all good friends and many of us socialize together outside the office. Also, in my actual job duties (I work in a history archive), its fun to meet new people and hear the stories behind the collections they are donating to us.
I’m loving reading through these comments! I work in the agriculture industry, primarily doing external relations — government relations, communicating/working with other orgs on my org’s behalf, some media relations, going to events, working on promotional materials / swag… no two weeks are the same. Last year I moved back to the small town I grew up in for this job, which was a little terrifying, but I travel frequently and I love coming back home to a place that’s nice and quiet (and much more square footage than I would have had in my last bigger city!).
Flexibility is my number one, though. I absolutely love working from home and all of the perks you described in your post, Grace. I was working in higher ed before this, and during COVID I had gotten really used to working from home, but was about to have to go back into the office full time. I really resented how I was about to lose my independence when I just spent more than a year proving that I could be successful *and* not be chained to a cubicle 40 hours / week. All that to say that even on hard days, the flexibility more than makes up for any downsides of my job!
What a wonderful discussion, thank you for sharing your best parts of your jobs!
I am a chemist working in academic research and I love the great variety of tasks that I handle. Doing experiments in the lab, measuring samples, trying to explain complicated “inexplicable” measurements, writing papers, hearing lectures and attending conferences, teaching students, trying to fix broken equipment, sitting in the office, standing in the lab, running between different institutes, … it just never gets boring and I never have the same day twice.
Wow.. everyone’s jobs are so interesting and seem so rewarding.
I feel very lame compared to others. I work in finance.
The best part of my job is that for the first time in my career, I don’t work for an asshole and in general, the people I work with are kind. Small win to some, huge for me. It makes such a difference in your life to not hate your job and I am sooo glad I don’t have to deal with that anymore.
I feel the same – working in sales for a large chemical company isn’t very inspiring 🙂
I like the people I work with, that I get to travel, that I can balance my day with tedious detail oriented tasks and bigger strategy type work. I’ve also been given a lot of growth opportunities which is the most rewarding to me.
I am a morning radio host, and working in radio was my dream job growing up! I feel so lucky to be working in the industry I dreamed about as a kid. Honestly- that’s one of my favorite things about my job! Knowing I’m living out the dreams I had as a little girl. Another favorite thing is connecting with the listeners, and seeing how much of a positive impact music can have on someone’s day!
I’m a wedding planner and hands down the best part of the job is when couples tell me they feel less stressed or more excited or that their day turned out beautifully because of me. I truly is the BEST to know that I had a hand in making an often stressful, overwhelming experience better in some way so that they can focus on celebrating their marriage.
That I come in at 8 and leave at 5 pm. Nothing I do is life threatening so no need for me to take it home.
I work in corp strategy for a biopharma company. I think the US healthcare is the best in the world from a quality/innovation standpoint, one of the worst in the world from a process/red tape/policy/cost standpoint – so I’m working on changing that, one job at a time.
I love that I have a lot of flexibility, the people I work with, and the feeling of looking back and being like “wow, I accomplished that?” and realizing that I am getting smarter and more confident, even if some days are hard.
I work for an energy company and while it may not be something that has a very high public opinion I’m proud of the work we do – I love my job 🙂 The best part is that we provide energy that powers the world and I am a part of that effort whether it’s here in the US, while I worked in Africa or in Indonesia. This small town girl who only dreamed of leaving the Midwest one day has been able to travel the world and see the far corners, for this I am extremely grateful!
I write fiction and the best part of my job from a mom perspective is the flexibility of working anywhere/anytime. The best part of it from a human perspective is making beautiful things, which is so satisfying.
This is all so interesting! Some really cool vocations here. I recently turned 60 and resigned from my position as a concierge (at the biggest hotel on the west coast). I loved my job, met folks from all over the world and learned a ton ( my travel advice? ALWAYS contact the hotel concierge or guest service agent wherever you are traveling, their advice and insight will be invaluable!) My dad passed away this year and I am trustee ( people will tell you it’s a full time job and it’s true)I feel good that am securing the future for my family, but it is a very stressful position, albeit temporary. I am not ready to retire and the loss of my sister, step mom and now dad ( also the whole Covid thing)over the last few years have really put things in perspective. I am also on a discovery journey; what is my next step? I know I want to do something I am passionate about and live my life on my own terms. I am excited and curious. What and who do I want to be now?
I work with credit report disputes & other duties related to credit risk. It’s a new-ish position so I love the opportunity to create this! Even though it’s hard and frustrating sometimes…..
I love this because I love learning about other people’s careers, what makes people tick and what excites them! I’m an elementary school music teacher in the Chicago area. I work at a K-8 school, but my kiddos are ages 3-11. The best part of my job is hands down spending time with kids and planning lessons that excite them and make their eyes wide. I love being able to give new experiences to my kiddos, but I thrive on their perspective and their interests to make my lessons a tad bit different every year. I also am a choir director and running my own choir is phenomenal–I love singing with my kiddos and finding new pieces and different languages and challenges for all of us!
I work for a business started by my great grandfather, so I get to see my father, brother (and my grandfather before he died) almost every day. We employ 120 people, many of whom are families as well. It feels good to have been serving our community for almost 100 years.
I loved reading through everyone’s comments!
I work at Yale University and the best part of my job is that I don’t have to take work home. My evenings and my weekends are mine. There are also many different areas within the university you can work in, so depending on how long you want your career here to be, you can experience diverse working environments.
I work on digital forensics on homicide cases at a police department, which means I spend a lot of time looking at people’s phones and social media. It can be emotional at times, as we often see the worst of people’s lives. But helping to solve homicides and giving victims’ families answers and a little bit of peace is amazing.
I work as an Executive Recruiter and my favorite part of my job is when an offer is made and the candidate is so excited to accept! It’s often a huge life change for someone and a big step in their career that they’ve worked very hard to achieve. It’s very rewarding to be a part of that and to have played a part in their career story!
I’m a high school guidance counselor who works mostly with 11th and 12th grade students. The best part about my job (besides graduation week, when happy tears flow constantly) is when a student gains the confidence to do something for themselves that they’d previously asked for help on. That can look like a shy student setting up an interview with a college admissions rep, or a student who previously needed lots of support with writing submitting a killer essay they wrote independently. So often, students are their best resource and advocate, and I love seeing them realize that!
I’m an anesthesiologist in a busy private practice group. I love the fact that every day is extremely different, and I love the teams that i work with. From taking away a laboring mother’s pain, to taking care of patients of all ages, races, cultures, and backgrounds in many different ways. Most patients are pretty anxious right before surgery, and I work hard to gain their trust in a very short amount of time. It’s very rewarding and lucrative, though burnout is real!
I work in sales for a medical education company and I also launched a little pop up picnic business in Philly last spring. This response has taken me a really long time to think about, and I finally realized it’s because I’m a bit embarrassed of my honest answer! But I love my job because of the pay, the flexibility, the people I work with, and the fact that the work I do is improving patient care. It’s allowed me to fund my own creative hobbies, and turn one of those hobbies into a small side business!
Thank you for asking this – I think I needed to admit to myself that these are all totally acceptable reasons to love a job :-p
I’m a divorce and family law attorney. Four years ago, three friends/colleagues and I left the larger firm where we were working and started our own small all female firm. My favorite part of my job is that as the managing partner, I do about 60% law practice and 40% firm management. I love that I have the ability to use different parts of my brain and my skillset to handle such disparate tasks. And I love that during the height of Covid we were able to pivot and let everyone immediately work from home for well over a year, that we’ve been able to provide paid maternity leave for a paralegal and a whole host of other small things that we never received at larger firms.