So what is a high QOL career?

[bloo]

Prelude to this post is Helboi's QOL post in Games:
http://www.quartertothree.com/game-t...ad.php?t=44442

This general topic has got me thinking, what careers do have a great quality of life?

That thread has a good laundry list of why the game industry is hard to get into, especially at the collaborative/design/decision making level, hard to get the skills at a high enough level, etc. The general "the people who like the sausage don't really want to see 'inside the sausage factory'" deal, to borrow the title of one of Tom's old columns.

It seems to be that other creative and mainstream media careers are the same. Film & TV, tough to get into, especially at creative level. Writing, highly creative but very tough to make a living on.

In Everything Else, the law field has come up several times - no need to rehash here, but Boston Legal it ain't.

So what are the high QOL careers? Especially the decent paying ones?

After a quick google:

Study on Career Satisfaction:
http://www.chicagomaroon.com/online_...rding-careers/

1. Clergy
2. Firefighters
3. Physical Therapists
Rest of top 10: education administators, painters and sculptors, teachers, authors, psychologists, special education instructors, and operating engineers (whatever that is).

Bottom: Roofers.
Slightly above: waiters, bartenders, non-construction laborers, cashiers and butchers (literally inside the sausage factory).

Happiness was slightly different with transportation ticket and reservation agents near the top (I'm not buying it).

CNN Money has a Best Jobs for the Long Run (not exactly the same thing as QOL):
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/...ids/index.html

20 Great Employers for New Grads was no help (though EA is #2)
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/...une/index.html

100 Best Companies (yes, Google #1):
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortu...ist/index.html

In the UK, happiest careers:
http://www.hip2b2.com/news/top-happiest-careers/70022/
1. Hairdresser
2. Beauty Therapist
3. Early Years/Childcare
4. Doctor/Dentist
5. Plumber
6. Electrician
7. Construction
8. Leisure/Tourism
9. Media/Creative
10. Accountant

This all tells me one very important thing: surveys of employee quality of life, happiness and satisfaction are utter bollocks.

So, hivemind, what are the actual jobs with a high quality of life? Perhaps there is a better way to ask this. Of the people you know, what do those who are ridiculously happy and grossly overpaid do?

And the answer is not "plastics".

[idrisz]

I consider any job you can work for home is like a high QOL career.

[Robert Sharp]

I think this is hard to answer because so much depends on the individual employer rather than the overall field of employment. The gaming industry thread confirms that. There are plenty of horror stories in that thread and plenty of people saying they love where they currently work. I suspect it's the same in most fields.

[Brendan]

There is definitely no clear answer here. There are good companies to work for, not good industries.

[Hans Lauring]

It seems to be that other creative and mainstream media careers are the same. Film & TV, tough to get into, especially at creative level. Writing, highly creative but very tough to make a living on.

I don't find this to be true at all. Unless you have a very narrow view of what "creative" writing is. Writing just about games or even worse being solely a game reviewer is a hard field to make money in, but in general journalism isn't that hard and most of the people I know, write about the stuff that they find interesting.

Getting into journalism school or getting a break without a "proper" journalism background is somewhat tough (here, ymmv) but after that it's proven to be a well paying and not too hard profession with decent benefits.
(I work for a big pc magazine but have also worked on a newspaper).

But I agree with Robert. Within my line of work there's crap employers and cool employers and all those in between - pay is on the high end for a not too hard 4 year education, though (again ymmv).

[Tortilla]

I consider any job you can work for home is like a high QOL career.

A lot of people think that, but having had opportunities to work from home I can say it's not all that special. Staying home all the time eventually drives one mad, I really missed the chance to get out of the house and interact with other people. Also, it's much tougher to stay on task and productive at home with all the game consoles right there staring at you and that GalCiv shortcut on the desktop right next to the spreadsheet you should be clicking on . . .

[Wallapuctus]

I think it depends on personality. You list firefighter as a high QoL career but I know that I'd hate it. The stress, the danger, being on call, having people's lives depend on me, that would make me mental (more so than I am now). However, I bet people who choose firefighting find it incredibly rewarding. They love helping people and the danger.

I think any job can be great if you personally don't mind doing it and the firm you work for is a good one.

[BobJustBob]

A good job is like a good videogame story -- it doesn't exist.

I want to go back to sleep. :(

[Neopythia]

Obviously this is going to be completely subjective to the individual. My degree is in film and I spent almost ten years after college working in the industry.

It's great when you're working and working on things that are creative and interesting, but like I'm reading about the game industry those things so rarely happen together. I spent most of my time on the fringes in independent film and paychecks were few and far between. My most successful work, financially speaking, was as an associate producer on corporate projects for a small production company.

Eventually, I grew tired of the egos and I desired some form of stability of pay. Through a few weird twists I ended up working on Wall Street. Do I like my job? Meh, not really. Is the quality of life better? It depends on point of view. I make a lot more, but I still put in long hours and the work is incredibly unsatisfying.

When I was working in the film industry, I was told repeatedly "Do what you love and the money will follow." As I've grown older, and perhaps more cynical, I'm not sure if that's true.

[Robert Sharp]

You can make money doing what you love, but I don't think you can just do what you love and expect money to come. There's a bit too much of that way of thinking, IMO. You must, in some way, desire the money and actively seek it. I'm sure there are exceptions, where people fall into money, but as a rule you have to actively find ways to make money doing what you love.

I think when people give that advice, they are implying that to be really good at something you must love it, and if you are really good at something, you are much more likely to make money at it. That's all true. But as stated, the quote is wrong and/or misleading.

BTW, does anyone else feel sorry for Bob from time to time?

[Alan Dunkin]

Well, technically, you're a Bob.

--- Alan

[Eightball]

In the UK, happiest careers:
http://www.hip2b2.com/news/top-happiest-careers/70022/
1. Hairdresser
2. Beauty Therapist
3. Early Years/Childcare
4. Doctor/Dentist
5. Plumber
6. Electrician
7. Construction
8. Leisure/Tourism
9. Media/Creative
10. Accountant

Now that's interesting, since docs/dentists in the US show very low job satisfaction generally.

[Stroker Ace]

Socialized medicine, duh.

[merryprankster]

Independently wealthy....while not technically a proffession i bet it has a great QoL!

Personally i went into business for myself about 5 years ago, and i think that is truly the way to go.

[TheTrunkDr]

When I was working in the film industry, I was told repeatedly "Do what you love and the money will follow." As I've grown older, and perhaps more cynical, I'm not sure if that's true.

It's not true. Just because you love something and are good at it doesn't mean there's a market demand for it. I'd also argue that people love some things because they don't have to do them. Work is called work for a reason. It's something you have to do. I'm not saying that you shouldn't enjoy what you do on some level but you can't expect to achieve complete satisfaction in something when you're essentially forced to do it even when you don't want to or aren't enjoying it at the time.

I'm not sure certain career paths have better quality of life than others. I believe your environment is what determines your quality of life. If you work somewhere with a healthy work environment you enjoy your quality of life will be better. Whether you work as a doctor, programmer, teacher or whatever is less relevant as long as you enjoy or can easily tolerate that work.

[jerri blank]

pay is on the high end for a not too hard 4 year education, though (again ymmv).

I'm glad that's the case now - it definitely wasn't when I got my journalism degree back in the late 80s. I only did that for a few years before going to law school to make next to no money as an attorney. :)

Still like to write, though...

[wisefool]

An environment where your customers are happy to see you in satisfying, where you feel less like a cog and being able to make a small difference.

Being a brainless cog forced to follow flowcharts and bureaucratic ass does not sound appealing. Unless you're that type of person.

[Pogue Mahone]

I consider any job you can work for home is like a high QOL career.

It's overrated, man. Granted, not having to deal with traffic is great and rolling out of bed to go downstairs and get working is cool (and so I still occasionally do work from home) -- but it's got downsides that have to be considered. For one, it's really isolating. You'll be communicating entirely by email and phone, and I started to feel trapped in my house. Plus, work hours go out the window -- when you have to get up and leave the office to go home it's a lot easier to draw the boundary and say to yourself, 'Now I am done with my work day.' It's purely psychological, but I worked a lot more at home without having that fence to put between work and home.

Not to say that getting up and going to the office is great, but I don't think working from home is the panacea lots of people consider it to be.

[Robert Sharp]

Well, technically, you're a Bob.

--- Alan

And do you feel sorry for me?


On topic, I'd say being self-employed isn't all it's cracked up to be for many people. Yes, a lot of people (those who tend to do it) love it, but a lot of people don't like the stress of finding work contracts all the time, etc.

I still maintain that a good QoL depends on the place you work more than the field. Your colleagues, benefits, salary, ability to contribute, etc. are all factors, but most of those factors depend less on the field and more on your specific employer.

[idrisz]

Yeah, I wish there are some options working from home at where I am, almost all the stuff I do at work, I can accomplish at home. It's much more comfortable working at home too. Plus I probably spend more time on work-related stuff at home than at work.

[Slainte Mhath]

QoL is all about the environment (employer), not the career in most cases.

Using my profession as an example: I'm an IT Manager, and have in the past been a Support Technician (help desk), Network Admin and IT Engineer. I have many friends in similar positions at various companies. Some work less than 40 hours a week (like 8:30-5:00 with 1+ hour lunch every weekday) and rarely need to work weekends unless there is a huge office move or upgrade specific to their area of responsibility. Others are on call literally 24/7 and can work a 50+ hour work week commonly while sometimes going 60 hours or more during frequent large upgrades or projects. The defining factor in most cases is the employer. Do they understaff? Are ridiculous timetables on project the norm? Do they run production servers 24/7 making it difficult to take them offline for upgrades? Do they simply implement any idea that pops into an executives head without planning or preparation? All of those and more can make QoL poor for people in my position. On the other hand, working for a company that is well staffed, well run, plans and prepares, budgets well and realizes that staff have lives means QoL is very good for people in my position.

[Jakub]

A lot of people think that, but having had opportunities to work from home I can say it's not all that special. Staying home all the time eventually drives one mad, I really missed the chance to get out of the house and interact with other people. Also, it's much tougher to stay on task and productive at home with all the game consoles right there staring at you and that GalCiv shortcut on the desktop right next to the spreadsheet you should be clicking on . . .

QFMFT.

[idrisz]

QFMFT.

Self-control or Multi-task.. which is actually what I am doing right now.

[Stroker Ace]

So, you're single and live alone?

[idrisz]

So, you're single and live alone?

Single but I have roommates.

[Anders Hallin]

The answer is obviously "one in Europe".

[IndridCold]

A lot of people think that, but having had opportunities to work from home I can say it's not all that special. Staying home all the time eventually drives one mad, I really missed the chance to get out of the house and interact with other people. Also, it's much tougher to stay on task and productive at home with all the game consoles right there staring at you and that GalCiv shortcut on the desktop right next to the spreadsheet you should be clicking on . . .

100% agreed. A while back my wife and I worked moved to Europe for a few years, and I found a job at a software company there. When I left to come back to Canada, I was handed the opportunity to continue work on an independent project for them which would take about 6 months.
6 months of working from home with no solid deadlines (except the final delivery date) with no one to answer to. Sounded great! And it was - at least for a few weeks. One month in I found myself looking wistfully out the window at people coming and going while I was sitting at my computer in my housecoat (at 2 in the afternoon). By the end of it I honestly felt like a useless member of society.

Luckily I lined up a "real" job at a larger company right away...it didn't take long to remember the suckiness of both commuting and cubicles.

And all that was before kids came along. My current place of employment is very small and flexible (very high QoL) - I have the option to work at home any time I choose. With 2 young children at home, the choice is simple: go to work (it's much quieter :-) )

[idrisz]

I don't know what is it call, but I do my best work in burst.

when I have focus on a goal or a design, and I literally stop at nothing and get it done and up running within an hour or 2, but then I have the downtime where I ponder about stuff.

[rhinohelix]

QoL is all about the environment (employer), not the career in most cases.

Using my profession as an example: I'm an IT Manager, and have in the past been a Support Technician (help desk), Network Admin and IT Engineer. I have many friends in similar positions at various companies. Some work less than 40 hours a week (like 8:30-5:00 with 1+ hour lunch every weekday) and rarely need to work weekends unless there is a huge office move or upgrade specific to their area of responsibility. Others are on call literally 24/7 and can work a 50+ hour work week commonly while sometimes going 60 hours or more during frequent large upgrades or projects. The defining factor in most cases is the employer.

I have been on both sides of this fence, and while I had more free time on the job I that fit the former description, I am much happier in the job that fits the latter. The reason? Previously I was a cog in the corporate machine, a stat in a spreadsheet for someone 5 levels above me to grimace about paying. In my current role I have much greater responsibilty and ability to have a positive impact and shape the environment where I work. Sure, it takes more hours that might cancel out my increase in pay (right now, I don't expect that to be the case long term) but the satisfaction I get from actually being able to make noticeable systemic improvements more than makes up for it.

I think that QOL is more highly correlated the ability to shape your work environment, to tailor your job to your satisfaction. "Do what you love and the money will follow" might be more or less true or false in one's specific case but you are much more likely to be happy doing what you love because the base activity is something you enjoy.

[delirium]

I've been working at home for about 6 months now. It certainly has it's ups and downs, but for me, it beats going into the office everyday. The biggest challenge is keeping in a good mental state. There are days where I don't get out of bed at all because there's just no reason to, and that's BAD. There are days where I don't get any work done and play video games, which is fun but also BAD. As a single guy, it's dangerously easy for me to lose all motivation with life.

It really depends on your job, though. If I had a job where I was working hard 8 hours a day, I would go crazy working from home. But when I can get the average day's work done in a few hours, I was going crazy working in the office wasting time on the internet all day. Now, if I'm feeling trapped at home, I can pack up my laptop and work in a coffee shop or a park or wherever the hell I want. I save thousands of dollars in not commuting to work. I can eat a good breakfast any day I want. And I can spend my time doing other things I like to do rather than sit at a desk pretending to work.

As for QOL, I agree it depends on the company and not the job. Small companies are generally where it's if you want to enjoy your job. People will care more about your opinion, and your role in the company will be more important. You'll have a stronger bond with your co-workers which is good if you like them, but could also be bad if you hate them. Relaxed dress code. On the other hand, you'll probably make less money.