Finding a job that you honestly wake up feeling excited to do can be a bit like finding a needle in a haystack.
So when u/AcidHV posed the question, "People who actually like their jobs, what do you do?" to Reddit, all kinds of interesting replies came flooding in. Here are some of the top comments:
1. "I am a park ranger. Just me and the trees."
2. "Receptionist at a very small company where I also fill in when other departments are shorthanded. Everyone is nice, and no one cares if I have an AirPod in and Netflix playing as long as shit gets done."
3. "I’m an environmental geologist. I like uncovering the history of a property, and working outdoors is enjoyable when the weather is nice. I don’t love every aspect, of course — paperwork can be tedious, often the weather is bad, and telling clients bad news is intimidating — but it’s satisfying when the pieces of a problem fall together."
4. "School librarian checking in. I love my job to the core."
5. "I was a phlebotomist at a blood bank. People came in to donate blood voluntarily, so I never had to hold a nervous kid down to take their blood. And you’re literally saving lives."
6. "I am a loader for a distribution warehouse as my 40-hour job. I like it, but I keep it for the money and health insurance. At my second job, I am the regional director for a not-for-profit organization that helps guys with transitional housing when they get out of prison. We also help homeless guys on occasion and people who just need a hand up. That is my real passion."
7. "I'm an accountant. Grew up as the 'artsy' type that everyone thought would be a traveling musician or music teacher. I thought I hated math and that I was bad at it growing up. Turns out I had untreated ADHD. I took a job as a teller in my early 20s and realized I really loved balancing things. Got my degree, and now I enjoy a job where every day, I'm problem-solving and investigating. Everything is a puzzle, and I love it. Accounting is way more than numbers and balancing. I'm so happy in my job."
8. "Horror-game developer. The best part is when we get to see other players scream at the top of their lungs; it's quite hilarious."
9. "I am an artist. I paint people's pets for them and also sell my own original artwork."
10. "I work on highways. Like building bridges, making barriers, pouring cement for the road itself, etc. I honestly couldn't imagine myself staying in a job where I sit in front of a computer just typing away, 'cause that just bores me."
11. "I’m a carpenter. Building stuff is fun."
12. "I'm a dog groomer. Yeah, I get bit, scratched, pooped on, peed on, thrown up on, soaked with water, and covered in dog hair that gets inside my skin, eyes, nose, and mouth. But I get to make puppies pretty. And all dogs are puppies."
13. "Recreational therapist for Alzheimer's patients."
14. "Wildlife biologist. Long hours, but amazing experiences that I usually enjoy waking up for."
15. "I’m a labor and delivery nurse!"
16. "Not current, but I used to be a camp counselor each summer; did it for several years. Ran around playing sports, swimming, watching Pixar movies, and eating snacks with a bunch of goofy kids. The pay was basically nothing, but at the time, I was an assistant teacher at a public school, so terrible pay was all I knew. It was the happiest place I’ve ever been to, and I miss it daily."
17. "I'm a high school English teacher and I love what I do. I love literature and poetry. Being able to share my love of that with students is amazing. When I can make a student like Shakespeare, I feel like I've won the lottery."
18. "I work for the railroad as a signalman. I work at a small station, so I'm alone all shift. I can browse Reddit, I don't need to deal with office drama, and if no trains are on my section of the line, I can watch Netflix."
19. "I work as the head chess coach for an esports educational company. I develop educational material and professional-grade educational videos and provide live coaching for middle and high schoolers. It doesn’t even feel like I’m working."
20. "I absolutely love every day that I work as an EMT. A majority of the people you work with are inspired and driven to make the worst day in someone’s life better. It’s active enough to keep you from feeling stagnant, you get to sleep or generally just mess around with your crewmates when you don’t have any calls or duties, you get plenty of fresh air, and you get to do a tooooonn of cool shit (ride helicopters, drive an ambulance, meet celebrities in many cases, etc.). My crewmates feel like a second family, and we make our station a second home with barbecues, potlucks, celebrations, playing video games during downtime, competitions, you name it. It’s a beautiful job if you can look past the abysmal pay considering the things you’re expected to do."
21. "I work in the cutting department of a cheese plant. If the cheese was cut, it was me."
22. "Helping adults obtain their high school equivalency and learn computer and customer service skills. It's very rewarding helping students who didn't finish high school because of personal family matters or undiagnosed learning disabilities. On the other end of the spectrum, it is very humbling teaching students more educated than I am (e.g., with graduate degrees from their home country)."
23. "HR temp. People write in and ask me about their benefits or about stressful situations they're in. I write back and answer their questions or connect them to someone who can help guide them through their stuff. I genuinely feel helpful, and I like that."
24. "Custodian. There's something nice about cleaning an almost empty school while listening to podcasts or music. Plus, we occasionally get free pizza from events."
25. "I’m a flight attendant. Absolutely love my job. Thinking about going to flight school to be a pilot, though. Nothing beats getting paid to travel the world."
26. "I’m a supervisor at one of the world's leading auction houses. I get to work with all sorts of amazing antiques and paintings and hobnob with the 1%."
27. "Engineer. Interestingly enough, I just changed companies, and just the simple culture change has made me go from hating my job to enjoying it. I actually took a small pay cut, but letting go of the golden handcuffs was incredibly freeing. To anyone who is contemplating a similar move: The potential life enjoyment and mental health improvement is worth it several times over."
28. "I drive a semi interstate. Started about six years ago (midlife crisis, as my S.O. always says). I always thought I would like it, but in fact, I love it. It's about 80% fun."
29. "I resell clothes. I buy clothes, shoes, and accessories at estate sales, then sell those online. I love fashion. But fast fashion is killing the planet. I love the estate sale companies I work with. They all know me and give me great deals. They refer me to people, and it's just very positive. Most of my job is data entry and copywriting, and that can be boring. But I set my own hours, and I am proud of what I do. Within the next month, I will be hiring an employee, and that feels really good to say."
30. "I’m a freelance graphic designer. I get enough work to be able to pay my bills and live reasonably comfortably. And I don’t have to work that many hours a week, which is the biggest plus, so I have tons of time to hang out with my cats, work on music, and play video games."
31. "I am an osteoarchaeologist. Like in Bones, but not the same adventures 😂. I am studying human skeletons for archaeology and forensics (sex, age, pathologies, diet, migration, etc.)."
32. "I'm a voice actor. I mostly do audiobooks, but I love it."
33. "I'm a therapist (clinical social worker) working mostly with the LGBTQ community. It can be soul destroying at times, but it is also incredibly meaningful to be part of other people's life journey and their efforts to better understand themselves and the world."
34. "I am a personal trainer and love it. Currently working on the online side of it! I like the fact that I am helping people. Health is important, and a lot of people don't know where to start, which makes them just not bother. The funnest job I have ever had."
35. And finally, "I milk cows and I love it. My favorite part is going to get the cows and just seeing them run around."
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
What's your favorite job you've ever had? Tell us what it was and why you liked it in the comments!
And for more stories about work and money, check out the rest of our personal finance posts.