Does anyone else remember when jobs were meant to be enjoyed, not just endured? 

My first real job, which I got in 2001, was truly enjoyable. I looked forward to going to work every day. It was challenging and fun, and I had enough down-time to do my own thing without getting bored by not having enough work. 

I haven’t felt that way in a long time. 

My last job (before the current one) was also mostly enjoyable, especially when my boss finally got it through my head that I was a manager, not an engineer, and I should be managing, not doing. I got bored from time to time, but overall I liked it. Plus, I had achieved one of my goals: to have an office with a door that I could close. (Not that I closed it very often, but I could close it if I wanted to.) When return-to-office happened, though, and offices for everyone below director level were taken away… that is when I started to be unhappy. There were other factors as well, such as layoff stresses, mergers, and system changes that weren’t being done intelligently or correctly, but I think that was the main thing. 

I have an interview for another job coming up in a few days — an interview with the hiring manager, not just with talent acquisition — and if it goes well and I get the job I might be back doing something I enjoy. I’m also in consideration for the next round of a project manager job, which would be challenging to be sure but ultimately rewarding. 

I think that’s what I need: a job that’s rewarding, that makes me feel like I’m successful. In my current job I don’t actually feel like I’m successful at anything, so there’s no rewarding feelings. I need to succeed, and I can’t do it here. 

Here’s hoping I can do it somewhere else.