Five criteria for job happiness

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:52:27 GMT

This is something that I've been thinking about on and off for a few years, and it comes up once in a while in conversations with friends and teammates. Every time it comes up, I tell myself that I should write these down.

Here they are in no particular order:

The Work - do you enjoy what you are doing on a day-to-day basis? I've heard people say "I would do this even if they weren't paying me." Not sure if people would actually do that, but you get the idea that they really love what they do.
Money - is the money you are making giving you what you want? This depends on what value money is to you, so two people can make vastly different amounts of money but feel happy about it. They say money can't buy happiness, but for a great number of people it sure helps to get there. For some people, the money enables them to do what they love or make a difference.
The People - do you enjoy being with the people you work with? There is research out there that suggests one of the top reasons why people leave their jobs is due to bad bosses.
Fame - are you getting the visibility or recognition you need? Some people don't want any and are happy being anonymous, whereas others need every single person in the world to know their face or name to be happy (and will do anything they can to be famous). Maybe it's simply being known as a respected expert in your field, region, or neighborhood.
Location - should be self explanatory. There are a great number of people who can't imagine being anywhere but New York/London/Bangkok/Shanghai/<insert favorite city here>, and they will only consider working and living in that area. I've read stories of people giving up a lucrative/promising professional career to live on the beaches of some tropical paradise, renting out boats or jet skis to make a living.

Different people will prioritize these differently - it comes down to personal values. However I think that to be truly happy in your job, you need to have at least three of these. Four is amazing. Five would be quite rare.

I find myself fortunate to be able to say that I truly enjoy my work - being involved with designing experiences and products surrounding MS' entertainment offerings has been, and continues to be, extremely satisfying. I can't complain about the money, either. I don't make enough to be able to retire by age 40, but I don't need to worry about putting food on the table versus paying for healthcare. Being half of a DINK couple doesn't hurt, so I get to buy myself some toys without putting our future at risk. I really like the people I work with, both my immediate team in the Entertainment Experience Group as well as the Xbox, Zune, and other development teams; they're world-class experts and great people all around. Yes, there are some individuals who remind me that this is work, but overall I'm honored to call these people my colleagues and friends. Fame? I can't complain about the opportunities I've had to represent our work publicly, and it has been fun to go out and meet people because of the interest in our work. But I shouldn't forget that people are interested in the work and the results, not necessarily me; I'm just a proxy. Location is interesting. I've learned to really love the Pacific Northwest, the Puget Sound, Seattle, and the Eastside where I live and work (going on 8 years now). But I'm still drawn to the great metropolises (metropoli?) of the world, and would consider living and working in New York, Rome, Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, etc. At the very least it's fun to think about, and I'll take the opportunity to visit those places when I can.

Four and a half out of five ain't bad.

So there, I finally wrote these down. I'm sure after I post this I'll remember that I forgot something.

Wildchicken: Health and wellness

Five criteria for job happiness