What's the best job you ever had?

[Zikoris]

I've never had a job I LOVED, but I quite like what I do now - hospitality clerk at a law firm. It's easy and mindless - just setting up up drinks for meetings, covering some reception, loading dishwashers, maintaining coffee machines, and occasionally staying late to clean up after evening events (at a very generous overtime rate). This is my second job of this type, and I was hooked right away because I like working in an office environment but don't like staring at a computer all day. It will see me through to retirement nicely.

Thank you for giving me an idea for my next job hunt! Feel free to PM me if you'd like to give me ideas on how to search for such a job.

It's definitely a great job choice, and quite unknown - I was surprised to even find out it existed! The best place to look would be the website of any large law firm, accounting firm, engineering firm, etc (i.e. places that can afford to hire people to get drinks for clients). You can also just go around to the offices and drop off resumes and cover letters expressing your interest in this type of position. The job titles will be things like "Hospitality Clerk", "Central Services Clerk", "Office facilities associate", etc.

[cavewoman]

Later I was a cave tour guide in Kings Canyon NP, which led to being a guide for wilderness adventure trips as well. Met my current SO, got in great shape, intimately learned about the area, and learned climbing and rope work. Boss was an ass, but he didn't live down there with us. We spent many nights just enjoying the multitude of stars, and many mornings swimming in the river.

@cavewoman -- King's Canyon is indescribably beautiful!  I made the trek in there a few years back to climb the South Face of Charlotte Dome.  Amazing, remote, wild, tranquil place.  Been wanting to go back ever since, and just may next summer.  I can see why that could be someone's best job experience!

Send me a pm if you do, we still live an hour outside the entrance!

Its amazing how many people skip the canyon proper because it's a dead end road. Can be incredibly crowded on the Sequoia side and nearly empty in the canyon. Oh well, all the better for those in the know!

[startingsmall]

I taught GRE/SAT courses for the Princeton Review during veterinary school and LOOOOOVED it.  Lots of flexibility and only worked 8-10 hrs/wk, so it never felt like a significant obligation or infringement upon my life.  Loved teaching the classes, because they were small classes and we were encouraged to be laid-back and joke around a bit with our students - as someone who's kind of a homebody, it was nice to have a bit of a 'social outlet' in the evenings.  Loved doing the one-on-one tutoring, because it was an opportunity to really make a difference in someone's life.  Loved my coworkers, because we were all similarly nerdy :)

[Knapptyme]

Is it weird that I feel like I've had several? I'll just list the top four, in order.

1. Video Game Reviewer for the local newspaper. It ran in the family, but basically, my brother and I played a new video game once a week and reviewed it like the magazines might do. I inherited this job when my oldest brother graduated high school, and I was only a 7th grader. It paid for all the rentals we had, a few new games along the way, and some savings.

2. Camp Counselor for all the reasons already mentioned. Plus, all lodging and meals covered for nearly three months, so essentially everything earned went straight to savings. Those were great summers.

3. Entrepreneurial enterprise with my college roommate picking up discarded furniture from the side of the road or wherever and selling it to college freshmen or whomever would buy it. In one September, we made over $1200 doing something we enjoyed with minimal overhead--gas and maintenance on our vehicles. We might have totaled 40 hours doing it, so $30/hour wasn't bad. Plus, we furnished our own place for free, provided entertainment any night of the week for free, and fostered the mentality that repurposing trash was worthwhile on multiple fronts. (This was before Craigslist became significant.)

Honorable Mention: Construction for a few years in high school. The pay was okay, but the skills acquired while getting paid were why I value it as nearly the best.

[Mississippi Mudstache]

Honorable Mention: Construction for a few years in high school. The pay was okay, but the skills acquired while getting paid were why I value it as nearly the best.

I would love to work in construction for a few months after I finish my regular career. There's not much I don't know how to do, but there's still a helluva lot that I can't do efficiently. I remember renovating a house back in 2008. My girlfriend at the time had a father who owned a small construction company, and he came up one Saturday to help me remodel a laundry room. I say "he came to help me" but I pretty much just handed him tools and watched in awe. We ripped out and moved the plumbing, patched the roof where the vent pipes exited and installed new vents, re-wired the electrical, hung sheetrock, applied and sanded 2 coats of mud, laid and grouted the tile floor, and installed a water heater...All in one day. It would have been a month-long project given my experience level at the time. I learned so much that day, I would have paid just to watch him.

[Gone Fishing]

Honorable Mention: Construction for a few years in high school. The pay was okay, but the skills acquired while getting paid were why I value it as nearly the best.

I would love to work in construction for a few months after I finish my regular career. There's not much I don't know how to do, but there's still a helluva lot that I can't do efficiently. I remember renovating a house back in 2008. My girlfriend at the time had a father who owned a small construction company, and he came up one Saturday to help me remodel a laundry room. I say "he came to help me" but I pretty much just handed him tools and watched in awe. We ripped out and moved the plumbing, patched the roof where the vent pipes exited and installed new vents, re-wired the electrical, hung sheetrock, applied and sanded 2 coats of mud, laid and grouted the tile floor, and installed a water heater...All in one day. It would have been a month-long project given my experience level at the time. I learned so much that day, I would have paid just to watch him.

I need to try this one again, sometime.  I did a little utility work right out of college when construction was still booming.  I learned quite a bit in the 30-60 days I was there, but quit due to poor management (mandatory unpaid overtime) and crazy co-workers.  That was one time when quitting was probably the best thing I ever did!

[Kriegsspiel]

My current job is pretty cool. I'm a pipeline router/surveyor, my job is to help find the best routes for pipelines. In practice, I get to hike around in the woods all day.

[Grateful Stache]

Park Ranger in Yosemite.

[jmount24]

I actually love my job now.  I own and run a self-defense training center.  I get to make people safer, help them see what they're capable of physically and emotionally.  I get to stay in shape as a part of my job, make my own hours, hang out with law enforcement and military guys doing cool tactical training that most civilians don't get to do. 

This is actually a huge thought with my newfound Mustachianism, since I would never quit my job in 100 years.  But I'm looking forward not to relying upon it.

(BTW - first post!)

[hybrid]

Still a bit early for proclamations, but my new gig as an IT Manager has been very rewarding so far. Longer hours, but good pay, a great boss, and the opportunity to make a difference in a few lives and bring some real value to the firm. My old job was very comfortable but it wasn't challenging me.

[sol]

I've always regretted not getting an advanced degree in geology and pursuing that as a career.

I got and advanced degree in geology and pursued it as a career, and I have to say, it's pretty awesome.  Sure, there are stupid parts like staff meetings and conference calls, but there there are also days like this one...

[risky4me]

The one I have now and am going to leave within six months for Refocusing(my term for retirement). I guess my username indicates my concerns, but it is time to move on.

[Bateaux]

I was a lab tech with my company starting in 1992.  I worked alone nights and weekends.  I had a huge jam box with tunes going all the time.  I read nearly a book a night between samples and napped regularly.  In 2004 I got transferred and it's been dull ever since.

[tofuchampion]

I had a part-time gig baking for a coffee shop when I was in college. Pay sucked but it was a lot of fun.

Second best is my current job, nursing assistant at a hospital. It's a lot of work and can get pretty hectic/stressful, but I love it. I'm going back to school this year for my RN, and planning to be in this field till FIRE.

[Riff]

I spent 10 years playing guitar in clubs.  Getting paid to play music and free beer.  Those were good times, and that was a great "job!"

For the last 10 years, I've been running a small photography studio.  The pay is much better that the guitar gig.  So much so, that it's been my full time job for most of those 10 years.  Today was spent photographing a wonderful couple in a fantastic setting for their wedding.  Everyone's happy, it's a celebration, and we get to play a part in it (and get paid for the privilege. 

Photographing people and making them look and feel beautiful is pretty dang awesome.  I love my job :)

[MonkeyJenga]

I haven't had an extremely varied job history, but what I've done has mostly fallen on the "worst" end of the continuum. I actually hated my stint as a camp counselor, although I think I could love it if I tried again in a less structured setting with less entitled campers.

I suppose my current job is the best, despite the boredom and increasingly annoying management, because it's a lot of money, I've been able to restrain my workaholic tendencies in favor of long lunchtime walks, and I have plenty of office friends. I still can't wait to get out.

Maybe it was that one shared babysitting gig in college... I glommed onto a friend's regular gig, and we ate dinner with a few kids, played silly games for a bit, put them to sleep, then got to spend a few hours hanging out, eating frozen Thin Mints, and watching High School Musical. Highly recommend the movie, by the way.

[HappyMargo]

Only job I've had that I would do for free is the one I do now...

Well, not exactly as it stands now.  Surgical Nursing is long, tough hours of work, very physical & sometimes exhausting. But ultimately rewarding work.

Once I hit FIRE in about 3 years, I'll cut my required hours WAY back to per diem (only picking up shifts I care to) but more importantly (& here comes the *WORK FOR FREE* part) I'll then have the freedom to travel on medical missions.  I'll be able to volunteer my time & expertise on surgical teams traveling to help in Belize, Peru, India, Mexico...  I can hardly wait!!

[NorCal]

There were a few days in the Army when I couldn't believe I was getting paid to jump out of airplanes and blow stuff up.  Of course, that also included several years of complete and utter suckfest, so I would still count the job as a whole as worthless misery.

I did truly enjoy my time managing the business side of a software startup.  I learned a ton, got to make a difference, and really ran my own show.  I wouldn't do it for free, but I was happy with it, and my life was in balance.

[lovesasa]

Park Ranger in Yosemite.

That sounds lovely! I've seriously considered applying for a job with the National Park Service once I'm FI. I think it would be a great experience. If you don't mind my asking, how old were you when you did that?

[AmbitiousCanuck]

Park Ranger in Yosemite.

Park ranger is a dream job of mine.  Once I bail on my office job and hang up the keyboard (probably very soon), this is something I will pursue.

There were a few days in the Army when I couldn't believe I was getting paid to jump out of airplanes and blow stuff up.  Of course, that also included several years of complete and utter suckfest, so I would still count the job as a whole as worthless misery.

I have an application in for the reserves, it seems like most of the fun with less of the suck.  I hope I'm right, but then, there is no contract so I can leave any time :)

[sol]

Park ranger is a dream job of mine.  Once I bail on my office job and hang up the keyboard (probably very soon), this is something I will pursue.

For all of you NPS hopefuls, keep in mind that there has always been a loooong line of burnt out office drones waiting for those jobs.  For some reason they think that their experiences with corporate anonymity qualify them to represent a federal agency to the public.

More realistically, you might find an unpaid volunteer position with the park service.  Most parks maintain a small army of seasonal labor, usually students, that they struggle to keep busy.  Many of those workers are young and healthy and eager to take on really arduous jobs, like ferrying equipment deep into the backcountry.

Real park ranger jobs are career civil service appointments and require at least a B.S. in one of the natural sciences.  These days they typically also require experience with law enforcement and/or public relations.  Don't make the mistake of thinking anyone can walk in off the street and get one of these jobs.

Working in the parks is a great goal.  Expecting to be a ranger in the parks in your retirement might be a little lofty.

[AmbitiousCanuck]

For all of you NPS hopefuls, keep in mind that there has always been a loooong line of burnt out office drones waiting for those jobs.  For some reason they think that their experiences with corporate anonymity qualify them to represent a federal agency to the public.

More realistically, you might find an unpaid volunteer position with the park service.  Most parks maintain a small army of seasonal labor, usually students, that they struggle to keep busy.  Many of those workers are young and healthy and eager to take on really arduous jobs, like ferrying equipment deep into the backcountry.

Real park ranger jobs are career civil service appointments and require at least a B.S. in one of the natural sciences.  These days they typically also require experience with law enforcement and/or public relations.  Don't make the mistake of thinking anyone can walk in off the street and get one of these jobs.

Working in the parks is a great goal.  Expecting to be a ranger in the parks in your retirement might be a little lofty.

Not to worry, I have my expectations in check.  When I say park ranger, I am thinking something more akin to provincial campground staff, not someone who manages a protected wildlife area.  Although that would be cool too, but obviously I would need to acquire the correct credentials first, as you said.

I should also mention that I am 26 and ferrying equipment deep into the backcountry sounds like great fun to me!

[Elbata]

My best job was owning my own appliance repair and AC business. It's now winding down but I still love to get out, fix things and meet my customers.

Riding around, figuring out where to eat lunch, and total independence made for a great time.

My best friend, who rode with me a few days years ago, dropped everything, put himself through school and started his own appliance, then air conditioning business. His business now grosses ~2MM/year, but he works 60hrs/week. It's consumed him.

[Axecleaver]

Seems like everyone remembers a job they were doing when they were at their most free. So, less about the work than the person doing the work. Kind of like what we're all trying to get to now. Money doesn't buy happiness, but it buys freedom, and freedom buys happiness.

Best job I ever had? Probably the summer I spent with my father when I was seven. We spent the summer going around to motorcycle rallies, and I would fetch beers for people for spare change. I made about $300 in the 70s. That's like... a million dollars today (at least in seven year old terms).

In my 20's I started my first consulting company, didn't know crap about running a business, and at some point my pipeline dried up. I was making $65/h and had about $40k in the bank, we were living on about $15k a year. It was June and summer was starting. I spent the whole summer getting up at the crack of dawn, fishing for trout in a local stream, and drinking beer in the shade. Spent an hour a day making calls and looking for work. By August I was back in the office. Best time of my life. Wish we'd kept focused on that lifestyle, but we had to learn about FI the hard way.

[The_path_less_taken]

Horse wrangler in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

Possibly because it was insanely easy compared to the job I'd just left: wrangling on a ranch outside of Cody, Wyoming. I mean, no one in San Francisco asked me to pick up half a butchered elk and strap it onto their horse.

Was once a cab driver in a small ski resort town...the only one on for a 12 hour shift and it was amazing money and not too dangerous back then. Beautiful to watch the play of light on snow in the winter.

Wouldn't do it that now as there are so many people into meth/etc.

Post FIRE I wouldn't mind being a docent or a tour guide or something...did a stint as a tour guide in Tahoe years ago and that was fun.

[Rural]

You know, approximately 80% of these best jobs are outdoors.

[Gerard]

My best job is my current one, professorin'. High pay, good smart colleagues and students, mostly interesting projects, flexible hours/weeks, some sense that I'm helping people, decent benefits. Cost a lot of years and stress and lost/deferred income to get here, though.

[asauer]

Adjunct college instructor.  Seriously awesome.  I got to be creative, teach and research and they PAID me for it!  $5k per semester.  Plus b/c I was adjunct, i didn't have to worry about shitty university politics.  Just taught my classes and went home.

[Kriegsspiel]

You know, approximately 80% of these best jobs are outdoors.

Blue collar outdoor jobs just rock. You aren't making/sitting through Powerpoints, you're in the weather, getting outdoor exercise, and there are no office politics. I was stalked by a bobcat today, so I even got a little adrenaline rush.

[Holyoak]

When I was the chief interpretive naturalist for a state park...  I managed the Nature Center, developed and presented daily "shows", lead day and night hikes, got paid to go fishing with kids, astronomy, tug-o-wars and sack races on the beach, land orienteering, scavenger hunts, P.A.T.C.H. program where children could earn a reward for service and learning, presented live raptor/reptile/fish displays, coordinated and hosted summer music specials...  Best job in the world, that my daughter loved me having, and it paid a pittance.  It was an amazing experience to be able to witness the joy others took in being with nature, many were absolute "city slickers" that had never climbed a tree, made a grass whistle, swam in a lake...

State cutbacks did me in, and I never got the job back.  Being hired to work in a ballistics lab/propellant sales, helping develop ammunition reloading data was a close second.  I make Forrest Gumps life seem boring.

[Grateful Stache]

Park Ranger in Yosemite.

That sounds lovely! I've seriously considered applying for a job with the National Park Service once I'm FI. I think it would be a great experience. If you don't mind my asking, how old were you when you did that?

Sorry for the super-long delay...

I must have been 24 at the time. There are some shitty NPS jobs that involve sitting at a desk (or picking up trash), but here are some great ones too. I was a backcountry ranger, so we basically camped in the woods and patrolled the trails for 5 days per week. For the other two days we hiked back into the valley and shared a small ranger cabin with some other folks (electricity + warm shower does wonders for the soul). It was a serious dream job, but the pay wasn't great and I left in order to pursue my first career. In retrospect I would have been totally happy with it, I think.

You are correct, though: It would make a great post-FI job, and many retired folks volunteer as campsite hosts. As Sol mentioned, there is a lot of burnout. Likely because people dream of the backcountry jobs and end up picking up trash. I was lucky.

[Dee18]

Feel so lucky because I have loved so many jobs:  being a waitress at 16 (paycheck went to college savings and tips for high school fun), being an orientation leader one summer during college, proofreading books (part time campus job), paid lobbyist for a public interest environmental group, hectic/intense govt job in DC after grad school, and now being a professor. 

[Dr. Doom]

I worked in a gourmet coffee shop as a barista and shop-closer for three months between a couple of years of college.

It paid minimum wage and involved a lot of small talk with customers, foaming lattes, and cleaning.

But it was only 20 hours a week plus the place was only a mile away from where I lived, and I got completely free coffee.  Oh, and my shifts were usually in the afternoon, when it wasn't a total zoo.  I also knew the owner so it felt like I was helping a brotha out. 

As an added bonus, I always smelled like coffee.  Mmmm.

[bacchi]

During grad school, I was working at a software company doing network protocol research. Pay was ok but it was choose-your-own-hours and I was left to my own algorithmic pursuits. I could leave for a week-long backpacking trip at any point.

[Mr Dorothy Dollar]

30 years old, best job I have had is Patent Examiner. The pay is good ~100K base currently for me but not as much as IP law firm 130K+ (worked at a firm awful but lucrative). I have a flexible hrs, work from home, known promotion path, known expectations, overtime, vacation time lowers work expectancy (actually enjoy time off now), and the work is largely individual so I do not have to carry dead weight.

If you are an engineer, can read and write, you may want to consider becoming a patent examiner. For me I loved the process of engineering, but I hated how engineers were treated.

[SmallTownDA]

Park ranger in Yosemite. I worked there for two summers in college and it was the absolute best. I got park provided housing, so I was basically paid to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth, hike 10-20 miles a day, and interact with people from all over the world. Every day after work we would go swimming in the river, out for a moderate hike, or bbq on the back porch. I've been back to visit several times since then, but vacationing there never feels like enough time. The money wasn't great, and as a seasonal employee my hours were strictly limited so they wouldn't have to provide benefits, but if money was no longer an issue, I'd go back in a heartbeat. Definitely my goal for when I hit FI.

ETA: There was a couple who worked for the Yosemite Association my first summer who were in their mid-40's and FI. That's probably more realistic than getting a full time or seasonal ranger position with most of the perks I loved about working there. @Grateful Stache I was in Wowona interpretation. Back country seemed like the sweetest gig. Very jealous.

[act0fgod]

It's amazing  how so few people on a blog about money will include pay into their decision on best jobs.  So many people list their best job as a job where they made minimum wage or made very little money.  If that was really the best job you ever had the employer would probably take you back.  Clearly these aren't the best jobs.  Maybe they were the most fun or the most personally satisfying but they aren't the best jobs you've had.

I've changed jobs a number of times and each one was an improvement based on my criteria for best.  Basically it includes a mix of pay, personal satisfaction, hours and stress.  I try to maximize pay and personal satisfaction while minimizing hours and stress.  I'm a dentist for those who may be wondering.

[Gockie]

My most fun jobs (geez... It seems to cover most of my working life!!) :)

1. Doing nightfill at a department store.
Lots of fun, as most of the staff were uni students like me. Hard work at times like with the store refit (managed to fail two of my four uni subjects that semester....) but so much fun! The music was always going, you could make a mess, but we had staff come around to clean up the cardboard waste. I'd always be cleaning the price things ("was $xx.xx") with the tester perfume bottles and clean it with my shirt (navy blue so you couldn't see any marks). I also worked quite a lot of hours, I knew the footwear stock inside out, knew all the names of the shoes, what sizes would sell out, what price all the stock was... Very active job so I really liked that aspect of it too.

2. Working in the greenhouse department of the store - the greenhouse had the best customers. So friendly. Even though I knew nothing about plants, it made you want to learn something. (Most of the time I was in footwear by the way.... Much less appreciative customers). I can absolutely see why people love the outdoor jobs by the way.

3. Helping out the alumni office at my uni, we did random things like labels for random survey mail outs, but we helped out during graduation selling graduation memorabilia (plaques, teddy bears)... On quite a few occasions. Great hourly rate and I loved to see all the students and professors etc all decked out in their graduation outfits.

4. PC Technician. Around year 2000-2001 But... This was actually a low skilled job. What this job actually was was that we would open up computers, install internal speakers, extra RAM or whatnot, image PCs. Get paid $10 (later increased to $12) per PC. But here's the kicker, working as a team, you could do ~16 in an hour. You would normally share this between 2 or 3 people. In a good week you could make $1000 in about 3 days of work. Unfortunately it was government contract related so it was a little patchy and the company got bought out. No more work. Also as part of this work we did the PC bump in for NBC for the Sydney Olympics. I really enjoyed that! I also really appreciate they took me on and gave me this work too as I'm a female...other employers really doubted me (I heard someone say after an interview: they think you are going to ask the customer to carry the monitors grrrr)

5. This is unpaid: Helping out in the world league volleyball event in Sydney. Usher!!! See the game, get a uniform!!! This year I'm hoping to do it in other states of Aus too.

6. Volleyball venue managing: Again, very part time, but easy money, and half the time you are being paid while you play volleyball. Win!!

7. Not a "job" but.... Renovating a property. Converting it from a 1 Br unit to 2. That would make a value increase of it equal to a full time annual salary in the space of 3 months. Must do again in future (or do property subdivisions etc).

8. Airbnb host. Easy yet again and at times you get to host awesome people from around the world. Pay is brilliant too.

9. My second full time job ever was pretty good for the perks.... Keep in mind I'm in Sydney Austraila. I worked for American Express for 6 years and we got a trip to San Franscico and to Kong Hong, as well as two trips to Melbourne. The policy was if your travel was 5 hours or more then you had to fly business class. And the skills I learnt while there were so valuable. And the pay pretty good too. I was eventually made redundant with the GFC.... I pretty much used the redundancy money for a deposit on an investment property. That property has now gone up since I bought it around AUD $200k, and I still have it. :)

10. Finally... I really enjoy the work I do now. Biggest Australian company (it's a bank), and I develop reports. I work not too far from home and with great people. Really good, not stressful, and I really enjoy development work!! :)

[ohana]

I get paid to take people to the beach.

Really.

I worked at a major aquarium talking to people while perched on the top of a reef with a turtle trying to knock me over for food; then I taught science and math at an amazing school on the coast of NC; then I made maps, managed databases, analyzed data, and did a ton of field work (ie, running around on boats photographing dolphins and snorkeling in seagrass beds) for a marine lab in FL.  And now I have the pleasure of working with college students in marine biology and evolutionary biology labs in beautiful Maine.  But for the grading, it's an amazing job.

Several years ago, my parents came to visit.  We took out a boat from work, had a picnic on a quiet beach, and went for a walk.  It started to drizzle, so we all waded into the warm water and sat with just our heads poking out into the rain.  It was a gentle, lovely rain.  My dad said, out of the blue, "You guys don't make much money, but I can see what a great life you have."

One of the best days of my life . . . .  Plus, ironically, my net worth far exceeds my sibling's since I don't spend anything!

[Gockie]

I get paid to take people to the beach.

Really.

I worked at a major aquarium talking to people while perched on the top of a reef with a turtle trying to knock me over for food; then I taught science and math at an amazing school on the coast of NC; then I made maps, managed databases, analyzed data, and did a ton of field work (ie, running around on boats photographing dolphins and snorkeling in seagrass beds) for a marine lab in FL.  And now I have the pleasure of working with college students in marine biology and evolutionary biology labs in beautiful Maine.  But for the grading, it's an amazing job.

Several years ago, my parents came to visit.  We took out a boat from work, had a picnic on a quiet beach, and went for a walk.  It started to drizzle, so we all waded into the warm water and sat with just our heads poking out into the rain.  It was a gentle, lovely rain.  My dad said, out of the blue, "You guys don't make much money, but I can see what a great life you have."

One of the best days of my life . . . .  Plus, ironically, my net worth far exceeds my sibling's since I don't spend anything!

what an awesome job! Dont ever give it up!

[MrsSmitty]

In college I worked for a program whose goal was to get inner-city kids interested in engineering. I designed hands-on activities for high school math students. It was an attempt to answer the old "when am I ever going to use this?" question that all high school math students ask. It was fun.

[EricL]

Light artillery platoon leader in peacetime training.  I had authority and responsibility for 2-4 howitzers which we fired 2-4 times a week. Soldiers and Sergeants did 98% of the heavy lifting and all I needed to contribute was a final decision on choice matters and safety monitoring. It was simple work - indeed the challenge was it was too simple. You could get blasé about firing 100-300 high explosives a day and overlook something.  A bad day was doing office work after the day's firing wrapped up. But this was before the slavish delight in computers ruined the Army. Back then the suggestion lieutenants needed their own work computer (instead of five sharing one) made my battalion commander laugh out loud. 

[bacchi]

It's amazing  how so few people on a blog about money will include pay into their decision on best jobs.  So many people list their best job as a job where they made minimum wage or made very little money.  If that was really the best job you ever had the employer would probably take you back.  Clearly these aren't the best jobs.  Maybe they were the most fun or the most personally satisfying but they aren't the best jobs you've had.

Isn't that indicative that people here value other things in a job more so than money?

[irishbear99]

I also have never had a job I'd do for free. However, the best job I ever had was doing marketing, graphic art and web design for an Air Force golf course. The pay was bad (about $10.50/hr in the early 2000s), but you couldn't beat the work. I designed material for tournaments, posted tee times on the website, and did other general marketing and design work. When my work was slow, I'd grab a golf cart and help marshall, or I'd lend a hand in the pro shop. I don't think I ever had a customer in a bad mood; everyone was happy because they were golfing instead of at work. Plus, it was about a 15 minute bike ride from where I lived at the time.

I only worked there a year. It was a non-appropriated funds position, and I jumped on an opportunity to move into the government's GS system. It was a good move for stability and family finances, but I missed that job for years after I left it.

[GuitarStv]

It's amazing  how so few people on a blog about money will include pay into their decision on best jobs.  So many people list their best job as a job where they made minimum wage or made very little money.  If that was really the best job you ever had the employer would probably take you back.  Clearly these aren't the best jobs.  Maybe they were the most fun or the most personally satisfying but they aren't the best jobs you've had.

Isn't that indicative that people here value other things in a job more so than money?

. . . or that even the best job is still work.  Amassing more money to quit early and do what you want is more attractive to some than finding a job that you enjoy and working until death.

[act0fgod]

It's amazing  how so few people on a blog about money will include pay into their decision on best jobs.  So many people list their best job as a job where they made minimum wage or made very little money.  If that was really the best job you ever had the employer would probably take you back.  Clearly these aren't the best jobs.  Maybe they were the most fun or the most personally satisfying but they aren't the best jobs you've had.

I've changed jobs a number of times and each one was an improvement based on my criteria for best.  Basically it includes a mix of pay, personal satisfaction, hours and stress.  I try to maximize pay and personal satisfaction while minimizing hours and stress.  I'm a dentist for those who may be wondering.

Isn't that indicative that people here value other things in a job more so than money?

That would be the case if most people were listing their current job, that's not the case.  The fact that most people are listing jobs that paid poorly and jobs they are no longer working at shows me they value money significantly.  If working at a software company doing network protocol research was really the best job you ever had why did you leave it?