Thought this would be quite interesting. What do you think are the best and worst aspects of your job?
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Best -
I'm self-employed, so am my own boss
I love IT, my work
I love WfH and meeting people on site
Good money
Hard work but rewarding
work my own hours
Worst
Can become overwhelming at times
Miss the companionship of coworkers found in fulltime work
Would be lost without an accountant
Long hours sometimes
Constant need to keep up to date with technology
IT courses are expensive and hard.
No sick pay, no holiday pay, but still have to may taxes and NICs
I'm self-employed, so am my own boss
I love IT, my work
I love WfH and meeting people on site
Good money
Hard work but rewarding
work my own hours
Worst
Can become overwhelming at times
Miss the companionship of coworkers found in fulltime work
Would be lost without an accountant
Long hours sometimes
Constant need to keep up to date with technology
IT courses are expensive and hard.
No sick pay, no holiday pay, but still have to may taxes and NICs
Best-
Ok money (nhs band 5)
Career progression
Utilising my 5 years of university study!
NHS and blue light card discount (ha)
Worst -
Have to work with very rude clients
Really hard speaking to 10 people a day with a range of different problems and disclosing traumatic things to you
Very high workload
Blamed if something goes wrong, or if patient doesnt respond to a letter or call thats also somehow our fault
Dealing with people who are suicidal over the phone is really tough at the minute.
Feel compared to peers my age my wage is a bit crap
Ok money (nhs band 5)
Career progression
Utilising my 5 years of university study!
NHS and blue light card discount (ha)
Worst -
Have to work with very rude clients
Really hard speaking to 10 people a day with a range of different problems and disclosing traumatic things to you
Very high workload
Blamed if something goes wrong, or if patient doesnt respond to a letter or call thats also somehow our fault
Dealing with people who are suicidal over the phone is really tough at the minute.
Feel compared to peers my age my wage is a bit crap
Pros - money is good and every day is different
Cons - hate being a people manager 80% of the time coz people are selfish fuckwits (I promise I am professional at work and don’t tell them how much I hate them when they’re moaning at me, even when I really want to haha) and people in other departments are rude as duck who think they are above you when they really aren’t
Cons - hate being a people manager 80% of the time coz people are selfish fuckwits (I promise I am professional at work and don’t tell them how much I hate them when they’re moaning at me, even when I really want to haha) and people in other departments are rude as duck who think they are above you when they really aren’t
Pros - I genuinely enjoy it, it feels like the right place for me to be in the world
Cons - there aren’t any permanent jobs in my field available where I am, so I work very sporadically, in temporary positions.
Cons - there aren’t any permanent jobs in my field available where I am, so I work very sporadically, in temporary positions.
Pros -
Flexi time
No set hours
Very secure (civil service)
Great pension scheme
Rewarding working with vulnerable people
Cons -
tit pay for lower grades, especially for the amount of work expected
Very hard to progress - no such thing as a promotion without application against external candidates even if you have been temporarily filling the role
Can be stressful
Can be repetitive
Flexi time
No set hours
Very secure (civil service)
Great pension scheme
Rewarding working with vulnerable people
Cons -
tit pay for lower grades, especially for the amount of work expected
Very hard to progress - no such thing as a promotion without application against external candidates even if you have been temporarily filling the role
Can be stressful
Can be repetitive
I'm in retail.....
Best - I love the customers & social interaction (even challenging ones!)
Worst - Targets, managers, cliques amongst colleagues, pitiful money, long hours.
(Oh dear...maybe I should do something else!
)
Best - I love the customers & social interaction (even challenging ones!)
Worst - Targets, managers, cliques amongst colleagues, pitiful money, long hours.
(Oh dear...maybe I should do something else!
)
Pros:
Knowing I’m making a difference to someone else’s life and being able to help them whether that’s getting through the difficult days and making life a little easier, or holding their hand and being there with them in their final hours.
Job security (carers will always be needed).
It’s local, so not much travel to and from.
No two shifts are the same.
Getting to know some amazing people and hearing all the interesting stories they have to tell from their youth.
Cons:
Low pay, long hours.
Very physically and mentally demanding.
The constant pile-on of tasks and picking up the slack of others.
You’re so busy you aren’t always able to give the service user as much one-to-one time as they deserve, and you feel all the guilt.
Often feel undervalued/unappreciated.
Being tarred with the same brush as “bad” carers and always under scrutiny
Highly stressful and emotionally taxing.
Knowing I’m making a difference to someone else’s life and being able to help them whether that’s getting through the difficult days and making life a little easier, or holding their hand and being there with them in their final hours.
Job security (carers will always be needed).
It’s local, so not much travel to and from.
No two shifts are the same.
Getting to know some amazing people and hearing all the interesting stories they have to tell from their youth.
Cons:
Low pay, long hours.
Very physically and mentally demanding.
The constant pile-on of tasks and picking up the slack of others.
You’re so busy you aren’t always able to give the service user as much one-to-one time as they deserve, and you feel all the guilt.
Often feel undervalued/unappreciated.
Being tarred with the same brush as “bad” carers and always under scrutiny
Highly stressful and emotionally taxing.
I'm a benefit officer and the best bits of my job are being able to actually help someone in dire need but also, I quite like refusing clearly fraudulent claims. Worst part of my job is having to get it right first time, every time because if you don't you are either causing financial hardship or an overpayment for the claimant.
I work as a barista in a small family run coffee shop while studying at uni
Pro:
Most customers are lovely (love chatting to regulars)
Boss is really flexible for uni classes to fit in
I like the people I work with
Close to my house
Hours suit me never have to work evenings
Con:
Can be stressful when busy
Not the best money
No room for progression
Can be a long day atm with COVID were quiet
Can be hard to say no to extra shifts etc as it’s a close team I feel guilty
People can be arse holes sometimes had people make me cry once or twice
Pro:
Most customers are lovely (love chatting to regulars)
Boss is really flexible for uni classes to fit in
I like the people I work with
Close to my house
Hours suit me never have to work evenings
Con:
Can be stressful when busy
Not the best money
No room for progression
Can be a long day atm with COVID were quiet
Can be hard to say no to extra shifts etc as it’s a close team I feel guilty
People can be arse holes sometimes had people make me cry once or twice
I work in digital marketing self employed.
Pros -
decent money
Work from home
Own boss
Work with great people
Cons
I’m terrible with time management so often “work” longer than I should
It’s not fulfilling a true purpose in life — not giving back to community, just lining others pockets
I don’t feel passionate about a lot of the industries I work with
I’d love to have a total change and do something with animals
Pros -
decent money
Work from home
Own boss
Work with great people
Cons
I’m terrible with time management so often “work” longer than I should
It’s not fulfilling a true purpose in life — not giving back to community, just lining others pockets
I don’t feel passionate about a lot of the industries I work with
I’d love to have a total change and do something with animals
Thank you for starting this thread. I also work in the care industry.
Pros - The home is close to where I live.
Making a difference to people's lives.
Getting a different perspective about Covid-19, from working with people who have gone above and beyond the call of duty for the residents in their care. I have the highest admiration and respect for them.
Cons
Working with a few "trained proffesional" members of staff, who dispite dealing with an outbreak of Covid in the home, are making life difficult by playing mind games. It is happening even with all of this going on.
The pay is appalling, considering what we have to do on a daily basis.
Every member of staff is putting their lives at risk, by working so closely with residents who have tested positive for Covid. We are all regularly tested for Covid, and are provided with PPE which is frequently changed.
It is phyisically very demanding work.
Not being able to approach a senior member of staff, if you want to ask a question, or need assistence.
Pros - The home is close to where I live.
Making a difference to people's lives.
Getting a different perspective about Covid-19, from working with people who have gone above and beyond the call of duty for the residents in their care. I have the highest admiration and respect for them.
Cons
Working with a few "trained proffesional" members of staff, who dispite dealing with an outbreak of Covid in the home, are making life difficult by playing mind games. It is happening even with all of this going on.
The pay is appalling, considering what we have to do on a daily basis.
Every member of staff is putting their lives at risk, by working so closely with residents who have tested positive for Covid. We are all regularly tested for Covid, and are provided with PPE which is frequently changed.
It is phyisically very demanding work.
Not being able to approach a senior member of staff, if you want to ask a question, or need assistence.
I’m self-employed and have a finance business.
Best parts:
- improving people’s lives
- getting to know people
- making a decent amount of money
- flexibility with hours/holidays
Wordt parts:
- very stressful
- my phone never stops
- being an employer and having a business that’s responsible for people (not in a crappy way, as I love my staff, more in a pandemic way!)
If I could find a less stressful job that would bank me the same money I’d do it in a heartbeat but it’s impossible!
Best parts:
- improving people’s lives
- getting to know people
- making a decent amount of money
- flexibility with hours/holidays
Wordt parts:
- very stressful
- my phone never stops
- being an employer and having a business that’s responsible for people (not in a crappy way, as I love my staff, more in a pandemic way!)
If I could find a less stressful job that would bank me the same money I’d do it in a heartbeat but it’s impossible!
Pros:
The admin side of my job can be done at home, even pre-Covid.
Chances to undertake supported projects that I need to develop my career.
Disability confident. The amazing support I was given meant I didn't need a day off when I developed a new medical issue last year, and it happened overnight. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to perform and with adjustments I did really well.
When things go well, my staff and the public are grateful.
My manager is normal and not egotistical and their manager is normal and not egotistical. I have never had a chain of command like that; Who both respect you.
Term time contract has saved us thousands on childcare, I don't need it every day of the year any more and we're better off by a mile.
I look after a lot of people, all different personalities. I learn constantly about what people need, how very different places work and live and what I need to work on for myself. It's really healthy to do that every day.
Cons:
I'm developing so well that the usual tasks of my job are now feeling a bit mundane.
Covid = constant risk assessments and challenges you wouldn't believe. I used to have to contact the police maybe once a term, now it's averaging out about 4 times a week.
When things go wrong I take a lot of verbal. It usually doesn't bother me but extra covid pressure means it has a bit recently.
I have to cover tasks for staff in person at 30 minutes notice and from 7am. It does make life a bit of a whirlwind when required.
I love being available to my kids in the school hols. I've not had that for a long time, but I don't earn as much as I could do. In the future when the kids are at secondary, I really would like to earn more.
Staff visits, when it's icy or flooding = some scary driving.
The admin side of my job can be done at home, even pre-Covid.
Chances to undertake supported projects that I need to develop my career.
Disability confident. The amazing support I was given meant I didn't need a day off when I developed a new medical issue last year, and it happened overnight. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to perform and with adjustments I did really well.
When things go well, my staff and the public are grateful.
My manager is normal and not egotistical and their manager is normal and not egotistical. I have never had a chain of command like that; Who both respect you.
Term time contract has saved us thousands on childcare, I don't need it every day of the year any more and we're better off by a mile.
I look after a lot of people, all different personalities. I learn constantly about what people need, how very different places work and live and what I need to work on for myself. It's really healthy to do that every day.
Cons:
I'm developing so well that the usual tasks of my job are now feeling a bit mundane.
Covid = constant risk assessments and challenges you wouldn't believe. I used to have to contact the police maybe once a term, now it's averaging out about 4 times a week.
When things go wrong I take a lot of verbal. It usually doesn't bother me but extra covid pressure means it has a bit recently.
I have to cover tasks for staff in person at 30 minutes notice and from 7am. It does make life a bit of a whirlwind when required.
I love being available to my kids in the school hols. I've not had that for a long time, but I don't earn as much as I could do. In the future when the kids are at secondary, I really would like to earn more.
Staff visits, when it's icy or flooding = some scary driving.
Ooh, can you tell us what you do? Or at least which industry you work in?
I'm a business/HR consultant in a very niche and pretty random line of work.
Pros:
- Money
I'm earning almost triple the salary that I was on when I worked in academia 10 years ago- Considering what I earn, the job is very low stress and not demanding, especially compared to nurses, carers, teachers, social workers, etc who work all hours in very stressful conditions and are remunerated awfully for the work that they do (boils my piss, but I digress...)
- Flexibility - I can pop out in the middle of the afternoon to walk my dog, etc. My manager doesn't micro-manage or clockwatch - as long as I do my job well, she's not bothered about whether I'm at my laptop or not
- Working from home during Covid has been going so well, my company decided to end the lease on our office and make us all home-based
Cons:
- Managing some challenging characters. I'm the youngest person on my team and two team members who are 20 years older than me seem to take issue with reporting to me. They're incredibly patronising and go out of their way to be as difficult as possible
- My current line of work has nothing to do with the degree that I worked on for 7 years
I like about 75% of my job and the people i gey to work with. I dislike verging on hating the 25% i manage adult children....
We are flexible workplace but one person (over 40 but acts lilke a kid and threw a tantrum when i didnt allow a certain type of leave as they didn't have the hours built up but was happy for them to take annual leave instead) this one person will particilar take full advantage of it and won't give the business flexability when needed.
This person also wants opportunities to act up for more money but can barely do the tasks assigned to them... much to the annoyance of the rest of the team who earn less then this person. This person has been told several times over the years including from two former managers....while on paper it might not seem alot, this person over time has started to affect me mentally.
We are flexible workplace but one person (over 40 but acts lilke a kid and threw a tantrum when i didnt allow a certain type of leave as they didn't have the hours built up but was happy for them to take annual leave instead) this one person will particilar take full advantage of it and won't give the business flexability when needed.
This person also wants opportunities to act up for more money but can barely do the tasks assigned to them... much to the annoyance of the rest of the team who earn less then this person. This person has been told several times over the years including from two former managers....while on paper it might not seem alot, this person over time has started to affect me mentally.
Pros - when 5pm comes and I can go home
Cons - Monday to Friday when I have to turn up.
Only joking (or am I
)
Pros
- It's in the legal sector and I hope to one day qualify as a solicitor so it's fab experience.
- I can literally learn whilst on the job. I'm doing a uni course in my spare time and working in the industry helps me to understand so much of the course content!
- This experience will no doubt be invaluable when I do qualify and am up against candidates who have no experience in the sector.
Cons
- As a legal secretary you often get treated by those higher up than you like a scivvy. I draw the line at a solicitor dumping £2.50 on my desk and asking me to get him a sausage roll and coffee from Greggs on my lunch break. Absolutely not.
- As a secretary, you actually do most of the work yet get no credit. The client doesn't see the hard work you put in. The fact that every legal document they signed has been drafted by you. They just assume the solicitor does it all and you sit at the desk reading magazines all day waiting for their call.
- Can be very high pressured if court cases are imminent. Things which should take a whole day can be dropped on your desk 3 hours before the deadline.
Cons - Monday to Friday when I have to turn up.
Only joking (or am I
)Pros
- It's in the legal sector and I hope to one day qualify as a solicitor so it's fab experience.
- I can literally learn whilst on the job. I'm doing a uni course in my spare time and working in the industry helps me to understand so much of the course content!
- This experience will no doubt be invaluable when I do qualify and am up against candidates who have no experience in the sector.
Cons
- As a legal secretary you often get treated by those higher up than you like a scivvy. I draw the line at a solicitor dumping £2.50 on my desk and asking me to get him a sausage roll and coffee from Greggs on my lunch break. Absolutely not.
- As a secretary, you actually do most of the work yet get no credit. The client doesn't see the hard work you put in. The fact that every legal document they signed has been drafted by you. They just assume the solicitor does it all and you sit at the desk reading magazines all day waiting for their call.
- Can be very high pressured if court cases are imminent. Things which should take a whole day can be dropped on your desk 3 hours before the deadline.
My SIL is a solicitor. She was put through the paces for years before she qualified and often wanted to throw in the towel. She was worked to the bone and a lot of the firms she worked at seemed so toxic. On top of that, she was paid an absolute pittance.Pros - when 5pm comes and I can go home
Cons - Monday to Friday when I have to turn up.
Only joking (or am I
Pros
- It's in the legal sector and I hope to one day qualify as a solicitor so it's fab experience.
- I can literally learn whilst on the job. I'm doing a uni course in my spare time and working in the industry helps me to understand so much of the course content!
- This experience will no doubt be invaluable when I do qualify and am up against candidates who have no experience in the sector.
Cons
- As a legal secretary you often get treated by those higher up than you like a scivvy. I draw the line at a solicitor dumping £2.50 on my desk and asking me to get him a sausage roll and coffee from Greggs on my lunch break. Absolutely not.
- As a secretary, you actually do most of the work yet get no credit. The client doesn't see the hard work you put in. The fact that every legal document they signed has been drafted by you. They just assume the solicitor does it all and you sit at the desk reading magazines all day waiting for their call.
- Can be very high pressured if court cases are imminent. Things which should take a whole day can be dropped on your desk 3 hours before the deadline.
It all seemed to change overnight once she qualified, though. She's been promoted twice in three years now (once while out on mat leave!) and is absolutely raking in the cash without being stressed or overstretched (probably because she gets to delegate so much of her own work now!). So it does get infinitely better eventually!
Best : salary
Worse: difficult colleagues
Worse: difficult colleagues