When do you find your job rewarding?

I had a really funny day at work (I've been a foreign-language teacher for almost 24 years). My first semesters took their first test last week, and got it back today. The results weren't bad (slightly above "average"), but one girl said, "OMG!" and burst into tears. Now I've seen that happen before, usually when somebody gets a really bad grade, but this gal got a well-deserved "excellent". Her work in class is very good (she works), so I wasn't at all surprised when she got the best grade in the class. When I asked her why she was crying, she told me that she had never gotten such a good grade, and had been a very mediocre student throughout primary and secondary school. Teaching can be extremely frustrating when you're confronted with "underachievers", but I find it very "comforting" when a "poor" student puts in a lot of effort and achieves great results, i.e., when I can say, "Your hard work has really paid off."

Jcat this must be so rewarding for you because it is a result of your hard work as well as hers.

I am a PA for the senior partner in a law firm. We mainly do personal injury work, accidents, medical negligence etc. The time I find it rewarding is when a case comes to an end where the client has a very genuine claim and obtains what she/he should do. Sometimes we are working with very distressed people, sometimes it has been a fatal injury and the husband, mother, father, wife, whatever is left with the strain of the claim. I always make sure that I spend a lot of time with these people, I would hate to be in their position.

Well since I don't have a job, I can't find a specific part of it rewarding

Peace,
Brandon

Originally Posted by Cougar

Well since I don't have a job, I can't find a specific part of it rewarding

Peace,
Brandon

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But what about school? In a certain sense, that's a "job". Or hobbies?

Originally Posted by jcat

I had a really funny day at work (I've been a foreign-language teacher for almost 24 years). My first semesters took their first test last week, and got it back today. The results weren't bad (slightly above "average"), but one girl said, "OMG!" and burst into tears. Now I've seen that happen before, usually when somebody gets a really bad grade, but this gal got a well-deserved "excellent". Her work in class is very good (she works), so I wasn't at all surprised when she got the best grade in the class. When I asked her why she was crying, she told me that she had never gotten such a good grade, and had been a very mediocre student throughout primary and secondary school. Teaching can be extremely frustrating when you're confronted with "underachievers", but I find it very "comforting" when a "poor" student puts in a lot of effort and achieves great results, i.e., when I can say, "Your hard work has really paid off."

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That is nice. The high school I went too was not so nice. The teachers are great but they have this policy of making sure that tests given to you are extremely hard. The lower the grade due to the difficulty the more joy they seem to get. I think they also 'compete' with the other schools around to see who can come up with the hardest paper.

But then again it is a good tactic since the low grades spurred us on to study harder. Of course by the time the 'national' or standard exams are taken, you sit there thinking, my gosh this really is simple.

Oh Jcat, your job sounds very rewarding. I have been blessed with nursing. 25 years and not tired of it. When I did hospital work (20 yrs) I found the one of the most rewarding parts of my job was of course seeing people get better. However, and I know this may sound morbid to some, but being with my patient and their family when the patient was going through the dying process really made me proud to be a nurse. I'm not trying to sound like a Florence Nightingale here, but it was rewarding. When I told taught (a nurse's asst course) I always told my students this: When we are born, it usually is the happiest event, Mom happy, Dad happy, even the staff who have seen a trillion births are overjoyed in the delivery room. For me, death should be handeled the same way. No, not woops of joy, but love and respect.
My most satifying moment was this: A woman, mid 60s terminal cancer. Only her family, a very big family, couldn't accept her terminal status. Took a lot of their anger out on the staff. One evening the woman called be to her bedside, she had a request. She asked me to lay down with her and hold her...she was perfectly lucid. I did and as I layed down with her, she told me that she could ever ask her kids, because they were not accepting her terminal status. Later when the kids came, I told them what happened. Soon after that they started to accept her soon to be death. When she did die, her family was ready...that was satisfying.

Now I do a different type of nursing, Health Education at two homeless shelters. My satisfaction there are the 300 kids I have at one shelter. They need so much love, and to see them react to kisses and hugs and attention is a joy to behold. They finally feel loveable. The wmen's shelter is a different satisfaction. When I see these woman grow, and develop self-esteem, that is my joy.

Please guys...I'm no saint..HE HE far from it!

I am lucky. At the school where I work, I find something rewarding about my job every single day. Good thing, too, because it sure ain't the pay.

Originally Posted by jcat

But what about school? In a certain sense, that's a "job". Or hobbies?

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Well I guess when I get a nice good GPA at the end of the quarter I feel pretty good about it.
I always feel good dirtbiking, racing, hanging out with my friends, skating and the like except when I need to fix something on my bike or car. Oh well I guess if you use them hard, you have to be prepared to fix them.

Later,
Brandon

I am a student right now, but have started my clinic hours in massage therapy. It is so gratifying when someone gets up from my table, stretches out, and says they feel better. They then have to evaluate our performance. It is really great when I can hand my teacher a good evaluation. I am looking forward to getting my license in about 5 more months and finding a job.

Originally Posted by Mom of Franz

However, and I know this may sound morbid to some, but being with my patient and their family when the patient was going through the dying process really made me proud to be a nurse. I'm not trying to sound like a Florence Nightingale here, but it was rewarding. When I told taught (a nurse's asst course) I always told my students this: When we are born, it usually is the happiest event, Mom happy, Dad happy, even the staff who have seen a trillion births are overjoyed in the delivery room. For me, death should be handeled the same way. No, not woops of joy, but love and respect.
My most satifying moment was this: A woman, mid 60s terminal cancer. Only her family, a very big family, couldn't accept her terminal status. Took a lot of their anger out on the staff. One evening the woman called be to her bedside, she had a request. She asked me to lay down with her and hold her...she was perfectly lucid. I did and as I layed down with her, she told me that she could ever ask her kids, because they were not accepting her terminal status. Later when the kids came, I told them what happened. Soon after that they started to accept her soon to be death. When she did die, her family was ready...that was satisfying.

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Barbara, actually that doesn't sound morbid to me. My sister is an R.N., and after working in various hospitals and clinics for close to twenty years, she decided to go into home hospice care two years ago. She often has to travel long distances in very bad weather, frequently in the middle of the night, but she says she has a lot of "job satisfaction", because she's helping to fulfill people's desire to die at home, in familiar surroundings.

Originally Posted by Deb25

I am lucky. At the school where I work, I find something rewarding about my job every single day. Good thing, too, because it sure ain't the pay.

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Ain't that the truth!

As a student, my most rewarding moment is when I get anything above a D in math. I'm a typical girl and not good at math, so when I get a grade higher than a D I celebrate.

As a Nanny, my most rewarding moment is when Haley falls asleep in my arms with her head on my shoulder. Sigh...I really need to have a baby of my own.

I work in software support and slowly working my way to implementation (where I help people install the software or install it for them). I love it when I learn new things, but I think what I really like is when people will tell me, "You are so great! Thank you for helping me!" or with implementation they tell me, "I loved working with you. You made this very easy." I like helping people. It makes me feel good. And recognition for it is the best.

I am an ESL (English as a second language) teacher at an urban middle school. We have a large immigratn population, about 100 of 640 kids are listed as ESL students. I love when my students from last year stop by just to talk, it means I made a connection with them.

We have been studying kites with the end goal of each student making their own kite and flying it at a nearby park. We've read some kite legends and talked about the history of kites. Yesterday, during a few minutes of down time at the end of the day, my beginner students did an impromptu news show (in Spanish) about kites. So I know they are listening and learning. It is also rewarding when I see the progress in English my students made this year.

I never find my job rewarding. I HATE everything about my job.

HopeHacker - you've got to get out and find something else.