What does your profession mean to you?

I respect what I do and do it to the best of my ability. I appreciate my boss but I must admit that after so many years of the same old shit, I know see it as a job to keep my head above water, just to pay the bills. I feel bad it has become that way, but that is how I feel.

I’m a locksmith, it’s opened lots of doors for me

Everything.

What do you do? I’m a Military Policeman

What makes you look forward to work everyday? Dedication to my career field, the sense of camaraderie with my flight members, the great pay and benefits, making a difference.

Do you find a purpose in your work? Every single day.

Do you derive most of your sense of accomplishment from work? It is mostly derived from work because I accomplish so much when I’m there.

What’s the combination? 75% significant accomplishments at work, 25% at home. I have a pretty mundane home life right now.

Is it right to think that we are what we do? Not necessarily in all cases. I think it depends on the individual person and what they pursue as a career and/or interests.

I’m a legal assistant.

I look forward to work every day because I love working mostly independently in my office all day, I get paid well, and I like the people I work with.

Purpose in my work? My purpose is to do whatever my attorney needs me to do for her. I’m assuming that doesn’t answer your question, but that’s the only answer I have. My work doesn’t do a whole lot of good for the community or anything, so I don’t think I’m doing something super meaningful – and I’m okay with that.

Yes, most of my sense of accomplishment comes from work. I don’t have children, so I’ve accomplished nothing on that front. I get some sense of accomplishment from my marriage and home life, and also from striving for and reaching my fitness goals.

Meh, I think I’m more than just a legal assistant, but I do spend a lot of time doing it. There are other things that are important in my life as well, though. Work is where I go to make money – it’s just a bonus that I enjoy it.

I currently work as a teacher assistant in a special needs program and in August I will start my master’s in speech pathology, hopefully working with a lot of cognitive impairments like I do now.

I don’t have a partner, and though I really want that, I can’t see it happening, which means no children either. I have no real friends.

So yeah, work means a lot to me. I feel lucky that I get to make a real difference in people’s lives. It’s why I’m getting the advanced degree because it would be difficult to stay in my low paying position longterm (as well as other reasons).

So work is really important to me and a big part of my identity.

The thing is, even if I’m not excited to start my day, within five minutes my students remind me why I do what I do.

When I was unemployed for a year, it was the worst. I felt utterly useless

I’m the supervisor of a machine shop in a plant that manufactures feed and seed bins.

It’s a giant headache.