Are you happy?

Often, when I'm walking down the street or standing in the subway or elevator (or anywhere, really), I'll look at people and ask myself, "Hmm, I wonder if that person is happy doing what they do for a living. I wonder what their passion is..."

I stumbled onto a report written by Andrew Oswald, Professor of Economics, University of Warwick (which I believe was presented at the Warwick WBS Event, Warwick Hotel, NY, on 5 November, 2002) asking the question, "How much do people like their jobs?"

These were his findings:

.USA - 49% of workers say they are “completely or very satisfied” (Only a few percent say “dissatisfied”)
.Denmark - 62% say “completely or very satisfied”
.Japan - 30%
.Hungary - 23%

[Unfortunately, the stats. for Canada weren't included. Hmph]

Whenever I see these kind of stats., I have to wonder what kind of sampling was used.

Was it stratified? And if so, who composed the control groups?
Did any of these people have any sort of mental illness?
How old were these people?
Unionized or non-unionized positions?
Years on the job?
Salaries?

I remember when I worked at a previous job, quite a few passersby came up to me and commented on how happy I appeared to be. While it was kind of them to take the time to tell me, I often thought of how ironic it all was, since I was not always that happy with what I was doing (however, I did love meeting all of those wonderful people). I think of one of the most touching interactions was with one individual who was clearly, a very shy fellow and commented on how I've been so nice to him (by virtue of him passing my desk) and how he didn't know anyone in town so it made him feel as though he did have, at least, one friend. His confession was such a kind gesture and always reminds me to be mindful of those we cross paths with and that it never hurts to share a smile.

There are days when I miss that little ole post back home. I met so many wonderful people, including students, staff, Faculty, the general public, as well as many vendors and service providers within the institution. For the most part, I loved many of my co-workers, especially my supervisor. She was a great mentor to me - a strong woman with a good heart. She advised me when I needed to pull up my socks and was a good friend when the situation required it. A combination such as this is so hard to come by these days so I am grateful to have experienced that. We still keep in touch via email, mostly, and I hope we always do.

And that... makes me very happy.