SNET Internet : Features : Survey : Career Priorities

If you were just starting your career today, which of the following would best describe your top priority?

Climbing the corporate ladder - 128 (4%)
Running my own business - 458 (15%)
Just living comfortably - 525 (17%)
Enjoying what I do - 1,683 (53%)
Opportunity to learn - 261 (8%)
Other - 101 (3%)

Your comments:

"Enjoying what I do and learning would both be top priorities of equal importance." C.S., Stratford

"I have recently had an unexpected job change. I always enjoyed what I do, but I voted for learning. I enjoy learning more than anything. I hate to keep my mind Idle. It is great to love what you do, but you need to stimulate your mind as well. If you can have both, you have the best!" L.J.N., East Haddam

"It doesn't surprise me that the majority of people would like to enjoy what they do. If you stop to dissect it the average person spends more awake hours on the job as opposed to home. They work with people that don't mean nearly as much as family and care about less about you as an individual. Why do we subject ourselves to this? So we can give our family the 'stuff' we never had. I'll bet if you polled the children their vote would be for more time at home with Mom and Dad, not qualitative but quantitative. What do you think?" M.K., Danbury

"I have just started a 'new career'. I have a Master's in Special Ed. I have worked as a teacher, and many other side jobs. I spent 14 years as a Clinical Behavior Specialist, amongst other responsibilities at a small company in Central CT. What a nightmare! I stayed because I became a single mom with a mortgage and car payment and three kids to feed. I got very little help from my Ex. I was miserable for years, but the job paid the bills and offered the flexibility to meet my kids needs. I remarried and finally found a job I could enjoy. Less money, less prestige, lots of work, but I am learning so much and I actually work with nice people who care about others. I had lots of jobs offers, but all doing things that would have made me miserable. ($$$ galore, but who needs it if you're miserable.) So, of course I want to work where I am happy - that is exactly what I did!" K.O., Salem

"Doing what you want in your career could mean that you mainly say 'do you want fries with that?'" Tom, Woodstock

Previous survey results are available.