I love how Michelle gets FEATURED in articles on msn.ca...
Whether you’re a butcher, a baker or a candlestick maker, chances are you love your job. Shocked? Not if you’re one of the nearly 30 per cent of Canadians working at your dream job, or one of almost three times that number who admit to “loving” your boss.
Positive words to describe the daily grind, but according to a recent survey conducted by Sympatico / MSN, Canadians appear to be less disgruntled than one might imagine when it comes to making a living.
While a mere 10 per cent of all Canadians have landed in their childhood fantasy career, perhaps that’s because most kids don’t have an understanding of what actuaries, business analysts or systems administrators really do, as opposed to more popular choices such as teachers, actor/singers or astronauts.
So what’s with all of the good feelings around work life? Money, for one. The survey found that cold, hard cash is the best motivator for nearly 40 per cent of Canadian employees, but it’s not top of the list for everyone.
Take Michelle Dunkel, a 23 year old accountant working for one of Canada’s “Big Four” firms. A year into her career, Michelle’s motivation in landing her role was based on location over compensation, similar to 13 per cent of the survey’s respondents.
“I knew I wanted to live in Toronto, and that was a non-negotiable factor in my mind,” said the Waterloo, Ont. native. “Starting salary was something I didn’t take into account because I knew that it’s fairly regulated in my field for junior employees. I was much more focused on finding a firm with a good culture and a great location.”
The Canada Speaks survey highlighted that while a quarter of respondents ‘live to work’, most Canadians (72 per cent) ‘work to live’, a sentiment that Dunkel shares.
“Obviously, work is important. You should enjoy what you do and feel satisfied, but at the same time it shouldn’t be your only source of fulfilment,” she said. “Growing up I always participated in extracurricular activities, and I don’t want to give up the rest of my life for my job now.”
Yet, despite all of these contented workers, 28 per cent are contemplating job changes, and 29 per cent are considering dabbling in a new field altogether. “My generation realizes how important it is to find a job they love, and in order to do that you sometimes need to try a few things. If you’re happy, you’re more passionate and work doesn’t become work anymore. The people who know this are usually successful,” Dunkel said, noting that she was given good advice by her parents when choosing her own career path. “They told me to explore my options, take the time to see what’s out there, and don’t settle for the first thing you find.”
The Canada Speaks survey was conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of Sympatico / MSN between July 20 and July 24, 2007.
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