Do you like your job?

It's Friday afternoon and past time to go home from my day job as an Occupational Health Nurse / Infection Control Practitioner. I've been working at this position for over six months now and in my extensive experience of settling into new positions, that's the acid test, meaning.... you know after trying the job on for six months whether it's the right move or not. You've gotten over the looking everything up, what's next? doing parts of tasks three or four times until you figure out what works best in what order and finally feel like you are (mostly) in control of yourself. If you're going to be bored silly, unhappy with the fit or just plain not be able to handle it... you'll know by now. After the wild first month I had with outbreaks, Tim stopped asking if the situation was getting any better when I flatly proclaimed "no and it's not going to, this is the new reality"

My problem is that I can handle it but I'm not convinced that I want to. When I'm asked if I like my job I say "no" and that surprises people. So I say "well, it's really not much fun right now and the last job I had was great - how can you top working with mom's and babies with Public Health?" Kind of stops them cold. Mostly I think because it's a rhetorical question and the expected response is an enthusiastic "yes, I love my job" If I'm further questioned I point out all the 'interesting times I've lived in' since June and the changes and general pace of my life. But the reality is that I can do this job for five years if I have to as it pays better, I have six weeks vacation, we are still carrying our old house and have built a new one, we are looking at two tuitions in the fall and ... I like to eat regularly. So, enough whining - this is what I'm doing. The infection control /occupational health is also a good preparation for tropical /travel medicine so I look to the future. And I am learning lots - somethings though you just don't want to know!

So as I shut down the computer and lock the door I'm singing "everybody's working for the weekend"