IT workers came 66th out of 81 professions ranked for job satisfaction in research carried out by the University of Bath, despite one in 10 techies earning more than £45,000 ($91,000)a year.
Hairdressers ranked second in the overall job satisfaction league table behind corporate managers but some of the other professions with happier workers than IT included cleaners, librarians, secretaries and transport drivers.
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Really interesting report. It shows that money doesn’t necessarily lead to job satisfaction. My hypothesis as to why IT workers come in so low is this. Most people enter jobs such as hairdressers out of passion, because they enjoy it. Because this is their passion, they’ll naturally be happier with their jobs. As for the other jobs mentioned such as cleaners and secretaries, those jobs tend to involve helping people directly. Which tends to be more satisfying than just sitting at a desk with a computer.
In an IT job, you don’t really get to see the effects of your work that immediately/obviously (I work for a web design company, so I’m kind of speaking from experience). And unless you’re really passionate about it (as I am), you probably won’t enjoy it that much. Too many people are entering IT because they view it as a thriving industry that will ensure them more money. While that may be true, it leads to lower job satisfaction.
What about you? Why do you think that IT workers are unhappier? And on a more personal level, are you happy with your job? If not, what can/are you going to do about it?
