A week and a half in and the new shiny job smell still hasn't worn off! I'd say it's a record, but I'd be lying.

I'm finally doing a programming job. I've been waiting for a while to do it (although I have no one else to blame for my tardiness except myself). Sure, I might be doing User Interface stuff, but its still programming. I still find it satisfying to be able to release something that solves a problem (bug fixes, new features, new systems entirely, whatever). While the work is challenging, it's still good fun.

It's funny that however much you try to separate your work life and own time, they still impact each other heavily. No matter how hard you try to leave your work stuff at work, the good and bad feelings bubble over into your personal time. Since the beginning of this new job I've been feeling happier than I have been for a long time. Although I'm sure it depends from person to person, it goes to show that job satisfaction does have a significant impact on your overall mental well-being. In my experience, it takes hindsight to realise how much of an effect it does have.

I think that job satisfaction is a measure of reaching your personal goals. Everyone is different, and everyone wants a different thing from their jobs. Personally it feels like a job has to allow me to be "productive", "creative", "challenged", "purposeful", and maybe just "busy" too. It doesn't have to be easy. It can be bloody hard. It can be frustrating. But if I can do something and feel like I've achieved something, then that seems good enough. I didn't have that at Curtin. I didn't even have that when I was working in Network Services. Previously, the only times I've felt that way was when I was programming. Funny that.

I don't think it's specifically programming that does it for me, but that I can achieve those goals through programming. I could very well feel the same way about another occupation entirely, such as teaching, or driving a bus. If you can find the things in the job that allow you to reach those goals of yours, then you should be able to be satisfied. Same goes for everything.