Ask HN: What does it mean to be happy at work?

I think it boils down to one thing. How would you feel during your speech announcing that you&#x27;re leaving?<p>I recently thought about how this speech would go for me, and I actually started getting a little emotional. There is such a strong feeling of community at my job (and this is after a mere 6 months of working there), and I&#x27;ve made some really strong friendships here.<p>One think I feel is important is that being happy at your job doesn&#x27;t mean enjoying every second of it. I have to do stuff every day that makes me moan and groan. Supporting IE8 isn&#x27;t fun times - but when you can manage at least 3 honest belly laughs a day at work, you&#x27;ve found a home.

I find I go through ups and downs as well. My ups generally occur when I accomplish something, when I work on something meaningful, when I help others, when hard work gets acknowledged, when I learn something new, when I influence change, when a complaint or a concern doesn&#x27;t go unnoticed, etc. The downs on the other hand are primarily connected with feeling of helplessness, often due to restrictive hierarchy and bureaucracy, staleness (same work every day), status quo, frustrations that go unaddressed, etc.<p>edit: tuning out, punching in&#x2F;out (ass in a seat), meeting expectations for me are all signs that point to me being stuck at a job without much enjoyment. Not being vested in the company is a tricky one though - I am ready to make certain sacrifices for a company, however I will always ensure I have a backup strategy. The same should hold true for companies as well.

When your work is what you want to be doing, where you want to be, and the people around you are the people you want to be around, you&#x27;re happy at work.

Growth. Have you learned something new today? Are you around people who can teach you a thing or two? Are you pushing yourself? The best jobs change you. Make you better.