JONATHON, DOCTOR, 29
I’m a big advocate for changing careers. It would be difficult to find an 18-year-old who knows exactly what they want to do with their life. I don’t think you can truly know what you’re getting yourself into until you’re actually doing the job. In addition, people’s priorities and interests change over time, and that may mean their career becomes less stimulating. I don’t love everything about being a doctor and sometimes I think about where my life may have gone if I’d chosen a different path. Nevertheless, one of the great things about medicine is it’s diverse – there are so many places it can take you. I have found my niche, which took me a while, but I really enjoy what I do.

STEPH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER, 32
Ultimately, I treat my job as a way to earn money to live the life I want. At the beginning of my career, I put more emphasis on having a ‘cool’ job and being creatively fulfilled. I started in arts, music and publishing – areas I was passionate about – but eventually realised I can enjoy those fields outside of work, rather than having to be in the industry. Now I value a work–life balance and decent salary much more. I’m married and pregnant, with a mortgage and ageing parents who may eventually need financial support – salary is very important. I also recognise my worth and experience and expect to be remunerated accordingly. When I was younger, I definitely didn’t mind earning less (I was on minimum wage for years). I hadn’t thought about saving for property or kids; those things seemed really far away. But I can see myself being happy to take a much lower-paid role when I am older, when the mortgage is almost paid off, and when I don’t have family members relying on me financially.

LUCINDA, WRITER AND COMEDIAN, 27
I would relate most to a quote that read “do what you love and it will become your life”. Success is very important to me and I always ask myself why. Sometimes it’s important because I love my work, and in order to create things I’m proud of, I need to give it 100 per cent. But other times it’s important because I’m preoccupied with looking ‘successful’. That’s always way more stressful, and I think that attitude is a major contributor to burn out. It’s like the cow farts of the methane-gas issue: bullshit! I don’t need that much meat or stress to be fulfilled. 

TONY, RETIRED, 65
Job-hopping is the only real control that an employee has in their workplace. Working conditions, hours and rates are hopefully agreed on between employer and employee, but more often than not, the employee takes what’s offered. People should stay in a job as long as they feel valued and are getting satisfaction from their work. I have worked in health for over 40 years and have not stayed in the same job for longer than five years; I’ve changed my job whenever I’ve felt bored, overworked, disillusioned or unhappy. The biggest change in workplace culture I’ve seen is the increasing expectation that an employee commits 110 per cent to their job at all times – throughout family issues, physical and mental illness and other life hurdles. The management style that embraces KPIs and performance reviews enforces this.

KENNEDY, ADVERTISING AGENCY ACCOUNT MANAGER, 26 
For me, success at work doesn’t just fall under the typical ‘climbing the corporate ladder’ cliché. I think success can be found in many aspects of the job: achieving work–life balance, developing new knowledge and skills, achieving mindfulness, giving back, knowing your values and surrounding yourself with good people. Finding a job where you’re remunerated well for your role – with flexibility that suits your life outside of work – is essential. 

SIMONE, ART DIRECTOR, 48
I am one of the lucky ones who loves her job a lot; I pinch myself every day that I am paid to be creative. With almost three decades in the workforce, I have seen a lot. When I informed a very senior figure in my very large workplace that I was pregnant with my first, he congratulated me, but in the same breath, looked out the window and sighed. From that moment, I stopped being invited to meetings and no longer led the high-profile projects. Several years and roles later, I can honestly say this attitude has changed. The tide is also changing for employees: they have more power than ever now. I’ve worked in organisations that demand absolute loyalty, and for the longest time their employees gave it willingly. But this position has been abused. Now if a company isn’t treating you well, you can move with zero guilt. Gone are the days where people sit stagnant in roles for years on end – which is as it should be, because movement and new challenges are what keep us all professionally fresh and valuable.

RACHEL, SOCIAL WORKER, 34
It’s important to me to work in a field I love and find meaningful. We spend so much of our waking hours working, so if I have the luxury to choose, I want to spend my time on what brings me joy and fulfilment. What I’ve realised over the years is that the work will always be there the next day, and the next, and the next; putting boundaries around my work has become an important practice to look after myself. There have been times when I’ve worked overtime to assist someone in a crisis and it was worth it, but I definitely could not do that every day – it’s not something that feels sustainable over a long period of time. I use a lot of emotional energy to hold space for someone in my work, and working overtime can leave me depleted and fatigued – it becomes a cycle in which I am then not able to show up for my work fully the next day.

Read the rest of this story, which shares reflections from radiographers, lawyers, mums and more, in issue 109. To get your mitts on a copy, swing past the frankie shop, subscribe or visit one of our lovely stockists.