If you’re incredibly lucky, the job you have now is what you dreamed of being when you were a little kid. Most of us can’t say that. Most of us settle for something more practical. I know I did.

OK, OK, I know, radio host doesn’t seem very practical. Yet it’s downright stable compared to my dream job as a girl. I wanted to be an actress (I’ll wait for you to stop laughing).

Annoyed woman plugging ears with fingers doesn't want to listen
SIphotography
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I’m counting my blessings though, because I really love what I’m doing now and it turns out many can’t say the same.

A recent survey shows a whopping 38% of people loathe their jobs. It was done by CardRates.com and 3,000 people were asked a very simple, direct question:

Do you loathe your job?

fizkes
fizkes
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Yikes. More than one in three New Jerseyans said yes.

Here in New Jersey, 38% translates to 1,647,638 workers hating. every. workday.

Big ol' OOF!

Office rage series - businesswoman received bad news
Peter Bernik
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It could be worse. We could be Nevada or Mississippi where 56% of people say they loathe their jobs. Then again we could be better, like Iowa, where only 11% hate their work.

Why did people say they weren’t working in their dream job? Reasons listed:

🔴 Financial limitations: 35%
🔴 Lack of opportunities: 34%
🔴 Family commitments: 22%
🔴 Academic challenges: 7%
🔴 Market demand: 2%

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HbrH
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Only 14% of people report working in the job they dreamed of as children.

What were the Top 10 dream jobs from childhood?

According to the respondents:

🔟 Fighter Pilot
9️⃣ Astronaut

Photo via NanoStockk
Photo via NanoStockk
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8️⃣ Entrepreneur
7️⃣ Chef

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Wavebreakmedia Ltd
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6️⃣ Actor/Actress
5️⃣ Veterinarian

damedeeso
damedeeso
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4️⃣ Athlete
3️⃣ Musician

Man playing music at black wooden acoustic guitar
Photo via Cristian Gabriel Kerekes
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2️⃣ Teacher
1️⃣ Doctor

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Thomas Northcut
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LOOK: Fastest-growing jobs in New Jersey

Stacker analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine which jobs in New Jersey grew the fastest between 2022 and 2023.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

The 10 best and 10 worst states to retire

For their 2024 report, Bankrate.com analyzed factors such as cost of living, health care and crime to rank the 50 states as places where you might want to consider retirement. Visit this link for the complete report.

Gallery Credit: Bankrate/New Jersey 101.5

Income that a family of 4 needs in every NJ county

Here’s what MIT’s Living Wage Calculator says a couple with two children needs in each New Jersey county to simply squeak by.

Gallery Credit: MIT Living Wage Calculator

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.
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