gneiss

My point was that the OP seemed to assume no one could be happy in such a job, that they are lying to themselves about being happy. People are in blue-collar jobs for a variety of reasons, none of them have anything to do with some other person looking in wondering if they are happy. And work is important, you spend 1/3 of your time there most days. Everyone has a different idea of happiness, and it is silly to assume that someone with a different lifestyle and values would be unhappy just because you would be unhappy.

I think it struck a nerve with me because I've worked so many crappy customer service jobs. Be a cashier for 30 minutes and I guarantee some b@stard customer will treat you like their time is more valuable because they make more money. You will get treated like an idiot because you are running a cash register instead of curing cancer. People will be rude because they are obviously superior since they drive a newer car, have a bigger house. I used to like people until I worked as a cashier but you see people at their worst in that line of work, people with a smug sense of superiority. They assume customer service people are dumb because they stick to the rules that ensure their continued employment. And they never stop to think they don't know the whole story. Sure I was a cashier. But I was also studying geophysics on my lunch break. I'm not an idiot, I just needed some spending money.