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In the November 26 issue of Time magazine, there’s a graphic-driven article that speaks to on-the-job satisfaction. (You can also find an interactive version of the data on the Time website.) According to this survey, the clergy are the most content, with a full 67% claiming they are “very happy” with their work. No doubt because they toil day-in and day-out for the “Big Boss,” and bring a lot of comfort to people (if they’re doing their job well). Interestingly, firefighters are among the very happiest at work, too.

I’m pleased to note that folks in our field seem pretty happy as well. Those broadly placed in the category “advertising” appear in the top 1/3rd of the happy-at-work list, with about 42% saying they, too, are “very happy.” Those that they report to are only oh-so-slightly less happy: about 41% of managers in the fields of marketing and advertising claim to be “very happy.”

This doesn’t surprise me. Having been in the ad/marketing biz for some 20 years, I would have to say that I’ve always felt, in the big picture, at least, very happy about my job. Yes, I’ve had some real difficult clients that had me thinking that being a firefighter might actually be a more comfortable job. And I’ve had some crazy-ass supervisors, one who had less self-awareness than a rock, who made work so painful at times that the thought of joining the clergy crossed my mind (until, that is, the notion of celibacy popped into my mind). Those bad job experiences aside, a life in advertising has been a true joy–most notably here at Barefoot. Why?

Well, for me, it’s because the culture is open, free and stimulating. There’s no heavy-hand demanding a certain way of thinking or approaching work, other than the requirement that you seek excellence and, along the way, respect yourself, your colleagues and your clients. While some agency cultures seem to reward jackasss and prima donnas, not Barefoot. An abundance of talent and an abundance of kindness are by no means mutually exclusive. You need both to do well at Barefoot. That’s why it’s such a happy place to work. And, at the end of the work day, a happy place in a happy industry is one great place to be.