So as, apparently, one of the few -NF-s posting (along with RRD), I may have a somewhat different perspective on stimulating and rewarding work. It's not that I haven't experienced similar situations--yes, I do essentially the same tasks over and over again, and yes, I've had supervisors who required, shall we say, management from below, but I find my vocational stimulation in the uniqueness of the people involved. Granted, there are patterns and repeated profiles that I see among the learners with whom I work (not to mention the colleagues with whom I work), but each child is a different and whole individual, in a unique family system, which is endlessly fascinating to me. I also admit to entertaining myself (and responding to my internal motivations for bettering individual and organizational outcomes) by effecting systemic change through other people, with or without their awareness.
I've spent time in fields that should have, on paper, been intellectually stimulating in a more conventional sense, but found them to be insufficiently engaging on an emotional and relational level. My current profession provides a better balance. Another advantage of my professional role is that I am the only one of my kind in my building, which allows me to avoid a lot of the "outperformance" conflicts mentioned above. Actually, at this point, despite the myriad federal and state regulations entwined in my work, I am pretty free to do my job however I like, at the pace and intensity that is most compatible with my life needs at that particular moment.
In addition, I've never expected any one aspect (whether a task or a person) of my life to provide everything necessary. No one can be all things to another person; nor do I want my career to be my sole, or even principal, venue for self-development.
I should also mention (though I'm pretty sure this audience already knows this!) that parenting is quite a challenging task on many levels.
