Enjoyable work paired with good salary and benefits. But I'd rather make less money doing something I like than make more money doing something I don't. - Akiva

Enjoyable work is at the top for me. - Kevin Johnson

I seem to have skated by on not making an awful lot of dough, but more than anything, actual enjoyable work is part of it. I l need to be engaged. I also like bosses giving me a bit of a leash to get what I need done, done. - Derrick

What Akiva said... - JA Castillo

i've always started with enjoyable work in the top spot. many years as a grad student and in residency taught me that mediocre salaries can be tolerated if I like what I'm doing. Flexibility is usually second. i would say good work atmosphere, but I've found that's usually not something you can easily assess until at least a few months into the job - Imabug

Stability and pay - Scoble, Alex Scoble

Right now: Stability. In my dreams: A job I enjoy - Just Katie

My biggest thing right now is benefits and flexibility. I can sludge through the work I might not enjoy. - aden {Chickadee}

It should be something I would do for free. Other than that, benefits are important. As long as I can pay my bills and take a yearly vacation, I don't need a lot of money. - Jenny H

Typically it would be enjoyable work and flexibility; at the moment it's all about the stability and pay though. The economy does that to a person. - SOMEBODY!

I recently left a stable high paying job for a higher paying job with far more flexibility. - Otto

1) Agency and independence. I want to be able to establish and implement my own projects. 2) Collegial, collaborative, interesting, service-oriented, smart colleagues. 3) Work that matters. As a librarian, at the end of nearly every day I feel like I've done something to help someone out in a real way. 4) Not being bored. 5) Benefits are good too - marthalib

I need flexibility, to do my own thing, could care less about the rest. Stability can be manufactured. Pay is negligible above a certain level, $60k is normally cited, but I'd say it's closer to $20k, if you don't bother with needless indulgence, it only preps you to hit the button again, and again. I don't care if the work is all that enjoyable, so long as I can afford the time to do my own stuff. Benefits are just perks, nice bonus, but not necessary. - Jimminy, CoG of FF

what Alex said - Jeff (Team マクダジ )

Good people to work with since you're around them EVERYDAY. - SteVe "Beefy Miracle" C

Flexibility - always. - Dan owns Comicsforge.com

Thanks for the feedback all, I appreciate it =) - FFing Enigma

1. work that challenges me, but doesn't make me cry. 2. flexible company culture. 3. salary and benefits. - tiffany

I would like to revise my answer to include not crying as well, this seems important now that tiffany has brought it up. - SteVe "Beefy Miracle" C

Happiness and a feeling that I contribute to something worthwhile. Enough flexibility that I don't feel like a machine could do my job. Health benefits. Salary negotiable - I've taken sizable pay cuts to work somewhere that I'd be happier. Money and health benefits can trump happy in the short term, especially as someone who has had to lean on health bennies quite hard earlier in my life, but if the work doesnt make me happy, I won't stay. - ωαřмaiden ☆Team O'Otto☆

Stability, flexibility, pay. - Rodfather

Salary and challenges. - Nir Ben Yona

Assuming I were to take a job working for someone else: autonomy and flexibility, then money. But I would ask a lot of questions to make some effort to assess the people and the culture, and make sure the job they were offering bore some resemblance to the job it was going to turn out to be. I've had those not match up before, to the point you could say people actually lied about what the job was. - Mary B, VALUE author

when I did it was for the love of it. - VALZ says WELL LB!!

The working environment and the people. Just like FriendFeed is the people that make the difference. I'm happy where I am because the people are great and the office is on a farm! The work isn't the most exciting (though I enjoy), it's not hugely well paid (though it's a staff role) but I'm happy where I am right now and hope I've finally found a stable job for a few years. - Kol Tregaskes

The other people I work with. Even as an introvert, working with a great group of folks can make some of those other elements far less important. - Ordinarybug Heather

A sense of purpose - Robert Higgins

I agree completely with pea. We spend most of our life at our jobs and if I hate it, I'm miserable in the rest of my life. Working with kids is something I love and am good at. Salary and benefits are very high on the list, as well. - Lis

Enjoyable work, variety, good people to work with, a chance to regularly stretch the mental muscles. - Kevin (barely visible)

Hugs. - Louis Gray

work/life balance, doing something that is meaningful and having time to pursue other interests - Loc

It depends upon what stage of your life you're in. If your young and single, then enjoyable work is very important, but if you have a family to support, then salary/benefits are very important, and sometimes you just have to suck it up with a job you don't enjoy. - Bonnie Foster

Right now? A job that will hire me :P - Lo the Baker

I feel you on that one Lo, I'm on month 10 of my job hunt =/ - FFing Enigma from fftogo

i think my career is well and truly behind me. at least my most recent one. :( - Joe Silence

I think that the people you work with are the most important - Toby Graham