The reality is that there have really only been two jobs I've had that I can look back and say "I really enjoyed that work." It's interesting because they're the only full-time-non-computer jobs I've had. Working full time as a staffer for the Appalachia Service Project, and being a full time fencing coach were both great experiences.
But what I don't know is if I liked them because of the type of work I did, or the ability to manage my own time to a high degree. In the case of ASP, I was one of four staffers, and three of us answered to the fourth, then he reported to ASP HQ, but they didn't really meddle in the day-to-day stuff. I was the "Finance Guy" so I Had my domain and as long as my reports got in and I did the rest of my duties, no one really had anything to say.
In being a fencing coach and club owner, it was much the same way. I essentially had no one to answer to and no one to answer for. My choices were my own and they affected me (and my club) only. Maybe that's why small businesses are appealing, and maybe that's why I get so upset when things don't go well. I want control over my life. It would seem that I don't care what it is that I'm doing, so long as I have control over how I do it.
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I recognize that the control is a big part of it, but could it also be related to the fact that you need to be needed? Both of those jobs required you to make the decisions-their success depended on you and you alone. Those people also looked to you-and needed you. RCF fencers needed you as the coach, which is why you ended up doing a lot more than maybe you planned.
I also think that you enjoy working with people more than maybe you enjoy working with your computer terminal. In both of those jobs you spent a significant amount of time interacting with other people. Sure, you dealt with some finances from time to time, but the majority of them involved working on a project or fencing/travelling with others.
I guess I think there's more than just the one correlation between those two jobs.
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