From my late teens to mid 30's I played music and loved it, til I didn't. Mostly due to band mgmt issues.
Mid 30's to late 40's, corporate job flying around the country firing people. Great money, but a complete mind****.
Late 40's to early 50's. Played poker professionally. Absolutely loved it until all the bad players went broke.
The last 4 years I've owned and operated my own used car dealership. For the most part, it's been very enjoyable. The money is great, and the freedom is even better. I've built the business up to the point that I can leave when I wish and go do what I want. I can choose who I want to sell to, and more importantly who I don't.

I can't say I always love what I do.  It isn't the job really, it's me.
My personality is the type that probably needs to be moving into something new to feel energized. I haven't done that in a long time.
 
I was into all kinds of things when I was younger until I moved into tech . Not in the ivory towers of large tech companies. I was in the smaller operations. 
 
 When the economy went south for awhile in the 80's I found myself without a job. I took a job in an unrelated field. Some of the training I had was useful.
Things have come full circle now and I'm involved with tech using control automation controlling large areas and systems across long distances.  Sometimes I program.
 
I'm responsible for dozens of  systems that I  monitor, program, schedule and control on a daily basis.  Knowing how the systems are supposed to operate gives me a heads up to the small things before they become more serious issues.
 
 I've been at it for a long time. It gets to be old sometimes. Like anything else I guess. I sometimes feel like the lion at the zoo looking sadly out of the cage.What if I tried something else? And then I talk myself out of it. I work for a pretty good employer.
 
Music/recording is purely an after work activity.

I think the most fun I had in a job was when I was developing software in the mid to late 90s. I was absorbing every sample project on Compuserve and reading every book ever written on Microsoft Access. I was innovating - doing things that weren't done before. I ended up writing development books for IDG, MS Press, O'Reilly, and Pearson and I was speaking on Microsoft technologies with the guys I was looking up to! Microsoft even flew me to Redmond to consult on new releases of Access. The sky was the limit in those days! :)
 
Now I run the company. I have about 43 employees and we have over 40,000 users of our software. I am not allowed to touch the code. :) While I don't think being a CEO is my life's purpose and I can't say I love it, it's really a fantastic job that allows me to feed my gear lust and make music for fun in a fantastic home studio (and educate my kids, have a house, etc.) I do love that I have control over who I work with, and I do a good job overall balancing work and personal life - that's important to me. I'm about to turn 48, and I'm hoping I can retire at 55 with good health and a solid bank account. That dream gets me up in the morning! ;)

The starving artist thing didn't last long for me....before I went for a real job, shortly out of college.  
 
I don't love what I do, but on most days, I don't hate it either.  Mostly, I manage other people now.  On any given day, 5 full time employees and 30-40 carpenters and contract workers.  It pays well and I am able to afford to have fun with my hobbies.  Hey, it could be worse.  

I envy my better half (in a positive way). She has an interesting job as a journalist and interpreter and she really likes it. Allthough, sometimes it's incredibly stressing, obviously. So much so that I sometimes worry for her health.
But I can't complain. I've made my choices without anyone pressing on me.

I am a contractor (for a US Government) agency...Red tape capital of the world.  Can't say I absolutely love it, but it does pay the bills fairly well. 

I clean toilets. What's NOT to love?!

soens
I clean toilets. What's NOT to love?!

Apparently, Sharke can use a man of your talents!