How would you rank the importance of the kind of people with whom you work? More important than the industry, the work? Should someone pick a job because they love the work or love the people? I know it's not that black and white, but if you have any thoughts, they are welcome.

Need context? This is coming from a social person who is relatively fresh out of college and definitely new in her career--and not sure where she wants her career to go, either.

As a current undergrad trying to find her career footing, I'd be interested to hear answers to this question, too!

People. People matter. You spend more time with your colleagues every day than you do with your family, your friends. You can't choose your relatives, but you can choose the kind of people you work with. I've learnt this both ways: by working with terrible people, the kind who undermine and backstab and make every day in or out of the office miserable; and by having had the pleasure and privilege of working with amazing people. The ideal of course is that you love the work and the people and you're being paid according to your worth. But in a best two out of three, I'd make sure people were in there.

Stacy-Marie makes a very good point, actually. If you work with people who play politics with your job, you're not going to enjoy it and you'll be miserable, no matter how much it pays. I can tell you that from experience as I'm currently in that exact environment and trying my damnedest to get out of it.

That being said, in most cases, you won't know exactly who you're going to work with until you're working with them. Case in point, the HR representative for my current job made everything sound wonderful, but once I got down and dirty into it, I've found it to be nothing of what I want it to be.

At the same time, don't forget that you want to do work that you enjoy as well. If you don't enjoy the work either, you'll really be unhappy.

They are both important
If you decide to work with people you like, they'll end up becoming like a family and your job will be enjoyable. In the end people are the ones that build a company and give meaning to it. The downside is that if you work out of your industry you might feel like you are not growing professionally and you won't be challenged in the same way.
In the other hand, working with people you don't like sucks!
The only good thing about it is that you will be able to focus more on you job and the challenges of your industry will make you a better, more prepared professional.
Always do what you are passionate about and if you get stuck in a place you don't like, keep looking for opportunities until you find the one you love

all good comments...one element worth pondering is working for or in a professional service firm (law, banking, acctg, consulting) versus industry. the former group are substantially horizontal whereas the latter tend to be more vertical hierarchies. this means a lot when it comes to having peers with similar backgrounds.

if you are highly educated and work in industry you may find few peers to lunch with in the cafeteria other than immediate colleagues whereas in a law firm you will find many peers with similar backgrounds.

lastly, on a different level, we need to think about how we judge and value other people. if we do not like the people we now work with, are we sure the next set will appeal to us any more? tolerance may be an issue?

Just to play devil’s advocate here – working with people you love is a great perk. But the opposite has a hidden benefit. If you’re not invested in the office culture, you tend to end up focusing much more on your job and finding satisfaction in work-related accomplishments. From there you will emerge as a someone who is good at your job and folks will come to you. Let the others get distracted with the backstabbing. Get your promotions, cut your teeth in diplomacy and then move on.

If you love the people but not the pay or vice versa – it’s something to consider. Thoughts?

I find that if you despise/can't stand the people around you, or feel bullied/undermined by the people to whom you report, it is very difficult to accomplish anything. And part of being rated as 'very good at your job' is the wildly subjective 'team player' / 'likability' factor.

True - an overtly hostile place is ultimately counter-productive. But you can channel mere indifference into something better.

I agree with your point, Rebecca and I feel that it is equally important to do your job well, but sometimes, no matter how good you are at your job, if you don't have the right people around you, it hurts your drive to do the good job that you do. I know you're playing devil's advocate, so let me explain my situation real fast before we resume.

I am currently in a position where I do a good job according to the company that I am contracted to, but I am sub-sub contracted, so I have to go through multiple companies just to have this job. And my contractor companies are unfortunately making my job unbearable, so no matter how good the pay is and how much the company I work for likes me, I want/need to get out of this environment. But, yeah.