I think that for me, at this stage in life job satisfaction boils down to how well it feels I'm respected, or if the management I work under is constantly looki

I think that for me, at this stage in life job satisfaction boils down to how well it feels I'm respected, or if the management I work under is constantly looking for an excuse to fire you from day one. I've been at organizations that had an "up or out" type of atmosphere, where you were a dead man walking if you were in the same role/department after 2 - 3 years -- you didn't necessarily have to move up to management, but at the minimum you needed to find a different group in the organization to move to. Then there are organizations that feel they can't "survive" without you (although this is something to avoid too, since you can't advance or have peaceful days off). Now as for the work itself -- in order for me to get to the point where management values my contributions, I have to have the skill and motivation to make useful things. And that skill comes from job interest (I have a difficult time building up a skill in a subject I'm not interested in). So the one is almost a necessary precursor to the other.