Should someone choose their career based on love for it? What about retirement?

Yes, this is the choice you make. Everyone who is doing a regualr job is aware of this conundrum. Everyday in the work world, you will have a boss who is likely annoying in some way, you will be told what to do, you will be rented but the boss will believe he owns you. Nothing too different than any job.

Most people keep their head down, try not to make waves, don't answer the phone on their days off.

So what you have to do is decide what path in life you want for yourself. As adults we always have to make a decision based on partial information, and hope it works out. Whether these people will feed you and pay the bills when you are down, or whether you go into the corporate environment with its pitfalls. Any job gets routine after a time, no matter how exciting it is initially. That fast initial learning curve is addicting, but is really a temporary thing.

Generally you look for a job that grows your skills and responsibility. Or one or the other.

In my world of experience, there are office people, and people people. You seem to be a people person, and a cubicle would kill you. OK maybe not literally but it will feel like it.

There must be jobs in accounting or banking that would bring you into contact with outsiders, processing loan applications, for instance, servicing clients at their place of business. representing a company to get new accounts. Something where you come into contact with outsiders. Don't overlook that the particular company you work for might just be a bad fit, some corporate climates are distinctly cold others are better.

If you like working at the bank, then go for it. If you work hard, and with your degree, you can get promotions. then, down the road, if another bank has an opening with a higher level position, you can apply for that. You don't have to stay with one bank forever.

You do want to make the most you can in the event you settle down someday and have a family. You can't do that on "teller's pay" so you will have to work really hard, do the best you can and show them that you want to "advance".

I say do what you love, but you should note that not ALL accounting jobs will be just like the hell hole you are in now, and not ALL teller jobs will be as good as your last one. Moreover, bank tellers will be obsolete in the not too distant future, as banks largely move online. Doing mortgages and personal lines might be a good fit, or any job where you work directly with the public, but 'front line' jobs with the public tend to pay far less than back office jobs, so you have to decide if that's worth it to you.

find a job that you love, and you will never work a day in your life. If you start putting away $100 into a mutual fund every payday now, you will not have to worry about retirement because you will have about a million bucks when you are 65. Wait until you are 30 to start, and you will have to put away $400 per payday to get the same results.

If you hate a career, you're not likely to be very good at it.

Better to be a kindergarten teacher than a corporate executive if you go to an early grave via hating your job.

That depends on the person . If you do what you love you will become good at it . I gave up my Accounting degree to build roads and bridges .

Secure and depressed or a little poorer but much happier. I would prefer happier

Its a packaged love.

Teller is a dead end job.