Workers Wish They Had a Do-Over in Their Careers

If they could do it all over again, most U.S. workers apparently would choose a different career.

In a survey by Parade Magazine and Yahoo! Finance, nearly 60 percent of employees said they would want to work in a different field.

The survey examined several aspects of workplace life, including employees' preferences and plans. Among the findings, more than 60 percent said they would rather have a better workspace than an easier commute, and 56 percent would like a 5 percent raise more than two weeks of vacation.

Workers were almost evenly split on just how close they would be with their colleagues if they didn't have to work with them each day. Fifty-one percent said they would keep their friendships with their peers regardless of where they worked, while 49 percent would pass on being friends with their co-workers if they didn't see each other around the office.

When it comes to getting ahead at work, more than half of employees thought it happens because of office politics, and just 27 percent believed it is because of hard work. Cynicism appears to grow over the course of a career: Of the survey respondents who were younger than 25, only 28 percent said getting ahead is chiefly due to internal politics, while 45 percent cited hard work.

[10 CEOs Who Keep Their Workers Happy]

The study found employees aren't doing a very good job of saving their money. If they found themselves out of a job tomorrow, 27 percent of employees say they’d have no savings to tide them over, and 26 percent said they would have up to three months of savings.

As they look toward the end of their careers, just 15 percent of employees thought they'd actually retire at age 65. Nearly 30 percent said they planned to retire by 70, 13 percent before age 60 and 13 percent after age 75.

Some 26,000 U.S. employees participated in the survey.

Follow Chad Brooks on Twitter @cbrooks76 or BusinessNewsDaily @BNDarticles. We're also on Facebook& Google+.