Sometimes it is fun, sometimes it is just hard work. It depends on where you are in your career and what you are working on. Successful astronomers who have managed to secure long-term employment by winning tenure, or a civil service position, have the most fun I think. They can enter into research projects knowing that their jobs are secure until they retire. This removes the dreadful task of every 1-2 years having to worry about where to find your next job, and where in the country that job will be. For the rest of us who do not have long-term employment in astronomy, it is sometimes not so fun. Out of the 6000 astronomers in this country, about half of them do not have secure positions. We live from one contract to the next, or one research grant to the next, and if you do not get renewed well, that's it. You have to look for work outside of astronomy. For me, I have had a lot of fun doing research, going to different observatories to study stars and distant galaxies, and to work on many exciting space projects such as the NASA Cosmic Background Explorer. I am very happy where I have been in my research, I have had lots of joy in teaching others about how wonderful astronomy is, and writing lots of articles and books on the subject. Would I choose to be an astronomer again if I could start over? Probably not. The times have changed and many of my interests are not quite the same as they were 20 years ago when I entered graduate school. But that is life! There are many exciting things to do with your life, and there are MANY, MANY ways to keep interested in astronomy without becoming an astronomer!