Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Job Satisfaction

Every now and then I get on a stint where I think to myself "Is it possible to love what you do for a living?" Not tolerate, not "It's OK", but really LOVE going to work every day. With a few exceptions, I think the answer is no.

That bums me out.

Let's look at the people who probably love going to work
  • Firefighter: They get off on stuff catching on fire and then putting it out. They love the rush, the satisfaction of saving lives, of making a difference. They love it so much there have been cases where firefighters started starting fires so that they would have something to do.
  • Artists: I imagine if you love to paint, and someone is willing to pay for your stuff. Then being an artist has huge satisfaction. You get to find something that catches your eye and then work on it all day.
Now how about people who don't love going to work
  • Me: I don't get a thrill every day when I wake up and say "WHOOHOO! I get to go certify the quality of my product!!!" I think it goes something like this. "I need money and they won't give me that if I don't go today."
So am I alone in this? Do most people love what they do? I doubt it. More than likely you, the average Joe, just wants to pay the bills and move on. You are LONG past the time when your work had meaning. Now you are just doing everything you can to not get outsourced, to not get cut in the name if efficiency.

If that is not the case I would love to hear from you. What makes your job so great that you love going every day? And here is the next question... what should we tell out kids? Should we tell them the truth?

posted by AmericanCrystalBall @ 8:52 AM   2 comments

2 Comments:

At 10:37 AM, Blogger Sol_Touch said...

It's funny that you comment on this topic, Dave. I, too, have found myself pondering the same issue from time to time.

The idea of being "content" with my occupation for the rest of my life is pretty damned depressing. Usually I find myself thinking about this subject when I've had a particularly rough or uneventful day. However, within week or so I typically fall back into the routine without giving it much more thought.

So, what can be done about this? Figure out what our passions are and chase after them like greyhound chases a rabbit, without thought of consequence? Jump from one adventure to another, to avoid becoming complacent? Some may say, "Hell yes! This is your LIFE!"

But then the pesky reality of money returns to the forefront of the picture and you realize that ant farming just doesn't pay the mortgage.

Do we have to become "content" with the earlier choices we have made in our lives (to buy a home, to have families, etc.) instead of dwelling on the fact that we are only content? God, I hope not.

Best wishes,
Peggy

 
At 10:46 AM, Blogger AmericanCrystalBall said...

Here here Peggy! Contentment is a difficult emotion to nail down. Are you content? Are you complacent? Are you simply too tired to fight any more?

Or the other side of the shoe is that maybe we are seeking happiness in the wrong places. Maybe we are not supposed to love our jobs. But instead we are supposed to love the things jobs enable: family, fun, vacations, cool toys, good food.

Unless you know EXACTLY what will make you unendingly happy then maybe "OK" is good enough. Otherwise we end up playing whack-a-mole with our lives.

 

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