That doesn’t prevent your work from having meaning. Over the years I’ve had the full range, from purely physical mindless labor to earn a paycheck, to projects that meant so much to me I once responded to a salary requirement with “Hell I’d basically do this for a ham sandwhich”.
It took a lot of effort, time, training, and sheer stubbornness on my part, but here I am in middle age, having finally found a work life balance that is just about perfect.
The work I do is interesting, challenging, unique, and has benifit for the entire company and more importantly, my fellow employees.
I could make more by taking different job, but the added stress, hours, and lack of meaning to me doesn’t make it worth it.
I could find a more fulfilling job, but likely at a pay cut that would lower my standard of living too much.
The important part to me is, I look forward to my work. I’ll work in the evening or on weekends a bit just because I’ve thought up a solution and the problem solving is fun for me.
Even when I have to do the shit parts of my job, it never wears on me since it’s part of a greater whole. While making money is obviously important, and a big part of why I have a job at all, just making money can’t be all of it.
Getting home at the end of the day from backbreaking labor, doing work that feels shady, takes advantage of people, or supports an industry that I don’t agree with, leaves me feeling a sense of dread about going back the next day. I can’t enjoy the time that is mine as much when I know I have to go back to that tomorrow.
As with all things this can be taken to extremes, but I think it’s great that young people care about the wider implications of their work, and the value it brings to them.
This can only lead to better working environments, and hopefully, more ethically minded buisnesses.
That doesn’t prevent your work from having meaning. Over the years I’ve had the full range, from purely physical mindless labor to earn a paycheck, to projects that meant so much to me I once responded to a salary requirement with “Hell I’d basically do this for a ham sandwhich”.
It took a lot of effort, time, training, and sheer stubbornness on my part, but here I am in middle age, having finally found a work life balance that is just about perfect.
The work I do is interesting, challenging, unique, and has benifit for the entire company and more importantly, my fellow employees.
I could make more by taking different job, but the added stress, hours, and lack of meaning to me doesn’t make it worth it.
I could find a more fulfilling job, but likely at a pay cut that would lower my standard of living too much.
The important part to me is, I look forward to my work. I’ll work in the evening or on weekends a bit just because I’ve thought up a solution and the problem solving is fun for me.
Even when I have to do the shit parts of my job, it never wears on me since it’s part of a greater whole. While making money is obviously important, and a big part of why I have a job at all, just making money can’t be all of it.
Getting home at the end of the day from backbreaking labor, doing work that feels shady, takes advantage of people, or supports an industry that I don’t agree with, leaves me feeling a sense of dread about going back the next day. I can’t enjoy the time that is mine as much when I know I have to go back to that tomorrow.
As with all things this can be taken to extremes, but I think it’s great that young people care about the wider implications of their work, and the value it brings to them.
This can only lead to better working environments, and hopefully, more ethically minded buisnesses.