Is everybody just phoning it in for a boss that just needs you to do busy work?
It would be fulfilling if it paid enough to do more than just scrape by. It’s basically social work
Not really but my life outside of work is, plus I get free health insurance and they pay me enough money to have a reasonably comfortable life.
Ish? I run machines at a steel tube/chromed bar processing plant in the Midwest which is kinda neat but also mind-numbing, but the money is really good for what I do. They just offered me an outside sales position over my whole state so… I like doing new things and my background is in food and bev so I’d much rather be dealing with people than pushing buttons on a CNC or hone all day plus for a pay increase and not being all gross and oily when I get off work? No-brainer
I’m a freelance chef.
- Fairly well paid (I can work parttime and still pay the bills).
- I’m ridiculously self-disciplined and stress-resistant so I find it quite easy.
- I get to see behind the curtain at a lot of restaurants.
- I’ve built something of a local reputation and a circle of friends in the industry.
- Being good at cooking, organising, and leading people is in itself very satisfying.
- People find me more attractive because of it, haha.
I’m just sick of making money for other people and sort of sick of working evenings. Oh, and people are always asking me to cook for them. Otherwise, I’m fulfilled. It’ll be time for me to look at setting up my own place soon enough.
Sometimes it’s pretty neat. I’ve found new signals and genes needed for red blood cell development.
Nope.
Yeah. Left print media and IT for driving people to the hospital.
Crossing now into better pay than IT. Actual pension. Still get to problem solve. Help. Do craziness. Do naps.
It has the potential to be meaningful in the right time and in the right place but generally it’s just a transaction of skills to survive, and have some means to have a fulfilling life outside of work.
Yep, I fix problems that affect millions of people, downstream of me and end use customers.
I also manage a team of people and find helping them build a team they’re satisfied with is in turn very satisfying for me. Big win the other week: one went on vacation for an entire week and did not need to answer emails or phone. Another team member was assigned to cover and had the information and resources she needed. I’ve been the manager for less than six months and working hard on cross training and access and workload balancing. Compare this to the last four years where I was a part of the group but not manager; anyone out of office for more than a day could expect to be interrupted on vacation. I was once out for three days bereavement and had my phone silenced in my car during the funeral. Now as the manager, I want that to never happen to one of my employees.
Thankfully, yes. I grew to hate my previous job because of shitty leadership. I was cut when there were two rounds of downsizing because I was the best-paid on my team. They did me a favor. I was only half-heartedly looking for a new job because doing so is challenging when your morale is blasted from working a shit job.
The new job is far higher stakes, but also far easier 95% of the time. I’m reading books during my downtime between putting out fires. I’m uniquely qualified for the role. I can also walk to work in ten minutes. And I absolutely love my boss. It’ll be six months tomorrow. Wooooha!
They killed my job and gave me a huge win.
Edit: OP, how about you?
Sort of? I’m on Peace Corps service for now and in some ways it’s really awesome, but at the end of the day the actual work is with the government and it feels like actually doing anything out here is like trying to run with a ball and chain.
I appreciate you for trying to make a difference.
No, I don’t feel like my job is full filling. Would I switch though? No. Why?
- The people I work with are awesome
- The companies culture is overall great
- I feel valued and supported
So why is the job not full filling? Because I dislike and borderline hate the industry we are in: Marketing/Ads. Probably only next to fossil fuels the reason why the world we live in today sucks.
Could I go elsewhere with my skillset? Certainly. But having had terrible employers with whos’ products I could somewhat identify with before, I came to the conclusion that it’s not necessarily most important what you do but with who.
I really appreciate this take. Sounds like you’ve found a good situation. I’m sure there’s not really a perfect job so you’ll always have to compromise on something.
- I like what I do
- I get to travel and see the world
- I’m paid handsomely
- It’s a niche skill set that is hard to find
- I like my coworkers
…so yeah, I’d say it’s fulfilling
You don’t have to confirm or deny, but it sounds like you work for the navy.
I do not. Nor any other military branch.
a little bit like you…
- I like what I do (software developer)
- I WFH 95% of the time
- I’m well paid
- I’m a consultant so jump from contract to contract, always have job
May I ask what you do? Or at least what industry you’re working in?
Damn now you gotta reveal what job it is!
Not in the slightest, but it’s easy, and I work from home, so that’s pretty nice
Just want to drop the concept of Ikigai here:
I would encourage anyone who is interested in this concept to do a little more reading on the concept. Ikigai is a lot more than just fulfillment with employment- which is closer to the concept known as hatarakigai. I appreciate you sharing this meme though- it was how I was first introduced to the concept.
Could you recommend something to read?
There’s a free app called Kinnu that has a learning pathway on the subject. You can also read some of the articles for free here: https://kinnu.xyz/kinnuverse/philosophy/ikigai/
Some of the material is based on “The Little Book of Ikigai” by Ken Mogi, if you prefer books.
My work is important and is sometimes in the news. And if I really screw up, it will definitely be in the news!
