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> There's something to be about not being invested in your work and, essentially, not making your work the focus of your life. Sure but you spend a good chunk

by collyw 9y ago

> There's something to be about not being invested in your work and, essentially, not making your work the focus of your life. Sure but you spend a good chunk of your life at work, so it's difficult not to want it to be meaningful.

Sleeep 9y ago
From the article I posted in the GP: >I miss teaching a lot. Every day, in fact. But the truth is I’m so much happier than I’ve ever been. Getting out of teaching and not being emotionally invested in my work has forced me to do things besides work more. I’ve learned how to cook, I’m making new friends, I’m reading more, I’m rediscovering my love of things I used to do before I was ever a teacher all over again. I do productive things on the side too, like study for my CPA license. >And the thing is now that I’m thinking about other things, I’ve learned so much about saving, investing, and I’m doing much better with my salary and working toward eventually being independent of a salary if at all possible. >Your career is just one part of your life. You might not become a much happier person just because you do the work that satisfies you the most. You have to consider the effects it could have on you as a person besides just having to do the work. You should do the work that gives you balance, and not the work you love the most. There's something to be said for it. It's not for everyone,there's some people who do work they find truly meaningful and are happy about devoting themselves to it. However, most people probably shouldn't look for meaning in their work less it traps them from experiencing meaning and happiness elsewhere. To be clear, I am not saying nobody should ever make a career out of doing what they enjoy during in their free time, I'm saying it doesn't guarantee career satisfaction and there are potential pitfalls of going down that route. It also definitely should not be generic advice to everyone. "Do it for the money" is good advice. I feel like if I were trying to find satisfaction in paid work I'd be supremely unhappy and unfulfilled.
saiya-jin 9y ago
> Sure but you spend a good chunk of your life at work, so it's difficult not to want it to be meaningful. not.at.all. What is this obsession with only doing what you love to pay bills? I've seen only miserable people with this mindset, because it's extremely hard to find niche where you can sustain yourself (and often family) and avoid mundane, boring, tiring tasks that naturally come with it. I am sure there are some which are not miserable and achieved what they wanted, but never ever seen those in person. I propose, based on my humble experiences, an alternative. Not claiming its for everybody, but it works for me. Ignore work for a minute and let the stuff you do in your free time define who you are. For me it's adventures, exotic travelling, activities like climbing, mountaineering, diving, ski touring, and recently paragliding. Whatever works for you. Get out of your comfort zone, and don't come back until you are 70 or on wheelchair. With this setup, I couldn't care less what happens at work (in corporate IT, none is truly horrible, usually it is actually OKish), I enjoy the good parts, move through bad parts, and I simply don't care. At the end, it's just work. Simple, easy life.
the_gastropod 9y ago
"Good chunk" is hard to disagree with. In general, we've implicitly agreed to bad terms, and assume we must work until the "retirement age" of 65. In most developed countries, wages are high enough for this to be completely optional. By being slightly less materialistic, a ~10 year career is possible for above average salaries, and a < 20 year career is possible for most salaries. Doing something that's not your passion for 40 hours a week for 10-20 years is a heck of a lot more tolerable than doing it for 45 years.
- count 9y ago
  Or get paid to do something you enjoy doing. And then it's not 'a bad terms' deal, it's awesome.
  - Sleeep 9y ago
    Just because you enjoy doing something doesn't mean you will enjoy doing it for 40+ hours a week for 45 years. I actually do enjoy programming and I get paid (well) to do it but going to work is certainly not "awesome," and I would not do it if I didn't have to. You could absolutely love caring for children but hate being a child care worker because of dealing with parents and issues like abuse and negligent at home among other reasons.
- exergy 9y ago
  I could spot a mustachian a mile away! :-) Also, I am a big fan of _not_ making your hobby your vocation. The job should not be meaningless, but filing your taxes, looking for gigs, networking etc. when all you really enjoy is getting on stage and playing your guitar, is not a recipe for lasting romance about being a rockstar.

by collyw 9y ago

Sleeep 9y ago

From the article I posted in the GP: >I miss teaching a lot. Every day, in fact. But the truth is I’m so much happier than I’ve ever been. Getting out of teaching and not being emotionally invested in my work has forced me to do things besides work more. I’ve learned how to cook, I’m making new friends, I’m reading more, I’m rediscovering my love of things I used to do before I was ever a teacher all over again. I do productive things on the side too, like study for my CPA license. >And the thing is now that I’m thinking about other things, I’ve learned so much about saving, investing, and I’m doing much better with my salary and working toward eventually being independent of a salary if at all possible. >Your career is just one part of your life. You might not become a much happier person just because you do the work that satisfies you the most. You have to consider the effects it could have on you as a person besides just having to do the work. You should do the work that gives you balance, and not the work you love the most. There's something to be said for it. It's not for everyone,there's some people who do work they find truly meaningful and are happy about devoting themselves to it. However, most people probably shouldn't look for meaning in their work less it traps them from experiencing meaning and happiness elsewhere. To be clear, I am not saying nobody should ever make a career out of doing what they enjoy during in their free time, I'm saying it doesn't guarantee career satisfaction and there are potential pitfalls of going down that route. It also definitely should not be generic advice to everyone. "Do it for the money" is good advice. I feel like if I were trying to find satisfaction in paid work I'd be supremely unhappy and unfulfilled.

saiya-jin 9y ago

> Sure but you spend a good chunk of your life at work, so it's difficult not to want it to be meaningful. not.at.all. What is this obsession with only doing what you love to pay bills? I've seen only miserable people with this mindset, because it's extremely hard to find niche where you can sustain yourself (and often family) and avoid mundane, boring, tiring tasks that naturally come with it. I am sure there are some which are not miserable and achieved what they wanted, but never ever seen those in person. I propose, based on my humble experiences, an alternative. Not claiming its for everybody, but it works for me. Ignore work for a minute and let the stuff you do in your free time define who you are. For me it's adventures, exotic travelling, activities like climbing, mountaineering, diving, ski touring, and recently paragliding. Whatever works for you. Get out of your comfort zone, and don't come back until you are 70 or on wheelchair. With this setup, I couldn't care less what happens at work (in corporate IT, none is truly horrible, usually it is actually OKish), I enjoy the good parts, move through bad parts, and I simply don't care. At the end, it's just work. Simple, easy life.

the_gastropod 9y ago

"Good chunk" is hard to disagree with. In general, we've implicitly agreed to bad terms, and assume we must work until the "retirement age" of 65. In most developed countries, wages are high enough for this to be completely optional. By being slightly less materialistic, a ~10 year career is possible for above average salaries, and a < 20 year career is possible for most salaries. Doing something that's not your passion for 40 hours a week for 10-20 years is a heck of a lot more tolerable than doing it for 45 years.

count 9y ago
Or get paid to do something you enjoy doing. And then it's not 'a bad terms' deal, it's awesome.
- Sleeep 9y ago
  Just because you enjoy doing something doesn't mean you will enjoy doing it for 40+ hours a week for 45 years. I actually do enjoy programming and I get paid (well) to do it but going to work is certainly not "awesome," and I would not do it if I didn't have to. You could absolutely love caring for children but hate being a child care worker because of dealing with parents and issues like abuse and negligent at home among other reasons.
exergy 9y ago
I could spot a mustachian a mile away! :-) Also, I am a big fan of _not_ making your hobby your vocation. The job should not be meaningless, but filing your taxes, looking for gigs, networking etc. when all you really enjoy is getting on stage and playing your guitar, is not a recipe for lasting romance about being a rockstar.