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It sounds like you are trying to get meaning from your work. I struggled with this problem for a long time. I have seen two broad solutions solve it to varying

It sounds like you are trying to get meaning from your work. I struggled with this problem for a long time. I have seen two broad solutions solve it to varying degrees of success: 1. Sacrifice earnings and / or stability in favor of meaning. You must be willing to compromise and you may have to bounce around through a few jobs until you find something meaningful, or you may have to start your own thing. 2. Stop looking for meaning in your work, and find it somewhere else. The people I’ve known who make this work the best are parents. However, I know some who are not. If you live in the SF Bay Area and work in tech, there is pressure to make your work your whole life, and that means that if your work feels meaningless, your life feels meaningless. It’s not the only mode of living.

52-6F-62 8y ago
Number 2 is a big one. I'm still trying to figure out my own way through it all, but a good example of this are people who live outside of the "hubs" and work regular, townspeople jobs. They earn mid-range incomes and do fine by engaging in life outside if it. It's not a bad way to live— but it's a matter of priorities. Hell, I live in a major city, don't have a car, and work pretty steadily. The people I've known who are construction workers, police officers, etc— they get out and around far more often than I do. And they can afford to.
protonimitate 8y ago
Number 2 is the way to go in my opinion. There is a large focus on how you make your money in the US. Most people judge and are judged by the amount of money they make, how they make it, and what they spend it on. Instead of calling it how it is, people work under the assumption that doing 'meaningful work' makes up for that obsession. If you happen to find work the is personally fulfilling, then you are lucky. I would suggest that instead of chasing the work for fulfillment, find out what actually makes you fulfilled and then find a way to achieve that. For me, I am most fulfilled by 1) creating stuff, and 2) being outdoors. While coding/programming falls under 1, I prefer making studio art (painting). So I do whatever work I need to do to afford to make art and spend as much free time outside as possible. Camping, hiking, etc. If you are fulfilled by helping people, you can donate your time to a local shelter/habitat for humanity/kids group/etc. If its parenting, then focus on building a killer family life. Ultimately, and this is the cynicism in me, life is meaningless - therefore we are free to create meaning how we see fit. Trying to shoe-horn the 40 hour+ work week into personal fulfillment is a hallmark fantasy. How do you keep people coming back and creating profits for a company, 40+ hours a week? Try to sell them on the idea that they are 'making a difference' and 'changing the world' and will be 'fulfilled'. It's all smoke and mirrors.

52-6F-62 8y ago

Number 2 is a big one. I'm still trying to figure out my own way through it all, but a good example of this are people who live outside of the "hubs" and work regular, townspeople jobs. They earn mid-range incomes and do fine by engaging in life outside if it. It's not a bad way to live— but it's a matter of priorities. Hell, I live in a major city, don't have a car, and work pretty steadily. The people I've known who are construction workers, police officers, etc— they get out and around far more often than I do. And they can afford to.

protonimitate 8y ago

Number 2 is the way to go in my opinion. There is a large focus on how you make your money in the US. Most people judge and are judged by the amount of money they make, how they make it, and what they spend it on. Instead of calling it how it is, people work under the assumption that doing 'meaningful work' makes up for that obsession. If you happen to find work the is personally fulfilling, then you are lucky. I would suggest that instead of chasing the work for fulfillment, find out what actually makes you fulfilled and then find a way to achieve that. For me, I am most fulfilled by 1) creating stuff, and 2) being outdoors. While coding/programming falls under 1, I prefer making studio art (painting). So I do whatever work I need to do to afford to make art and spend as much free time outside as possible. Camping, hiking, etc. If you are fulfilled by helping people, you can donate your time to a local shelter/habitat for humanity/kids group/etc. If its parenting, then focus on building a killer family life. Ultimately, and this is the cynicism in me, life is meaningless - therefore we are free to create meaning how we see fit. Trying to shoe-horn the 40 hour+ work week into personal fulfillment is a hallmark fantasy. How do you keep people coming back and creating profits for a company, 40+ hours a week? Try to sell them on the idea that they are 'making a difference' and 'changing the world' and will be 'fulfilled'. It's all smoke and mirrors.