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I think working for an employer because you identify with their “mission” is deeply unhealthy for both individual employees and for society at large. In almost

by wyager 5y ago

I think working for an employer because you identify with their “mission” is deeply unhealthy for both individual employees and for society at large. In almost all cases, employment should be a purely financial transaction, and if you’re looking for something “deeper” you should probably work for yourself or start a new company.

akulbe 5y ago
Or a non-profit organization.
Terretta 5y ago
Is wearing a sports team jersey deeply unhealthy? What about wearing a political hat? People like being in tribes, and they like standing for something. They love signaling those affiliations. If someone can get paid to join a tribe on a mission they identify with, if they get to say things like “We are accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable transport!” without the extraordinary stress of being an entrepreneur, why quash that?
- munk-a 5y ago
  Because being a fan of a team or particular political view is a choice you make - people can shout "Hey - you're not a real sox fan!" all they want, but you've chosen to be a fan of them - and you have the ability to withdraw that support if you like. Thus, building up an identity that includes that facet is healthy and empowering - you can get ungracefully fired from your position or laid off though - and that can cause emotional distress at a time you're also suffering financial distress. That's not a healthy scenario to set yourself up for. Your work and your life are two quite separable things - when you're young it's easy to be entirely consumed by work, but you'll grow out of that hopefully (whether or not you have kids - you can also just start valuing yourself more). The more they are intertwined the more you're putting yourself at risk of a serious sudden life shock. I think being a founder is a bit easier life-shock wise - things can definitely go horribly wrong (they usually do in fact!) but you get a lot of warning and you should see the end coming before it slaps you in the face. If your company graduates to being a full corporation with a board and such - I think that's the time when you should regroup and step back a bit - since you are now a disposable employee.
HeWhoLurksLate 5y ago
I've worked jobs with a healthy social culture (most people are nice & respectful) and unhealthy ones (most people are cold, calculating, and don't give a crap about you), as well as worked on things I would deem "interesting" (brain stimulating, not "fun") and "boring" (not solving problems, just doing legwork, without the creating novel solutions part, more or less). When I was younger, I worked at a carwash where the work was repetitive and mind-numbing and where the people were unkind to each other. I lasted several months until I found a better place to work for, but what I learned from that and later experiences is that I really don't want to work at a job that has a "I'm just here for the money, so why bother making friends?" type of attitude for very long.
- wyager 5y ago
  I didn’t mention any of the stuff you’re defending; my comment was specifically about working for a place because of “the mission”. A job being transactional doesn’t prevent it from being fun or friendly.

by wyager 5y ago

akulbe 5y ago

Or a non-profit organization.

Terretta 5y ago

Is wearing a sports team jersey deeply unhealthy? What about wearing a political hat? People like being in tribes, and they like standing for something. They love signaling those affiliations. If someone can get paid to join a tribe on a mission they identify with, if they get to say things like “We are accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable transport!” without the extraordinary stress of being an entrepreneur, why quash that?

munk-a 5y ago
Because being a fan of a team or particular political view is a choice you make - people can shout "Hey - you're not a real sox fan!" all they want, but you've chosen to be a fan of them - and you have the ability to withdraw that support if you like. Thus, building up an identity that includes that facet is healthy and empowering - you can get ungracefully fired from your position or laid off though - and that can cause emotional distress at a time you're also suffering financial distress. That's not a healthy scenario to set yourself up for. Your work and your life are two quite separable things - when you're young it's easy to be entirely consumed by work, but you'll grow out of that hopefully (whether or not you have kids - you can also just start valuing yourself more). The more they are intertwined the more you're putting yourself at risk of a serious sudden life shock. I think being a founder is a bit easier life-shock wise - things can definitely go horribly wrong (they usually do in fact!) but you get a lot of warning and you should see the end coming before it slaps you in the face. If your company graduates to being a full corporation with a board and such - I think that's the time when you should regroup and step back a bit - since you are now a disposable employee.

HeWhoLurksLate 5y ago

I've worked jobs with a healthy social culture (most people are nice & respectful) and unhealthy ones (most people are cold, calculating, and don't give a crap about you), as well as worked on things I would deem "interesting" (brain stimulating, not "fun") and "boring" (not solving problems, just doing legwork, without the creating novel solutions part, more or less). When I was younger, I worked at a carwash where the work was repetitive and mind-numbing and where the people were unkind to each other. I lasted several months until I found a better place to work for, but what I learned from that and later experiences is that I really don't want to work at a job that has a "I'm just here for the money, so why bother making friends?" type of attitude for very long.

wyager 5y ago
I didn’t mention any of the stuff you’re defending; my comment was specifically about working for a place because of “the mission”. A job being transactional doesn’t prevent it from being fun or friendly.