I don’t normally take the time to watch instructional or political videos. They transfer information far more slowly than written material does. Overwhelmingly, I’ll look for a transcript if something interests me, and move on if one isn’t available. But, I like Mike Rowe and the message that he’s been delivering over the years about work, so I took the 20 minutes to watch this TED talk.
In it, he hits some vital points about work today. Some takeaways (for me, at least):
“Follow your passion” is stupid advice in terms of pursuing success. Better advice is “figure out where everyone’s going and go a different direction.”
Outsiders (and especially the government) aren’t necessarily the best sources for how a job should be done.
There is a “war on work,” waged from many angles, and it’s not just limited to the systemic biases against tradesmen. There’s a relentless message that work is “other,” that we should do less of it and enjoy non-work more. We’re taught not to enjoy work unless it happens to coincide with whatever passion we decide is “ours.”
People who do the “dirty jobs” so many of us reflexively shudder at are often quite happy and content.
I’ve read that the average person has three careers. I’m in my third one now, meaning I’ve hit the “average” milestone. It may be my last, but it may not – this political blogging thing might actually turn into something some day. My experience has been sufficient to inform me that I shouldn’t presume where the road I travel will take me.
My first job out of college was as an aerospace engineer. I actually had two rather different job paths therein – first as a mass properties analyst, then as a space mission designer/analyst, and then (part-time, years later) as a mass properties analyst again, but they both fall under the “aerospace” umbrella. I enjoyed my work, and while it had its frustrations, it was interesting and “in my wheelhouse.”
After a decade in that world, and due to a confluence of circumstances, I left it behind to go into the family restaurant business. I, along with my brother and mother, ran the largest diner-restaurant in Brooklyn for 20 years. I was surprised to find satisfaction in that work, given that it was such a radical departure from engineering. I brought with me analytical skills I had developed over the previous decade, and developed a long list of new skills. It, too, had its frustrations, but anyone who thinks there’s a job without them is dreaming.
After two decades in the restaurant world, circumstances and “evolution” prompted a departure and entry into the world of commercial real estate investing. I do that now, along with my political blogging. I find both satisfying, and I look forward to the daily work I put into each. Were you to ask me, when I first got out of college, if I ever thought I’d:
- leave engineering behind
- sell eggs and hamburgers for a living
- get involved in real estate
- take an interest in politics
- write – a LOT – and none of it science fiction
I’d have laughed out loud and told you that I’d never have any interest or find any satisfaction in any of that. The truth was quite different. I quite enjoyed my years in the restaurant business, and I’m quite enjoying my current work in real estate. I also (obviously, given my verbosity) quite enjoy my political blogging. I’ve concluded that there’s satisfaction to be found in just about any job, career or endeavor, and all it takes is the right mindset. Even a day’s worth of yard work is satisfying if one simply allows it to be.
It’s rare for me to recommend a video that isn’t about humor or silliness, but I heartily recommend this one. Be forewarned – it discusses his time on a sheep farm, which involves certain elements of animal husbandry that are rather graphic. There’s a powerful lesson herein about work, satisfaction and happiness.
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