Careers

Painting by Ron Fleishman

Why do we work? I've been thinking about my career quite a bit lately and have some contradicting feelings that I want to put out there and try to sort out. 

On one hand, I need money to survive and live the type of life that I love. Work provides me with health insurance, opportunities for personal relationships and problem solving, technical growth in an exciting field that is improving business and challenges me, and the promise of promotions and a secure financial future.

On the other hand, I don't need that much money to enjoy life. I could work a lot less or in a very different industry doing something outdoors that pays enough to get me through each day. I could even just do an adequate job in my current position, have good benefits, and get paid fine, but still have plenty of free time. So why do I have this constant nagging desire to do more or to try to start my own thing or move up the ranks?

​The way I see it, in America we work to earn money to live the lifestyle we want and retire and do what we weren't able to while we were working. But what if what we really want is to wake up each morning and go play in the mountains? That’s how we would have lived hundreds of years ago before the concept of a career existed, just in our natural state trying to survive. By the time we retire, we likely won't be able to explore mountains in the way we can when we're younger. Maybe the real goal should be to work enough to have food and shelter to continue playing in the mountains and take care of the people we love.

So maybe it's greed that keeps us wanting more? Or maybe it's just that those who think this way were raised in families where that's what they saw as normal, so they get jobs and want the same, or more, for their family than they had as children. And this perpetual cycle drives the rich getting richer not only because those parents can get their children comfortably set up for their future in terms of covering the costs of education and other potential debts, but also because the children set out with the same bold ambitions. 

It may be a controversial opinion, but a major takeaway from my first few years in Corporate America is that putting in a committed effort with a desire to reach the top sets you apart from 95% of other people working the same job, and serendipitously puts you in the path of opportunities for growth. And finding that growth feels great. Like with any other aspect of life, you feel good when you look back and see your progress. It's partially the same reason I love running. For me the challenge is that, while that progress is there, it isn't always as fast as my impatient self would like.

Then maybe it's boredom? I have a few core items that I love to do each day, but with my current work load I still have time each day that feels unproductive and that sometimes annoys me. Some days I catch myself watching multiple hours of a mindless show on Netflix, knowing that there are better things I "should" be doing, but not knowing exactly what those things are. I don't think it's a bad thing to take some time to zone out and relax each day, actually I think it's a great and necessary thing, but keeping that to a reasonable level and filling the remainder of the day with meaningful activities keeps me feeling positive and fulfilled.

For the time being, I think I learn best through experimentation. I'm a big believer in trial and error, making and learning from mistakes. I've done it the way I'm currently doing it for about 2 years and it's been good, but it's time for a change. Starting in two weeks, I'm taking on a large contracting job in addition to my fulltime job that will push the limits of my technical skillset and my ability to balance work and the other things in life that I care about. Worst case, I'll learn something new about myself.