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To fixate on finding work that makes us happy is a luxury

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Re: To fixate on finding work that makes us happy is a luxury

#21

Post by sidlls »

I have a different take on this. The idea of "pursue your passion" is a thing in part for the reasons the author implies (or is explicit about) but he's eliding something. He doesn't really touch on the capital owning class' interest in cheap labor, and "find work that you're passionate about" is about a subtle and indirect way of pursuing cheap labor, mainly by the implicit suggestion that offering employment that fulfills a passion is itself compensation to some degree. Edit for clarity: so my view is that blaming or scolding millennials for this may be a bit misplaced. They've been raised in an environment where they've been told repeatedly that they can (and should) pursue their passions as their careers and also that it's possible and even feasible for everyone to do so.

"Money doesn't by happiness" may be technically true, but it is necessary in our society to fulfill basic needs and it's absurd to think its utility beyond that diminishes significantly.

Re: To fixate on finding work that makes us happy is a luxury

#22

Post by the_gastropod »

LKAndrew wrote: post #10

As someone who makes a great salary on doing what I love to do, I don't think it's all bullshit. Following your passion doesn't have to mean that you want to be a rock star. It's ridiculous to think that you can't find something you're passionate about in your work.

I think this is a bit of a tightrope walk. It's very important to be grateful, thankful, and appreciative of the work you do. For most of us posting on HN, our jobs are what most would consider luxury jobs. Collectively, we've got it pretty damn good.

I'd wager _most_ of us would not continue working these jobs if we had the option not to. If someone plopped into my bank account, I really don't think I'd continue working at my job, regardless of how much I appreciate it today.

Re: To fixate on finding work that makes us happy is a luxury

#24

Post by ashark »

“You a lawyer, Frank?”

“Me? A lawyer? No. Why?”

“Hoping you might be, is all. I could use a lawyer. Whaddya do, then? Advertising man, or what?”

“No. I work for Knox Business Machines.”

“Whaddya do there? You design the machines, or make them, or sell them, or repair them, or what?”

“Sort of help sell them, I guess. I don’t really have much to do with the machines themselves; I work in the office. Actually it’s sort of a stupid job. I mean there’s nothing — you know, interesting about it, or anything.”

“Interesting?” John Givings seemed offended by the word. “You worry about whether a job is ‘interesting’ or not? I thought only women did that. Women and boys. Didn’t have you figured that way.”

“Oh, look, the sun’s coming out!” Mrs. Givings cried. She jumped up, went to the picture window and peered through it, her back very rigid. “Maybe we’ll see a rainbow. Wouldn’t that be lovely?”

The skin at the back of Frank’s neck was prickling with annoyance. “All I meant,” he explained, “is that I don’t like the job and never have.”

“Whaddya do it for, then. Oh, okay okay –” John Givings ducked his head and weakly raised one hand as if in a hopeless attempt to ward off the bludgeon of public chastisement. “Okay; I know; it’s none of my business. This is what old Helen calls Being Tactless, Dear. That’s my trouble, you see; always has been. Forget I said it. You want to play house, you got to have a job. You want to play very nice house, very sweet house, then you got to have a job you don’t like. Great. This is the way ninety-eight-point-nine per cent of the people work things out, so believe me buddy you’ve got nothing to apologize for. Anybody comes along and says ‘Whaddya do it for?’ you can be pretty sure he’s on a four-hour pass from the State funny-farm; all agreed. Are we all agreed there, Helen?”

- Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road

Re: To fixate on finding work that makes us happy is a luxury

#25

Post by drvdevd »

kbody wrote: post #17

"Screw Your Passion. Get a Job." what a title, and the same attitude throughout the article. While I'm not one of the people your post targets, I really dislike this kind of rhetoric. Where you have to use "strong" words to cause rumble for attention. Back to the core topic. I would argue about balance though. A lot of people are lucky to be in a position where they have that extra room. It's good to use part of that…

Admittedly I jumped straight to the comments on this one, but I have to say that I think there is a good financial, logistical incentive for following your "passion" in the modern world, because often the sort of job that you're not passionate about at all is the sort of job that doesn't pay well. Quite frankly if you want to make decent money, you will need to do something creative enough to differentiate yourself in the job market.

Re: To fixate on finding work that makes us happy is a luxury

#26

Post by randomnumber314 »

Why do people, such as this author, treat the world as this dichotomy of passion and work? Isn't wanting to be great at whatever you do a passion? Isn't wanting to be challenged and learning new things a passion? I've worked (literally) in the shit, and now I'm writing this on a $2,500 Mac a company bought for me, while sitting at a desk. I think the lesson us millennials are failing to learn is that you can pursue your passion, but find a way to do so that is valuable to others.

Want to end world hunger? Okay, quit whining about the 1%, get to work, and create an organization that can make that happen. If it truly was your passion, there shouldn't be anything stopping you from accomplishing it. It seems, then, that the "passion" is really just an excuse for not trying.

Re: To fixate on finding work that makes us happy is a luxury

#27

Post by adregan »

In my 20s I got my masters degree in poetry and taught literature. I was content with the work but had a programming hobby that was more creatively satisfying than teaching. I quit my job to follow my passion. Fast forward several years, and I'm still programming; I'm pretty good at it, and I really enjoy the work.

My passion was being creative, and I used to write poetry, but I found a way to express my creativity and make good money in programming (I truly find programming to be a transcendent creative process—much like writing poetry).

I, like many others, have had times when my oxen were in the ditch, and I had no choice but to work to get them out. Some folks are stuck in that place. But if you can, try to involve a little passion in your work and carve out a space where you can feel at least a little fulfilled at the end of a day.

P.S. I just read the author's bio, and coincidentally, it's not so different from my path, so flip a coin and take either person's advice—or neither person's advice.

Re: To fixate on finding work that makes us happy is a luxury

#28

Post by the_gastropod »

evo_9 wrote: post #16

Work is a majority of your work. Keep that in mind folks. It's well worth the effort, and justifiably something to fixate on.

This is largely a choice—especially for the HN crowd, who typically earn above average salaries. If you choose to inflate your lifestyle to match your income, you're right—your work will be the majority of your [life's] work. If you choose to not do this, you can have a relatively brief career, and spend most of your life doing work you care about, regardless of the financials associated with it.

Re: To fixate on finding work that makes us happy is a luxury

#30

Post by twoquestions »

You really can't do your best work unless you're at least somewhat passionate about it. I don't get why people can think you're more productive at a job you dislike or hate and have to force yourself to get anything done, rather than doing something valuable that you'll get things done without huge amounts of willpower.

Failing to find something that your're passionate about and valuable is cheating both yourself and other people out of the value you could be creating, if not for your masochism.

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