Why you probably hate your job

Dissatisfaction, misery, and meaninglessness...but, a way out

Americans are more dissatisfied with their jobs than ever before. Many find the work they do to be meaningless to them.

We thrive on work as humans, much more than every other species on the planet. We will willingly work far more than necessary to achieve something which cannot be brought on through ease.

Yes, we work to provide for ourselves and those we love. But, beyond that, we seek personal fulfillment.

Despite the struggle we bring onto ourselves through working more than absolutely necessary, we continue to do it so we can sleep well at night.

We want to be content, maybe even proud, of ourselves.

Whether that means furthering a career, building a business, providing a unique service, or literally building a house from the ground up — we want to do things we find meaningful.

We want to achieve.

But, both the ability to provide for yourself and find fulfillment in doing so is being ripped away from you. Soul crushing work is spreading like wildfire as a pair of thieves are stealing all that you have…

Sinking ship

“While news about ‘quiet quitters’ spread like wildfire in 2022, things have actually gotten worse in America’s workplace since that viral trend lost steam. Engagement at work has hit an 11-year low, Gallup’s long-running survey of U.S. employees found — in February only 30% of U.S. workers reported being engaged with their jobs.”

-Business Insider

Later on in the article they try to make the argument that there is a “fundamental problem with the work people are being asked to do”, and that’s certainly an aspect of the entire problem.

Our complex economy creates a huge gap between ultimate cause and effect of a person’s work.

Oftentimes many people hold jobs they find meaningless because they are detached from the ultimate outcome, the ability to produce something, or the ability to provide a useful service (i.e. the reason to do the work).

I experienced this myself while working at Office Depot for a short period of time.

When people came in to the building I was often only having to greet them with a smile and point them to where they could find school supplies or manila envelopes.

I didn’t believe that I was actually helping anyone.

I wasn’t producing anything or providing any skilled services. The only time we did anything of higher human skill was when we would gather customer information (to send them a barrage of sales emails) or try to upsell a customer on a printer deal that they didn’t need.

Actually, we were hurting people more than we helped them by convincing them to buy more crap.

We were working to make money for the ourselves and, in consequence, for the company as well. Yet, because we were so far separated from the hub of the business, the work seemed worthless.

There was no “why”, no reason behind what we were doing, other than to earn a sliver of cash.

But, perhaps it isn’t just the work itself that is killing off meaning…

It could be that effort, along with merit, simply isn’t valued.

“Many in these industries have begun to refer to their work as ‘fake email jobs’ — office jobs that largely involve sending emails without producing anything. One anonymous worker recently told the online news site Bustle about his ‘fake email job’ as a video producer. “I’ve gone weeks doing nothing to see how far I could push it”, he told the site.”

-Business Insider

The natural (and good) drive to produce something of actual value has been cut off from plenty of people.

If we were to compare it to the days of cavemen, it’s like being given a few berries as a reward for sitting in on meetings about going on a hunt, and like all meetings it ends on a decision to discuss further on another meeting.

The cycle never ends and eventually, satiated on berries, everyone forgets about the hunt.

People are making money…sure. But, their souls are being starved. We need the hunt, something to pursue.

Like a thief in…broad daylight

There are too many aspects of this issue to talk about in one article. One could spend hours dissecting why exactly many Americans have lost a sense of meaning at work.

Yet, two clear issues immediately come to mind…

The two main reasons for work are to support yourself and/or your family financially. The other reason is personal fulfillment. We want to feel as if we are doing something that matters.

What about the pair of thieves that place people on a financial treadmill?

Taxes and inflation (a tax in of itself) are bound to greatly lessen the degree to which people care about their jobs. After a while of treading water you’re eventually going to say, “screw it”.

What’s the point of giving a damn if half of all you work for is stolen, and the other half decreases in value by the day?

For any young person like myself, we are going to watch these factors converge as we go out into the world and many of us will join the ranks of those who simply won’t care anymore.

The cards are stacked against us.

“For some people, their job can be a source of meaning and fulfillment, but for others, it's simply the thing that pays the bills. In a 2021 YouGov survey, only about half of Americans said they felt that their job made "a meaningful contribution to the world" — and the feeling was lowest among millennials and Gen Zers.”

-Business Insider

Working a meaningless job and dealing with the effects of inflation and taxation is akin to eternally pushing a boulder up a hill.

The only way out is to opt out.

There seems to be a trend among younger millennials and my fellow Gen Zers. Where exactly that trend will lead isn’t clear, but what is clear is that the typical ways of life are not being accepted by younger generations.

Escape hatch

The disinterest that young people have in meaningless work can lead to good things.

There is an escape hatch, a secret door, a way out for the more ambitious young people who are willing to take the risk of not following everyone up the mountain and, instead, opt out and choose their own path.

The work you do never has to entrap you. It comes down to a simple change in perspective of viewing a job as a means to do and become, not to just have.

Let me explain…

One of the greatest western authors, Louis L’Amour, used jobs in an unusual way during The Great Depression.

Leaving home at 15 and looking to find work, Louis joined a circus, worked as a seaman, a mine claim manager, boxer, ranch hand, and he worked in lumber camps.

L’amour wasn’t typically in a job for a prolonged period of time. Although, he did enjoy the life of a seaman and spent quite a bit of time working as one.

All of the work he did was meant to sustain him, yes. But, if you read his memoir, Education of a Wandering Man, it’s clear that each one of those jobs was a personal aid in the process of becoming the man he would be.

Keep in mind that Louis was far from living a “comfortable” life during those years in The Great Depression. Money, and work, were scarce.

The knowledge, skills, and stories he acquired over those early years of his life set him up for success when he aimed at becoming an author.

He was never attached to the hip of any job. He got in, worked hard, did what he had to do, learned, and got out.

Louis’ path was undoubtably uncertain, and maybe it was easier to take the risk of going the uncertain path because of the depression.

But, are our times not uncertain as well?

Any young person today with ambition, fortitude, and courage would do themselves a favor by following in Louis’ footsteps. The way your life can pan out if you take the “risky” route of going your own way is unimaginable.

Think about it…

If Louis viewed work in the way everyone else does nowadays and stayed in one line of work, would his life have been as full, as impressive, as admirable?

L’Amour’s way of working is our escape hatch: Not to view work as a necessary master over us, but as a way to gain skills, money, and build character.

Find work that can give you all three of those benefits when you can.

At times you may need to find more menial work to fill in the gap of time and bring in some money just in the way that Louis did.

Stray from the well-treaded path, aim towards your own mountain, and be rewarded.

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