Job Satisfaction

From my limited world view, job satisfaction is at an all-time low -- or at least, I'm just now beginning to notice it. My mother would like to return to school and earn a degree in landscape architecture. My dad wants to sell his business and embark on a new career. A good friend plans to attend law school and leave his current job behind. I, as was hinted in my previous post about changing majors, intend to finish my studies and one day do the same. Most of my colleagues - particularly those of the contract variety - would leave their jobs in a Monster.com minute for something that either paid a little better, offered "real job" benefits, or made them feel if not fulfilled, then important. While there are probably hordes of people out there who love and live for what they do, I simply don't know many of them. I have to wonder, if every one of these people were working in a way that best fits their interests and talents, would the world be noticeably different? I think it would.

What turns a job into a passion? My one semester in introductory Psychology discusses the concept of motivation. A task is intrinsically motivating if doing the task brings enjoyment that is its own reward. Extrinsic motivation, then, is comprised of external factors that make the task rewarding, such as compensation. People often enter a career for one of two main reasons: that they have a true calling for what they do, or that it pays well.

This highlights a natural imbalance between some jobs that are naturally desirable, and others that aren't. Surely the reason that many undesirable jobs pay well is that there aren't enough people with an intrinsic motivation to seek those jobs, and others need be attracted with "greener" pastures. Consider law school entrants versus graduates. It is a common axiom that many bright-eyed would-be lawyers enter law school with big dreams of doing something that serves the public good, gives them the satisfaction of helping people, and lends purpose to their lives. After three years in law school, however, the best students tend to be rewarded with highly sought-after (and probably, pragmatic) jobs in very profitable mega-firms working ungodly hours for high pay, but little career fulfillment. Another analogy are the unsung heroes of Americana - teachers, firefighters, police, and military - who are said to have a calling specifically because of the notoriously low average pay of these roles.

Maybe after a while, even the jobs that people seek because they have a genuine passion for the work fall into tedium and begin to require more extrinsic motivation to achieve satisfaction. If that's true, then we are all in danger of seeing the job we used to love turn into the job we just go to from 8 to 5.

I can think of two people who appear, on the surface, to know that they are doing exactly what they should be doing. One of my favorite bloggers, Eclectic Econoclast John Palmer, is clearly sewn into his life's work. This is evident from reading one of his numerous blogs on the subject of economics, or even in his curiosity for fundamental economic problems (Has the penny outlived its usefulness? What does society do with all of these leftover fast food contest cups?). The other person - my grandfather - is retired, and has earned the right to report only to the interests that suit him.

High school counselors, career advisors, pastors, and a multitude of self-help books instruct people to "Do what you love and the money will follow." Those who learn young what this career love is are certainly the lucky ones. More often, I hear middle-aged people say about their own careers: "I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up."