Which category do you fit into? I work for a very large company, in a particularly large department. I can't help but notice the a-typical bell curve distribution in our office for people who either love, hate or tolerate their jobs. I'd say just by observation (because we here at the Alt-Tab do not support the scientific method in any form) there is a very meaty mid-section of employees who tolerate their jobs, but are ultimately indifferent towards their status as an employee (aside from the pay check and benefits), I'm talking like +80%. Is this the usual breakdown though? Are all jobs/careers this way, or are the people who work for Google all infinitely happier than the rest of us? Here's the breakdown as I see it.
Group 1 -People Who Love Their Jobs (7%) - There can be a number of factors for why someone loves their job, but I'd guess the most common is how rewarding they find it. Certainly not the case at this cube farm. Its actually a very good place to work, I'd just stop short of calling it rewarding. I've never went home feeling like I did some good in the world after a long day of scrolling through excell sheets and deleting countless e-mails. No, the people who happen to love their jobs love it for different reasons. Some for money (at the higher up level anyway), fresh out of college and haven't been beaten down by the realities of adult life, foreigners who came to America for a better opportunity (and haven't realized that this isn't it yet), and the small fraction of people amongst us that are just blissfull no matter what is going on in their lives. Safe to say I'm not any of those people and do not fit into this category.
Group 2 - People who hate their jobs (11%, and growing) - I wish I was one of these people (its true, I'm not, we'll get to that in a bit). These are the people who quit when they realize they don't like something, they'll go on their way and find something that they love, most of them will end up in group 1, they should be congratulated. Not everyone has the stones to take a chance and move on in search of something better. I'd do it, but bloggers without any advertising tend not to get paid well, and sadly, I'm a consumer first and foremost, I need my paycheck. Also, I mention growing because less and less of these miserable bastards are quitting their jobs as a result of the economy. The result is actually quite depressing. Less people realizing their dreams, plus you have more assholes at work who don't give a shit about their job, making it more miserable for the rest of who are just punching in and out every week. Really harshing the whole "working for the weekend" mood around here.
Group 3 - People who tolerate their jobs (82%) - The meaty middle, this is where the CW lands. Content to have a decent job, not happy, not miserable, just going about my usual business. Some of us are here because you're still in school and haven't moved on yet, some gave up their dreams long ago and took a practical job, some got knocked up too young and are now stuck where they are because of the flexible schedule and good benefits, some of you lucked into a job you had no business deserving but can't go elsewhere because you're not capable of getting a job on par with your current one, but most just haven't figured out what they want to do with their life (cough/ahem). They go out, have fun, get drunk, make a mistake or two, laugh it over with their friends later.
So in a roundabout way that is my "What I'm thankful for" Thanksgiving Blog. Happy to have a decent job and do fairly well, but happier realizing that life is made up of so much more than the place you spend 40 hours a week to collect a paycheck.
