I was in London last week, and thought it only appropriate to take a class called "How to Find a Job You Love" while in town on business for a job I hate.
I'd first heard of Alain de Botton years ago when I read his book
The Romantic Movement (which I
loved). After that, I read several of his other novels, and his famous (and hilarious!) book
The Consolations of Philosophy (yes, he somehow manages to make philosophy funny).
I learned about The School of Life last year, and started dreaming of going to London and taking a class.
Then, my department scheduled our annual global seminar there. I checked the schedule and "How to Find a Job You Love" was being offered at the same time!
It was meant to be!!!
I don't know if the class will actually help me find a job I love, but it was a lot of fun, and gave me a lot to think about...
How to Find a Job You Love
What would a meaningful job look like?
Two schools of thought:
1. Grin & Bear It
- Friedrich Nietzsche - experiencing suffering is necessary to experience pleasure
- Buddhism Noble Truth #1 - Life is suffering
2. Work can be life-enhancing (you must connect to your work)
These opposing viewpoints are expressed in the book (and movie) Revolutionary Road...
Frank: Well I support you, don't I? I work ten hours a day at a job I can't stand!
April: You don't have to!
Frank: But I have the backbone not to run away from my responsibilities!
April: It takes backbone to lead the life you want, Frank.
What gives you purpose?
Money
The definition of
Affluenza, according to the book's authors, is similar to "a painful, contagious, socially-transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more."
Values - service, making a contribution
Goals
Nietzsche: "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how."
Viktor Frankl, Holocaust Survivor: "If we have a clear reason to live, something definite to live for, then we can survive regardless of what challenges are presented to us."
Respect
Talents
Generalist - can do a lot of things well (example: primary school teacher)
Wide Achiever - tries a lot of different things
Serial Specialist - does very different things throughout life
Which is most and least important to you now? In the future?
Exercises:
1. Career Map - draw a map of your career
What are the key points of change?
What made it possible to go in new directions?
What patterns do you see? What do they reveal?
NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) - People are either motivated towards things they want, or they are motivated to move away from something they don’t want (or want to avoid).
2. Ideal Job Description - instead of tailoring yourself to fit a job description, write a description of a job that fits you
What do you like to do?
What are your talents? Passions?
Then, talk to people you don't know well. Change your circle. (New people = new ideas)
Hear yourself reflected back. Have someone repeat your words back to you (it goes into a different part of the brain).
3. Brainstorm
5 possible selves
5 possible side projects or temporary assignments you could do to test them
5 possible types of people or communities you'd like to spend time around
Next Steps
Understand the Hollywood paradigm is nonsense:
- Life proceeds in straight lines
- Life is about establishing clear plans and then implementing them
- Change happens through taking bold steps & great leaps
- Change occurs quickly & remains set in stone once achieved
Career reinvention actually happens through:
- Action rather than reflection
- Doing rather than planning
- Multi-step process of envisioning/testing possible futures
Our working identity changes profoundly as we:
- Craft experiments to test different options (Do while your current life is stable. No big leaps until you're sure.)
- Shift our connections
- Make sense of our story (Rather than worry about a resume.)
Other tips:
- Don't pressure yourself
- Don't over-accelerate (be patient, but don't retreat)
- Go at your own pace
- Don't be TOO reasonable (Listen to your instinct)
- Take very small steps (Big steps cause fear, and the reasonable brain will kick in)
Conclusion:
- Don't worry about finding one true self (there may be more than one)
- Identify projects that give you a feel (experiment)
- Find people who may know more (expand your social circle)
- Take small steps (the path may be crooked)
- Don't wait for a cathartic moment where all is revealed
Further reading (as suggested by The School of Life):
Theodore Zeldin, An Intimate History of Humanity
A history of human relationships from the earliest times and crossing all cultures. This remarkable book provides unusual insights into the history of work, how we are shaped by the past, and where work - and life more generally - might take us in the future.
Studs Terkel, Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do
Real people speak about their experiences of work in their own voices, as recorded by oral historian Studs Terkel in the 1970s. This superb book contains universal insights about how people choose - and do not choose - their careers.
Roman Krznaric, Work and the Art of Living
This little book by Roman Krznaric, who co-created The School of Life’s Work courses, explores the art of finding meaningful work and going in new directions. It draws on his personal experience of trying multiple jobs, from academia to gardening, from journalism to carpentry. (Available from The School of Life bookshop or download it from his website: www.romankrznaric.com.)
Oliver James, Affluenza: How to be successful and stay sane
James tells us that we are suffering from a virus called ‘affluenza’, which makes us place excessively high value on acquiring money and possessions and wanting to look good in the eyes of others. The result is not only unhappiness but anxiety and emotional distress.
Alain de Botton, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work
Alain de Botton takes you on an insightful and amusing journey into the worlds of different occupations, from biscuit makers to rocket scientists, from career counsellors to accountants. Along the way you will discover how a tuna steak arrives on your plate and whether it is worth dedicating your life to painting a tree.
Herminia Ibarra, Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career
Includes fascinating case studies of personal and professional reinventions—from literature professor to stockbroker, from psychiatrist to Buddhist monk, and from investment banker to fiction writer, among others.
