Friday, March 19, 2010

How I Accidentally Stopped Hating Work

I've always heard two schools of thought on how to choose your line of work, if you're lucky enough to have the economic breathing room to choose:
  1. Do what you love.
  2. Do what gives you the income to do what you love in your free time.
The former always sounds appealing, but it has the tendency to turn your love for what-have-you sour.  This happens around the third time that you have a deadline, no inspiration or energy, and you'd really rather be reading a comic book.

The latter is the practical man's solution, and I have respect for that.  You have to put up with daily, nagging ambivalence, if not real hatred, but bills are paid and you continue to have that thing that makes you feel worthwhile.

I wonder though if there isn't a third option that doesn't get the attention it deserves:

Do what you can't stop yourself from doing anyway.

What I mean is that there is probably something that, when given the opportunity, you'll always be the one saying, "I'll get this."

Kyuzo

Imagine yourself in a room of people sitting around a table.  On the table are pieces of paper that have tasks on them, just enough for each person in the room.  Everybody has to pick one of these up, and that will be their thing for the day; whoever picks it up first does it.  But if somebody sucks at doing what they picked up, it will go badly for all of you.

I wager there's something you can imagine on the table that will cause you think, "I better get that one because everybody else will just screw it up."  Hopefully there's some situation you've been in that's caused that reaction, because my advice is:  that's the thing that will get you through the day consistently with minimal self-hatred, a decent paycheck, and maybe better chances of advancement.

For me, I realized, it's figuring out how to go about engineering good things.  That sounds really ill defined, but it is definitely my thing.  If there's a need that can be solved by coming up with some logically engineered thing that will do what the intended user really wants to do, then I will fall over myself trying to architect the solution, every time.  Other people do this too where I work, but I think they do it for category-2 reasons -- for a paycheck.  Again, no disrespect for that.  But I walk out of the same meetings with a little engineer's adrenaline buzz because I got that bizness done.

I got lucky falling into a job where this comes up frequently, and where people let me do that thing I have to do.  Previously, I had bounced from job to job, not really understanding what I didn't like about each.  I can't say my days now are all thrilling excitement, but I have some pretty good ones.  Plus when I go home, I can play with photography (or not) and not have to care if it's any good.  Or I can just read a comic book.

6 comments:

Jayson said...

I honestly never thought of it that way.

John Callender said...

That was indeed pretty interesting.

sigh yse failure to utter that in Ishar

Unknown said...

rolex submariner
discount oakley sunglasses
ugg outlet
yeezy boost 750
cheap ray ban sunglasses
michael kors outlet stores
canada goose uk
ferragamo outlet
michael kors outlet online
yeezy boost 350 balck
adidas shoes
moncler uk
pandora jewelry outlet
nike trainers
nike flyknit racer
discount nike air max
louis vuitton purse
white converse
nike store uk
mlb jerseys wholesale
nike cortez shoes
coach outlet online
coach factory outlet online
coach factory outlet
michael kors outlet online
true religion outlet
fitflops
louis vuitton purse
moncler jackets
louis vuitton outlet online
dior sunglasses 2016
ray bans
20160713caiyan

Hualala said...

Air Jordan 9
Nike Air Max 270
Air Jordan Retro 11
Red Bottom Shoes
Jordan 11
Pandora Jewelry
Nike Air Max 270
Pandora Outlet
Pandora Jewelry
Paul20190418

yanmaneee said...

timberland shoes
yeezy shoes
kevin durant shoes
kd 11
michael kors outlet online
timberland outlet
michael kors factory outlet
timberland outlet
off white hoodie
nike shoes

queenationxia said...

Casino Resort Spa-Le Rêve - Jeux-Un-Sell
Casino Resort Spa-Le 전주 출장안마 Rêve. 양산 출장안마 제천 출장샵 casino resort hotel resort hotel resort casino resort hotel hotel resort hotel resort resort casino resort hotel 오산 출장마사지 resort hotel resort 충청북도 출장마사지

Post a Comment