There are days I dread getting out of bed and going to work.
I hate my job… well, maybe just dislike it… okay I hate it.
During the day I parade around town as a Home Security Installer for ADT. It falls a little short of my dream job, but I show up every day, do my absolute best to secure the homes of America, then collect my paycheck to finance my dreams. It certainly sounds like I’m bitching about my current means of income, but let me be very clear on one thing:
I may hate going to work every day, but it’s because I know my passion and purpose lie elsewhere, not because the work is beneath me.
Open Wide While Swallowing that Pride
Beginning a couple of years ago, I found it extremely difficult telling people what I did for work; I avoided it at all costs. The most memorable of those occupations was an outside sales position with Cutco Cutlery. Every time I opened my mouth to share my shameful little secret with others I felt compelled to jump into a 3 step explanatory process: 1) justify why I was working at this particular job, then 2) ramble on why it wasn’t as horrible of a job as it sounded, and finally 3) change the subject as quickly as possible.
“What do I do for work? Well, um, I sell Cutco knives. No, as a matter of fact I did not go to college for that, but good question… I’m just doing it right now to get back on my feet and in all reality it’s great sales experience and I get to meet a lot of people and really work on my communication skills so it’s actually not too bad… wow this hummus is splendid, isn’t it?”
I may have been in sales at the time, but I wasn’t selling anyone on the fact that I enjoyed my job.
I was embarrassed.
Deep down I felt that there was something utterly wrong about a 26 year old man with a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture selling kitchen cutlery. Unfortunately I let that embarrassment change who I was.
No One Wants to Work with an Arrogant Asshole
After any encounter of that kind I would always be in a shitty mood, pissed off that I couldn’t be happy with my current situation. Later in the week I would show up to the Cutco office with a chip on my shoulder. Determined to prove to everyone that I was better than just a knife salesman, I would often abstain from team phone jams (calling prospects), isolate myself from the crowd, and act as if I had everything under control. It was no surprise that fewer and fewer of the top sales reps wanted to be around me.
I had successfully alienated myself from the select few who possessed the knowledge to help me excel at my job. I had become something I despised.
I see it a lot in my generation as well as in the next: a sense of entitlement. Former computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, Randy Pausch, shares my sentiments for this growing dilemma. There is a section in Randy’s book, The Last Lecture, where he talks about his firsthand experience with young individuals about to enter the workforce:
“So many graduating seniors have this notion that they should be hired because of their creative brilliance. Too many are unhappy with the idea of starting from the bottom. My advice has always been: ‘You ought to be thrilled you got a job in the mailroom. And when you get there, here’s what you do: Be really great at sorting mail.’ No one wants to hear someone say: ‘I’m not good at sorting mail because the job is beneath me.’ No job should be beneath any of us. And if you can’t (or won’t) sort mail, where is the proof that you can do anything?”
I was never going to love being a Cutco knife salesman, but I didn’t have to love it to appreciate it. It truly was a great way to improve my communication skills, get me out of my comfort zone, and learn a little about building product value. I was finally able to see the benefits once I stopped protecting my ego.
As Long as You’re in it, Be The Best.
I think about quitting my job every single day, but I don’t. Why? Sadly enough, it’s because I need the money. Bills don’t stop coming just because I’m unhappy with my job.
But it goes beyond the bills.
I’ve come to the realization that any job I have working for someone else from this point on is merely a means to an end. I won’t be happy with any job until it’s the one I’ve created for myself; traveling the world teaching others how to enjoy the journey.
But I can’t possibly teach others something I don’t practice myself. And so it begins here, right now, at this moment, with this job.
I’ll continue to hate working for ADT, but the desire to achieve my goals will outweigh the hatred and I will enjoy every moment that takes me one step closer to my ideal lifestyle. I will show up every single day, intent on being the best, while providing each customer with exactly what they want and need. People notice a genuine desire to help. It could be one of my future customers that notices something about my work and offers me a helping hand. Then I’ll quit when the right opportunity presents itself. But it won’t be because the work is too hard or the job is beneath me. It will be at the point when my current occupation no longer serves me as a means to fund my own business; when it begins hindering my journey toward my dreams.
I don’t like work—no man does—but I like what is in the work,—the chance to find yourself. Your own reality—for yourself, not for others—what no other man can ever know.
– Marlow (from Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness)
It’s not just about me and my job anymore; it’s about something bigger.
Enjoy The Journey
*featured image from discovery.com
Love your message with this post, Steve! When I left my job as an engineer to pursue medicine, I found myself having to work odd jobs to make ends meet while taking pre-med courses. This led me to bartend at a minor league ball field and even work in “Hotdog Nation” for a night. Ha! That night, I caught myself thinking “You have a master’s degree and you’re working at Hotdog Nation?” But one has to remember that those moments are all part of the process; a step in the right direction even though it feels like a step backwards. And, like you said, those service jobs only improved my ability to build quick rapport with strangers (and learn to tolerate customers that treated me like a high school drop-out). I was the best hot dog slinger that stand had ever seen. Not because I was the most educated, but because I like to be the best at whatever I’m doing. Do you want fries with that? :)
I would love fries with that… if they’re of the sweet potato variety.
You’re spot on when you say it’s all part of the process. It’s so easy to believe that everything should work out as planned because you “did all the right things” or “remained positive the whole time.” We become so fixated on the final outcome – being a doctor, lawyer, writer, CEO, engineer, etc. – that we fail to see many of the lessons and opportunities that lie before us. We forget about enjoying the journey.
It’s when we are knocked down from our high horse that humility finally sets in, as if the Universe is trying to tell us something. “You are a phenomenal individual, unlike any other. But just remember you’re not above anyone else… now go sell hot dogs before you save lives as a doctor.”
Thanks Mirda for your insight!
My job is a status symbol. I am my job. My job defines who I am.
Most of the time when anyone is brave enough to drum up some good ol’ conversation with me, this question always gets posed: so what do you do? I typically respond with ‘a retail associate’ or ‘a person living the dream’. In reality, I work for a respected company that has a very laudable mission statement. I, however, couldn’t care less about how people view me in regards to my employment situation because things like that do not bother me. I am indifferent.
I graduated with my bachelor’s in electrical engineering and am a capstone design course away from being able to say I have a master’s in systems engineering. I never like to share these details with people because so many folks embrace the idea that a profession defines us as a person. And that goes against everything I believe in. I believe that everyone has the same opportunity to pursue success however they define it based upon their wants and needs. Just because I have a degree and spent countless hours studying does not make me better than someone who works at the local grocer. If somehow someone finds out what I do for a living or degrees I possess (will possess), they are usually dumbfounded. Me??? Not in a million years would someone guess I have the brain capacity, the drive, the willingness to do that sort of work. Well, I am okay with that. It takes all kinds.
Last week when I was at the grocery store–it was quite busy at the time so many of the baggers were preoccupied–the clerk was scanning my groceries and the groceries started to pile up at the end of the stand. Instead of waiting for someone to wait on me, I began bagging my groceries myself. Not only did this help the person scanning the groceries, but it helped expedite the service for the people waiting in line behind me. Could I do this everyday, day in, day out? Probably not without hating it, but as the poster pointed out, work is work.
One day I am going to figure out what I really want to do with my life and pursue it. One day I hope everyone will do the same.
I hope that “one day” comes sooner than later… you deserve it. Not because of the work you’ve done, but because of the person I know you are.
I appreciate the sarcasm at the beginning of your comment and love how you noted your experience with the inevitable conversation starter, “so, what do you do?” Exactly the question I answer in my About page.
Keep enjoying your journey my friend, one grocery bag at a time. Others may not say or show it as often as we like, but it’s the small gestures that are truly appreciated by us all.
Haha this all sounds like me today at work then i bumped into you! Weird. I like your words of wisdom, ill be enjoying more tomorrow on my day off :) nice meeting you Steve.
I’m not gonna lie, you were a little upset. Despite feeling as if you were never going to be done, you did in fact make it through the night, so props to you.
Have a kick ass time at Summer Jam and I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.
Thanks for stopping by the blog!
There is honor and dignity in anything you do. To find work in an area you love doing is, of course, the ideal job. But, is there a perfect job, perfect place, a perfect life?
I paint houses now, and I am not embarrassed about it. I do my best and I work hard. Is it my life dream? Probably not. Maybe it is….. who knows?
There IS no job beneath me in order for me to live a happy, simple life. And there is no dishonor in that either…..
I agree with what you’re saying Paul 100%. The only one who knows if there is a perfect life is you – you are the one who controls that definition.
There is absolutely no dishonor in making a living for you and your family while living a simple, happy life.
Thanks for sharing Paul, it’s great to hear your thoughts.
What sticks out in my mind is that you actually cut a penny into a corkscrew…SOLD
#STAR
Haha, it’s so true. #STAR
Hi there,
I just wanted to say thanks – this helped put things into perspective for me. I graduated a year ago with a masters in Immunology and I always just assumed that I would walk into a job/PhD from that. Unfortunately that was not the case and as a result I now work full-time in a retailing pharmacy. I often have moments where I think “What am I doing here?” and I’ve realised now that it’s only because society uses your profession to define you. I enjoy my job and I’m bloody good at it, but people have a tendency to assume that I know nothing as a degree isn’t a prerequisite for the job.
I might go back to research someday, but until then I’ll have to work harder at convincing myself that my job isn’t beneath me just because I have a degree. (I feel like such an idiot for thinking that way.)
Hi Lauren,
First and foremost I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts. Second, trust me when I say there is no need to feel like an idiot for thinking that way. It’s a sign that you aren’t satisfied with the professional level you’re currently at; you want more. Ambition is a great thing, as long as we keep it in check and not allow it to lessen our appreciation for all the amazing things we have in our life right now.
I know that the second you start to kick even more ass than you are already kicking at your current job, people will notice and you’ll be on your way to reaching your goals. In the mean time, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy the journey.
Thanks again for sharing!
I was just reading back through some of Steve’s old posts and saw this. In no way should you feel like an idiot.
It is your perspective that makes you unique. You don’t have to speak with pretension or think you are above anyone–you just have to realize that the job you may be currently working is a stepping stone to where you are going. You do not have to become complacent; on the contrary, Steve’s posts require one to push the boundaries and think outside the norm.
The only barriers that exist are within our minds. You can do whatever pleases you. Just remember, the end goal is to find something that truly makes you happy.