When pressed, we can come up with a hundred and one reasons why we stay in a lousy job. “The economy is bad. There aren’t any jobs available. I’m not cut out for anything else.” For me, though, the worst excuse, by far is “Well, someone has to do the job.” To this I reply, “someone may have to do the job, but it doesn’t have to be you.”
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Let me be very clear that I am not talking about all the unpleasant, but extremely necessary work out there like garbage collection, sewer maintenance or animal control. Even in these unpleasant activities, workers can find high levels of job satisfaction along with equally high salaries. This is exactly how it should be with all unpleasant, but high necessity jobs.
The jobs I am talking about are the one’s with the abusive boss — the one’s with low salaries and no raises – the one’s that make your life worse, instead of better. These jobs suck the life out of you and, in some cases, everyone you work with. They deaden you to your own skills and capabilities. They use you up, discard the husk and replace you with yet another cog in the machine.
Sure, someone has to do these jobs, but it doesn’t have to be you. If you are reading this column or listening to this podcast, you are already far better than these jobs. These jobs are for those who haven’t thought about what they want out of their careers. These jobs are for those who have decided to settle instead of trying to build the career they deserve. These jobs are for those who have given up any hope of a productive career and simply slog through day after day. I can’t imagine that description applying to anyone who has taken the time and energy to join me here.
Let me lay it out in very clear terms. You are better than any of these jobs. There is no reason any of you should dread going to work each day. If you are, then this is a clear sign it is time to find a job that better matches your capabilities. When the economy is down, conventional wisdom says that “any job is a good job”, but I don’t believe it. Any job that tears you down bit by bit is more destructive than no job at all. Before you even realize it, you have dug yourself into a pit. Getting out of that pit can take months or years. Years when you should have been pursuing the career you deserve, not merely surviving in a lousy, and destructive, job.
Imagine how much better the world might be if everyone doing these destructive jobs found something else. What would it be like if you weren’t constantly receiving unwanted telemarketing calls, spam email and infomercials for unnecessary items. Someone has to do those jobs, but it doesn’t have to be you. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be them. Many of these jobs shouldn’t be done by anyone. The sooner we realize that, the better off we all will be.
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