(Like the personal development class I took this past Spring, I am taking another course from which I will be mirroring writing assignments here. This course is about career options so the writing pieces will have a relevant focus. They will remain introspective.)
The worst job I can imagine is a
dull one.
To be fair, when I talk about a
dull job, I'm not talking excluding unpleasant jobs. It's possible that many of
the jobs out there are painful, dangerous, morally questionable, or even just
repulsive in a sensory way. We hear about Mike Rowe-caliber dirty jobs all the
time. They run the gamut from cleaning out septic tanks to cleaning the decks
of fishing boats to castrating sheep. These unquestionably difficult jobs
frequently couple manual labor with personal danger. They're often smelly or
require interacting with substances most reasonable people would choose to
avoid.
That being said, I imagine that
these kinds of jobs have been romanticized just as difficult jobs throughout
history have been. Few people can genuinely say they would want to clean out
septic tanks but it remains a genuinely unique occupation. Someone has to have
the job - and they may not even enjoy it - but its offensive tendencies lend it
notability. We could look at high-seas piracy the same way. For centuries,
piracy has meant living in cramped, disease-ridden places along with murderous
co-workers, all at risk of grievous personal harm. It's not an ideal job for
most people but it's great for billion-dollar movie franchises.
I don't find dirty jobs attractive.
Rather, I'm willing to believe that there are worse options, if only because
there is clear evidence that they exist.
What's worse than cleaning sewage?
Let's imagine a job with the following responsibilities: arrive at workplace,
sit at desk, place headphones on ears, and listen to the sounds of human
suffering for eight hours. The reason for the suffering and the reason for the
listening are both unclear. Requests to management for context are met with
friendly, illegible Post-it notes left by unseen managers. You may take a break
(in fact, it's mandatory to do so every few hours) but it will hurt your
chances of promotion. It's unclear how often promotions occur yet every
employee at this company fights for them. The sounds coming over the headphones
are muffled but seem to mix urgent requests for help with personal insults. The
insults are surprisingly specific and include personal details you've never
made public. The job is the same every day and never requires more or less
effort than that required to stay awake.
I'm essentially describing a
hellish variation on working in a call center, with a few admittedly hyperbolic
additions. The last detail I've included is truly the most discouraging part of
this fictional job. Having to repeat the same types of actions on a daily basis
is bad enough, but doing so without any chance to improve a skill or address a
challenge is essentially prison. An individual with this job may work for years
and gain in nothing but age.
The remaining details in the job
description have more to do with relationships. There are always relationships
between individuals at any organization. It's a function of living in human
society. Companies and organizations are founded by humans, staffed by humans,
and managed by humans. Any effort which renders the experience dehumanizing is
coercive and psychologically harmful. Having to perform unpleasant work (in
this case, listening to suffering and insults) fits the bill and is
dehumanizing because it's not clear why it's necessary or what it's all a part
of. In this example, I've included instances where the company culture favors
misinformation and confusion. I'd like to think that this type of culture,
whether accidental or by design, may contribute the most to feelings of
dehumanization. It's easy to feel less than human when you're not treated with
respect and when you don't know how to earn respect.
I've never worked in a job as bad
as the one I've described. I've come close and I know people who have come
closer. Monotony and dehumanization will repel me from a job faster than any
other offense but I've been very lucky to have avoided them when I can.
