I used to feel the same. My measure of a ‘good job’ was very narrow. It didn’t take into account how I felt but rather, how the world perceived it. Then, in the last few years, I realised how narrow my definition was. Seeking something better, I cast my net wider and what I discovered helped me redefine many things for myself and set me on a better path.
The term ‘good job’ means different things to different peopleThe term ‘good job’ means different things to different people. It can mean:
- working in a well-known and established organisation
- having a good designation
- a fat paycheck
- good benefits
When someone asks you where you are working, many of them are looking for a name they can identify with.
‘Oh, you work in (fill in the blank with well-recognised name). That’s a good organisation and has offices all over the world!’ When people quit these places because they want to do something of their own or are fed up for some reason, the first question they are asked is ‘you are working in such a good place, why on earth are you quitting?’
I used to feel the same. My measure of a ‘good job’ was very narrow. It didn’t take into account how I felt but rather, how the world perceived it. Then, in the last few years, I realised how narrow my definition was. Seeking something better, I cast my net wider and what I discovered helped me redefine many things for myself and set me on a better path.
I met people who quit their corporate jobs and were working from home, doing work they believed in and with clients who valued them.
I met digital nomads who gave up soul crushing jobs for traveling the world and making a living at the same time.
I met entrepreneurs who dreamed bigger than many senior people I have encountered and who gave up cushy jobs, fancy office spaces and designations to chart their own course.
All of them faced their own challenges but they seemed happier with what they were doing. They didn’t have what the world considers ‘good jobs’, working in established places with fat paychecks and a cushy lifestyle. At the same time, they were making contributions they were proud of, choosing the kind of work they wanted to do and the people they wanted to collaborate with.
Based on this and my own personal experiences, some of which were harrowing, I rewrote for myself what I considered a ‘good job’.
- A ‘good job’ is one where you are valued and respected by the people you work with.
- A ‘good job’ is one where you feel you are able to add value and make a difference, however big or small.
- A ‘good job’ is one that challenges you to grow and pick up new skills.
- A ‘good job’ keeps you up at night — but for the right reasons. You lay awake thinking how you can make tomorrow better than today, not because someone generated a man-made emergency.
- A ‘good job’ isn’t just measured in how much earn. Money is important and its value shouldn’t be understated. At the same time, earning money doing work you aren’t proud of and working in toxic work places isn’t a good strategy for work satisfaction by any stretch of imagination.
- A ‘good job’ is one where you feel your voice is heard and your opinions value.
No job is perfect all the time. But if we largely experience most of the above points, it doesn’t matter where we are working — the world’s biggest conglomerate or a two-member team working in a basement, we will be reasonably happy.
If we start with defining, even in broad terms, what a ‘good job’ means to us, the chances of creating a career and work life for ourselves that is satisfying, increases dramatically.
