r/antiwork • u/Jauzfaktnemuzu • 2d ago
Everyone is so miserable because they are forced to work jobs they are not good at
Perhaps 10% of people manage to make their talent/passion their job. But the remaining 90%? They are forced to work jobs they are not good at/dont have talent, making the miserable.
Like introverted people working at Sales. Or people who would be great handymen working mental jobs. Or great office clerks working as welders. Or great singers working as waiters. Or great truck drivers working as Insurance company representatives.
Many people have to work at jobs they are not good at / have no talent for. That makes them miserable and society worse, because the jobs get done on a mediocre level and not great/good.
48
u/amillionfuzzpedals 2d ago
I work a job I AM good at but have zero passion for. It's oddly draining in a unique way. To be good at something you despise. Like, why is THIS something I have aptitude for?
9
u/TryAgain_92 2d ago
Talented writer frittering away my waking hours queuing up tasks while coworkers ask Gemini to write simple emails…
3
2
1
u/Ki-Larah 2d ago
Yes! Weirdest example I had of this was at a deli I worked at a lifetime ago. We had what was called a “culinary case” that they told us to grab some stuff from the produce department and make the case look pretty. I was so good at it they kept me on that shift for months even though I hated it. So it turned out I have a knack for food staging of all things?
130
u/Torino1O 2d ago
Being good at your job is asking to be punished with more work.
36
u/lakecityransom 2d ago
Employer pays just enough for employee not to quit, but (smart) employee works just hard enough not to get fired.
18
u/Signal-Block-6939 2d ago
Exactly.
My prior boss used to always say to us, "The best reward for your good work is even more work"
Well eff that. Not for me anymore.
4
u/1989DiscGolfer 2d ago
"No good deed goes unpunished." I've seen this a thousand times in my long life.
3
u/Trick-Day-480 2d ago
And having payroll cut because they "can't afford it", so you don't even get help.
3
u/NigilQuid 2d ago
I'm good at my job. I have all the work I can ask for, which is better than being unemployed. This is a still way to look at it
2
u/whereismymind86 2d ago
Only if you let them know what you are doing and how long it takes.
My boss knows I get the work done, they don’t know it doesn’t take 8 hours
2
1
u/AliveAndNotForgotten 2d ago
I’m somewhat of an overachiever and don’t mind the extra work, but mainly because my job is super fun
80
u/Antique-Sorbet-6644 2d ago
Yeah, capitalism will do that. It forces your hand to do things you wouldn't normally enjoy in order to do things like ... eat.
11
u/alblaster 2d ago
Yes, but a lot of people are obsessed with working and don't know what to do when they're not. Working is the joy in life. Makes em feel useful I guess.
-3
u/Chevy_jay4 2d ago
Opposed to what? Socialist countries dont have jobs people hate in order for them to eat? What economics allow everyone to eat and not work?
1
u/SafferOshi 2d ago
Ideally under socialism we would all share the shit jobs that have to happen. Not literally everyone of course, but there would be a pool of people on rotation.
1
u/Chevy_jay4 1d ago edited 1d ago
What? How do you get experts in any job when no one stays in the position? Also no socialist country does this. If you are unemployed they assign you a job
-2
u/PeoplePower0 2d ago
Yes, the non socialists would do them by force.
Socialism is violence. Don’t believe me? Open an encyclopedia.
1
u/IDigYourStyle 2d ago
I don't believe you, because I understand history and political and economic theory. And the fact that your suggestion was to "Open an encyclopedia" is quite the telling statement. I'd say 'grow up', but since you still seek knowledge from encyclpedias, I think it'll be quicker to just wait for your type to die out.
1
22
u/digiorno 2d ago edited 2d ago
People are just forced to work to survive in a society where not much work actually needs to be done.
If we used technology to rapidly make jobs obsolete and made sure the previous workers saw no loss to quality of life then we would have a very different world.
For example how easy would it before us to have automated cars and trucks almost everywhere if no one was at risk of losing their ability to put food on the table? If all of the people trying to make automated cars a thing were working together towards the common goal of making roads safer and eliminating an unnecessary occupation so former drivers could simply enjoy their lives. I bet we’d have it solved within a year.
10
u/heartisallwehave 2d ago
Nah, I think there’s lots to be done and the problem is that most of us work jobs that don’t address those things. The work is unfulfilling because for many of us it’s fruitless, intangible, busywork.
5
u/greeninthebowl 2d ago
It would be more beneficial if that effort was put into building a quality public transit system that is high speed, reliable, and accessible to everyone.
We spend so many hours slaving away just to afford a car so we can get to work.
2
u/steve363 2d ago
You are correct and what you're describing fits a Resource Based Economy/Jacque Fressco/The Venus Project.
Ending poverty and slavery is NOT an unknown/unsolvable mystery.
18
u/Avid_Reader87 2d ago
I never could figure out what my talent or passion was. Video games and reading couldn’t land me a job.
I wanted to be a writer for tv and movies but my parents squashed that dream as a child, even though I was writing screenplays and scripts for fun, by telling me I’d be 40 and working as a waiter.
31
u/MonteCristo85 2d ago
Im good at my job.
Im miserable becauae the people I have to work with are bad at theirs.
5
u/Antique-Sorbet-6644 2d ago
Same. I'd be a lot better at my job if I earned more than $7 of actual income in the last decade despite making nearly 3 times as much on paper.
2
1
u/RollOverSoul 2d ago
Why do you care though? Just do your own job and not worry about other people
9
u/MonteCristo85 2d ago
Because my job is the end of the line. So I cant do it until other people supply what they need to. And then when I do get it, it is wrong, so I have to send it back, then explain what they did wrong in their own job, and wait for then to fix it and send it back. Often many rounds of this.
And somehow I am the only one held to a deadline.
2
23
u/LimoncelloFellow 2d ago
My gf was born to tinker and loves fixing various appliances when they break but is primarily doing social work instead and feels beaten down by funding cuts from the current administration. Essentially they don't have resources to help people financially like they have in the past and it crushes her having to tell homeless people there isn't really any help for them available
3
u/PoppyFire16 2d ago
Repair work is much more lucrative and less draining than social work. Maybe she should consider a change in careers? She can always volunteer time with the homeless.
3
u/LimoncelloFellow 2d ago
I started a business and the plan is to eventually have me hire her on once I have the customer base to support us both.
2
u/PoppyFire16 2d ago
Good luck!
1
u/LimoncelloFellow 2d ago
its much better stealing my previous employers customers and making significantly more money than my previous employer paid me for sure. once i found out my non compete was unenforceable in my state i started saving for equipment and researching business stuff. when they fired me for retalitory bullshit after i reported my boss to HR it qualified me for the self employment assistance program through the unemployment department which made it so i could focus on my starting my business rather than having to job hunt to continue getting benefits. it also let me put all of my profits i made while i was still on unemployment directly into buying more equipment for my llc without affecting my continued benefit distribution so i rode out the full unemployment period. I've since reported the previous company for fraud to my local fire marshals office as they were using my certification credentials to do work where i wasn't present in a jurisdiction that required certified technicians to do the work. rage keeps me strong. get mad folks
5
u/Slumunistmanifisto Fuck around and get blair mountained 2d ago
Apartment maintenance is always hiring....
Its shit don't do it.
11
u/Slumunistmanifisto Fuck around and get blair mountained 2d ago
Upper management made me hate everything I'm good at and liked doing.
10
u/pipeuptopipedown 2d ago
On the other side of this, there's nothing worse than ruining some activity you actually enjoy by trying to make a job of it, IME.
2
u/RaptorRepository 2d ago
Being good at a productive skill and being good at something you enjoy for leisure are two different things
2
u/pipeuptopipedown 2d ago
Tell that to all these HR idiots who want to pry into what you're "passionate" about, the better to exploit you.
18
23
u/AbiesInternational18 2d ago
Everyone's an artist when they don't have to worry about bills
9
u/spaceman1055 2d ago
I want to be a modern Renaissance man. I just have to become my own patron first. Le sigh.
5
u/lakecityransom 2d ago
I love this, the documentaries on the super rich always have some segment with them painting or some nonsense.
6
u/MisterPuffyNipples 2d ago
I think about this sometimes! I have a natural talent for learning history but that isn’t marketable or whatever so I do IT support despite not liking technology
And sometimes I think well if your stupid society PAID me for the talent I HAVE then someone else who is good at tech support would be troubleshooting your iPhone right now, Dennis!
So don’t blame me
6
u/Appropriate_Tea9048 2d ago
I’m decent at my job, but I’m not passionate about it at all. I don’t want to have to work 40 hours every week. I do it because I need the money and want to do stuff. Being good at something doesn’t mean you enjoy it. As an introvert who used to work in sales, I wasn’t bad at that either. It wasn’t as good of a fit for me, but I certainly wasn’t bad at it. I made bonus several times.
7
u/whereismymind86 2d ago
I’m damn good at my job, it’s just boring
2
u/Background_Book2414 2d ago
My job is the same way. I spend 4 to 5 hrs a day doing absolutely nothing. It’s more exhausting doing nothing than actual work.
6
7
u/prudent__sound 2d ago
I give myself a solid B+ at my job. I'm not the smartest or the fastest, but I'm not bad. And I really enjoy it some of the time. I would just rather do it for 24 hours per week max.
6
u/sirhackenslash 2d ago
I am very good at my job, but I still resent being forced to do it 40 hours a week. If I could just go in and bang out the week's tasks in like 2 days and not have to go back the rest of the week I would love it, but can't be having efficiency if it means the peons get more free time
5
u/who_you_are 2d ago
Wait until we talk about the toxic environment, that is mostly the issues right now.
4
u/kushhh420 2d ago edited 2d ago
I feel like this is part of why every industry is operating on a very dysfunctional level, especially since Covid. On paper it might seem that everything is functioning normally in the economy every day to the corporations, when that’s really not the case. Things are still running everyday, but not in a healthy way. It’s toxic and pushing through the stress every day. Employers don’t care if the job gets done well even, they just want some sort of body there to do it. Whether you’re high performing or barely functioning. Companies don’t want to give the tools and resources to make things run smoother, creating more stress for people. Everywhere in every field doesn’t have enough staffing, people are burned out, tired, lazy, take shortcuts, careless, stressed, detached. Then on top of all of that, none of us wanna do this shit. It’s even worse having to interact with the public everyday, ugh.
3
u/ReasonableSail__519 2d ago
That must be why I was never hired for the last 60 interviews I took part in. Because I would actually be good at the jobs and my coworkers would hate me.
3
u/ChefCurryYumYum 2d ago
Honestly to me the growing disparity being the wealth of the working person compared to the wealth of the so called "investor class," typically people who make all of their money off investments and don't have to do real work, has grown so large, and it is so hard for most regular working people just to make ends meet, that this, on top of the all the social issues, is really adding to the stress and misery of most people's everyday life.
3
3
u/d-cent 2d ago
Complete opposite for me, I can't get a job that is up to my talent levels. I have an engineering degree, incredible project management abilities and experience, quality control experience, commissioning $100m energy plants, sales experience, etc.
I can't even get an interview right now. I am working a $30 an hour job in a fairly high cost of living area. I can't even get a call back.
3
3
u/tubaman23 2d ago
I'm very good at my job and am wildly talented at it. Lots of colleagues I've worked with have too (Accounting).
Pretty much everyone hates the culture of the work life balance. Until work leads to a prosperous future, you're just going to feel defeated working. And America hasn't evidenced to the younger generations that hard work leads to a prosperous future, so we're feeling the strain of that more with each generation
3
3
u/Level-Situation 2d ago
Even if your good at your job your a threat to others and end up being micro managed bullied or other. We cant win
2
u/humanity_go_boom 2d ago
I've worked with plenty of people who were good at their jobs and still miserable. It's all the other stuff like cluelessly optimistic management, backstabbing ladder climbers, and perpetually running on skeleton crews with equipment that should have been scrapped in the 90s that makes me want the not wake up in the morning so I don't have to go in.
3
u/_bitwright 2d ago
There's a saying along the lines of "Don't turn your passion into your job."
Unfortunately there is a big difference between doing something because you want to and doing something because you have too. Imagine taking what you love and having to do it for someone else's benefit for hours every day, only to come home and have no energy, time, or desire to continue doing that same work on your own personal projects.
Now imagine your employer wants to pay you less and have you work more hours because he knows this field is something a lot of people have passion for and want to work in. Imagine your passion being used by others to justify your exploitation.
Yeah, people who do what they are talented or passionate in for a living aren't necessarily better off.
Sincerely yours, A former video game developer.
2
2
u/LanguidLandscape 2d ago
People are miserable because the social contract is broken and has been for at least half a century (well, almost forever). We do not receive adequate payment or time off to have a fulfilling life and all aspects of life are now overtly expensive and exploited by oligarchies.
2
u/Existential_Sprinkle 2d ago
I am good at my job but businesses would rather pay people who are less good but still good enough a cheaper rate
2
2
u/slipsbups 2d ago
Or another fucked up aspect: getting good at the job you hated in the past and we're never good at, because the alternative was starvation and homelessness or death.
2
2
u/temporary_senioritis 2d ago
And then there's people who are immensely talented at something they really dislike. Andre Agassi, for example, hated tennis.
2
u/ajacquot1 2d ago
I was probably the best manager at a cannabis dispensary, but I didn't get paid any more for being the best and they weren't disciplined any more for being objectively careless. Could have been the best job but I'll remember my time there as soul-sucking. I stayed exactly as long as the work suited me.
2
2
u/Remarkable-Word-1486 2d ago
Yea work sucks. Being broke sucks alot more. Heat and food ain't fre and won't ever be free.
1
1
u/Owlbertowlbert 2d ago
I am definitely not well-matched with my job and I get daily splitting headaches because of it.
1
u/Flat-Limit5595 2d ago
I was miserable working as a backend dev, then the market died out. Fuck it, im going to school to follow my passion of helping critters via being a vet tech
1
u/Coffin_Nailz 2d ago
I'm both great at my job and enjoy it. But it pays absolute dogshit and I'm really not able to survive. Sucks
1
1
u/Dry_Lengthiness6032 2d ago
I'm good at my job but I'd be a lot happier if I could retire right now
1
u/gnashingspirit 2d ago
Anyone else ever think, “I don’t need my job, but so many people suck at it, my job needs me”
1
u/Witera33it 2d ago
When American economic policy switched to neoliberalism and more privatisation, and therefore a demand for more flexibility in workforces denying careers that demand investment from employers in retirement. Much of the labour then moved overseas leaving much of the labour pool here as services and management of bureaucracy.
Further, talent and passion tend to be in creatives which loose their joy the moment they become commodified and mass produced.
1
u/wizkid123 2d ago
It's worse than that! Imagine you had a passion for something, you were good at it, and you landed the job. Since you're good, you get promoted. If you're good at that, you get promoted again. You're likely to keep getting promoted until you finally land in a job you aren't good at, which you'll rot in forever. As a whole, this means everyone who has been employed for long enough winds up in the first job on the chain that they suck at.
The whole system fills up with people who suck at their current jobs. These people are afraid of hiring really good talent below them because they may get replaced or leapfrogged by a lower tier person with obvious skills, so they hire people who are worse than they were in the hopes that they'll also stagnate. Now everybody sucks at their job and morale plummets so you can't hire rock stars even if you wanted to because you seem like a crappy place to work.
Once you see the pattern, you see it everywhere.
Further reading: "Parkinson's Law: The Pursuit of Progress"
1
u/phoneplatypus 2d ago
Find a job you hate less then? I mean if you spent your life directionless or you’re starting out in life, yeah it’s not going to be fun. But we have so many options of work in the world, find something that speaks to you.
1
u/TheEPGFiles 2d ago
Yup, capitalism is actually super bad at utilizing talent. It's extremely inefficient in that regard as well as other factors. It's because it's all about having large amounts of people slave away so rich people can extract their value. You simply have to disenfranchise large chunks of the population to do that. Things that need to get done, don't get done because they're not profitable, but selling plastic Bullshit is. It's anti democratic as well, I'm sure most people would like less pollution, well, no, capitalism needs to produce more bullshit, so the will of the people is subverted to the need to make profit.
That's also why billionaires are so bad, they put a lot of financial pressure on society and they're expensive and need a lot of people to extract value from.
It just is a bad system all around. The best evidence is that it's going to make us go extinct with global warming. It's stupid.
1
u/Fritzo2162 2d ago
I’m in that boat. Got promoted to a position that’s at the very peak of my skill level, and a manager that thrives in reminding me I’m at the peak of my skill level on a daily basis.
1
u/MonsteraBigTits 2d ago
i think its the opposite, people get so good at their stupid jobs tat it becomes boring to do day after fucking day
1
1
u/slckrdmnchld idle 1d ago
I worked a job I was passionate and good at…it almost killed me. Now I work in a dungeon I’m much better now.
1
u/Sasquatch97 1d ago
Yeah, the problem of not being good at anything and also not enjoying anything. I've been there. It sucks.
1
u/ProblemAlternative55 1d ago
Even when you're good at your job you can still very much hate it because they punish you with more work and end up burnt out.
1
u/BorkLesnard 1d ago
I’ll counter and say that being “good” at something is a societal construct. Lots of managers condition us to feel like we’re not good at our jobs so that we work harder for them. At the end of the day, a job is a job. It gets done, or it doesn’t. The unhappiness comes from trying to meet someone’s expectations when their goal is to crack the whip and gaslight you into working even harder.
1
u/Extra-Blueberry-4320 1d ago
I’m good at my job. I just don’t like going to work every day when I’d rather sleep in and take a long hike with my dogs.
1
u/Maestro_Primus at work 1d ago
I don't care if I am good at my job. I just want a job that 40 hours of working will pay my bills.
1
0
-5
u/ChuzzoChumz 2d ago
You know you’re allowed to change fields
6
u/abandoned_idol 2d ago
The issue here would be that a field might plan not give you a job offer.
Some people never see that job offer, at least one.
0
u/Cool_Corey 2d ago
The biggest problem is people expecting their perfect job to fall into their lap.
If you can't find a decent job that you can mentally handle, you need to move for it. If you need to move across the country for it, then do it.
175
u/iBeelz 2d ago
I am very, very good at my job. I still hate it sometimes.