The post was originally published in Polish on Szymon’s LinkedIn profile. Szymon kindly agreed to republish what we think is of great value to our readers.
Not everyone has to love their job and contrary to what you read and hear – there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.
Szymon Janiak, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Czysta3.VC
We live in a time with such popular sayings as:
- ‘Do what you love and you won’t work a day.’
- ‘You have to find your passion, otherwise you’ll burn out.’
- ‘The best work is the one done for a vocation, not for money.’
It sounds beautiful, but… It’s not for everyone. After going through this phase, it’s not uncommon to feel stupid. But how does one love entering numbers into Excel that don’t matter much to the world? Not every job is by vocation and is ambition-driven. The most important thing, however, is that there is nothing wrong with it.
- You can work for money – and that’s okay.
- You can have a satisfying job, but treat it as a means of life, not its meaning.
- You can develop passions outside of your full-time job–not everything has to be a way to earn money.
The problem starts when people are told that they have to ‘love’ their job. Because if not, then something is wrong with them. If they didn’t give up everything to ‘chase their dreams,’ it means that they gave up.
And what if someone just wants to have a good, stable job, earn honestly, and have time for family, travel or hobbies after hours?
What if someone’s greatest passion is photography, sports, music, but they don’t want to make a business out of it?
What if someone has no passion at all and it doesn’t bother them at all?
- Not everyone dreams of having their own business.
- Not everyone wants to ‘live their job.’
- Not everyone has to feel a calling to be a great specialist.
And that’s okay. Let’s not go crazy because of the constant pressure of social media. It is worth acting in a way that is beneficial for us.
The comment section has to add:
From my clients’ experiences, such an idealistic ‘I have to love my job’ approach often ends in burnout, unfortunately. I have the impression that we are more often taught that we have to love our work, that the company is like a family, and a lot of such slogans. Wouldn’t it be healthier if we stayed at the level that’s, hmm… Reasonable? My job is ok, I earn money to be able to support my family, have money for my passion/travel/hobby etc. Then I don’t have to get myself too busy and stay overtime, I’m not on the phone all the time just because someone may need something., I don’t commit myself 1000%. And I don’t burn most of my energy at work, so that after work I have the strength for other things–that is, for LIFE.
– Aleksandra Kulga, Burnout Recovery and Prevention Coach, Owner at Take the Lead
Long ago, Seligman distinguished three approaches to work: job, career and calling,–that is, work as a duty, career path, and vocation. The fact is that each of these roads is ok. Not everyone has to ‘love’ their job, because for many people it is simply a means to a stable life. But if someone is missing something, generally speaking, it is worth taking a more attentive look at yourself.
– Agnieszka Baranowska, Career Coach
Szymon Janiak is an investor and a business-driven Managing Director at czysta3.vc, a Venture Capital fund located in Poland. He has over 10 years of experience in the technology sector. Szymon is also a Member of the Supervisory Board at stockbroker Grupa Trinity S.A.
