Inspiration at Work?

[c9]

I've never thought of my job as a noble pursuit. In fact, I often get a little down because I don't believe I'm doing Good. I could be helping children in Africa, or building houses for the homeless, or even getting into civic politics and effecting change. But teaching people how to make a database? It certainly helps them, but where does the planet actually benefit?

The other night my company (well, a co-worker and I) hosted an instructor event where we brought in our favourite instructors and talked about the changes at Nexient, gave them a chance to talk to the CEO and with each other, wined and dined them, and talked about presenting what Nexient is all about in the classroom. One of the things that happened was my new boss talked a bit about how he sees the work we do, and it was the first time anyone had ever made me think about the Good that is found in what we do: "People are entrusting their careers to us." Thinking about it like that made me think just a little differently about it.

I still don't see overall Good in what we do, but the positive impact we can have on other people, not just on their activities, did make me think a bit.

I do think I'd like to find something I can do that I feel is more meaningful though. Volunteering would be a good start, but the way my work is right now I don't think I could find time -- and I think that maybe I should devote more of my time to Good than I currently do to Neutral.

Do you see Good in what you do? Do you want to see Good in what you do? Does all this talk of Good make you a little bit Pukey?

Comments

[sarah-sosiak.livejournal.com]

One of the reasons I took the job at Linden was that I saw a better chance for Doing Good™ here than at MSFT. But despite all of the emails and cards we get from people thanking us for changing their lives I’m not really feeling it. I’d say that’s because most of what I do is pretty indirect to the experience, but thinking about it, I’m not sure there’s any job here that would make me feel like I was directly Doing Good.

One of the reasons I keep talking about pharmacy school and the like is that I see that sort of work as having more potential to allow me to Do Good -- but I have a feeling that unless I’m building schools by hand in sub-Saharan Africa* I’m never going to feel like what I do fills that need.


* Not entirely ruled out as a career path.