The Worst Job I Ever Had
By Steve Gahagen
The worst job I may have ever had was a summer job during college. I worked at a coated abrasives (fancy name for sand paper) factory. The worst part wasn’t that the work was hard or even that the factory reeked of chemicals. It was that the crew I worked with worked extremely hard not to work. It was exhausting. These guys spent a considerable amount of energy seeing how little they could accomplish, even calculating how many times they could go to the bathroom in one shift. I realized I never wanted to live my life like that. It was miserable for me and it was miserable for them. It would have been so much easier if they had just applied themselves and done their work.
People may dream of having an easy job. But it’s not usually an easy job that inspires people to write a great story with their lives. It’s work that has meaning and value, work that captures our passion and talents and motivates us to achieve our best.
Questions to consider
I encourage you to discuss these questions around the office water cooler or home dinner table. You can breathe life into people in your sphere of influence as you ask them to share their thoughts.
What was the easiest job you ever had? Was it fulfilling?
What is the most difficult job you have ever had?
What would be the ideal job that would capture your passion and talents?