On finding meaning in work through our hands

I just got around to listening to the January 3rd episode of CBC Radio’s show The Spark while on my way home from work today, and I have to say it was a gooder, full of thought provoking conversation that touched on issues that are very relevant to me. The topic was on finding meaning in our work life, which is a big thing for me as I continue to struggle to try and figure out a career path for myself.

The first guest was none other than Seth Godin, whose free e-book I had mentioned back in December. He has very interesting ideas on taking initiative in your career and the growing importance of community and giving back.

The second guest, Matthew B. Crawford, is a PhD who runs his own mechanic shop. The dichotomy of the two definitely makes for an interesting perspective on the working world in this day and age, and if you don’t feel inclined to listen to the interview or read the transcript, he also wrote an article in the New York Times that is a good read.

Here’s a quote from the interview:

It does seem like it’s become more difficult to be self-reliant. I also think that we feel bereft of those occasions to be self-reliant. And I wonder if the growth of the do-it-yourself movement, which seems to be pretty big in these days, is partly an attempt to reclaim that. You know, also that effort to reclaim it is, in part, a response to changes in the world of work. You know, working in an office is often that the case that the chain of cause and effect can become a bit confusing, and responsibility can often get spread around. And so, people come home from work and they knit a sweater, say, or build an addition on their house in an effort to reclaim that.

I think it resonates with me so much because I am that person who comes home from work and knits a sweater (that I totally meant to take a picture of this week-end when there was some daylight so I could blog about it, but didn’t get around to).

Godin makes the point that knowledge jobs these days may not necessarily involve hard labour, but what they do involve is emotional labour which is also hard work. Contrast that with that trades jobs, the ones Crawford argues should not be overlooked, that do involve labour maybe the question a career searching person has to ask themselves is what kind of labour appeals to them?