I read a lot. Actually, I skim a lot and read when the writing resonates. Regardless, my favorite book last year was Having and Being Had by Eula Biss and as much as I loved reading it, it's a really hard sell to get others to.
Friend: What's it about?
Me: Well…technically, it's an autobiography about capitalism.
Exhilarating, amirite?! I honestly wouldn't have thought so either, particularly because I struggle with autobiographies. I’m a real sucker for intellectual insights, though, and this book is full of ‘em.
Chapter after chapter, Biss illuminates the everyday tension she feels between capitalistic comfort and moral discomfort. For example, she writes that if the price of every item reflected its social cost, then a lot of things would be much more expensive - bottled water, online shopping, and bullets…[chills]. At one point, she also highlights anthropologist David Graeber's take on 'shit jobs' vs 'bullshit jobs' and I haven't stopped talking about it since.
Wtf is a bullshit job?
For the purposes of this post, I've stitched excerpts from both Graeber and Biss to summarize their takeaways:
Shit jobs involve essential work that needs to be done - what makes them shit is that the workers who do these jobs are badly treated, undervalued, and poorly paid. (Think janitors, teachers, dock workers)
Bullshit jobs are so pointless that even the people doing the jobs don't see any reason for them to exist. They are not usually dangerous or physically demanding. And they pay well. But they don't offer any of the rewards of service or the satisfaction of having done something worthwhile. Many of them involve doing nothing at all.
Ready for the insight? Where shit jobs often expose a worker's body to harm, bullshit jobs cause psychological harm. (oof, IYKYK)
Here's another one: Those with the power to do the most harm are rewarded most, while those who do the most good are rewarded least. (I could talk about this for hours)
So what kind of job is yours?
Fortunately, these aren’t the only kinds of jobs, but Graeber estimated that roughly a third of all jobs are bullshit jobs; having experienced a few bullshit moments as defined above, I'm not so naive to think that I’m ever too far from that line of BS. I also think there's a tricky thing about BS jobs; even if you know why your job exists and that your work isn't BS, the truth of the matter is that others you work with might, and therein lies the rub.
I find this to be especially true in marketing and strategy (or better yet, what I’m doing right now - consulting, which I’ll get into another day). My brother has lovingly reminded me that I happen to enjoy making a career out of these incredibly nebulous areas, which means I'm constantly trying to figure out a few things while on the job hunt:
Is this job description legit or bullshit? (can someone please tell me why sooo many bad JDs exist? jk, I know why.)
Do others deem the function or role BS?
And do I really want to work there?
Calling their bluff
I think too many people are fooled by the reality of their roles because they don't talk to as many people as they should and/or don’t know what questions to ask when they do. I'm personally just as interested in talking to people who know nothing about a role as I am in those who know everything; if you're wondering what I ask, see some FAQs below, but I strongly encourage you to ask anything that gives you peace of mind. Seriously, go for it. (One of the companies I was looking into was known for some bad behavior towards women, so I asked people if they would be comfortable with their daughters working there.)
How has your time at [company x] been?
What are the big questions that the company is trying to tackle right now? Do you think the org is set up to deliver that? How, if so, does your work roll up to that?
Can you tell me what the marketing/strategy function does? How is it seen within the org and is its credibility improving or declining?
Is marketing/strategy seen as a true thought partner? (Quick PSA for anyone who's not in these areas - we're NOT just here to help you execute, folks!)
Do you think this a good job? (I’m more interested in the ‘why’ here)
Do you like your job? Do people have fun? (seems silly, but so important)
Are there instances where you repeatedly feel like you’re not being heard?
What do you think will ultimately make you leave [company x]?
Why are we talking about BS jobs?
Three reasons:
I’ve been known for calling BS on a few occasions - it’s never fun to do, which is why I’m glad Graeber already did.
I hope you never aspire to have a BS job and that this post helps you avoid one.
It doesn’t feel right to dive into details about a job I'm looking for without recognizing the millions who are doing the essential work. Their work deserves our full respect and lets me have the career (that likely you and) I love. You’d think that the pandemic would lead us to never lose sight of this, and yet, I feel like we’ve already started to. It’s disgraceful and the irony isn’t lost on me.
Going back to Having and Being Had, there's a definite tension I feel for having taken an ‘easier’ way out. Relative to my family members who are teachers, I usually have a comfortable salary and all of the resources that I need to do my job; it’s pretty tragic that people teaching our next gen can't say the same. While I’m realistically not changing my profession at the moment, the least I can do is never settle for a BS job, always show gratitude to the people who are often overlooked, and routinely give back.
For a great story on just that, watch this 13-min segment about Dave Kindred that 60 Minutes aired on Sunday. He's a legendary sportswriter who has covered every major moment you can think of and interviewed Muhammad Ali hundreds of times(!!!). Today, he's chronicling the stories and state championships of a high school girls basketball team, which has given him the sense of purpose he has recently needed most.
On that note, I hope you have a great week, cut the bullshit, and shop small (from places like Powell's and McNally Jackson) if you end up buying Biss’s book.
No guarantees, but I think we'll finally talk about squirrels soon.