How often does this happen to you? You're at a party. You are meeting someone new, maybe someone attractive. You want to make a good impression so you think of all the funny stories you can tell, all the interesting hobbies you have. And what's the first thing they ask you?
"So, what do you do for a living?"
Whether we like it or not it's hard to seperate who we are from what we do. Does it have to be this way?
For the next episode of Minnesota Public Radio's new show In the Loop, we are looking at how our jobs shape who we are.
Do you define yourself by your work? Does your job spill into your personal life? Does your career require you to be someone you normally aren't? Are you doing what you want or dreamed of doing? Or is your job a paycheck to support your real passions and interests (like writing on Gather?!)?Â
Let us know what's on you think! Maybe you love your job, maybe you don't, but how does it impact your identity?
We're also looking for submissions for our radio program. We want short (two minutes or less) poems, essays, plays, songs, sound collages -- anything that can be expressed over the radio -- about your relationship to work. (Bonus points if you create your submission at work . . . especially if you can prove it, perhaps with a photo or a signed note from your boss)
If you have a submission click here to upload it to us! And let the conversation flow here on Gather!Â
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Comments: 6
Anyway to the questions In the Loop brought to the table:
Do you define yourself by your work? No, but I consider how I work and the decisions I make at work to be a deep vein of who I am.
Does your job spill into your personal life? Depending on the day I would say no, maybe, or yes. Those close to me would say yes. I do what I love, so in that yeah it does spill into my personal life. Schedule-wise, I try to keep time marked for friends and family and not obsess over work or allow it to be the only thing on my mind. Still, I'm told that I talk through work problems in my sleep. *shrug*
Does your career require you to be someone you normally aren't? No.
Are you doing what you want or dreamed of doing? Yes.
Which comes first: the desire to be engaged by one's work or finding work that engages a person? Hard to say. I'm lucky enough to have both. I tend to believe that people who are always focused on their next vacation aren't really looking for time on a beach, but need a little engagement during their weekday.
I know for myself, I often feel like I am digging around for something worth talking about when I meet new people. I'll try their job first, if that doesn't work I'll ask about music, sports, hobbies, where they grew up. But it often takes a while to find that spark that lites up their passion.
It's funny but I think you are right about how we often end up in passionless discussions about our job that both make us sound boring to others and bore us as well. Sounds like a bad formula . . . but then why do you think we do it all_the_time?