Does your job suck? you're in good company

Mar 17 2008 by Print This Article

If you are facing another work day and the thought is not a pleasant one, you might be able to take heart in the fact that you are not alone. History is full of people who had to spend years working awful jobs before becoming great and changing the world.

This phenomenon is discussed by Jason Torchinsky in his article Slouching on the Shoulders of Giants: Why It's Okay that your Job Sucks.

Albert Einstein may be the most-famous example, as discussed by Torchinsky. He writes, "Albert Einstein held a job in the Swiss Patent office for seven years. He began the job of technical officer on June 23, 1902 on a provisional basis; it wasn't until 1904 that he was accepted permanently. And though his salary was raised, he was not promoted from a Class III employee to a Class II because he was 'not fully accustomed to matters of mechanical engineering.'"

Of course, Einstein also wrote five of his earliest papers while on company time that ultimately made him famous.

Another great example of someone who seemed destined for nothing but changed the world, was Karl Marx. In fact, Marx never held down a real job at all. He did manage to find a wealthy benefactor, however, who paid for his lifestyle while he wrote his socialist manifestos.

Another example is: "Michael Faraday, the discoverer of electromagnetism and one of the first to realize its full potential, was stuck in a chain of underpaid, menial jobs that seem to have only gotten in the way of what he really wanted to do."

So, while the thought of trudging into your cubicle in the morning may not seem like anything to look forward to, you may want to consider how future generations will look at it. Perhaps the menial job you have today will be something to laugh about in your limousine ten years from now.

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