Have you ever noticed that we, as Americans, really only seem to value stressful jobs? Like, if I had a job that was pretty low-key and low-stress, people wouldn't take it - or me - that seriously?
This occurred to me yesterday when I was invited last minute to attend an industry event at work. I, who had dressed for a day in my very-small-office - in draw-string linen pants and flats with a cardigan - painfully stood out at this event as being extremely under-dressed. It was a sea of black suits. On men and women.
As soon as I noticed this, I rushed into the bathroom to scrape back my hair into a more appropriate bun. That's when I also noticed that through my pants khaki-colored pants you could see my white-and-blue star underwear. Great.
As my insecurity rose, the voice of my boss popped into my head. Was I being too concerned about what others thought of me? I've never thought myself someone who cares what other people think, but maybe I am. And that's when I realized that stressful jobs are more valued than non-stressful ones.
That might seem like a big jump from being underdressed, but to me, it's not. The reason I felt underdressed was because everyone else was dressed so, well, seriously. Black suits for a luncheon? At a networking event? It's not like these people were at a career fair. Nope, just hanging around with some old and potentially new friends, talking industry stuff and having some wedding-like fare.
When I tell people that I'd love love love to own a dog-walking business, most laugh. A dog-walking business? "But you have a master's." Literally what my dentist said to me the other day. And my response should be, "So?" A master's would come in great handy for the business side of a dog-walking business, wouldn't it? What makes running your own business less impressive than working 60+ hours a week for The Man or The Corporation?
I don't get it. I don't think I'm making much sense, either.
Does anyone feel me on this?
4 comments:
I got you. First off, anyone starting their own business, regardless of the service/product, should be stressed, because that is stressFULL! Although, I think, whether it be working for The Man or walking dogs, people who love to do what they do (as opposed to someone just doing some mundane job they don't care about) are most stressed, because they actually care about their performance and results. They're invested in it on an emotional level, it's part of how they identify themselves. And to suck at some job you don't care about is one thing, but to suck at a job that you define part of yourself by is a completely different, most likely stress-inducing, concept.
Word.
-R
Btw my name is weird because I have to log in with some account, whether it be Google or AIM or LiveJournal or something. Is there a way to add the option of just name?
Should be good now, son.
I totally understand. I think people on Etsy aren't even taken seriously.
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