I've been thinking about this a lot lately. For about the past 6 months, I've thought that I wanted to be a journalist, I've called myself an aspiring journalist, I've studied journalism, kept up with the news, etc, but I recently realized that I don't really want to be a journalist. It's not that I have anything against being a journalist, but it just seems like an OK career, and I think I might enjoy other jobs more.
But here's the thing - I never wanted to be a journalist because I thought I enjoyed it. I felt obligated to become one. For as long as I've been able to think about such things, I've thought that truth is the one ideal I hold higher than any others in my life, so it seemed natural for me to become a journalist. I sympathized with others' plights, esp. in war zones, so I felt like I ought to become a war reporter. And that was my reasoning. That was all I needed.
As I thought about it more, though, I've come to doubt the assumption that I should choose a career that I "ought to choose," i.e. a "noble" career (N.B. - I use the word noble because that's how others have described my reasoning, not because I think it's particularly lofty). I suppose at its root this is really a question of whether I think it's worth it to endure a capital-G Good career that maybe isn't as enjoyable than some of my other choices, which are lower-case-g good careers: jobs that I'd really have fun with, and love going to work. I could ramble on about my personal dilemma, but it's late and I really just wanted to start a discussion. So what do you guys think? Should people choose noble professions, or should we do what we love?
Nope. There's more than enough time to do both. Choosing a career doesn't have to be a lifetime contract between yourself and society. You're free to mix it up whenever you want. The prospect of choosing a college major often makes you feel pigeonholed into the idea that a career has to be a lifetime thing. After the military, I started out with a career I thought I'd love because I'd been doing that kind of work for fun since I was very young. I didn't end up loving it so I went into a "noble career" I don't particularly love, but makes me happier, in the abusive relationship kind of way. And I plan on switching it up again next year. Not because I want a good career or a noble career, but because I want an interesting life. And as someone who has participated in war, I can't recommend war journalism. You probably know that it can be horrible, but you don't know how it's going to affect your life.Are we obligated to choose noble professions?
Should people choose noble professions, or should we do what we love?
Since ought implies can, we can only be obligated to to choose a noble profession, by whatever definition of noble you like, if we are all able to choose a noble profession. Unless your definition of "noble" is so broad that it doesn't really mean anything (the "nobility of labor", say), I don't think that's true. I do think there's an obligation not to do harm/facilitate to doing of harm, and that's a hard enough standard to meet.
"Obligated" is an interesting word choice. Who are you obligated to? What is the obligation? I looked it up 'cuz I was curious and when we're in a debate that hinges on semantics, it's good to have a crisp definition in mind. OBLIGATE: To bind or compel, especially legally or morally. "Legally" is out, obviously. Morally? Well there's the crux of it. I think the "we" is important, too - AlderaanDuran clearly ain't. Me? I've made a half million dollars mixing reality television. There are biological weapons experts with more moral jobs than mine. "Noble?" The real question is this: can you live with yourself? Nobody picks "galen" as a username without a healthy appreciation for higher causes. Who we choose to be says a lot about who we want to be. You wanted to be a journalist because you believe in the truth and because you wanted to illuminate the plight of the downtrodden. I think that's noble. I think that if you derive pleasure and self-worth from altruism, you ought to pursue an altruistic career. I don't know what that is for you - I don't know what that is for me. I'm fond of saying I put a social worker through grad school; my cosmic debt to the Universe is paid. Doesn't release me from being nice to people and giving money to charity and volunteering my time and such. does save me from spending my summers with Oxfam. It comes down to this: What do you want on your tombstone? And more than that, how much do you care? I don't really want mine to say "he mixed a shitload of reality TV" but I'm also not hung up on the idea of Anubis weighing my heart. It's your answer, not mine. All the discussion in the world won't change that.
You'd be surprised - Galen just felt like the right name for a character I found about a month and a half ago. But other than that-- you're totally right. Thanks for the insight, you've certainly given me some things to think about.Nobody picks "galen" as a username without a healthy appreciation for higher causes.
Okay, that's pretty funny. It appears you wish to lead a goofy life but your subconscious keeps getting in the way. By the way? Any profession you choose now is unlikely to be what you end up doing. At fifteen I was trying to decide between lawyer, chef, Green Beret or underwater welder, having given up on automotive designer. Four years later I'd designed a car. Nowhere in there was "design sound systems for stadiums" or "mix network television."
Wow, at 15 you were far more specific in what you thought you might do than I ever was. I think my list was lawyer, writer or musician. Underwater welder is pretty damn specific. But yeah, I never thought I'd be a business development manager for a financial institution. What kid dreams of that?
I'm 'bout to marry a car designer. It's quite an interesting profession, and one I knew relatively little about until recently. One thing that I find fascinating is how few there are in the world. There are perhaps 1000 exterior designers (working for the major auto companies) globally, and it's a very communal group; everyone knows everyone at every company. My wife-to-be is one of two female exterior designers at her company, and one of about 6 in the world (women, for whatever reason, are far more concentrated in interior design). It's crazy how many people it takes to put a car on the road, but how few people actually influence what they look like (not counting the focus groups and such).
Absolutely. It reminds me of my old religious beliefs - I used to be a Christian, but as far back as I knew to think critically about it, I understood that there was no rational reason that I was a Christian. I just felt like it was right. Finally, about a year ago, the feeling sort of disappeared, and I became an agnostic. Man, morals are annoying sometimes.It appears you wish to lead a goofy life but your subconscious keeps getting in the way.
No. I work for a company that automates the home foreclosure process making it more efficient for banks, giving them less time between the decision to foreclose and the actual foreclosure, as well as loss mitigation and legal automation throughout the process. I work in IT and am an infrastructure architect. My job certainly isn't "noble", but I also don't see it as "I'm kicking people out of their houses." I see it as a company with good tech, and a big IT budget and talented staff. I see it as a place where I've made a lot of friends and enjoy my work day. I see it as a place that for the past 6 years has really taken care of me and paid me well, which supports myself and my family. From my perspective, I rarely think about what my company actually does because I'm so disconnected from it. I have nothing but respect for people who choose noble careers thought. Doctors, teachers, social workers, etc. I respect those people, but it's just not me. I don't have the patience or will to do what it takes to become a doctor, and I could handle the pay of teachers or social workers, but that doesn't mean I can't respect the shit out of them. Just not for me. I say no, because honestly, there's not enough noble work to go around. I do what I love, and to me, that's working for a company with cutting edge tech, huge IT budgets, and talented and friendly people I enjoy working with. That's it.
This is probably the most persuasive argument for no that I've heard. Might as well leave the noble work to people who really love it and will do better at it, while I do well with what I love. Hm. Thanks for the perspective.I say no, because honestly, there's not enough noble work to go around.
When you say there isn't enough noble work to go around, do you mean noble work that gives a good paycheck? Because with all the problems we have in the world, I think it's hard to claim that we couldn't all find a way to spend our entire lives making the world a better place. I don't think it's necessary for me to make a list of candidates.
That was going to be my point. We all shit, and someone's gotta shovel that shit up. Pretty sure no one considers that noble, although it's heroic in its own pretty little way. If we want to order take-out or delivery pizza, someone has to make that pizza. If we want to use a supermarket someone has to stock the shelves and someone else has to check us out. They're not noble, but they're jobs that need to be done.there's not enough noble work to go around
When I was a kid I liked to write. I wrote stories to the delight of a few friends and my family. I started a neighborhood paper. I'd go around to all my neighbors and interview them for an exclusive biography. Jesus, I was weird. In high school and college I wrote for the newspaper. Then shit, it happens. I work bluecollar now. Warehouse, plant jobs, I'm completely lost in this industrial blackhole. Everyone tells me I should start writing again and I just nod my head. Truth is I blew my chance long ago. Nobility and love aren't inseparable. I believe the best jobs are the ones you've been doing your whole life. Like your favorite pair of jeans, they just fit you. Designer or knockoffs, whatever fits, just grab them before they're taken off the shelf.
As for being in war zones: If you are reporting from a war zone you have chosen a side, you are reporting what the media overlords let you report, what will sell clicks and advertising. It might be the truth as you want the world to see it. It might not. People who find themselves reporting from war zones might be noble people, but they might possibly be also advertising war as much as condemning it. Sorry, this little rant should be part of another thread. Edit: You wrote elsewhere, "I'm not so much scared of death as a too-short life."jobs that I'd really have fun with, and love going to work.
I suggest you make that your starting point in building a life. Figure out what those things are that you love and have fun with. There's no point having a "noble" career if you have to force yourself through the day. Opportunities for contributing exist everywhere and if "nobility" and "truth" are your values, you'll bring those with you wherever you go.