The dichotomy of a millennial: too plugged in, yet remarkably in touch with the goings-on of the world. Too sensitive, yet incredibly socially conscious. Too egocentric, yet ambivalent with authority figures. These are the qualities for which our generation is known, the qualities that set our generation apart from all others.
Millennials are accustomed to criticism. They’re difficult to parent, difficult to teach, and, last but not least, difficult to manage. One of the many complaints about millennials in the workplace is their unwavering eagerness for a sense of purpose. They want to be directly making a positive impact on the world through their everyday work. This is a familiar sentiment to most students currently embarking on the much-anticipated yet infamous job hunt.
For any idealistic college student, post-grad career goals include making a positive difference on the world in addition to the opportunity for career advancement and a salary at least high enough to live comfortably. Some might call this living to work: looking to a career as a major source of life meaning and equating workplace success to everyday satisfaction.
Maybe it’s the wrong approach. Obviously, while goals are vital to success and are a natural method of approaching a major transition, fulfilling such goals as these simultaneously upon entering the workforce may not be feasible. And, beyond that, the ambition to attain a career that is both meaningful and lucrative is nothing short of an immense privilege. Only a handful of the population has enough employment options to even consider such a goal.
Another less common way to view a career is as an opportunity to, rather than live to work, work to live. This is a philosophy followed by individuals in many cultures outside the United States, like South America, Europe, and Australia. In short, someone who works to live utilizes her career solely as a means of supporting herself and her interests, which lie beyond her employer. But, looking at a job from this perspective is uncomfortable for a millennial. It might feel negligent or defeatist.
However, if we choose working to live over living to work, we can take a whole lot of unnecessary pressure off of ourselves. This is not to say that one’s job should be meaningless or dishonorable but rather, that shouldn’t need to be self-defining. Maybe it’s alright to find fulfillment outside of work hours; there are so many sources of fulfillment available, and most of them do not include a paycheck.
Working to live is the second side of the coin. It’s the side in which you work hard, not for your boss, but for yourself—even if you don’t have your dream job. As we steadily advance toward the work world, it is a helpful perspective to consider.
After all, a job is what the employee makes of it, not what it makes of the employee. And, as Nobel laureate Toni Morrison says, “You are not the work you do; you are the person you are.”