Why we may need more than one job to thrive

It is a natural human instinct to be interested in more than just one thing. So, why are we forced to seek for fulfilment and meaning within a single job title?

Since childhood, we’ve been asked who we’ll be when we grow up. Will we want to become doctors, lawyers, scientists, or maybe—if our parents were daring—artists? The adults in our lives try to guide us toward hobbies where we can thrive and schools that will bring out the best in us. All of this is designed to help us later find a career path where we can make a living and express who we are. 

But throughout this path, no one suggests we should ask, what if instead of a single career path, we’re supposed to explore many at the same time? No one proposes there might be several jobs we’ll enjoy and which will complement one another. 

So, let’s stop for a moment to consider this alternative and look for some wisdom in history.

Karl Marx, the German thinker and sociologist from the late 1800s, believed that work was valuable for a person's mental development. Through work, a person could not only survive in a barter economy but also make their existence meaningful and contribute to their community. 

Marx thought it was important for a person to see themselves, their goodness, creativity, or skills played out in their work. Work should lead to a common good, and a person should be able to proudly point out: "Hey, I made that."

The purpose of work has not traditionally been the primary motive for work. Instead, work has served as a means to accumulate capital, i.e. personal wealth for somebody. The capitalist mode of production is based on mechanistic thinking, where each person involved in the work has a part to play in the machine. One person does what they can do routinely and quickly, instead of moving from role to role and managing different parts of the machine.

Although machines have replaced humans in many professions and can carry out manual labour and repetitive tasks much more efficiently than humans, the efficiency-seeking mindset has spread beyond factory work. Consequently, job descriptions in expert jobs are becoming increasingly specialised (think Senior Network Administrator or Junior Database Specialist).

According to Marx, specialising in too narrow a role was a bad development from the perspective of experiencing meaningfulness. When work is broken down into too small and specialised roles, it becomes difficult for the worker to see their own craftsmanship in the work. 

Marx believed that people would not be satisfied with such a narrow and abstract role because, deep down, they are interested in many things and in doing good for their community.

It is not enough for a person to do one thing all day; there needs to be variation within the days. 

Repetition can alienate us from our work

Similarly, the fruits of labour need to be seen with one's own eyes. Something needs to be completed rather than just influencing the completion. According to Marx, the result of forcing people into too narrow a mould would cause entfremdung which means alienation from work. This would then manifest as mental and physical stagnation – taking on the role of a machine.

Although many generations before us have been grateful to work in the same role throughout adulthood, this does not mean that they felt a sense of meaning in their work. 

Repetition alienates. 

It’s acceptable if one views work simply as a job. Nowadays, however, work is expected to be one’s entire life or at least a large part of it. 

Employers do not want their workers to become alienated. They need them to provide ideas, presence, empathy and teamwork. To offer these things, one cannot have a detached attitude toward work. 

One must stay engaged with their work, preferably even thinking about work matters during an evening run, and be ready to adjust themselves to the employer's changing demands. Work must be internalised and become part of one's identity.

Why spend 8 hours doing one thing when I could also walk my dog and teach yoga?

As an entrepreneur, my free time and work intertwine. 

During the day, I can play multiple roles. Over the course of eight hours, I might sit at my laptop and write, have Zoom coaching calls or meetings, go to a coffee shop to meet a friend, take care of grocery shopping, walk my dog, go for a run, do laundry, and maybe teach yoga. 

While others spend eight hours at the office, I might have been to several locations and completed house chores alongside work. Having a life like this is a choice. Sometimes, it means working also on the weekends and evenings, and that’s okay because I didn’t choose a lack of ambition; I chose variety. 

The specialisation Marx mentioned is also linked to how precisely we want to define our identities. 

I know many people who talk about themselves like, "I'm the kind of person who likes to do things thoroughly," "I don't like early mornings," "I'm not a creative person." 

When I was younger, I envied these people, thinking they knew themselves so well. I always found it difficult to talk about myself in this way, to attach to any specific identity. 

Later on, I started to look at this difficulty as a positive. 

Because I’ve never held a fixed mindset about myself, my talents or perceived qualities, I’ve been able to adapt and take on new challenges. Doing multiple things, such as writing, coaching, leading, public speaking, teaching yoga and meditation, making videos, consulting companies, and creating strategies – has offered me an opportunity to create a work and life where I can experience meaning, community and a deeper connection with people and make money. Some of these activities pay less and some more but they all bring something that gives me a sense of meaning. And because I’m not looking for a single role to fulfil me, I can accept the different roles and the good and bad that come with them. 

Dive deeper: One of my favourite meditations is called Neti Neti, or, in English, ‘not that’. In it, we are encouraged to disengage from the different roles we wear every day because that is all they are—roles. And we have the right to choose and change our roles during our lives and careers no matter what our background is. You can try the meditation here to see how it makes you feel. 

Traditional employment does not cater to people who embrace multiple roles and don’t wish to limit themselves. An employer looking for a specialised worker needs to see how well the applicant fits into the box they need to fill. They don’t have time to think holistically. The person's other skills unrelated to the job description seem irrelevant. Never mind alienation and lack of meaning, we’re recruiting a top expert here.

A new role is preferably given to someone who has already earned their stripes, not to someone who wants to start learning the role from scratch.

What if we, multipassionate masters of none, are the sherpas to a more meaningful, healthy and community-oriented work life?

Two hundred years after Marx's words, working life is overshadowed by a lack of meaningfulness, rising burnout statistics, and a longing for a sense of community. Looking at history, these symptoms should not come as a surprise. Yet employers seem bewildered by them as if they were struck by lightning. 

Maybe we need to start looking for answers in these alternative careers. 

Perhaps not confining to a single job is the way we will eventually fix our lack of meaning, experience better work-life balance, feel more engaged with our jobs, and find a sense of community. 

Perhaps there’s a reason why so many people are flocking into self-employment and leaving traditional career paths behind.

Maybe it’s time to revolutionise the very core of how and why we work.