We’ve explored Pirates and Message Runners, Professors and Fact-Checkers, Singers and Searchers of Plague Dead, and, yesterday, Politicians and People Born into Wealth and Title. Amazing. We’ve come a long way and, before we ring in the new year, it’s time to review the very best and worst jobs the history of work has given us. Maybe just in time to influence your New Year’s resolutions…
Very. Best. Job. Ever.
Since there have been unknown places in the world and in our brains, there have been Explorers whose job it is to seek adventure into these mysterious places. There are a few types of careers that fit the bill in this category (details of how each one works are below). For example, Indiana Jones, Henry Hudson, Marco Polo, Cheng Ho, Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta, and that Livingstone guy are the kind of explorers who get outside, dodge poison darts and rob graves for the good of Western/Eastern Civilization. With the creation of Planet Earth, there was nothing left to discover in terms of geographic mysteries and natural wonders on the planet – from an Indiana Jones perspective, anyway. The twenty-first century has, however, given way to new explorers of ideas, space, technology, and culture. And then there’s the guy who combines both kinds of exploring – old school and new school. His name is Wade Davis and his job title is Explorer-in-Residence for National Geographic. Coolest. Job. Ever. And they have a program!
Summary of Academically Sound Findings and Analysis:
EXPLORER |
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LOW |
MEDIUM |
HIGH |
TOTAL: |
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| Level of Hardship | For an explorer, physical and/or mental anguish really isn’t “hard” at all, because it’s typically part of doing something you love! | Okay, yes, you will contract malaria and dengue fever, but, here’s the deal: this kind of risk excites you! | 5/5 | |
| Opportunity for Advancement | Typically, you’re an entrepreneur-like worker if your job is to go out and explore things. Worrying about “promotions” and “corporate ladders” doesn’t really jive with your worldview, which is always changing by what you encounter. | 5/5 | ||
| Meaningful Nature of Work | Of course it’s meaningful. You are discovering things that have never been seen, touched, tasted, heard, smelled, or sixth-sensed before! | 5/5 | ||
Very. Worst. Job. Ever.
It should be noted and re-noted that slavery is as prominent and horrible as it has ever been – there are between 10-15 million slaves on the planet today. If anything, being a Slave has actually become worse than it was 1,000 years ago, mostly because the historical line is that the Catholic Church and the British Government put an end to it in the 1800s. There are lot of “Nos” that are associated with being someone else’s chattel: no rights, no dignity, no opportunities, no respect, no education, no meaning in life. Slavery has been around forever – long ago, Africans actually traveled to Europe to capture people and sell them in Africa and the Middle East. Times have changed, though. What can you say about this kind of work? You’re owned by someone else – during the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries, slave owners in the American South listed slaves weight and height, etc. in their livestock log – and you do what they tell you to do. It’s apalling that communities still do this to each other.
Summary of Academically Sound Findings and Analysis:
SLAVE |
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LOW |
MEDIUM |
HIGH |
TOTAL: |
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| Level of Hardship | You’re a slave! No matter how tough or crafty you are, being owned by another human being. Your plight is trivialized by lyrical content in horrible, horrible Britney Spears songs. | 0/5 | ||
| Opportunity for Advancement | Are you kidding me with this?! Who made this matrix? | 0/5 | ||
| Meaningful Nature of Work | Even if there was a shred of hope that you might like the work you’ve been assigned, you won’t find it rewarding at all because you’re a slave. | 0/5 | ||
Reflections on these Jobs
GODFREY: These two occupations couldn’t be more contradictory in terms of job satisfaction, personal growth and and freedom to shape your everyday. Sadly, sot many can be a National Geographic Explorer and sadly too many still wind up as slaves. Reflecting on these two jobs, however I’m thankful that only sometimes, on a bad day, a slave to “the man” and inspired by the likes of Wade Davis and Dr. Livingstone to keep exploring my world, even if it’s sometimes from within my cubicle.
JOHN: First, get angry that slavery is as prominent as it is today. Second, reflect on how nice your holiday was. Third, get angry some more and, if you’re interested in channeling it, visit some of these websites: stopmodernslavery.org or Amnesty International or Oxfam. Okay, now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, there is a pretty purposeful and clear binary between our best and worst jobs ever. One is about being someone else’s property and the other represents absolute freedom. Go into 2011 on a high note and find your inner-explorer. Or simply find the work that’s the most meaningful to you. After all, we gave you a pretty good list!
