Shit Jobs
I realized the concept of “shit jobs” a few years ago when I was burned out in my job. The boss was an asshole, the work was exhausting, and I was depressed from staring at spreadsheets. The fact that I was working night shifts without taking a leave for two straight years amplified my exhaustion.
On one of those exhausted nights, while I was returning home from the office at 5 am, I questioned myself. I asked why I wasn’t happy. What can I do to be happy? Why can’t I write enough? How do I become famous by writing well and support my writing career? This spiral of questions led me to the single most important question: what does my company do? Why does it exist?
Of course, I knew what my company did. I gravitated the question to my life: what am I doing in this equation? How am I contributing to society? What is the impact of those accurate revenue numbers in that godforsaken spreadsheet? It was then that I realized we are all doing shit jobs. There was no AI back then, but I knew I could easily be replaced by automation.
Look around our surroundings. The plumber adds more value to society than we do as a corporate employee. In my current job, my actions impact the revenue. But I know if I don’t do it, somebody else will. It is not a matter of skill but convenience. I am convenient to the company, which measures it in terms of performance. In truth, most of us are in shit jobs, thanks to capitalism.
A person driving Uber serves direct value to society. A person making a fine presentation or a detailed spreadsheet is just waiting for AI tools to become mainstream before he gets replaced. These shit jobs are affected the most at every technological revolution. So, if you are working in one of those shit jobs, don’t beg for recognition. Instead, upgrade your skills and be irreplaceable.
Always be self-aware of your role in society and the larger scheme of things. Keep upgrading your skills. Don’t get bogged down in shit jobs. Worse, don’t feel proud of working shit jobs. Expect better from yourself.