How to Define a Real Job - The Muse

How to Define a Real Job - The MuseHow to Define a Real Job I vividly remember my first job babysitting in high school. I loved it some days, hated it others.But mainly, it didnt feel like a real job. Sure, I was getting paid. But I didnt have a desk, or business cards, or a boss necessarily (even if I worked for some bossy mothers).So I dont count it in my imaginary list of adult experiences. In fact, I dont consider any other gigs I had in school as real jobs. It took getting my own desk in an office, a company-provided laptop, and even my own company swag before deciding I was in my first actual job. I could afford to pay rent, a monthly subway pass, and food all on my own- and that made it real.But is that the right way to think about your career? Every single one of those experiences mattered. In fact, I wouldnt be where I am and who I am today without them. But what are they then, if not real jobs?This is the question I grappled with as I read a recent Billfold article by Megan Reynolds titled, What Defines a Real Job? As a freelancer, she says she struggles to explain her career choices to her loved ones. For them, and for many, an office job is considered the only definition of real work There is a sense of obligation to a larger entity that will punish if you if you fail to do the job you were hired to do. If you dont show up for three weeks, someone will eventually notice. There will be consequences. There is accountability to someone other than yourself.But do objects and people define work? Does a paycheck? Does a timed schedule?As Reynolds points out, the working world is changing and we all know it. People work from home, they travel and work, they work part-time, they have multiple jobs, they freelance, they get side gigs. And from most, if not all, of these activities, people are compensated one way or another. And regardless of how, theyre all accountable to someone or something. Thus, nothing of significance makes these any different from a de sk job.So, Reynolds tries to take a different approach to the real job argument If what you do makes you tired by the end of the day and makes you want to lay face down on the floor for an hour or so, then its work. If the only thing you can think about after your work is closing a computer and reading a book, then thats work. If you need one solid day to recover, alone and silent, sitting outside in the sun, its work. At the end of the day, if you can pay your bills and are happy, then youre doing just fine. To her, its about exhaustion, or the physical and mental effort of work- where you spend your energy, how much of it you use up, and the way it makes you feel.As much as I liked this response, I still wanted to get a feel for how others felt- so I reached out to my own co-workers and asked them this same question, How do you define a real job? Chatu Abeysinghe, an account executive, says its about having a career versus a job- as Chris Rock states in an NSFW bit (a.k.a., just p ut your headphones in before watching),When you got a career there aint enough time in the day...time just flies...when you got a job, theres too much time. Its about flow, or enjoying what you do every day so much that you lose track of time.Ekene Ugboaja, a ausverkauf development representative, agreesAs an immigrant, a real job was always something that was traditionally successful, such as a doctor or lawyer. Something your parents can talk to their friends about. Ive only just started to learn that a job real or fake doesnt even have to feel like a job or work. I now see a real job as something that makes me enough money to sustain a healthy, happy lifestyle. Muse Senior Editor Stacey Lastoe argues that they come in many different forms After working as a server for years, I received an offer to manage the restaurant I worked in. I took the position, in part, I now believe, because it felt more real than waiting tables. It came with benefits and was salaried, so there was a cer tain level of security that wasnt present before. That to me made it feel real. In retrospect though, I think servers and bartenders and hostesses and bus boys and line cooks- basically all of the people who contribute to the operation of a restaurant- have real jobs. Why is an office job more of a real job than a pastry chefs? After hearing these answers, I asked a follow-up How do you find the right real job for you? Andrew Weisse, an account executive, for example, says he defines his own version by the three Fs fit (how much do you personally and professionally fit into the company?), family (is there a good sense of work-life balance?), and fortune (do you have enough money to live comfortably?). If all three of these things arent met, its not a real job. Kara Walsh, CMO, similarly says that to be considered legitimate, it should contribute to your overall career- and life plan Its a pursuit in which you spend the majority of your waking hours and think about even when youre of f hours. Not a real job is one youre doing just to pay the bills and kill time until you get the real one.Truth talk I dont have the ultimate answer. But whatever definition you decide to take, its clear from all these answers that one big part of the definition is that it mean something to you- for some that means a way to pay the bills, for others its a channel to explore your passions, and for some in my office, its the right step on your chosen career path. Perhaps, if youre lucky, youll be able to find a position that hits on all three of those. What do you consider a real job? Tweet me, Id love to knowPhoto of desk courtesy of JGI/Tom Grill/Getty Images.