Is everybody just phoning it in for a boss that just needs you to do busy work?
I would encourage anyone who is interested in this concept to do a little more reading on the concept. Ikigai is a lot more than just fulfillment with employment- which is closer to the concept known as hatarakigai. I appreciate you sharing this meme though- it was how I was first introduced to the concept.
There’s a free app called Kinnu that has a learning pathway on the subject. You can also read some of the articles for free here: https://kinnu.xyz/kinnuverse/philosophy/ikigai/
Some of the material is based on “The Little Book of Ikigai” by Ken Mogi, if you prefer books.
No, I don’t feel like my job is full filling. Would I switch though? No. Why?
- The people I work with are awesome
- The companies culture is overall great
- I feel valued and supported
So why is the job not full filling? Because I dislike and borderline hate the industry we are in: Marketing/Ads. Probably only next to fossil fuels the reason why the world we live in today sucks.
Could I go elsewhere with my skillset? Certainly. But having had terrible employers with whos’ products I could somewhat identify with before, I came to the conclusion that it’s not necessarily most important what you do but with who.
- I like what I do
- I get to travel and see the world
- I’m paid handsomely
- It’s a niche skill set that is hard to find
- plenty of job security
- I like my coworkers
…so yeah, I’d say it’s fulfilling
EDIT: To give a vague privacy friendly answer as to what I do, it’s a particular kind of IT, and it involves highly specialized purpose-built server clusters that spend most of their time on the backdeck of ships.
You don’t have to confirm or deny, but it sounds like you work for the navy.
I work to live.
My career is fulfilling. My current employer is trying to make sure this specific job is not.
