As I write this, I’m sitting at the Corner Bakery in Chicago’s Ogilvie Transportation Center. It’s 12:23 p.m. and I’m contently alone, typing away on my sticker-covered laptop. I’m awaiting an interview that might land me a much-needed, enriching paid internship for the summer. I’m going to be a college senior in the fall, so that explains enough about the status of my bank account.
With a full stomach of broccoli cheddar soup and half of a chicken panini, I sit quietly at my laptop observing Chicago’s working class sitting around me—men in their suits and ties chowing down, train conductors taking their lunch breaks and dabbling away on their phones, women co-workers sitting in a booth together happily chatting away. The only kids I see are the ones sitting behind me with their mom and grandma who are eagerly talking about going to see "The SpongeBob Musical." (I’ve heard it’s a very good show, so their excitement is all the more justified.)
I soon notice that these men and women have something in common with each other. Most of them have full-time, paying jobs. Some may work for a company or organization, others for a publication or institution. Whether or not these people enjoy what they do for their job is unknown to me, however I wonder some things if I did know what exactly these people did as an occupation.
As a college student, an aspiring journalist/writer and overall a highly curious human being (shout out to all my fellow Geminis), I’m prompted to wonder... How did they end up in the career they’re in? What do they like/dislike about their job? Is the job they are currently in the same as what they wanted to do when you were little? What is the most rewarding thing about their job?
The last question I would have asked all of these people is the one I really want to focus on. For my entire life, I’ve heard a variety of answers to the question, “What is the most rewarding thing about your job?” Growing up, I heard answers to this question in my own home, too. My mom would tell me, “My job is what I’ve always wanted to do." My dad would say, “I enjoy helping others realize their full potential and talents.” Both of my parents are teachers. Since I can remember, they have always loved their jobs and their students. In fact, they view teaching as less of a job and more as a vocation; they were compelled to do the work that they do in the classroom despite the the less-than-ideal pay.
This is not an essay advocating that in order to love your job, you must become a teacher. Whatever you want to do, you do you booboo. However, my parents response to the question “What is most rewarding about your job?” are worth aspiring to.
An hour and a half after my meal in the restaurant, I ended my internship interview. I feel it went well; there were laughs shared and good conversation. But with the pre-interview nerves and anxiety gone, I'm starting to question why I wanted this internship in the first place. I’m in dire need of money for the summer and some experience pertaining to my major wouldn’t hurt to add to my resume. Though I’m happy that I could be beefing up my bank account and adding another internship to my resume, something nonetheless unsettles me.
I wonder… If I were to take the internship I had as a real job, would I be happy and fulfilled with the work I do? Would I go home content knowing I spent eight hours of my day by doing that “work”? Lastly, would just money and experience from a job be enough fulfill me as a person?
No.
As I was walking out of Ogilvie and down Madison St., I was very happy with my interview, but I also had this feeling in my stomach and my heart that my purpose is to do something more in my life than just make the big bucks and build my resume.
I’m proud of my talents and my gifts. To not do something in my life that has meaning and fulfillment, and not just the fulfillment of my wallet and resume, would be a disservice to my existence as Melissa Rohman.
It sound intense, I know, to question your existence and all. But have you ever imagined yourself 10 years from where you are now and wonder what you would be doing and how you would be feeling about yourself? No matter what I am doing in my life, whether it’s working a part-time job or a full-time job , I want to be proud of the value of my work and not just the monetary value and recognition I would get.
In our current society that is soon to be ruled by the millennial generation, the value of one’s work is shown as numbers accompanied by dollar signs or a thumbs up on a social media page. Numbers can only get you so far. Are numbers your purpose for your existence and the work you put into this one life, or is there something more? If you were to take away all the money and recognition out, what would you be left with? Would it truly get you out of bed in the morning?
Put down your iPhones and tablets for a second, my fellow millennials, and ask yourself these questions. Your answers may surprise, or they may not. All I ask is for you to take some time to ask yourself these questions. It won’t take long and it’s worth your time.
If you having a difficult time doing so, someone very beautiful and wise once told me that it is more important to be centered than set….
