Recently, my mom said to me, “Jobs are boring; that’s why you get a hobby.” This came after I told her that the job I just got was slow and tedious, but it’s how you make money. I’ve only had this job for about three days now, more or less. I’ve also made (roughly) $230 in that time alone. It doesn’t seem like a lot when you’re a semi-struggling college student, but in the long run it’s $230 more than I had before.

But the thing that bugged me about what my mom said is that jobs are inherently boring, like they’re meant to be boring and only as a way for you to earn money. But, in my opinion, they really shouldn’t be. Jobs should involve work that you enjoy doing, not just something you force yourself through for 40 hours a week so you can survive. For instance. when I work at the Sustainability Office at my university during the school year, that’s probably the happiest I am at a job. Sure, I'm not a big fan of waking up early, but I get to go in and make programs for other people to enjoy. I get to educate people about sustainability and cooking, which is combining something that may normally be boring and educational with something that I love doing.

I am also a firm believer in the fact that your hobbies or passions can also be your job. I know plenty of people who craft or make art and that is their sole method of income. They both love it and get to make a living off of it. Of course nowadays people are starting to tend towards undervaluing artists, as well as service workers, and are trying to skimp out on people when it comes time to pay. That is in no way right. Without service workers who do these kinds of undesirable work, or even perform skills other people may not have, I am pretty sure society would fall into chaos, collapse in on itself, and die, all because the big wigs wouldn’t have anyone to make their mocha frappuccinos anymore.

We undervalue people we consider "beneath" us because we think they are easily replaceable, but in reality they’re not. Higher-ups will always scramble to try to find someone who has a work ethic like yours who would take the same pay or even less pay than you. It’s disgusting, and shameful, especially in today’s economy where people are struggling to live but constantly being shat on for their hard work.

Know your worth, friends who are also working summer jobs, and anyone who is working in general. Yeah, we’re gonna work some jobs that are boring or hectic just so that we can get by in life, but eventually we’ll just be able to enjoy the ride. And by then hopefully the economy will be better, so that we can all retire and get back to the things that we truly love doing. Until then, maybe do pick up a hobby or two. It’ll keep you sane.