More Americans Work on Vacation
Reuters story here.
I don't know if this is a bad thing. I don't know if it's a good thing, either. I mean, isn't every person different? Who am I to extend my definition of vacation to some venture capitalist trying to get his first thing off the ground while also trying to spend time with his kids? It's all relative.
I do think, though, that one reason Americans work all the time might be that Americans enjoy their professions more than people in other countries. That is to say, in this land of capitalism and start-ups and 24-year-old USC grads building their own production companies, it's far easier than anywhere else to make your living doing something you love.
I don't know if this is a bad thing. I don't know if it's a good thing, either. I mean, isn't every person different? Who am I to extend my definition of vacation to some venture capitalist trying to get his first thing off the ground while also trying to spend time with his kids? It's all relative.
I do think, though, that one reason Americans work all the time might be that Americans enjoy their professions more than people in other countries. That is to say, in this land of capitalism and start-ups and 24-year-old USC grads building their own production companies, it's far easier than anywhere else to make your living doing something you love.
2 Comments:
That's a lovely thought, but it's also true that we, moreso than most other countries, have a corporate culture that says if you're not working 80 hours a week with no overtime then fine, we'll fire you and find someone who will.
I'm very lucky to be doing something I love, but I harbor no illusions about the jobs most people have, and the amount of their lives they now expect to give up for them, whether they like them or not.
Oh, I don't believe for a second that everyone does something they love in America, but even if it's just 2-5% of the labor force it's probably enough to really skew stats
Also, the corporate culture's dominance is both good and bad. On the good side, it means that most people today get to work in air conditioned office buildings and on computers as opposed to sacrificing their bodies working in factories or manufacturing professions for thirty-five years. Also, it opens up nearly the whole of the job market to women.
On the other hand, the loss of manufacturing jobs has nearly ruined black Americans and rural whites, and corporate culture demands that you have some semblance of a higher education. If you don't have one, you're screwed.
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