The only thing that I didn’t like about Office Space is the message about work that it ultimately sends. At the end of the movie, the main character decides that he’s never going to enjoy his job, so the important thing is to find something else in his life that makes going to a job he doesn’t enjoy bearable. And although this is painted as very happy and respectful in the movie, I disagree with the message. It strikes me as a cop-out. What that message ultimately says is that mediocrity in one area of our life is OK so long as another area balances it out.

I’m not going to get into a rant about how society teaches that mediocrity is acceptable – not today, anyway – but let’s spend some time examining the the idea that it’s hopeless to try and find the perfect job. I think the underlying belief here is one that says A) the perfect job does not exist, and B) even if it does, you’ll never be able to find it.

So let’s discuss. What is the perfect job? Does it exist? Can you find it?

The Perfect Job

I think there are three criteria that would determine the perfect job: money, enjoyment and fulfillment. Any job that you have is going to provide you with varying amounts of each, but the perfect job will provide you with all three. Let’s look at each in turn.

Money – The perfect job absolutely has to provide you with a significant amount of money. The specific amount will vary from person to person, but it has to be enough to allow you to live the lifestyle that you want. If you constantly worry about money, think about what you would do if you had more of it, or are forced to borrow money in order to do the things you want, then your job fails in this area.

Enjoyment – This one is pretty easy to understand. Do you enjoy the day-to-day activities of your job? Do you like going in to work? Do you enjoy talking to others about what you do? Are you constantly thinking about new things to try at work and thinking up other things you can improve on? If so, then you enjoy your job. You pretty much know whether your job meets this criterion without having to think about it too much. If you don’t enjoy your job, you know it. Even if perhaps you won’t admit it, deep down you know that there’s something better out there.

Fulfillment – Fulfillment is somewhat related to enjoyment, but it goes much deeper than the superficial feeling of having fun. Fulfillment is when you know that you are doing the work that you were put on the Earth to accomplish. This is definitely the most rare of the three criteria to find in a job. I would say that most people have no concept of being fulfilled in their jobs and some probably don’t ever think about being fulfilled at all. I would also go so far as to say that fulfillment has to come from helping other people in some way. I don’t think you can be fulfilled in any job where you focus solely on your own goals.

Job Situations

So what does all this mean? Let’s discuss some potential job situations where you have some combination of the three criteria, and see what you would need to do to improve your situation and possibly find your perfect job. The first thing to note is that if your current job only meets one of the three criteria for you, it will probably be quicker and easier to find a new job. And to be perfectly honest, if you think your job only meets one of the three criteria, chances are good that it really doesn’t have any of them.

Too Good Of A Person
Money – No; Enjoyment – Yes; Fulfillment – Yes

If you enjoy your job and are truly fulfilled by the work that you do, but aren’t making enough money, you definitely have a real problem on your hands. Your choices are pretty simple, I think: find a way to keep doing what you’re doing but for more money (for example, moving to a new position or a new company), or keep your current job and start up a business on the side. Starting your own thing on the side definitely has much greater long term potential than just getting a new job, but it’s also much more involved.

People sometimes feel self-conscious about saying they need more money, but there’s no need to feel that way. Money is simply something that you have to have in our society. If you leave a job for another position that pays more, you should be proud of making a positive change in your life.

Needs An Assistant
Money – Yes; Enjoyment – No; Fulfillment – Yes

This is sort of a tricky job situation, as there are not many people who are fulfilled in their job but don’t enjoy it. I could see it happening, however, with someone who starts a business they believe in, and the business grows, and as it does their responsibilities change. Instead of being able to focus on the core aspects of the business – the things they loved; the reasons they started the business – they’re now forced to deal with employees, clients, salaries, benefits, time sheets, schedules, sick days and layoffs.

If this description fits your job, then you need to delegate or outsource all of the non-essential things that are taking up your valuable time. If you’re familiar with Covey’s 7 Habits, you need to refocus on the Quadrant 2 items instead of spending your time on Quadrant 3 things. Doing this will allow you to start spending your time again on the things that you both enjoy and are fulfilled by, and this will help your company grow even more.

The Puzzler
Money – Yes; Enjoyment – Yes; Fulfillment – No

This job situation is one of the more difficult problems to have. If you are making good money and enjoy your job, a lot of people would say that you’ve found the perfect job and you shouldn’t ever even consider leaving. I think there’s something more to it though. I think if you spend your time helping other people, helping them improve some small aspect of their lives, you’ll feel a little bit better when you go home for the day than you would if you just sat in an office making money.

Conclusion

I hope you’ve found this look at jobs and work helpful. I think the most important thing to take from it is that you are never permanently tied down in a job situation. Even if you’ve been in a career for years and years and can’t see any way of improving your situation, you can always start taking small steps towards your goal, whether it’s making more money, enjoying your work or working to find fulfillment.

This article was selected to appear in the Carnival of Personal Finance. Check out the rest of the entries at SimplyForties.