Most of the time achieving satisfaction depends largely on the expectation. If you have high expectations going into a movie theater but it’s only a halfway decent flick, well, you’re probably pretty disappointed. On the other hand, if you think the movie’s gonna suck but are just going ‘cause your buddy wants to see it, that halfway decent movie is better than expected so you probably come out of it feeling pretty good.
People are like that with their jobs, too. A new study from Michigan State University is the first of its kind to look at labor gaps based on workers’ interests instead of their skills or knowledge. The good news is that Michigan has jobs; the bad news is that they’re boring.
Here are Five Fast Facts on Michigan’s boring jobs:
- 😣 Major Disconnect - The study showed a huge gap between what folks are interested in and the jobs that are available. For example, nearly ⅔ of workers want jobs that are “artistic, social or enterprising” but only 2% of job openings fit that description. Shocker, right?
- 👀 The Eye Of The Beholder - It’s admittedly subjective, but about half of the available jobs are in fields usually considered boring, like IT, things focused on data or math, or skilled trades where you mostly work with your hands, tools, or machines.
- 🏢 The Marketplace - Across the state, there were over 260k job openings, but a little under 200k people looking for jobs. Math is hard, but even we can figure out that if people think half of those jobs are boring, it’s no wonder there are labor shortages all over!
- 🤔 So What, Who Cares? - With AI eating up more worker hours each year, insights like this could help employers, job seekers, and recruiters be more successful. For example, companies and recruiters can highlight the more creative aspects of their otherwise-boring jobs. Or, workers can help create job initiatives to bring in some of those extra interests. If nothing else, everyone can figure out what “fits” better for all involved.
- 🍋 Make Lemonade - Let’s face it, boring jobs are necessary. And living is expensive, so you gotta make a paycheck somehow! You may have to take one of those boring jobs rather than fulfill your lifelong dream of being a ballet dancer/astronaut, but that’s okay. Focus on the parts that fuel you, do your best at the rest, and maybe look for non-work outlets for that creative streak trying to come out.
🔥Bottom line: While we all know it would be ideal to find a job that is fulfilling and feeds your soul every day…that job might not exist. The good news is that there are a lot of other jobs out there, if you’re willing to wade into the “boring” end of the pool. At least you’ll be bringing in a Paycheck, and maybe you can make it a bit better place for those around you.
Do you work in a boring job? How can you spice it up?
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