[helpfulmandrill]

I think the issue for me can be "mastery" or "competence". I think "felt mastery" probably matters more to job happiness than actual mastery, and the two can relate in funny ways i.e. the more actual mastery you have, the more aware you become of your flaws, and therefore the less mastery you feel.

[jnguyen64]

Interesting perspective! That reminds me of the Dunning-Kruger effect, which essentially states that people with low mastery will over-estimate their actual abilities. And then as you get more experienced, you get a better understanding of your abilities.

I think it's also a matter of perspective as well. In some ways, I enjoy feeling less mastery in hobbies because I am taking a pure learning/enjoying mindset with hobbies. For work, I'm looking to maximize on stress reduction, so feeling competent plays a larger role.