| Tangent, there are two books you may be interested in. Both are about how people view their jobs or work. Working, by Studs Terkel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working:_People_Talk_About_Wha... Terkel was a journalist in Chicago, who mastered the art of interviewing/listening to people, and then writing stories and books about it. You'd do well to read just about anything he wrote, over the years. In Working he would interview someone about their work, to get a sense of how their work defined them and vice versa. The one I always remember is a stone mason, I think it's the last chapter. He drove around the stone mason's town with him, and he was constantly pointing out what he'd built, walls and buildings, some of it quite old. This used to depress me, because I build nothing that lasts, it's just code. But over time I've realized that I wasn't looking at the right products of my work. What I'm really building is a body of experience, and a person informed by my experience, and a foundation for growth for myself and my family. But it's taken me a long time to learn that. The other book is very similar, Gig, about people's jobs and how they related to them. It's very good, but only Terkel is Terkel, so if you have to choose I'd read Terkel. But this is good too. http://www.amazon.com/Gig-Americans-Talk-About-Their/dp/0609... |