May 22, 2009
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An End to Ghostly Labors (2009)
Hey! Whoah! Matthew Crawford’s “Shop Class as Soulcraft” returns — in the NYT Mag, and apparently soon as a book!
Can you say ahead of the curve?
Returning to the essay (and the post), I’m struck again by that phrase “the most ghostly kinds of work.” Back in 2006 it sounded like email and Powerpoint. Now it sounds like CDOs and exotic derivatives, too.
Crawford’s new piece in the NYT Mag is great. This seems as clear an articulation as any of what you should be looking for in a job:
As I sat in my K Street office, Fred’s life as an independent tradesman gave me an image that I kept coming back to: someone who really knows what he is doing, losing himself in work that is genuinely useful and has a certain integrity to it. He also seemed to be having a lot of fun.
I also think this is incredibly crisp and correct:
A good job requires a field of action where you can put your best capacities to work and see an effect in the world. Academic credentials do not guarantee this.
This is important stuff.
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Comments
I'm a sucker for talking about meaningful work.
This line: "A good job requires a field of action where you can put your best capacities to work and see an effect in the world," reminded me of Frederick Buechner's definition of a vocation: where one's deep gladness meets the world's deep need.
YES, I actually bought this issue of New Atlantis when it was on the shelf. I am also ahead of the curve. :) The ideas pertained in this blog are FEARsomely close to mine own...