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Recommended (if not required) reading: Working, by Studs Terkel. Read it and you'll see that what the majority of Americans want out of their work is job satisfaction. Money comes in a distant second.
What's meaningful to one person may not be so meaningful to the next, so we're just talking opinions here. I do think most jobs are meaningful in some way.
I know the OP said "parents" did not count because that's not a paid job, but to me being a SAHM, or Stay-at-home-mom is the most meaningful job of all. I gave up my paying job so I could be home to take care of my children all the way through high school. We never wanted our children to go to daycare, or come home to an empty house. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but we just didn't want it for our children. I have been a SAHM for over 20 years, and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to raise such fine children. It has been far more meaningful to me than my previous paying job ever was.
Recommended (if not required) reading: Working, by Studs Terkel. Read it and you'll see that what the majority of Americans want out of their work is job satisfaction. Money comes in a distant second.
The amount of money I get doesn't matter to me, as long as it covers my bills. But that IS the only reason I work, to literally "earn" a living. If you don't work, you don't eat--or at least, you shouldn't. Even if you wind up working taking care of your home while your spouse goes to work...at least you're still working, just not for financial compensation.
Telemarketer. They keep money circulating without producing any value, which gives the appearance of a strong economy and makes us all feel good. Without crack sales-people, we'd all know we were in a depression and be horribly depressed ourselves.
I'd say social workers and non-profit or low cost medical facilities. They have helped tremendously. You never know when, especially in these times, when your luck will change, and I'm glad to know they are always there to help people, especially for law abiding decent people. You can add homeless shelter volunteers as well. I used to volunteer and help feed homeless people and God has been good to me. We need to remember that no matter how good we got it, we can always help other people better themselves and lend a caring hand to those most in need, ALWAYS.
Really, if you think about it, aren't literally ALL jobs somehow supportive of the good of the people, of the public? For instance, someone doing something as simple as inspecting and boxing small plastic parts for a vehicle is in fact benefitting the public because those parts are going to eventually become parts of the vehicles that we all drive and depend upon to get from Point A to Point B.
Just think about basically ANY job under the sun and you can tie it to the good of the public. Of coure there are some obvious exceptions (prostitution (all though, even a job like THAT is beneficial if you take it from strange points-of-view)). Yes, I said strange. I hope no one takes offense to that if you do happen to have good experiences with prostitution...
ANYWAY. My point has been made. ALL jobs are important and meaningful in some way, no matter how small it may be...
If any "job" were removed, the world as we know it would be significantly different, maybe worse maybe better. If a job was important, and nobody was doing it, someone soon would be.
One of my quick response thoughts would be a bus driver in a third world country. Very few people have their own car, and without someone to drive public mass transport, the burden of walking for all errands would be a huge load on the time and effort of billions of people, both in large urban areas and in remote rural areas. In fact, in third world countries, driving a rattly rickety rural bus with bald tires and no brakes on mountain dirt roads is a very prestigious position, the position of driver is highly sought after, and those who attain it tend to have an elitist air. They are the equivalent of airline pilots in America.
Agreed. I drive all day and believe me, at times it's a nightmare. Not to mention just the sheer focus of keeping people safe at all times and abiding by traffic laws is tough especially in my city. Also, keeping a near-perfect driving record on my own time can be tough. Most companies will not even hire you if you have too many points or a flawed driving record. It's not until you are placed into someone else's shoes do you appreciate what they do. Drivers and trashmen get my hat's off.
To you, which job is the most meaningful, and for what reason?
Parent, teacher, artist, musician, filmmaker, writer, engineer, doctor, etc.
These all involve the potential to inspire and heal.
I am sure the list is much longer...
S.
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