You’re not alone when you wonder, “how can anyone be happy doing that dirty job?”
So, how do people do it? Let’s begin to shine light on how and why job satisfaction can be achieved even in the dirtiest of jobs and why this class of jobs should no longer be ignored by the next generation of job seekers.
Dirty Jobs and Lessons Gained from Them
There is a great sense of satisfaction and pride that comes from a job well done. So, why should it matter exactly what job is being done? Many extremely satisfied professionals have jobs that aren’t typically viewed as “the dream job.” But this doesn’t mean they haven’t learned to love it and perhaps even found a passion for it.
Let’s explore the unexpected contentment that people receive from dirty jobs.
Finding Happiness – and Stability – in Dirty Jobs
It’s fairly evident that the skilled trades – plumbers, welders, electricians HVAC technicians – are still not thought of as ideal jobs. This is perhaps because many people overlook, or remain unaware, of the numerous benefits of working in the trades. These are great career opportunities that offer big pay cheques, a pension, and benefits! To top it off, Ontario provides funding to anyone looking to enter the skilled trades, includin, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the labour shortage. By 2025, g immigrants. With these benefits, why is there still so much hesitation?
While the demand for dirty jobs continues to sky-rocket (in large part due to COVID-19), it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the labour shortage. By 2025, 1 in 5 jobs are expected to be in the trades. This makes it increasingly important to create awareness of the skilled trades as viable career paths for younger generations.
Dirty jobs can provide an immense source of satisfaction. Happiness too? You bet! According to Mike Rowe, the answer lies in mastering a trade, getting good at it, and learning to love it. Dirty jobs often require an aptitude for mastering a skilled trade and pouring a lot of hard work into an ultra-specific task. It feels good to be needed and, of course, respected for having the knowledge of an in-demand skill.
Why are dirty jobs important?
Not everyone dreams of being a doctor or lawyer. However, many young people that are preparing to choose careers are force-fed an ideal type of traditional job at the demise of the other. Dirty jobs matter, and yet there is an undeniable skills gap in trades because it is largely looked down upon. The prestige of four-year university degree is still the route many young people sign up for, often because they are not given as much encouragement to consider other avenues.
Take it from Mike Rowe – host of the Discovery Channel series Dirty Jobs – “When I was 18, I didn’t know my own ass from a hot rock.” The pressure to enroll in university is real, and many kids end up in debt having studied for a job they will never be employed in . This is where it becomes important to focus on careers that bring us stability, benefits, and good salaries rather than those that seem more prestigious or comfortable. Surprisingly, the skilled trades are among the best jobs out there because they can provide all these benefits without a college degree (and debt).
Dirty Jobs Require Skilled Workers, and We Need Them!
There is something to say about the generational shift away from dirty jobs. Hands-on work is an important work ethic that has become muddled in the current generation. Generational shifts, such as young people moving to large cities, and areas becoming more metropolitan in general, has always been upon us and has affected the demand and perception of working in dirty jobs.
The important thing to realize here is that there is still a need for dirty jobs to be completed – now more than ever – as they bring many irreplaceable goods and services to our daily lives. So, how can the importance of dirty jobs be re-framed in such a way that more of our younger generations seek dirty jobs? The pressure to ‘follow a passion’ or seek a desk job that requires years spent studying does not always lead to professional contentment – but many follow this path anyways, only to be let down when their salaries or benefits aren’t in line with their expectations.
Mike Rowe suggests re-framing the messaging we send our younger generations to be more about finding the will to work hard, rather than putting every focus on landing the dream job.
Giving Dirty Jobs the Respect They Deserve
Many dirty jobs are typically under-appreciated and under-valued in society. This may contribute to the bias and un-willingness of the current generation to set into the trades. The fact is that dirty jobs are extremely important to the contiwork dirty jobsnued functioning of society.
End-to-end industrial cleaning services, facility management, project and field services, industrial decontamination and waste disposal services are just some examples of jobs that are extremely important to a multitude of industries – from agriculture to aerospace. Think about it, if the world’s plumbers, electricians, cleaners, cargo ship workers and farmers all took a day off, we would all have our hands tied.
The big lesson to be learned in dirty jobs is that the feeling of being valuable to society, and really contributing essential services day in day out, leads to happiness. Mike Rowe comments that as a group, his colleagues and friends who work dirty jobs report being more balanced and overall more relaxed than those in traditional office jobs.
It’s clear that dirty jobs can be an immense source of passion and can teach everyone about something bigger in life. However, there is still a great need to re-instill the importance of dirty jobs and a strong work ethic to today’s society. The silver lining is that career satisfaction appears to be attainable in any type of industry. Picking the right job is not the end all or be all .
Dirty Jobs with TEAMGroup
At TEAMGroup, we take pride in the dirty jobs we get to do every day. No matter what age, gender, or skill level, we see the value our employees bring to our clients and the satisfaction experienced by our employees in doing so. So, what are you waiting for? Maybe a dirty job is the dream job you’ve been waiting for!
Additional Resources
https://www.ted.com/talks/mike_rowe_learning_from_dirty_jobs?language=en
https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/government/2021/05/new-skilled-trades-ontario-to-replace-college-of-tradeshttps://www.aaro.ca/minister-mcnaughton-announces-newly-formed-skilled-trades-ontario-replacing-ontario-college-of-trades-ocot/
https://workingnation.com/has-covid-19-finally-brought-skilled-trades-into-the-spotlight/