On Professional Contentment

As a fan of both the NFL and the NBA, I paid attention to the lockout proceedings that both leagues dealt with this summer and fall. I know many people have many varying opinions on both lockouts, and the purpose of this post is not to argue that. I will say that in both lockouts I sided with the players. I felt the owners were not being entirely reasonable. I also was of the belief that the owners undervalued the drawing power and importance of their players to the league as a whole. Yes, these guys are getting paid millions to play a game that most of us have spent our lives playing (with varying levels of success and skill), but they play at such a high level that their individual and collective skill-sets are integral to the league as a whole. Nobody wants to watch replacement players with skills not unlike what one would find at his or her local rec center or playground (unless that playground is New York’s Rucker Park, of course).

After having said all that, it may come as a surprise to you that I do not feel the same way about strikes in my particular area of expertise: education. There is a significant difference between teacher strikes and strikes in professional sports. Our replacement level talent is as skilled as or even more skilled than what is out there. There are thousands of qualified teachers waiting to get in the game. Due to the economy, those chances simply aren’t as prevalent as they once were. A lot of us are sitting on the sidelines. Some have gotten fortunate enough to stay in the profession as substitute teachers. Others have had to get jobs entirely out of the field. In this day and age, having a full-time job with diminished benefits beats not having a job in your profession 100% of the time.

At this point I want to make something abundantly clear. I am not trying to paint anyone as a greedy moneygrabber. Everyone does what they feel they must due to their own unique circumstances and sets of needs. I just want to bring attention to this from the perspective of someone one the outside looking in.

To those disgruntled with their current employment, as I stated in my Thanksgiving post, the key to happiness is found by wanting what you have and finding contentment with that which is bestowed upon you. Life is rarely perfect. There is no joy in being a malcontent. Find satisfaction in what you have. You are much more fortunate than thousands of others.

I am a firm believer that good things will happen to those who work hard and do the right thing as often as possible. I have found favor in my current job because I have made a concerted effort to work as hard as I can cheerfully and without complaining. Things may not be perfect. They rarely are. Work hard and want what you have. It could be a whole lot worse.