Working to Make the World a Better Place
Recently I worked on a book about careers for people who want to make the world a better place. Many young people want to find a world-improving career, and so do many baby boomers as they contemplate a career change or a retirement career.
Of course, it is possible to improve the world in one's spare time, as do the people who hammer away on their weekends under the auspices of Habitat for Humanity. Another strategy is to interrupt one's career by working as a volunteer for the Peace Corps or some other organization with a world-improving mission. But a lot of people don't want to interrupt their careers to make the world a better place; they want bettering the world to be their career. Surely there are ways to make a difference in the world while using the time and talents that one brings to the work week.
That's why I undertook writing a book that would identify world-improving occupations that can offer these opportunities. The result, 150 Best Jobs for a Better World (JIST), is due out in October of 2007.
The task of identifying an appropriate list of occupations was challenging because reasonable people may disagree about what criteria make a job world-improving. It is particularly hard to posit universally acceptable criteria because most people want to believe that their own work is beneficial in some way, so the criteria get stretched this way and that to fit people's occupations.
For example, I found an article in a Web-based contractors' magazine that explains how plumbers improve people's lives. It reminded me of the saying that, in a society that values philosophers more than plumbers, neither the theories nor the pipes will hold water. But I'm not suggesting that world-improving workers are more valuable than some other kinds of workers. The function of improving the world is only one of many aspects of an occupation that contribute to its value. For example, the pay that workers receive is another indication of value and may have scant relationship with the world-improving aspects of their occupation.
As I focused on criteria, I had to start by acknowledging that all occupations are beneficial in some way. At the very least, they allow people to pay their bills and raise their families. But when people look for world-improving work, I think they expect the occupation to do more than that. Here are the criteria that I settled on, any one of which would qualify a job as world-improving
Work that improves people's health. Everyone agrees that the world is better off with people who are healthy in mind and in body. And since most people hate to see animals suffer, and our own well-being depends on the health of animals (whether livestock or pets), I recognized work that improves animals' health.
Work that improves people's safety. During times of peace and low crime rates we may overlook the importance of such jobs, but 9/11 has reminded us how important such workers are for making our world livable.
Work that improves social order and well-being. Society needs more than just law enforcement to run smoothly so we are able to pursue our work and our leisure activities. Several other services allow people to get along with one another.
Work that increases knowledge. You're able to read these words because someone taught you. Most people agree that advances in science benefit humanity. And let's also remember those whose work provides new spiritual insights or increases understanding of culture.
Work that improves or protects the natural environment. The health of the natural environment has an aesthetic value, and some people argue that nature has its own integrity that we have no right to violate drastically, such as when we exterminate a species. Whether or not you agree, you certainly understand that a degraded environment will ultimately degrade human health and well-being.
Work that creates things of beauty. People enjoy aesthetic enhancements to their environment--to both its natural aspects (e.g., attractive landscaping) and its artificial aspects (e.g., beautiful buildings). We also want to experience works of art that give us pleasure and insight.
Those criteria are a good starting place, but they leave room for further dispute. In fact, I discovered that each of these criteria created a continuum along which some occupations benefit the world more than others. For example, some kinds of knowledge (say, the finer points of Sumerian grammar) are so arcane that increasing such knowledge has little impact on the world. Some aesthetic endeavors, such as perfecting shades of fingernail polish, serve commercial rather than artistic ends, or they occur at a level that may be considered aesthetic maintenance rather than enhancement (e.g., mowing the lawn). And even some health-related occupations, such as operating a machine that grinds eyeglass lenses, seem too removed from people's lives to make a list of world-improving jobs.
Here are some examples of occupations that did
meet my criteria:
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Occupation Title
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Criterion for Inclusion
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Computer Security Specialists
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Contribute to law enforcement.
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Registered Nurses
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Contribute to health.
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Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education
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Contribute to education.
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Clinical Psychologists
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Contribute to mental health.
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Forest Fire Fighters
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Contribute to safety and the natural environment.
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Medical and Public Health Social Workers
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Contribute to mental health and social well-being.
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Veterinarians
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Contribute to animal and human health.
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Police Patrol Officers
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Contribute to justice and law enforcement.
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Architects, Except Landscape and Naval
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Contribute to physical environment.
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Educational, Vocational, and School Counselors
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Contribute to education and mental health.
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Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians
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Contribute to health.
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Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
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Contribute to natural environment.
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Coroners
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Contribute to justice and law enforcement.
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Air Traffic Controllers
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Contribute to safety.
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Flight Attendants
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Contribute to health and safety.
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Crossing Guards
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Contribute to safety.
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Clergy
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Contribute to spiritual well-being.
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Interpreters and Translators
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Contribute to the arts and intercultural understanding.
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Child Care Workers
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Contribute to health, safety, and education.
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Funeral Directors
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Contribute to consolation of mourners.
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Park Naturalists
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Contribute to education and natural environment.
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Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and
Illustrators
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Contribute to the arts.
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When I worked in a previous job, career information that I updated was scrutinized by reviewers--typically, officials at professional associations--and they often found fault with my opinions on how much their occupation contributes to society. Like the plumbing contractors, many wanted to believe that they contribute more to the betterment of society than I acknowledged. I don't pretend that this is an exact science. I welcome comments on my criteria and how I have applied them.
Dr. Shatkin can be reached at laurence@myself.com