You're right, of course. But the point he's making seems to be based on the idea that to experience mastery of a domain can be truly fulfilling even if that domain is boring. That is, the feeling of power and self actualization that comes from competence can happen even if you are doing something that is not innately enjoyable.
I draw an intuitive connection in my mind to the study [1] suggesting that people are happier with having a higher status compared to their close associates than with a higher absolute status but lagging behind the peers to whom they aspirationally compare themselves.
Would you rather be a mediocre newbie working in a dazzling, sexy field, or the best damn X in the Y field who knows all the tools and has confidence about relative competence?
Comments
You're right, of course. But the point he's making seems to be based on the idea that to experience mastery of a domain can be truly fulfilling even if that domain is boring. That is, the feeling of power and self actualization that comes from competence can happen even if you are doing something that is not innately enjoyable.
I draw an intuitive connection in my mind to the study [1] suggesting that people are happier with having a higher status compared to their close associates than with a higher absolute status but lagging behind the peers to whom they aspirationally compare themselves.
Would you rather be a mediocre newbie working in a dazzling, sexy field, or the best damn X in the Y field who knows all the tools and has confidence about relative competence?
[1] http://pss.sagepub.com/content/21/4/471.short