I found out that I was one of the lucky few who has meaningful work. The thesis of the book is that whether we have a good job or a bad job, whether we love it or hate it, whether we have a job we're successful at or fail at, our jobs, by the sheer volume of time we put into them, shape us, for good or ill. You are what you do. A The conventional wisdom is that people don't like their work and are unhappy with work. What I found out in my research is we want to work, we want to enjoy our work, we want to have something good to do with our lives.
Money becomes the payoff for having a bad job.
A The Protestant work ethic meant the belief in the dignity of work and that through work people would be successful. It translates across religious and ethnic groups. We believe there is dignity in work, and that's part of the moral fabric of this society. Now there's a different kind of belief. The economy has changed, jobs have changed and industry itself has changed.