This is the third book I've read now in the School of Life canon, as it were. Although the author is listed as simply the aforementioned, and not a little grandiose, 'School of Life', Alain de Botton's voice is clear throughout. Characteristically, the writing flips between jaunty, cheeky humour to profoundly philosophical insights, and at times sincere consolations on the little tragedies of life, sometimes all within one sentence.
I first became enamoured to his style, and the SoL, on YouTube. Their mission statement is extrapolated at length in the eponymously named book of the same title. In a nutshell, there is a dearth in mainstream education on meaningful life lessons. Philosophy, so de Botton would argue, should not be confined to ivory towers but, instead, demystified and put to good use as a guide to life; if not as a means of giving us answers, at least arming us with the ability to ask better questions. For example, what does it even mean to live a fulfilling life? What is success, really? How do you recover from seemingly cataclysmic trauma? How, ultimately, can you undertake the greatest of all endeavours: to know yourself? The SoL aim to fill that void. It's a truly noble aim.
In this slim volume the topic is as the title suggests: how do you find a job to love? Or *gulp* is that even possible? Typically millennial, I suppose, I've already been through several career crises myself. The stark reality painted in this book is that, in fact, I have adopted, like so many others of my era in history, the capitalist ideal: the promise of staggering success as within my 'potential', I just have to work hard enough, know the right people, get the right qualifications etc etc... We constantly look up to role models who remind us that starry eyed optimism has a terrible caveat: you can achieve great things if you just believe in yourself, yes, and if you don't you really only have yourself to blame.
There is a fun interactive element. This book does a great service in undermining many entrenched clichés about work through a series of exercises: finding your 'pleasure points' typically rooted in childhood; the dangers of the 'duty trap'; preconceived notions of good and bad based in 'family work templates'; ways in which success might actually upset others around us; de-masking internalised critical and encouraging voices; striving for perfectionism. It suggests we seek change as 'evolution, not revolution', and to be aware of the dangers of militant egalitarianism, i.e. some people really are just wired differently. If success, in certain cases, means having a ruthless streak then that is a characteristic simply not fitting for everyone. We should admire people for their unique qualities, not lambast ourselves for not having the same.
Ultimately, the message seems to gravitate towards re-alignment of your expectations. Rather than depress us, the point is conversely to seek happiness through contentment with who we are and what we already have. A job that you love enough just as it is is a great achievement in itself, so goes the conclusion.
My only gripe is that de Botton seems to favour this kind of lukewarm acceptance a little too favourably over other virtues, for example raw ambition. Yes, it may lead perilously to unrealistic expectations at best and, at worst, the pits of despondency upon the slightest failure, but it can also inspire people to push themselves to greatness.
In a nutshell, this is an insightful little book for all those out there who have ever asked themselves, pondered, fantasised about the kind of work they may well love doing but have never been brave enough to admit it. As the energising force of death reminds us, you only have one life and a multitude of untapped potential...