PREFACE
Hello everyone! Here we are again, meeting during the final days of the year. Unlike my usual posts, which focus on sharing knowledge and experience, today's article is more of a casual reflection on life as I look back on the year that has passed.
For those who are new here, my articles generally cover topics related to Information Technology, such as Backend, Blockchain, and DevOps. Through sharing knowledge with the community, I hope not only to contribute something useful but also to receive feedback that helps me improve my skills and deepen my expertise. Alongside technical content, I also write personal reflections on work and life from my own perspective.
What Do We Work For?
The end of the year is always a good time to reflect on our work over the past twelve months and prepare for the year ahead. This is especially true for developers, as many companies tend to conduct their performance reviews around this time.
And it's not just full-time employees. Whether you're working as a freelancer or running your own business, have you ever stopped to seriously consider this question?
"What do we work for?"
In reality, whether we're fresh graduates or have been working for a couple of decades, most of us spend around 12 years in school, four years at university, perhaps another two or three years pursuing postgraduate studies, and then several more decades working, learning, and conducting research.
So, are we simply programmed to follow a repetitive cycle: eating to survive, living to study and work, and... working to make a living?
If so, are we truly living, or are we merely existing when we cannot identify a clear purpose for going to work, especially when work occupies nearly two-thirds of our lives?
At this point, I'd like everyone to pause for a moment, reflect, and answer this question for themselves.
I believe each of us has our own goals, ideals, and reasons for living. These values are closely tied to our worldview, personal experiences, and the way we perceive and interpret the world around us.
If you still haven't found an answer to this question, let me share my personal perspective. Hopefully, it will help you find an answer that feels right for you.
For me, the purpose of working is to find my own destination of happiness, while also being able to experience happiness throughout the journey itself.
I use the following "Impossible Trilemma" as a framework for measuring happiness at work and deciding whether a job is worth committing to. My personal rule is that a job should satisfy at least two out of the three factors.
The Impossible Trilemma
The Impossible Trilemma is a concept describing three factors within a problem that require trade-offs to achieve a balance. Satisfying all three factors simultaneously is considered nearly impossible.
We can encounter this model in economics. Even in Blockchain, there is a well-known "Blockchain Trilemma" involving scalability, security, and decentralization, which presents challenges to making blockchain systems more practical and easier to use in real-world applications.
If you're interested in this concept in the context of Blockchain, I'll save the more technical discussion for a future article on "Blockchain Layers and Scalability."
Returning to today's topic, I'd like to introduce my own version of the Impossible Trilemma at work:
The Trilemma in Working
1. Salary
Without a doubt, one of the primary goals most of us have when entering the workforce is to make money.
I don't deny the importance of having enough money to meet one of the necessary conditions for happiness. But is money truly sufficient to guarantee a fulfilling and happy life? And how much money is enough to make us feel satisfied?
The answer depends on each person's needs.
Personally, I feel financially satisfied when I have enough to cover my basic living expenses and personal interests, take care of my loved ones, and maintain sufficient savings to support myself for at least six months without working.
2. Position
Once we've achieved a reasonable level of financial security, we may begin seeking recognition and a sense of importance—the desire to become the leader of the pack, or, in more sophisticated human terms, to attain social status and power.
Ultimately, many of these concerns stem from a desire rooted in the ego:
"I want people to notice me. I want to be important. I want to be the center of the universe."
And this is where many of our frustrations begin. We become unhappy when reality doesn't meet our expectations, even though the outcome depends largely on external factors—things we cannot fully control.
3. Happiness
Personally, I've learned to keep my desire for an important position and constant recognition under control, at least to some extent.
Instead, I prioritize my own happiness at work. Of the three factors, happiness is something we can partially control ourselves and, in many cases, achieve more readily than the other two.
So, what makes a job truly fulfilling?
To explore happiness at work more deeply, I'd like to break it down into three additional factors.
Work Environment
A workplace should give you the conditions you need to simply focus on your work. Relationships should be built on equality, allowing people to express their opinions and engage in open, comfortable discussions.
There should also be a fair "win-win" relationship between employers and employees.
Unfortunately, a "I win, you lose" mindset still seems relatively common in Vietnam's job market today. While this approach may offer short-term advantages to one party, it rarely creates sustainable benefits in the long run.
Career Path
Every journey requires a clear direction. We need to understand where we're heading and have a path that helps us move toward our goals.
Ideally, our individual interests and ambitions should align with the collective interests of the organization. When personal growth and organizational growth complement each other, both sides can benefit over time.
Meaningful Work That Creates Value
A fulfilling job should make us feel that we have something valuable to contribute—and give us opportunities to share that value with the community and society.
There's a special sense of satisfaction in creating a product that is used by many people, knowing that our efforts have made a real impact on the world, however small or significant that impact may be.
Conclusion
Everything I've shared in this article reflects my personal perspective, shaped by my experiences at work and my ongoing search for the answer to one fundamental question: Why do I work?
Of course, everyone has a different worldview and perspective. We each need to discover the values we believe in and use them to guide our actions toward our own goals.
I hope this article offers you another perspective and helps you more easily identify your own ideals and goals, so you can find greater happiness in your work—whether you're a full-time employee, a manager, or your own boss as a freelancer.
Finally, I'd like to wish everyone a peaceful and heartwarming Christmas, followed by a prosperous, peaceful, and happy New Year 2023. In particular, I hope the year ahead brings you strength and resilience, as the working world is expected to present plenty of challenges and difficulties.
If you found this article helpful, I'd appreciate an upvote, a like, or a comment sharing your own perspective. I'd love to hear different points of view.
See you again in future articles, where we'll explore more interesting topics together!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR 2023