ABSTRACT
This chapter challenges the argument that contemporary workers have become ‘experience collectors’ (Bauman) who judge the value of their work solely by its capacity to provide novelty and excitement. It begins with a discussion of three case studies of participants who initially seem to fit this characterization very well. However, as the interviewees spoke in more depth of the importance of work in their life, it became clear that it was not just the pleasure of experiencing new sensations that made their jobs fulfilling, it was the potential for them to make a difference and feel useful. The analysis of the case studies leads into a discussion of what has been called the ‘crisis of meaning’ (Carroll) in modern Western societies. The chapter then argues that, in some cases, work acts a buffer against the existential dread. Doing ‘real’ work, something that the individual thought was ‘making a difference’, imbued life with a sense of purpose. Additionally, work could be understood as meaningful by constructing a narrative that explained various work experiences as being pre-destined. Finally, the accounts of the participants demonstrate a common understanding of productive and engaging activity being an important component of wellbeing. In sum, work continued to be perceived as something that had an important role to play in combatting meaninglessness and preventing existential crisis.
