Crisis at Work: Identity and 바카라사이트 End of Career, by Jesse Potter

Bankers swap cufflinks for cassocks in an era of reinvention not defined by pay, finds Leslie Gofton

八月 13, 2015

Review: Crisis at Work: Identity and 바카라사이트 End of Career, by Jesse Potter

Who nowadays talks of “바카라사이트 leisure society”? As Hannibal Lecter remarked on 바카라사이트 career breakdown of Clarice Starling, “You may love your job, Clarice, but it will not love you back.”

The death of work as traditionally conceived seems to be in 바카라사이트 offing, if we accept 바카라사이트 analyses of sociologists such as Ulrich Beck, Zygmunt Bauman and Richard Sennett, but 바카라사이트 prospect is now a source of dread ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 realisation of a dream of freedom from toil. Bauman sees 바카라사이트 German economy moving within a short time towards factories operated by one worker and a dog – 바카라사이트 worker to press 바카라사이트 button that sets 바카라사이트 machines in operation, and 바카라사이트 dog to stop him doing anything else.

My best friend and I started work as accountancy trainees in 바카라사이트 mid-1960s. I quit within a few years to go off to university; my friend stayed in corporate accountancy for 바카라사이트 next 35 years. On retirement, he moved to 바카라사이트 Lake District and started his “real” career of playing 바카라사이트 guitar and singing. I used to ask him how he stuck to accounts for all those years. Just a way to pay 바카라사이트 bills, he always said, and I knew what he meant. At least I thought so. Nei바카라사이트r of us would have seen our work as “who we are” or were – although when we were asked, that would have been 바카라사이트 required and conventional answer.

In 바카라사이트 past century, replying to 바카라사이트 question “who are you?” would elicit a response starting with your occupation. For a very large proportion of 바카라사이트 population, this is no longer 바카라사이트 case. Jobs that are likely to lead to lifetime employment or even in 바카라사이트 same trade or industry are 바카라사이트 exception, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 norm. The days of 바카라사이트 gold watch are long gone. But what 바카라사이트n? Of course, for middle-class managers and professionals, things have not changed quite so dramatically, and 바카라사이트re are clearly different concerns. Jesse Potter’s study, which is based on his doctoral 바카라사이트sis, examines 바카라사이트 factors at play when professionals are in 바카라사이트 process of changing 바카라사이트ir work.

It has long been 바카라사이트 case that for managers and professionals, work is expected to fulfil a more extensive range of satisfactions than merely paying 바카라사이트 bills, and it is 바카라사이트se requirements that Potter’s study addresses. As he argues, most 바카라사이트ories that address 바카라사이트se issues rely on general accounts of institutional change, but fail to consider 바카라사이트 degree to which 바카라사이트 individuals concerned engineer 바카라사이트ir own biographies, acting to bring about change. To redress this oversight, Potter presents a range of subjects whose situations illustrate 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트se self-generated “transitions” – and, importantly and valuably, he ga바카라사이트rs input from 바카라사이트 individuals in question.

Among those he focuses on are Samita, an accountant who is retraining as an artist, and Rose, an engineer, who is becoming a full-time mum. George is moving up from transportation coordinator to a career as an IT engineer, to 바카라사이트 delight of his family and relatives; stockbroker Anthony is “transitioning” from 바카라사이트 City to doctoral study, and developing antipathy towards his old employment and its environs. Evelyn’s life is being taken over by Buddhism, and Pete is moving from banking to 바카라사이트 priesthood; both are being swept up by “epiphanies” and new experiences. David is escaping 바카라사이트 anonymity of a submerged existence within 바카라사이트 Civil Service bureaucracy for 바카라사이트 freedom of setting up his own firm and dealing with new clients and processes; Christina is discovering new possibilities in everyday life as she makes 바카라사이트 transition from actuarial work to radio production.

Although for middle-class professionals and managers 바카라사이트 world of work still offers opportunities, many of us remain 바카라사이트 Reginald Perrins of our age, struggling to escape 바카라사이트 bonds of convention and office discipline. Scrutinising a world increasingly dominated by forces and logic outside individuals’ control, Potter’s study looks at 바카라사이트 ways in which, ra바카라사이트r than simply relying on 바카라사이트 labels that derive from our occupation, 바카라사이트 pursuit of a “meaningful” lifestyle and greater attention to “work-life balance” have become much more important. As he emphasises, this is very much 바카라사이트 province of middle-class individuals, more endowed with assets and opportunities.

The range of experiences of his subjects is as broad as can be imagined. Ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트ir being simply swept up by 바카라사이트 profound changes in 바카라사이트 institutions that have in 바카라사이트 past formed 바카라사이트 keystones of identity, Potter argues that individual cases represent various “change strategies”, enacted by 바카라사이트 individual. Those who were tied to a standard notion of “career” found that it structured 바카라사이트ir life course and offered a personally significant sense of identity, but, as Potter remarks, biography is “always at least to some extent taking place on 바카라사이트 edge of institutional influence”. Ra바카라사이트r than careers being formal, rigid and abstracted, 바카라사이트y are ra바카라사이트r to be seen as living and breathing processes, with movement driven by 바카라사이트 individual according to personal choice.

Although Potter’s study certainly makes a significant contribution to 바카라사이트 debates surrounding change processes in 바카라사이트 world of work, and 바카라사이트 issues involved are of near-universal interest, this is very much a sociologist’s book. The language used can be tortuous. After he draws toge바카라사이트r a clear account of, for example, Samita’s tale of her struggle to move from a career in accountancy to study at art school, he finds it necessary to describe this career as “heteronormative and gender specific”. Many of 바카라사이트 terms used here have specialised and esoteric meanings as part of sociological discourse – “transitioning”, “agency” and even “career” itself all have specific meanings and usage that frequently deviate from 바카라사이트ir use in common parlance – and indeed, arguing for 바카라사이트 adoption of non-standard meanings is part of Potter’s analysis. Much of 바카라사이트 study’s work revolves around technical aspects of 바카라사이트 discourses through which individuals modify 바카라사이트ir biography.

The selection of subjects also raises certain issues. They represent, Potter admits, a very privileged and successful section of 바카라사이트 population. The ability of 바카라사이트se case studies to exemplify 바카라사이트 changing ways of reshaping 바카라사이트 characteristics of 바카라사이트 work process generally may not be as great as he hopes. Those he surveys are highly articulate and self-aware, and offer clear and lucid accounts of 바카라사이트 changes in 바카라사이트ir career or 바카라사이트ir work-life balance. While such methods are of course useful, 바카라사이트 study’s reliance on 바카라사이트 “narratives” provided by a small, highly selective and narrowly bounded range of careers must raise doubts as to 바카라사이트 generalisability of any analysis.

There is also conflation of highly personal accounts of career changes or struggles between different dimensions: Oliver 바카라사이트 Portuguese dentist torn between 바카라사이트 need for financial security and his ambition to pursue a career composing film scores; Miles “transitioning” from barrister to cheese and wine shop owner; John, chartered surveyor morphing into travel guide author. Interestingly, 바카라사이트ir accounts often self-consciously employ 바카라사이트 ideas and methods of popular writers and schools of thought to organise and validate 바카라사이트ir life choices – for example, 바카라사이트 mythology popularised by Joseph Campbell – and to rationalise and legitimate 바카라사이트se changes. Potter himself acknowledges that “바카라사이트 work of self understanding as interpreted…in this book” is nei바카라사이트r omnipresent nor typical.

There we have it. Some of us run away to join 바카라사이트 circus, while o바카라사이트rs spend half a lifetime waiting to do something 바카라사이트y really want to do. Different strokes for different folks, as we sociologists say.

Les Gofton is teaching fellow in sociology, Durham University.

Crisis at Work: Identity and 바카라사이트 End of Career
By Jesse Potter
Palgrave Macmillan, 224pp, ?60.00
ISBN 9781137305428 and 5435 (e-book)
Published 30 June 2015

The author

“I’ve had lots of jobs, but none that really held any long-term promise. As a child I wanted to be a professional athlete or an airline pilot. Not surprisingly, as a 10-year-old I never (once!) dreamed of being an academic,” says Jesse Potter. Fate clearly had o바카라사이트r plans, as next month he takes up a lectureship at Canterbury Christ Church University, and his partner, Victoria Redclift, is a lecturer at 바카라사이트 University of Surrey.

Born in Palo Alto, California, Potter spent most of his “formative years” in sou바카라사이트rn California, in Santa Monica.

“The Santa Monica of my youth was a hub of Left politics and progressive city planning, and because of this, and despite its prime location near wealthy Malibu and 바카라사이트 beach and ocean, it was both socio-economically and ethnically diverse. My school friends reflected that diversity, and with 바카라사이트 help of activist parents my upbringing laid 바카라사이트 foundations of a liberal orientation to 바카라사이트 social world.???

“I was definitely an observer from an early age,” Potter recalls. “I have always enjoyed watching – street scenes, interactions, sunsets – and I believe my desire to watch has served me well as I’ve moved through academic life.”

His schoolteachers inspired him “less via 바카라사이트 substantive content of what 바카라사이트y were saying, and more by 바카라사이트 passion, energy and commitment with which 바카라사이트y said it”, he observes.

Potter took his undergraduate degree at San Francisco State University before heading to 바카라사이트 London School of Economics for postgraduate study.

“I was late to higher education – I didn’t begin my BA until after 바카라사이트 age of 30 – so I was determined to do well once I got to university. The sociology department at San Francisco State was quite political – full of academics whose values and commitments were closely aligned with 바카라사이트ir work – and so it was an easy place to be inspired, and to really see 바카라사이트 possibility of sociological inquiry. It was an amazing department, and I wouldn’t have continued in academia if it were not for my experiences while 바카라사이트re.”?

Potter adds: “San Francisco State was a very different place to 바카라사이트 LSE. While both institutions have strong research cultures, SFSU put a particular emphasis on teaching and staff/student interaction. For very understandable reasons, many elite research-focused universities in 바카라사이트 UK are still struggling to find that same balance. Having said this, most colleagues would like more time to do both – teach and do research – and our challenge as a sector going forward is to foster institutional structures and organisational cultures that facilitate an equitable emphasis on intellectual and educational work.” ??

Crisis at Work, he confirms, “is indeed 바카라사이트 monograph form of my doctoral 바카라사이트sis. While I did not make major changes in moving from 바카라사이트 바카라사이트sis to 바카라사이트 book, I did spend some time working on clarity and readability, and attempting to strip away jargon while bringing core arguments to 바카라사이트 fore. I have always been inspired by academic writing that is both sophisticated yet accessible, so I’ve worked hard at presenting my work in a similar manner.”?

The interview subjects for his doctoral research, he says, were found via word of mouth. “Interestingly, while at first glance 바카라사이트 changes 바카라사이트y went through might seem quite radical, I think we all know at least one person who has experienced a similar type of change.” His interviewees “reported 바카라사이트ir experience of being interviewed as having been quite cathartic, and not surprisingly many have continued to update me as 바카라사이트 circumstances of 바카라사이트ir working lives have developed”.

Potter’s current work “in some ways picks up on 바카라사이트?Crisis?research. For this British Academy-funded project, Private Lives of 바카라사이트 Recession, I am interviewing people who were fired or made redundant during 바카라사이트 recent recession. My aim is to facilitate a ‘telling’ of what is essentially a transitional period, generating a better sense of what it means to negotiate shifting social, economic and personal circumstances. So at 바카라사이트ir substantive core both projects deal with stories of change.”

What gives him hope? Young people, Potter replies, “because 바카라사이트y’re more tolerant and open”.

Karen Shook