What is a ‘real job’ anyway?

I often joke about what I do for a living when people ask me. I tend to say I’m a writer, actor and anything else which means I don’t have to get a real job. But how do you define a real job?

It strikes me that real job is a term that people use to describe their own job when they don’t enjoy it. There’s a bizarre pervading sense in this country that you shouldn’t enjoy your work. If you’re having fun, it’s not work. This strikes me as more than a little bit odd. Sit back and think about it for a minute.

Why are we so loathe to allow people to enjoy things? Why do we have a guilt complex over pleasure? Why is one job any less valid than another?

It has been said to me in the past that I can’t call my job ‘work’ because I do it at home, often finish much earlier than other people and thoroughly enjoy what I do for a living. First things first, I must dispel a few myths — not through any sense of self-justification, but simply to state the facts.

I’m not going to pretend that writing is difficult, back-breaking work or more worthy than any other job. It’s not. But why should it be?

A writer never stops working. The creative mind always continues to generate and mature ideas and work through problems encountered with work during the day. For a writer, everything is work. I don’t have a set working day or a time at which I can close the office door and say ‘That’s that until tomorrow’.

And yes, I absolutely love what I do. Most writers do. Why shouldn’t they? Making some feel guilty for thoroughly enjoying their job is bizarre. I do what I’ve always wanted to do with my life and make a living from it. If you’re going out to work at six o’clock every morning, returning after dark and spending your day cooped up in an office working for a millionaire you’ve never met, who’s the fool? This is no attack on office workers or anyone working any job at all, but an explanation of why ‘That’s not a real job’ is one of the most vacuous and daft comments you can make towards someone.

Do I need to apologise for loving my job?

The way of the world is changing, and quickly. People are working a multitude of different jobs and anything which provides a direct income (and often things which don’t) are becoming popular forms of work. I won’t go into a political diatribe on the purpose or need for work (that’s a post for another day) but I think it’s fair to say that anything which serves a purpose and provides an income is a ‘proper job’.

When I tell people what I do, their next question is usually ‘Oh, is that full time or do you have a main job?’. What an odd question. How many other jobs would give that sort of response? I like to joke about it in a tongue-in-cheek way, but isn’t it about time we accepted that being a writer is a Real Job™?