Former President Barack Obama has been examining working and employees in his newfound free time. His Netflix docuseries Working: What We Do All Day explores work culture in America. He executive produced the series alongside his wife Michelle Obama. In an interview with People promoting his show, he gave advice to the young generation of workers.
It's a four part series, where the former President visits three American workplaces and meets with 12 people working there. They examine service jobs to “the middle” to “dream jobs” and “the boss.” Among them is Karthik Lakshmanan, a robotics engineer meant to give viewers a sense of perspective: “not everybody gets to prioritize passion and fulfillment in work, and it isn’t something to be taken for granted.”
Fulfillment is a theme explored in the show heavily. Obama mentioned seeing it a lot in the young generation of workers—his daughters' generation. He said he saw it with young people especially in the White House. “Interns who’d come in, and after a week they’d say, “I’d like to help the president write a speech.” And it would be, “Maybe finish college first?” There is an impatience that, on the one hand, I think is healthy.”
“I think this generation recognizes that part of the trick of having a good career and a good life is having some control over what you’re doing and having some sense of purpose and meaning in work. If you’re spending half your day or more on something, you should feel good about what you’re accomplishing,” Obama said. “I am a believer in paying your dues. It turns out that by showing that you can accomplish mundane tasks, push through boredom, monotony, be helpful even when it’s not fun, that you can be part of a team and you’re able to follow and not just lead — all that experience builds a more well-rounded human.”
Stream Barack Obama's docuseries Working: What We Do All Day on Netflix.
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