Dear Nica,
Here’s my problem. I have a job. That’s not much of a problem, but the problem is it is not for me. I am not passionate about it, and I simply dont enjoy it. I check the classifieds from time to time, but with the economy the way it is, the chance of me finding something better seems really slim. But I feel kind of dishonest keeping what I have. I dont commit myself to doing my best, and I feel like the people I work with, who are dedicated, deserve a coworker similarly devoted to their job.
So do I do the honest thing and just quit? Or do I coast until something better comes along? From a money perspective, I cant really opt for the former, so I guess what I am really asking is how bad should I feel that I am holding a job I dont want, and somehow holding it securely, while people all around me (and many in my workplace) are getting laid off?

Feeling Reams Of Guilt

Dear FROG

So you are keeping your eyes peeled for a better lily pad. There is nothing wrong with that. However, it sounds like you are having some Hamlet workplace blues and feel like a hypocrite because you are not as devoted to your job as your coworkers are. At this point you need to engage in some rudimentary self-analysis. First of all, are you a perfectionist? If you think that you are, or your friends always tell you that you are (or you can take this online quiz http://www.queendom.com/tests/personality/perfectionism_access.html), then it might be the case that you are just struggling with your own very high standards, in which case you need to examine the situation in that context, and not worry about the fact that you are letting your coworkers down, because you are probably just projecting your anxieties onto them; just because you are not passionate about it, does not mean you can’t do a good job if you are skilled and responsible. However, if you feel like your work has objectively been slipping in quality because you are bored/not interested/whatever, then you need to take stock of all the pros and cons. Think about why your coworkers are really into it? Do they have more creative/authoritative input? Do you feel alienated from your labor a la Marx in comparison? Is it possible that your coworkers also feel alienated, but either have a better false consciousness, or are good actors? Can any aspect of the work you are doing be tweaked so that you enjoy it more while you are figuring out what to do next?
The financial aspect is definitely something to consider, especially in terms of what your responsibilities are; I don’t know what your living situation is like, but since it sounds like you hold yourself to high moral standards, you don’t want to trade in feeling guilty at your job for feeling guilty because you can’t pay rent, or mortgage, or whatnot. The economy does suck at the moment, but maybe you could line up some liminal interim job while you are figuring out what you will do next. It’s all good and noble to quit on principle, but having some sort of a safety net does not hurt.
As for the moral aspect of all of this, that’s the most important one. Unless your job is really, directly about saving lives (i.e. if you are a heart surgeon or a suicide helpline counselor who does not care about his/her job, that’s a serious and immediate problem), you really have to figure this out in terms of your own values and what you are willing to live with. If the kind of person you want to be would unequivocally quit a job they were not dedicated to, and it’s an issue of self-respect in terms of measuring up to your sense of your ideal self, then maybe you should quit. If you really *want* to quit, and you are justifying it in moral terms, vis-a-vis your coworkers, because you can’t just say that you *want* to quit because you have Protestant work ethic guilt, or something of the sort, you should quit too. However, if you can mediate between necessity and compromise with relative ease, it might be a good idea to stick around, at least for the time being. If you start looking for other jobs, that might resolve your moral crisis, because it will give your predicament a frame of potential, upcoming change, it will make you feel proactive, and hopefully resolve your moral impasse by making the subject of it temporary and alterable, and thus, ultimately, more manageable. Finally, if you are still feeling excessive guilt towards others who are getting laid off, go read yourself some Ayn Rand.

Nica