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A Note: Lose Your Career Building Skills as a Practice of Degrowth

Degrowth has blossomed into a lively topic. Depending on where you are hearing about it, you may or may not be influenced in positive ways. Well, this post is not an introduction to degrowth. Nor is it apologetics. This is intended to reach those already practicing, thinking about, researching, and applying degrowth to their lives and their communities.

There are many legitimate interpretations of degrowth that deserve serious consideration. Personally, I come from the anti-capitalist, anti-currency camp. I see degrowth as starting community by community, spreading out, and working towards a goal of a post-capitalist society. The ideal scenario would be abolishing currency. To that end, it occurs to me that we cannot practice degrowth in our personal lives and in our available free time while we spend 40 hours a week in the most capitalist fashion. So, where does that leave us? We are still dependent on jobs. We must slowly, and by we I do mean us collectively, thread degrowth into our work lives

Here is the scenario: You are expected to perform in your occupation in such a manner as though you expect to eventually be rewarded with greater pay, or a better position, or a higher title. I say stop that nonsense right now. De-emphasize your willingness to play such games while you are in the workplace.

Lose your career building skills. Do not try to advance. I am not saying be irresponsible or untrustworthy. Just the opposite. Show your best character in the workplace. And that best character is one that is devout to the ideas of degrowth, is it not? If it is not, this post is not for you.

Stop trying to advance in the workplace. Don’t play along with the moving chairs. Be your best self. And your best self is one of participation with a conscience. Degrowth is having a conscience. Carry that over into your career. Be steady. Be careful. Be everything.