Why we should forget about downshifting

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

There is a lot of writing on the Internet about downshifting and its growing popularity among residents of developed countries, including Russia. However, if you look closely, you can come to an unexpected conclusion: we are already downshifters.

The idea of abandoning the redneck competition appeals to the author of this material as well. But it turned into a cargo cult: thousands of young men and women were disappointed in building a career without building it. Photos taken from hammocks under Thai palms are a simple change of scenery. It is much more pleasant for us northerners to create websites, draw icons or promote our own mobile application to the sound of the warm sea. But the level and quality of our life does not change from a change of place.

Assemble a mental focus group of classmates, friends, and fellow students.

My focus group

A classmate and a promising schoolboy, a clever girl studied at the Faculty of History, simultaneously becoming interested in the languages / u200b / u200bof the Romance group and English. Works as a regular bus driver. Not in France or Great Britain, where his language skills would be useful, but in the Novgorod region on suburban routes. Bus driver career growth? No, have not heard.

Another classmate. Knows how to rub into trust and communicate with people of different social status. Specialized secondary education, profession - heating engineer. A sought-after industry where you can make a career if you want. I have not worked in my specialty for a day. He worked as a manager in an insurance company, showed good results, liked his superiors. I went to a plant for the production of roofing materials. Zero prospects, but also zero worries about tomorrow.

Classmate and best friend. Environmental engineer at a large construction company. The place is good, the pay is ok, does not complain. But bored. There is a business streak and ideas, there is not enough motivating kick from life. I suspect this state is familiar to many readers.

A fellow from the faculty is two years younger. He works as a geography teacher in a city where 14, 5 thousand people live. Have you seen a lot of career teachers? As Prime Minister Medvedev said, teaching is a vocation.

Another acquaintance is preparing to defend his Ph. D. thesis, but in the meantime works in a board game store as a senior sales assistant, talking about new products in the gaming industry and preparing newcomers for work. They pay less in science.

The list can go on, but to illustrate the main point is enough.

About downshifting

Downshifting - downshifting. In a broad sense, this is a life of rejection of career growth and luxury.

From this point of view, everyone in my focus group is downshifters, although I'm not sure if they know anything about this.

The specificity of Russian life, climatic conditions and social attitudes has created the illusion that downshifters are necessarily people who have left for the tropics and live in bungalows near the sea with a free work schedule. But no one calls downshifters local programmers, designers, writers, farmers, drivers, or salespeople. We're back to the first point: it's just a change of scenery. Most of those working far from their permanent place of registration differ little from their colleagues sitting in their own apartments, coworking spaces or even offices. The same money, the same amount of work, the same profession.

Real downshifters are people who consciously and, more importantly, have significantly reduced the level and standards of living. Those who chose a bus instead of an airplane and the title of farmer instead of being a member of the board of directors. Those who preferred a quiet life in the hinterland to the rule of the Roman Empire.

Diocletian the Roman emperor, in response to a request from his entourage to return to the throne

If you saw what kind of cabbage I grew, you would stop asking me about it.

There is not a single such person in my focus group. If you call a mid-level manager downshifter, who gave up further career attempts and left to live in a cheap third world country, then yes, downshifters are most of us. People for whom work is a means of earning money or, at best, an activity to their liking, and not a field for competition, who have a bigger house and a cooler car.

Let's just agree on one thing: not to call normal everyday life downshifting or any other special term.