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The curious logic of bullshit jobs
When work makes you wonder
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on a book I stumbled upon in the library: Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber. The title struck me because it put words to something many of us have quietly felt but rarely say out loud. So let’s explore the curious logic of bullshit jobs.
Graeber observes that we’re often made to feel that if we’re not busy all the time, we’re not good enough.
A sentiment captured perfectly by his definition of a “bullshit job”: a role that even the person doing it secretly knows is pointless, yet they act as if it matters. It’s not about hard or boring work; it’s about work that wouldn’t be missed if it disappeared tomorrow.
According to this view, such jobs don’t exist because they’re necessary. They exist because organizations want to look important, managers want people to look busy, systems sustain themselves, and status gets tied to appearing occupied.
Importantly, this isn’t a criticism of workers. Quite the opposite. People suffer in these roles precisely because they want their work to matter. The problem isn’t the person. It’s the structure.
The feeling we don’t talk about
Ever found yourself staring at your screen thinking, What’s the point of this?
You’re not alone. Millions of people spend hours on tasks that feel meaningless: reports no one reads, documents no one uses, processes no one questions.
The frustration isn’t just mental or emotional; It’s exhausting and demoralizing. You’ve probably felt it too. I know I have.
But there’s another side to what I understand as ‘bullshit jobs.’ Not just entire roles, but the strange logic behind who moves up and who stays put.
Let me illustrate.
Meet Bob
Take Bob from administration.
Bob is the Messi of Excel. Pivot tables? He dreams in them. Whenever panic erupts about quarterly numbers, the same cry echoes through the office:
“Where’s Bob?!”
No one really knows what he does or how he does it, but without him the system would collapse like a house of cards in a wind tunnel.
Promotion for Bob? Impossible.
Who would make the reports? Who understands the folder structure invented in 2009 and now treated like sacred heritage? Bob is indispensable. And so Bob stays exactly where he is. Forever. With maybe a fruit basket in December.
And then there’s David
David isn’t a bad guy. Not at all.
But let’s say David has strategic overview. He makes PowerPoints where words like synergy, growth, and sustainability glide elegantly across slides. When David is on vacation, nobody notices until he returns and asks if anyone has seen his mug.
David is replaceable.
And that’s exactly why David gets promoted.
Because imagine David becomes team leader. What changes? Not much. The daily operation keeps running. Bob will handle it. In fact, Bob handles everything. So the risk is low.
David can safely move up.
The law of inverse competence
The better you are at your current job, the more dangerous it is to move you out of it. That’s how the curious logic of bullshit jobs works.
Organizations love talent. As long as it stays put.
Sometimes companies seem built on a strange reverse evolution theory. Not survival of the fittest, but promotion of the replaceable. The truly essential people are carefully kept in place. And get extra tasks. Together with of course:
“Because you’re so good at this.”
And so a curious ecosystem emerges:
- at the top sit people who were once just non-essential enough to be allowed to leave their posts
- at the bottom are the quiet heroes keeping the ship afloat while watching others steer it
Is that unfair? Maybe.
Is it human? Absolutely.
Promotions rarely depend on competence alone. They depend on visibility, replaceability, risk, and – let’s be honest – who can be missed on a Monday morning without everything catching fire.
What this means for you
Explore alternatives
If your job is consistently draining and unfulfilling, with tasks that seem pointless, explore alternatives. You don’t have to quit tomorrow.
But you can start preparing by learning skills that move you toward work aligned with your values.
Any chance on promotion?
And if you want to grow in your career, don’t try to solve everything.
- Pass off the boring, time-consuming tasks that don’t move your career.
- Make your wins visible. Don’t hide your brilliance.
- Train others to handle what you do so you’re replaceable.
Or better yet: master the art of balancing work and career, so your career doesn’t get stuck in place.
Because careers don’t grow when you’re indispensable. They stall.
The real moral
Being indispensable is a beautiful compliment…
as long as it’s not a life sentence.
Bob knows all about it.
He’s still at the same desk.
With a new fruit basket.
Be valuable, not indispensable.
Emma
P.S. : you can find David Graeber’s book in pdf-format on archive.org.