In Praise of the Office

For nearly 10 years, after graduating from medical school, I always had work but I never had a job. I was a resident when my career took a turn. I became interested in how the workplace affects people’s mental health, and in the role of work in making people’s lives more meaningful or miserable. That set me off on a long transition from clinical practice to management academia. The bridge across those two distant banks were the years as a freelancer in which I consulted, taught, and wrote about the inner world at work. I met interesting people, traveled a lot, and worked all the time. I was free, proud, and constantly stressed out.