Introduction
Four years ago, my first daughter was about to graduate from university. I thought about jobs, registered this blog, and posted. Now my second daughter is about to graduate and has already received some offers. I reviewed these articles — created and typed entirely by myself — and found no big difference from what I am thinking now. However, since 2023, when AI suddenly became popular and widely used everywhere, the job itself may have been evolving in a different direction that is still unknown to most of us. Nevertheless, I extracted all seven articles of the 5W1H of a Job, asked DeepSeek to analyse them, and here is the result.
By the way, another related article will be posted soon: Choose the First Job After Graduation. :)
In February 2022, the blog Deep Simple Mind published a six-part series titled “5W1H of a Job.” The series set out to explore a deceptively simple question: What is the nature of a job? Drawing on decades of experience as both a short-term employer and a long-term employee, the author (Happypie) promised to “dive where no one else has explored” and examine whether employees can conduct their daily duties happily, and whether employers can achieve company goals without sacrificing employee welfare.
The series covers the classic 5W1H framework:
- What is a job?
- Why do you need a job?
- When should you take up a job?
- Who provides a job?
- Where can you find a job?
- How can you enjoy a job? (Note: This final chapter was not available in the materials reviewed.)
This article offers a critical analysis of the series — its strengths, its weaknesses, and suggestions for both the author and readers.
Part 1: What the Series Gets Right
1. A Fresh Conceptual Framework
The author’s broadened definition of a “job” is genuinely thought-provoking. A job, he argues, has three attributes:
- Activity — something to be done (a service or product)
- Action — the time and effort you spend doing it
- Reward — what you receive in return (usually money, but also satisfaction, health, etc.)
By this definition, almost everything in life can be a job: brushing your teeth, cooking a meal, daydreaming (if it leads to action and reward). This reframing invites readers to see their entire lives through the lens of purposeful activity — a valuable perspective that transcends the narrow confines of paid employment.
2. Practical, Experience-Based Insights
The author writes from lived experience. His advice on:
- Evaluating your direct boss during the probation period (2–3 months) before confirming your stay
- Networking as a precursor to job applications (companies often try to fill vacancies through existing staff first)
- The power of inertia — how careers stagnate without deliberate effort to learn and adapt
- Knowing your first employer — researching the business, its future, market, culture, and the boss’s intentions
...is grounded, actionable, and rings true for anyone who has navigated the job market.
3. A Holistic Life Perspective
The three-phase life model is a clear and useful scaffolding:
- Learning Phase (0–25): Preparing skills and knowledge
- Career Phase (25–65): Creating value, supporting a family, preparing for retirement
- Retirement Phase (65+): Enjoying the fruits of your labor
The insight that the quality of your learning phase determines the quality of your retirement phase is one that many younger workers overlook.
4. Balanced Employer-Employee View
Unlike many career advice articles that adopt a purely employee-centric or employer-centric stance, this series attempts to speak to both sides. The section “What should an employer do” reminds bosses that happiness breeds productivity — a mature and pragmatic observation that benefits both parties.
5. Memorable Analogies and Cultural References
The ant colony metaphor for human cooperation, the river’s winding path as a metaphor for laziness, and the Chinese idioms (揠苗助长, 工欲善其事必先利其器) make abstract ideas accessible and memorable.
Part 2: Where the Series Falls Short
1. Overgeneralization and Lack of Nuance
The author frequently makes sweeping claims without acknowledging exceptions:
- “Daydreaming is not a job” for common people, but it is for Bill Gates — this is presented as a binary when the reality is a spectrum.
- “Take action, and an employment job will keep you busy and disease-free” — this conflates employment with physical activity and ignores sedentary office jobs, stress-related illness, and burnout.
- The three-phase life model (0–25, 25–65, 65+) is presented as universal despite the author’s own acknowledgment that notable figures follow different timelines.
2. Idealization of Employment
The series carries an implicit assumption that formal employment is the default, desirable, and dignified path. It does not seriously explore:
- Self-employment or entrepreneurship as a primary path
- The reality of underemployment, precarious work, and the gig economy
- Situations where employment is exploitative and leaving is the healthiest choice
3. Underdeveloped “How” Chapter
The “How can you enjoy a job” chapter is conspicuously absent from the materials reviewed. This is arguably the most important question for the series’ stated purpose — helping employees conduct daily duties happily. Without it, the series feels incomplete.
4. Limited Cultural and Economic Scope
The advice is heavily oriented toward a middle-class, white-collar, developed-country context. The examples (civil servant, real estate agent, home baker, programmer) and the assumption of a 25-year learning phase followed by a stable 40-year career do not reflect the reality of most workers globally.
5. Tension Between Fatalism and Agency
The series oscillates between “Man proposes, God disposes” (fatalism) and “Your future starts from your heart, starts from today” (agency). While philosophically interesting, this tension can leave readers confused about how much control they actually have over their career outcomes.
6. Structural and Editorial Issues
The PDFs contain extraneous content (Global Stocks ads, Year 2038 Problem references, blog archive listings) that suggest a lack of professional editing. The series would benefit from tighter organization and proofreading.
Part 3: Suggestions for the Author
1. Add the Missing “How” Chapter
The series promises “How can you enjoy a job” but does not deliver it. This chapter should explore:
- Finding meaning in routine tasks
- Managing relationships with difficult bosses and colleagues
- Setting boundaries to prevent burnout
- Negotiating for better conditions
- Knowing when to leave
2. Acknowledge Diversity of Career Paths
Expand the three-phase model to include:
- Non-linear careers (returns to education, mid-career pivots)
- Freelancing, gig work, and entrepreneurship as legitimate alternatives
- Cultural and economic variations
3. Balance Optimism with Realism
Address:
- What to do when a job is genuinely bad and cannot be improved
- The role of luck, discrimination, and systemic barriers
- Mental health challenges in the workplace
4. Strengthen the Employer Section
Expand “What should an employer do” with:
- Concrete examples of good and bad management
- The business case for employee well-being
- How to create a culture where employees can grow
5. Improve Structure and Presentation
- Remove extraneous content from the PDFs
- Use consistent formatting and headings
- Add a proper introduction and conclusion to each chapter
6. Include More Diverse Examples
The current examples are heavily male, tech-oriented, and drawn from the author’s own experience. Include women, blue-collar workers, and different cultural contexts.
7. Develop the “5W1H of Something Else” Idea
The concluding suggestion to apply 5W1H to other life domains (marriage, running, programming) is a strong one. Turn this into a follow-up series or a workbook.
Part 4: Suggestions for Readers
1. Use the Framework, Not the Conclusions
The series’ greatest value is its 5W1H framework for examining any life activity. Apply it to your own situation rather than accepting the author’s specific conclusions.
2. Test the Three-Phase Model Against Your Reality
If you are on a non-linear path, don’t force yourself into the 0–25–65 template. The model is a useful heuristic, not a law.
3. Focus on the Probation Period
The advice to evaluate your direct boss during the first 2–3 months is practical and worth heeding. Use that time to ask the questions the author lists.
4. Balance Busyness with Rest
The author’s prescription to “keep yourself in a state of busyness” to avoid disease is oversimplified. Rest, recovery, and leisure are essential for sustainable productivity and health.
5. Don’t Ignore the Idea That Ignites You
The series’ closing message — that a single sentence can ignite a new idea — is its most valuable. Read critically, but also listen for the idea that resonates with your own experience.
Conclusion: An Invitation to Ask Better Questions
The “5W1H of a Job” series is an ambitious, thoughtful, and often insightful attempt to rethink the role of work in human life. Its conceptual framework is its strongest asset; its lack of nuance, incomplete execution, and limited perspective are its main weaknesses.
As a starting point for reflection, it succeeds. As a comprehensive guide, it falls short. The author’s suggestion to “make your version” of 5W1H is perhaps the most honest and useful takeaway — the series is best read not as a set of answers, but as an invitation to ask better questions.
If there is any sentence that ignites within you a new idea, don’t ignore it. Do your retrospective study. Make your version of 5W1H of something. You will live a more exciting life.
What do you think? Have you read the “5W1H of a Job” series? What resonated with you, and what would you add? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
