Ominocity’s Top 5 Songs About Finding a Job

Want some career advice from The Offspring? Probably not

Job-hunting can be the pits.

Call it an exercise in self-esteem unraveling, but hunting for jobs is akin to jumping into a marathon mid-race except you have no idea how long you’re going to be running for or who you are competing against. Also, you don’t know where the finish line is and you can’t afford a decent pair of sneakers to get you there.

Which makes the eventual crash into the finish line all the more satisfying once you get there.

However, when you’re job-hunting it’s also really easy to procrastinate. Sometime you start making playlists to help keep you motivated in your race for employment. Especially when you are trying to expand beyond staples such as BTO’s “Takin’ Care of Business”, Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” or that weird death march song by the dwarves in Snow White.

Here are some of Ominocity’s favourite songs about finding a job:

Piebald – “The Monkey Versus The Robot”

There is nothing more inspiring than the boundless optimism of someone who loves their job unconditionally. It gives those of us seeking employment hope that there is that golden position out there that was created just for us where the pay is good and the water cooler is always brimming. Unfortunately, Piebald’s vocalist/guitarist Travis Shettel is singing about being a rock star. And the last time I checked they weren’t hiring for that position anymore.

Lyrics: “We have the best job ever. Yeah we really got lucky. We’re nobody’s robot. We’re nobody’s monkey.”

The Offspring – “Why Don’t You Get a Job?”

The Offspring landed a really plum job when they signed with Columbia Records in 1996. In fact, their contract made them millionaires and helped launch super awesome mega hits like “Pretty Fly for a White Guy” and “Cruising California (Bumpin’ In My Trunk)”. Rich dudes always have the best ideas, right?

Lyrics: “Well I guess it ain’t easy doing nothing at all. But hey man free rides just don’t come along every day.”

The Clash – “Career Opportunities”

Before The Clash rose to fame as one of the most important punk bands to emerge from the UK, guitarist Mick Jones had a job opening letters for the British government to make sure they weren’t rigged with mailbombs. This sounds like the worst job in the world, unless you consider how terrible Jones’ post-Clash project Big Audio Dynamite was.

Lyrics: “Career opportunities are the ones that never knock.”

Gossip – “Get A Job”

On “Get A Job”, the Gossip’s Beth Ditto sings “I’d love to stay and party but I gotta go to work.” Which is a very grown-up sentiment; remember when you were a teen and you’d go into work all hungover and pukey?

Lyrics: “Not so cute anymore, now that you’re pushing 30. You better get a job.”

Talking Heads – “Found A Job”

The Talking Heads were pretty bizarre. But despite creating some truly frighteningly original music they were also really smart, which is a rare quality in rock. On “Found A Job”, The Heads seem to be relaying a metaphor about creating your own reality when television fails to entertain. Hate your job? Get a new one. That and seem to have stumbled across the recipe for reality television long before shows like The Real World had a chance to annoy us all.

Lyrics: “Don’t get upset, it’s not a major disaster”


– Featured photo from Flickr user “Stéfan” – Creative Commons.