What's Chandler Bing's Job?

One of the best scenes of Friends is when Rachel and Monica tried to guess Chandler‘s job (watch the scene here). They knew so many unremarkable details of each other’s lives, but they didn’t know his job—the place Chandler goes everyday. How is that possible?

I challenge you to play the same game over Thanksgiving. Everyone has to guess the jobs of each adult in the room. Could you do it? And even if you could say where the person works, do you really understand what the person does? I think you may be surprised.

Why does it matter?

First, the more obvious answer—it creates more intimacy. We should know what our loved ones do every day. It will open up opportunities to share and connect.

Second, this knowledge exposes us to the multitude of career options available. The more jobs we hear about, the more opportunities we will have to explore potential careers. We don’t know what we don’t know; and most of us know surprisingly little about the array of jobs in the world.

Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to learn more about the careers of those around you. Turn it into a game! Like the Friends episode, quiz each other about everyone’s jobs.

• What is their title?

• What is a typical day?

• What is their favorite thing about their job?

• What is their least favorite?

Let’s not keep this a secret.

Out of a job? Talking about careers at holiday meals can be beneficial. This is the perfect opportunity for the job seeker to share what they are looking for. Everyone can take a moment to scroll through their mental rolodex to see who they know (or better yet, check their LinkedIn connections). They can take note in case they hear about something in the future. Here are your best cheerleaders, let them share the load.