When scrolling mindlessly through a Netflix line up, where would you find your job?

Is your work life a series of tragic laughs: a comedy?

Are you always questioning the why in your journey (drama)?

Perhaps you like engaging in risky ventures? Do you enjoy thrillers?

Or are you always tinkering with new tech…more of a sci-fi person?

You probably have a go-to genre. My wife likes something light after a long day. I prefer something thrilling or mind-bending. Two different genres reflecting different personalities but also means to defuse after work.

But what if your workplace showed up on the menu of options. What would it be?

Say you’re dealing with a lot of absurdity at the moment… things that don’t make a lot of sense, priorities that keep getting reshuffled, endless restructures, you might actually think life is like a comedy.

That’s right. Even when things are chaotic, difficult, or challenging, the absurdity of the situation can lead to laughter rather than tears. And that serves a pretty important purpose. It helps us grapple with what’s difficult. Laughter can also reflect a deeper truth that something is unusual, unexpected, or perhaps even unfair. Being able to laugh, or even just imagine the situation through that lens, helps us deal with what’s ahead. Sometimes, when change is stubborn or things just won’t move, all you can really do is laugh at human nature and the complexity of it all.

A classic tv show that literally mock office life, for example, is called ‘The Office’. It’s absurd but also largely a true reflection of the silly and idiosyncratic nature of white collar jobs.

But if this is no joke to you, you might be thinking your career is closer to a drama right about now.

When you hit a crossroad in your career and wonder: ‘Why am I doing this?’, it’s likely you are questioning the meaning behind things. Drama is about emotional depth, exploration, and discovery. It’s about working through conflict, facing challenges, and learning more about ourselves and others along the way. 

Other times, depending on your role or the path you’ve chosen, your work life might feel more like a thriller.

Maybe you’ve started a small business venture. Maybe you’re taking risks, trying to innovate, or investing time, energy, or money into something that might not pay off. The stakes may not be the fate of the world. You aren’t James Bond. But there’s a sense of working on the edge and doing things differently.

Thrillers are about high stakes and tension. They’re about navigating uncertainty, making decisions under pressure, and recovering when things don’t go to plan. If that feels familiar, you might be operating in thriller mode more often than you think.

And then there’s science fiction.

To be honest, right now this one feels especially relevant with the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and the pace of change we’re seeing. Science fiction is about future possibilities. It’s about innovation, and imagining what could be. Often it takes today’s reality and stretches it into something that is closer to a fantasy film. 

No, we don’t have flying cars (yet) but a lot of what we’re working on today would seem like magic to someone from a hundred years ago. 

Of course, many genres overlap. A series drama could have science fiction elements. A sci-fi can also be funny. And day-to-day your work might start off like a drama and turn into a comedy when can’t help but laugh at what’s being flung at you.

So next time you’re flicking through a streaming menu, choosing something to watch—whether it’s to escape your reality or explore it more deeply—just notice what you’re drawn to.

–  Are you picking a thriller because you need a bit more excitement?
–  Are you jumping into science fiction because you’re curious about what’s next?
–  Are you reaching for comedy to diffuse some tension?
–  Or are you looking for the depth of a drama?

Sometimes these choices give us a cathartic release. They are an outlet for something missing in our day-to-day. Other times, they reflect exactly what we’re already immersed in…the things we’re naturally drawn to, even in our downtime.

Have a flick through Opposite’s menu. We’ve created a set of scenarios based on these genres. See where you land. See what resonates. 

And see if you can make it to the end.