Is a Job Just a Job?

A couple days ago I was talking with a friend about my current job situation, or lack thereof more specifically. I told him I'm lucky to be in a position where I didn't have to jump at any job -- I was going to wait and find a job which was in the domain I wanted, appeared interesting, was challenging, and looked to be fun. (And also meets my need for telecommuting for the next year until my wife retires and takes over child care duties.) His response was to shrug and say something along the lines of "Work is just work", to which I replied "There are jobs and there are Jobs." Confusing semantics aside, I thought his outlook at a job was somewhat sad. Sure, I've had a couple jobs which were not what I wanted to do forever: stifling, booring, unchallenging, and certainly not much fun. On the other hand, I've had several terrific Jobs where I was challenged on a daily basis to learn lots of interesting technology and solve a wide range of really interesting (ok, some painful) problems. My point is this: Sure, there's a need to meet the bottom line and put bread on the table, but why spend the rest of your life doing drudge work in a position which is "just work"? Why not set long term goals to get yourself into a Job which you enjoy, rather than a job which feeds your stomach but leaves your brain starved? It may not be an easy change, but it's worth it. Life in the lower rungs of Maslow's Pyramid isn't very satisfying in the long term...