Work can provide a continuum of meanings that permeates positive, instrumental and negative aspects, capable of influencing the way that the individual interprets it, their health, productivity and organizational bond. The postgraduation - a place of prestige, productivity and competition -, provides different meanings for professors at different stages of their careers. This research analyzed the senses and meanings of the work for professors linked to the stricto sensu postgraduate programs of a Brazilian university. Through a qualitative and descriptive research, 33 professors linked to postgraduate courses answered questions about their work that were submitted to content analysis. The positive senses that emerged in the participants’ speech were mainly linked to the social function of the profession, whether in student education or in contributing to society through teaching, research and extension activities. On the other hand, negative senses appeared associated with the precariousness of work and devaluation of the professor. The senses of work, identified in the research, reflect situations of pleasure and suffering that fluctuate over the years, on the one hand, the lack of attention from the State towards universities and professors, and on the other, the functional body of institutions in the search and struggle to improve this environment.
Keywords:
sense and meaning of work; postgraduate; professor