Barack Obama on 'Working,' One Job He'd Never Revisit and His Dream Father's Day (Exclusive)

"Michelle and I said to our kids, 'You need to have at least one service job . . . dealing with every walk of life,'" the former president tells PEOPLE

Former President Barack Obama has worked everything from a scooping job at Baskin-Robbins to, of course, the highest job in the land. Now he's taking a closer look at work life in America in his new Netflix docuseries, Working: What We Do All Day, executive produced by Obama and his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, for their Higher Ground Media company.

In the four-part series, the former President — who is "always the most prepared person in the room,” says director Caroline Suh — visits three American workplaces and meets with 12 people occupying various rungs of the business ladder, from service jobs to “the middle” to “dream jobs” and “the boss.” Among them: Karthik Lakshmanan, a robotics engineer who says he hopes the series "gives viewers a sense of perspective — not everybody gets to prioritize passion and fulfillment in work, and it isn’t something to be taken for granted. I also hope viewers relate to the nagging doubts that remain — even in a dream job, and that they can take President Obama’s advice to relax, do their bit, and that their impact will add up over time and mean something in the world."

Obama, 61, who is now an empty nester alongside Michelle, 59 — daughter Sasha, 21, graduated from the University of Southern California on May 12, and Malia, 24, worked as a writer on the Amazon Prime series Swarm — chats with PEOPLE about his latest role.

Looking back, what has been your dream job? And then what’s a job where you think, “Yeah, I don’t need to do that again”?

Well, look, the presidency: long hours. And some stress. But pretty interesting projects. And you’re working with great people. And no single day is the same. Jobs I could probably do without? I was a waiter briefly at a high-end nursing home. Or an assisted-living facility, I guess. And people complained a lot. They were on restricted diets, so guys would get cranky. And you’re like, “I’m sorry, Mr. Jones, no salt today.” [Laughs.] And sometimes they took it out on the staff, and it was a good reminder.

I’ve always said — and Michelle and I said to our kids — “You need to have at least one service job coming up where you’re just dealing with every walk of life.” If nothing else, it will make you (a) appreciate how hard those jobs are and (b) treat people well when you’re a customer. Don’t be that person, you know, who’s being a jerk to someone who’s been on their feet all day trying to get stuff for you.

You talk about young people — your daughters’ generation — seeking immediate meaning in work sooner than past generations have. What is your advice to young people who wish it would happen sooner? Is that a reasonable expectation?

It’s a great question. And this is not just with my children — I’d see it with my younger staff. We would see it in the White House. Interns who’d come in, and after a week they’d say, “I’d like to help the president write a speech.” And it would be, “Maybe finish college first?” There is an impatience that, on the one hand, I think is healthy.

I think this generation recognizes that part of the trick of having a good career and a good life is having some control over what you’re doing and having some sense of purpose and meaning in work. If you’re spending half your day or more on something, you should feel good about what you’re accomplishing. I think what you’re getting at, though, is also correct, which is — I am a believer in paying your dues. It turns out that by showing that you can accomplish mundane tasks, push through boredom, monotony, be helpful even when it’s not fun, that you can be part of a team and you’re able to follow and not just lead — all that experience builds a more well-rounded human. Whatever you end up doing later . . . that will make you better at what you do.

Related: The Moment This Summer When Barack Obama Felt (Almost) Like He Was a Normal Person Again

I was maybe a better president because, you know, I wasn’t born into it. Every rung on that ladder that we show in Working, I’d been through. When, as president of the United States, somebody talked to me about having trouble paying the bills, it was useful for me to have had trouble paying. When somebody as an employer expressed frustration about what they considered an unreasonable regulation that didn’t really make anybody better off, but the government wasn’t listening to them —I’ve seen some rules as an employer that didn’t always make sense.

So I think the biggest advice I’ve got for young people is, don’t always think about these phases as a punishment but as opportunities for you to learn and gather up experiences that will make you better at what you’re doing and actually enhance your ability to control your own life later down the road.

What did you learn about yourself in terms of your work style while making this project?

I’m very good at processing a lot of information and setting a direction. I’m good at orchestrating good conversations and meetings between people of different viewpoints and bringing people together. I’m not that well-organized. So part of my success in anything I do is knowing that I’ve got some people who are really [good at that around me].

You’ve got a day off coming up! What’s your dream Father’s Day?

My dream Father’s Day usually involves my daughters giving me any attention. If I can round them up and sit around a dinner table with ’em and just listen to ’em talk — you know, even if they’re making fun of me. Nothing beats it. That’s the best. They usually both write some sort of letter to me, which I’ve gathered up. So I appreciate that as well.

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