The Three of Pentacles embodies the principle that hard work and service are rewards unto themselves. Everyone seeks a job that they can enjoy and do well at, and this card shows such careers that are both emotionally and financially fulfilling. It seems that this kind of career is less and less available these days, but the Three of Pentacles shows that some of us can still find such work. These jobs are those which inspire you to work hard, to do your best and to cooperate with others towards the accomplishment of a common goal. They are fulfilling on all levels.
This card often shows the master at work, the professional who has learned all aspects of his career and is now putting all that knowledge to use in the real world. If you want to be like this in your job, there are many things that you must do. You have to be responsible and fair in your dealings with others. You must stick to schedules, follow procedures, and do everything by the book. All of this may sound boring and counterproductive to expression of the self, but this is a Pentacle card, and this is the suit of regulations and conservativism. The Pentacles ideal is security given by convention.
But within that convention you are totally free to express yourself, and to find ways to further develop your skills and yourself. If you have found success recently - the Three of Pentacles is a sign of such early success - then build upon it and make your future all the brighter. This card shows that, with determination and hard work, anything is possible. It's all a matter of devoting energy to a cause and seeing opportunities where no one else can. Look at every opportunity as a sculptor looks at a block of stone, or as a painter views a bare white canvas. See the potential underneath the plain and dull exterior.
The artist is perhaps the one who can have ultimate freedom of expression through his work, because each masterpiece is really a piece of the master who created it. The Three of Pentacles is a sign that anyone, not just the sculptors and painters, can express themselves through their career, and it is an indication that you should certainly try. This does not mean that you can neglect the more serious aspects of your job in order to amuse yourself, howeer. The balance of work and pleasre found on the Two can be integrated, but that balance cannot be lost or thrown away. To do so is to defeat the purpose of this card.