More often than not, we end up landing ourselves in jobs where the only thing we look forward to is the weekend and the fortnightly pay check. For years we have been told that if you do what you love, you will never work another day in your life but how many people do you actually know love their job and wake up excited to go to work. The reality is that your dream job won’t fall in your lap anytime soon or what it even is. And in a bid to land it we waste a couple of years in jobs that we gain very little from. Here’s a few things to consider when trying to find a career you will actually enjoy!
Don’t go off other people’s opinion, form your own
In some situations taking advice from other people’s experiences is one of the best things you can do. When your friend tells you to stay away from a particular guy because he’s trouble, she probably has a good reason or when your mum tells you to cut down on the fast food she probably knows what she’s talking about. But in the case of your career the only way to truly know whether or not you would enjoy something is for you to go out and experience it. Basing your love and desire to want to be a lawyer off Suits or wanting to save lives and become a doctor because it looked fun on Grey’s Anatomy, is probably not the wisest decision. Yes, working for a law firm will allow you to act like a boss in court but it will also require countless overtime hours, ruthless clients and years of study, a process which is usually glamorised on television. And in the same way just because your friend once worked for a sales company and hated it doesn’t necessarily mean that you wouldn’t enjoy or you shouldn’t attempt it. Everyone is different and everyone enjoys different things and the only person who can make that decision is you. The only way you can come to that conclusion is by you being able to trial and error in that field. See if you can job shadow someone for a couple of weeks, or opt to intern for a particular company to see first hand and for yourself whether or not you would enjoy that career direction.
Don’t pick a job position or title, pick a career
Having goals and a direction in life is very important and should be something that everyone has down pat but regardless I still very much despise it when people ask me the dreaded question, “So what do you want to do in life?”. Because the only answer I have is, “I don’t know”. And following my insufficient answer comes the self-questioning, “should I know what I want to be”, “so and so knows exactly what they want to do, why can’t that be me”, “should I just give up now and start working in fast food?”. It is important to understand, that yes having a dream job in mind can be a helpful way to keep you motivated in your professional life, however do not limit your options to this one position. Having a mental vision and goal is very important in leading a successful life, but it is okay to not know exactly what you want to do, as long as you are taking sufficient steps to try and figure that out. Ultimately in the workforce, positions and jobs are changing at a rapid pace, so instead of wanting to specialise in a specific job and limiting yourself to the possibilities of skills there is to learn, have a general direction or field that you find accentuates your natural talents and passions. Nowadays careers are changing day by day, there are new jobs emerging while others are becoming redundant, so instead of spending time stressing about what you want to do, go straight out in the workforce and just do it, after all with every experience you will learn something new.
Don’t seek reassurance, be confident in your choices
We live in a world where we are constantly surrounded by others. Whether it is their photos, their thoughts or simply their online presence, every action we take is watched and followed by usually hundreds if not thousands of our friends and peers. This need to maintain a particular reputation or stature can often impact or dictate our life choices. But it is important to remember that people in your social network are just as self absorbed in their own life as you are in yours. So if you start basing your decisions on what others will think, you are only causing harm to yourself. While it is helpful to gain valuable opinions from those around you, at the end of the day it’s your life and whether you succeed or fail won’t impact anyone else but you, so don’t let the actions or thoughts of others guide your life.
Don’t play it safe, take risks
Everyone likes comfort, there is a certain appeal about being in an environment where you know everyone and know how to do everything however in a bid to save us the effort to start at a new place we might actually be setting ourselves up for worse and not better. Countless times after my friends quit their jobs and found a new opportunity they come out saying, “I wish I would’ve done it earlier” or “I can’t believe I stayed there for as long as I did”. Yes there is a risk involved, however in the long term taking risks will be the only way to improve and progress. If you aren’t learning something new everyday, then most likely you are a bit too comfortable in your position, and if you’re not one to completely call it quits then seek for a different role within the same business to see what else is out there for you.
