Changing careers is not an easy decision to make. People settle into a line of work for whatever reason and oftentimes people eventually realize that they are unhappy with that vital element of their lives. Feelings of being trapped in a stagnant position can spill over into other parts of a person’s life, creating a nagging aura of unhappiness and malaise. If you’re one of the many who feel unfulfilled or generally unhappy with your current position, taking a chance at just might be the jumpstart you need towards self-fulfillment and a more satisfying life.
As a high school student, I always got good grades. I consistently ranked at the top of my class and had my choice of a variety of high-quality universities. After graduation, I entered Fordham University, a well known institution in New York City. An education at such a university would have opened doors not available to many. Nevertheless, during my first summer vacation, I started working a full time job. In my youthful naiveté, I believed it to be the greatest thing in the world, earning a full-time paycheck. By the time September rolled around, I quit school. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this would become the single worst decision of my life to that point and thereafter.
Following my departure from school, I dallied in many jobs. I was a busboy and waiter, an office clerk, and even a stock boy in a department store. A high school diploma does not quite afford one many opportunities for a well paying job. Not one of these occupations would be considered a real career, only a job. By the time I reached the age of twenty-five or so, I began to yearn a better life, to do more with it, and to find a career that I could be happy and financially comfortable with.
At the age of twenty-five, I got lucky. I found myself a job at a nationally recognized corporate bank as a teller. With a few years, my determination and intelligence allowed me to work my way up to the management side of the banking floor, and I had found myself a bona fide career.
As I worked my way through the ranks at the bank, I became more and more enmeshed in the company. Earning a manager’s title signified a new commitment to the company that felt a lot like giving up my life. My time was no longer mine. I became stressed and started to hate my job. I had felt lucky to have salvaged a respectable career, but in my heart I knew it just wasn’t what I wanted. For the last several years of working at the bank, I dreaded waking up in the morning.
One weekend, in the spring of 2000, I had an epiphany. I had gone to the suburbs of Washington, D.C. to visit an old high school friend who had become a lawyer. We spent the weekend relaxing in his beautiful home, with a manicured lawn, a kidney shaped pool and a Jacuzzi. We played pool in his air-conditioned game room. I spent the weekend quite impressed with all the amenities my friend’s livelihood had afforded him. Towards the end of our relaxing weekend, my friend told me that he had resigned his position at his law firm. He was feeling unfulfilled in his job and wanted to go back to school to become, of all things; a librarian.
I was stunned! I spent the five hour drive home completely astonished at my friend’s revelation. I just couldn’t believe that a lawyer, with all he had in life, wasn’t happy. I began to reflect upon my own life. I concluded that if someone like him could make such a drastic move, why couldn’t I? The next morning, I handed in my own resignation letter to the bank. At first, I had no real plans as to what I was going to do. I truly believed, though, that if I didn’t try, I’d be doomed to spending the rest of my days feeling miserable and unfulfilled, stuck in the quicksand of a job I hated.
Many people in my life have since lauded me for bravery in abandoning my career. To me, I didn’t have a choice. I was always feeling unfulfilled, but hadn’t realized it. By the end of that summer, I had enrolled in a teacher preparation program at a local university at the age of thirty-five. Before I knew it, I had finally received that long-elusive Bachelor’s Degree I had always regretted not achieving almost twenty years before.
Today, I am in my fifth year of teaching English to speakers of other languages at a local school district, and I couldn’t be happier. The life lesson that I’ve learned from this experience is that one should never plainly accept their lot in life. If a person’s not happy with their career, they will never really be happy in their own skin. A career is a major component of a person’s life, and if that slice of their pie doesn’t fulfill them, there will always be a regrettable void lying somewhere within them that will follow them wherever they go. Never believe it’s too late to change! Take chances, seek happiness, and it will come.
Showing posts with label Jobs and Careers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jobs and Careers. Show all posts
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Finding the best jobs for your personality type
How can you find the perfect job for you? I did, and you can, too! All you need to do is spend a little time doing some self-examination and introspection. Take a close look at yourself, your likes and dislikes, your talents, and your dreams and eventually you can embark on a road towards the career you’ve always wanted, but didn’t necessarily realize.
During my thirties, I left a career I had worked in for fifteen years. Generally, I had been unhappy and unfulfilled in my job for a very long time. When I resigned, I knew I needed to find a better career for me, one that would fit both my personality and my skills. The following is a list of the steps I took to find my ultimate job:
- The first step in the self-examination process is brainstorming. That is, writing down whatever comes to mind during the process. There’s no need to contemplate the items on your list. Just put them down. Take out some paper and a pen and take a few minutes or so to create three separate lists:
o Careers I’d Like to Have - Jot down any type of dream job you can think of for yourself, without regard to how attainable you think it may be. The key here is, think big! Don’t try and convince yourself that this or that career would be an impossible goal. You may be surprised to find out that you may encounter a related occupation that may just be feasible for you.
o Thing I Like to Do – On this list, jot down all of the activities and hobbies you can think of that you enjoy doing. Include activities or duties from other jobs you’ve had that you enjoyed performing. This is important when considering possible career choice that will hopefully last a long time.
o My Talents - Finally, and this is the most difficult task of the three, write down your fortes. What are you good at doing? Everybody’s got some sort of talent. It’s not always easy to realize the strengths inherent in you, but they’re there. Discovering your hidden abilities will take a lot of contemplation, but it is critical to the process.
- It is not necessary to create all of the lists at the same time, or even on the same day. Anything worthwhile needn’t be rushed. Once you’ve compiled your lists, plan on revisiting them on a regular basis. Once or twice a week would be optimal. The one you need to focus on the most is the career list. Peruse the listings side by side, trying to figure out where your interests and talents match your career choices. At first, it will be easy to cross out career preferences, as this record should have been a long one.
- During the process, it would be beneficial to collect any resource materials that could give you any information on the jobs on your list. News items, course and college catalogs, and trade web sites can provide valuable information that can help you later on in the final decision-making process.
- After a few weeks, you should have narrowed the list down to no more than five choices. It’s decision time! At this point, you should have spent a good amount of time considering all the factors that go into achieving a true ‘dream job’. Such factors include: educational requirements, length of time needed to complete such training, as well as other steps needed to be taken, such as resume or portfolio building, finding and joining trade networks, and searching want ads to see what’s out there. Make your choice and go for it!
A dream job, to me, is one that a person loves doing. A career is a big part of a person’s life and choosing the right one shouldn’t be taken lightly. Though the earning potential of a job can be enticing, it is not the right choice if it doesn’t fit who you are as a person. Far too many people work a job because of the financial stability it offers, yet for many something is missing. If you’re one of those people who fit this description, give this process a try. Perform some deep introspection and evidently it will lead you to your dream job.
During my thirties, I left a career I had worked in for fifteen years. Generally, I had been unhappy and unfulfilled in my job for a very long time. When I resigned, I knew I needed to find a better career for me, one that would fit both my personality and my skills. The following is a list of the steps I took to find my ultimate job:
- The first step in the self-examination process is brainstorming. That is, writing down whatever comes to mind during the process. There’s no need to contemplate the items on your list. Just put them down. Take out some paper and a pen and take a few minutes or so to create three separate lists:
o Careers I’d Like to Have - Jot down any type of dream job you can think of for yourself, without regard to how attainable you think it may be. The key here is, think big! Don’t try and convince yourself that this or that career would be an impossible goal. You may be surprised to find out that you may encounter a related occupation that may just be feasible for you.
o Thing I Like to Do – On this list, jot down all of the activities and hobbies you can think of that you enjoy doing. Include activities or duties from other jobs you’ve had that you enjoyed performing. This is important when considering possible career choice that will hopefully last a long time.
o My Talents - Finally, and this is the most difficult task of the three, write down your fortes. What are you good at doing? Everybody’s got some sort of talent. It’s not always easy to realize the strengths inherent in you, but they’re there. Discovering your hidden abilities will take a lot of contemplation, but it is critical to the process.
- It is not necessary to create all of the lists at the same time, or even on the same day. Anything worthwhile needn’t be rushed. Once you’ve compiled your lists, plan on revisiting them on a regular basis. Once or twice a week would be optimal. The one you need to focus on the most is the career list. Peruse the listings side by side, trying to figure out where your interests and talents match your career choices. At first, it will be easy to cross out career preferences, as this record should have been a long one.
- During the process, it would be beneficial to collect any resource materials that could give you any information on the jobs on your list. News items, course and college catalogs, and trade web sites can provide valuable information that can help you later on in the final decision-making process.
- After a few weeks, you should have narrowed the list down to no more than five choices. It’s decision time! At this point, you should have spent a good amount of time considering all the factors that go into achieving a true ‘dream job’. Such factors include: educational requirements, length of time needed to complete such training, as well as other steps needed to be taken, such as resume or portfolio building, finding and joining trade networks, and searching want ads to see what’s out there. Make your choice and go for it!
A dream job, to me, is one that a person loves doing. A career is a big part of a person’s life and choosing the right one shouldn’t be taken lightly. Though the earning potential of a job can be enticing, it is not the right choice if it doesn’t fit who you are as a person. Far too many people work a job because of the financial stability it offers, yet for many something is missing. If you’re one of those people who fit this description, give this process a try. Perform some deep introspection and evidently it will lead you to your dream job.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)