Rather than tapping into inner needs, many people
make career decisions based on variables such as position and salary
potential, while others neglect to make choices altogether by remaining
stagnated at their jobs as a means to avoid change, and/or failure.
Some may select careers based on their general abilities, but these
skills may not reflect their passion—the things that really
make them happy. Although these people may benefit financially
in their careers, they may be unhappy and frustrated because their
work is not fundamentally connected with who they essentially are.
On average, a full-time job takes over one third of a person’s
time and energy, which is too much time to spend on a fruitless career.
Many workers today feel as though jobs detract from the time they
would spend with loved ones; moreover, this feeling is intensified
by lack of reward or acknowledgement for the work produced. However,
the most widespread problem is what tends to be called a bad match:
work that doesn’t support the employee’s ideals. A bad
match tends to be when the worker has an aversion to the product
or the company—or, their skills or talents are overlooked
or underutilized.
There are many people in careers today who are tolerating this
unsatisfying work environment. The principal causes of this epidemic
are people
who don’t know what they want. For many people, all they really
know is that they don’t like their job, but they don’t
know what will make them happier, thus they remain inactive and
hollow. To stop this cycle, the worker should identify the source
of their
unhappiness by asking themselves if they feel challenged and utilized.
After graduating with a degree in nutrition, twenty-nine-year-old
Lisa Locicero spent three years working as a nutritionist for a
company whom, she felt would rather her sell their food products
than counsel clients into living a healthy lifestyle.
“I didn’t feel like I was helping people. I felt more like
I was in sales rather than nutrition.”
Lisa quit her job and went back to school. After she received her
teaching credential, she got a job teaching nutrition at a Middle
School.
“It was scary, but I’m so glad I took that risk. This is what
I’m supposed to be doing and life feels right.”
However, there is credence to Lisa’s initial fears, as anxiety
is the main rationale behind why people remain in a bad match work
environment. Going from a known world to the unknown is scary for
everyone—and—there are many valid concerns involved;
the thought of tackling the difficult job market can be daunting.
Additionally, some workers are so caught up in their title; they
are blind to other job possibilities. Lisa made the leap from “Nutritionist” to “Teacher” after
realizing that her skill sets could be combined. Focusing on transferable
skills rather than job titles allows for a person to realize further
prospects that may be open to them. Perhaps change is more feasible
when a person recognizes they have a collection of skills that
are transferable rather than undermining their abilities by focusing
on a single job title.
Taking a physical inventory of wants and needs is a good way
for many people to recognize where they are in their career,
while
learning where it is they eventually want to go. Writing a list
of foremost likes and dislikes will generate a sound examination
of current career paths. If the current job falls mostly in the
latter column, now is the time to begin examining new jobs and
new careers.
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