Before you pick a career, pick up yourself first.

Where I live, people are sometimes forced into doing a couple of things that will weigh heavily on them for the rest of their lives. One is getting married to someone they don’t actually love (read: arranged marriages) and the other is going to a college they don’t really like (read economics, law and so on, the overcrowded fields of social sciences with no certain future in the job hunting afterwards). All actors in these tragedies have something in common: they’re all pretty little liars. Parents lie when the assure the future spouses that they will eventually “grow into it”. A marriage is not a jacket mom, hell-llooow! And youngsters lie when they tell themselves this is what is best for them. And the second case is sadder. Becuase let’s face it, at least out of a bad marriage you, come out with a couple of beautiful kids and probably get a good deal on alimony, but getting out of college is a mess. According to a study by me, with only me as a focus group, the furthest a diploma can get you, is the framing shop right after the corner, everywhere else is pretty much useless. At least without work experience.

But these are not the worse case scenario. There is a deadlier combo. Being married to the wrong person, having the wrong job AND spending 10+ years telling themselves the wrong thing. The intent of this article is to get back to the basics of what made us, and why we need to dictate our own terms to those of us who choose to do so.

The one good thing I can say about the Western world (at least), is that it has evolved to a point where it recognizes that we are quite literally "all in it" for the long haul. Increasingly, we are also "all out" for the short-term. That is, we are technicians who 'do your jobs' for others. That is, we are what Agatha Christie calls a 'tragedy seeker.' Our job in the western world is to find the 'long-term solution' to a problem. Our solution is often to stop looking for the 'long-term solution' and just keep looking for 'the other shoe'.

While life got a whole new perspective now, millions of people may be looking for a change in direction in their careers. There is a silent revolution heating up the recruitment market. Yet, it is worth thinking about the ups and downs of the market while you are negotiating a new pay deal. Firstly, know that when the market improves, what does it mean for your long term requirement of well-being? Does the market want to see a rise in pay every 1-2 years? Or is it more likely to see pay levels fall or remain roughly the same due to supply and demand factors.

You must have given some thought as to whether you would like to continue in the industry. This is a question only you can answer. Ask yourself this, what is your risk tolerance level? What is the gain or loss tolerance level. Whatever your answer to these questions, it is vital that you have thought it through before quitting your job. There are certain situations you should asses, then decide whether you are right or wrong before you venture into it.

Being happy in your job, or marriage, or whatever, is the key to self prosperity. The advancement of technology has allowed a lot of possibilities for you to become part of something much bigger than yourself. If you are bored or frustrated by your job, you are not being fulfilled and this ultimately leads to stress and depression. Self-employment is now also a realistic option for most working people in so many marketplaces.You also might be able to look at things you wouldn’t previously considered like graphic design or mere project management for non profits as a way to fill the void, these can be a step in the right direction. Something needs to give you satisfaction and a sense of purpose, but the big shift we are looking for now, it has to start first as a change within ourselves first. Courage everyone, you got this.

Love and Light

Gjergj