How To Choose a Rewarding Career

Careers take up a significant portion of our life, so basically having a fulfilling career is having a fulfilling life. It's concerning to see many people in their twenties already thinking about retirement. But I totally understand, it can be overwhelming to feel lost in the midst of trying to figure out what career to pursue, what you would actually love to do, and what fulfilment even means to you.

Over the past eight years, I have changed my career several times, transitioning from civil engineering to entrepreneurship, then being an investment analyst, and now working in cryptocurrency. I have worked for governments, development organizations, startups, and even the army for three years.

Having had the opportunity to understand what I wanted and what I loved earlier could have significantly influenced where I am today. Nevertheless, having different experiences is a journey for which I am very grateful. However, for early career choices, I attempted to outline my thoughts into a framework that may be obvious for some but insightful for others who are beginning to identify jobs and careers, or anyone who feels unfulfilled with their careers in general.

The framework aims to provide insights into the second stage criteria I created for considering a career. The first is skills or strengths, which you should focus on more when considering what you want. Skills like critical thinking, analytics, or creativity, can help narrow down which careers would be suitable. The second layer involves what I call "rewards".

Of course, everyone is different, but I believe the same "rewards" exist in general, and you only need to choose what is suitable for you. I have identified six types of rewards that you may consider and may use to determine what would be better for your character and what you are looking for. Based on this, you can identify job roles that might be suitable for you.

This exercise is not intended to generalize or judge any jobs but rather to shed some light on what may be appropriate for early career choosers. Here are some of the reward modes I have identified:

1. Financial Rewards: Let's face it - money is an essential part of life. Certain jobs are more financially rewarding than others. For instance, international development organizations, UN agencies, and tech jobs tend to pay more than government positions. If money means the most to you, it could be an easy shot to know where exactly you should be.
2. Prestigious Rewards: The status and titles associated with a job can be important for some people. Nowadays, every job tends to have a manager title, so if prestige isn't the most important thing for you, never fall for the mistake of sticking to something because it only has a cool title.
3. Mental Rewards: For some people, working with intelligent people is essential to job satisfaction. If you seek a mentally rewarding job, then you should always be in a room where you're not the smartest person.
4. Impact Rewards: Feeling you're part of something that is changing people's lives for the better is rewarding. The definition of "impact", however, varies from person to person. In a future post, we can provide a framework for assessing impact, but for now, be as critical as possible. Be true to yourself and assess whether what you do is achieving the impact you want.
5. Power Rewards: Power is another factor to consider. Building a successful company can give you a sense of power, as can working for a government or a large corporation. Money may be one form of power, but it's not the only type.
6. Relaxing Rewards: Some jobs are more stressful than others. Understanding how much stress you can afford in a job or career can help identify good jobs for you.

Understanding these criteria and how much you are willing to prioritize one reward over another can help you avoid mistakes and gain clarity on what career path suits you best.

For example, there is a growing interest in jobs related to venture capital investment, especially with the booming startup ecosystem. While these types of jobs can be financially rewarding and prestigious, they may not offer the same level of mental challenge or impact as a startup job. On the other hand, a career in academia may offer prestige and is mentally rewarding, but may not provide significant financial rewards.

Also, a machine learning engineer may experience a high level of mental stimulation but might have limited control over the outcome of the work. On the other hand, project managers or consultants may work in a management-focused role which drives some power but might not find the work as mentally challenging compared to other jobs.

This is a flawed simplification of how you can think about that reward, I only used these examples to clarify my ideas. It's also very important to note that job satisfaction is complex and can depend on a variety of factors, not just the rewards that come with the job. I am also very much aware that I am speaking from a privileged point of view, not everyone has the same opportunities and circumstances enabling them to pick and choose careers.

Thanks to Erin Browne and ChatGPT for peer-reviewing this.