How to love the job you found, and find a job you love

My Story...

I started my first full-time job a week after my 21st birthday. I still remember waking up on that Tuesday morning, taking one of the only two formal shirts I had out from the wardrobe and trying to match that with one of the three trousers in the drawer cupboard. I greeted my parents, hugged my sister and started walking briskly to catch the bus to the city. It would take me almost 90 minutes to commute just 25 km in a crowded bus full of people frantically trying to get to their work in the morning.

It was a job at the same education institute where I had been a full-time student for two years, offered to me by one of my teachers who had been impressed with my results. The job was to train students on IBM AS400 operations and application programming using RPG400, one of the subjects I took as part of my Higher Computer Diploma. As I was new, my first training program was an individual student who was after vocational training on the platform. I recall being so nervous and stressed out, with different thought patterns running through my mind on how to effectively deliver the content to suit the student’s needs. Being a loud person usually, I recall that the student - who sat right across the table from me - couldn't hear what I said at times. That first training session took about an hour, which felt like an eternity, and I was as exhausted as if I had run a marathon. I had sweat so much my palms were wet. The fascinating thing was that, despite all of this, I felt happy; I felt I had achieved something bigger than I had ever imagined; I wanted to do it all over again; I had already started loving my job.

I continued with that job for close to two and half years, during which I conducted training for groups of around 20 to 30 students, who were either new to Information Technology and trying to get that first lesson in programming, or professionals who wanted to pursue better prospects in their respective careers. Every time I led a class, I was motivated and driven by the fact that I was quenching another human's thirst for knowledge which would make his/her life better.

I later went on to become a developer in a large organisation, gaining a broad amount of knowledge in commercial software development and implementation. After that I joined one of the large multinational banks and delivered an information system integration required by the acquisition of another major bank in the Asia Pacific region. With the exposure and experience I accumulated during that mammoth project, I was then assigned to the bank's regional development centre in Dubai, U. A. E., which looked after 11 countries in the region. My career grew organically, progressing into a systems analyst role before migrating to Australia and pursuing a career in business analysis.

Reflection...

So why share my story?

Looking back at my career spanning more than 20 years, all I can say is I have loved every bit of work I have done. Whether it was the sweaty tutor teaching the first student or the experienced tutor reaching out to 30 students; the junior programmer coding his first ever program or the senior developer designing a large software solution; the junior Business Analyst conducting his first requirements gathering task or the senior Business Analyst conducting multiple requirement gathering workshops. I have enjoyed it all.

I know many people around me who love their job, who are excited about what they do and cannot stop talking about the next big idea they are working on.

However, I have also come across family members, friends and colleagues who either don’t enjoy or outright hate their job. They dread Monday mornings and can’t wait until it’s Friday evening to get out of their workplace.

This led me to a couple of questions…

1. Why do some of us love what they do, and some others don’t?
2. As a person who have enjoyed my career thus far, is there anything I could share to motivate and encourage people to love what they have found or find something they love?

The Cycle of Loving or Hating a Job

As you can see in above diagram, the more or less of what is defined in one box, leads to more or less of what is defined in the next box. The result is a job you love or hate (a bit more) with every time you go through the cycle.

What is it about our job that makes us dislike it?

Let’s take a look at what makes us dislike our job. I felt, it would probably be easier to approach the discussion from that viewpoint as humans we tend to pay more attention to factors which make us unhappy than what makes us happy.

All it takes is one factor for us to stop enjoying what we do

• Your personal values – If your personal values are not aligned with the work you do, you might feel embarrassed or frustrated with your work. This can make you irritable and dislike your job due to the internal clashes you have with your conscience and the need to be employed.
• High demand of work – From time to time we all need to anticipate bursts in workload. In fact some people will probably find these bursts energising and motivating to grow even further. However, when these continue for a prolonged period of time even the toughest of us can buckle, which affects our productivity and the pleasure we get out of work.
• The team – More often than not we tend to work as a team. If the team environment you are part of is not supportive of you and not creating the safe environment for you to be who you are, you will find it challenging to get up in the morning and turn up to work.
• Psychological safety – Although this has become a ‘buzz-word’ in modern agile environments, there is nothing new about the underlying principle. We all desire to feel safe anywhere we live, work or play. According to the definition provided in Wikipedia Psychological safety is “being able to show and employ one’s self without fear or negative consequences of self-image, status or career. When we fear of consequences of what we say and do, it will not be sustainable to be someone we are not continuously, making us tired and feel worthless.
• Information sharing – We all like to be included. Exclusive groups which keep important information to themselves, will make you feel excluded and more importantly will impair your ability work effectively leaving you wondering when to perform what.
• Opportunities and appreciation – The place you work must provide the right opportunity to the right person. If you feel that people who put in the hard work and deliver results are not appreciated and provided opportunities to grow, it will weigh heavy on you to stay motivated and be at your best.
• Domain knowledge, technical and soft skills – This is more about how confident you feel in your role and the comfort it brings to you to operate on a daily basis. The less you know, the less confident you might feel; dragging you down a path of a self-feeding loop.

What comes first? - “doing what we love?” or “loving what we do?”

Based on my own experiences, my opinion is that this can occur either way.

When I first started studying IT, I never intended or desired to become a tutor, yet I ended up loving it. When the opportunity was offered to me, I grabbed it with an open mind. I loved it mostly because I recognised the value in helping to educate another person and see that person grow to become better at his/her life.

Later on, I believe I became more assertive in pursuing the career I want to have. I worked towards being more attentive to the opportunities out in the world, which fit with the contribution to society I aspire to make and, how it shapes me as a person / professional.

How do we find the job that thing we love doing?

Following guidelines to finding a job which you will love are based on my personal experiences and actions I have attempted over time.

• Conduct a SWOT Assessment to identify your own strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats imposed on you by external factors. This is a great way to identify the job that aligns with your core values, the kind of work which excites you and the career path which will take to you to the final destination you want to arrive.
• Find a job which agrees with your personal values. It is crucial to pick your job carefully. Most of us feel it is only the employer who needs to choose the right candidate. However the reality is the candidate needs to choose the right job as well. A mutual understanding of the role by both employer and candidate will only ensure they both understand what is to be expected. Don’t rush into accepting a job, if you didn’t feel right during the hiring process.

It will probably save a lot of trouble by not accepting the wrong job than doubtfully accepting it, and facing heartache only to find yourself looking for another job shortly after.

• Ensure you have the right set of skills to perform what is required of you. Stay true to yourself in listing the skills and capabilities during the application process. This point complements the first point listed above. Being open and honest about what you bring to the table will not only ensure that you will not struggle to perform as expected but also ensure you start enjoying your new job.
• Make use of your professional network to explore and enquire about the organisational culture before you apply for the role being advertised by an organisation. Your friends, past and current employees, and the vibe in the market can provide valuable insights into the culture of an organisation you are interested in. Take a close look at them before you either apply for or accept the job.

How do we develop the affection towards what we do?

If you feel that you have not being fortunate enough to find the job you wished you had, you will still be able to turn the fortunes around by changing the perception towards the current job and the situation you are in.

It has been one of my long-held beliefs that with the right attitude, we all can turn any bad situation around to a good one.

• Discuss the value you bring into the team and organisation with your team lead or manager. Associating what you do in your day-to-day activities back to the organisational goals is a great way to stay motivated and be proud of what you deliver.
• Always strive to master your craft, read materials, participate in challenges and always push yourself to be better at what you do. This will boost your confidence and make you comfortable while performing your job. The end result is a sense of accomplishment leading to happiness at work.
• Be selfless while operating in the team environment. Look for the things your team is blocked on and be proactive to support your team in unblocking them. You don’t necessarily have to execute the task; sometimes a quick follow up on the person who can execute it is all that is necessary. The team will eventually start feeling the value you bring in and help build a friendly environment for you to come into every day.
• Provide an environment which is safe to your team members to be open and honest when it comes to providing feedback. Have the courage to receive critique, reflect and improve on it. This is a very effective way to build trust amongst your team members which will immensely improve working environment around you.
• Have an agile mindset to take accountability for your actions, reflect on areas to improve and genuinely put in the effort to improve and adapt. This is another effective way to keep your team and your managers informed about the effort you put in which will increase trust.
• Make sure you are assertive when committing to a deliverable to make the workload sustainable over long periods. This will prevent you from burning out and becoming demotivated.
• Make friends at workplace who will support you and empathise with you when you go through a hard period. Many believe those who have good friends at work are happier and more likely to bounce back from incidents which negatively impact them. I agree with this assertion 100 percent, as I myself have experienced this first handed.
• Organise your work in a way that allows you to keep on top of multiple priorities, follow ups and deadlines. Make use of tools which suits you and don’t hold back to ask for recommendations.
• Empower your team to make non-critical decisions. This is a proven way to free up your overloaded schedule and allow you to concentrate on more important tasks. (Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet - @davidmarquet)

Conclusion…

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and, more importantly, that it ignited a spark inside you to open your mind; to have that conversation with yourself; to keep exploring. Remember, it is entirely your choice to find the job you love or love the job you have found.

Nothing in this world is black or white - same goes with your job. You will always be able to spot the good and the not-so-good bits about your job. The point is to keep focusing on the good bits of your current job and never give up on finding the job you love.

A quote one of my colleagues shared this morning couldn't be a better way to end this article...

"Doing what you love is freedom. Loving what you do is happiness"

I wish you all the best in the future!