Labor "YAY!"

As Labor Day rolls around in the US, and we honor working people at the end of a long weekend, I thought it was a good time to ask readers a question: What was your best, most fulfilling job ever?

Why? Because from my own experience and likely millions of others’ as well during (or because of?) these recent months of pandemic, dislocation and constant change, it’s clear that many are pondering new career possibilities. During this time, it has been very helpful – nay, critically important and valuable - for me to take a deep and thoughtful look back at my own values and job experiences and find ‘sweet spots’ among the many roles I’ve filled along the way. When was I happiest and most self-actualized? Not just about the money or other achievement measures or awards for sure, though they were nice. But when did I truly LOVE the work I was doing AND have success doing it? It’s super helpful to undertake this exercise if you, like me, have been seeking - with integrity and honesty - the best, brightest, most fulfilling ‘What Next?’ option to continue your own eventful job journey.

Ranking my Top 3

I’m still narrowing down my own choices. One of my most rewarding jobs (maybe not financially, but…) was a 7-mile paper route I rode for approximately 2 years from ages 9-11. Tough, fulfilling and physically challenging, it offered stops for Slurpees and candy along the way. It was also consistent, predictable - most of the time (i.e., except once when I was distracted and ran smack into the rear of a parked car, or when the dog jumped at my ankles out of nowhere on a deserted street in the early hours of a ‘big paper’ Sunday and I nearly had one of the youngest heart attacks ever!) And I didn’t really like collecting each months’ subscription fees in person, but…I did a great job and delivered, literally, for my customers every day!

Another was serving as a Team Lead and script-writer/photographer/sound and video editor for a Top 10 finalist team in a global innovations contest sponsored by my last employer. Not paid extra, just an optional part of my main Sales job…but a complex, creative and collaborative exercise nonetheless with some acting and video production and lots of humor involved. We had fun, we learned a lot, and we made a lasting impact on the organization through our carefully-conceived and presented proposal.

One more: Traveling the hills, valleys and shorelines (and occasionally the airways) of the Great American West selling printed check services to banks – meeting lots of interesting people, building new relationships, and having lots of time on the road to learn, build my skills, savor the scenery and culture, enjoy spectacular vistas and shape my own perspectives on the world in doing so.

What’s your “Labor YAY!” most memorable job?

Richard Bolles wrote the first edition of What Color Is Your Parachute? 50 years ago. https://www.parachutebook.com/ You may have read it, and if not, you might want to consider doing so even though many other such introspective, path-choosing tomes have come along in the interim. It is still one of the best-selling books in the career genre and though Bolles passed away in 2017 after a long and successful tenure in the publishing and conference field, his 1971 ground-breaker has been oft-updated and has recently been revised for 2021 by Katherine Brooks.

This is not an ad for the book, however. It is a call out to my fellow LinkedIn “explorers” to seek insights from resources like it – and from searching within our own hearts and minds and perhaps through discussion with friends, family and colleagues to help each other. What better place to find ideas, wisdom and common ground in our search for ‘that best new job’ - for YOU?

So once again, here’s that shining question for you to ponder, with a slight addition: “What was MY best, most fulfilling job ever…and WHY?” Just to make the exercise even more interesting, let’s leave out any current positions and concentrate on a look back instead. Then, with your honest and insightful participation, we might just unearth a few golden nuggets of perspective and maybe even prescience that will aid others in fine-tuning the pursuit of their own next - and best, most rewarding, however they define it - job.

What’s your most memorable “Labor-YAY!”? Please be generous and share your comments in reply. In the meantime, just in case you’re curious, more on what Labor Day – in the US – really means beyond its status as the 'unofficial last barbecuing day of summer', can be found here thanks to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day

Career Satisfaction, an alternative approach?

Looking for more sage career choice perspectives? I found this post online when I liked its signature image: Check out these insightful – and particularly challenging – “Reverse engineer your passion” career consciousness recommendations from Joanne Caine of Cathedral Appointments in the UK: https://cathedralappointments.co.uk/blog/want-career-happiness-dont-follow-your-passion.