A Meaningful Career.

There is no debate whether to educate our children or not. Why? Because the society including me and you believe that one must get an education after which they must get some form of gainful employment and hopefully with the finest employer who pays big bucks. The natural outcome of education is hence a fulfillment of one’s dream- ‘get a good job, earn a good salary and live a good life, be happy. The Happiness equation goes something like this: (E) Education x (E) Employment x (E) Enjoy a good life = Happiness.

Social scientists say that the fundamentals of a life is first and foremost to be able to meet the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter and in today’s world one must not forget provision of a good education and medical care. To be successful, according to vision 2030, we must be a middle income country obviously made up of middle income earners. A middle income earner today has some extra luxuries above the basics like a big better house with a Jacuzzi from china, some manicured gardens may be with a pool, a nice SUV or two, including a membership to a good golf and gym club, a few properties and off course a splash of designer perfume/cologne and bling bling to spice it all up. It therefore follows that, the fundamental reason one is in pursuit of an education and then a career is first and foremost for financial success.

When you ask People what motivated them to pursue certain careers, you will get answers such as; “My parents urged me to be a doctor, scientist, etc. because it is prestigious and pays well” Obviously these are parents who mean well and want their kids to have a good life or are simply living their unaccomplished or lost dreams through their children, “I wanted the most ‘perceived’ well-paying jobs”, “This is what I qualified for at the university level entry exam, Even though I did not apply for it”, “this is what was available from the university or college where I sought admission”, “I just needed a (degree, diploma, certificate) qualification, any form of papers that can get me a job”. Rarely do you get an answer like “It was my dream and passion, this career aligned with my personality and strength, this is where I knew I could free flow”. Its true therefore we are mostly in pursuit of a career because of the education we got and financial success we are seeking not because of our values, passion and life’s purpose.

After we get a job we believe that our organizations are in charge of planning our careers. We trust the organization to give us meaningful work as a reward for achieving the company goals or for the many years of service we have given. We neglect the responsibility to intentionally reflect and plan our own careers and we end up disappointed, miserable and hardly enjoying coming to work. We must wake up to the fact that we are our own career managers, just like we are the captain of our ship and master of CAREER PLANNING Living Purposefully www.wacekethecoach.com 3 our own happiness. Organization can only support you; you are the initiator of your career master plan.

Ideally a degree after school is simply to get you through the door after that one has to intentionally plan and cut out a career path for themselves in line with their primary objectives both financial and purpose. Most of us want to succeed in our careers and ultimately climb to the highest notch of the corporate ladder it doesn’t matter whether you feel your work is truly meaningful and enjoy what you do. Yet our work should give us a sense of meaning as opposed to just a paycheck. What you value is what gives you meaning and what gives you meaning you value. Having meaning adds to the quality of our lives and ultimately affects our happiness. In most cases we never consider how well our personality and value system fits with the job and the organizations we work for. Even when we feel internal conflict; suffer burn out, disengagement and loss of interest and excitement for life we simply stay put.

One would argue that in this hard economic times and enduring recession whatever job comes our way we are forced by circumstances to take and stick with it. But every challenge comes with an opportunity, today’s job market and workplace are dynamic and flexible, it’s possible for one to switch from one career line to another. It’s possible to go back to school and pursue another trade of your choice, not your parents’ choice or what fate dished you, even while you work. When one has more tradable skills they increase their value and Employability Quotient and they also have more job options to choose from. It’s the law of attraction that when we increase our value through exchanging time for skills, opportunity and possibilities appear. In this era of multidiscipline and cross learning it’s a win-win for employees and employers. The employer is able to place one in various roles without restriction to an area of specialization, (single career pathing). An employer is also keen to optimize employee’s contributions by combining roles/task to create a wider and richer job that an employee will enjoy and feel well utilized. There is nothing as demotivating as a dead end job or when one fills underutilized, again it’s your responsibility to move yourself from a dead end job and realign your career, this is a more empowering option. We should intentional and by purpose develop a career plan that spans from inception to growth, maturity and exit with estimated periods for each phase. At maturity you can either choose to reinvent your career again or start another different career, hopefully more aligned to your passion, values and purpose, it’s never too late but your age and physical conditions must be suited for it.

Today many people are seeking the help of career coaches to help them plan their careers, transition into new roles, achieve more work life balance, find meaning and align their careers to their life’s purpose and seasons in life. CAREER PLANNING Living Purposefully www.wacekethecoach.com 4 5 You cannot stumble on Career fulfillment by accident you have to intend it. Where are you! I have learnt that it’s important to do what you love and what you must do learn to love it. It’s the best recipe for success, best medicine for stress and a path to a more fulfilled life. It is therefore possible to create a legacy with your career, gain financial success and enjoy what you do as an expression of your true self if only you can take charge of your career planning, pose and reflect and align it with your passion, strength and life’s purpose. You can be truly happy earning a living and living your life. Sounds like Alice in wonderland? Yes but its true! Need a career coach, Contact wacekethecoach on [email protected].