Your Job Should Fit Into Your Life... Not the Other Way Around
by Paige Cohen, Senior Editor
“What do you do for work?”
This is the first thing I ask when meeting someone new. I’ve read (and been told many times) that it’s the most boring question you can possibly ask—but I disagree. As a curious person, I want to know how other people spend one-third of their lives.
Research says a lot of us (about four out of every 10) think our jobs are extremely important to our identities. That might be why, when I ask someone about their job, I often find I learn a lot about their lives.
One person might answer, “Well, I work as an engineer. But I also sell crafts on Etsy and that’s more of my passion.”
Another might say, “I’m a nurse and I specialize in gender-affirming care. I got into it because I think we need more safe spaces for queer people seeking treatment.”
A third might admit, “I’m working at a startup, at least until my stocks vest. Once I sell them, I plan buy at tiny house off the grid.”
Each answer teaches me so much about the other person: their motivations and values; the way they want to be perceived because of—or despite—their professional title; the different ways their job fits into the bigger picture of who they are; and what they imagine for their future.
I say this because, as the next generations enter the workforce, I want to free them of both the old and newer ways of thinking about a job. It doesn’t need to be your entire passion, but it can also be more than a nine-to-five you suffer through for a paycheck. Your job can be as meaningful or as trivial as you allow it—and both things are okay.
Think about what role you want your career to play in your longer life journey. Will it be a way to create positive change? Will it be a series of experiments that you use to learn? Or will it be something entirely different? Pay attention to what works for you and what doesn’t. Then, adjust each new role to align more closely with your goals.
In my experience, this is how people build fulfilling lives—not just careers.
Recommended Reads
领英推荐
What can young professionals do to regain a sense of control over their careers and stay engaged without burning out?
If the job you want doesn’t exist, try creating it.
What are the things you keep coming back to—not because they’re easy, but because you can’t help but do them?
We'd love to hear from you!
At Ascend, we’re trying to expand our newsletter offering, and getting feedback from our readers is critical to our editorial and design process. We’re currently looking to hear from you about your newsletter consumption habits, content preferences, and future expectations from Ascend!
The survey should take about five minutes. If you have the time, we'd appreciate your feedback! Take our survey here.
Realtor Associate @ Next Trend Realty LLC | HAR REALTOR, IRS Tax Preparer
1 年Thanks for posting.