“So what do you want to be when you grow up?” That’s probably one of the earliest questions we remember being asked. While we were still knee high to a grasshopper, adults wanting to find some common ground for conversation with a miniature human asked the question as an opener.
Back in those days the answer was probably a fireman, or a ballerina, or a circus clown. And indeed some of us actually follow through and become those things. Very few three year olds tell of their dreams to become an investment banker or a sales representative. Yet millions of people choose those career paths.
While the questions about our choice of career is a source of amusement while we are very young, for people facing the end of their school careers or tertiary education, the question can be quite urgent and a cause for anxiety. Many young people come to the end of there formal education without a clear idea of what they would like to spend most of the rest of their lives doing.
At a recent dinner party I attended a young girl was telling us about a career day at her school. They had been told that there were large skill shortages in areas such as engineering, and of course it was attractive to follow a path that would lead to virtually guaranteed employment and a good income. However, another dinner guest encouraged her to look beyond the money and the employment and to follow a path which reflected her interests and her passion.
That, I believe, is good advice. We spend a lot of time studying for and working in our chosen career. The study alone can demand hours of dedicated work, and it is made much easier if our field of study matches our interest. Otherwise studying becomes dull and tedious and there is a greater chance of not completing the course.
Once we have entered employment, we spend almost one third of our lives at work. Again, unless what we spend so much time doing is in keeping with what really motivates us, it can wear us down. That is probably why so many people drag themselves, with a heavy heart and dull mind, to work each day. And why others love what they do and hardly regard it as work as all.
There is a tendency for people to “spam” their CV’s. They look at every job advertisement in the newspaper and forward their CV’s regardless of the position offered or the requirement of the post. While I understand the desperation for work which leads people to do this, it shows that they have not carefully thought through what type of career would best match the kind of person they are. They are likely to end up in a position which frustrates and bores them. It is unlikely that they will give their best to there work and so the employer, and often customers, will suffer because of their negative attitude.
The mistake which is made is to look at what we have, and work out what we can do, which finally dictates the person we have to be. For example, if I have a poor education I have to find low paying work which determines my lifestyle.
Try reversing that process. Before deciding on any career, or applying for any job, first allow yourself the luxury of thinking about who you are. Think about what excites you. What are the sorts of things which brighten up your day, what type of people do you like to be with, what areas of life really interest you. Once you know who you will be able to see the many options which are before you in terms of career. Then what you have will be what you want, not what has been forced on you by circumstance. Instead of starting with what you have, start with who you are. What gifts do you have which you can offer this world? What do you bring to the party? What is it about you that employers just must have? If you can answer those questions and match them to your job, then you will never have to work a day in your life. People will pay you for doing what you enjoy!