Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Finding What You Enjoy: Finding the Right Career

Kyo · 09-19-2003, 10:21 AM

Some people consider their jobs solely a means to an end - they may not necessarily enjoy doing it, but it will get them the money to do what they want, the connections to get a better job, public exposure (if that's their thing), etc. There are a lot of things you can get out of a job that don't necessarily have anything to do with you enjoying it. In other words, be practical.

I can't help but be practical, but it's a bleak view of your life: you just spent the first 20 or so years of your life in school and are about to spend the next 40 years of your life in a job you probably don't even enjoy, most likely making your bosses rich, just so you can have a secure retirement, where you get to do what you want because society no longer considers you a valuable contributing member.

You're likely to spend 40 or more hours a week, every week through the prime of your lives, at your job. Money is an issue, sure - if you can't eat and pay rent you probably aren't going to be very happy regardless of how much you enjoy your job (starving artists, I'm not talking to you). But money is transient - you earn some, spend some, get conned out of some, donate some, win the lottery, get a christmas bonus, etc. Time is not. Every second that ticks by can never be replaced - you can't 'win the time lottery.' So make sure you spend those seconds doing something you enjoy.

Which brings us to the question of what you would enjoy. Don't know, really. How can you know until you try? For those that are still in school (especially in college) - if you hear about something cool, try it. Take courses in things you think you might like, even if they have nothing to do with your major. I'm going to be graduating with an electrical engineering/math/physics degree, but I've gone through ethics, environmental science, far eastern culture, european languages, opera, and wine tasting - and I'm just getting started.

Another way to decide on your job is to look at your hobbies - are any of them related to jobs of some kind? And if so, are you good enough to make money from your hobbies? Or, in another take, are you good enough to be on the production end of your hobby? For instance, if you like computer games, are you good enough to program them? If you like science fiction novels, are you good enough to write them? If you like martial arts, are you good enough to teach others?

And if none of that works - try for something you're good at, even if you don't particularly like it. It will make the job easier, it will make promotions more likely, and you will have more time to do other things. Efficiency is the name of the game - if you're already ahead in some field, take advantage of it.

09-19-2003, 10:21 AM	#8 (permalink)
Kyo Crazy	Some people consider their jobs solely a means to an end - they may not necessarily enjoy doing it, but it will get them the money to do what they want, the connections to get a better job, public exposure (if that's their thing), etc. There are a lot of things you can get out of a job that don't necessarily have anything to do with you enjoying it. In other words, be practical. I can't help but be practical, but it's a bleak view of your life: you just spent the first 20 or so years of your life in school and are about to spend the next 40 years of your life in a job you probably don't even enjoy, most likely making your bosses rich, just so you can have a secure retirement, where you get to do what you want because society no longer considers you a valuable contributing member. You're likely to spend 40 or more hours a week, every week through the prime of your lives, at your job. Money is an issue, sure - if you can't eat and pay rent you probably aren't going to be very happy regardless of how much you enjoy your job (starving artists, I'm not talking to you). But money is transient - you earn some, spend some, get conned out of some, donate some, win the lottery, get a christmas bonus, etc. Time is not. Every second that ticks by can never be replaced - you can't 'win the time lottery.' So make sure you spend those seconds doing something you enjoy. Which brings us to the question of what you would enjoy. Don't know, really. How can you know until you try? For those that are still in school (especially in college) - if you hear about something cool, try it. Take courses in things you think you might like, even if they have nothing to do with your major. I'm going to be graduating with an electrical engineering/math/physics degree, but I've gone through ethics, environmental science, far eastern culture, european languages, opera, and wine tasting - and I'm just getting started. Another way to decide on your job is to look at your hobbies - are any of them related to jobs of some kind? And if so, are you good enough to make money from your hobbies? Or, in another take, are you good enough to be on the production end of your hobby? For instance, if you like computer games, are you good enough to program them? If you like science fiction novels, are you good enough to write them? If you like martial arts, are you good enough to teach others? And if none of that works - try for something you're good at, even if you don't particularly like it. It will make the job easier, it will make promotions more likely, and you will have more time to do other things. Efficiency is the name of the game - if you're already ahead in some field, take advantage of it. __________________ Sure I have a heart; it's floating in a jar in my closet, along with my tonsils, my appendix, and all of the other useless organs I ripped out.