Have you ever thought to yourself; “How do I find a career I love?” Is this question important? Of course it is. Let’s assume your career lasts 35 years. With 2080 hours invested per year, you will work approximately 72,800 hours in your life. That is an extremely long time to be wasting your time on something you don’t enjoy!
When thinking to myself, “How do I find a career I love?” many types of occupations come to mind: Operating a vineyard; teaching American history at the university level; scuba diving for sunken treasure off the coast of Florida; contributing articles to a travel magazine; being the host on the cable television show “The Thirsty Traveler.” When envisioning what life would be like in any of these positions, amazingly enough, hard work is not a contributing factor. Sure, long hours and much effort will be included in each, but it does not seem like it would be work because I would expect to enjoy it so much. I would get excited to go to work every day.
Have you ever made a list of what would make perfect career for you? If not, a few items to consider in your quest to “find a career I love” are:
- What are my interests?
- What are my passions?
- Does this job description for my ideal position already exist? If so what would I change?
- What research do I still need to do?
- Who do I know, or who could I ask who is already in this field or industry?
- What are the most important skills, experience and education?
All of this will help you determine what needs to be done right now to get on track? It is never too late to start something new. It is never too late to feel gratification in your endeavors. Your life belongs to you. There may be other considerations such as family obligations. It may not make sense to do anything dramatic today. What does make sense, is taking the first step toward realizing your dream to maximize happiness with your career.
When I graduated from college with my degree in history, I thought to myself, now what? Will I find a career I love? I always believed returning to school for an advanced degree was in the cards. I did go back for a Masters Degree in Business, which provided the academic support to advance my career in business. Although I am enjoying my current endeavor in helping unemployed professionals return to the workforce, I still have a desire to pursue a Doctorate in history and teach at some point.
I probably won’t find a career in teaching for another decade or so as I have family obligations and other unfinished business to complete before something new is started. It is hanging out there.
And, whenever my wife and I vacation to the Florida Keys, we visit with the folks at Mel Fisher’s Maritime Museum, where they are still bringing up riches from a 17th century Spanish galleon. I love to ask them all sorts of questions about who is doing the work, and what it takes. Yes, I fantasize!
You only get one shot at a life and a career. So, how do I find a career I love? It takes some effort. Some folks get lucky and find it early. Others talk about it and dream about it, yet do not act on it, which is unfortunate. Take action! Make a list of what you really enjoy. Conduct your research. Talk with those who are already doing that job. Might one of them make a good mentor. Taking action requires taking that first step.
