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Do you remember when your quest for success began?
When we first set out on our own, we learn from the world that's important
to have a cool career. Whether we choose it or fall into it, we sense
that deep down our career path ought to be special. Some of us seek to have an exceptional career but
can't quite put our finger on how to find it.
In exploring this matter, I talked with a lot of people considering a career change.
Job satisfaction researchers consistently find that 70 percent of Americans
feel angst when they report to the job. They'd rather
be somewhere else. To wrap my brain around this sad statistic,
I conducted one-hour interviews over a one year period with 250 career changers
from all over the country who are looking
for a more exciting career path.
I asked them questions about their
desires and aspirations to get a sense of what people are searching
for in a career. In response to the question "What's missing
in your work?" their answers were strikingly similar—I
want more meaning in my work; I want to do work that matters
to people and the world; I want to be passionate and love what
I do.
Digging deeper I asked, "Why did you choose your current
profession?" The majority said, I never really chose it—I kind of
fell into it; it fit my parent's definition of success; it guaranteed
security and success; it was most practical way to achieve success;
it would make me look successful to others.
Can you guess the
most common response to the question, "How much of your
need to change is financial?" Nearly everyone said their
change had little to do with making more money, their main reason
for changing was to be more fulfilled in their work.
These folks are highly paid white-collar professionals
who got exactly what they set out to get—success in terms of
money, security, prestige, and social acceptance. Clearly, this
was not enough. Yet, few could pinpoint exactly what they did
want.
Most have tried more than once to fix their career situation.
Striving for successfulness, they set out to get more of something—skills
and graduate degrees, promotions, and all the shiny gadgets you can buy. Meaningful work still
seemed fleeting to them. In their voices I heard dismay
and a yearning hope. What else can I do? Something is missing but
I don't know what it is. Is this all there is?
What I found in
this survey isn't a new revelation, but revealing nonetheless. These seekers are living
by a narrow, one-dimensional philosophy of a 'career.'
Success was defined largely in terms of the end result
it brings. They got what they thought they wanted.
Yet, most were so discontent with the daily reality of their job that they felt
guilty about it. What went wrong?
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