We all want to have a purpose and meaning in life and we aim to build a meaningful career path. But how do we manage this? Are there any practical steps that may help us reach our goals easier? Well, to make sure that you’re not just toiling your chances at a better career, make sure to follow the advice below and make the most out of your time. Plus, it will help you find a career path that you actually care for and you won’t end up only standing at your desk all day long.
Follow the Experts’ Advice
Experts claim that we usually don’t know what decision we should make in order to enjoy higher rates of job satisfaction. This phenomenon begins while we are still in school and higher education. It starts with our parents who don’t know exactly how to guide us towards those meaningful career paths that align with our passions and goals. Very few parents, in fact, put in the efforts to offer us mental models to follow and only guide us towards those careers that they may think that will come with a higher income. And thus, we follow that advice and end up in positions that don’t offer us mental satisfaction. In fact, many of us are trained to search for those positions that will offer us a status when we meet others without really thinking about ourselves.
Identify What “Meaningful” Means for You
We all have different perceptions of what “meaningful” is. And this depends entirely on our personal set of values and life goals. Many want to believe that they contribute to the greater good through their work, others want to feel like they are respected at the job while others simply want a relaxing, rewarding job that allows them to win their bread and enjoy their spare time properly. Think of what do you want to achieve through your job the most. This will offer you more insight into what you should seek to build through your career later on.
Make Sure to Acknowledge All the Small Details
All small or big positions that you will occupy throughout your entire career will teach you some valuable lessons about what you love and don’t love to do. This will offer you more insight into your personal preferences and will help you build your career on those. For instance, if you ever have some small managerial duties at some point and you really enjoy that part of your job, you should seek in the future positions with more managerial tasks associated. In this end, you might end up concluding that you want to open your own company and have full control over the operations. All these small details will help you identify more accurately what you really want from your career.
Never Stop Learning
When it comes to your career, you should never stop learning. This will help you grow and develop and achieve higher education and specialisation in your field. Online courses are amazing when it comes to continuous learning and they offer indeed plenty of information, plus, sometimes, even offer the necessary certifications to use that information in an accredited way. Pick a course that is relevant in your field and make sure to select your vendor with care. Not all online courses are equally great and you may end up making some bad investments if you don’t research your options well in advance.
Plus, you can always learn something new from your peers and colleagues. Search to gain more information from those with whom you already have a deeper connection and a closer relationship. They will be more than happy to share some wisdom and knowledge with you since you are already so close. A mentor or tutor will certainly love to guide you through your career path.
Accept Failure and Learn Something Out of It
Failure is part of our lives and without accepting it and learning something meaningful out of it, we can never achieve higher success in our careers. Be bold enough to take risks and never be disappointed in yourself if you don’t achieve what you plan for. Instead, make the most out of it. Failing is a painful process but you should never blame yourself for it. This, unless you learn something from your unpleasant experiences. Analyse what good can be learnt from your experiences.
Run Experiments
If you don’t experience a multitude of things, you will never know what works for you. Make sure that you test your hypothesis and try new things besides your existing job. Take assignments that might allow you to broaden your experiences and skills. Opportunities that help you enhance what you already know are great. Offer to take something off your boss’ plate. They will be thankful for it and you will have the opportunity to experiment with new things. Look for opportunities to experiment outside your company. Go to conferences, join industry groups and volunteer. You will find out so much about yourself in the process.
Think Long Term
The process shouldn’t focus only on the near future career path. You have to think if what you choose to do with your career now will still be relevant in 5 or 6 years. This is not the same as the strategy that you use when you simply try to find a good job. It’s for the long run and if you fail to properly and accurately identify the things above, you may end up regretting all the efforts later on. Don’t stop the process and think for even longer perspectives: 10, 20 years from now on, will this career still bring you joy and satisfaction?
These are all the things that you should take into account when trying to build a meaningful and lasting career. Not all advice is equally valuable and meaningful, but the best thing that you should do for your future career is to never stop learning and never stop investing in yourself.
