Finding A Job You Love: Why Life Shouldn't Begin When Work Ends
Generation-Y is not as different from previous generations as most would think. There are, of course, many differences, but there are also many similarities between our generation and the generation of our parents. One major similarity that has unfortunately yet to change is the way that work is perceived. For some reason, work is looked down upon as something that cannot be avoided, can rarely be enjoyed, and as a separation from our lives rather than an addition to them.
There are people now — as there always have been — who don’t work for the sake of working or simply because they need to make money in order to pay for the necessities in life. However, the dominant view is that work, although it can be enjoyed from time to time, is not something that can be loved, something fun.
This may come as a surprise to you because Generation-Y, our generation, proudly emphasizes the need to find a job that is loved. The problem is that most people will still end up settling for work that is less than desirable; most people find themselves working dead-end jobs and hating every second of it. There will always be those who will be comfortable in a secure, easy, simple and boring job — and that’s fine.
But that doesn’t mean that you should settle for the same. Our generation is the most ambitious generation the world has ever seen. We now understand that it is possible to have our cake and eat it. Leave the dead-end jobs to the schmucks who want them and find yourself a job that feels less like work and more like fun.
Most jobs have tradeoffs — the most common being money for time and suffering through boredom. But there is a way to find work that doesn’t make you hate your life. The goal is to find work that feels more like play. This doesn’t mean to find a job where you shoot Nerf guns at your fellow employees, although there are jobs like that — visit the Elite Daily office if you don’t believe me.
Finding a job that feels more like play and less like work isn’t as hard as one would imagine. It really depends on what you enjoy doing most. If you can pinpoint what strikes your interest and find a job that allows you to quench your curiosity, then you’ll never have to work a day in your life.
Life has a handful of general purposes — one being to experience and to learn about the world around you. Human beings need to learn continually. We need to experience new things because doing so makes us feel alive. It’s easier to ward off boredom when your job requires a good amount of physical activity.
Being a carpenter, construction worker, chef, athlete, etc., requires more movement than most jobs and therefore is more likely to feel less like work and more like play. However, the majority of jobs on the market don’t require you to keep in motion. Jobs that require less physical activity and more mental activity are more likely to become mundane labor than exciting activity.
Keeping our minds busy does not ward off boredom — especially when it comes to work. If our job requires repetitive mental motions then we’ll become bored quickly and soon begin planning a way to quit. Our minds need excitement. We need to keep them occupied by looking for the answers to questions that interest us.
The best place to start when considering what jobs to apply for is among the things that you enjoy doing most — your hobbies. Are you a huge sports fan? Do you love reading? Cooking? Playing the guitar? Working with your hands? Drawing? Do you love to watch the history channel? Are you a science geek? What do you enjoy learning about and what do you do for fun?
The passions that we have growing up and throughout our years in school are the best indicators for the type of work that we will find enjoyable. People approach job searches backwards — most will look at what will make the most money. Money is not a good motivator because eventually you’ll be willing to give it all back not to have to spend one more day hating your life.
Always approach your career options by first examining yourself and what you enjoy. The beauty of it all is that no matter what your hobbies, there’s a job for that. There is a job that will allow you to expand your horizons and allow you to enjoy every day of your life.
Finding the ideal job will take time. We enter the job market at an age when we are still developing and growing as individuals — still trying to find ourselves. Work itself will help you do that if you allow it to, but only if you go about it the right way. If you keep forcing yourself to do the work that you don’t want to do then you’ll simply be punishing yourself.
A job is not for life; you can quit and try something new, something different, whenever you feel the need to. Start by working somewhere that you’d think you’d love working. If it’s not the right fit then you at least now know what you can’t live with. Always focus on jobs that catch and keep your interest, that allow you to learn new things — things that you want to learn.
It may take a decade or so, but you will find the perfect job — the job that feels more like play than work. Focus on what you love and a job that you love will find its way to you. Force yourself to do work that you hate and you’ll crack eventually, after having wasted a whole lot of time.
