I don't mind the question at all - it's a perfectly reasonable one to ask of someone who's told you she's trying to make a career change. And it's a lot of fun to think about all the possibilities. But I also find it somewhat unnerving, because my answer is still the same: I don't know.
Do I have a dream job? Sure I do. In an ideal world, someone would pay me to write a travel blog. Being able to make a living writing in my own voice about my biggest passion (seeing the world, exploring new places) would be a dream-come-true. But even if I did land my dream job, I'm not sure it's the long-term lifestyle I would want for myself.
I have no doubt there is a job out there that I can and will love doing every day. I've applied for several jobs that sound amazing, all of them different. I worry though, that potential employers won't see my open-mindedness as a strength.
I've had multiple job interviews and casual conversations over coffee, during which I'm inevitably asked, "What are you looking for?" I wish I had a simple answer for them, but I don't. I've done a great deal of thinking and self-reflection over the past few weeks. While I don't know what exact job I want, a career that will make me happy will include some, if not all, of the following things.
Community: As a news producer, I spent the last seven years writing about what was going on in my community. But I never felt like a part of it. I want to work for a company/organization that either contributes to the community where I live or has a reasonable work/life balance, so I can get involved on my own time.
Doing Good: It sounds cheesy, but I want a job that I feel good about. This goes hand-in-hand with my feelings about community. I want to wake up in the morning, excited to do work that will make a difference in a positive way. And at the end of the day, I want to go to bed, knowing that I worked all day to do something good.
Human Interaction: Anyone who knows me well will tell you I'm a "people person." I love meeting new people and I will talk your ear off, if given the chance. I worked with some amazing people at my last job, but had very limited interaction with anyone outside our newsroom. I want to meet other members of the community, find out what drives them and learn from that. I want to expand my professional network and hopefully make new friends in the process.
Challenge: I've always said I would rather be busy than bored. I want a job that keeps me on my toes and challenges me intellectually. I want a job that's fun, and a big part of what I consider "fun" is learning, whether it's developing a new skill set, researching unfamiliar topics or observing others and drawing on those observations.
Appreciation: This is perhaps what I'm looking for the most. I want to work for someone who values me. I've spent my entire career working for a company that did not appreciate my time, effort or positive attitude. To be clear - the people I worked with every day did value these things (the feeling was mutual, by the way), but the executives holding the purse strings in their million-dollar New York City offices did not. Sadly, that's just the reality of working for a large corporation. Don't get me wrong - there were certainly plenty of benefits too (part of the reason I stuck around for so long), but I got tired of feeling like a number, not a person. For that reason, as I move forward with my job search, I'm trying to avoid corporate culture. I'm looking for someone who wants me to work for them as much as I want to do so. I don't expect a pat on the back every time I do my job correctly, but knowing your time/energy/passion/work is valued is a feeling worth fighting for. Don't you agree?
There is one thing I know I don't want in a new career. I don't ever want to feel like this guy.
No comments:
Post a Comment