“The world of work is changing” was one of the subtitles I had in one of my notebooks from a seminar I attended back in Chicago in the pre-covid period a few years ago. Considering how much time and energy we spend every day at work, it is no surprise that nowadays in Western Culture, for some people work has become part of their identity; for them, it’s more than just a way to earn money and survive. According to Dr. Jane, the best way to balance your aspirations, dreams and be in line with reality is to build a career that intersects a part of your identity, the work you will be doing, and the needs of the world. 

Let’s take identity. You need to know your values, skills, competencies, and talents to use them as your map. You need to keep moving to invite more opportunities in your life and know where to say yes and where to say no in order to mold what is best for you. You need to know what makes up your personality because that will be your unique selling point. 

Then, you have to know what you will practically be doing during your workday because that will be your everyday life. Also, you need to have an idea of what you want your end goal to be, to know where you are heading. An example I like to give is “the table.” To build your table, you need to know what will be the final version of it. There is no need to know every detail; that may be catastrophic in the end. But you need to know that the table will need a smooth surface at the top and legs to support it. In this way, you program yourself to search for the required tools to build your table. 

Lastly, you have to consider the world’s needs. You have to be realistic and have a job that will provide you with enough money to live a life with your essential needs satisfied. If you are not offering a service or an object which people need and want, the demand will be low. As a result, what you will be offering will not resonate with people’s lives. In this case, you can keep doing it as a hobby or as a stepping stone to reach your higher goal. 

Finding a career is not considered an easy task. It has become more complicated because you have to do homework and research yourself and what is out there. Then, churn these two together to unfold your career. Finding what you like may change at different times, as our priorities change with time and age. However, if you have a rough idea of what you want to end up doing, you know that even if you’re stuck in an unwanted place, it’s just temporary.