Let’s face it, no all of us want the 9-5 jobs. Usually these jobs deal with IT, business consulting, financial representative, customer service, etc. What we want to work at a job where we can always enjoy working there. I have worked in several areas in the US job market: retail, customer service, business solutions, risk-management, online business, and online marketing. I was never passionate for any of them, and I thought to myself that I can always do better. It wasn’t because of the job, but it was because of the people who worked with me. Some of them never went to college, others get drunk every weekend, and that’s not the type of people who I wanted to be around with. On top of that I never liked any of the jobs in the past, because they didn’t mean anything to me. When I put in my heart and effort into a job, I want it to mean something. I wouldn’t choose not to work at a place because of the people but the people I worked with just don’t put the effort to go further in life. Their plans of living is making at least $1500 a month to pay for rent, watch movies, get laid with prostitutes, and get drunk. Because of their perceptions they end up at the job they were in. I only ended up there because I was young and I was still in school, but all my co-workers were older and out of school.
Anyways, I may sound shallow but there are people like that who wastes their lives just doing nonsense things. Instead, they could be doing something productive by helping others or raising their standard of living. Over my years of working in the US job market I figured out what factors to consider when choosing a job. These questions should be considered in determining to see if the job they land in is perfect for them.
What type of environment do you want to work in?
Many people like the office desk job because it requires less labor on the feet and more sitting. In an office desk job the employee basically sits majority of the work day and does paperwork. Certain office jobs require more than just doing paperwork such as call centers, in where you sit in your cubicle all day and answer customer service calls. Or, you sit in your cubicle and do background searches by conducting searches in criminal databases and calling courts. Some jobs require you to work in a team-oriented or self-oriented environment; you have to decide if you want to work alone or work in a team.
Most corporate jobs in America require you to work in a team-oriented environment doing projects. If you want to do law, such as lawyers or paralegals, it requires you to interact with others such as clients, police officers, court clerks, and more. Or, if you want be a medical doctor, you’re definitely need to be social, because doctors are constantly in direct contact with their patients, nurses, lawyers, accountants. So basically, no matter what, you need to be social. When you decided to get a job you should know before-hand that majority of the time you will be working with other people. There are very rare jobs that requires you to work in a self-oriented environment, such as a lab technician or a lab researcher, in which you work by yourself all day in a lab.
Is your job available around the world?
One of the other factors you should consider is that if you get a certain job, will you be able to work in other countries. For example, Barclays bank, a British bank, that has branches in USA also has job in the United Kingdom. Nowadays, foreign companies are buying out US companies because the US companies are failing left and right in this economy. Those types of job are just in the business field; in which you have limited access to job in other countries. Other jobs, in the science field, such as engineering can be found all over the world. The changing world always needs electrical engineers to help manage and build cities’ electrical infrastructures. Also, medical doctors, who are licensed in the United States, can work any where in the world. US doctors have an advantage to get a job in virtually any country in the world because USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exam) certifications are recognized by almost all the countries, correct me if I’m wrong. Medical doctors in the US have an edge since US medical exams are credible all around the world.
Is your job meaningful?
Whichever occupation you choose, be able to determine if it’s meaningful. When I say meaningful, I mean is it something that will benefit others in a humanitarian way. For example: doctors, engineers, and immigration lawyers; medical doctors help others gain good health from recovering from illnesses. Engineers help build, repair, and maintain city infrastructures for the masses to live in. Then we have immigration lawyers in the United States, where they aid immigrants to get their permanent residency or citizenship. So, basically I believe a job that is meaningful is a job that helps others.
Overall, don’t stay with a job that you’re not happy with. If you have future goals of getting a meaningful job, then go for it. Don’t stick with your current job if it’s meaningless; make your current job temporary to prepare yourself for something better. Always go for something higher than what you are in currently; most people have the potential to do so.
