
08 Oct INSTEAD OF DOING WHAT YOU LOVE TO DO, DO WHAT YOU ARE GOOD AT
“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
― Mark Twain
All of us wish to do what we love (or like) to do and earn a good wage for doing something we enjoy. In my case, I would have liked to have been a professional baseball or hockey player. But I had no exceptional talent to be a professional in either sport – even at the lowest levels. So, that dream was never realistic. A second choice would have been to be a television or radio broadcaster for any professional sport. However, I never pursued the difficult path to becoming a professional broadcaster. There are few jobs and they are rarely available.
Instead of pursuing my childhood dreams, I discovered in a high school class that I was proficient at bookkeeping and accounting. I decided to study it further at the university level and eventually became an accountant. This was not my ‘dream job,’ but it was a practical choice that I was good at and provided steady employment. And you know what? I found a different kind of fulfillment in doing what I was good at.
My father was a union electrician who enjoyed his work and the small company where he worked. Although the work was often tedious and challenging, my father seemed to have achieved the rare goal of doing something he loved and was good at.
Perhaps some people today are not taking advantage of shortages in many fields with better-than-average wages because they are still clinging to the dream of becoming successful musicians, artists, social workers, chefs, or actors. Many jobs are available today in nursing, information technology, accounting, engineering, sales, coding, and truck driving.
I am not suggesting that people should do jobs they hate—although sometimes that is a necessity due to personal circumstances. However, perhaps there should be a willingness to consider the next most desirable career – and to include financial rewards as part of the decision. It’s essential to be practical and responsible regarding career choices. Learning how to code may be a worthwhile idea for somebody who is very computer-literate or is into gaming. Nursing may also be a rewarding career for someone who likes to help people in need or is interested in biology. Both are in high demand now and will be in the future.
The insistence on working at less economically rewarding jobs may be generational. In my latest book, Above Quota Sales Management, I noted that Millennials tend to be much fussier about their employment than prior generations. They prioritize work/life balance and desire flexible work schedules, “more ‘me time’ on the job, and nearly nonstop feedback and career advice from managers.”1 A recent Deloitte study found that Millennials desire to balance workplace flexibility and job stability.2 So, they are not as willing to work at jobs that do not meet their social needs.
I know that many will say that one should follow one’s dreams to gain the desired career, and I also believe that. But at some point, one needs to realize that the goal of being the primary tenor at the Metropolitan Opera, an actress on Broadway, or maybe even an airline captain is unrealistic, and one needs to adjust one’s aspirations. Or one can continue to pursue one’s desired career while earning a living doing something else. Many Broadway actors worked as waiters until they were established.
Please let me hear from you about this. Meanwhile, I will continue to send applications to be an announcer for the Chicago Cubs or Blackhawks.
Steve
1 Steven Weinberg, Above Quota Sales Management, Armin Lear Press (Estes Park, CO., 2024) p. 108.
2 Ibid.
Image from https://happylivingfoundation.in/how-to-choose-the-right-career-path/