The future looks bleak or bright depending if you are a "cup half empty" or a "cup half full" kind of person. Some people who have just lost their job would be saying "oh no, what am I going to do?" while others are saying "great, what do I get to do next?"
If you have just lost your job, it is likely you are eligible for some form of unemployment benefits. These benefits generally are pretty pitiful unless you are a CEO with a golden parachute, and they don't last forever. That being said, there are some things that are worth thinking about before you start looking for a job again.
The Meaning of Work
What does work mean to you? Research has shown that we can categorize the meaning of work into basically three categories: The Job, The Career, and The Calling. Each of these categories have specific caracteristics that, when you understand them, will be helpful in making your next job more rewarding.
The Job
People who view their work as a job are in it simply for the money. Fulfillment comes from what they can do with the money, or through some other means. If you are one of these people, then the type of work you will do really does not matter as long as you are getting paid what you see as fair value for your services. In this case, you need to look at your skill set and then study the work market to see if your skill set is reasonably in demand to get you the maximum value for your services.
When you view work as a job, you need to consider what other skill sets you could acquire to make your services more valuable to potential employers. You will also want to market yourself. This involves developing an image of who you are that would be appealing to a prospective employer.
As a person who views work as a job, you might consider entering into jobs that pay for performance such as piece work or contract jobs with bonuses for performance built in.
The Career
People who view work in terms of a career have found some skill set that, when they use it, gives them fulfillment. It really does not matter who they work for, just so long as they can use their skill set.
People in this category tend to want to pursue a consistent path of learning in their particular career choice. Sometimes a career lasts for the full working lifetime of an individual, however, at other times, it may only be for a few years, then something else comes along for which, they have a skill set and interest to pursue. Another element these people are interested in is advancement and the rewards it brings.
The making of money for people in this category is not as important as being able to do something that they find fulfilling, that uses their unique gifts and abilities. These people tend to find work to be a fun and enjoyable learning experience.
If you are one of these people, you will need to assess your skill set and interests against what is available in the market place. If the market is weak for your interests, it might be in your best interest to take a career interest inventory. There are many such programs available on the web.
Unless you are completely bored with your current skill set, when you select a new career path, it is wise to try to align your new career choice with as much of your current skill set as possible so that you do not have to enter the new path from the bottom.
As an individual in this category, career choices will be those with a career path that leads to ever increasing responsibility. It would be helpful for you to have management training, a college education, and, most likely a graduate degree or high level technical training would be beneficial.
The Calling
There are similarities between career and calling in that the people who are interested in a career and those who are interested in the calling are both more interested in what the do as opposed to how much money they make. However, while a careerist tends to have a long term objective of a career path that possibly leads to the board room, the calling person is more interested in the fulfillment of the work its self.
People with this type of interest become passionate about what they do, so much so, that the money they make does not matter nearly so much as the fulfillment they receive. At the extreme end of this are the volunteers. In some cases, volunteers work extremely hard for no financial reward, and they do it for a long period of time. But then we need to recognize that some people can afford to be volunteers while others need to earn some money.
Originally, the concept of the calling was attached to religion. A calling was something coming from a source greater than ones self, and was about being a part of something bigger than ones self. While there have been attempts to change religious attachment, at least the attachment of the calling to God, it is a difficult change to make. Many people feel called or even compelled to be a part of a bigger program that works for the betterment of society.
If you are someone who is searching for something that is bigger than you, you may want to check out work opportunities in the nonprofit sector. The nonprofit employment sector requires the same skill sets as the for-profit employment sector, however, the emphasis on a mission other than making money is greater, and you will also know that you are not working to make someone else rich since nonprofit organizations do not have the same stakeholder relationship as for-profit companies. All of the profits in a nonprofit organization are put back into the programs that organization is working for.
If this type of work appeals to you, do a search on the web and check out job opportunities in the nonprofit sector.
Make the most of who you are
Once you have figured out your work preference, take time to discover your personality type. But, that is for another time. In the current economic times, understanding your work preference can have rewarding effects by helping you narrow your focus to work that you will be more receptive to and you will find employers that are looking for just the type of person you are.
No comments:
Post a Comment