I get lots of questions that begin with “should I….?” Should I get an MBA? Should change my major? Should I quit my job? And I always answer, “I don’t know. What do you want?”
Because people are always searching for that elusive “happiness” or “best job” but they haven’t taken the time to figure out what happiness means them. With all apologies to Charles Schulz, I need more than two kinds of ice cream to reach true joy.
A friend posted on Facebook, asking for help figuring out the best graduate program. Lots of people were giving him ideas, recommending this school and that school. I said, “What did you want to do with the shiny new degree?”
The answer? I have no idea. So I said, “well, then don’t go into debt for it.”
If you’re someone who is always chasing happiness and not quite able to find it in the real world, try figuring out what kind of career would make you happy. Then plan from there.
Over at The Balance, I’m talking about things you need to think over before deciding what job will bring you happiness. Click here: Why Happiest and Unhappiest Jobs are Unique to You
“(If you grew up with parents who earned six-figure incomes, you will have more difficulty finding happiness with a $30,000 household income than a person who grew up with parents who earned $200,000.)” ?
Yeah, I already emailed my editor there and asked her to fix it.
I’ve been reading your posts for a loooong time (think dinosaurs and rotary telephones) and this is one of the all-time best.
It also reminded me of the proverb: time-quality-cost, pick any two. There is always a trade-off in everything we do … always. But you’ve identified the absolute first step we all need to take when it comes to finding happiness in our work.
Awww thanks. That makes me happy.
This is, by the way, my happiest career.
As another avid (read: addicted) reader, this advice is SPOT. ON. I particularly appreciated the idea that a happy career is not a fix-all for other problems. Thanks for the sage advice.
P.S. The acronym STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. The article lists economics as the “E.”