For This House
Every Season. Every Space. All for Him.
Every Season. Every Space. All for Him.
Choosing a career path is a daunting task.
We ask children what they want to be when they grow up as a cute predictor of what their future might hold.
Then in the high school years the questions get even more real and intense as the questions pour in of trade schools or universities you’re applying to or what programs or career paths you might be interested in.
In my own experience, I’ve ever felt any specific career calling my name. It’s probably how I landed myself in the Bachelor of Communication program. A degree I often say gets you everywhere and no where at the same time.
Take a look at my LinkedIn resume and you’ll see how all over the board I’ve been (ha!). And this doesn’t even show some of the more random jobs I’ve done (resume curation is key 😉 ). At a time I worked as a youth leader for my church, a junior high cross country coach, and even a server and kitchen helper at a vegan cafe… all during my adult life.
Now, ten years into my so-called career, here are the best things I’ve learned along the way.
I don’t think this has to be unique to the people-persons out there. Everyone wants to work either with or for people they like. The trick is, you don’t always get to choose who those people are when you take a job.
So, when you find a job working with or for a client, boss, or coworker that just brightens up the average work day, enjoy every day of it. But don’t forget to give that person or group of people grace, too.
Remember: No one person can make every day full of rainbows and unicorns–that’s best left up to God. The people you surround yourself with during work (or whatever fulfills the majority of your time) can have a big impact on your mood and motivation outside of work as well.
I picked this phrase up directly from the core values of the marketing agency I helped grow from the ground up, Ollo Metrics, because it just so perfectly sums up how we should all be in everyday life, let alone our careers.
The second you stop learning new things or challenging yourself, you stagnate. I don’t mean to suggest being constantly stressed and strapped to new courses and reading every blog newsletter that hits your inbox, but simply to be curious and ask questions.
Questions and curiosity are the best way to learn new things. You probably have a wealth of life and work experience sitting around your office with you right now. Get to know the people around you and the career that led them to where they are working with you right now. They might have something to teach you. Plus, who doesn’t love talking about themselves at least a little bit. 😉
I need to be careful with this one, because I truly come from a place where I put a high value on serving others, and serving the company or person I’m working for with the best of my ability. That is important to me.
However, you are the only person who will advocate for you and your needs, and at the end of the day, you are in a business arrangement exchanging your time and skills for the paycheck or other compensation you take home to pay for the roof, heat, food, education, clothing, and extras that you choose. If you don’t advocate for what’s important to you, you cannot expect someone else to do it for you.
This skill definitely takes time to develop. It’s especially difficult early in your career to know your value as an employee, and fairly so, you’re still growing your marketable skill set in whatever trade or career you have chosen to get started in.
As you get your bearings though, don’t be afraid to ask for better pay, better work flexibility, better vacation arrangements, etc. But be prepared to back up your request with why you feel you’ve earned this. And definitely be prepared for a counter offer, or even a no.
The mythical work-life balance is just that… a myth. There is no magical balance that you must find. You just need to know what is important to you and stick to it.
For instance, you might be a single person who enjoys the constant growth of focusing on a career and blending your personal life with professional connections until there’s virtually no separation, OR, you may enjoy having a job that doesn’t require any after hours brain power so you can go home to your family and be 100% present.
Whichever you are, know what it is that you value, and pursue that in whatever it is you do for work.
As I head into a second maternity leave in the coming weeks and I don’t have a position to come back to after, I’m in a place of searching right now, wondering what my professional life might look like when I get back to working again.
It’ll probably be a while after a second baby before I’m working full-time again, and that’s okay.
Family time during the little years are important to me in this season. But I do look forward to what that next step might be for me, and I won’t stop learning and growing when it comes to my professional skills. That’s something I can and will continue to pursue even outside of traditional employment.
