View on Work
This blog is a continuation of a series of blogs that will be outlining what I have learned from the interviews and readings regarding careers and career development.
The most important attribute would be understanding yourself and using this as a starting point. There are some key categories that a person should review as a starting point. The points would be health, mental health or outlook on life, relationships (family and friends), work skills, the view on work and money. I will talk about each of these in more detail in individual blogs coming up.
This week it is how we view work.
How do we view work - is it something as simple as receiving money for a service or a product that we provide? For some of us, it is that simple and some may not want anything more as long as they are comfortable with the monetary intake. In essence, we are comfortable with the standard of living that we may have and we do not want anything else. Some of us may want a better standard of living, therefore, we may want to increase earning potential and in doing so will look at work differently, and will make choices accordingly. Then there is the element of growth and how we develop and learn, we may view work as more rewarding and we want personal satisfaction. For most of us, it is a combination of all three elements, some more, some less, or equal. In this blog, I will address some things to consider on how we may view work that can help us make better career choices.
Work is a trade-off. We provide a service or materialize something in return for something such as money. For some though there is more to it. It’s self-satisfaction in that we are doing something that is helping someone else out or they are getting a product that they need or want. This character trait will offer a sense of worth self-worth. And this comes from the skills that we have learned or are learning in essence; we know something that can contribute to society and we are being recognized for it which makes us feel good. Teachers, nurses, doctors, and coaches are good examples of this, they are many more professions that fall into this as well.
We have all heard the saying or something similar to it, find what you love to do and you will never work a day in your life. My interview with Paul Rogalski owner of the Rouge restaurant https://the-career-guy.simplecast.com/episodes/a-chef-that-is-continually-re-inventing-himself-4Gf9EPkT said the same thing. However, in listening to his interview it is clear that he does work hard, he just enjoys what he does which makes it more enjoyable, and in doing so he is willing to push himself and accept the daily challenges which then, in turn, build his confidence. The interview with Alistair Bentley https://www.thecareerguy.ca/episodes/what-a-person-can-do-with-a-math-degree states the same thing. It is a state of flow where a person is absorbed by what they do so much that they embrace the challenges that they face. This is one way to view work, to find something that you like to do, and then you are more willing to accept the challenges that you face. This is how we grow. Some of us need to find what we like and what we are good at as this will initiate growth, however, the key is that we have to want to develop.
This is another important concept and is worth addressing and that is business owner vs entrepreneur. At times we do get these two terms confused and yes there is some overlap. Someone who owns a business may not necessarily be an entrepreneur and the same could be said that someone who is an entrepreneur may not own a business. Some of us do work in businesses or companies where we are utilizing our creativity and innovation by solving problems for customers or internal purposes. Also, some of us are in a research-based position as well these may be rare but do exist. On the other end of the spectrum, owning a business such as a franchise where a person does follow guidelines does minimize the creative process. And of course, the obvious is where some of us do own an independent business where creativity and innovation are the core for our survival.
Too often we get caught up in the job itself. My interview with Paul Rogalski demonstrated that he did a lot with his career as a chef from owning a restaurant (this is obvious) but then he took this skill and put it towards public speaking more so on sustainability in the food industry, and a TV-series dealing with cooking. In this case, Paul moved his career more on the horizontal scale he took his skill and passion and used them in different areas. My blog on a book review entitled “Range” by David Epstein talks about this https://www.thecareerguy.ca/blog/a-book-review-on-range-by-david-epstein. This is something to consider then if we have skills and how to apply them somewhere else especially if we are seeking a career change. The key thing here is that a person is never stuck, it is how we view work and what we can offer, which enables a person to transfer to another area or industry. So work is not fixed for example if you are a chef, you can do other things with that skill set. This type of scenario may come later in life though as we mature and gain experience.
Complacency mixed with security is another aspect to consider. As stated at the start of this blog some of us are happy with making a living and will not desire more. This can change as we age and some of us that wanted more may change to the former. In either case, we all want to make a living and it is very desirable to know that we have some stream of cash flow coming in. Some of us regardless of our skills and how marketable we may be, want the security of something steady, and that is fine. While some of us are a bit more adventurous and think the grass is always greener somewhere else and are willing to move. The majority will fall somewhere in between and a good example of this is the interview with Leo King of Kings Fitness and how his business evolved slowly with minimal risk, it can be done. https://the-career-guy.simplecast.com/episodes/a-leader-in-the-fitness-industry-Dr5P76fY
In the end, it comes down to want we want out of our lives and our career. For some, it will be money that will drive decisions, while others will consider who they will be working with, what they will learn, what their responsibilities will be, and will they grow. There is no right or wrong answer and with that, in this blog, I just wanted to provide some food for thought to be able to look at the bigger picture. If we do consider how we view work and what we would like to get out of it we will be much happier with our choices later in life. I hope this helped.