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How to find your perfect career

Updated:2011-03-25

How do you know when you’ve found the perfect job? Is it when you enjoy your work so much that you can’t wait to start each day? Or when you job pays so well, you can afford many of life’s luxuries? Perhaps you’re dedicated to a career helping others, which brings all the fulfillment you need.
 
If you’ve reached such a high level of job satisfaction, consider yourself very lucky. The vast majority of working Americans aren’t so happy. In fact, a recent national survey found that less than 30% say they’re completely satisfied in their positions, with most admitting that they’d change jobs tomorrow.
 
Unfortunately, the world is full of people who embarked on promising careers, only to discover years later that they made the wrong choice and are now profoundly unhappy. They say they’re trapped by upside-down mortgages, or tuition bills, or simply can’t find a better position in today’s tight employment market. And even if they’re willing to try, many argue that the demands of learning a new field are too difficult to overcome. So they settle for less, do everything they can to make their weekends more fulfilling, and count the years until retirement. It’s a sad way to live.
 
If you’re stuck in a situation like this, you can make light of it of course – maybe with a funny bumper sticker or desk calendar. You may feel thankful just to have a job at all, and elect to value your steady paycheck over career fulfillment. Or you can break away from the pack and take action. That’s what Tom Reid did, and he’s never been happier.
 
As a sheet-metal worker in Local #25 in suburban New York City, Mr. Reid enjoyed shaping structures with his hands, as well as the camaraderie he developed with fellow union members. But as more and more manual labor jobs have been outsourced in recent years, lack of stability has become a constant worry.
 
“Sometimes you do well in sheet metal, and other times you’re jobless for many months,” Mr. Reid says. “It was very unpredictable.” But rather than hang out at the union hall between jobs, Mr. Reid used the downtime to pursue his childhood hobby: collecting baseball cards and comic-character items. When funds were tight, he’d list new items on his eBay store, or set up booths at baseball card shows and comic conventions to earn a few bucks and add to his collection. But he never considered leaving his true craft.
 
“A lot of the sheet-metal jobs were very interesting and when I was younger, I liked the cocky, macho image of the profession,” he explains. “Then, when I was out of work, I could look for collectibles.”
 
But Mr. Reid’s life changed dramatically as the value of many collectibles soared. Items he’d bought for a dollar here and five dollars there were starting to fetch hundreds. Eventually Mr. Reid decided to pursue his passion full time, expanding his online presence and even opening a retail collectibles store in Nutley, NJ. “I decided that something I loved as a kid should become my business,” he says.
 
When asked why other sheet-metal workers he knew who also collected didn’t follow his lead and switch careers, Mr. Reid says fear was the greatest barrier. “Most people wouldn’t take a shot because they’re afraid of not being able to pay the mortgage or feed their kids, even if they’re unhappy with their 8-to-5 life. But unless you try, you’ll never get out or be successful at something you really enjoy."
 
Searching For Satisfaction
 
Whether you’re an early retiree not ready to leave the business world or an unhappy mid-careerist eager to try something new, it’s critical that you research career fields to determine where you level of satisfaction will be high. If you daydream about becoming an open-road truck driver because you imagine having great freedom to roam the highways and take in the sights, you’ll be rudely awakened by the tight deadlines and incredible long hours logged by most truckers. Or if leaving the volatile corporate world to sell software is your idea of a stable environment, think again. Turnover among salespeople is sky-high, and only truly savvy sales pros even come close to earning six-figure incomes.
 
Before making a switch, however, be sure that the job you have now (or held most recently) isn’t what you really want after all. Perhaps it’s just specific parts of your job that need changing, not the job itself. A bad boss or heavier workload after a company lays off staff can turn even the best position into a horrible. A lateral transfer into another department or company location might make the difference. Even volunteering for new duties may solve your dilemma, since you’ll be exposed to new projects and new people.
 
To make certain that a career change is really right for you, follow these three steps:
 
Consider what’s really important

Determine your real priorities by asking yourself questions like “what would I do if you only had six month to live?” When considering career options, trust your gut.
 
Think about the greater good your work does
 
For example, if you’re in advertising, picture how the products you promote help consumers, or how the products’ increased sales helps to improve the economy and create jobs.
 
Enjoy the process of doing your job, not just the outcome
 
Take time to celebrate your accomplishments and take pride in the quality of your work. Remember how great you felt when you earned promotions and awards. Can you do something currently that will generate these good feelings again?
 
New Career Shapes
 
If after a self-assessment you’re still eager to try a new career, you must think of your career in a new way before starting your job search. Betsy Jaffe, a New York-based career consultant and author, has identified five new ways that careers are changing today. By understanding them, you can see where you might fit in best.
 
1. The New Classic Career
 
The old corporate career ladder that stretched to the executive suite is gone. Today’s career ladder has fewer rungs and may lay sideways rather than head upward. To survive, let alone advance, you must have portable job skills that cover many functions, says Dr. Jaffe.
 
“Instead of looking to fill a box on an organizational chart, look for situations where you can build your repertoire of knowledge, skills and experience,” she says. “The key is that you must make it happen.” To do well in a big company, you’ll need the abilities to adapt, handle a steep learning curve and play on ever-changing teams, she says.
 
2. The Concentric Career
 
Imagine a bulls-eye and you’ll see the basis for a concentric career. It is built on a core, such as a specific business or product line, and grows from there, Dr. Jaffe explains. Your main product (or area of expertise) is in the center. As you expand your product line (or skills), concentric circles are added beyond the core. Typical careers in this mode include sales rep and product manager.
 
One former IBM Corp. employee in Michigan began her second career by developing a line of home-security items, which she marketed online. As the business grew, she added guard services, home-security audits and consulted with companies on security issues.
 
3. The Combination Career

If you enjoy variety and yearn for the chance to balance multiple jobs simultaneously, you’re ready for a combination career. Your resume will look like a hodgepodge of activities, but you can vary your workload and keep boredom at bay.
 
Professional freelancers and consultants are good examples of people with combo careers. Of course, having a combination career is easier when there’s another source of family income and health-care coverage. But it’s not mandatory if you know how to hustle while balancing family demands.
 
4. The Contingency Career

The typical contingency career resembles the broken lines on a highway, says Dr. Jaffe, because it’s full of stopgaps and backtracks to earn money while hoping to get a break doing what you love. We’ve all heard about actors and musicians who wait tables and work in bookstores while auditioning and building a portfolio. Now many white-collar professionals are doing it, too, before making a major career change.
 
5. The Concurrent Career
 
If you can balance two totally separate careers at the same time, then you’re a prime candidate for a concurrent career. The obvious example is someone who holds down a full-time job while earning a college or grad school degree. But other examples include an Art Director at an advertising agency who also designs and sells t-shirts to local merchants, or a bank exec who leads paid fishing expeditions every weekend.
 
Work Versus Family
 
Seeking a good work life balance may be your most important consideration when deciding to change careers. In fact, it could be your principal motivation for making a switch. But if you haven’t considered the impact a career change will have on your family, you’d better start now. You may be stressed out as you learn a new job, but rest assured that your spouse and kids will be equally stressed. Even if you aren’t married, it pays to discuss your plans with people close to you before taking action.
 
There are many specific work life balance questions you should answer when weighing new career directions. According to psychologists, the four most important are:
 
How many hours a week do I want to work?
 
How much do I need to earn to live comfortably?

Will I be satisfied with the social status of my new company, position and title?

How complex does my new career need to be to keep me challenged?

The Bottom Line
 
When you’ve heard from every specialist and processed every fact, you’ll find that the most important issue when deciding to change careers doesn’t involve plans and procedures. Instead, it’ll be a straightforward decision based on the type of job that would bring you the most happiness and greatest fulfillment.
 
With this in mind, Douglas B. Richardson, a leadership, communication and career management consultant in Narberth, PA, explains that most career changers are faced with two options: “You can bag your existing set of technical skills and acquire a new set, like the person who used to be a Pharmacist but is now a CPA. Or, you can bag your old set of technical skills and redefine yourself in terms of your transferrable abilities,” like the writer who moved from a brokerage firm to a movie studio. In either case, old stereotypes don’t apply anymore, he says, and the job market will be forced to look at your through new eyes.
 

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