Finding a Rewarding Career

When you stop to think about how much of your life you will spend in the workforce, it is important to find a career that you think is rewarding. Even though that seems like a fairly straightforward approach to what you want to do with your life, it’s much more involved than being influenced by others’ notions of what “worthwhile” or “rewarding” work is. Choosing your career is a very personal choice and one you (and you alone) need to be happy with. 

The biggest reason why choosing your career path can be so difficult, especially when your only criteria is that you want to do something that’s “rewarding” is because of how subjective and personal the concept of “rewarding” is. Many people find that a profession in healthcare is one where you have the satisfaction of directly helping people. But what if working in the medical profession isn’t appealing to you? There are many other careers that directly impact the livelihood and well-being of others.

Teaching, for example, can be one such career. You can even go a step further and pursue a special education credential. Both are very respectable careers that directly help the people you work with every day. Deciding what career would best suit you and provide you with your greatest sense of accomplishment requires learning about yourself.

Self Discovery

To figure out what career you will find most rewarding, you have to look within yourself. You need to start by defining what exactly you feel is the most rewarding return for your hard work. For some people, having someone recognize and reward you for the work you do is the most satisfying. This type of reward can offer you a heightened sense of status and lead to providing you with a lucrative career that can lead to a luxurious lifestyle. 

Other people are driven by emotional connections. Regardless of the compensation, to be able to do something you feel passionate about is all the reward you need to feel happy and satisfied. Careers along these lines generally relate to making a career out of a hobby or getting involved in community service.

Once you are able to define what spurs you on or motivates you to perform, you can decide what path would be the best to promote your own purpose.

Drive

Take the time to understand what is most important to you. Are you driven by personal success and growth? If so, you will prosper in a career that lets you step outside of your comfort zone and add new skills to your growing repertoire.

Be prepared to change directions along the way as you learn more about what you find the most fulfilling. Life is not a defined destination. The chances of traveling from point A to point B, with no detours or wrong turns along the way, is highly improbable. Take the time to enjoy the journey and gain a greater understanding of yourself. Try to find a career that strikes a balance between your talents, passions, and values. The more strongly you feel about what you’re doing and knowing why you’re doing it, will offer the greatest satisfaction.

Be Realistic

Understand that no matter what drives you, there will be aspects of your career that, although they are important, are not your main objective. Every career path will have less than desirable (but necessary) tasks that are an important part of being able to do your job effectively. 

It can seem difficult to block out what others think will be the best path for you, but you have to remember, you should do what you think is the best fit. Once you understand what you need from your career, the rest will fall into place.