Personality-Type Job-Searching

A woman I know was telling me yesterday that her daughter is rethinking her career plans. Daughter had wanted to be a physical therapist and was two years into her BS, with plans to transfer to a more prestigious school (PS) in the fall. Then PS rejected a chunk of her credits, meaning she’d be at least a semester behind. She’s decided, for now, to stay at her current school, but new career options—the police force—are being tossed around.

“She loves her summers at the police station,” the mom was telling me. “And it’s so important to do something you love. I mean, she could finish this degree and then hate her job… I don’t want that for her. Like her dad—he hates his job.”

Her MIT-graduate husband makes upwards of 100K in his IT-related profession. But Wife told me: “He travels all the time, he has to deliver what the Sales department promises… it’s a lot of conflict.”

This recent article, on what makes for the most satisfying career, echoes that point. It cites people-serving professions as the most rewarding and asserts finding a job that fits your personality type is key.

I guess I agree with that. A few days ago, my younger brother (a business major) and I were talking about how hard it would be for us to stick with a job we hated, one that didn’t fit our personalities. Reason? We grew up in a home where our dad loved his career.  He owns his own business: he calls the shots, he sets his hours, he makes the money. I’m sure no job is perfect, but, growing up, I really didn’t hear him complain about his work; he was satisfied and successful.

A lot of my friends have taken jobs they ended up hating: usually cubicle-ones. Please don’t misunderstand me: I’m not knocking office life (I’ve been there; hated it, but been there.) But the difference between me and my friends was this: they thought they had to hate their job; it was just what people do. I, on the other hand, had this picture of my happy, healthy father in my mind: loving his life and still paying all his bills.

I guess I’d just like to think that’s possible for everyone. I’d like to think there’s a right fit for every personality, every skill set. And I’d like to think I’ll find my fit soon.

Filed under a deeper look at life, job-hunting |