Is a career really important?

InsideInsurance

want2bmortgage3 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, which are tending towards going down the satisfying career route, I'd be interested to know what jobs people here went from doing to doing. Also was it something you had in mind from an early age and finally did it? Or was it something you never thought of before but soon got used to and loved.

People often say 'Decide what you want to do', this isn't an easy question. I think a lot of things we want to do wouldn't earn us a living. What will make money won't often excite us, so I guess it's a compromise in a way.

As mentioned above, there's also the 'work is just money' group, probably the majority of people who spend their working days performing a role/routine they don't really care much for. How long can you do this for, I'm realising there comes a point where you cant just write off days and weeks in the name of money, life is too short?

I did 10 years in call centres doing everything from sales or service for utility companies (had the set of water, gas, electric and phone), mail order companies, supermarkets etc and my last call centre type role was working for an insurer which eventually was defending 3rd party claims.

From this I applied internally for a management scheme but got "spotted" by someone and offered the role of a junior business consultant/ project manager.

Went up inside the company becoming a "senior" by the end but on less money than some of the "juniors". Switched companies once or twice and got my salary to where it should be and then decided to take the risk, switch to offering my services on a contract basis.

When I was a kid I wanted to be a doctor or a waiter.. parents pushed me towards one of those unsurprisingly. Decided medicine wasnt for me hence the years floating in call centres working out what to do.

Heard about project management, saw you could get a good salary without being a line manager and thought it was worth a punt but really fell into it more than decided.


How long can you do a job just for the money? That depends on the person, I know many that have done it for 20 years, they switch employer every couple of years and get a slight fresh buzz but it eventually sinks back to the same boredom and they start looking again. For contractors anything 12 months + looks good on a CV so doesnt have the same negative connotations as it would for a perm.

Some do talk about packing it all in and doing something totally different but often their lifestyle and home setup is based around them earning £100K+ (partner given up work, kids in private school etc) and so to pull kids from school so that you can become an artist (or whatever) is a big decision

Person_one

want2bmortgage3 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, which are tending towards going down the satisfying career route, I'd be interested to know what jobs people here went from doing to doing. Also was it something you had in mind from an early age and finally did it? Or was it something you never thought of before but soon got used to and loved.

People often say 'Decide what you want to do', this isn't an easy question. I think a lot of things we want to do wouldn't earn us a living. What will make money won't often excite us, so I guess it's a compromise in a way.

As mentioned above, there's also the 'work is just money' group, probably the majority of people who spend their working days performing a role/routine they don't really care much for. How long can you do this for, I'm realising there comes a point where you cant just write off days and weeks in the name of money, life is too short?

What is in your life except for work?

Lots of people who have jobs they don't enjoy aren't doing it 'in the name of money', they're doing it for the sake of the things they do when they're not at work, which are more important to them.

I strongly believe that you shouldn't make your whole life about reaching a future point in the distance. In my line of work and in my personal life I've seen too many people die or lose their health young to think that's a good idea.

You need to strike a balance between the now and the future. You can't be totally hedonistic and end up on the streets when the money runs out but you can't waste decades planning to start your 'real' life after reaching a certain goal like a mortgage.

Rather than thinking 'what do I want to do', think 'what am I good at'. I think people tend to enjoy doing things that come fairly naturally and that they feel they do well at. What are your skills?

want2bmortgage3

This is a good question, I have never really thought of what skills I have. I'm not sure what you would term a skill, does it have to be a qualification you have or do you just mean something like being good at maths, or being physically fit etc?

theoretica

I think innate skills and interests are most important - you can acquire qualifications more easily than you can change your personality. Are you a people person or a thing person? Do you like being with a small group of people (value interesting colleagues) or prefer to have lots of differentinteractions (customers) or work by yourself? Do you tend to organise outings with friends or follow along? Can you often persuade people to do what you want? Grasp new things quickly, problem solve, work with language, data or your hands...