It’s impossible to point out one career and label it as the perfect career. We’ve all got different likes and interests, which ultimately means we want to pursue different careers. While one line of work may seem like absolute hell for some, it’s a dream for others. Saying that, how do you classify something as a good or perfect career choice? Obviously, it all depends on the individual, but I’ve found there are a few things all good careers have in common. I call these the pillars of a perfect career – catchy, right? Essentially, these pillars will hold your career up and keep you stable at all times. If you find a job that ticks all the right boxes, then you know you’ve found the best career for you. What are the pillars? Patience, patience, you’ll learn about them all in the points down below.
Security
The first thing that turns a career into a great career is security. Now, I’m not talking about being in a job where there’s loads of security on the premises, so you feel safe. No, I’m speaking more about actual job security. There’s a great article on http://www.forbes.com that talks about job security disappearing, and that kind of gave inspiration for this point. If your job is always in the balance, then is it a great job to have? Surely you’d rather have a career where you’re confident of staying in a job for decades, and there’s no fear of your industry crumbling and jobs disappearing. In an ideal world, you’ll find a career that gives you a job for life. Basically, this means you’ll only be out of work if you choose to leave and pursue other things. Now, jobs like this are few and far between, but you certainly get certain careers that have more security than others. People working in tech jobs and within the IT industry have very secure careers. The tech world is booming, everyone is using IT infrastructures on a daily basis, and things will only get bigger and better. If you work in IT support, you know your job will be around for many, many, years as people always need advice and help with IT issues, etc. One of the main reasons I find job security so important is that it allows you to plan for your future. If you know you have a job for many years, then you can start investing in pension funds and other things to strengthen your finances in the future. If you do something where you haven’t got a secure job, and you could be let go at any moment, then you can never really start planning. Your last paycheck could be a week away, so you have to keep your money close to your chest.
Comfort
Comfort can refer to a lot of different things in relation to your career. First and foremost, are you comfortable in your job? Do you go to work every day, and feel a sense of comfort when you’re there? If this question seems weird to you, then that’s probably a good thing. People that find this question strange usually find it as such because they’re comfortable and can’t imagine not feeling comfortable in their career. But, many people don’t feel comfortable in their career. This could be because they don’t like the uniform they have to work in as it makes them self-conscious. Or, they’re not comfortable around the other employees, or may be uncomfortable with the work they’re made to do, but are just doing it to make ends meet. It’s always good to have a high level of comfort in your career. Often, there are ways in which you can easily make your job feel more comfortable for you. I know a lot of people in the nursing or medical industry are happy with most elements of their job other than the clothing. It irritates them a lot, the scrubs are unflattering, and it makes them uncomfortable. Now, as you can see on http://www.WonderWinkScrubShop.com, you can buy scrubs that look better and fit more comfortably. It’s worth looking for simple solutions like this as it can completely change the way you see your career. You may have ticked everything else off this list apart from comfort. Then, with a little change, you’re comfortable in your job and have found the perfect career! Obviously, there are instances where you can’t change the things that make you uncomfortable – like unfriendly co-workers, or uncomfortable tasks. In these cases, you can try moving to a different company, or pursue a career that provides comfort.
Rewarding
Next, we have this concept of a rewarding job. I want to talk about this from two perspectives; is it financially rewarding? And; does it reward you on a more personal or mental level? First off, I’m not saying you need a high-paying job for it to be the perfect career. But, let’s not beat around the bush, money makes the world go round. It can’t buy happiness, but it can buy a good degree of stability and mean you don’t worry about bills every month. So, how do you classify a career as financially rewarding? For me, it’s just a job that gives you enough money to live comfortably. Therefore, you should be comfortable in your job (as mentioned above) and also at home. I think there’s a good resource on http://www.valuepenguin.com that can show you the average household budget. Try and figure out how much you spend every month, and then consider if a job covers it or not. I don’t think you can call something ‘the perfect career’ if you’re constantly struggling on a financial level.
Now, rewarding in the other sense is slightly more complex. This is more of a personal thing than anything else. I mentioned medical careers earlier, and they’re a great example of careers that are rewarding because you feel good about helping others. But, you have other jobs that can be very rewarding mentally as you learn new things and just feel happy when you work. I’m going to get very mystical here when I say; look inside yourself and figure out how you feel when you work. Do you feel as though you’re accomplishing something, that you’re being rewarded in some way? If you feel quite empty, like you’re not really getting anything from your job, then it’s not rewarding.At the end of the day, if a job isn’t rewarding in any way, shape, or form, then what’s the point? Your career should make you feel happy, satisfied, and financially stable too!
Growth
Growth is something I feel very strongly about with regards to careers. We should all set our goals as high as can be, but be ready to work our way to them. You can’t do this if the career you choose has no future prospects. There are loads of jobs that simply have one level, and one level only. The best careers allow you to come in at the entry level and work your way up to the top. Thankfully, it’s easy to find jobs that offer a good degree of growth. Careers in the business industry are the perfect example of this. As you can see on http://www.youngupstarts.com, there are many instances of successful CEOs that started from the bottom. Some got jobs in the mailroom at a big business and worked there way through different roles before sitting on the top of the pile. Growth like this is important because it links back to what I said about a job being rewarding. If you know you can move through the ranks, then every day at work feels more rewarding as you’re potentially one step closer to achieving promotion. Also, the higher up you go, the more financially rewarding the job becomes. Think about this; we start working full-time when we’re fairly young, in our twenties perhaps. Imagine being in a job when you’re twenty that has no potential for growth. You can’t possibly stay in it for your whole life, you’ll eventually look for something better, with better prospects.
The 4 Pillars Of A Perfect Career
Okay, there we have it; the four pillars of a perfect career. I want to conclude this article by talking about the importance of these four pillars as a collective. Your career needs all of them – not three, not two, not just one – all of them. It’s likely you’ll find many careers that offer job security, comfort, and reward you. But, if there’s no growth, then it’s not a perfect career. Ultimately, that’s why they’re called pillars. Pillars are there to keep structures upright, what would happen if you knocked a pillar down from under a building? Even if three remained, the chances are the structure would fall down and collapse. If you want your career to stay afloat, and lead you towards a very successful life, then you need to think about the four pillars of a perfect career.