Today I am thankful that I have found a career I love.
Now, I am not even going to try to pretend that my job is perfect. There's office politics and back stabbing and all other kinds of terrible, but sadly typical corporate-America behavior, and I feel like I will never be done taking exams (I have another licensing exam tomorrow, cross your fingers and/or pray that I pass!). I lost my awesome boss this year, dealt with some reorgs, and joined a new team that I am still trying to fit into, but all in all, I really really love what I do.
Finding a career I love certainly was not a short process. I spent most of my 20s going from job to job (mostly within the company I work for now), but I never found something that really 'fit'. And I felt like I was aimlessly trying these different roles in operations, management, and corporate finance, and that my resume was turning into a random collection of jobs that have nothing in common.
When I started my current job, my boss told me that after I got a feel for my new role, I would look back on my past jobs and realize that they all led up to what I am currently doing. And he was totally right. I am now able to apply so much of what I learned in my past jobs to what I am doing in my current position.
I don't really subscribe to the idea that "if you love your job, you will never work a day in your life." No matter how much I love my job, it will always be work for me, but I am thankful that is work that that challenges me and that I enjoy.
16 comments:
You're really lucky to love your job, especially as you seem to have to devote so much time to it with study, travel and actual normal work. I know you've been doing CFA exams but have you ever touched on what specifically you do? (I may have missed it or you may, understandably, be keeping the specifics offline). I'm an accountant by training and loved my first job (sad, given it was in the tax department at one of the big 4) but gave it up to travel and live in London. Whilst I have no regrets about my time here & have enjoyed the work (business analyst, PM, credit analyst type roles at an investment bank) I do struggle to see what my career might look like when I get home.
Eric and I are sitting here eating breakfast and totally agreeing with your last paragraph. I love my job and I think about it a lot and really value my relationship with the kids and my friends at work, but it's still a job frankly so there are many days where I'm like ugh, and don't really feel like dealing with it haha. Today might be one of them :)
Good luck on the test tomorrow!!! I used to think teaching was annoying with the tests but your job is definitely WAY worse!
Good luck on your test tomorrow but I have always had great faith in your test taking abilities! It is great to hear that you love what you do, but like you said, work is work!
I definitely agree that work is always work, no matter how much you love it. But it obviously makes it so much different/better when do you love it : )
I'm so glad you love your job! I've worked so many random jobs over the years, too, but I definitely think that is what separates me from others and I gained knowledge and skills that are important to me from each of them
You give me such hope that someday I will find the right place for me and be doing something I do love and genuinely enjoy. Sigh. Someday! :)
I don't subscribe to that belief either. Unless my job is blogging for a cruise ship. Because then that totally wouldn't be work. Ha. A girl can dream!
Best of luck on the test tomorrow! Will be thinking of you :)
Oh, and work being work? Yeah, it totally is. I really enjoy what I do most days but it's still a job and it is still work!
I think that's awesome that you have found yourself a great job. I wouldn't say that I love my job, but for the most part it's pretty good.
I'm so glad that you are still loving your job even after the reorganization that happened earlier this year! When you love your work, it makes such a huge difference in your quality of life, since we do spend a lot of time at our jobs.
I love this! It makes me really happy for you that you love your career especially since you've worked so hard for it.
These last few weeks I have been hating my job, so the most I can say at this point is that I'm thankful to be employed.
I hope one day I can find a job like that. Banking isn't really what I want to do, yet I'm stuck with it for the time being. I would really love to do something with writing, whether that's editing, writing copy, working in social media for other businesses. I have this feeling, though, that I'd really like to work with a literary magazine someday. One of my co-workers wants to be an editor. He tries to convince me a lot to get my book finished so he can charge me to proofread it, lol.
Ahhh, a job I love. Someday. However, I totally agree about preparing you for what you're doing now - I definitely recognize that I'm honing skills and being exposed to things that will help me in the future.
You will ROCK the test tomorrow!
I love this. I too love my job...and while it's still a job...90% of the time I walk out of lecture with a smile on my face and/or feeling fulfilled. Definitely a great way to feel! And I agree, I've had all sorts of other random positions, but in many ways they're all connected!
I also agree with the last paragraph! I LOVE my job but it's still work. It also annoys me when people don't think attending events and things is really "working". Sorry but if it's something I'm doing BECAUSE of my job, it's work! Even if that means going to a breakfast or dinner just to 'be there'.
That kind of swayed away from the topic of your original post haha but something I've been thinking about. May have to write my own post about that if my blog ever starts working again!
I'm so glad your job has been such a great fit for you!!
I agree with you about that saying, because I learned in psychology that the minute someone pays you to do something you love it goes from being a passion/hobby to "work".
I hope your exam went well!
I am hoping that my job is like your job, where I will find the exact niche that I really love. I mean, right now, it's good but I wouldn't say that I LOVE it. However, it is challenging and new and exciting and different and it keeps me on my toes!
I'm finally catching up on old blog posts ... this was wonderfully written. You're honest about the downfalls of your job/department/company, but realize that you're darn lucky to have found a career that's so well suited to you.
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