Part I The search for job satisfaction
During times of an economic recession, high unemployment, and the struggle to make ends meet, I’m thankful to have my my job. I’ve had the same job now for over 8 1/2 years now and am blessed to have the work, stability, and flexibility that I do. With that said, my job lost it’s challenge a long time ago and job satisfaction is something I have been searching for ever since I got out of college.
This isn’t to say that I’ve never enjoyed what I did for a living. My first job out of college brought a lot of challenge, fulfillment, and attention. However, that job fell in my lap right out of college and I stayed there until I moved to California in 2001. Even during the most satisfactory moments of working, I never thought of my job as a career.
Over the years, I’ve gotten comfortable with my job. I do what I need to do, have fallen into a pattern and role, and have never thought about getting a new job and disrupting the comfortable routine of my life. Any desire for job satisfaction turned into job contentment with no challenge or desire to shake things up.
Quite honestly, I’ve never know what I wanted to do. Some people just know and jump right into their major when they get to college. Not me. During my freshman orientation, I spent over 2 hours with my counselor just trying to find classes I could take. I didn’t want to be an engineer but I had no clue what I wanted to do. After a couple of hours of tossing around ideas, my first class was ACCT 225 – Introduction to financial accounting.
My dad was an accountant. He has been one his entire life. Yet I had no idea what he did until I took this class. I guess it’s where I get my analytical love for numbers from. I did well in college, graduated with honors, and got married before my last semester of college. Talk about a lack of satisfaction (that’s a story for another time)…
During my last semester,I went to see my accounting systems professor and he passed along information about a job that he found out about. So I applied.
I got the job and worked my way up to Accounting Systems Coordinator. Bascially, I ran the accounting system and troubleshooted problems that happened. It was a great job. I learned so much from that and got into the programming and database side of the system as well.
From there, I moved to California and have worked as a business analyst supporting and implementing the financial system we use here. Because of my systems background, I’ve never actually done a day’s worth of accounting my entire life (I do support those who do). And I am thankful for it.
In my life, I’ve contemplated being a missionary, a pastor, an accountant, and a writer. However, I have never known what I wanted to do. I’ve never wanted a career. And I’ve never been satisfied with what I do – until now.
My life has changed but the pay has stayed the same.
Stay tuned – Part II Travel writing is job satisfaction
Trackbacks
- Travel interviews, social media, a travel community, and TNI « Budget Travel Intentions
- Part II Perseverance…writing…passion « Budget Travel Intentions
- Part III Travel writing is job satisfaction « Budget Travel Intentions
- Celebrating an anniversary and what I learned along the way « Budget Travel Intentions
- Good travel hunting (a search for destiny) « Budget Travel Intentions
Hi Jeremy, I like this post. It makes me want to find out more. What’s changed? How? Why? What can we learn from it? Which means I’ll have to come back again:) I’m a huge fan of travel and only seem to do it on a budget so you’ve won me over there. I don’t understand why people go overseas and then stay somewhere like the Marriott. Might as well stay at home!:)
If you scroll down, you will see my “budgeting 101″ on how to create a budget spreadsheet. Combine that with my accounting degree and my love for travel and you have a lifelong budget traveler.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read. I really liked reading your blog and tips and will have to read more of your posts when I have time. I look forward to using your stuff to improve my blogging experience.
Yes, there will be a part II to the job satisfaction piece so stay tuned. Also, if you love travel, most of my writing has been done on my Sacramento Budget Travel Examiner page. So check that out if you are interested in travel tips, destinations, my frugal approach to traveling, and more.
I will be looking forward to keeping up with your stuff and I appreciate you checking out mine!
Just show me the money.
A lot of what you said completely resonates with me… However, I think my life plan is reversed. I used to know what I wanted to do for a career and I was on the path towards it (even in it). However, life can throw you curve balls and I realized that the cliche “there is a reason for everything” can be completely true…
Now, I am working in a job I respect, but do not love. And, I have spent the last 6 years trying to figure out my life path. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I realized I had 2 major passions in life: writing and traveling (completely opposite of what I had “trained for). Even then, it wasn’t until about a year ago that I realized those two passions could be combined into one life fulfilling “career.”
I am now planning to take a risk, by taking a leave of absence from work, to see if those passions can become a career. We begin our rtw in about 6 months and I can’t wait, regardless of the professional/career outcome.
Thanks for the inspiration Jeremy.
P.S. Since you live in Sac, we should get coffee sometime if you are not too busy.
Thanks Jenneil. Your journey sounds a bit like mine. Like you, I have a job I respect but not one I love. Travel and writing are completely unrelated to my degree from college – accounting. It’s a big risk to make a change like that I wish you all the best! Let me know how it goes!