By Nathaniel Luce
This week, we tackle one of the oldest workplace dilemmas: What to do when you hate your job?
“Dear Skippy: My good friend just left his big corporate job to become an elementary school teacher, telling me that he felt a “calling.” I don’t have a calling but I wish I did, as I hate my current job. What should I do?”
— Signed, Unhappy
Dear, Unhappy: If you mean by a “calling” the internal urge to find meaning and purpose in your work, then it is important to get in touch with your personal values and increase your own self-knowledge.
It is widely accepted career advice to work at something you love, in service to others, and to find fulfillment and satisfaction with your work. But this requires some degree of reflection and feedback.
Here are some basic techniques to consider as you reflect on your personal mission and goals, in reverse order of effectiveness:
5. Take one of those online quizzes, like “What Game of Thrones Character are You?,” that your Facebook friends keep sharing, to help you pinpoint your character traits (I heard Vanderbilt EDI’s Hermano Rocha was Arya Stark, but haven’t confirmed it yet).
4. Hop from job to job until one feels right.
3. Analyze your strengths and weaknesses, and then leverage your most positive traits.
2. Find a role where your personal value profile is in alignment with the organizational culture.
1. Start your own business based on your unique value proposition.
Good luck with the research. Enjoy the journey!
— Sincerely, Skippy
Contact Person: Brett Israel Director, Business News & Communications Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management
Contact Phone: (615) 322-NEWS
Contact Email: brett.israel@owen.vanderbilt.edu
