Paving our Career Paths
From our Point of View
Ever since childhood, we think about our future: who we will marry, how many kids we will have, and what we want to be when we grow up. Having a career seems to be a big topic of conversation at school, among friends, family, and even strangers. In school, we attend career day and take career aptitude tests that stress how to find the “perfect” job. That can be SO nerve wrecking! We are often given the impression that once we choose a career, we are stuck with it for life. This explains the immense pressure of “getting it right.” Looking back at our career paths, we realized that there was not a “right” or “wrong” choice. The choices we made that led us to where we are have just become part of our story…
Nohemi’s Career Story
When I was growing up I remember telling my mom I wanted to be a Pediatric Doctor. That quickly changed when I decided that I couldn’t muster up the strength to give anyone especially children and their families any bad news so I decided maybe I wanted to be a Surgeon instead (not a huge leap 😂 ). When I researched how long it would it take me to become a surgeon and the money it would take I changed my career path again. From there I looked into becoming an Interior Designer, Cosmetologist and then I landed on becoming a Nurse. Once I received my GED I went to college to start on my nursing career. I quickly realized that was not for me. The passion to become a Nurse was not there. I only wanted to be a Nurse because my mom really wanted me to be one. So, I then stopped going to college and started looking into different jobs to find what I really wanted to do. During that time I had all sorts of jobs: from fast food to retail, and then banking. These jobs never gave me a reason to stay other than the money (which wasn’t a lot). It did teach me some valuable lessons which helped me to narrow down my search in the future. One of those lessons was something that my parents drilled into my head since I was young which is: to make sure to give it my all. No matter the type of job that I had from flipping burgers to being a CEO I had to make sure I was working hard at it and for me to be the best I could be. The second lesson that I learned (the hard way) is: money is not everything! I had an experience where I was working at a job that I loved and left because another place was offering me $1 more. I quickly learned how toxic that job was and I felt awful that I left a job that I loved just for an extra buck. From these lessons I had to reevaluate what I wanted to do. It was scary since I didn’t finish college and I really didn’t have a plan. I then received a job in health care working the front desk and that’s when my moment to shine happened. From that job I was able to explore different sectors of health care outside of the clinical piece and really find my niche. I became a trainer and now I am an Instructional Designer. Now that I am in the field/job that I want to be in, I still felt a little unsatisfied. Don’t get me wrong, I love the people I work with, I love the organization and I really enjoy what I do. Something just felt empty. That’s when I reached out to Jourdan and through our conversations I/we had an eye opening experience. We came to the discovery of why should our ‘careers’ bring us satisfaction. We are more than our careers and our happiness or fulfillment shouldn’t stem from our careers.
Jourdan’s Career Story
Like most kids, I changed my mind almost every week when it came to what I wanted to be when I grew up. My parents told me I could be anything; and I took that literally! As I approached high school graduation, my day dreams came back to reality and I began to get more serious about what I would study in college. My brother, who is three years older, was already in college and had chosen to study mechanical engineering. My Dad, who is always ahead of the trends, encouraged us both to pursue a career in STEM. He knew that an engineering degree would provide us with job security and the flexibility to go into other industries (spoiler alert: he was not wrong). Looking back, my decision was heavily influenced by others, and part of me wishes I was someone who confidently knew what they wanted to be since they were little. But, being the incredibly indecisive person that I am, I am thankful to have had the wisdom of others to guide me towards a clear path. I ultimately chose civil engineering. What excited me about civil engineering was the impact it has on how society functions day-to-day. As the name suggestions, civilization wouldn’t exist without the work of civil engineers. For those of you who are not familiar with civil engineering, it is incredibly broad and requires choosing a focus subject. Thanks to a professor turned mentor of mine, I discovered a love for the world of water resources. I graduated with a Master of Science in Civil Engineering and have been in the field ever since. After landing my first job, I quickly learned that there is a massive disconnect between academia and industry. I vividly remember the first task I was ever given as an engineer: print a set of 11” x 17” engineering plans. I thought “how hard can printing something be?” Apparently very hard. I felt so embarrassed that I had a masters degree in engineering and yet no prior experience printing a set of engineering plans. After several months of working in the private sector, I jumped ship to the public sector and have not looked back since. Serving the public is often a thankless job, yet it is very rewarding. To me, it feels humanitarian. Writing this story is a reminder of how I came to be where I am at in my career and it is both humbling and warming to reminisce. And yet, at some point along the way, I seem to have “fallen out of love” with my career. At what point did this happen and why? It could just be burnout. It could be the annoyance of working for management that seems to always be out-of-touch (perhaps you can relate). Or maybe it is not my career that is the problem at all, but rather a lack of purpose outside of it. Whatever it is has caused me to take a pause; to question and reevaluate.
From others’ Point of View
No matter where your career path has led you, it is undeniable that your job has affected you along the way, both physically and mentally. Given that the average person spends almost one-third of their life working, it is not surprising that studies show there is a strong link between employment and health. We carry our work-related stress around with us - on our shoulders, in our hands (hello, neck pain and carpal tunnel). Job dissatisfaction only makes this weight heavier to bear. If work equals stress, we might assume that if you remove the work, then you remove the stress. But ironically, even unemployment can negatively impact our health.
If you want to dig deeper into how our jobs impact our wellness, health, and self-esteem, we have compiled a few articles on the topic for you to read:
https://healthyopportunitiesin.com/six-ways-a-job-affects-your-health/
www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/work-and-your-health
From a Biblical Point of View
What does the Bible tell us about work?
“In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.”
In other words, if we anxiously work from dawn to dusk out of fear that God will not provide, we are not being faithful. We do not believe that this Psalm is saying not to work hard. Rather, that we should not be so focused on our own ambitions that we forget to include God in our goals or neglect to thank him for the goodness that He provides.
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”
Everything we do (including our jobs) should be done with Christ-like character. If God was in charge of our performance reviews, how would we respond differently to being given a task we do not want, or being asked to help that co-worker we just cannot stand? We do not think this verse is saying that you have to willingly stay in an unhealthy work environment. It is about looking at how can you be a little more patient, kind, joyful, and generous in the workplace. Do we find ourselves always complaining, but never expressing gratitude? We cannot control everything, but we can control our reactions and our perspectives.
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”
Even God rested from work. Not because He needed to; He is omnipotent! He did it as an example to us. We should encourage ourselves and others to rest.
Tip: If you have trouble remembering, try scheduling time for rest in your calendar.
