You are reading the FRACAT Blog Archive (also known as "FRACAT 1.0") for all posts prior to October 29th, 2007.
Picking the Right Job For You
I will admit that I am blessed. I frequently have people calling and e-mailing about jobs for me.
While I do a lot of driving for my work, what I have committed to never do again (if I can help it) is do the 1 - 1.5 hour commute (each way). Most of the jobs that people come to me with are on their site, fighting traffic twice a day, losing 2-3 hours a day that I could be spending with my family.
Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the jobs that people bring to me and I’ll try to find them someone else. But, they’re not the right jobs for me.
Do you know what the right job is for you? How about if I took away the compensation part of the job - what would the right job look like now?
MISERY IS EXPENSIVE
Recently, I saw a video that reminded me about some of the things I really detest about corporate jobs on Web Strategy by Jeremiah. [NOTE: Lawsuits by corporate network types have forced them to take this video down]
As Conan walks through the Intel cube farm, all you see is a warehouse-sized room with hundreds of identical cubicles in a kicky mix of gray and light gray.
Everyone has their own standards on what they want from a job, but when I worked in places like this, it was a soul-crushing, miserable experience. But, that’s just me…
The problem is that the misery that I experienced at work was a gift that kept on giving. I was miserable, I made my family miserable, and my life was turning…well…miserable.
TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT, WHAT YOU REALLY, REALLY WANT
If you want a job that you’re going to enjoy, stop looking at compensation. Start looking at things like:
- Commute - How much of your life is spent sitting in the carbon monoxide pits?
- Freedom - Everyone has a specific job to do, but how much freedom do you have to “be you” in your job? How much would you like?
- Challenge - Will you have something to overcome every day? Or just bland sameness?
- Fulfillment - What kind of contribution to society would make you feel best about yourself? Working for a pharma company and helping to cure disease? Working for a non-profit and giving back to your immediate community? Find out where you would feel most fulfilled. Then work there.
- Travel - Are you single and want to see the world? Or do you have 18 kids and want to get to know them? Pick a job that includes the appropriate amount of “away from home” time to achieve these goals.
- Work / Life Balance - Regardless of your marital / parental status, you need time away from work to unwind and be you. I mean, besides when you’re sleeping.
- Learning / Development - What kind of job / training will help you continue your learning and development as a person?
These are the features of a job that you should know before searching. If you’re sick of changing jobs to find the same situation, spend some time deciding what you really want.
Enjoy the Search!
Dan
—–
Daniel R. Sweet
Chief Cook-And-Bottle-Washer / Sr. Recruiter
FRACAT.com - Free Resume and Career Toolbox
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielrsweet
Call Me On Jaxter: http://www.jaxtr.com/fracat
Photo by: Derrik T
Stumble it! 
add to del.icio.us 