Ways To Help You Find A More Fulfilling Career

The average American spends 84,365 hours of their life working! If you are working a job that you love, which gives you lots of fulfillment and offers you something of a challenge, then you are likely to enjoy more of those hours than not. However, if your job is boring, unfulfilling, and not what you enjoy doing, well that is a different matter completely.

The good news is, if you want to find more fulfillment from the work you do, there are a number of things you can do to find a career that you really love, as you will see below.

Don’t chase the money

Okay, so you will almost certainly want to find a career that pays a decent salary so you can provide for your family and have a decent life – there is nothing wrong with that – however, numerous studies have shown that, beyond a certain point, chasing the money that a career brings, does not increase fulfillment. So, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the more money a salary can offer, the happier you will be in the job – it rarely works out that way.

Take a test

Something that more people should definitely do in their search for a more fulfilling career is to take one or more tests to determine what they have an aptitude for

And what they might enjoy doing. Career Assessment is home to a number of such tests in including a personality test and career tests which if you aren’t sure what is likely to make for a fulfilled career in your case, could point you in the right direction, and at the very least, give you some avenues to explore.

Think about what you love doing

A really easy way to find a more fulfilling career is to think about the things you love doing right now. Do you adore animals?. Then training as a veterinarian or a dog trainer could be a dream come true. Love solving crossword puzzles? A career in computer programming could be calling you. If you have a range of passions, them cross-referencing them with the kinds of available jobs, the salaries you can make, and how easy it would be to fit the career around family life are all things that can make your decision easier to come by.

Strive for a better work-life balance

If you are someone who is happy to work, but for whom work is not everything, then a good way to find a more fulfilling career would be to find a career that enables you to have a better work-life balance and spend more time at home with your family than you might be doing now.

There are lots of jobs, such as being a self-employed tutor or a freelance writer, which will enable you to set your own hours and spend more time doing the things you love while also earning a good living. It is worth exploring such avenues if what matters to you most is not your career, but the other stuff that makes life so enriching.

Try things out for size

Oen fo the problems a lot of people find when they are searching for a more meaningful career is that they do not know what it will actually be like to work in a particular role. Sure, they know what the job description is and roughly what they will be required to do day-to-day, but they do not know what the job works in practice.

One thing you can do to get around this and ensure that you make the right choice is to try various careers out for size either by volunteering in a role you are considering or doing a short internship. More companies than you imagine would be happy to have you come in and see what the job is about, so do not be afraid to ask.

Do something that makes a difference

For a lot of people, career fulfillment means working in a job that does a wider good in society. Working is important as it enables you to provide for your family, but if that is all your job does, you might find that it is less than fulfilling. However, if you do a job that, say, helps homeless people or works to improve the environment, you can feel proud about the work you do every day – your job will be more meaningful and as a result, you will find a whole lot more fulfillment from it.

Find more freedom

Most people want to have as much autonomy over their own lives as possible, and this includes their careers. So, if you want to find more fulfillment in your life at work, then finding a job where you are not constantly micromanaged and looked over all the time is likely to help you feel happier at work.

For many people, this will mean becoming self-employed and building a business or working on a freelance basis, but it is possible to find employed roles that allow you lots of autonomy too – you just might have to do more research and speak to more people who work in those sectors top find one.

Stop looking for perfection

When it comes to careers, perfection is almost impossible to find and if you try you will never feel fulfilled. So, work at finding a role that ticks as many of your boxes as you can and appreciate it when you find it. If perfection does come along, that will be a bonus, but don’t pass up your chance of fulfillment now waiting for that perfect job to come along because you may never find it and that would be tough.

Finding a more fulfilling career is something more of us should think about doing because life is too short to spend a large chunk of it doing something that does not inspire us, and hopefully, with the help of the above tips, you can do just that.