Lesson #2-Evaluate current job satisfaction, interests, values, skills, and knowledge base

A Plan to Escape the Cubicle

Lesson 2- Evaluate Current Job Satisfaction

“Many people dream of a new career earning more money doing the things they love. In fact, labor surveys suggest that four out of five people are unhappy in their careers and want to make a change. We Americans are optimistic with a tendency to accept that the “grass is always greener” on the other side of the fence. Few people actually pursue a career change voluntarily. Why? Because age, high income, and debt lock many into their current jobs or fields, making it that much harder to change.” [1]

So, why do you want to make a change? Which aspects of your job do you like or dislike? Are your dissatisfaction's related to the nature of your work, your company culture, the people you work with and or you can’t get along with your boss? Do you want more money, or you now have new interests and want more flexible hours? Is your company in trouble financially or your industry on the verge of a significant downward spiral? What if the best thing for you to do is to stay where you are and find value and satisfaction with your current company?

Our work plays a huge role in our lives. We spend time going to and from work during the week and very often spend a lot of time thinking about it when we're not there. This can take a huge toll on our mental and physical well-being. Many of us feel frustrated, anxious, depressed and can't enjoy the time at home knowing that tomorrow means another day in the job we hate.

Why is meaningful work important?

Let's face it, if we hate our jobs so much that we find our work having a lack of meaning and satisfaction, it is very likely that we will not succeed in our jobs. If we do not find our work rewarding and meaningful, it will be very hard to make an effort and display a level of enthusiasm needed to progress to higher levels in your organization. In fact, we may never get the promotions we want and may ultimately be fired. If you have no passion for what you do, you will not succeed, and you will be living in a continual state of misery, emotional and physical.

The person that has a meaningful and rewarding job is far more likely to advance in their job and consequently feel happy, satisfied, and passionate about where they are with their career. So the question to be asked at this juncture is, how do you generate satisfaction and meaning from the work we do?

  1. You find purpose and joy in the job that you have now and don’t love. Or:
  2. You find and choose a career to do something that you love and are passionate about.

When changing jobs or careers isn’t a realistic option

For many of us, getting up every morning dreading the thought of going to work is a very difficult thing to do. We have a knot in our stomach, our head begins to throb, and we haven't even left the house yet. We finally get to work, and before long we are staring at the clock and counting the hours and minutes until we can leave. We get home feeling agitated, irritable, helpless, and flat worn out. That's Monday, and we have four more days to go. And for many of us, we feel the same way on Saturday and Sunday. This is no way to live, and we ultimately succumb to stress and burnout.

The truth is, we all have career dreams that turn out to be nothing but a dream. We are then faced with the obvious realities of having to provide for our families and to do that we have to spend 40-50 hours a week working a job that is our reality, a pure “nightmare.” The notion or idea of making a job or career change may not be a realistic thing to do at this time in your life.

In an article co-authored by Melinda Smith, M.A., Lawrence Robinson, and Robert Segal, published by Helpguide.org., they offer some help when you end up being stuck, at least for now, in a job or career you do not like. Here is what they said:

Try to find some value in what you do.Even in some mundane jobs, you can often focus on how what you do helps others, for example, or provides a much-needed product or service. Focus on aspects of the job that you do enjoy—even if it's just chatting with your coworkers at lunch. Changing your attitude towards your job can help you regain a sense of purpose and control.

Find balance in your life. If your job or career isn’t what you want, find meaning and satisfaction elsewhere: in your family, hobbies, or after work interests, for example. Try to be grateful for having work that pays the bills and focus on the parts of your life that bring you joy. Having a vacation or fun weekend activities to look forward to can make a real difference to your working day.

Volunteer—at work and outside of work. Every boss appreciates an employee who volunteers for a new project. Undertaking new tasks and learning new skills at work can help prevent boredom and improve your resume. Volunteering outside of work can improve your self-confidence, stave off depression, and even provide you with valuable work experience and contacts in your area of interest.

Make friends at work. Having strong ties in the workplace can help reduce monotony and avoid burnout. Having friends to chat and joke with during the day can help relieve the stress of an unfulfilling job, improve your job performance, or simply get you through a rough day.

Don’t give up on planning a career change. Even if it’s something that you’re unable to act on at present, having a plan for someday in the future (when the economy picks up, the kids have grown up, or after you’ve retired, for example) can help you feel energized and hopeful, and better able to cope with the difficulties of the present. Simply sending out resumes and networking can make you feel empowered. Also, making a career change can seem far more attainable when there's no time pressure, and you break down the process into smaller, manageable steps. [2]

There is an important distinction between changing jobs and changing careers

People change careers for a number of reasons. Some want to do work that they find more meaningful or that makes better use of their skills than their current job. Others might be acting on a long-deferred dream or in pursuit of new interests. And for some, it’s less a choice than a necessity: They may find themselves heading in a new direction after facing a layoff or other job loss.

The reason for changing careers varies from one person to another, as does the process itself. If you’re considering changing careers, either by choice or by necessity, keep reading. The pages that follow offer tips on assessing your current situation: evaluating the career you have, identifying your motives for wanting to change it, and knowing whether your personal finances allow for taking such a step. You’ll also learn how to assess yourself for career fitness, including your values, skills, and interests. And you don’t have to do this alone; private and government resources are available to help you through the process. Sources for finding additional information and support are provided at the end of this course.

As you continue the course, keep in mind that there is an important distinction between changing jobs and changing careers. Switching jobs is any movement from one employer to another. Changing careers means leaving your established occupation for another, such as an accountant deciding to become a schoolteacher. People change jobs fairly often— about every five years, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Deciding to take a new job can, of course, affect your life in many ways and should be thoroughly pondered. But career change is usually a life-altering event and needs to be considered even more carefully.

Assess your current situation

Do you secretly believe a career assessment might reveal the "real you," show your hidden potential or true purpose? Many of us hope so! But though those hopes probably overreach the limitations of even the good career assessments, they can provide important feedback about finding a career that suits you.

Specifically, a good career assessment will:

Answer a specific question, like which occupations might be a good match for you.

  • Offer a framework to think about career options, with good reasons to consider certain fields
  • Doesn’t offer a guarantee that you’d like the work or be able to find a job in that field

You may have some idea what the destination is on your journey into a new career. A starting point in planning any journey, however, is—well, to know your starting point. Assessing your current career status and your financial health will allow you to plan well for your new career. Please take a look at our first course in A Plan to Escape the Cubicle titled Evaluate Your Current Finances, for the true starting point in this journey for a change.

Your finances. Your financial situation may determine whether it’s possible to change careers. No matter how financially secure you are, changing careers can be costly.

You're likely to be starting a new career at the entry level, so you should be prepared to accept lower wages than you're accustomed to earning in your current job. And if you need more training for the career you're considering, you may need to accommodate the training by working fewer hours—or leaving the workforce altogether—and by assuming the costs of the training. Therefore, make sure you understand all of your financial obligations, and whether you will be able to meet them before you embark on a new career path.

Start by identifying your financial needs and the income required to meet them. “Many people have no idea how much money they need to earn,” says Connecticut-based career counselor Julie Jansen. “Evaluating that is a critical step.”

Some costs, such as those for housing and health insurance, are easily identifiable. Other obligations are less clear. It may be tempting to finance your career change with your retirement fund, for example, but doing so would probably not be wise. Community-based nonprofit organizations offer financial literacy programs that can teach you about financial concepts and help you establish a budget, as well as maintain or gain control of your finances.

Financial considerations are especially important if you’re contemplating career change after a layoff or other job loss. Pursuing education or training for new careers often results in ineligibility for unemployment insurance benefits. There are, however, some training programs associated with State unemployment insurance programs that allow you to continue to collect benefits. These programs are usually intended for workers who are unlikely to be reemployed without retraining, due to permanent changes in the economy.

Your current career. Understanding where you are in your career is important because the path it has taken can provide insights for pursuing a new one. If your progress has been slow or unsteady from the start, for example, it's a good bet you were never well-suited to your occupation. If your progress has stalled, it's possible that the way you relate to your job has changed—either because of changes in the work environment, changes in yourself, or perhaps both. And if you've advanced steadily and are still moving forward, you'll want to focus on what's gone right.

Whether your career has progressed badly or well identifies your key accomplishments and evaluates how satisfying they have been. Accomplishments in your current job that are fulfilling are something you’ll want to replicate in a new career. Those that have had little meaning for you, on the other hand, will also mean little to you in the future.

Your career change motive. If you're like some people, you may be dissatisfied with your career but have only a vague understanding of why you're unhappy. From your colleagues to your commute, there are numerous sources of workplace discontent apart from work itself. Carefully consider the motives behind your desire to change careers. Sometimes, you might just need to find a new job—not a new career.

Weigh your job duties and working conditions against your preferences to identify the characteristics that you like and dislike about your job. You might discover that some are specific to the occupation, while others are specific to the job. For example, working behind a desk every day is an occupational characteristic for an editor; if you’re an editor who has grown tired of being deskbound, you should pursue a more physically active career. But if you’re an editor who’s dissatisfied with your company’s retirement plan, switching jobs may be a better solution.

Identifying what you like about your current career is also important. For example, as a sales worker, you might enjoy the personal interaction that is part of that occupation. When considering a new career, you might want to choose ones that include similar interaction.

Assess yourself

The most common question asked of career counselors is: "I don't know what I want to do. Is there a test or something that can tell me what career is right for me?" The answer is no. You can't take a test that will, as if by magic, tell you what to do with the rest of your life. You can, however, use a combination of self-assessment tools that will aid you in your career planning process.

During a self-assessment, you gather information about yourself to make an informed career decision. A self-assessment should include a look at your values, interests, personality, and aptitude.

  • Values: the things that are important to you, like achievement, status, and autonomy
  • Interests: what you enjoy doing, i.e. playing golf, taking long walks and hanging out with friends
  • Personality: a person's individual traits, motivational drives, needs and attitudes [3]

Aptitudes: the activities you are good at, such as writing, computer programming, and teaching. An aptitude may be a natural skill or one you acquired.

Some people know just what they want from a new career. They know the interests they want to explore and the skills they want to use.

Identify skills and interests

But most career changers need to assess themselves, especially their skills and interests. “Self-awareness is critical, but it’s not much appreciated or understood,” says Jansen. “It’s important in identifying what you want to do, what your skills are, and what you don’t—and do—like about your current occupation.”

Self-assessment can be a difficult process because it involves identifying personal flaws as well as strengths, and failures as well as successes. "It's a big stumbling block because many people are resistant to the process," says New York career counselor Angel Román. Like it or not, though, career changers need to consider their values, skills, and interests.

This self-assessment step would be necessary even if you’ve been out of work for a few months, or perhaps it’s been years. "An absence from the workforce is a good time to reevaluate and decide what you really want," says career blogger Marc Miller.

When you feel that change is a strong possibility, it’s helpful to take stock of your skills and interests, experience, and goals. Start by assessing where you are in your career. Formal assessments can help you determine your skills and personality type, and some assessments identify occupations that match those traits. "The best assessments compare your personality traits with similar traits of people who are doing things they like, to see if that might be a good fit for you," says Miller.

Many assessments are available online, often for a fee. But some are available at no cost, including those offered at career centers.

In addition to helping you identify your skills, many assessments focus on recognizing interests. Determining what truly interests you can help guide you to a new career. "I always tell people that the most important thing is to know thyself," says Miller. Think about the things that interest you: What do you like to do in your spare time? They can be broad pursuits, such as music, or specific activities, such as building and restoring motorcycles. [4]

We have included a basic Job Satisfaction Survey, see Exhibit 1, to help you assess your current job situation. The results of the survey should give you a better idea about whether you should stay where you are or start the process of making a job and career change.

Work values. If you’re thinking about changing careers because you’re unhappy in your current one, it could be because your current occupation is a poor match for your work values.

Work values are the aspects of your job that you find meaningful and rewarding, and they’re specific to you. These values may be characteristics of the job itself, such as the level of independence it allows or the chance to be creative. Or, work values may be characteristics that accompany the job, such as wages, job stability, or moral fulfillment.

Identifying which values are most important to you is a crucial step in considering career possibilities. Although it's unlikely that any single job will satisfy all your work values, fulfilling as many of them as possible will improve your chances of being content in your new career.

Skills. Whether you’re changing careers or just changing jobs, you need to determine the skills you have. Your skills inventory should include those you’ve acquired in current and past jobs, in school, through hobbies, and through volunteer work.

You’ve probably acquired more skills than you realize. Using them every day may make your abilities seem mundane and unremarkable to you, but they may be transferable to your new career.

It’s also important to identify skills you need to improve—or, perhaps, lack completely. You may have computer programming skills, for example, that are adequate in your current career. But the new career you’re considering might require greater programming knowledge. Identifying skills gaps is important in both choosing and preparing for a new career.

Interests. Perhaps you’re considering a career change that better matches your interests with the work you do. Studies have found that people who are satisfied with their occupation share many interests with others in the same career who are equally satisfied. Tests known as interest inventories are available to help you narrow occupations based on these shared interests.

You might have little difficulty fitting your interests to a new career. Do you have a flair for creative use of space, for example? Becoming an interior designer might be an option. Have you always had a way with animals? Maybe it’s worthwhile looking into veterinary support occupations, such as veterinary technicians or assistants.

No matter what your interests, the chances are that there's an occupation that could put them to good use. It's up to you to identify the ones that have the most potential for you that, along with your values and skills, could lead to a satisfying new career.

For more information—and support

This course presents some important things to consider when contemplating a career change. For more information about planning and making this change, visit your local library or career center. To find a career center near you, go to www.servicelocator.org; call toll free, 1 (877) US2-JOBS (872–5627) or TTY 1 (877) 889–5627; or e-mail [email protected]. The Web site also has links to career exploration tools and other job-related resources.

Career changers can find information on hundreds of occupations in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Along with details about the nature of the work, the Handbook provides training requirements, job outlook, working conditions, earnings, and employment. It is available in libraries, career centers, and online at www.bls.gov/ooh.

For wage and employment statistics for more than 800 occupations by industry and geographic area, visit the Occupational Employment Statistics Web site at www.bls. gov/oes.

The Occupational Outlook Quarterly publishes articles related to career research, many of which are relevant for career changers. “Employment matchmakers: Pairing people and work,” online at www.bls.gov/ooq/2007/ winter/art03.pdf, profiles professionals who specialize in matching workers with employers. “Getting back to work: Returning to the labor force after an absence,” online at www. bls.gov/ooq/2004/winter/art03.pdf, provides tips for relaunching a career—tips that may also help those changing careers. And guidance on writing effective job applications is provided in the recently updated “Résumés, applications, and cover letters” article, available elsewhere in this issue of the Quarterly.

But those sources aren’t the only ones available online from the U.S. Department of Labor. CareerOneStop, online at www. careeronestop.org, is a collection of resources for career planners and jobseekers. In addition to occupational information, this site directs users to education and training programs, as well as sources of scholarships and other financial aid. The Web site also provides information on job openings and improving job search skills, such as resume writing and interviewing.

The Occupational Information Network, or O*NET, database, online at www.online. onetcenter.org, provides detailed information about occupations and their attributes. The site includes interactive self-assessment tools for matching your work values, skills, and interests with specific occupations.

And a joint effort between the U.S Departments of Labor and Education offers online resources for unemployed jobseekers. The Web site, www.opportunity.gov, has career search tools, training opportunity resources, financial aid information, and FAQ pages, along with links to the Departments of Labor and Education Websites.

State and local governments are another valuable source of career guidance, and they can help you in your self-assessment. Community-based financial literacy programs can help you evaluate your personal finances. And fee-based career counselors can guide you through the entire career change process. Information on finding a career counselor in your area is available on the Web site of the National Career Development Association at www.ncda.org.

For personal and professional support, networking is one of the keys to successfully changing careers. Colleagues, peers, and mentors are important sources of advice, job leads, training information, and other guidance. Your network should include people working in your prospective career, and you can meet these people by contacting or, if possible, joining professional associations for the occupation. Another way to expand your network is by contacting people from alumni associations for institutions you may have attended who are working in the field you wish to enter.

It is also important to consider what career counselor Román refers to as a “personal support system.” Career change is often a dramatic life change, and its success can depend on the support of your family and friends, as well as your community. [5] See Exhibit 2 for a complete list of the resources mentioned in this course.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes, people have an expectation of what their dream job will entail that doesn't match up with what is required. The dream we have in our minds doesn't always match the reality of our lives, so it's extremely important to gain a strong dose of reality with your existing career before idealizing another career path. If a dream job isn't closely linked to what you're good at or comfortable doing on a daily basis, it's not a good fit, and you shouldn't sacrifice your time and money to pursue it.

I am sure you have heard the old saying, “The grass is always greener on the on the other side of the fence, " but the grass isn’t always greener. There are two things my father cautioned me about this notion. First, there are always weeds on the other side; you just can't see them from where you are. And, most importantly I believe, once you get on the other side, you still have to cut the grass.

Stay where you are if at all possible. If your primary focus these days is your family and life outside of work, the less stressful position may be the better fit – even though it’s not your dream job.

Try to be a better employee and co-worker. Do all that you can to contribute to the organization’s success but, at the end of the day, if your current job is not where you should be, then follow the steps outlined in this course to put yourself in a position to make a change, the right change.

Sources:

[1] By Michael Lewis, Posted in Careers www.moneycrashers.com/prepare-making-career-change/

[2] Finding the Right Career, Authors: Melinda Smith, M.A., Lawrence Robinson, and Robert Segal, M.A. Last updated: October 2016. ©Helpguide.org.

[3] How to Use Self-Assessment Tools to Help You Choose a Career, By Dawn Rosenberg McKay Updated April 07, 2015

[4] http://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/home.htm

[5] Author is John Mullins, an economist in the Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, BLS. Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Summer 2009

Lesson 2, Exhibit 1- Job Satisfaction Survey.pdf
Lesson 2, Exhibit 2 -Resources. pdf.pdf
Complete and Continue