Fulfilling Futures

The idea that work might be fulfilling, rather than just painfully necessary, is a strikingly recent invention. Nowadays we don't only expect to obtain money through our labor, we also expect to find meaning and satisfaction. It's a big ask and helps to explain why so many of us have career crises.

I have pin pointed a few ideas that I hope will be useful to those of us currently searching for clarity on what we want our future to entail (grade 12 students).

Firstly, accept the being confused about careers is perfectly normal.

In a pre-industrial world there were, some 2,000 different trades out there; nowadays there are estimated to be half a million different options. We can become so anxious about making the wrong choice, we end up making no choice at all (psychologists call this "the paradox of choice", paralysis stemming from too many options.) We should acknowledge that confusion is natural, and fear entirely normal; but let neither of them discourage our chances.

Secondly, know yourself.

It's the oldest philosophical recommendation, and has particular relevance to careers. For 99% of us knowing what we want to do doesn't arise spontaneously. Most of us don't have a calling. There is no commanding god like voice directing us to accountancy, or packaging and distribution. We have taste and hobbies but we just don't know them clearly enough, which is a dangerous position to be in, as not having a plan quickly puts us at the mercy of those who do have one.

We only catch glimpses of our tastes. So what we have to do is learn to pick up on these glimpses better. Start by parking any concerns about money for now, financial panic too often kills all dialogue about what we would enjoy doing and focuses to closely on practicality. Write down, without being too logical or analytical about it, everything you've ever enjoyed doing or making. The list will be long, very messed up, and in need of being analyzed thoroughly. That's where philosophy comes in; Philosophy is the art clearing up, and demanding logic of our first thoughts.

Thirdly, think a lot.

If it might take a week, to choose a new car, we may need to empty every weekend for months to sort out the biggest conundrum of our lives.

Fourthly, try something.

We can only understand ourselves and others by colliding with the real world, in the process getting to know both it and our own natures. We need to take small, steps to gather information, for example by: shadowing, interning, or volunteering.

Five, be confident.

So many bad self help books are about confidence; it can be tempting to dismiss the whole topic as nonsense; but in a humbling way, it really seems as if the difference between success and failure is sometimes nothing less than the courage to give it a go. Many of the top positions simply belong to those who dare to boldly ask for them.

Anyways,

That's a start of the path towards a job we won't regret on our death beds, which should always be the ultimate criteria.

I hope you guys liked this post it took me a lot longer then many of my others but I think it could be very helpful to my fellow grade 12s who are starting to stress about university applications and opportunities to come.

- Juliette