6 Ways To Find Work You Love by Roman Krznaric
6 Ways To Find Work You Love by Roman Krznaric
6 Ways To Find Work You Love by Roman Krznaric
by Roman Krznaric
The idea of fulfilling work--a job that reflects our passions, talents and values--is a modern
invention. Open Dr. Johnson's celebrated Dictionary, published in 1755, and the word
"fulfilment' doesn't even appear. But today our expectations are higher, which helps explain
why job satisfaction has declined to a record low of 47 percent in the U.S., and is even lower
in Europe.
If you count yourself amongst those who are unhappy in their job, or at least have that
occasional niggling feeling that your work and self are out of alignment, how are you
supposed to go about finding a meaningful career? What does it take to overcome the fear
of change and negotiate the labyrinth of choices, especially in tough economic times?
Here are six pieces of essential wisdom drawn from some of the best brains in the field.
1. Confusion is perfectly normal
First, a consoling thought: being confused about career choice is perfectly normal and utterly
understandable. In the pre-industrial period there were around thirty standard trades--you
might decide to be a blacksmith or a barrel-maker--but now career websites list over 12,000
different jobs. The result? We can become so anxious about making the wrong choice that
we end up making no choice at all, staying in jobs that we have long grown out of.
Psychologist Barry Schwartzcalls this the "paradox of choice': too many options can lead to
decision paralysis, and we are like rabbits caught in the headlights.
Then add to this our built-in aversion to risk. Human beings tend to exaggerate everything
that could possibly go wrong, or as Nobel Prize winning psychologistDaniel Kahneman says,
"we hate losing twice as much as we love winning,' whether at the casino table or when
making career choices. So our brains are not well calibrated for daring to change profession.
We need to recognize that confusion is natural, and get ready to move beyond it.
2. Beware of personality tests
Many people are enticed by personality tests, which claim to be able to assess your
character, and then point you towards a job that is just right for you. It's a reassuring idea,
but the evidence for their usefulness is flimsy. Take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the
world's most popular psychometric test, which places you in one of sixteen personality types.
Despite its ubiquity, the Myers-Briggs has been widely criticised by professional
psychologists for over three decades, partly due to its lack of reliability. If you retake the test
after five weeks, there is around a 50 percent chance that you will be placed into a different
personality category than you were the first time.
then implement' model. You draw up lists of personal strengths, weaknesses, and ambitions,
then match your profile to particular professions; at that point you start sending out
applications. But there's a problem: it typically doesn't work. You might find a new job, but
despite your expectations, it is unlikely to be fulfilling.
Ask successful career changers how to overcome the fear and most say that in the end you
have to stop thinking and just do it.
We need to turn this model on its head. As I explain in this video, instead of thinking then
acting, we should act first and reflect later by trying out jobs in the real world, for example by
shadowing, interning, or volunteering, testing out careers through experiential learning.
Laura van Bouchout gave herself the thirtieth birthday present of spending a whole year
trying thirty different jobs--a kind of "radical sabbatical.' She was manager of a cat hotel,
then shadowed an Member of the European Parliament, and found that working in
advertising was unexpectedly exhilarating.
But don't think that you have to resign on Monday morning to try this. Rather, you can
pursue "branching projects'--what organisational behaviour expertHerminia Ibarra calls
"temporary assignments"--on the side of your existing job. Disenchanted with banking? Then
try teaching yoga or doing freelance web design on the weekends. Such small experiments
can give you the courage to make big--and well-informed--changes.
Challenge yourself: What is your first branching project going to be? And what is the very
first step you can take towards making it happen?
6. Discover a little madness
Changing careers is a frightening prospect: of those who want to leave their jobs,around half
are too afraid to take the plunge. But ultimately, there is no avoiding the fact that it is a risk.
Ask successful career changers how to overcome the fear and most say the same thing: in
the end you have to stop thinking and just do it. That may be why nearly all cultures have
recognized that to live a meaningful and vibrant existence, we need to take some
chances--or else we might end up looking back on our lives with regret.
"Carpe diem," advised the Roman poet Horace: seize the day before it is too late. "If not
now, when?' said the rabbinical sage Hillel the Elder. Personally, I like the way Zorba the
Greek puts it: "A man needs a little madness, or else he never dares to cut the rope and be
free.'
It is only by treating our working lives as an ongoing experiment that we will be able to find a
job that is big enough for our spirits.