Alicia McKay
If you crave meaningful work, it might not happen by accident. Here's how to shape a fulfilling career by asking five questions.
You spend a lot of time at work.
One-third of your life is spent at work. According to some estimates, people spend an average of 90,000 hours at work - so what you do for a job matters!
If you're lucky, you'll have a meaningful and fulfilling career by accident. If not, you will need to put a bit of extra intention into your choices regarding work.
In this article, we'll look at how you can take charge of your career and build more meaning and fulfilment into your 90,000 hours by asking five killer questions.
2. What do I want out of my life?
1. What do I care about?
The first step in shaping a fulfilling career is to identify your passions. What are the things that excite you and make you feel energised? What activities do you enjoy, even if they aren't work-related?
When you know what makes you tick, you can explore careers that align with your interests and provide opportunities for personal fulfilment.
If you love helping others, consider career paths that offer a solid path to contribution - like social work, counselling, or non-profit management. If science and technology are your thing, look closely at engineering, software development, or research. You get the gist.
⚡️ Write a list of all the things that light you up, and see what comes out.
2. What do I want out of my life?
Too many people get halfway through their careers and wonder how they got there. For many people, that's fine.
But if you're reading an article on how to shape a more fulfilling career, you might need something else.
Unless you have an intention, you're vulnerable to winding up on someone else's path. By defining what you want to achieve, you set your internal Google off to find the opportunities and options that will get you there, and you'll see yourself more focused and motivated along the way.
Don't panic too much about a detailed plan - it will be irrelevant as soon as you start. Instead, play the long game. Think about the legacy you'd like to leave and the impact you'd want to have, and take small steps that align with that.
With a clear endgame and a flexible attitude, you dramatically increase your chance of getting somewhere you're proud of.
Need help getting clear on your long-term plan? Download this free resource to help you play the long game!
3. What are my values?
If you want fulfilment, you'll need work that aligns with your values. Once we know what drives us, the gaps and gnawing feelings in our current situation become easier to understand, and we can take action to change it.
We decide how we spend our time, attention, and energy daily. Those actions reflect our values. When we know and live our values, we're more connected to our behaviour and can focus on what matters.
To find your values, try asking what you most detest in others. The reverse is what you care about. If stinginess is upsetting, then you value generosity. If lateness offends, you value promptness. If groupthink grinds your gears, you value independence.
For bonus points, try upgrading your values. Mark Manson argues that not all values are created equally. Wrong values are based on uncontrollable and destructive emotions, while good ones centre on controllable and constructive evidence. We make distorted, short-term decisions when we let our feelings drive. But when we've chosen our values carefully, we can override those instincts and make choices that count.
Try replacing low-level values with more abstract versions. If you chase money, seek freedom. If you crave popularity, prioritise connection. Most importantly, commit to values that you have agency over.
You can't always control how much money you have or whether people like you, but you can control how you manage your time and how genuine you are.
You can certainly control what you do for a job - and you can make sure it lines up with your core values. Do that, and your 90,000 hours will feel much more rewarding.
4. What do I need to learn?
Once you're clearer on the things you're into, think about the skills you need to pursue a career in that field - and don't limit yourself to the standard options either. You might require a degree or certification, but you might not. What classes or workshops are available to you? How could you get some hands-on experience through shadowing, internships or volunteering?
It's worth thinking outside the box on this one. It's never been easier to learn a new skill than it is right now, and until you know what's involved in a career, you won't know whether you love it. I've always harboured a secret goal to write fiction, but rather than committing to a year-long programme, I've signed up for a one-week workshop, and I've been busy getting my word count to make it happen. After that, I'll have a clearer idea of whether I'm cut out for it - and whether I like it!
Take small steps. If software development is your jam, learn a programming language and build something small.
5. Who do I know?
You know the adage - it's not what you know, but who you know! Hopefully, we've moved on a bit from the nepotism of yore, but relationships are still a huge asset when it comes to shifting and shaping careers.
When you get to know others in your industry or field of interest, you can learn more about what's involved, get an early heads-up about job opportunities, gain valuable insights into the industry, and connect with potential mentors or colleagues.
It's an excellent time to be a networker, too. Try attending industry events and conferences or joining a professional organisation. Follow people you admire on LinkedIn and engage with their posts, webinars, and events. Could you send ten coffee requests and cross your fingers that one person says yes? Either way, the ticket is to make an effort. Good things happen when you're proactive and reach out to others rather than waiting for opportunities to come to you.