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IS IT JUST ABOUT THE MONEY?
Well, if it is, consider a career as a financial planner, computer techie
or epidemiologist according to Fast Company because those are just three
of the top 25 jobs this magazine picked as the top-paying professions in
the future. Of course, if you’re looking up ‘epidemiologist’, it’s
probably not the career choice for you.
For some, it is all about the money and the great toys it buys. Cool cars,
surround sound and two cell phones (16% of cell phone users carry two) are
usually some of the first purchases for the new hire landing her first
six-figure pay check. Indeed, money, the quality of life and financial
independence are great motivators to get up and go to work everyday.
But for some, the toys don’t matter as much, financial independence isn’t
even a consideration and quality of life isn’t measured in an asset
portfolio.
The Emotional Rewards
There are lots of people making lots of money who go to work everyday to a
job they hate. There are just as many people who go to work everyday to a
low-paying job that they love. They love it because the job provides so
much more than dollars and cents.
Pegasus Therapeutic Riding is a non-profit located in upscale Darien,
Connecticut. The organization provides therapeutic horseback riding
instruction to children and adults with a variety of physical and
emotional special needs. It’s a remarkable organization, but because it’s
non-profit, the instructors and support staff don’t make a great deal of
money.
“The first time an autistic child speaks is something that stays with you
for a lifetime,” one instructor was quick to point out. Though they live
in an expensive region, these dedicated pros find reward beyond the pay
check. And they count themselves lucky to have these experiences in their
lives.
Teachers, nurses, law enforcement and emergency rescue personnel don’t
make the kind of money a CEO makes, but most of them wouldn’t change
careers for a bigger salary. To these people, it’s more important to
receive the emotional rewards a career provides.
Job Status
What’s the first thing you ask someone you’ve just met? “So, tell me Jim,
what’s your line of work?” We always want to know what the other party
guests do, right? Sure. We define each other by the work we do.
Ask any employee of the Internal Revenue Service how popular he is when
people discover he audits tax returns. And you just know that morticians
are going to have trouble making chit chat over the canapés. What do you
talk about at parties?
All jobs carry status in our society. High on the list are college
professors (must be very smart), doctors (modern day wizards), religious
leaders (good hearts) and school teachers (large buckets of patience).
Low on the status list are politicians (all crooks), used car salespeople
(all crooks), stock brokers (sales hype), telemarketers (annoying) and the
folks who scrape up road kill (Yuck!).
But notice that status isn’t related to earning power. Most religious
leaders don’t make huge salaries, but still hold high-status positions in
our society. Conversely, successful stock brokers usually clear six
figures annually, but most of their clients would consider brokers a
necessary evil.
Status isn’t related to salary. But it is related to your self-esteem.
Self-Esteem
If you have high self-esteem, you think you’re doing okay in the world. If
you have low self-esteem, you can’t figure out why your career lacks
traction. You aren’t getting anywhere, you don’t like your job, you don’t
like your life and you don’t like yourself or your cat or your apartment.
The fact is, that not only do we define others by how they earn a living,
we also define ourselves by the work we do. Our professions and careers
become woven into the fabric of our self-image--the way we see ourselves
and believe that others see us, as well.
And over the years, our society has attempted to increase the self-esteem
factor by changing job titles and descriptions. Janitors are now
sanitation engineers and Wal-Mart clerks are associates. It’s all part of
improving the image the job projects to the rest of the world. Let’s face
it, automobile broker sounds better than used car salesperson.
What About the Other Benefits?
Flex-time, an in-house day care, summers off, a great health plan, company
car – there’s more to most jobs than the bottom line, especially in this
hectic work-a-day world in which time has more value than cold, hard cash.
Most parents will swap flex time and telecommuting for a bigger paycheck
because those benefits also improve quality of life. More senior employees
will seek out good health plans. New hires seek opportunities to advance.
There are as many reasons for taking a job as there are people who take
them.
And What Does This Mean to You?
It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out in a career or thinking
about a mid-life career change. If you focus solely on the salary, you’re
limiting your options and your chances to really improve the overall
quality of life.
Weigh the other factors – benefits, job status, self-esteem and the
emotional and psychological benefits – that a job offers. You’ll expand
your career horizons and you’ll more likely find true happiness on the
job.
And that’s the most important consideration of all.
Read more
articles from Teena Rose |
Writers
Profile
Teena Rose is a columnist, public speaker, and
certified/published resume writer with
Resume to Referral. She’s
authored several books, including "How
to Design, Write, and Compile a Quality Brag Book,
20-Minute
Cover Letter Fixer, and
Cracking the
Code to Pharmaceutical Sales.
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