One question I use to think about my career
As a 1980s Singapore kid, I grew up thinking a good education will land me a great job, and this great job will set me up for success in life. On 15th Sept, 2008, I realised that that was a lie.
My real career journey started in 2009. While I secured my degree in Economics, I had also the luxury of hopping through multiple jobs, slid through different industries, and had my career trajectory altered a few times. I don’t see myself as a career coach, but I want to document what I have learned in my own career journey, be it as a self reflection, a sharing to interested individuals, or just as an opportunity to practice my writing. A switch from SQL and Python to English is always a welcoming treat once in a while.
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles — Sun Tze, The Art of War
Very early on in my career, I find myself hating what I was doing. With enough time (about two months only), I started to learn to hate myself for hating my job. This very first lesson was to always ask myself this - “What am I able to tolerate in my job?” More broadly speaking, “What are my hard constraints?” Examples include:
- I want a high paying job (to feed my family).
- I want a great boss that I can grow and learn from.
- I cannot relocate because I am getting married soon.
- I want a stable job with a good work-life balance.
- I want a dynamic work environment where I feel challenged daily.
- I cannot stand a 9–7 desk bound job as I find it boring and unfulfilling.
In an era of information- and choice-overload, knowing your hard constraints can help streamline your career choices and eliminate some unnecessary trouble. This definitely requires knowledge of different industries, and it is a topic that I will cover in a separate post. Identifying career good-to-haves versus hard constraints will make certain career choices easier than they actually seem.
The only thing that is constant is change — Heraclitus
Personally, I asked myself about my hard constraints quite a few times when I was entering the job market as a fresh graduate, and it is still the question that I ask myself when evaluating new job opportunities. Our preferences change. Our lifestyle, life stages and priorities will change too. A hard constraint from a few years back could now a low priority. And even if my preferences don’t change, I may still have to change to adapt to changing external conditions that are beyond me. From changes in your company’s direction and culture, to having a new manager and colleagues leaving for greener pastures, we are all living in a world of constant change. And when things do change, you need review your situation accordingly.
Concluding Thoughts
Looking back, I realised that when I was entering the National University of Singapore (NUS) as a bubbly, high-spirited young soul, I set myself to learn as much as I could, hoping that it will land me a respectable, high-paying job. What I realise later on is that I also needed to learn more about myself, and how I want to interact with the world around me. Asking myself about my hard constraints got me to understand the job and career that I want, and that slowly translated to the lifestyle that I want, and ultimately, who I want to be.
Naturally, things don’t become great once I knew what my hard constaints are. I still need to work on achieving them, but that will be for another post, for another day.
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