Is Work All I am Meant to do?

 “Get an education and a good job with health insurance” is something that I have been told to do ever since I was a young girl in school. My grandpa was a hard worker, but he knew that working outdoors was something that he did not want his children or grandchildren to do. My stepdad was a college graduate that had a successful career and encouraged us to never get our hands dirty at work. My mother worked receptionist and secretary jobs, but she never wanted me to live paycheck to paycheck. These are the people that were the closest to me and had completely different experiences in their careers but the main thing they wanted me to do was to become educated and find a stable job. I have had a recent realization while having a major anxiety attack at work that this is not all I am meant to do.

Ever since I was a little kid, I never wanted to be in a cubicle job. I have always been artistic and love creating things with my hands. When I graduated high school, I knew that I was not ready to go to college or get a full-time job. I had a job in the restaurant industry but decided to move to Mexico to become a volunteer for an organization. This was not something that my loved ones were thrilled about. I mean I was supposed to be in school and further my education, right? Although I was not in college or working a full-time job I felt as if I was fulfilling a purpose. I was helping people and that made me happy. 

When returned home from living in Mexico for almost 2 years, it was like I was returning to a foreign planet. I had immersed myself in the Mexican culture and Spanish language and I was not ready to leave it all behind. Once home my family expected me to get a respectable job or go back to school. I got a new job in the retail industry, but it was not something I was particularly excited about, I felt like I was no longer fulfilling my purpose of helping people. I was just miserable in the small town I was living in and decided it was time for me to leave again. I produced a plan with my cousins, and I decided to move back to Phoenix. When I got to Phoenix it felt like I was in the right place at the right time. 

 A family friend suggested I apply for a job for the company she was working for in banking. Since I was looking for a job, I applied, and I ended up getting the job. This was a job that you could be proud of, right? It was full-time, had great benefits, amazing PTO and pay. I remain with the same company and have gotten many promotions, pay increases, incentives, and bonuses. I have everything that was expected of me but why do I still feel like it is not enough? Why am I not fulfilling the purpose I know I am meant to fulfill?

When I was researching why my generation is in their careers the following quote was found in a Forbes survey by Vanessa McGrady “They want a job that fuels their sense of purpose and a manager who shows them how their efforts advance the company's mission. By meeting Millennials' need for purpose, leaders, and managers are more likely to retain these workers.” I feel that my generation needs to fulfill their purpose in order to be happy in their jobs. Previous generations held onto jobs due to recessions, depressions, and the dire need to survive. I believe that what our generation lives through affects the jobs we look for and how fulfilled we feel doing our jobs. I believe that there is not just one way to live your life. Traditional jobs and education are not for every but if we feel we are completing our purpose and finding something that makes us happy, we are making the world a better place for future generations.   

 

 

 

 

McGrady, Vanessa. “New Survery: Three Main Reasons Why Millennials Quit Their Jobs”. Forbes Personal Finance Section Online. November 29, 2016. https://www.forbes.com/sites/vanessamcgrady/2016/11/29/survey-three-main-reasons-why-millennials-quit-their-jobs/?sh=48e10b3622ae