We live in a society where it is not clear how to design a satisfying career
- See your career as a series of stepping stones, not a linear path or ladder.
There’s an unstated view that careers are still linear. Though most people do accept that the “career ladder” metaphor is broken, the majority of professionals still attempt to somehow increase the “slope” of their career trajectory, causing them significant stress. (How do you increase the slop of a line that doesn’t actually exist?”)
The “career ladder” metaphor is broken
- Seek legacy, mastery, and freedom — in that order.
So then, in which direction should you move? We can look to experts to guide our thinking on this.
- Legacy. A higher purpose, a mission, a cause. This means knowing that in some way — large or small — the world will be a better place after you’ve done your work.
- Mastery. This refers to the art of getting better and better at skills and talents that you enjoy using, to the extent that they become intertwined with your identity. Picture a Jedi, or a Samurai, or a master blacksmith.
- Freedom. The ability to choose who you work with, what projects you work on, where and when you work each day, and getting paid enough to responsibly support the lifestyle that you want.
Let go of the idea that careers are linear
- Treat your career like a grand experiment.
In ReWork’s experience, people who are successful in finding — and maintaining — meaningful work (that also pays them well) approach their careers like a grand experiment.
All of the things you think you know about what you want to be doing, what you’re good at, what people want to hire you to do (and at what salary), how different organizations operate, etc. are hypotheses that can be validated or invalidated with evidence — either from the first-hand experience of trying something (including bite-sized projects), or second-hand from asking the right questions of the right people.
Your career is not just a way to earn a living, it’s your chance to discover what you’re here for
Your work should be an adventure with a healthy dose of magic and mystery along the way.