This is something I know you’ve probably heard at least once before: Don’t settle for a job, shoot for a career. I even recall touching on this topic in one of my previous articles about whether or not to attend college. I may not be a rocket scientist, but I can tell you with all confidence that this is true.

Allow me to paint the scenario more clearly. You’re sitting at a desk with a stack of papers next to you that you know have to be done. You figured being an accountant would be easy, much easier than majoring in biology. But now that you’re here, you find yourself constantly bored and staring out a window.

Your focus keeps fading in and out, especially after that great lunch you had a few hours ago, and it gets worse by the minute. You think to yourself, “Maybe things would be more fun to be the boss of a doctor’s office. At least then, I’ll get to be in charge.” Yet, somewhere deep down, you know that won’t be any better. So what do you do?

Well, unfortunately, we live in a world where people sometimes feel that you have to go through 12 years of college and be a top-notch expert at something in order to be good. But is it worth the cost and the time if you end up hating every step of it along the way, and at the end? To put it bluntly, no it is not.

I have no authority to tell you what job is right for you. All I can do is reiterate what’s been said by, no doubt, many people already. You want a job that’ll keep you moving through life, not groaning around hoping death will be better.

It may not be a job that’ll give you tons of money. In fact, I hope you don’t get a job like that if it means earning money is your sole focus in life. You want a job that causes you to think, “Yes. This is what I love doing.” For most, if not all jobs, that typically involves helping other people in some way.

The bottom line is that no one job is right for everyone. In fact, the world needs someone at every job in order for us to function in this world.

Finding the right job is not always an easy task. I didn’t decide on being a music major until about halfway through high school, and didn’t decide on music education specifically until freshman orientation.

So, as I said in my College-or-Not article, if you’re still undecided, look at your options and picture yourself doing each one for the rest of your life. Again, I have no authority to make the decision for you. But I know from my own visualizations that just the thought of spending life in a boring job is something no one wants to think about, especially those who are still undecided on their majors. 

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