Publish on September 24, 2019

You’re Not Meant To Do What You Love

Guy Clennett

Maybe you aren’t meant to do what you love, but maybe you aren’t meant to do what you hate either.

Have you ever wondered why you may not have ended up in the career you were passionate about? Maybe you grew up thinking you would become a nurse and suddenly you’ve found yourself in a call centre, or even some law firm; despite being so caught up on the fact that it was an area you never thought you’d end up in.

Well, maybe you’ve eventually reached the conclusion that you simply aren’t meant to do what you love. But what exactly happens when you come to that question? And exactly how true is it?

It’s very simple really, not everyone ends up where they originally thought they would; however, this does not mean that you’re going to be trapped there forever; a new career change is always possible if you develop the new skills necessary for the career or dream job you’ve always wanted.

According to ‘career change statistics’ it is very unlikely that a person will stay in the one job until they retire. In fact, the average person is said to change careers 5-7 times in their work-life. And, in addition to this statistic, with the rise of new job opportunities, and so, by the age of around 42 this could mean most people would have had around 10 different jobs according to this statistic.

In the workforce 30% of people will change jobs every 12 months.

With this startling statistic in mind, can we really say that we aren’t meant to do what we love?

Well, most people tend to stay in the job they don’t love because they’re too scared to leave, or the extra study and skills they would require for a career change might lead them to stay where they are.

This could be why more than 70% of workers say that they aren’t satisfied with their career choice.

With this constant feeling of dissatisfaction with work, it’s no wonder why an estimated 90 million sick days are taken off per year by Australians in the workforce with what is being called the “sickie epidemic”.

With that many sick days being taken; it has been said that the reasons are due to work pressure and a strong level of disinterest by employees in relation to their career, leading to a decline in mental health; this is why job satisfaction and a healthy work environment is so important in any current career.

How can you change careers when you start finding that you don’t like what you’re doing?

Firstly, go for a career you’re interested in

Maybe you’ve always had a passion for law, but after years of study you ended up working in a call centre and you find that it isn’t for you. But what exactly can you do to work your way into an area of work that reflects all your characteristics and strengths? Well, one of the first ways to start changing careers is to highlight all the things you’re good at and interested in; this means that when you change to a new job, you’re far more likely to be productive knowing you have a high amount of interest in it.

Gain all the skills and qualifications necessary for your career change

If you’re passionate about a certain area of work, then it’s essential that you ensure you have all the skills and qualifications needed. This can usually be easily obtained through online Diplomas and courses which adds to the convenience of studying and working at the same time. That way, if you’re stuck on how to change into a career of interest, then you can easily be studying online whilst still doing your current job at the same time even if you work full-time. Some Diploma’s might only take 6 months to complete, making it an ideal scenario for you to change into your ideal career when you’re ready knowing you have the skill set for it.

Make sure you’re aware of the job description and all the things your new job requires of you

When applying for any job, it’s important that you know all the information about what it would require of you. This is because, if you’re a chosen candidate, you may move on to the next stage: the job interview. During this process you will often be asked numerous question that will centre around the career you’re looking at getting into. If you lack a lot of research on that job area, then you will often won’t be successful. This is why it’s essential to ensure you know exactly what all the requirements are prior to applying for your chosen job for the best results in your new field of work.

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And so, with all this information in mind, knowing that the majority of people in the workforce have an average of 5-7 career changes this could mean that maybe it’s not a matter of “you aren’t meant to do what you love” but more of an idea that you aren’t meant to do what you hate either.

It’s important to understand that a change to your desired new career path is always likely if you gain all the skills, qualifications, research and, most importantly, motivation to achieve your dream job and you’ll be on your way to the perfect career in no time.