Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe, Which Job Will Really Bring in the Dough?

The end goal for most students is to join the workforce. Gone are the days of the Renaissance Man, when knowledge was valuable for its own sake. Also, at that point, it was humanly possible to know all that was known and to read all that had been written (in English, anyway). Now, however, education is a means to an end, and that ‘end,’ i.e. job, requires joining the rat race along with everyone else.

Many want to skip the step of preparation and go straight to success. Ah, come on, who does not secretly wish for this? What computer programmer wouldn’t want to be the next Bill Gates? What skateboarder does not wish to have the success and popularity of Tony Hawk? However, it is not necessary to be outrageously wealthy or famous to be happy with your career. You can, as the song says, whistle while you work, as long as you have the right attitude.

The steps to job satisfaction are simple, but hard to master. Number one: get the training that will make you marketable. You don’t have to be a doctor or lawyer to earn a good living. Plumbers make plenty of money, and are always needed. Number two: Have a positive outlook about your skills and your profession. We all eat out, and a well-managed restaurant will keep customers coming back, so put a smile on and be a darned good restaurant manager if that is where your career path takes you! Number three: Be happy with the knowledge that you are employed, no matter that your job is not glamorous, exciting or even particularly fulfilling. Don’t fall for the “if you’re not fulfilled, you’re in the wrong place” line. Fulfillment is in the eye of the beholder, and being grateful you can pay your bills and drive to work goes a long way toward your personal job satisfaction.