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Quick Career Advice Reply 6. Your Career May Need More “Structure” Dear Ann: I am a financial analyst with 20 years experience in my field. I wish I could figure out how to enjoy my work as much as my hobbies. I love tinkering with old cars, but dread Mondays. One of the keys to finding satisfaction in your work is knowing if you have strong aptitude for mechanical, “hands-on” work. There is a simple paper and pencil test for it, matching diagrams of “wiggly” blocks representing three dimensional objects seen from different angles. Even without a test for 3-D ability, some people know that that they can more easily figure out how things work than others. They often begin assembling a new product without needing to read the directions. They just know intuitively how it works. Often people with this ability are discouraged from pursuing a career that involves mechanical work since it may be viewed as having lower status or pay than work requiring more education. Also, many people, especially women, may not have been encouraged in this area. Schools, too, are offering fewer classes that bring mechanical ability to light. For many multi-ability people, it is just one of many talents that they have and seemingly not the most significant. However, this is one aptitude that demands expression or an outlet. People with mechanical or “structural” ability who spend most of their time dealing with abstract work involving words, numbers, feelings, and relationships often start to feel around middle-age that their work feels meaningless. They report feeling that there is nothing substantial that they are doing with their lives, nothing they can really point to as an outcome of their labors. This could be the explanation for your problem.* A solution does not necessarily have to involve abandoning your present career and skills developed over decades, but finding a way to see more tangible results from your efforts or feel more identified with a product. For example Tom, an attorney specializing in contracts, decided to spend more time acquiring and rehabbing older buildings, a field where his legal expertise was put to good use but which gave him a greater feeling of connection to something “structural” and real. Mac, an information analyst, now applies his skills in an industry that manufactures complex equipment. If you are feeling discontented in your work, you need to figure out what to change before making a change. Very often examining or testing your natural talents may bring the answer to light. A 10% shift in the direction of your work can often make a 100% difference in how you feel about your life. |
