I have experienced this myself and heard it from fellow employers, young employees resigned and reasoned “this is not the job (scope) I like“.
While there might be some other factors, the main issue here is some of them don’t even know what they really wanted to do in their career.
I used to think that you need to be “passionate” about what you are working on (yes, the statement is still there on our career page). Many startups and career gurus are championing this cause too.
However, I have to admit that running a marketing agency business is not my ultimate dream job. This is just the most practical thing for me to do while I still love some parts of the job.
“Follow your passion, chase your dreams” sounds ideal but not everything goes along with your plan in reality. However, something else might work out at the end as a reward for your efforts.
For example, some aspired to become a singer but ended up as a music producers, some wanted to become a pilot but ended up in aircraft engineering, and so on.
What if you are not equipped with any specialized skill sets, and you don’t know what you want yet?
Shouldn’t you try harder in a job that you don’t hate, instead of declaring your disinterest without any persistence?
It is disheartening to see candidates keep jumping ships in search of their “true love”, but they have never persisted in trying to excel in one of those jobs. Here are some of the common excuses:
- I don’t think I like the job scope, this is not something I want.
- I don’t know what I like yet, that’s why I need to keep trying.
- I would like to try another industry as I am still young.
While I can understand why fresh graduates can be clueless, you might want to reflect on yourself if you are still soul-searching while your peers are already promoted in their jobs.
Have you tried harder? Do you think that you could get a dream job and love every moment of it? Are you just giving yourself excuses (for lacking grit)?
Growing your career is like maintaining a love relationship
Imagine if you love writing and you were super excited to join a reputable online media company. However, reality hits when you are required to write like a photostat machine in order to fulfill the KPIs.
This is like you fell for a charming guy, but only to find out later that you dislike many of his small habits.
You started to think that this boyfriend (job) is not for you. Perhaps, there isn’t any guy (job) in the world that will suit you 100%.
Yes, you can change boyfriends but if you are not serious in any of the relationships, bad karma strikes and you might not end up with the best option, oops 😛
In reality, you have to accept some of his shortcomings and make a huge effort to go far together. A relationship can’t last long without your persistence (and his).
Likewise, working is about solving problems, doing things repeatedly, and becoming a master of your domain. When you are experienced and master of something, your chance will come, nothing comes before hard work.
Ambition is the path to success, persistence is the vehicle you arrive in. Good luck to you if you always think there is a better path but you never attempt to switch gears in any of them.
