If you were to make a list of what you would expect the perfect career to deliver… What would you put on it?
Let’s start with the “NO” list first because this is what people want to get away from and what we think of first when we don’t like about their present situation.
Here are some of the top components that make that NOT WANT list:
• No alarm clock
• No politics
• No boss
• No overhead
• No inventory
• No dress code
• No employees
• No discrimination
• No glass ceiling
• No skills required when you start
• No age limit
• No background necessary
• No education requirement
• No supervision
• No traffic
The WANT list when it comes to the perfect career:
• Unlimited income
• No J.O.B. – just over broke – to report to daily
• Creates freedom – time and money
• Passive income
• Unlimited income
• Choices
• Travel
• Freedom
• Rewarding relationships
• Equal opportunity
• Work anywhere
** Feel free to add your WANTS & NOT WANTs in the comment section below **
So instead of the opposing, how do you make this “Want” list become reality for you (that is if it sounds appealing to you)?
First let’s cover the ~
5 Ways to Make a Living in The World.
I’m going to cover the first two types here and conclude in my next article on the remaining three.
1. Blue collar work - or manual labor
Like: Fixing something, providing a service. Manual labor, building something, cleaning something.
There is definitely a certain amount of satisfaction in this type of work. It’s a good feeling at the conclusion of a job well.
Believe it or not, doctors would be considered blue collar workers.
Can it deliver, completely, on the perfect career list?
No. Not even close.
Is it recession proof? Meaning when the economy tanks, is you income in jeopardy?
No. Blue collar work is not recession proof.
Ask anyone who has worked in landscape development, building profession or cleaning services.
This work is hard, physically, on the body… Getting up at five a.m., being on call, laborious, demanding, and sometimes very dangerous.
I’ve done plenty of blue collar work in the past. One job, I worked for a fiber optic company doing manual labor and I liked it because it felt good at the end of the day. I felt like I really accomplished something after a hard day’s work. The pay was awesome. I paid off my new $11,000 car in 7 months with that job (what would you expect from a 19 yr old?). Guess what happened? When I was sent home after a car accident? My income stopped too.
That kind of work also definitely takes its toll on the body. I was only twenty years old when I did it. A couple of my family members ended up starting their own business in that field. Here’s what happened though…
When the recession hit, the government started pulling back on funding and therefore the communications side of development went down. There were less bids and less work. Not only did that government subsidy dissipate, but so did the domain so the work force was obviously affected. The jobs that were so coveted for so long because of good pay and four day workweeks were suddenly half in number leaving many struggling to keep their head above water because they had built a life based on that income. Everyone working at that military proving ground was afraid to turn around, that they may be the next one let go.
2. Let’s talk white-collar work - Going to work for someone else... being a part of someone else’s dream... plugging into the matrix of society.
Again, there’s a level of satisfaction here to: job well done, good work ethics get rewarded, part of a team, common goal, not too much physical stress because there isn’t a lot of risk. The thing about white collar though is there is a lot of mental and emotional stress. The politics involved can drive some mad in some work environments. Many people end up switching careers because the grass seems greener someplace else.
But can it deliver everything on our “Perfect Career” list. No.
For a long time this model was viewed as secure. Go to school, gain a skill (you may or may not use in your career), get a degree, get a job, retire after 40 years and live off a pension, social security, or IRA. Do you realize that a slim 5% of America’s society actually retire financially independent? Again though. This model has also taken a beating over the years. Most people also switch jobs several times over the course.
What happens in the typical white collar scenario when you get good? You become disposable. Why? Because you can be replaced by someone younger, fresh out of training that has more drive and who isn’t demanding a higher pay every couple years because of seniority or experience.
Companies actually pay simply for the function now, not for seniority.
When you work for someone else in the "white collar" arena, you have a couple choices.
1. To achieve and perform. If it’s in you to achieve and perform because you’re going to “take the company to the top!”, then the people all around you start taking shots at you. The moment you decide to achieve, you become a target. Then you know what? Politics become the one thing you have to master.
These people maximize themselves and minimize others around them. Sad, but true.
2. To hide. Just blend in… Don’t make waves, don’t go against the grain, don’t pick sides or be innovative. Just do what you can to survive and go quiet… unnoticed. Do what you have to stay tied to that blood-line called a paycheck.
To find the conclusion of this article where I get into the other three most common career types, hit this link ~>> "The Perfect Career - Part II".
I'd like to leave you with this…
What if there were other avenues to create an income that doesn’t force you into a cubicle or limit your ambition and innovation. Where you can create freedom from the matrix, from survival mode, from the monotonous treadmill… What if you could create an income that is in your control?
One that a physical impairment or injury in the course of your career won’t hold back your compensation. You can even get paid…
while you sleep.
What if someone showed you the door and all you had to do was take a peek?
Would you keep an open mind when exploring new forms of income now available in the 21st century?
If so, then take a tiny peek here ~>> Explore Freedom (2 min video)
Throughout history, the idea of freedom was ventured into by the ones bold enough to explore it. They weren’t going to stay trapped under someone else’s control and decisions that dictated their outcome. They decided to make a new way for others to be free as well. How badly do you want complete freedom in your life?
What are you willing to do to fulfill the “Perfect Career” in your life?
Tell me more about your perfect career. Leave comments below.
Also see ~ The Perfect Career Survey- Explore Freedom
