I often think about my own career choices, and the various pros and cons of the 5 companies I have worked for over the past 7 years. What I have always considered and ruminated on in each of the opportunities, can be boiled down to a blend of economics (opportunity costs/trade-offs), psychology (motivations/self-interest), and philosophy (why/what’s the purpose/point?). Things that would often cross my mind are and consume my thoughts were focused around: how can my time best be utilized, what is the point of what I’m doing, and do I care about what I am doing here every day?
I basically analyzed my job the way a business would look at their costs, benefits and trade-offs.
For example-
If I do this job (x), what do I give up in return for doing x?
If I have a job that pays me 80k annually to sell their product, what am I giving up in exchange?
Or, you could be bit more touchy-feely about it -
1) I love my job, and it’s pushing me closer to where I want to be = win – win.
2) I hate my job, and all I get out of it is money = almost a complete loss.
3) I am learning, I like my co-workers, it’s not my dream job, dislike my manager = a messier breakdown of trade-offs.
However, if it’s anything other than a win-win, and exactly what you would like to be doing then you should acknowledge that there are some tradeoffs, long and short term.
You could be traveling ir inventing the next app for the iPhone. You could be practicing a musical instrument, or even searching for the job you really want!
That’s why for some matters in life, clearly not all are appropriate, I like to look at life like a series of trade-offs and ask myself what is going to get me the best return and utility?
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