Career Choices

[Anastasia13]

In the long term, is it better to go with what is fun or what you admire? (This question is primarily aimed at career choices)

[Luigi]

In my experience, career choices are not about fun. If you want fun, go to Six Flags.

Choose a career that lets you use all of your intelligence, your skills, your gifts, and that appeals to your interests, but that also lets you do the most good for the most people (including yourself). Choose a career that will challenge you to continually use your intelligence & gifts and improve your skills. If you're doing something interesting, challenging, and beneficial, you'll feel satisfied and rewarded. Fun is ephemeral, satisfying & rewarding endure.

[CatherineM]

There is a difference between career and vocation. My father's true vocation was to be a dad. He held down a very nasty job in order to pursue his vocation, ie, take care of all of us kids. My vocation is as a teacher and writer. My career was as an attorney. It wasn't much fun. When you can make your vocation and your career overlap, that's when you will be happiest.

[MIKolbe]

[quote name='Light and Truth' timestamp='1293454636' post='2194622']
In the long term, is it better to go with what is fun or what you admire? (This question is primarily aimed at career choices)
[/quote]
require more info...though it would be nice if the choices were not mutually exclusive.

[MithLuin]

You do want to pick a career that you can be excited about, that you enjoy working at (not all aspects of it, perhaps, but at least *something* you can get into), that you find rewarding/fulfilling, and that you can be proud of getting involved in.

But you also want to pick a career that puts food on the table and supports your family.

Love and money.

You can live on less money than you might have thought...if you are doing something really worthwhile. And a job that makes gobs of money, but isn't one you love, will burn you out pretty fast.

I'm a Catholic school teacher. I'm not married and I don't have any kids. I can easily do whatever I want on my salary, and I really like my job. My college degree was in chemical engineering. Obviously, that's more lucrative, but for various reasons I decided I didn't want to do that. I'm happy with my choices.

[Anastasia13]

[quote name='Luigi' timestamp='1293476252' post='2194646']
In my experience, career choices are not about fun. If you want fun, go to Six Flags.

Choose a career that lets you use all of your intelligence, your skills, your gifts, and that appeals to your interests, but that also lets you do the most good for the most people (including yourself). Choose a career that will challenge you to continually use your intelligence & gifts and improve your skills. If you're doing something interesting, challenging, and beneficial, you'll feel satisfied and rewarded. Fun is ephemeral, satisfying & rewarding endure.
[/quote]
Can you do more good as an economist studying small business development as it relates to policies and various resources in different countries and less developed parts of the US and what can be learned from one area to apply to the other, or as a civil rights/immigration lawyer volunteering with non-profits, working as an international lawyer at an international organization to help small businesses/designers export arts overseas?

I could aspire to bank management in an honest organization or something corporate, but I don't know. I majored in finance to understand how businesses make decisions when my dad was laid off and I realized that in business it's almost always about the money. I wanted to major in economics but I also wanted to get a job, hence a business degree. I stayed in the major to finish my degree. I during this time I returned to an interest in international/intercultural stuff. I really enjoyed my corporate finance course, but I know that this is a hard field to get into. The CFO usually comes from accounting, which I have some educational background in but does not come easily to me.

On a side note, I want to be a part-time professor when, if God provides, I have middle school-high school children. I want to be a writer including comedy and probably a book on culture clumping inspired by observation and relating to white privilege. I enjoy learning about culture and religion. My undergrad was in finance. I would teach econ well because I know what it is like to take undergrad courses similar to this and I tutored finance. I would do well in law because I have a clear mind for analyzing situations from different angles.

[IcePrincessKRS]

I would choose the career path that I found most satisfying. I wouldn't look for fun or admiration, but with what I will be good at and content with.

[Anastasia13]

[quote name='IcePrincessKRS' timestamp='1293633522' post='2194909']
I would choose the career path that I found most satisfying. I wouldn't look for fun or admiration, but with what I will be good at and content with.
[/quote]
When I say admiration, I don't mean from others but from my own views of what I admire in others work.

[IcePrincessKRS]

[quote name='Light and Truth' timestamp='1293676191' post='2195086']
When I say admiration, I don't mean from others but from my own views of what I admire in others work.
[/quote]

Yeah, that's what I thought you meant. What I mean is, there are lots of things I admire that I know I cannot do myself. Picking something I admire isn't a particular goal for me, but choosing something I know is well suited to my talents is essential.

[Guest dressale]

I could aspire to bank management in an honest organization or something corporate, but I don't know. I majored in finance to understand how businesses make decisions when my dad was laid off and I realized that in business it's almost always about the money. I wanted to major in economics but I also wanted to get a job, hence a business degree. I stayed in the major to finish my degree. I during this time I returned to an interest in international/intercultural stuff. I really enjoyed my corporate finance course, but I know that this is a hard field to get into. The CFO usually comes from accounting, which I have some educational background in but does not come easily to me.

[liseski]

the more that you are passionate about what you do, the less it seems like work

[Anastasia13]

[quote name='liseski' timestamp='1293687887' post='2195131']
the more that you are passionate about what you do, the less it seems like work
[/quote]
I am very interested in other cultures and worldviews. I like theology and political philosophy though I lack knowledge of the latter (I enjoy logical argumentation). I enjoy math and economics. I have a degree in finance. I need a job. Can you make a suggestion?

Edited December 30, 2010 by Light and Truth

[liseski]

[quote name='Light and Truth' timestamp='1293692172' post='2195154']
I am very interested in other cultures and worldviews. I like theology and political philosophy though I lack knowledge of the latter (I enjoy logical argumentation). I enjoy math and economics. I have a degree in finance. I need a job. Can you make a suggestion?
[/quote]

Wow. Anything you want, it sounds like.
Do you speak any other languages? Foreign service comes to mind.....

[Anastasia13]

[quote name='liseski' timestamp='1293693855' post='2195162']
Wow. Anything you want, it sounds like.
Do you speak any other languages? Foreign service comes to mind.....
[/quote]
Bits and pieces. Nothing substantial.

[rachael]

try some study abroad programs....