Career Purpose: How to Find a Meaningful Job
A young woman smiling and standing in front of a whiteboard.
To find your purpose in life, you should first consider your passions. What are you passionate about in life? And can you realistically, strategically, and financially leverage this passion into a career?
After all, the saying goes that if you do something you love, then you will never work a day in your life. But that’s a lot easier said than done...
We don’t always get to do what we want in life.
And from the time we are children in school, we learn that we should get a job, maybe have a family, a home, and be grateful for everything we get in life.
However, it can be hard to get ahead in the United States professionally, even with the requisite qualifications and skills.
For example, many people looking for work in the hyper-competitive job market usually can’t find work to suit their needs, even if they are qualified.
About 60% of workers with a bachelor’s degree are underemployed. Or, they have one or more part-time jobs whose skill requirements are unrelated to their college degrees.
For additional context, only 36% of workers with a bachelor’s degree get a job and salary commensurate with their skills, education, and training.
Over 60% of the college students who graduate end up becoming underemployed. In other words, they end up taking jobs with low pay. And these jobs are the kind that doesn’t require a college degree to attain.
Barely 36% of college students end up getting a job and salary they qualify for relative to their degree. And the average American makes about $51,000 annually.
Additionally, the American dream may be just that – a dream. Due to intentional wage stagnation, American wages have stayed the same since 1979 while the cost of living has continued to rise.
And due to the recent pandemic, lockdowns, and disruptions to everyday life, Americans seem to want more. In a phenomenon called The Great Resignation, over 4 million Americans have abruptly quit their job every month for the past six months.
It is the highest number of mass resignations since the early 2000s.
Why? Even though there are plentiful jobs available, many are low-paying. Americans want better pay or opportunities to work for themselves or start their own businesses. But the point is that millions of Americans suddenly want career purpose and to find personally satisfying and meaningful jobs.
Is there a way to find meaningful work in the impact economy?
What is Career Purpose?
Having a career purpose involves finding sufficient motivation to work for a cause that rewards you with more than just a paycheck. Career purpose, or a meaningful job, is a job that provides personal purpose while simultaneously providing a positive impact on a local community, region, country, or perhaps even the world.
A career with purpose is a job where you are not just dedicated to building up and maximizing your professional reputation.
When you have a career with a meaningful purpose, you want to have a job where you can leverage actions to contribute to others in the world appreciably positively.
You are less likely to abruptly quit a career with a purpose if your job description helps people, the environment, or society in a meaningful way.
After all, if money were everything, 4.5 million Americans would not be quitting their jobs every month.
So, how can you find a career purpose and a meaningful job?
A group of office workers working at their desks.
What is Your Passion in Life?
The key to finding a career purpose in life is to think about what you are passionate about as much or more than an income. Do you want to help unemployed people find work? Do you want to help people living on the poverty line grappling with food insecurity?
Or maybe you are passionate about the environment and want to do something about pollution.
To find a career purpose, you need to consider what you want to do and how you want to make an impact locally, regionally, or internationally.
Just because you have not determined your career purpose in life does not mean you don’t have one.
And there are many ways to determine your vocational purpose in life. You can take an online vocation interest survey or career assessment questionnaire.
Such tests are designed to help you consider several potential career paths based on your personality, skills, and experience. You then take the results and evaluate your options.
Or you can consult a mentor, business professional, or career counseling specialist to brainstorm your strengths and weaknesses relative to your career purpose options.
And additionally, you can take our Impactful 4-Week Email Course to help align your purpose & passion with impactful work.
Settle on a Career That Combines Purpose and Passion in a Way That Defines You
Here are some questions to help find your career passion. Don’t make such decisions on a whim.
When you take on a new career based on personal and ideological passions, it’s still a job that you will have to perform weekdays for years, just like any other job.
Be realistic about how much you’ll enjoy performing your new career with purpose. After all, most people who gain a personal epiphany that they need to work a career with purpose and meaning usually spent years working jobs they hated or regretted taking.
So, why waste more time in life by choosing the wrong career for personal purposes.
Is it the Right Job For You?
You may find a new career purpose that fills your life with meaning. However, what if this new career conflicts with a lack of experience and skills? Try to find a career purpose that leverages your experience, skills, and interests.
How Much Does it Pay?
You may have to readjust your lifestyle if you want a career with a purpose. Depending on the career track you choose, you may have to start on an entry-level salary.
And this is especially true when switching careers with no relative experience or skills.
For example, if you decide to pursue a career in education, emotional counseling, or nonprofits, then your salary will range anywhere between $20,000 to $80,000. If you pursue a healthcare career without a doctorate or specialized skills, then you will also make a similar amount.
A smartly dressed woman standing at a desk with a laptop and smiling towards the camera.
Impact Economy
You could look for work in the impact economy. The impact economy is a financial ecosystem of corporations that strive to give back to local, regional, or national communities in a positive way and make money.
You have a lot to consider if you want to pursue a career of purpose. Don’t make such decisions lightly – and strategize how you can make an impact in business.
