A Costly Journey

Someone should create a job search site for people who want a simple life and for those of us who have experienced the corporate world and are drained. The criteria for job searches would be based on your current goals and desires, not your past titles. In this culture, perhaps in every culture, we believe that a proper career path is forever aimed at the higher wrung on some imaginary ladder. I even came across a job search site for those who aim for the $100,000 a year salary. I was curious about it and after a few moments of browsing realized that my current salary level was so insignificant I could not even have selected it on their sign-up menu. I laughed.

Now I believe, more than ever, that our perception of our work life is absolutely distorted, but that this is about to shift. More and more people no longer see the “straight up” career path as desirable. Instead, we see the straight up personal path as desirable. This path is built on the development of a personal awareness that leads to choice based on real values and passion. The mile markers are not titles or salary goals, they are phases of life where one develops a skill or craft and decides what they would rather be doing when they wake up in the morning.

In this sense, getting laid off does not lead to a frantic search for the next job at the same or higher salary; it leads to a better understanding of one’s place in the world and a chance to make well-informed choices. When all our energy is strictly on restoring income to meet the unemployment system’s rules and deadline, we risk missing the path altogether. In the end, we may be good employees, but we most likely contribute less of our true talents to the world and our community than we are capable of, because when we paused to reconsider the path we went off course. It would be interesting to know how much this costs.