Careers are Overrated

When are you going to get a real job? That is the question millions of people are asked each year. People young and old are expected to find a career. Careers are typically seen as more prestigious than normal jobs as they are permanent occupations that often require additional time or training to acquire. Most of the world views careers as the ultimate fulfillment in life, but unfortunately, many people spend their whole lives reaching for careers that aren’t suitable for them.

Many people seek out careers for the promise of stability. This often comes from a steady salary, more guaranteed employment, and employee benefits. But with the current chaotic mess of a job market plaguing the US, it is important to simply find a job. Of course, everyone wants to find a career, someplace they can work long-term and carve a life in, but for a lot of people it is simply not possible. 

Plenty of highly qualified candidates go through lengthy hiring processes just to get ghosted. In fact, reports of this have doubled in the last five years. CNBC reports that 70% of people claim their current job hunt is more difficult than their last. Everyone looking for a career that meets their long-term goals and preferences combined with hiring strife means that more people are in less-than-ideal jobs.

Having any income is better than having no income, yet those with entry-level positions consistently face ridicule for not having “the right kind” of job. Without such a stigma surrounding not having a career or changing career paths, those stuck in jobs by social pressure could be free to search for something more suitable to them. Due to similar issues in the job market, people also find themselves in career-type jobs that they don’t want to do for the rest of their lives since they choose from what is available to them rather than what is ideal for them.

The jobs that are best suited for people could also change over time. As a human being, one is expected to constantly evolve and better themselves throughout their lifetime. People gain new skills, different interests, and updated goals. Despite acknowledging that people consistently change with the world, there is still a great stigma surrounding switching jobs. 

Many may think that this is simply a problem of work ethic and that people these days are just picky. In reality, many young workers are better informed on appropriate workplace expectations and don’t want to settle. For once, jobs are facing the other end of supply and demand, in which candidates become more selective towards the jobs they work in rather than the jobs working being more scrutinizing of them. Honestly, can you blame them? With how people are expected to stay with their current employer, in their current position rather than changing their field of interest, they should be as picky as possible to get the best one to remain in for the rest of their lives.

While the job market is infinitely complex, many of its problems can be attributed to public perception. If people weren’t so judgy towards their peers because of their own ideas of career superiority, then people would be more willing to take available positions, knowing that it is just a short-term occupation. Maybe more people would end up in jobs that they don’t loathe and not end up in midlife crises. And maybe, artists, historians, and philosophers could follow their passions without being told to find a real job, bringing new insights and beauty to our world (rather than relying on AI to mimic creativity and interpret the meaning of life for us).