Meaningful Work

There is a new career obsession: "the quest for meaning in work". The yearning for meaningful work isn't new. But only recently has it become such a widespread preoccupation. This is a wonderful reflection of what people are trying to achieve but hard to accomplish. At first glance, many necessary jobs are not meaningful. They do not change the world and make it a better place but they are stepping stones in the process of learning job skills and simply getting a pay cheque to pay for tuition when in school and later to pay for the essentials of life. Some jobs enable us to create meaning in other facets of our lives.

The researcher who studied people's attitudes towards work and meaning suggested that we enjoy our work without finding it meaningful or being passionate about it. It might be enough to do satisfying work that meets one's needs. As our lives changes, these needs change. We do need to prepare ourselves to change our careers or the focus of our careers. Remember our careers are not who were are or our whole lives; there are other areas of focus.