April 28, 2005
Find A Job You Love
Jill Brooks, INtake columnist

Whenever I fire up my computer, my “home page” shows an image of a random, belabored employee hunched over a desk, eyes glazed-over and mood askew. There’s usually a ten-question quiz underneath asking: Are you in the wrong job? This image once contained me.

All my life I was constantly told, “Do what you love; the money will follow.” So I packed my notebooks and traveled down the writing path. The money must still be lost in baggage claim, but I am doing what I love to do.

A degree in English, as with many Arts & Sciences degrees, didn’t instantly create a paycheck, so for several years I played the role of “worst sales person in the world.”

Sales takes effort – lots of it. It’s a club, and membership requires constant spark, persistence, the love of driving around all day, and a craving for fast food: all of which come in infrequent bursts, for me.

My brother and I simultaneously “sold things” in Indy one summer. We’d attend our separate, morning sales meetings, say to our boss, “Okay, I’m gonna get out there and sell something!” then meet at a coffee shop and chat for a few hours. He quickly jumped shipped and got his MBA – I’d just go home and write about my anguish in my journal. The scene was beyond Thunderdome.

I couldn’t keep time with sales. It was like running a 9.0 pace on a treadmill while listening to a 4.0-paced song. Every sales manager I ever had told me I could make sales “creative” but without a journal and a pen, or at least some scissors and glue, darned if I could figure that one out.

Time and again, a few companies for whom I ‘worked’ decided it was high time to get a faster runner. I remember running—no, skipping—to my car on those momentous occasions, humming ‘Ode To Joy’, heading home to let freedom ring.

An article by Theresa Castro on ezinearticles.com said that almost 70% of all employees dislike or downright hate their jobs due to dissatisfaction or disillusionment. Her suggestions for remedy are: uncover the facts; understand what is keeping you there; unleash your potential; update your resume and compare your skill set; and undertake an action plan. I would add, go ahead and get fired a few times—it helps!

If you have the crazy notion that you can find a job you love, well, hats off to you…you can. Remember to be persistent…but only in that which you love.