Find A Job You Like And A Life You Love

Some people may say that a business student is a sellout. We major in finance or accounting. We learn how to use excel, discount cash flows, and model financial markets. We become invest bankers, financial analysts, and consultants. Do we do it for the money? For the status? I can think of a lot of jobs that will pay a lot of money. And I can think of a lot of things I would rather do all day than sit in an office and work on a computer. But at the same time, I am incredibly happy with my life. So, how do I mange?

So far the most important thing I’ve learned in college has been the true value of sacrifice. We sacrifice for our grade point averages, our student organizations, our family members that we don’t call often enough, and our friends that put up with our insanely busy lives.  We build trust with the people we work and the friendships that we foster. We find joy in our organizations and the individuals we surround ourselves with. We develop a sense of purpose in the work we do and the teams we work with. We do all of those things while studying until three in the morning and drinking coffee like its water.

Why do we have to find the absolute perfect job? Why can’t we find a job we enjoy, and a life that we love? I enjoy my classes at school, but I love the time I spend with my friends. But let’s face it, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for school. Likewise, sometimes we have to find a sense of realism in our lives when it comes to finding a job. Find a hobby, but let it be your place of relaxation, not your job. Use your hobbies as an outlet, as a way to relax, not as a lifelong career. Do what you love, but don’t be afraid to sacrifice time in a job because you want to be able to pay for you and your loved ones to travel around the world, or buy a new camera, or fund a new cooking venture, or invest in that new road bike you’ve always wanted. We have to sacrifice every once and a while in order to achieve our dreams. Sometimes that means taking a job that you like and not love. Passion is important, but we have to devote more time to the things we aren’t passionate about in order to have the ability to follow our hearts every once and a while.

Time is never wasted. The things that don’t work out teach us more about who we are than the things that do. We may never find the jobs we love, but we will always have the ability to find the lives we can love. We can develop relationships with people that make life meaningful, and we can always continue to find the things that make our jobs worth it.