by Scott Hayden

Created on: May 01, 2010   Last Updated: September 05, 2011

The following scenario is probably familiar. You get up early in the morning, and then wearily get dressed. You're out the door after a speedy cup of coffee and a slice of toast, but maybe you didn't have anything to eat or drink and will grab something on the way to the office. You fight traffic, and then get to work exhausted because of the commute. You sit at your desk and wait for the day to begin at which point phones will start ringing, reports will need to be done, emails will need to be answered, etc. There are bosses and colleagues all around you as well, and this might translate into playing politics.

At the end of the day you fight traffic again. By the time you get home it's either dark or getting close to sunset. Talk about burning the candle at both ends. There's not much time for anything else and it's no wonder you and many other thirty and forty something adults are getting frustrated. Was this the type of life you envisioned when you were a kid? The career monopoly has taken control and you've barely noticed it has happened. How much individuality do you think you've got left?     

We all need to do some work to earn our keep. But, there is a difference between the labor required for basic needs and the excessive hours that a modern career demands. Ranking a person according to a career is an ingrained cultural trait. Though he or she would no doubt have other talents, the social status is largely determined by the choice of career and, inevitably, how much money the career produces. There is enormous pressure to get all of the things successful careerists are supposed to have, like bigger cars and bigger homes.

As if to prove that working sixty or more hours a week is a badge of honor, a careerist will overlook vital human needs and desires such as time and space for quiet contemplation, creative pursuits and a vacation that lasts for longer than two weeks. Career advancement is not synonymous with climbing a ladder.

The most interesting people will make lateral moves, and will take a job because of the intrinsic value of the work instead of doing it to make a CV look good. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a peripatetic career. Our society values the specialists who single mindedly devote a lifetime to a career. Yet, the ones who leave early as soon as it gets boring are labeled as unstable, or worse, quitters. Achieving something of significance and then quitting goes against the grain of the entrenched cultural values that keeps somebody in a high paying but emotionally barren occupation.

When you know what you enjoy and what will bring meaning to your life, it's easier to escape the 'how will I explain a career gap in a job interview' prison. You can also objectively consider how certain career choices may starve you of leisure time, or strain family relationships. Find out what works for you, because if you don't society will make the decision for you.

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