Robert Bittner - Your Perfect Job: A Guide to Discovering Your Gifts, Following Your Passions, and Loving Your Work for the Rest of Your Life

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So what are you gonna do now?

It should be exciting when someone asks you that, because in a lot of ways, what youre going to do now is up to you. Your choice. I realize that may not be a lot of help if the best response you can come up with at this point is to glance away and mumble something noncommittal like, Uhhhh-hhnnn But knowing youve got a choice can be an important first step if talk about careers and jobs leaves you feeling stuck, a little confused, or even terrified about moving toward doing what you really want to do. And what you really want to do is going to change as you learn new things, meet new people, and discover untapped interests within yourself.

Odds are good that youll hold at least two vastly different careers over the course of your life. Plus, youll probably change jobs numerous times as companies come and go and as your lifestyle needs change. The jobs you take and the work you do can, of course, be left up to career counselors who will steer you where they think you should go. Or you might be able to get a job by mass-mailing rsums or e-mailing all of your friends and accepting the first offer that comes along. And yes, the bills would get paid, and youll be able to keep eatingwhich is nice.

But I believe theres something a whole lot better in store for you.

I believe you can get from where you are now to where youd love to be, doing work that brings you real pleasure. Work that feels more like fun, that taps into your deepest passions and takes advantage of your skills and interests.

Maybe you know exactly what that kind of work would look like. Maybe you dont have a clue. Doesnt matter. Wherever you arewherever youre headedyou can discover and thrive in the work you were born to do. Your perfect job.

The Hot Jobs Sweet Sixteen

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following jobs will be growing the most between now and 2010. In heat-index order (hottest first):

1. Teachers (K-12)

2. Computer-software engineers

3. Registered nurses

4. Truck drivers

5. Computer-support specialists

6. Accountants/auditors

7. Marketing/sales managers

8. Auto mechanics

9. Health therapists

10. Police/sheriffs officers

11. Social workers

12. Engineers

13. Lawyers

14. Electricians

15. Recreation/fitness workers

16. Sales representatives

Believe it or not, theres some valuable career advice buried in old movies. For the sake of argument, lets call any film before 1980 an old movie. That way, if your parents happen to pick up this book and flip through it, theyll say, This guys calling Star Wars an old movie! Like anything made before digital effects is old! What an idiot! Then theyll throw down the book and let you get back to reading it. However, if they actually take the time to read this paragraph, theyll pretty much be on to my cunning plan. In that case, youll have to wrestle them for it, because its a lot more fun than that career book about parachutes.

But I digress.

I have two favorite movie quotes that offer stellar advice about how to choose (or not choose) a career. The first is from Citizen Kane. Yes, youve probably heard that critics call it one of the best (if not the best) American movie ever made. I happen to agree. True, nothing explodes, theres no love story to speak of, and its in black and white. If you havent seen it, rent it and judge for yourself. And if youd like a tiny bit of career advice, watch for the scene between the unnamed reporter and a man named Mr. Bernstein. The reporter is in Bernsteins office, asking about the rise and fall of Bernsteins former boss, Charles Foster Kane. The reporter is a little awed by Kanes huge fortune. Mr. Bernstein, someone who knew what Kane was really like, isnt so impressed. It isnt hard to make a lot of money, Bernstein says, if all you want is to make a lot of money.

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

Think about that: It isnt hard to make a lot of money, if all you want is to make a lot of money. Obviously, cash flow is important. But the fact that youre reading this book makes me think making a lot of money is not all you want. Youre probably also interested in enjoying what you do for a living, giving your talents a workout, and having time to spend with friends and family. Maybe youd like to help others if you can or have a career that enriches your spiritual life and has meaning that stretches beyond the forty-hour workweek. In Citizen Kane, you could argue that Kane at one time or another sacrificed all those things. For nearly all of his life, his sole goal was to make more money so he could, as he says, buy things.

Charles Foster Kane, you might guess, was not a happy guy.

That brings me to my First Rule of Careers. (There are only two. No quiz.)

The key to a great career is to love your work.

There are thousands of jobs out there. Some pay outrageously well. Some will knock the knickers off your friends when you brag about them at class reunions. Some will gain you instant respect at parties, while others will sound so complex theyll require a three-minute description of what exactly you do all day, as well as a business card, a PowerPoint presentation, and an explanatory note from your mother. But everything really boils down to this: If you dont love what youre doing, youre not going to be happy. And happiness cannot be overrated.