My father died on February 16, 2016.
That was 1 month before I graduated college.
His sudden death, caused by a stroke, was the most heartbreaking event that happened to our family.
My mother, sister, two brothers and I were at our lowest points.
But as the oldest daughter of the family, I had to stand firm and take the lead, no matter how devastated I was physically, mentally, and emotionally.
My mother is a housewife and doesn’t have the skills to earn a good income for her 4 children.
So, as someone who’s old enough to get a job, it became my responsibility to support everyone financially.
Right after graduation, I accepted a job my college professor recommended.
While most of my classmates took their time reviewing for the licensure exam, I was bogged down by my responsibilities as a private teacher.
Here, where I live, teaching in public is what many young adults aspire to do.
The reason?
They believed it was the most stable career with the most attractive benefits from the government.
I used to believe it, too.
That’s why, no matter how busy I was, I always reviewed a few pages of my exam reviewers before bed.
Fortunately, my efforts paid off because I passed the licensure exam with an 82.20% rating (the passing score was 75%).
It was one of the happiest and proudest moments of my life.
Passing the exam meant I was a few steps closer to my dream of being a public school teacher.
It meant a higher salary, more stability, and a better quality of life for my family.
My plan was laid out until I stumbled upon a book that forever changed the trajectory of my profession.
The book was about a virtual career – a modern employment where you can work in the comfort of your home, earn dollars, and have total control of your life.
Since it looked enticing and promising, I took everything I learned into action.
After a year and a half into my teaching job, I resigned and explored the online marketing world.
Because I no longer wanted to work in traditional employment, I tried a lot of different jobs that interested me, as long as they didn’t require a full-time commitment.
I was once a VA, a social media manager, a real estate agent, an OBM, a recruitment specialist, a financial advisor, and a forex trader.
All these happened between the ages of 20 and 25.
Yes, they seemed a lot, and I realized now how ridiculous it was to do them in a span of a few years.
But even though the experience was exciting, it also left me confused and overwhelmed.
It satisfied my curious mind and experimental personality but also made me feel lost.
What do I really want to do in my life?
Where should I find a career that gives me meaning, money, and variety?
How can I be the person who deserves my ideal job?
These were the few questions I asked myself during those dark moments of my life.
Although I’ve already tried many things, I still can’t find one that ticks my boxes for a good career.
Overall, I was so helpless that I almost accepted an office job – something I had been trying to avoid for 5 years.
Whether I like to admit it or not, my career problem was causing me stress and mental health problems.
Not until I find the right job for me.
On March 7, 2022, I was hired as a full-time remote copywriter by a content marketing agency in Australia.
And, in all honesty, everything went smoothly after that.
Benefits of Having a Job
Only 6 months into the role, I already noticed a big difference in my mental health and life in general.
Since my work schedule is structured, I can organize my life outside of it in the best way possible.
When I was self-employed, yes, I had more time.
But it also scattered my brain all over the palace.
Ironically, now that I have a stable job, I have more time to meditate, read, walk on the mountain, and study my interests.
When you’re an entrepreneur, there’s a tendency to want to maximize every hour of your day.
Because, you know, time equals money.
I know that many people on the internet want to be their own boss so they can do whatever they want.
And I resonate with it somehow.
But as someone with a big family responsibility, I like the idea of being a full-time employee and a part-time creator.
If you have a job you don’t hate that covers your expenses, you can give yourself more time to take things slower and enjoy every moment.
For many years, I’ve been wanting to start a personal blog like this.
But it was only when I had a good full-time job that I could start and enjoy it without the initial pressure of monetization.
I get to write about the things I like without worrying too much about search engines or algorithm gods.
Now, let me share some tips that helped me find a job I like so you can do the same.
1. Become a Self-Expert
Growth always starts with knowing yourself.
Unfortunately, most people know their favorite celebrity or favorite basketball player more than they know themselves.
In my early 20s, I spent significant time getting to know myself better.
If you haven’t yet, you can take various online personality tests, such as the MBTI, DISC, StrengthsFinder, etc.
You can read personal development books that tackle self-awareness topics.
Or you can invest in a course or a mentor that will help you dive deep into your own interests, strengths, and even your ideal career.
2. Determine What Your Ideal Job Looks Like
Everybody wants to have the right job.
But the problem is, they don’t take the time to sit down and ask themselves what their ideal job looks like.
Do you want to work alone, or do you enjoy working with others?
Are you good with words, numbers, or design?
What do you want from a boss or a manager?
What is your ideal salary? How about the benefits?
Your answers to these questions can help you find a job that matches your personality, skills, and preferences.
Just like we have standards for looking for a significant other, we also need to have standards for our work.
Now, what if you think you’re not qualified for your dream job?
Well, it’s time for you to do the work.
Read books, invest in courses, or hire a mentor.
You’ll spend the majority of your life working, so it’s a must for you to choose a profession you like.
3. Explore. Explore. Explore
You will only learn what you want from experience, not your imagination.
As humans, we have all these imaginary thoughts about what we want.
But once we try it, we discover that we hate it.
If there’s one thing I commend myself for doing in my early 20s, it’s exploring a wide range of different careers.
On top of that, I also tried being a full-time employee, a part-time employee, and a freelancer.
After each experience, I gained clear insights into what I like and don’t like.
All the data I gathered helped me find a job that doesn’t make me hate Mondays.
We’re nearing the end of this post, so you can stop reading here if you want.
But if you’re curious, here’s a table where I summarize what I like and don’t like about my previous jobs.
If you want, you can also try this with your own experiences to get a general idea of what you like in a career.
| PREVIOUS JOB | WHAT I LIKED | WHAT I DID’T LIKE |
| English Teacher | Teaching students and witnessing them learn from you is fulfilling. | Although the salary was the minimum, it was not enough to live comfortably. |
| Virtual Assistant | I like the variety of tasks clients gave me (no day is the same). | Entry-level tasks eventually made me bored.It’s a bit lonely because you interact with no one except your client. |
| Real Estate Agent | I liked the company’s generosity in training us and providing resources | Once in a while, we had to go to the subdivision to wait for potential homeowners to inquire.The pay was commission-based, and the sales weren’t fast. |
| Recruitment Specialist | I like that I get to meet new people. | The pay was low, and I didn’t enjoy the paperwork. |
| Financial Advisor | I had the best managers, who were very supportive and generous. | Cold pitching didn’t feel right. The income is good if you have clients, but if you don’t have any, you earn nothing. I left it because I got busy with my full-time work. |
| Forex Trader | Your income is not dependent on anyone but the market.You can earn a lot if you have the capital, skills, and psychology to do it!It can give you time and location freedom. | If you can win big, you can also lose bigIt requires a steep learning curve.I didn’t enjoy backtesting and studying the chart that much. I realized I like writing better. |
Now, I learned I’ve got the right job because it encompasses everything I like and a little of what I don’t.
Basically, here are the benefits I like from my current job:
- It has variety, which means I get to do different client work every day.
- It’s mentally challenging.
- I get to learn what interests me, like writing, business, and marketing.
- I have colleagues to talk to in Slack.
- The company is generous in providing resources and training to improve our craft.
- My employers and project leads have great leadership skills.
- Almost zero mundane tasks.
- I get paid monthly consistently, and my salary covers my basic expenses well enough.
- The company culture fosters teamwork, positivity, and professional growth.
If you read up to this point, please remember that finding a job you like requires a lot of trial and error.
And I can almost guarantee you won’t have it on your first try.
So keep going, keep learning, and keep improving until you find work that doesn’t steal the joys you have in life.
Disclaimer: I wrote this blog when I was still a full-time employee. I only work part-time in the company now, but it’s still the best job I’ve ever had, and everything I’ve written here is still relevant for those looking for a job they like. 🙂
