I’ve been thinking about adding this category for a while. I want a space to dedicate to a discussion of the process of careers. I named this, after getting guidance from friends and sisters, Shaping a Joyful Career. 

I chose “shaping” and not “finding” your career because finding makes it seem like the career exists somewhere else—somewhere where you are not. But your career is unique to you; it doesn’t exist without you. 

I chose “a” over “your” or “the” because I think that there are many different routes we can take to create joyful careers. I don’t think there is just one career for any of us and I don’t think there is a single path waiting for you to find it. I think that there are many paths and that the shaping is your version of choosing a path. But you can always choose another or another.

I chose “joyful” over “fulfilling” because after spending most of my career working in roles that were first and foremost fulfilling, I found that my joy was something that ebbed and flowed. I think trying to find fulfillment puts pressure on every moment to live up to an expectation. While joy, to me, is a broader and more balanced concept—with room for fulfillment (the work is meaningful and I feel good doing it) and happiness (the work is actually something that grounds me and adds to my life instead of detracting from it and my energy reserves). Every moment of any career is not going to be joyful. But does the overall experience of working in your field and doing what you do bring you joy? Do parts of what you do bring you joy? How can you expand those parts?

Finally I chose “career” even though I think it has a bad reputation. Some people told me that they hear career and think of moving up in a linear direction to make more money. That can feel isolating especially to (probably) the majority of us who haven’t had very linear career paths and who haven’t been focused on chasing coin. I think we can use this term for good though—for anything we are producing for the world to make it a better place. Maybe you produce thought, books, objects, ideas, life-saving medical interventions. Whatever your contribution is—the sum of those contributions is your career. I try to see it as this greater part of me—the total of all of my work and professional learning. It’s greater than one job or even a series of jobs. A career is about a lifetime of what I’m here to give and contribute to the world. 

In this new category you can expect a bunch of fresh ideas about career paths and planning, and how to take control of your career instead of the other way around. Check back here for more on Shaping A Joyful Career.