Career choices are made when we are in our teens, when we have little knowledge about the world of work or ourselves. It is only much later when we encounter the demands on the job that we realise the suitability and prospects of the career we have chosen. By that time we feel we have only 2 choices: to continue under any circumstances or drop out and face the prospect of starting all over again, an arduous task by any standards. In the present day scenario there is a third alternative emerging – that of jobs and careers folding up and being redundant / obsolete within a few years. It is not surprising that many adults are anxious or unhappy with their chosen professions and students are clueless what they need to do post-school. Definition of vocation - Latin vocātiō, meaning 'a call / summons' or a way of life, to which a person is specially drawn to, a job plan which she/he is suited, trained and qualified; a career path to traverse throughout most of one’s productive years. Most of us, while choosing a vocation base our choices on what our peers, parents, teachers or media inform us. We want our work to enrich us [literally and figuratively] and give meaning to our existence but we trust luck or our stars for a successful and rewarding career without any introspection.
Ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) is a wonderful Japanese concept that essentially means “a reason for being.” It's made from two Japanese words: iki, meaning “life” and kai, meaning “effect, result,worth or benefit.” Combined it is “a reason for living.” The Japanese concept of Ikigai lends itself well to an analysis of career choices.
Ask yourself these four questions:
1. Is my work my passion? Am I enthusiastic about this career, do I mostly feel energetic and look forward to my duties and is this something I generally enjoy?
2. Is there a need for my chosen work in the outside world? If my work has no takers outside of myself, I am likely to end up frustrated, penniless, unrecognised and alone. We live in the times of demand and supply.
3. Will I be remunerated sufficiently? While there is no benchmark for what constitutes a ‘sufficient’ pay packet, money and financial security is essential to satisfy basic and higher order needs. For instance if music is your passion and you are in demand as a music teacher but you are not able to make sufficient money in your vocation to support yourself and your family, you might want to consider how you can create a niche area for yourself to get monetary benefit in your chosen vocation. Many vocations such as cooking, acting, performing arts, painting, sports, fashion designing,etc have tremendous potential for lucrative returns provided one is savvy about how to make it financially rewarding.
4. Is it ecologically valid? If you are passionate about something and there is a good demand for it, you also need to evaluate whether it is acceptable and beneficial for your surroundings. For instance if you enjoy tracking wildlife [passion] you realise there is a lucrative illegal market for wildlife [demand] and it will fetch you money handsomely [financial worth] - still it would not be ecologically valid because you will be not only breaking the law but also harming wildlife and your environment.
So in choosing your career or when contemplating switching careers, keep the Ikigai concept in mind. Take a career aptitude test and a personality test from a psychologist to get to know yourself so that your pursuit of career results in a lifetime of happiness and wellbeing as well as inner and outer success. The purpose of life is a life of purpose - Find your Ikigai!