18 Apr 2024
"So, What Do You Do?” Rethinking Career Priorities in a Changing World

Share
‘So, what do you do?’ say most people who you’ve just met and are attempting to make polite conversation. This question, which I’ve begun to dread, obviously refers to your career – or how you make your money – but should it? Recently, I’ve begun to wonder about this, and feel increasingly uncomfortable when the question is asked by relative strangers.
I am not what I do
Customer Success Consultant doesn’t scream creativity and I often reply by talking about the values and mission of my organisation as a whole, rather than the particularities of my day-to-day. It’s not that this is a job I don’t value, just that this is a job that I do and not necessarily what I do with my life. Thanks to flexible working, I’ve been able to invest more time and energy into my hobbies and side hustles. My love of singing has led me to gigging with a choir, a vocal group, and backing singing for an upcoming artist. This way, I don’t need to force a living out of my love for singing – I can do both
There is a growing disinterest in being married to your job. Most, if not all, of us have jobs as a reason to sustain, rather than fulfil our livelihoods. Afterall, unlike the generation before us, most of us will have a good many different jobs in our lifetime. There are a few reasons for this growing change of outlook.
A changing generation of workers
Firstly, COVID. Yes, it’s almost been half a decade since that period of uncertainty, day-drinking, and loo roll scarcity, but one can’t deny the long-term impact that lockdown has played.
It forced us to re-evaluate our work-life balance, at least those of us lucky enough to have a job at the time. Working remotely made us all aware that lengthy meetings could often be shortened to a few emails; that our other hobbies and interests could more easily fit between our work; or maybe even that we were not adequately fulfilled by our current jobs.
What emerged then and what persists now is the idea that the purpose of a job and its benefits CAN be more important than how much it pays. Culture wars, political turbulence, and climate change are environmental imperatives that are driving more of us into action and forcing us to be more aware of our own impact on the world we live in.
A second reason for the changing job market is the cost-of-living crisis: redundancies are being made left, right and centre; bonuses are missing; and promotions on pause. Property ownership, formerly being a reason to climb the corporate ladder and push for a higher salary, has now become a pipedream and only vaguely possible for couples or the wealthy.
The problem isn't with Gen Z
The desire (or lack thereof) to climb the professional ladder as quickly as possible often gets confused with generational differences. The Times, Startup. and The Guardian have all recently reported on Gen Z’s workshy outlook that’s “selfishly” coupled with a desire for immediate gratification. Whether these claims are true or not, these assumptions shouldn’t be made about those choosing to prioritise their life outside of their careers.
If the main life objective is now out of reach – buying a house, living comfortably – is it any wonder that career drive has weakened when the reward has disappeared? If there is no material difference between putting in the minimum requirements at work and going the extra mile, can you blame people for choosing the former and prioritising what makes them happy outside of work?
Maybe instead of labelling the next generation as lazy, we should be asking ourselves how we want to make the most of our limited time on this planet.
So, what do I do? I live my life and work to sustain it. I acknowledge that I am part of the minority that has the freedom to work from home and not accumulate expenses on travel and eating out. I hope and expect that I’ll elevate to a higher salary and more responsible senior positions, but I know that my happiness and satisfaction in life doesn’t depend on this.
By Eddie Kaziro, Customer Success Consultant