Training Today: Take This Job and…

Workers need get in tune with potential careers and job choices that plug into their passions as a person.

The late Comedian George Carlin once said, “Do you hate your job? Sorry to hear that. There’s a support group for that. It’s called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar!”

As a consultant on employee engagement to major health-care companies, Melissa Evans understands that feeling well. Her solution to it, however, is a little “uncorporate.”

“It’s a fact that most people don’t like their jobs,” says Evans, also author of “Sole to Soul: How to Identify Your Soul Purpose and Monetize It” (http://www.soletosoulbook.com). “According to a recent survey published by TimeMagazine, fewer than half of American workers—45 percent—are satisfied with their jobs. This is the lowest percentage since 1987.”

Her solution is for workers to get in tune with potential careers and job choices that plug into their passions as a person. She suggests people ask themselves the following questions:

  • What do you want?
  • How do you want to feel?
  • Why should you change course?

“The first thing most people do when they don’t like their job is to look for another one,” she says. “While that’s valid, I have to question the wisdom of running from a bad job as opposed to pursuing a good one. The problem is, most dissatisfied employees identify a good job as one that simply pays a little more and is not where they currently work. A good job, a good career, is far more than that.”

Lorri Freifeld
Lorri Freifeld is the editor/publisher of Training magazine. She writes on a number of topics, including talent management, training technology, and leadership development. She spearheads two awards programs: the Training APEX Awards and Emerging Training Leaders. A writer/editor for the last 30 years, she has held editing positions at a variety of publications and holds a Master’s degree in journalism from New York University.