Knowing You're in the Wrong Industry & Getting to Where You Truly Want to Be

[spooky]

Like everyone else coming out of college, I am relentlessly searching to discover who I am and where I belong in the workplace. I have realized at this point in time that there isn’t “one” passion that stands out for me to follow, but I remain patient for it whenever it decides to come out from hiding.

Watching people like Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Anthony Robbins, originally made me feel like a moron. I felt more useless than tits on a bull. After realizing this attitude wasn’t getting me anywhere, I gathered myself and realized that it was okay that I didn’t have this vision of what I was going to do and provide to the world. At this point, all I can do is be the best person I can be. That alone will attract more opportunities in itself.

However, not knowing what I wanted to do threw me into situations where I had to learn the hard way that a certain job wasn’t right for me.

Even in college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do and decided to get a degree in Retailing & Consumer Sciences. My first job out of college was a Manager of Assets Protection for a big-box retailer. At 6’1 and 150lbs, I was responsible for stopping all the theft and shortage while partnering with security to efficiently run operations (studying Retail somehow landed me into Criminal Justice). My training was for six weeks and I was fired just short of my first 90 days. Learning something new at such a fast pace was a wake-up call to me, but something inside of me rejected this job from the start. It didn’t align with what I saw as a career for myself. When I get into this mindset, my productivity declines and apathy settles in. I react this way naturally, but I am aware that it is a choice. I believe a person has the power to change the way they see their situation or environment. My work ethic is great when it’s for my own interest and I LOVE what I’m doing.

Music/Entrepreneurship is what comes to my mind first when I picture a path for me to follow. Whether it’s music business, DJing, concert promoting, playing live, or starting my own business, I see myself in these two areas.

I am a self-taught guitarist. I don’t have the knowledge of Mozart or the playing ability of Van Halen, but I’m not bad. I’ve always wanted to be in a band, but haven’t put in the effort into it to make it happen (it’s difficult to find others) or invested in the equipment (it’s pricey). With bills and other obligations, it would be difficult to make ends meet, but there’s a voice inside my head that is still saying “Do what you love.” I DJed at a Dance Club for a year, which is a funny story: I asked if they had open positions, applied, and showed up my first night saying, “I have no idea what I’m doing.” I was trained some basics then just went with it. IT WAS A FRICKIN’ BLAST!

I previously worked for free as an intern for a record label in my hometown. It wasn't a very educational environment and encompassed office work, but I loved the feeling of being in that environment. I had to leave for a full-time job shortly after.

That job is what I am currenly doing now. I am a meeting planner for pharmaceutical companies (another new industry). After being fired from my job before, I feel nervous going into a new job and environment of business minded people. My confidence has frustrated my colleagues and my relationships aren’t that great. I’m the youngest one here (25) and the only guy. I’ve been here for three months now and think I should try to pull it out for a year or so (if I don’t get canned). It's 75% travel (domestic and international), but if you don't like what you're doing and the people you're with, what's the point? For right now, it's a good way to save money for what I want to do later in life.

As far as being an entrepreneur, my friend and I came up with an idea to open a Crepe Food Cart station, which we both think sounds like a lot of fun. When we're both stuck to the 9 to 5 grind plus salary and benefits, it's diffictult.

I’m not sure if this realistic, but the equation I’ve come up with for job satisfaction is:

Job satisfaction = Rewarding working relationships + Engaging work + Work/Life balance + Desired Salary ($40,000K or + Benefis)

It’s possible to find a job in music or become an entrepreneur that contains these elements. Any ideas where I should start looking or steps I should be taking?

[Alexi]

Living Your Life Purpose