How to choose a career with a 60/40 split between pleasure and pain

There is no such thing as a perfect job where you are 100% happy and satisfied all the time.  The world is just not organized that way!  The key to career success is to limit the downside of your job to 40% of your job duties.  The downside of your job is performing grunt work with `can do` skills that require much effort.  The more you do grunt work, the more it drains your energy.

Understand that, at best, 60% of work hours will be challenging and will provide a sense of growth and fulfillment.  Great work is when you are performing job duties that energize you.  This means the upside of your work should involve job duties organized around your natural talents.  This is work you do with a flair, naturally and effortlessly, and you need to be doing it at least 605 of the time in your job if you want job satisfaction. 

This 60/40 split becomes increasingly important as you grow older and have less energy available to you.  Career masters make it look so easy precisely because their core job duties are performed naturally and effortlessly.  However, you need to be aware of the likelihood that many times this ratio may slip to 40/60, in which case you may feel drained by brief periods of routine work.  This is nothing to be alarmed about as long as the ratio returns to 60/40 in due course; if it doesn`t, you`ll need to take action.

Achieving authenticity in your work with a midlife career change is about correlating your natural inclinations with specific job duties.  Keep your job description aligned with what makes you happy and productive in the workplace, so that you operate 60% of the time in a mode that comes naturally and effortlessly to you. This 60/40 split will energize you.  This is how to make a career change that will motivate and reward you over time.

Besides a good jobfit, career satisfaction is often a result of being in work circumstances that align with your values, priorities and preferences.  For example, numerous studies point to the following factors that influence satisfaction on the job: a lot of job security; relatively high incomes or university degrees; self-employment or how much say you have over what you do and the way you do it; small workplaces; the amount of time you spend commuting or working at home; dealing with people; who controls the pace of work is critical…tight deadlines and high-speed work are bad for satisfaction; small freedoms - such as being able to move your desk or change the lighting.

As you can see, jobfit and career satisfaction are influenced by many factors.  But, clearly, the only true security is in the authentic self.  In terms of a midlife career change, it is important to have a clear idea of who and what you are, then make a commitment to a core set of talents and values when making career decisions. In terms of job change advice--now may not be the time to settle on a career choice but to explore different career options until you have that `a-ha` experience of the right fit.

About Author: 

George Dutch is a certified Job Change Expert For 20 years, I`ve helped over 3000 people just like you who felt lost or confused or trappeda and wanted a better job fit! Are you ready to change your job or career? And start working naturally and effortlessly so that you get ENERGIZED by your job instead of drained, dumped out, dumped on, or dead-ended? For more information: www.jobjoy.com