In Love…

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I say this again and again, but I don’t blog about my work. It’s not right (or legal) to discuss everything I do in my job, because a lot of it involves sensitive information about students. Except that I, sometimes time and again, break this rule—and speak of general things.

I want to tell you some very general things today, as they relate to why I do what I do.

I have always been of the opinion that if you find a career where you feel valued, listened to, and free to pursue your talents and learning, you have found the perfect place. I know that many of us do not have this luxury (especially today), and I know that there have been plenty of places where I’ve worked in the past that did not provide this to me. That being said, I have had a couple of places that did—and I’m in one of them right now.

Yes, I do know how lucky I am. And while you may think I’m crazy, it is completely possible to be in love with your job.

When you work at a place that isn’t your dream job, you can have fun. You can like your co-workers. You can make lots of money. You can do your job well and be recognized for your dedication and effort. Still, if you feel as if any part of the three things I mentioned above are missing, my bet is there’s (at least a small) part of you that is left unfulfilled.

I’ve known for years and years that academia is the life for me. I’ve worked in corporations and I’ve worked in retail, and I’ve even worked in government jobs, but I was left slightly unfulfilled. In academia I am home. I understand the premise and the nature of higher education, and it is something I believe strongly in.

Some of it is logistical—the processes and flow of the work suit me. The new issues and challenges that present themselves to me make my job interesting. I enjoy supporting others and watching them as they (or a program) develops.

Some of it speaks to my inner rebel—I would never do well in a place that dictates to me what nail polish I can wear, how ‘closed’ my shoes must be, or what the texture of my pants should feel like. I would chafe under that level of oversight in no time flat. I know that others would not feel the same.

And the biggest part of my job speaks to my talents, and the talents I want to develop. Never underestimate the power of a boss who says, “That’s an interesting idea. I want you to pursue that! I think you can really make that happen. I know you’ll do a good job!”

It can make anyone’s heart sing.

This week I’ve been participating in some training sessions that help you identify your strengths and use them to your benefit at work. I always enter these things a tad bit skeptical (SO glass half empty here), but for the first time in my life, I’ve found a diagnostic test and materials that actually seem to get it. To work. It has put words to things I’ve thought about myself but could never articulate. It’s helped explain why I love my job the way I do.

It’s also told me—this very general test—exactly which career would be best for me and it happens to be the exact one I am in currently. That’s some nice external validation right there.

I love to research. I follow tangential things and store them away for later, when they might come in handy. I love to learn. I feel as if I can never learn enough. I love to help others learn. I can put myself in other peoples’ shoes, and feel what they may be feeling. I can spend hours upon hours thinking. I love to write. These are all of the things that this training has reinforced for me.

These are the things I want for everyone. No, you might not have (or even want) my talents. That’s not what I am talking about. I want everyone to feel fulfilled. To feel that their best talents and strengths are being put to use, each and every day. To feel as if they are contributing to something important and worthwhile. It can take form in a myriad of ways, but I do think it is possible to achieve that—if only we made this a priority as a society.

How do we, as a society, as a culture, make this happen? I don’t know. I don’t have the exact answer for that. I know someone out there with talents a bit different than mine may have some very good ideas. I do wish we could talk about this further. Can you imagine a world where we talked about innate talents and seeking fulfillment instead of who works harder (stay at home moms or working moms) and who makes more (men or women) and who has a better portfolio? Can you imagine a world where we could openly tell someone what one of our weaknesses may be, but feel comfortable in the fact that where we may have a weakness, another may have strength, and when we work together we both find fulfillment?

I can see this. John Dewey saw this over 100 year ago. And I want to help others, today, see this as well.

This post was written for Mama Kat’s #5 prompt: What do you love most about your job?