Hi Jay,

A few years ago, I was laid off from a good paying job.  This was during the recession.  Ever since then, I have felt like I was lost and it has been a real struggle trying to find a career that I enjoy.  I have been able to get work at different places but these end up being positions that I absolutely hate.  I am becoming unhappy not knowing what to do with my career.  I am 37 years old.  I have at least another 25 or 30 years of work left to go.  I can’t see myself clocking in for the next 30 years at a job that doesn’t fulfill me.  How do I find that niche that I belong in so that I am not burned out?

~Needing Direction

Hi Needing Direction,

I am sorry to hear about the turmoil that you have experienced in the last few years concerning your career.  I have been in very similar shoes as you have been.  When the onset of the recession began, I lost a good job as well.  I had 5 jobs in what would be the next 4 years.  The pattern of being fired and laid off continued.  Needless to say, I had become a very unhappy person.  I eventually started a position in Accounting.  This one position set my career up and lead me to where I now where I enjoy what I do and I make a pretty nice salary doing it.  You are not alone in what you are going through.  The recession affected us all and most people can identify with what you have stated at one point in their life or another.   I can’t speak for them, but for me I can say that it does get better.  You are on a faith journey and this faith journey is helping you define who you are.  Life is so full of transitional experiences.  We will never be doing the same thing one year from the next.  My book, Turning 30, 40, 50… would be a perfect read for you.

I do have some questions for you that you should also ask yourself.  I notice you stated that you had a good paying job before the recession.  The pay is the only thing you described about this job but nothing else.  Is it safe to assume that the reason you enjoyed this job is because it was good paying?  Could it also be that you have not found anything that has paid as well and that contributes to your unhappiness?  This is important to identify because you will be able to identify if it is a career you are after or financial stability.  You would approach them differently even though they are interrelated.  If it is a career that you are after, then you will want to focus more on your gifts and the things that you enjoy doing.  If it is a good paying job that you are after then you will need to focus on your talents and experience and determine which field will offer you the best income.  If you discover you do not have the experience to enter into a higher paying field, then you may decide to take on some additional schooling and training.

It is my experience that you should focus on being career driven based on your gifts verses being career driven based on income.  Depending on your values, a high income job would satisfy you for a little while but not long enough to make you content with the type of work you do.  There are a lot of lawyers and doctors who make really good money but actually hate their job.  I believe there is a way to monetize your gifts no matter what they are.  That is the beauty of capitalism.  Be creative in your approach but I believe you will not be able to take action until you identify what it is that you are truly being driven by.  Are you driven by income or are you driven by fulfillment?  If you discover it is not income that is your driver but you truly do want a niche, then you must focus on yourself for a while.  We are very busy people but in that busyness, there is something you are doing that actually make you feel fulfilled as a person.  Discover what that is.  Steve Harvey said “It is that thing that you do effortlessly”  Then he said take that gift and jump!  See the video below. Most times, it is not that we do not know what our gifts are, it is that we do not believe we can actually make a living off them.  This belief will be challenged by what will appear to be lack of growth and inactivity.  I have learned that your gift will definitely make room for you, but you have to give it time to do so.  There is a season for everything.  Wait on God and wait on your moment to shine, but in the meantime, you HAVE TO WORK YOUR GIFT.