By Attiya Karodia
Every Monday we’re bombarded with inspirational quotes about how to make the most out of the week, how to be the best we can be and just general garbage that makes us feel a little bit better about sitting at a desk going through the motions, but have you ever stopped to question just how happy your job makes you?
The concept of being happy in a career path, especially as a woman is one that many are yet to understand let alone experience but woman are still reported as having a higher job satisfaction level than men. Are we really any happier in our careers or are we just grateful to be career women? It’s easy to be fooled into thinking that the stress, anxiety and sexism in an industry is all part of the landscape and something completely normal, but more often than not, it isn’t. If at the end of your workday you don’t feel satisfied by what you’ve done, you should rethink where you are.
It really doesn’t matter how many job satisfaction articles you read about successful women and their tips and tricks to staying happy, at least not until you’re sure about your path, your passion and your goals. Above all, I think that women in most male-dominated industries feel obliged to work harder and longer to pay their dues as well as tolerating a lot more than their male counterparts would.
I’m young and am only beginning to understand the importance of loving my job but if i could give any advice to my fellow career women, I would beg them to take it back to basics. Be passionate about what you do and if you aren’t, take some steps outside of your day job to make that happen. Fill your life with passion projects that keep you on your toes and happy, push yourself, progress and move towards being a pioneer in your industry.
As women, we’re used to working hard to prove ourselves especially in male-dominated industries, but in order to excel beyond all expectations we must, absolutely, fully, love what we do.
Do you love what you do?