is it important to have a career

What is important is to have a purpose in life and setting goals and keep them visible to achieve them. For many people, career gives them the purpose. Besides providing financial security, careers offer a great way to connect with the larger community.

This is a great question! Thanks for asking!

I think, in life, it's important to have three interests:

1. An interest that makes you money.

2. An interest that keeps you healthy.

3. An interest that you are passionate about.

For some people, they have a "career" -- it's BOTH 1 and 3. They are really passionate about something that happens to make a lot of money.

For me, my 1, 2, and 3 are completely different. I have a job that makes good money, but it's not something in which I feel a great sense of belonging or a great passion for.  

You will find your own 1, 2, and 3. And you will be great.

Alex,

not everyone chooses to treat their work as a career. I have both family and friends that bounce around doing different types of jobs over the years. The majority of working Americans tend to choose an area of focus and stick with that as a career, investing time, money, energy, and emotion over time. I’ve had both jobs that just got me by and have been fortunate to have an area of focus that has provided me with a rewarding career. Figure out what works for you and go for it. If the flexibility of trying out wildly different areas appeals to you, don’t let societal norms steer you away from them. On the other hand, if you want to focus on one area and find that joy in developing a growing expertise with a career.

Alex, thank you for answering this thoughtful question.

It is important in thinking about your future, and a career as part of that, to consider what you enjoy doing. It is common for adults to spend 30-45 years working. For your own benefit, I think the most important aspect of this is to find something that you find rewarding for yourself from a personal perspective.

The 2nd part of your question, which asks about wealth as part of your career, can be a different consideration because this can depend on how you value money. Different careers have different ranges of compensation. In order to determine what a career path could be for you, my advice would be to first spend time learning about what you are interested in, and then learn if it will provide the type of financial reward that is important to you.

The short answer is YES! A career in any field will allow you to build skills to continue making money. This can be a career as an electrician, engineer, doctor, etc. The idea of a career is that you will always be building and adding onto your knowledge and skills. You don't go to school or start a new job and that's it. You will learn and grow then move on to new jobs at the same company or other companies to push yourself to learn more and do more in any field you choose.

As you learn, grow, and build a career, the knowledge and skill you develop will lead to being paid more.

I suggest exploring different work that you find interesting and may want to build a career doing.