7 answers
Bryana
Student
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
1
Question
Asked
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How do you find the balance between choosing a financially rewarding but also emotionally fulfilling career?
I'm a Mexican first-generation high school senior who needs guidance on this topic specifically.
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7 answers
Edgardo Reyes
Software Developer
4
Answers
Blacksburg, Virginia
Updated
Edgardo’s Answer
Congratulations on your achievements thus far, Bryana!
First off, I would like to say that I am not a financial advisor, career planner, or counselor. Everything that I put in this post is advice or viewpoints that I wish I could tell myself back when I was in your stage of life if I would have listened.
The first thing I would do if you haven't yet is look into developing your financial literacy skills which include personal financial management, budgeting, and investing. Incorporating these concepts into your life will start you on the road to financial success that a majority of working individuals don't start thinking about till after college/when they find their first "real" profession.
Now that we have budgeting, and basic finance skills in hand, I would write out what my long term goals are - note, these are organic and can change as you grow older, it's nice to have something to aim towards to start out! Being a first-generation individual there may be some expectation for you to look after your parents during retirement? If we don't want to look that far ahead, how about 10 years from now - do you see yourself staying in the area you currently live in? If so - according to census.gov for your area we can see that the median household income between 2018 and 2022 was $74,205. These are the kinds of goals that I encourage you to think about.
Going back to your question of balancing between financial and emotionally fulfillment from a job - I would determine the minimum amount of money you need to support a lifestyle that you're able to sustain. Anything extra would be icing on the cake, and anything less would necessitate you to look for way to increase earnings. From there, that's when I would ask the question what do you want to do? Were there skills that you excel in that you wanted to pursue as a career? Maybe you have a career/title in mind that you don't necessarily have the skills for now - but for their entry level positions what ways can you close the skills gap?
I want to let you know that no matter what I say, or what the next person says, we can give you all the advice in the world but in the end the decision is up to you to find the balance. If you have an opportunity to pursue something you're passionate about and it financially makes sense I say go for it!
One more thing - everyone has their own personal journey to go through, as in what's right and the definition of success for someone else does not have to be the same for you. I wish you the best of luck on your future endeavors, Bryana!
First off, I would like to say that I am not a financial advisor, career planner, or counselor. Everything that I put in this post is advice or viewpoints that I wish I could tell myself back when I was in your stage of life if I would have listened.
The first thing I would do if you haven't yet is look into developing your financial literacy skills which include personal financial management, budgeting, and investing. Incorporating these concepts into your life will start you on the road to financial success that a majority of working individuals don't start thinking about till after college/when they find their first "real" profession.
Now that we have budgeting, and basic finance skills in hand, I would write out what my long term goals are - note, these are organic and can change as you grow older, it's nice to have something to aim towards to start out! Being a first-generation individual there may be some expectation for you to look after your parents during retirement? If we don't want to look that far ahead, how about 10 years from now - do you see yourself staying in the area you currently live in? If so - according to census.gov for your area we can see that the median household income between 2018 and 2022 was $74,205. These are the kinds of goals that I encourage you to think about.
Going back to your question of balancing between financial and emotionally fulfillment from a job - I would determine the minimum amount of money you need to support a lifestyle that you're able to sustain. Anything extra would be icing on the cake, and anything less would necessitate you to look for way to increase earnings. From there, that's when I would ask the question what do you want to do? Were there skills that you excel in that you wanted to pursue as a career? Maybe you have a career/title in mind that you don't necessarily have the skills for now - but for their entry level positions what ways can you close the skills gap?
I want to let you know that no matter what I say, or what the next person says, we can give you all the advice in the world but in the end the decision is up to you to find the balance. If you have an opportunity to pursue something you're passionate about and it financially makes sense I say go for it!
One more thing - everyone has their own personal journey to go through, as in what's right and the definition of success for someone else does not have to be the same for you. I wish you the best of luck on your future endeavors, Bryana!
Patrick Young
Business Relationship Manager
1
Answer
Milton, Georgia
Updated
Patrick’s Answer
This answer will vary depending on the stage of life that you’re in, but know that whatever career path you start on does not mean that you’re locked into that path forever. You’re always building a set of skills on your path and these skills can be transferable to several different fields and can be applied across a broad range of applications.
Start observing and paying attention to what you do to find your passions vs what takes your energy away and start filtering your career choices based that balance of personal fulfillment vs financial stability. You may excel in a career that provides financial stability that you’re not particularly passionate about, but you supplement in your personal life with volunteering, hobbies, or entrepreneurship in your passions. make forward progress, what you do as a career doesn't completely define who you are,
If you don’t know what you're passionate about, take general classes that expose you to a broad range of experience that you may not be aware of, link it to what fulfills you, and find ways to exercise this experience in practice. There are opportunities like internships/co-ops/volunteering or finding a mentor you can shadow so you can ask questions and truly experience what it might be like to be in that field.
Best of luck in your journey, there are no wrong answers and you will do well in life as long as you are passionate in what you decide, always learn along the way to improve yourself and believe in the choices you make!
Start observing and paying attention to what you do to find your passions vs what takes your energy away and start filtering your career choices based that balance of personal fulfillment vs financial stability. You may excel in a career that provides financial stability that you’re not particularly passionate about, but you supplement in your personal life with volunteering, hobbies, or entrepreneurship in your passions. make forward progress, what you do as a career doesn't completely define who you are,
If you don’t know what you're passionate about, take general classes that expose you to a broad range of experience that you may not be aware of, link it to what fulfills you, and find ways to exercise this experience in practice. There are opportunities like internships/co-ops/volunteering or finding a mentor you can shadow so you can ask questions and truly experience what it might be like to be in that field.
Best of luck in your journey, there are no wrong answers and you will do well in life as long as you are passionate in what you decide, always learn along the way to improve yourself and believe in the choices you make!
Michael Slansky
Project Management
7
Answers
Winter Garden, Florida
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Balancing financial and emotional rewards is a great question. I would suggest that you need to reflect upon a number of factors: 1- your passion: what helps you get out of bed in the morning, 2- your long-term goals, 3- what brings you joy besides the monetary aspect. After looking at these factors, investigate what careers align with these answers. I believe that if you find a career that you love and want to do, ultimately you will become financially stable in that career. Also, remember your passions and goals may shift over time.
Bryony Arnold
Full Stack Engineer
2
Answers
Oakham, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Bryony’s Answer
Hi Bryana,
Firstly, what a great question and well done on the foresight to know you would like a good balance between financial stability and also happiness in your job/career.
What are you passionate about? If you can find a way of doing that within an industry that gives a good financial reward that is the first step. If you can't figure that out yet - no rush! There is often always and option to be part time in your your job that gives financial gain to then maybe do some of those emotionally fulfilling tasks you seek.
I can give you an example of this, I am a full stack engineer in the UK and I work for IBM. Working in tech/IT is a highly paid industry and I do gain some emotional fulfilment from it, but not exactly how much i thought (it can be dependant on what project work i am assigned). I do work part time around the care of my two young children as well but i am paid well despite only working 3 days a week. I am passionate about child development and STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) so i do volunteer as a STEM Ambassador here in the UK. It means i get to do great things with children and young adults including being a member of career village and provide advice where i can. This is not paid of course but being employed by IBM gives me these opportunities and support. This might mean that when im older i might decide that this is something i want to be paid for.
I didn't always work in IT either, i started my career journey as a laboratory technician doing really important safety testing - i wasnt paid well but i did really get fulfilment from it! I think its a hard thing to balance and you don't have to make the decision when you leave school (although it may very well feel like that) It is never to late to change your career or up-skill into something new :)
Firstly, what a great question and well done on the foresight to know you would like a good balance between financial stability and also happiness in your job/career.
What are you passionate about? If you can find a way of doing that within an industry that gives a good financial reward that is the first step. If you can't figure that out yet - no rush! There is often always and option to be part time in your your job that gives financial gain to then maybe do some of those emotionally fulfilling tasks you seek.
I can give you an example of this, I am a full stack engineer in the UK and I work for IBM. Working in tech/IT is a highly paid industry and I do gain some emotional fulfilment from it, but not exactly how much i thought (it can be dependant on what project work i am assigned). I do work part time around the care of my two young children as well but i am paid well despite only working 3 days a week. I am passionate about child development and STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) so i do volunteer as a STEM Ambassador here in the UK. It means i get to do great things with children and young adults including being a member of career village and provide advice where i can. This is not paid of course but being employed by IBM gives me these opportunities and support. This might mean that when im older i might decide that this is something i want to be paid for.
I didn't always work in IT either, i started my career journey as a laboratory technician doing really important safety testing - i wasnt paid well but i did really get fulfilment from it! I think its a hard thing to balance and you don't have to make the decision when you leave school (although it may very well feel like that) It is never to late to change your career or up-skill into something new :)
Michelle Mitrione
Product Management
5
Answers
Darien, New York
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hi. You can try to get a feel for job descriptions and pay on websites like Indeed.com and LinkedIn.com, and you can also look at people's profiles on LinkedIn.com which can tell you what responsibilities people have accomplished in their roles. Then when you find some roles that look interesting to you, and seem to be with a pay range that appeals to you, you could try to find someone in that role to interview them. You might be able to do that on LinkedIn and also through CareerVillage. Good luck in your search! And remember, your first job doesn't have to be forever... it is common to make changes over your career as you learn more and gravitate toward different roles.
Stephanie Robin Kahler
Executive Assistant
3
Answers
Tampa, Florida
Updated
Stephanie Robin’s Answer
Hi Bryana,
It's great that you are thinking these things through at an early age! It's hard to give a concrete answer since we don't know you, but here are some questions for you to think about. The answers will help guide you.
-Do you prefer working on projects in teams, or on your own?
-Do you prefer numbers and research, or are you people-oriented and want to actively engage with others?
-What resources do you have for education or job training? (can you get scholarships, grants for college - are their trade programs you would be able to attend)
-What classes in school interest you the most, and why are they your favorite?
-What do you want out of life? Is time with your family more important than growing a career, consider the schedule and flexibility of profession you may be interested in. Think about what you will want 10, 20 years down the line.
-What do you enjoy doing on your own?
-What role do you take in your friendships? (are you the counselor everyone goes to, the event planner, the responsible one, ect)
Think about the answers to these kinds of questions and you should get a feel for how you work and what you might find fulfillment doing. Best of luck to you, I'm sure you'll be great!
It's great that you are thinking these things through at an early age! It's hard to give a concrete answer since we don't know you, but here are some questions for you to think about. The answers will help guide you.
-Do you prefer working on projects in teams, or on your own?
-Do you prefer numbers and research, or are you people-oriented and want to actively engage with others?
-What resources do you have for education or job training? (can you get scholarships, grants for college - are their trade programs you would be able to attend)
-What classes in school interest you the most, and why are they your favorite?
-What do you want out of life? Is time with your family more important than growing a career, consider the schedule and flexibility of profession you may be interested in. Think about what you will want 10, 20 years down the line.
-What do you enjoy doing on your own?
-What role do you take in your friendships? (are you the counselor everyone goes to, the event planner, the responsible one, ect)
Think about the answers to these kinds of questions and you should get a feel for how you work and what you might find fulfillment doing. Best of luck to you, I'm sure you'll be great!
Alma Martinez
Product Manager
4
Answers
Arlington, Texas
Updated
Alma’s Answer
Bryana,
I love your question. I’m also a first-generation student, and I pursued a career in STEM because I needed financial security (that was my top priority). I will say that college majors don’t necessarily limit you to one career path. The great thing is that you can explore different careers. If you major in something and don’t like the career path, you can always get certifications and make a switch. For example, I have a friend who majored in nursing but didn’t like it. She attended a few coding boot camps and successfully changed her career.
My best advice is to do a lot of research on your major to see if you like the courses. Shadow professionals in the career paths you’re interested in to see what their daily lives are like. Additionally, interview professionals in those industries; you can connect with them on LinkedIn and set up a coffee chat.
I love your question. I’m also a first-generation student, and I pursued a career in STEM because I needed financial security (that was my top priority). I will say that college majors don’t necessarily limit you to one career path. The great thing is that you can explore different careers. If you major in something and don’t like the career path, you can always get certifications and make a switch. For example, I have a friend who majored in nursing but didn’t like it. She attended a few coding boot camps and successfully changed her career.
My best advice is to do a lot of research on your major to see if you like the courses. Shadow professionals in the career paths you’re interested in to see what their daily lives are like. Additionally, interview professionals in those industries; you can connect with them on LinkedIn and set up a coffee chat.