Choosing a Career That Works Well for You

Tuesday 12th April 2022

Work is a fact of life for most of us. We have to work to generate money to provide ourselves with a good quality of life. Whether that’s making rent or mortgage payments, paying for our bills or simply ensuring we have enough disposable inco m e to do the things we enjoy, you’re going to find yourself having to put in the hours and effort to generate that money for yourself and for any dependents you may have. Of course, the majority of us don’t love our jobs. But this doesn’t have to be the case. You can certainly find a job that you at least find bearable, if not something you actively look forward to. Enjoying your work – or at minimum, not dreading going to work – can boost your happiness and wellbeing and give you more get up and go. But how can you go about finding a job that works for you? Here are some suggestions that should help guide you along the way on this journey.

Consider Modes of Work

The vast majority of us are employees. This means that we work contracted hours for someone else in exchange for contracted pay. But there are other modes of work out there that you could take into consideration too. Each comes hand in hand with perks and drawbacks, so it’s important that you know the ins and outs of each to make a decision that ticks all of your boxes. The three most common modes of work include:

Employment – when you are employed, you work for a business. You will have a contract that details your working hours, where you can work from, your rate of pay and any benefits that you may have as part of your employment.

Self-Employment – self-employment bridges a gap between employment and running your own business. When you are self-employed, you work for yourself. You provide services to a business or an individual for an agreed rate. You will often engage with one-off projects or occasional projects from the same client.

Running Your Own Business – when you run your own business, you are your own boss and may outsource work to third parties or hire employees. You make all of the decisions associated with the business’ operations.

Employment

Let’s take a moment to look at some of the perks and drawbacks of employment. Many people choose employment because it is comfortable. You know exactly how much you will be taking home on a set day of each month, allowing you to budget and manage your finances easily. You also get a lot of benefits, such as paid annual leave, sick leave, compassionate leave and parental leave. Your taxes are also generally dealt with on your behalf, with the company you work for deducting them from your pay before the money hits your bank account. Of course, when you are an employee, you don’t have much say in your work. You have to do as you are told (as long as it is in the remits of your job description and legal).

If this mode of work sounds good to you:

Create a resume or CV
Browse jobs boards (such as LinkedIn or Indeed)
Enroll with recruitment agencies
Apply for positions that seem suitable

Self-Employment

When you are self-employed, you lose the benefits of employment. You will not receive paid annual leave and other forms of leave. You have to make sure to budget for this yourself and ensure you have savings should you need to take time off work for sickness, bereavement, parental leave or other reasons. You also have to organise and file your own taxes at the end of each fiscal year. However, you do gain control over your work and your career path. You choose what rates your charge. You choose your working hours, You choose where you work from. You choose who you work for. This is a much more flexible mode of working.

If this mode of work sounds good to you:

Register as self-employed
Look into how to manage your taxes or use an accountant
Create a portfolio of your work for potential clients
Seek out clients on sites such as LinkedIn or Indeed

Running Your Own Business

When you run your own business, you gain complete control over your working life and you also get to benefit from the profits you create. When you work for someone else, they inevitably pay you less than the value you bring to the company – this gap is where their profit lies. When you run a business, you get to keep all of these profits. Like self-employment, you get to choose where you work, when you work and more. However, of course, it takes a lot more work and investment to get things up and running. You’ll have to create a product or service that is profitable, develop it, launch it and then market it.

If this mode work sounds best for you:

Register as self-employed
Register your business
Develop a profitable product or service
Set up a website or invest in a commercial premises
Brand your business
Market and advertise

There are also specialists who can help you with this journey. You can find an outstanding package with everything you need to get started in business for an affordable price. This will serve as a great starting block and help you get on your feet.

Consider What’s Important for You

Of course, when choosing what kind of work you want to engage with, you do need to consider countless areas that will determine whether the position – whether employed, self-employed, or running a business – is right for you. Ask yourself a series of questions to weigh up your options. What salary do you want to earn? Do you have to generate a set amount to keep up with your financial commitments? Are you willing to start over and retrain in another field? This could entail heading back to higher education, which will take time, effort and financial investment. Who do you want to work with? There are plenty of roles that entail working with children, the elderly, the vulnerable, animals or other groups. Would you like to be in a customer facing role or an office based role? Do you want to work from home or are you happy to commute? There are so many questions that will help you to determine the best path for you.

Hopefully, some of the information outlined above will get your journey to the right career started out in the right direction!