Whatever Works for Work

by George Lorenzo

This book is being written for the unemployed or anyone seeking to change careers for a better financial future and/or better opportunity to do something consistent with their passions. It is written on top of the assertion that we live in a very new and different Digital Age, Information Age, Electronic Age, Knowledge Economy – call it whatever you like – that has dramatically changed the way we may or may not find a secure work life. 

When we seriously get down to it, however, nothing is 100 percent secure. It would be like a Utopia if everyone could easily find work that at the very least would enable all to have decent food, clothing and shelter and, of course, at least some semblance of an adequate reward consistent with a personal brand of happiness. 

Happiness, of course, is a relative term. You might be the kind of person who must have a big, beautiful house with a backyard and swimming pool, or you may be perfectly content living in a studio apartment with a parking space. Regardless, you have to make a living, and it is obviously important to work at something that makes you content, that you enjoy doing, that has meaning in your life. Easier said than done, right?

Doing something with meaning is also relative. Selling a fragrance product could be considered meaningful just as feeding the poor and hungry or educating people can be considered meaningful. To put it in basic, everyday English – whatever works for your work life is determined by many personal factors, as well as a good amount of luck and serendipity.

So, let’s start at the beginning of all things that can lead to meaningful work – what you know and can do. Building this area of your life requires an education, so this book will provide advice and help on how you can get an education that matches your interests and that you can afford. The world of education at all levels, from pre-K through 20, is in an early evolutionary state of change. The freely available knowledge you can garner over the Internet is altering everything. Understanding how to obtain and use online resources is a requisite skill that falls under the topic of “information literacy” – which we will go into in greater depth throughout this book. For now, however, take a look at http://www.edpath.com/stn.htm. 

The keys to everything here are related to your interests and satisfaction levels. As author Daniel Pink says in his book “Drive,” the trend for young adults entering the workforce today, as well as their Baby Boomer parents, is that money is no longer the most important form of compensation. “Instead they choose a range of nonmonetary factors – from a ‘great team’ to ‘the ability to give back to society through work.’ And if they can’t find their satisfying package of rewards in an existing organization, they’ll create a venture of their own.”

Reading Pink begs for answers to such questions as how much money you want to earn? What kind of work makes you feel good about yourself? What are you passionate about? What are you really good at doing? 

Comments welcome. What works for your work life?