Making a Living

I've changed jobs and careers a few times in my life and I may do it again. As the world of work changes and what I need from a job changes, I change what I do for a living.

I've come to realize that we need to change how we think about choosing a career. What you need from a job is not the same in your twenties than in your fifties. So, that means you need a different job or career at those points in your life.

In my twenties I wanted diversity, challenges, travel, and fun. I wanted to build my experiences to enrich my life. I enjoyed work travel and would seek it out. I had jobs that involved travel and I liked it. 

In my forties I want to be home and eat home cooking and I have a job that allows for that.

This may be a simplification but you get the point.

So, when teenagers are trying to pick a career, they should be thinking about what they want to do for the next ten years or so, not the rest of their life. If they want their evenings and week-ends free then pursue a nine to five gig. If they want to talk to a lot of people find a public facing job.

It's all about building your skill set to get the job you want to fit the lifestyle you want. If you don't have a job that fits with your lifestyle, start looking for one that does.

Most importantly, we need to get educators and parents to grab this idea. We need to match careers with lifestyles so people will be more likely to stay in their job. How you see the world makes different attributes of the job a benefit or a liability. It all depends on what you want. The jobs I worked in for long periods of time gave me a life that I wanted and what I wanted has changed, so I have changed what I do to make a living. If we pass this on to the next generation, we will have happier people around us and life will be a little bit better.

The Right Place

Last week-end  I made my annual trip to Montreal to have some fun with a group of guys. Several of these guys I only see once a year on this trip. As everyone knows, when you see someone once a year, you take a few minutes to catch up. I was chatting with one of the guys and he asked how things were going with the new job. I know it's been over a year but I had just started before last year year's trip. I told him how happy I was and he mentioned I look happier and better.

That was the validation that I am currently in the right place.

I have done a few different things in my life. When I see people doing those jobs I am so happy I'm not them.

Anytime I see a manager in a grocery store they always look tired, frustrated, and ready to quit. They don't seem to be excited to get up and go to work. If I stayed in that world too long I would have ended up like that. Every job has some aspect of being a grind but that one is really bad. The balance between enough inventory and food not spoiling is razor tight. The margins are tiny and overall, I'm happy I'm not there.

If I see a car salesman I just laugh. I was always curious what it would be like. The job could be quite good but the typical person in that business is not a team player and will stab you in the back. Some people thrive at it but I'm glad I tried it, learned from it, and moved on.

There is another office I used to work in that could be great. There were a lot of good people who want to do great things but the environment is draining. Everyone catches flack for things not getting done but nobody is given the authority to just make the decision. It has to go to a unreasonably high level for a relatively low level decision. I needed approval from my boss, who was making a six figure salary, to get the office to order file folders. Yes you read that right and yes, it is very silly.

Where I am now, I have responsibility, autonomy, and authority. I can decide where I should put my efforts, and use the necessary resources to get there. If I need something, I get it.

It's a great place to be.

Different people are suited to excel in different roles and right now I'm in a very good spot. I am fortunate and will do what it takes to be successful and stay there.

Who Says That?

I like my job. I know a lot of people think it's nuts to admit that but I really do. It turns out I'm pretty good at it as well. In a few days I'll receive my first quarterly bonus and I did quite well. Without boring you with the details, basically I finished at 111.9% of the target. I think that's pretty good.

As I grow in the job I realize that it is much more a job about leadership than a job about sales.

Yes, it is a sales position and yes, I sell paint. However, in Canada, Valspar paint is available exclusively through Lowe's. A Lowe's store is open about one-hundred hours a week and I service five stores so that's five-hundred hours of of potential selling time. If you do the math that's almost three times as many hours as there are in a week. So, I can't be there to sell all the paint. What I can do is enable the Sales Associates in the Lowe's stores to sell Valspar paint. I can be there on the phone when they need support or information. I can bring information and assistance.

It also helps that I represent very good paint. It's a lot of fun say you have the best paint in the store. There is no 'it's not quite as good but look at the price point.' Being part of the best leads to the best results.

I have autonomy and flexibility to do it my way. The amazing thing is my way works. It is easy for a boss to try to make you do it their way and a lot of people don't realize that just because it's different, it doesn't mean it's wrong. There have been people I've come across that couldn't seem to figure it out. That's their failure. Now a great company has my services and the results show it.

I've turned some heads, I've made a difference. I'm having fun while I do it and why wouldn't you like a job that gives you that.