Welcome back to our series on careers and why they can be both fun and successful! When we’re not sure of our part in society, it can be worth reflecting on this next point.
WHAT WE WANT TO DO CAN BE SOMETHING OTHERS NEED.
People can have passions for things that are obviously vital to society. This is exemplified in the cases of people who choose to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, pilots, law enforcers, soldiers, firefighters and the like. In those examples, it can be easy to see the relevance of a person’s chosen field to everyday life.
In other cases, however, it won’t always be easy to see. We rarely appreciate the contributions of people who choose careers based on library science, philosophy, history, physical fitness, sport science and other so-called non-essential fields.
This is because most people are used to placing more importance on jobs that are very visible, regardless of the impact. Behind the scenes, however, a graduate of library science can maintain organized and easily accessible records for all sorts of users such as students, government employees, researchers, legal professionals, professors and the like.
Recovering orthopedic patients will need to undergo rehabilitation to retrain their bodies to move normally. Not all doctors have the expertise needed for this, though, and may turn to physical trainers who studied physical fitness courses. Such experts have extensive knowledge on exercise programs, nutritional diet and environmental factors that can help these patients regain their bodily functions.
History majors can become teachers. The same goes for Philosophy graduates, or they may also choose to pursue law.
Thus, if we look closer, we can see that interests that don’t seem to matter can still be important and essential. These fields are not always obvious on the outside, but they are needed to fill specific parts of society’s productivity and functionality. Often, as in the example of the physical trainer mentioned above, they are valuable support functions to more popular professions. Sometimes, they are preparations for more difficult fields.
Doing something we enjoy can also mean we’re contributing to society. Someone will always have need of our particular talents and the genuine passion that comes along with it.