It is almost certain that I will change jobs this year. Consequently, I’ve been trying to discern what the optimal ‘next move’ is for me, and, how to best discern that.
Recently, I thought about evaluating potential career paths based on these criteria: industry, mission, and process.
‘Industry’ is the field in which you work, ‘Process’ is the work you do everyday in that field, and ‘Mission’ is why you do that work. As a child, ‘Industry’ was the dominant factor in career interest. Early on, I liked dinosaurs, so I wanted to be a paleontologist. Getting into my adult years, mission and process have become the dominant factors. Process is doing what you need to do in order to make a living in a way that doesn’t kill you mentally. Mission is a sense that your labor serves a worthy purpose. With these two, you’re paying the bills and finding fulfillment.
I believe the Industry you choose should be the sum of Mission plus Process. In other words, choose an industry where you will be acting out a purpose that you believe in, through daily processes that suit you.
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Andrew K. Banks 