So… Im sitting in Whole Foods, aka my secret getaway from the world, after receiving an oh so familiar shitty paycheck. The kind of check that after you open it you stare at it for a minute and realize that after you pay your rent and buy some food, it will be gone. The kind of check that you will have nothing leftover to put in your secret stash, the stash that doesn’t exist because your checks are always so shitty. The kind of check that makes you wonder why the hell am I still working for this godforsaken company that I dont even like, just to get this shitty check. You think for a second and youre reasoning always concludes to those 2 words – job security.
Oooh sweet job security! Job security makes you think “well at least I have a job and I have this check” or “well everyone else would like this job and I have it so I should stay”. Trust me, I say these lines almost daily because I want to drown out my feelings of not liking my job so I convince myself that that shitty paycheck I received this week is all the reason I need to just keep being miserable at work. But i’m starting to realize that the only thing my job secures me of is a biweekly shitty check and a damn headache.
I mean, does job security REALLY exist? People that have been working for companies for 20 years and more are getting laid off every single day. People that have let their personal dreams fade away to dedicate themselves to a career that gave them false security and false hope. I’ve come across quite a few of those people and they have expressed to me how disappointed they were to put in so much work to simply be “let go”. One thing that I have been told by those people is to go after what I really want to do and dont settle for false security.
And I get that a concern with that is “well what if I go for my dream job and I get fired along the way?”. My answer to that is.. I don’t know about you but i’d rather get fired from a place that I put in hard work and gained once in a lifetime experiences, rather than a job that I look back on and question why I stayed there to begin with!
Personally I have stayed at my job for financial concern, even though the check is shitty, at least it exist. But to what degree do we let money run our lives and determine our personal happiness? I mean we pick degrees based on money, we work at jobs based on money, we move from state to state looking for money, etc. Why do we do this? Most of us have already realized that money isnt everything. It definitely isn’t worth feeling unfilled or waking up dreading your next work day. We all constantly see that many rich people go bat shit crazy or live a life without love because money was the center of their world. Money is the root of all evil.
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
I understand the fear of going into the unknown and going after the career you REALLY want and leaving the career that you have become familiar with. I’ve been in the medical field for 2 1/2 years and i’m good at what I do. As we know, the medical field is thought of as the most secure career and that’s what has kept me there. Honestly I no longer enjoy it and i’m choosing my personal happiness over any false security or shitty paycheck a job can give me. Money can’t buy happiness, happiness is only brought upon by my choices for my life.
This may be a shocker (or not really) but I have an interest in journalism. I will be exploring that option now and i’m happy about it. Job security and money will no longer be my ball and chain. I’d rather live a happy existence doing what I love and letting the positivity, opportunities, and blessings roll in. The way I see it is if i’m going to get a shitty paycheck i’d rather it be from something I love to do! And even if journalism doesn’t work out, it will only lead me closer to what I am meant to do.
So what career would you choose just based off of personal happiness? What holds you back from going after your dreams? Do you feel job security even exist anymore? Comments are loved and respected.
Evolution is in progress..
Sabia
Young Black Female™ 
Great Sabia!
It’s true, we get caught up in thy false sense of security with jobs and end up tuning our back on our dreams. I’m sure that journalism can be a very lucrative career path for you. When you love what do, money naturally comes. I would love to be in the holistic health field an plan to start classes for my certificate in nutritional counseling next year. I would LOVE todo it full time, but in the mean time, I got bills to pay! So I plan to do this on the side until it expands.
I love you Dehdeh! I think you should definitely go for the nutritional counseling and I would be your first client. You know we both share that interest in healthy living so you know i’m down to help however I can! 🙂
Wow! God is working today! I’m sitting at my desk and right before you sent this post I was thinking of my current position. I know this is not what I want to do for the rest of my life but I’m good at it and it brings home a paycheck. But what I really want to do is something fashion world. I would love to create clothes although I’ve never touched a sewing machine or sketched an outfit. It’s a passion that I’m not sure where to begin this late in life. I’m in my early 30’s and just now really seeing my passion For fashion and natural hair. I also love to serve others and help others. I volunteer on regular bases, I’m trying to figure out how to combine all these passions into one. Thank you so much for your post. It’s time for me to have a one on one with God and see where I’m supposed to be in this life because I don’t think Facility/Office manager is my life. It has given me some great experiences and skills that I can transfer over. It’s time to follow my dream!!! And you’re right about that paycheck, I’ll pay rent, by some food and pay a few bills and that’s my whole check!
I’m glad this post spoke to you! I know the fear that goes into leaving something that you’re good at for something that is completely new. I believe faith and dedication is all you need to start a new beginning. Take steps into your interest and see where it takes you. You never know the connections you can make and where your interest will lead you! Look at me, i’m going from the medical field to journalism and it all started from starting my little blog and noticing that I actually enjoy writing and want to see where it can take me. 🙂
I swear, you must live in my head. I was cracking up laughing reading your first paragraph because when I had a regular 9-5, I would open my check soon as I’d hit the parking lot and wonder the same things…lol. I don’t believe in job security anymore because I’ve seen to many of my college educated, multiple degree having friends working a job instead of working in their career and others who have been “let go” or fear it every time their companies hire new people. Who wants to live like that. My job made me depressed, I HATED going and finally decided to quit and follow my pursuit of entrepreneurship. Did I struggle with bills at first….hell yea, but I struggled when I had a job too. Was it worth it? For sure. I like to be in control of my time and money and want to live on MY terms. For all of you wanting to do your own thing…do what you’ve got to do to make it happen…you can do it!
As always, awesome post Sabia journalism is yours all day! Freelance work…you got that in the bag! Good luck!
Lol I look at my check every 2 weeks as if it’s going to change! I love your drive and your leap into doing what you want with your life. Currently I hate my job. I go into it everyday just waiting to leave soon as I step in the building.. No one should live like this. Life is too short to be unhappy! And thank you! I’m going to start looking for jobs now, just to build my portfolio before I go back to school for it. Thanks for being a faithful reader!
Your welcome, connect with my girl Ty Wilson…she is a freelance writer and you remind me of her, very passionate and REAL writers. I tweeted you about her!
I appreciate you!
Ha. I felt the same way about my job until I left. Even though I was scared out of my mind not having that “steady” paycheck, the freedom of being an entrepreneur is worth every second of every day. But this post made me LOL. I totally could relate.
Oh wow. how I feel the same way about my job, there is no security it just happen to be the first job that called after I moved from FL to Al and I took it, with the mindset of continuing until i get what I want, I like helping kids in FL I was a mentor and tutor. I would not mind continuing the same interest here unfortunately my connections are limited, But I will continue on. One of my old dreams have also resurfaced I would like to be a model before it was just a teen model but I was told I was not tall enough so burried my dream and sat it in the back now I would like to be a natural hair model. Although my connections are limited I will keep trying. Your post is a eye opener for many and a journalist you are. Keep it up sista you got this….
Thanks for reading! Just take it slow and do some networking.. Go to events or go to hair shops and see if you can help anyone with their shows.. Stay positive and i’m sure it’ll work out for you! 🙂
I Timothy 6:10: For the LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil,”… Money is but a tool. It is the value that WE place upon it, and our out of control lust to acquire it that causes us to get into trouble.
Thanks Aunt Cynthia! I’ve learned that if I do what I love and be giving to other people the money will come.. If I can pay my bills i’m happy!
You are in a good position to go for journalism: you are young, single, no kids, you have a shitty job that can be used to pay the main bill, and then pursue journalism work on the side. You should check out Urban Native Girl. She’s a writer, based in Toronto, and from what I can see most of the writing that she does is on-line for a whole range of different companies. Like you, she also has a blog, and she can also be found on Twitter (I follow her, and we are FB buddies, though we haven’t met yet even though we live fairly close to each other). Check her out Sabia, you might get some good ideas.
I went for the dream job for almost 15 years. It was good in every aspect except having consistent money. I was a photographer, shooting commercial jobs, stuff for television networks, editorial, event as well as weddings and portraits. The money was too inconsistent, and being married to someone with more conventional notions of employment, as well as having a child, the pressure to keep the dream job became too much (I too was sick of chasing jobs & money), so I folded it up after thirteen years and teach now. The money is much more consistent, and better, but like so many other teachers in the post secondary system in Canada, I am on contract, and there are all kinds of little issues that go with that, issues that affect, um, er, my pay cheque! There never seems to be enough, and I/we do not live a lavish life style, with our (small, but nice) 100 year old red brick semi, and a 1994 Volvo with 245,000 kilometers on it.
Go for it. Look into the journalism, and see if you can’t get some jobs writing for on line magazines etc. We’ll be watching!
You have lived such a good life! Pursuing your dreams and living rather freely! I’m definitely going to check out Urban Native Girl and start looking into writing jobs. Thanks for always reading my post and offering the best advice!