Passion or Necessity?

All work has purpose. All work has value. You are the best person to evaluate the value of your work. The value of your work depends on whether or not your personal needs are being met.

Are you passionate about your work? You may be working in your chosen profession, even with a company you have always wanted to work for, and still you may experience moments of job dissatisfaction. Here are some areas to consider when evaluating your work and work environment.

How much autonomy do you have when producing your work? Everyone has a different level of comfort when it comes to his or her independence when working. It's important for you to be aware of your need for self-governance or the degree of management you prefer.

Do you have the opportunity to enhance your community? If your workplace is not currently involved in the community perhaps you can be the architect of a new program that would enable yourself and your co-workers to support outside organizations. Becoming involved with the community will increase your satisfaction at the perceived value of your work and have the organization you work in.

Does your work provide you with social contact and help you maintain or build your social skills? If the work you produce does not require enough interaction for you then perhaps you can look to your workplace for other opportunities to socialize.

Engaging in in-house organizations will provide you with a social outlet, they can help you develop a sense of belonging within the company and can be very useful with networking.

Does your work challenge you? Maintaining current skills and developing new avenues to utilize them can help maintain your sense of satisfaction. Developing new skills will not only build your self-esteem but they can enhance your ability to contribute to the company you work for, and increase your opportunities for advancement.

Compensation in terms of monetary rewards is perhaps the easiest criteria you can look at when determining the value of your work. Since we live in a mercantile society, having our basic necessities met is a common measure of our works value. What you consider necessity is up to you.

Our personal identities are often entwined with the employment choices we make. If you are feeling dissatisfaction with your employment choices it is important to remind yourself that you have purpose and you have value beyond measure.