Like everything else in the 21st century, jobs have changed tremendously. Working from home or taking a call from halfway around the world is no longer a fantasy. With this rise of innovation in the way people work, young adults have begun to reconsider their career paths due to the vast amount of changes that let each person work in their own individual manner. With this era of opportunity, the term “Escaping the Matrix” has been coined.
To put it simply, “Escaping the Matrix” is defined as working a nontraditional job such as day trading, drop-shipping, or even owning a social media marketing agency instead of the conventional 9 to 5 job. A good career plan can certainly vary from person to person depending on their values.
The head of Loyola’s Center for Service & Justice, Gabriela Banuelos, shared her experience with working in a retail store: “I hated it because I felt that I wasn’t making a difference at all. I had really good hours, I was getting paid good, but I wasn’t happy because I wasn’t making a difference. I was not using my brain to make a difference.”
Like many, Banuelos sought out a job that made her feel fulfilled personally by actually making a difference. To her, personal fulfillment couldn’t be found in chasing monthly paychecks, but in using her mind to serve others, directly aligning herself with Loyola’s values of service.
Another factor that contributes to career choices is personal experiences.
Loyola English Teacher Jared Skrabacz shared his story of working on a Native American reservation at his first teaching job: “If I was going to do something for the rest of my life, I wanted it to be something that… I wanted something that gave me purpose.”
“Indeed,” the number one job site in the world, conducted a report of the top twenty happiest jobs in America based on criteria such as a sense of meaning in work, personality fit, salary, skills, work environment, and relationship with supervisors and coworkers. The list of the happiest professions in America includes youth education, real estate, human resources, and physical therapy. These jobs all seem to have clear similarities in social interaction, utilizing skills to help others.
In a new age of flexible schedules, innovative working methods, and new job opportunities, it is imperative that each person finds success in their career not based on traditional standards, but by their own personal fulfillment and values that create the most positive impact on their life.
