A good friend of mine was doing the daily grind for over 11 years when one day, he called and asked me the dreaded question: Are you happy? When I paused and muttered the word “reasonably”, I already knew where he stood when faced with the same question. Since our last 10 conversations consisted of his job woes and overall lack of fulfillment, I did not even have to ask him why he wasn’t happy. He was always a physical guy, who loved to work out and compete at even the most trivial things, but corporate America was getting the best of him.
I told him for as long as I had known him, he seemed happiest when engaged in competition, whether building things or working out or even solving practical problems. So I finally decided to tell him about online degrees and perhaps a career change. Since I was going to listen to everything wrong about his career, then he was going to hear what I had to say. I told him that homeland security was one of the fastest growing industries and that his personality would find a great home in either the FBI, DEA or the Secret Service. If he was that unhappy, then he had to be willing to take drastic action. He already had his bachelor’s degree and if he could continue to stomach his job, he could focus on an online masters degree in homeland security at night and the weekends. With a masters in homeland security, he would be a first rate candidate for any of the government agencies serving to protect our country.
It may not sound like the easiest route, but going to work by day and attending online classes either at night or the weekends might lead to a path of real fulfillment. Far too many people are decaying at their day jobs without even knowing it. Then, when 40 years have passed, all they can do is wonder about what might have been. Go in direction of where your passion leads. My friend, by the way, sees over 11 agents in the FBI. He won’t ever talk about his job, not because he doesn’t love it, but because it is CLASSIFIED!