Tips on assuring your happiness job wise
Have you ever wondered, at any point in your career, if you have made the right decision job wise? It could be that you are not satisfied anymore with your current employer, the customer you are working for, or that you want to trade your job as a lecturer to become a software developer.
The most important thing to learn from turning your career upside down is the feeling you will wake up with every day that you have made the right decision. It is your happiness that counts above anything else!
Inspiration
The reason I decided to write this blog post is that there has not been much written about this topic. This year, I read a book called ‘Met je voeten in het stopcontact,’ which translates to ‘Putting your feet in a power outlet,’ by Gwen van Poorten.
In this book, Gwen talks about how she became her own best friend, and created a life she feels excited about. She shows a vulnerable side of herself, talking about having a burnout aged 22 and how she managed to turn her life around and become the best version of herself. Also, the current media occasionally drops a post about this topic, but it is still something that does not get covered enough. Even though I never let it come that far, this book and online posts relate to my blog post. I hope the tips I describe in my post will help you reflect and ensure happiness in your career.
I have a BSc in Computer Science, but I do not see myself working as a back-end developer, what should I do?
It is important to create a work environment that you are pleased with. For example, you get excited from working at a marketing firm as a social media director. In this case, you have created an environment that you want to be in. I did not have that energized feeling even before I started my first job. But what did I want to do after I got my bachelor’s degree in computer science? I had no idea what the possibilities were, only that I had to work as a back-end developer.
That first job excitement
Luckily, a miracle happened. A former colleague asked me to stay at the university I studied at. That removed my first barrier of not having to work as a back-end developer. I did not have to work behind a desk all day and write back-end code. I could become a teacher!
When I worked as a lecturer, I really liked the fact that there was no certain schedule or task you had to do for eight hours straight. It was a truly diverse environment where you had to prepare classes, help in labs, or give a lecture to students on a study related topic. I thought it was only possible to have this diversity in tasks for jobs in education or in a similar sector. But it was not until I changed jobs that I found out you can also have that type of diversity in a job as front-end developer.
How can I afford life if I radically change my profession?
After three years working at the university, I felt like it was time for a change. I did not feel that same spark I had in the beginning. I still liked teaching, but the atmosphere at the university had changed negatively, which meant I did not want to stay there. On top of that, since I started a masters degree in Interaction Design, I became more interested in front-end development in combination with user interface design.
Time for a change
In early 2020, I decided to apply for jobs in front-end development and got hired by Luminis as a junior front-end developer! I agreed to work a 32h week, so I had one day off for my masters degree. It all happened during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when the housing prices were sky high. So, how could it be possible to start a new job, continue my masters degree, and move to a new city, which was not even close to where I used to live? And how wouldn’t afford everything?
After I found out I got the job at Luminis, I had to find a place to live. It was difficult to find something, but I was never worried I wouldn’t afford it. Also, I did not easily pick an apartment just so I had a place to live in. I have my needs, and the apartment needed to fit those needs. Eventually, I found the apartment that checked off all my boxes. Even though renting is expensive, I knew I made the right decision, because I would be excited to live there and enjoy my job as well.
Is it possible to study, while also having a part-time job (32h)?
Short answer: YES! But I guess you would like a more thorough explanation. I will start at the beginning, because I had to get a master’s degree for my previous lecturer job. The university gave me two paid days to study. Halfway through my studies, I decided to
change jobs. How would that work? Because I would not get two paid days off for that job. I decided to work part-time, a 32h workweek. It meant I had one less day to work on my studies.
My solution:
Make a PLAN! For the study, I knew what courses I had to take during a semester, which means I could easily plan out my semester. In my case, Google Classroom showed which deadlines I had on which days. I wrote down everything I had to do to meet that specific deadline. Each small task I divided over every Friday per deadline. I knew exactly what I had to do each Friday to stay on route towards meeting my deadlines.
Working at Luminis
Luminis has always supported me from the beginning. In my application process, I let them know that I was studying for a master’s and wanted to work a 32h workweek. Because there was clear communication, it was never a problem.
It takes effort to create a life that you are satisfied with, but if you do not take that leap of faith, you will not know if that one job opportunity will create the life you want to live! It worked out for me. I recently graduated with a master’s degree in Interaction Design, and I have a job that I love that I can change to my satisfaction. You do not need to listen to what society wants you to do. If you did that, you would live the life society wants you to live instead of the life you want to create!
To end this blog post, I would like to shake my top three tips that can help you on your path to happiness job wise:
#1: Be excited about going to your workplace.
#2: Money ≠ Happiness. Take a leap of faith to become the person you want to become and have the life you want to live. Do not let money hold you back.
#3: You are never too old to study. If you want to go back to school and change or upgrade your career, do it. It is never too late. Communicate, plan, and make it work the way you want it to work!