Choosing Purposeful Employment

The Great Resignation & More Purposeful Employment

With a little courage and lot of experimentation, it's possible to find purposeful employment that is also deeply engaging. Work and pleasure does not need to be separate; it can sit at the intersection of our interests and passions.

Though no human-made system is perfect, in my opinion, the current market economy is the one that gives us the most freedom to choose.

For the most part, we get to choose how we spend our time and money, and ultimately how we want to contribute to our communities. Judging by the great resignation of 2020, people are exercising this power of choice in record numbers.

I believe, one of the major themes of the new era of work is finding the balance between making a living and living a life of meaning and purpose. This mindset is no longer a question reserved for philosophers, the mega-rich or philanthropists, but one we all grapple with as we seek to define what work means for us.

Given our unprecedented access to information, the rapidly changing nature of technology, and an emerging unity of consciousness around remote work, there has never been a better time to learn new skills that lead into new jobs and industries. The most powerful tool in the modern era is one we have easy access to, and it doesn’t cost anything: the human mind.

Lots of new jobs

Traditional models of how work should be done are breaking down, while opportunities for innovation are accelerating.

For example, it’s incredible to think about the vast amount of very real money flowing to creators, influencers, crypto investors, professional e-sports players, NFTs, Twitch streamers,self-taught programmers, and on and on.

Now, more than ever, there is greater opportunity and freedom for individuals to follow interests and best of all, get compensated for it.

This doesn’t even touch on the more traditional professions disrupted by new ideas and modus operandi. Just look at all the activity happening in the new space economy. What previously took governments decades and inflated budgets can now be accomplished by startups in years with a few million dollars.

Work that matters

We are living in an amazing era. More and more people have the freedom and access needed to build modern skills, to do work that is deeply engaging, and interest aligned.

This freedom is coming at a time when the stakes could not be higher, as we grapple with large, complex problems. Challenges around climate, sustainability, and urban decay aren't going anywhere unless we take action. As opportunities to do work that is meaningful increases, more people will grapple with bigger questions like; Do I work on something that brings meaning to my life and the world, or do I focus on simply having a good paying job and doing my duty?

How we individually answer these questions will determine the future we collectively live in.

Here at Credo, we are inspired by all the people who are deciding to work on the important, the complex, and the thorny problems humanity faces. So how to find that work?

That's our goal here, to help more people do work that matters by telling stories that inspire and educate. We also write about 21st Century work culture and are building a community so we can share ideas about the future of work and how to find it.

Hope you join us on the journey!