As I head into the time in my life where I have to really start thinking about what I want to do with the rest of my life, all I can think about is making sure I am happy in the long run and not feeling stuck.

Something that has always been drilled in my head by my parents is to make sure I love whatever job I decide to pursue in the future.

Throughout all of the part-time jobs I have had since high school, I have never truly loved any of them. However, I didn’t let it affect me since I wasn’t working full time there, and I needed the money.

Many high school and college students can agree with me that they don’t love their part-time job, probably because it is not something they are passionate about.

Thankfully, as I am focusing on finishing my degree, I can find something that I am actually passionate about and does not make working feel like work.

Nevertheless, as I begin to head into the job-searching time of my life to find my first official full-time job, all I can think about is trying to find a job that fulfills all that I want.

I want a job that can work with my needs and wants, can pay me a livable wage and I want to be able to enjoy my job overall.

I know of many people who prefer to just find a well-paying job compared to finding a job that genuinely makes them happy.

But I feel like you need to have both of those to have a successful life.

You want to be happy going into work every day. I mean, you will be spending a lot of time there, so why torture yourself just to make more money?

Personally, my goal in life is just to find a job that I truly enjoy and that makes me happy, while I make a decent and livable pay.

I need to pay bills of course, but I want to be able to treat myself to different things.

Our lives should not be completely focused on work.

We are not living to work; we are working to live.

So, while you might want that job that pays double of what the better company pays, take the lesser.

Take the job that won’t be torture reporting to on a daily basis.

Compare it to a class you took that you wanted to skip all the time. Sure you can do that in college, but not in real life.

Just because a job pays more, doesn’t mean it will be better for you overall.

Think about your mental health before you start job searching.

Figure out what you want your career goals to be and what you want from the company you choose to work for.

Remember, you are not only getting interviewed and evaluated for jobs by companies, but you are interviewing and evaluating them for yourself too.

You want to make sure not only you are a good fit for them, but that they are a good fit for you too.

It will help you in the long run and your future self will thank you.

CHLOE PALMIERE

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