How to Choose a Career True to You Without Buckling to Societal Pressure

Here’s how to find a job that fits your personality

Photo by David Siglin on Unsplash

Ever wondered what makes a job truly fulfilling?

It’s not free coffee, causal Friday, and certainly not the much-maligned office pizza party.

If you want to feel fulfilled and happy in a job, don’t focus on the perks or even the salary.

Start with this question:

“Is this position within this company working with this specific group of people a good fit with my personality?”

Are you motivated by promotion or prevention?

A 2001 study titled “Regulatory Focus Theory: Implications for the Study of Emotions at Work” examined how a person’s so-called ‘regulatory focus’ impacts job satisfaction.

According to regulatory focus theory, there are two kinds of workers:

1. Promotion-focused: People motivated by career advancement and personal development. Promotion-focused people aim to align their actual selves with their ideal selves — their goal is to become the person they believe they want to be
2. Prevention-focused: People motivated by security and responsibility. Prevention-focused people…