Finding the "Perfect" Job

As I approached my 9th year of work as a responsible adult, I began reflecting on the job experiences that brought me the most enjoyment in my life. Each job had highs and lows, and I'm grateful for them.

Let me share my story.

The journey so far...

Entering adulthood, I landed my first job in the tech industry after I graduated. It felt like being paid to study, and the experience was crucial to my tech career. I made lasting memories and friends, formed a band, and met my wife there. But it wasn't always fun. I had to work unpaid overtime for more than I can count, and the pay wasn't great.

It took nearly a year to find my second job, which made me move to Singapore. The culture shock was intense. The working style was very different. But the people there pushed me out of my comfort zone, transforming me into a better person. There, I receive a piece of advice from my ex-boss that I always hold on to:

"If you don't know, just give it a go."

In 2019, I joined a travel company. There, I formed strong bonds with my colleagues. We are good friends, and I appreciate them so much. But as the pandemic struck, the company crumbled, and I had to leave. It was a love story with a tragic ending.

Fortunately, I found a better job. My current job provides me with good packages, interesting projects, and smart colleagues to work with. In the first two years, I learned and grew a lot. It was similar to my experience with my first job, it felt like being paid to study again.

However, over the past year, company pivots resulted in my projects being continuously canceled and postponed. It seemed like a stroke of bad luck had fallen upon me.

While my peers could launch their projects and get promoted, I was the only one without any successful projects in three years, making me feel demotivated and miserable. There were days when I didn't want to do anything, not even eat or play with my phone. I even took two weeks off just to stay home and do nothing.

Fortunately, that phase is behind me. It wasn't anyone's fault; it was just how things unfolded. And now, I can accept the fact that maybe it's better for me to leave and explore new things.

The perfect job doesn't exist

The past 8 years have taught me that a perfect job will never exist. What seemed perfect initially will not stay that way after a while.

It's a common phenomenon in life - once we possess something we desire, we begin to notice its flaws. We tend to ignore the positive aspects and concentrate on the negative ones.

Sometimes we can fix the flaws in our jobs. But sometimes, it's beyond our control, and we can only accept, embrace, and move on. At the very least, our jobs help us to pay the bills.

There is no perfect job. So, from now on, I will cherish every job I have as long as I can until I decide to leave.

Because every job we had, was once a dream we wanted to reach.

I hope you find this insightful. If things get hard, remember:

It's not going to be easy, but it's not impossible.

Your friend,
Brian