What's important to you in a career?

[Joseph41]

Money? Location? Convenience? Enjoyment? People? Prestige? Power? Hours? Flexibility?

All considerations, of course - but what's most important to you?

I think, for me, on the assumption that the pay is reasonable (i.e. enough to live comfortably), it really doesn't phase me. At least, not if I'm enjoying the work, because I'd probably be doing that work out of interest, anyway!

Location and convenience - probably pretty big things for me. Travel time and the like definitely drains me. The people with whom you work is also a huge thing IMO.

How about y'all? What are you thinking for when you get into full-time work?

[elysepopplewell]

Lots of thoughts on this! Nothing definitive, all things I'm wondering about in a ~career~

I think, like you, the pay needs to be enough for me to live comfortably and not start resenting going to work to only just make enough to get by.

People: I also think my career needs to be people-based. I have a friend in accounting who is making real-world change in his job, but it seems so removed from humanity. Not to discredit his career whatsoever, it suits him perfectly to be able to have power to make big changes from an economic point of view. But, it's not for me. I really need to be people-focused in my career I think! Relating to people, connecting people, etc.

Location: Flexible with this. Would happily move to Norway if a wonderful job opened up there that was right up my alley. But, will try avoid huge commutes if I can.

Flexibility: To an extent. Like, the kind of job that means if you work a weekend you get a day off somewhere through the week or something like that, but I only say this in the efforts of maintaining a work life balance. And right now, and for the next few years, I can afford strange working hours and commitments, but if I had a family I can't guarantee I'd have that luxury when I have little people I'm accountable for.

People to work with: Also key to me. Working with someone who is not enjoying the job like you are, doesn't commit like you do, has other priorities, etc, makes for a really awkward balance of team work. Working with people who are inspiring, clever, enjoyable, and understanding, is awesome.

[K888]

I think the key thing for me is interest. Like, I want to do something that I find engaging, challenging, and interesting. Something that keeps me on my toes. I want to be doing something that I feel passionate about, because if I feel passionate about it, then I'm gonna go the extra mile to help a patient, and I'm gonna give them a better chance at achieving better outcomes. I don't want to be stuck doing the same thing every day, because I can't deal with monotony haha.

People. Obviously, I don't really have much say over the patients I'll be seeing, but having good co-workers will be super important, because physio is a really collaborative thing. But like, this isn't just limited to physios - working with good OTs, doctors, nurses, social workers, etc. will a) help me give a patient a better outcome, and b) make work more enjoyable. Also like, just having interaction with people and connecting with them, is something I feel I need.

Good management is another thing. I think having a good boss can be key to having an enjoyable time at your job, and certainly not having to fight to get resources, have people understand the methods behind your work, and having the support of your employer, are all big things. People enabling me to do my job well in a good environment is definitely something I'll need to help me be a good physio.

As long as I'm happy in my job, I don't think I'd care so much about pay. Like, I'd rather be in an awesome workplace where I'm happy and love coming into work each day, rather than be in a job where I get paid a fair bit more but have to drag myself out of bed every day and don't feel passionate about what I'm doing. I'd also like to have my job close by, because physios tend to start reasonably early and having a long commute to and from work would just be draining, and would mean I'd have to sacrifice some leisure/relaxation/social time. 

In the end, it all probably links back to things that make (and keep) me interested and help me feel fulfilled.

[heids]

Important to me:

1.  A good cause.  Have to believe that what I'm doing is actually helping society.

2.  Freedom to make my work as efficient, effective and quirky as possible.  My inner drive to reform and enliven needs a little free rein 😂 so boxing me in to a set way of doing it, without me having some control, doesn't work for me.

3.  Cool coworkers.  People-based.

Not important to me:

1.  The job being interesting in itself (I trust my brain to make things... interesting no matter how monotonous the task ).

2.  Large salary.

3.  Prestige.