Why it's Important to be in a Job that Changes you for the Better

You spend a huge amount of time and energy on your job. Finding one, learning one, keeping one, commuting to one.

So you shouldn’t settle for just any job, right?

At the very least, a job will teach you about yourself if you are paying attention. At its best, a job can boost you on your path to personal and professional growth, teaching you lessons that will last a lifetime – a stepping stone to your best life.

The right job makes you a better employee

When you have a job that changes you into a better employee, it’s because your current skills are being exercised and you’re being stretched to learn new ones. Nothing stunts your professional growth faster than boredom, apathy or stagnation. Instead of languishing in the back room and falling into poor work habits, make sure you grasp every opportunity to learn and expand your skill set. 

By pursuing the path of education in a job that supports your professional development, you’ll gain the notice and respect of more and larger professional networks. Gaining long-term contacts can be priceless over time. Leadership opportunities may come your way, and these new horizons will reveal things you never knew you never knew.

All of this translates into a higher paycheck and greater mobility in your field. Your resume will grow along with you and you’ll be prepared when the next door opens. Skills are funny things. You never know which one will be useful five years from now in an entirely different job. They add up and they each count as another step forward in your professional change for the better.

The right job makes you a better person

When you have a job that changes you into a better person, and not just a better employee, it’s because you’re exercising your soft skills and tapping into who you could be. It’s interesting how often a job can teach you things about yourself you would have learned no other way – if you are willing to grow.

With a job comes relationships of every flavor, and navigating them is no small feat. Flexing your people skills, like any muscle, fosters better resilience, patience, curiosity, flexibility, empathy and other strong signs of emotional maturity. When you expand on these, through variety and practice, it leads to positions of mentoring, collaboration and high-level problem-solving. And not just at work. Everywhere.

Your job should have meaning for you personally. Something about it should speak to your values, your personality and your vision of the future. It should challenge your current point of view and give you space to see things from different angles. At the end of the workday, you might be tired, but you should also feel fulfilled. You should have a personal reason for going back tomorrow and doing it all over again.

This pursuit of personal development adds up to a life that makes sense to you, helps you become a more authentic human, and creates not just a strong contributor to society but a person who is slowly growing into their best self.

Defining ‘change’

Growth and goals are different things. Goals come and go, but growth is an ongoing part of daily life. Measuring goals is possible. Measuring growth can be trickier.

How do you know if your job is changing you for the better?

Professionally speaking, the test is goal-oriented. There are industry markers and the expectations and evaluations of your employer to consider. Certainly, a regular and frank look at these lists will let you know whether you’re moving forward on the path of career development.

Use SMART to help you set your goals for each step on your list. Make your goal Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. Without these parameters, your goal is just a wish. Each time you meet your goal, add it to your resume. In time, your skill sets will prove both formidable and mobile.

Personal growth begins with a frank assessment of who you are and what you want. It’s imperative to look into the mirror long enough to find out. Take a free personality test and read up on what it means to be in your shoes. What are your strengths? What seems like a weakness? We can’t move forward if we don’t know who we are now and who we’d like to be.

Setting goals for personal growth through your job might mean going out of your way to learn how to understand other personalities better. It could include practicing new techniques in interpersonal skills in a management position. You could measure it every time you provide excellent customer care or convince your team to consider doing things a different way or even gain the respect of a coworker who previously ignored you.

Use a variety of measurements to regularly evaluate whether you’re in a job that changes you for the better, and adjust your trajectory and reset your goals accordingly. Be sure to peek at what they may look like in three, five or 10 years. Change takes time. Decide if you’re spending it well.

Deciding ‘better’

At the heart of all growth is education. Foster an attitude of being always interested in learning more. After all, the world is a fascinating place full of fascinating people. It isn’t ultimately up to your employer whether you’ve improved. It’s up to you.

And if your current job seems to have no hope of changing you for the better – if you’ve sought a challenge and none was offered – you may have to get a new job. Job hunting, whether or not you are on the prowl, will keep you engaged in real time in your field of interest and can be an education in itself. You never know what may come out of an impromptu interview.

If there’s something about the job system that seems to inherently be keeping you from changing for the better, consider working for yourself. Be forewarned. Never will the opportunities for growth or fulfillment pile up so quickly.

Don’t settle for coasting along in any old job when you could be in a job that changes you for the better. A whole new you is waiting.