When he was 32, Gabriel Velasco began thinking about changing careers. He had a creative job that he enjoyed at a small television company, shooting and editing news stories and making commercials. Because of his field, videography, Gabriel knew that his career would stall unless he asked his family to move to Los Angeles or New York City, which he didn’t want to do

Question

When Gabriel thought about work he had enjoyed in the past, first in his mind was “helping work” he had done with Habitat for Humanity and the Boulder Sister City Project. He chose nursing because of the challenges and the many career paths for nurses. Four years later, after being a part-time student for one year and a full-time student for two more years, Gabriel is a registered nurse working in a hospital, his first choice of career paths.
Gabriel’s advice to anyone entering the job market or choosing a new career is to “Prioritize what’s important to you, whether it’s making a lot of money, making work your focus, or spending time with family and enjoying outside pursuits. You have to consider those things seriously so you can find as much satisfaction and happiness as possible in and out of work.”
If you think you may be out of work for a while, Gabriel recommends that you “Put your ego in check and be willing to be flexible. Think about taking a job that isn’t your first choice, without letting go of your dreams. Network. Be social—you never know where an opportunity is going to arise.”
Gabriel has this advice for succeeding at every job: “Do your best at a job no matter what it is. Keep things in perspective as much as possible and don’t let trivial matters become weightier than they really are. Each day find some enjoyment in what you do.”

What are some specific things a job seeker can do to use this advice: “Each day find some enjoyment in what you do.”

Why does Gabriel say that you should prioritize what’s important to you?

Answer 1

Excellent answers are: becoming good at the tasks you do, becoming very good at specific tasks and known for your expertise (e.g., become the go-to person for ordering supplies and shipping them to career fairs the company participates in), and learning new skills. These tactics are rewarding because they make day-to-day work more interesting and more fulfilling and because they are directed toward a longer-term, valuable goal: getting promoted, doing more challenging and interesting work, and earning more money.

So you can select a career that will give you satisfaction and happiness in and out of work.