{"id":329,"date":"2022-08-02T18:01:33","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T23:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/manlife.com\/articles\/?p=329"},"modified":"2022-08-02T18:01:33","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T23:01:33","slug":"job-searching-in-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manlife.com\/articles\/index.php\/2022\/08\/02\/job-searching-in-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Job Searching in 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you’ve been following my posts, you know that I recently finished my Ph.D. At the end of that long road, another one begins: looking for a job in 2022. Much of what I want to reflect on here are simply things that I am working through at the moment. I’m happy to report that I have an interview for an academic position coming up in the next week, but the landscape in 2022 for all job fields is a complicated place that I hope we can navigate together.

So, without further adieu, here are a few things I’m currently working through in my search for a full-time job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Think about Skills rather than degrees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Academic degrees can be pretty specific. Mine, for example, is in political science. More specifically, I teach and write mostly in political theory. That puts me in league with about four or five hundred other people in the country who do the same thing on paper.

But, does that mean that all I can do is political theory, and thus those are the only jobs I should apply to? In 2022, not at all. In my work as an educator, I have developed excellent critical thinking and writing skills. Additionally, I am in charge of groups of people and have to coordinate them to successful ends every semester. I also mentor young people and serve on academic committees.

Those skills, whether it’s organizing, writing, thinking critically, or carrying out long-term plans as a member of a community, are all valuable skills to a wide variety of industries. So, when you’re searching for a job, don’t just look at your certifications. Ask yourself: what are you good enough at so that you can make it work anywhere? For me, that has meant translating my writing and research chops into basically full-time work as a writer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Be Flexible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In line with the thinking about degrees, it’s smart not only to ask what you can do in terms of skills to put on a resume, but to think in terms of all the jobs that you could potentially do, and thus think about applying for.

On paper, I am qualified to teach college. With one test, I could also teach k-12. That opens up a lot more jobs, but still in education. Looking at my skills, what else could I do?

A person who can read, write, think, and achieve long-term goals with little to no supervision with high levels of responsibility with sensitive information can do a lot of things. WIth my research knowledge, real estate and investing come into play as more than reasonable options.

Similarly, I have not run into a single company yet that does not value my skillset in its management structure in one form or another. The things that make you good at what you do now, importantly, could make you good at a great many things, if only you’re also willing to remain adaptable and look out for new skills to pick up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Think about your lifestyle <\/h2>\n\n\n\n


The things I’m good at make me a great fit for a standard 9-5 office job, and I have had several of those before. Having done that, I know that about six months in, the idea of spending one more minute turning an inbox into an outbox will have me strongly considering throwing my laptop out of the nearest window.

My ideal lifestyle is one where I have to solve a lot of creative problems, face new challenges, and get to self-direct in my day-to-day work. After this much time learning how to lead, getting told that I have to make copies by 5PM really rubs me the wrong way.

Thus, in my search for academic jobs, I look for roles that dictate a lot of creativity and freedom. This, for some people, would mean anxiety and disaster. So, before you apply for, and especially before you accept, a new job, think about the kind of life you’d lead in that role. And it’s not about the money: having talked to them, a lot of the richest people in tech, for example, are absolutely miserable. Do something that makes you want to get up in the morning even on the hard days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What are the costs involved with a job?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Taking a new job often means a move that will take you away from friends and family, in addition to costing you a fair bit of money. Having done construction for two decades, it takes a toll on your body. Every job has its costs that aren’t just monetary, and they need to be considered carefully.

For example, a lot of states have passed, or are passing, laws that dictate what even college educators can and cannot say in the classroom. Such laws, regardless of who passes them, strike me as wrong, and I am simply unwilling to have ideas suppressed before they can see the light of day in good-faith arguments. I’m also really not willing to do roofing anymore since I value my back and knees for hiking. So, the search continues. At the end of the day, the important thing for me is to find work in which I feel free, and as though I contribute to the world in a positive way.

Since we spend so much time working, it’s important to take the time to think of the kind of work that we want to do. I would hate, at the end of a long career, to look back and think that all I worked for was someone else’s profits. To me, at least, balancing financial concerns with a life worth living, and work that makes the world a better place, is an important thing to try to achieve. For now, I think I’ll stay in education, and try to do what I can to help people learn how to think critically, read widely, and participate in communities that make the world a better place one day at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you’ve been following my posts, you know that I recently finished my Ph.D. At the end of that long road, another one begins: looking for a job in 2022. Much of what I want to reflect on here are simply things that I am working through at the moment. I’m happy to report that … <\/p>\n

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