What Job Suits Me?

A Degree with No Job, Where Do I Start?

You have just graduated, and you are wondering "what job suits me"? Ideally, this should not have occurred if there was sufficient self-awareness and planning. That’s all water under the bridge now. Let’s move on to find a solution for it.

Before I move on to answer the question “What job suits me?”, I need you to first understand a few points.

The answer to the question "what job suits me" is simple, though the journey may not be as simple. That is something you have to keep in mind. I write this with experience. I have had many interview candidates passing through my door asking this question. Frustrating as it maybe, I have always used this as an opportunity to counsel them.

What job suits me? Here is my answer.

1. Think Positive - As You Think So You Are

I know it is tough not to have a job, and you're raring to go and build a career. Look at it this way; you have a degree. A qualification, regardless of how you look at it. How many people can claim that? All the things that you learned in these courses mean something to some employers out there. Think hard, surf the net to see who are in need of your skills. When you get ideas you won't feel so lost. You will begin to see hints of answers to what job suits you.

What if you don’t have a degree? Look at what qualifications you have. Think hard about those. What if you do not have any qualifications? Then think about what quality courses you can take, no matter how short it is, even if it is a certificate course. These will usually build into more skills and knowledge and start opening doors.

What if you have no money? Then, start low. Take an entry-level job to save up money. Tell yourself, this is but a step to finding the answer to what job suits me. The world conspires to help you achieve your dreams only if you are willing to sacrifice. How much commitment do you have in finding the answer to the question of “What job suits me?”.

2. Think Interest, Feel The Passion

Grab a job that closest reflects what interests you and your knowledge. Do you like working in an office? If it is an office setting, what industry could it be? List it down and give yourself some criteria that helps you short-list the choices. It can be as simple as distance, size of company, type of industry, reasonable expected salary and so on and so forth.

Interest and passion is what will eventually guide you in your quest for the answer to "what job suits me". It’s tough to start but once you start, the small answers will eventually cumulate into a big answer. Say for example, you like meeting people, there are jobs out there that permits you that – a hotel receptionist, a salesperson, a tour guide, or even a bus driver job allows for that. Dig deep. No job is too small for anyone. Not especially if you are on a quest to find out what job suits you.

3. Start Somewhere

Ideally, you have a list of criteria, but experience tells me more often than not, that there will still be people who are too lazy to do that. Even after reading this, you are still looking for hints of a short cut. Let me remind you that there are no short cuts to "what job suits me".

What I can say is start somewhere. Shrink your ego and swallow your pride. Get an entry-level job. So what if you have to start at the very bottom? Do it, it may not be what you want but it will give you some sense of self-awareness – what you like and don’t like.

It may even provide you with real lessons in life like humility, honesty and being hard-working Lessons are important in the journey of life.

4. Career Building Is A Journey

There is no need to rush. Yes, easier said than done but sometimes what seems to you as fumbling around is actually opportunities presenting itself. There are lessons to be learned everywhere and everyone we come in contact with can teach us a lesson or two. We just have to be conscious of it and learn from it.

Get into a temporary job that interests you. As you start, you will get to know people and soon one thing will lead to another. You will discover new strengths and interests and the opportunity will present itself. Therein may lie the answer "to what job suits me". Don't be afraid of being slow, worry only when you stop. Always keep walking.

To round this up, I have currently two staff working with me with qualifications totally unrelated to advertising. One has a B.Sc in Biotech, and another a B.Sc in Entomology. They too ‘fumbled’ through their careers. One has 10 years experience that started her career in a construction firm and eventually, advertising. The other started in a gift company before joining me, is only 2 years in advertising. They are doing very well in advertising and are even considered stars in my department.

It's all good. While there are no straight and simple answer to "what job suits me", the answer is always there to be discovered. Importantly, it can be discovered. Just make sure you have the stamina to take the journey and challenges.

Keep walking and good luck!

7 Tips for Meditation

Through meditation we can bring about greater peace of mind and powers of concentration. The length of time we meditate is not as important as the focus we give during our meditation. If we can meditate with a silent mind for 5 minutes we can bring to the fore our own divine qualities of inner peace and inner happiness. This is an inner joy independent of any outer success or outer prosperity.

When offering meditation classes for the Sri Chinmoy Centre. I offer these 7 tips which will help us to meditate more successfully.

1. Quite The Mind

The Goal of meditation is to go beyond the mind. Meditation cannot be done by thinking. All the different paths of meditation share this common feature of cultivating a silent mind. When our mind is silent we can start to enter a new consciousness, a consciousness not limited by the intellectual mind. With a quiet mind we will experience peace
"I meditateSo that I can inundate My entire being With the omnipotent Power of peace."

2. Concentration

In whatever we do,we will be more successful if we can concentrate fully on the task in hand. This means being single pointed. When we meditate we need to switch off from everything else and put all our attention onto the meditation.

3. Place to Meditate

It is very helpful to find a Quiet Place to meditate every day. I have a small corner of my room specially set aside for meditation. You can use a picture of a saint or Teacher who inspires you. Or just use flowers and a candle. If you meditate in the same place every day it builds up a meditative atmosphere.

4. Aspiration

Aspiration to meditate. If we are hungry then we are eat. It is the same with meditation if we are not satisfied with what we have and would like to discover the inner peace within ourselves then we will be motivated to meditate every day. This aspiration or inner cry is perhaps more important than learning many techniques.

5. Perseverance and Patience

In the beginning we cannot expect results overnight, each time we meditate we are adding to our capacity's even if we don't have great experiences then we need to persevere. If we practise sincerely we will progress.

6. Use the Qualities of the Spiritual Heart

The heart is the location of the soul. If we focus on the heart, immediately our thoughts have less power. By concentrating on our heart we can enter into the vastness of meditation.

7. Cultivate Happiness

It is important to bear in mind the goal of meditation is to uplift our consciousness and have a more positive outlook about life and about ourselves. When we meditate well we will have a positive outlook on life.