Career Well-Being: Key to Happiness
How to strengthen yours
Career well-being is your answer to, "Do you like what you do each day?"
And your answer has a big effect on your Happiness.
Research shows that career well-being is the most influential of the five factors that affect happiness the most. In this article we will say a bit more on this, and then give you tips on strengthening yours.
First, how would you answer, "Do you like what you do each day?" 1
When you answer, "Yes!" we know your career well-being is strong. And, it is likely that you are happy.
Career Well-Being includes more than paid work. It is strongest when you do "work" that achieves a purpose, that engages you – paid or unpaid jobs, volunteering, sports, or hobbies. It also includes things you do in pursuing a career, training program, or college major.
It affects your Happiness in a big way when you feel good about what you are doing. Those feelings of – pride, excitement, happiness, satisfaction, of being inspire, energized, valued and worthwhile – strengthen your well-being and happiness.
The five elements that affect Happiness the most are,
- Career Well-Being: Do I like what I do each day?
- Social Well-Being: Do I have strong relationships and love In my life?
- Financial Well-Being: Am I effective in managing my economic life?
- Physical Well-Being: Do I have the health and energy to do what I want to do?
- Community Well-Being: Am I engaged with my community in the area where I live?
The five factors interact with each other, and research shows career well-being is the most influential. They are universal across faiths, cultures, and nationalities. 2
Tips to strengthen your career well-being and happiness
- Choose careers, education programs, and activities that match your personality and interests. Research shows that a good match between the Holland personality and work environment types – Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional – leads to satisfaction and success. You will be with people like yourself who are doing things that interest you.
And, that is what Career Key strives to do. We assess your personality/interests and point you to the "work environments" that match you – occupations, college majors and training programs. Ones where you will say, "I like what I do each day." - If you are retired, or in a "mismatched" job you can't leave, you can use your imagination with the Career Key results to identify activities you would enjoy. Understanding the Holland theory will help you do this. It is simple, practical, and supported by many studies.
- You may also want to supplement the personality-environment match by identifying your motivated skills and unique strengths and use them to find a good match.
- We recommend an excellent book by research scientist Sonja Lyubomirsky, The How of Happiness. It is a practical guide based on the science of well-being and happiness (e.g., Ch. 3: How to find happiness activities that fit your interest, your values and your needs.).
- Are you introverted? Then, be sure to read our article, Introverts, Introversion – Tips for School and Job Success.
- To learn and take more action, download our free eBook, Guide to Strengthening Your Career Well-Being. For counselors, practitioners and professionals, we invite you to download a special version with practical tips and more details on the science behind career well-being.
1 Only 20% of people can give a strong "yes" to this question, according to Gallup global research
2 Scientists working with the Gallup organization identified these five. They are the outcome of years of ongoing global research by the Gallup organization. For more, see Wellbeing: The five essential elements by Rath and Harter (2010).
(Disclaimer: Career Key does not, in any way, profit from the work by Gallup, nor the book by Sonja Lyubomirsky.)
