Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The New Chapter: I’ve Found My ‘Why’

I often think about the phrase, “Excellence is born when someone shows they care.”  We each have reasons for choosing a certain career path and then deciding whether to stay on that path or leave and go another direction. Those reasons often stem from our ability to care about the work we do.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on my reasons for starting a career in electronics. For me, it comes down to a passion for what I do. However, passion cannot be the only driving force. If it was, I probably would have become a potter or a professional hiker. To determine your “why,” we should balance our passions, expected compensations, and the value-add or meaning of our work. We should be intentional in our reasons for the career(s) we pursue. If you’re working on your “why” or determining what path you’d like to take, please consider these recommendations.

Passion
There’s a saying, “If you like what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Personally, this seems a bit idealistic. It’s important to enjoy what you do for 2,080 hours each year but it’s ignorant to believe none of those hours will feel like work. Passion doesn’t mean we will “like” what we are doing all the time. Hiking for the views is a big passion of mine, but I don’t always enjoy hiking up the mountain. I do, however, love the view from the top. Work draws parallels to hiking for me. Some days may be stressful, but seeing the end product is always worth it.

Compensation
If compensation weren’t important to our “why,” most of us would make our hobbies our careers. Unfortunately, most of us have needs that require adequate compensation for the work we do. But it’s important not to let compensation grow too high on our priority list. I imagine that if I worked in an industry that included a lot of manual labor in a hot climate just for compensation, I wouldn’t be happy.

Meaning
The purpose or meaning of our careers is closely tied to our passions and compensation levels. It’s natural for us to seek out a sense of purpose in the communities we live and work in. The meaning behind our work is what drives most of us out of bed every morning. I find meaning by thinking about the people that the products will serve. It’s exciting for me to see PCBs in the medical devices used by my doctor or to think about the PCBs in the car on my daily commute. These are reminders of the good I am doing beyond myself.

Value Alignment
Our “why” isn’t just important in determining what we do. Even more critically, it’s important to where we choose to work. When I think of “why” I choose to work at a company or in an industry, the decision tends to be drawn from my value alignment with the company. For example, I value honesty. It would be hard for me to work in an environment in which coworkers lied to their customers, vendors, and, worst of all, themselves.

Future Opportunity
Sometimes, roles are just steppingstones for a larger one down the road. Sometimes, our current roles are meant for a finite time, and that’s okay. I went to college so I could pursue greater opportunities down the road. When I started college, I knew that I did not want to be a college student for the next 40 years. Knowing my “why” in that situation helped me understand my motivations for attending classes and completing my homework.

Balance
A “why” can be as simple as desiring balance. As society progresses technically, we understand the need for more balance. We all need time to rest and recharge to be our best selves. I’m currently in a stage of life where I don’t want an 80-hour work week. Instead, I enjoy balancing my work and home life with a 40–50-hour work week. This “why” led me to choose opportunities in which balance is valued.

Knowing the “why” behind our decisions is imperative to accelerating our success. There are feelings attached to our reasons that can lead to a path of excellence. Understanding our reasoning helps us to understand our motivation for the way we interact with our careers. Our lives are too short, and our working years are too long not to align our careers with our personal “whys.” I challenge you to think about your “why” and how it drives you to thrive.

This column originally appeared in the July 2024 issue of PCB007 Magazine.