It’s been said by many that if you love what you’ll do, you’ll never work a day in your life. Some people tend to tune out this advice, thinking that it takes a high-flying career as an entertainer or heart surgeon to yield this kind of satisfaction.
That idea is wrong. The fact is that when there are routine things that you love to do or unique aspects of your personality, you should try to find work that lets you direct that natural love into what you do for a living.
If you enjoyed dealing with money and numbers, you should be working in that field. If your checkbook stays balanced to the penny, courtesy of your long hours chasing down errors, you may be interested in a career in mortgage banking. Companies like Eagle Home Mortgage create a culture of support and offer their employees state of the art sales tools.
Of course, working as a loan officer is a great job for people who love dealing with money, but there are countless areas of employment that also let you utilize your proficiency at bean-counting. If you find one of these jobs, you will be able to really dig in your heels and do a great job for some very lucky employer.
Because math and finance are such broad categories, you might want to consider what other areas you like that could couple up with your penchant for spreadsheets to identify your perfect career. For example, if you love real estate, the loan officer job would be great because you need to stay current on homebuying trends and values.
Let’s see where that synergy may exist for you.
The Thrill-Seeking Financier
Some parts of the financial world are not for the faint of heart. If you love the hourly challenge of watching emerging stock prices, you should consider working in brokerage. Advising customers about what to do with their money–based on your meticulous monitoring of the markets–is a very satisfying venture for those with the confidence and the constitution to deal with its risk.
It’s a career for people who like to work after work–that is, they clock out officially, but they go home and read financial news, watch financial networks, and log on to their investment accounts regularly to watch for the tiniest upticks and downturns. When you love the work all day, you’re right at home.
The Legal Eagle
There is a close overlap between the domains of finance and the law, partly because there is so much regulation in the financial world. For the person who truly enjoys watching the minutiae of law, understanding its intent, and following it precisely, accountancy can be a good avenue. People working in this field not only have to make the bottom line add up correctly, but they also have to be accurate in how certain expenditures and revenues are designated so that the client can stay in compliance with the law.
And speaking of compliance, there are jobs as forensic accountants and financial investigators. If you are more interested in catching the criminals than in preventing their creation, law enforcement might like to see an application from you.
The Tracker
Do you have your every garment properly placed and tracked? Do you organize your CD’s or DVD’s carefully by name or genre? If so, you may be a great fit for retail management.
This particular crossroads–the intersection of enjoying money management with good physical organization–is just the place to find an effective retail manager. Beyond someone like a warehouse manager, who needs to know where everything is, a retail manager must also make it look good in its location.
Of course, retail management requires a lot of interaction with both customers and employees, so people skills are important for this vocation as well. Should that formula fit you, it sounds like you’ve discovered a good path.
Finding work that you enjoy and that fits your natural interests is the best way to create a long, satisfying career. You will find that the day moves faster, your paycheck is more satisfying, and retirement isn’t as interesting. Take a good inventory of your likes and dislikes, and go from there!
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