While I really did love working for my last company, every day working there I was faced with the fact that I just wasn’t doing what makes me happy. Especially when I joined the last team that I was on before I left, I was surrounded by people who were really passionate about their work. Every day, they found themselves growing and learning new things in their chosen field. Every day, they were actively advancing their careers. I really liked my new team, but I couldn’t help having some nagging feelings of jealousy during our meetings. Why couldn’t I feel that passion for my job? Hoping to find something of my own to enjoy, I began searching for something new, but I really struggled to find anything else worth going after.

My job searches were often fruitless because I really struggled to find a job description that suited me. Since I had this blog as proof that I could write regularly (as well as an obvious passion for writing), I knew that content creation was ultimately the way to go, but I still found plenty of reasons that I couldn’t apply for certain Content Creator positions. The primary issue was that there was at least one thing on every job listing that involved either a qualification I didn’t have or a task I had no interest in doing. Although I wasn’t thrilled with the job that I had, I was comfortable with the company, my coworkers, and the work, so I preferred to just stay where I was comfortable than to risk it and apply for a job that I didn’t feel was the perfect fit. I regularly checked job postings on several different sites, but none of the jobs ever thrilled me.

At the end of the day, after countless demoralizing and fruitless searches for a Content Creator position that I would enjoy, I would return to the futile task of applying to positions at local colleges, since Student Affairs was something that I had been interested in since my own college career. However, I knew that jobs in Student Affairs were scarce and mainly only open to those who had completed their Masters degrees in Student Affairs (which is something I ultimately decided not to do back in 2018).

Urged by several people (not just at this time, but throughout my life), I finally bought a copy of What Color is Your Parachute? I only made it through a couple hundred pages before I stopped, losing motivation to complete such a large book (as I am wont to do), but what I read was valuable. 

What Color is Your Parachute? addresses the fact that you can’t have everything you want in a job (or rather, you can, but it’s rare and probably shouldn’t be your ultimate goal), so you should prioritize a few different facets of jobs in your job search, instead of trying to find something that fulfills all of them. Armed with this knowledge, I knew exactly how to direct my job search. I was attracted to small companies with a friendly, personal culture and a mission that aligned with my passions. Instead of looking strictly at jobs with the title of “Content Creator,” I began focusing my job search on those things.

One of the fears looming over me as I continued to search for content creator positions was that my creativity tends to ebb and flow. Now that I was determined to direct my job searches to particular cultures and missions, I started to brainstorm missions that I was particularly passionate about. What could I write about regularly without having serious lapses in interest and creative energy? I write this blog, so clearly I enjoy writing about mental health, personal development, and Disney, but I also enjoy writing about topics like polyamory and sexuality. I have also always had an interest in working with startups, and there are no shortage of new startups in the sexual wellness industry, so I decided to redirect my search there.

I began researching every SexTech company I could find. I started connecting with CEOs and marketers at SexTech startups on LinkedIn and reaching out to them, hoping to connect. I was reinvigorated by the idea of working for a SexTech company and being surrounded by people who shared the same interests as me. Instead of previous jobs where I felt I would have to feign interest in whatever the company’s mission was, I knew I would be able to use my genuine passion to create content. Suddenly, the job search wasn’t something that I dreaded or a fruitless effort that led to me feeling hopeless. It was now just a series of conversations about things that I loved. This felt right! I was glad that I had pivoted my search to the things that I do for fun.

Eventually, I stumbled across a FaceBook ad for my new company, and, intrigued by their product, I ordered from them. I received their welcome email shortly after, and I immediately knew that I wanted to work with them. Their newsletters were so quirky and fun! They were real. I knew that I could easily create content for them if they wanted someone quirky to help out. I just had to reach out to them.

For those of you who don’t know this about me, I am a total opportunist. Now, I don’t mean the type of opportunist that wants to get ahead no matter what and step on others on my way up the ladder. I mean the type of opportunist who sees potential opportunity, and in a very non-pushy way, goes for it. Back when I was single/poly, I would always ask out people that I vibed with. If I felt we had a connection, I dropped my number. I don’t like the feeling of having missed an opportunity. As a freelancer, I am always asking existing clients how I can work for them in a greater capacity. If I see something in particular that I think my client might need help with, I ask them if they would like for me to help them.

So being the opportunist that I am, I reached out to this company with the FaceBook ads and awesome newsletters to see if they need someone to help with content creation. After going back and forth with them and doing freelance projects for them for several months, I have officially started working for them full time. I still can’t believe my luck.

But then again, I truly believe that manifestation works this way…I finally put my energy in the right direction, and that’s when I started seeing results. Once I started looking for jobs at companies with cultures and missions that I liked, I started attracting those companies to me. With this combination of being an opportunist and manifestation, I found a job doing what I love.

Everyone has different priorities when looking for a job, therefore not everyone should have the same approach to finding the ideal job. While I prioritized mission and culture, someone else might prioritize job requirements and location. Knowing what you would find to be most fulfilling will be the most useful piece of information when searching for the best job for you. Obviously there’s no guarantee that your ideal job will be available at any given time, but you’re more likely to find it when it is available if you’re looking in the right place!

And so, the moral of the story is to read 100 pages of What Color is Your Parachute? and buy things from FaceBook ads! Okay, so not really…but also kinda…

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