Career search

I'd been to several job interviews in the past several months and came to realise that job searching can be a rather complex process. I attribute this to the current buoyant job market.

The good job market offers plenty of opportunites, which can only be a good thing for job seekers. But opportunities aplenty means more choices; more choices means some decision making has to be done.

Ideally, I'd like to hold a job that matches my interests, abilities, knowledge and needs. Yes, ideally. Because very often, the job on offer satisfies only some of the four conditions above, not all. Then I'll have to weigh the options and decide which ones are more important, and this is a headache.

People around advised me. Work for small companies to gain varietal experience. No no, work for big companies. Big companies provide a stable income and room for career progression. Hm, how about working for your passions? Great, I love travelling and exploring. What sort of jobs will allow me to travel and explore? Lonely planet! That sounds absolutely exciting to me, but the elders will remind me to "please be realistic", find a good job and settle down.

All the above are valid advice. But there's a lot to consider. Again, headache.

What I gathered from the day I started writing and sending my CV, is that job searching is a process of self-discovery. At the very least, I learnt that I didn't know myself deep enough to figure out what I'd like to do for the rest of my life. Pessimistically, this will incur a lot of headaches from all that decision making. But optimistically, this gives me the freedom to choose and make good of what comes my way.

After 4 months of interviews, offers and rejections, I'm still at square one. A little bit frustrating, but it's a step closer to understanding myself and to the career that I will enjoy.

继续找工作!