How to figure out what to do with your life

Summary

This video encourages viewers to rethink traditional career aspirations by focusing on intrinsic job qualities that lead to satisfaction. The speaker shares personal experiences and introduces self-determination theory, highlighting autonomy, competence, and relatedness as key. They also offer a list of seven specific job traits to consider, such as creative autonomy and work-life balance, advocating for pursuing interests and gaining diverse experiences to find fulfilling work.

Takeaways

• 🧐 The video challenges the traditional career advice of focusing on specific job roles or companies and suggests that the nature of work itself is more important for satisfaction.
• 🤔 The speaker reflects on their diverse experiences and finds that the satisfaction derived from them is not tied to the job title but the work's inherent qualities.
• 🔑 Self-determination theory, introduced by Edward Deci, identifies three main qualities that make work satisfying: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
• 🏗️ The speaker emphasizes the importance of building new things rather than maintaining existing ones for personal fulfillment.
• 📚 A love for learning and the opportunity to acquire new skills and knowledge is crucial for the speaker's job satisfaction.
• 🎨 The level of creative autonomy in one's work is highlighted as a significant factor in determining job satisfaction.
• 🤝 The nature and amount of interaction with others at work, including the type of relationships formed, play a vital role in job enjoyment.
• 👩‍💼 The speaker prefers a hands-on role without the responsibility of managing others, valuing the freedom to focus on creative tasks.
• 🌟 The desire for being in the spotlight and receiving recognition for one's work is a legitimate and important aspect of job satisfaction for some individuals.
• 🏡 Work-life balance is essential, and the speaker encourages considering personal life priorities when choosing a career path.
• 🔑 The speaker advises pursuing interests and being observant of what qualities in work resonate with an individual to find satisfying employment.
• 🛠️ Skillshare is presented as a resource for gaining practical skills and experiences that can help individuals explore different career paths.

Q & A

What is the common question asked to children about their future aspirations?

The common question asked to children about their future aspirations is 'What do you wanna be when you grow up?'

What does the speaker believe might be incomplete about the typical answers to the question of future aspirations?

The speaker believes that typical answers related to specific job roles or companies might be incomplete, as they may not fully address what makes work truly satisfying.

What is the speaker's view on the importance of the nature of work for job satisfaction?

The speaker believes that job satisfaction is not about the specific job role or company, but rather the traits and qualities of the work itself.

What are the three main qualities that self-determination theory posits make work satisfying?

According to self-determination theory, the three main qualities that make work satisfying are autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

What does the speaker suggest doing to find work that one loves doing?

The speaker suggests finding work that has high levels of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as well as observing personal interests and the seven specific qualities he lists.

What is the first quality on the speaker's list of seven that he looks for in his work?

The first quality on the speaker's list is whether the work involves building new things from scratch or maintaining existing ones.

How does the speaker describe the importance of learning in his work?

The speaker describes learning as crucial to his work satisfaction, stating that he loves to learn and gets checked out if work does not offer opportunities to learn something new.

What does the speaker mean by 'creative autonomy' and why is it important to him?

Creative autonomy refers to the level of decision-making power one has in their work. It is important to the speaker because it allows him to have complete control over the content he creates, which he finds fulfilling.

How does the speaker differentiate between the types of interactions he prefers in his work and those of in-person tutoring?

The speaker prefers the solitude of creating content for the internet, where he can build something that is his and share it with the world, as opposed to in-person tutoring, which involves a different level and type of interaction.

What is the speaker's view on the importance of managing others in relation to his own work satisfaction?

The speaker does not like managing other people and prefers to focus on his own work, which is why he delegates management tasks in his company.

How does the speaker approach the desire for the spotlight and its potential negative connotations?

The speaker acknowledges his enjoyment of the spotlight but emphasizes that it is not problematic as long as he keeps his ego in check and makes efforts to acknowledge the work of others.

What advice does the speaker give to someone trying to figure out what to do with their life?

The speaker advises pursuing interests and working hard at them, gaining as much experience as possible, and being observant of the work's qualities and how they resonate personally.

What is Skillshare and how can it help someone gain new skills or experience?

Skillshare is an online learning platform with thousands of classes on various topics that can teach practical skills, helping individuals gain the necessary experience and knowledge in areas of interest.